Dad?
Zachary!
For those of you who do not know. this is how it began.
Zachary Small was an ordinary little boy.
He lived with his ordinary father
in an ordinary house in an ordinary town.
What Zachary did not know. could not know.
was just how unordinary he was.
I had heard the stories of young Zachary and his fearlessness.
I had seen. with my own eyes. his selfless acts of bravery and courage.
And I knew. deep in my heart. that he would return to rescue me
when I was imprisoned in the dungeon that last time.
Just as the prophecy decreed.
he would restore me to my rightful place
to the kingdom he had long since abandoned.
But days turned into months.
and months into years.
And my certainty faded. until all that was left was despair.
Then again. stories are living things.
Given to turns unpredictable.
Nothing could prepare Zachary for what was to come.
for what he would become.
Like all boys. he had grown older.
But had he forgotten his purpose. had he forgotten the prophecy?
His destiny?
What follows is all I know to be true.
If there was a road leading Zachary back to himself.
it could only move in one direction:
Through the very heart of Neverwas.
This place will kill me.
It never ends.
Dr. Reed?
It's really nice to meet you.
Would you hand me that... that whatchamacallit,
- that bucket of, um, patching stuff? - Oh, sure.
I'm at war with the ceiling.
And losing, by the looks of it.
Yeah, the whole building is conspiring to fall down around me.
- Did I get your name? - Sorry. I'm Zach Riley.
We spoke on the phone a few weeks back.
I speak to a lot of people.
I'm here about the psychiatrist position.
Oh, right. You're the... You're...
Dr. Riley.
- You were on staff at Cornell. - Yeah.
Oh, thank you.
- Sit down. Move those files. - All right.
I love your clinic, doctor.
It's got a certain amount of character
that you don't, uh, you don't find everywhere.
Can I, uh, speak honestly with you, Dr. Riley?
Yeah, call me Zach. And yes, absolutely.
This is not really the kind of opening that you're looking for, Zach.
I read your proposal. It's very impressive.
M.D. at Yale, your clinical work at Cornell.
I just don't think you would make a good match here.
The AMA's declared that we're not even worthy of funding.
I'm surprised you even heard about us.
I'm sorry that you made a trip for no reason.
And if you'll excuse me, I have group in a few minutes.
That's it. We're not even gonna talk?
On your way out of town, stop at the pub on Main.
They have a great Irish stew. Massive chunks of lamb.
You don't understand. I'm counting on a position at Millwood.
No one counts on a position here.
Dr. Reed, I'm really not gonna take no for an answer. So...
Please. Hear me out.
I had an acquaintance who was a patient at Millwood a long time ago.
Whatever treatment he received, it didn't do him good.
For me, coming back here is about giving the patients what my friend never got.
I'm serious about this.
I mean, I've already rented a place in town.
Pretty confident.
What can I say? I want the job.
- One month. - I'll take it.
- On trial. No benefits. - Fine.
Deal.
Come with me.
Down here we have the doctors' offices and intake rooms.
Most all our patients are low or non-functioning.
Sad to say, we no longer have an out-patient program.
All but one of my wards have been shut down.
Funding cuts, of course.
Development is what we're all about.
I've got an insurance claim for you.
I look forward to it, Michael.
- Hello, Bernadette. - Would you sign this?
- Yeah. Just give me a second. - Sure.
Just sign right there.
Are you Zachary Pierson? He's right down the hall.
...I'd like you to handle group C.
- You can introduce yourself. - I'm sorry?
I'd like to introduce you to the group you'll be running.
I'm sorry I'm late, everybody.
Terrence. Group.
Come on, everybody. Join the group.
- Dick. Dick? - Yeah?
I'd like you to meet Dr. Riley.
- Hello. - Gonna be taking the place of Karen.
I know you all miss Karen,
but I think we can give Dr. Riley a chance.
It's nice to meet you all.
As Dr. Reed said, my name's Dr. Riley,
but you can call me Zach if you'd like.
I'm looking forward to getting to know and talking to you.
This is Martin, he's one of our interns.
- Welcome to the Mill. - Thank you. Good to meet you.
Maybe we should go around and introduce ourselves.
Gabriel, my man. Feel like joining us today?
Well, Gabriel, if you do ever change your mind,
we would love to have you join us.
Hi, Gabriel.
My name's Zach. I'm gonna be here from now on.
I'm Eleanna.
Eleanna?
- Nice name. - Do you mind if I smoke?
Jake, you know you can't smoke in group.
Dr. Riley doesn't mind if I smoke.
Dr. Riley doesn't know the rules.
I can't stand his looking at me.
I can't. He's on every layer of my fourth.
On the first layer of my fifth. Communication, survival.
Protection shield, flame.
I'm not keeping anything in it not conducive to free will.
Leave her alone.
Sally. Don't think about it!
Too much for even you!
Can I get you something to eat?
Yeah. I hear you guys have the Holy Grail of lamb stews.
You got it.
I don't believe it.
This is crazy.
- Hi. - Hi.
- You Zach Pierson? - I could be.
It's me!
Hello, you.
Oh, come on, man. Maggie. Maggie Page.
- Maggie? - From when we were little.
I was a tomboy. Freckles. Jack...
Jack Page's sister. You lived at the Thompson house.
- Yeah. My grandma's. - Oh, my God!
What happened to you?
After that summer, we moved to Vermont, with my aunt, where we stayed.
- Right. Your parents. I forgot. - Yeah, no.
But I've been back here for a while.
Staying at my grandmother's and I was up in this area doing some research.
I'm just over there. You wanna come sit with me for a minute?
All right.
The thing I remember most about you
is you used to stand outside our front gates.
Just stand there. Right?
Not exactly my proudest moment.
But, hey, what little kid didn't love your dad's books?
So what do you do now?
- I'm in grad school. - Really?
Yeah, I'm working on my thesis.
It's good to see you, Maggie.
- Yeah. You too. - So, um...
Do you wanna order something?
Actually, I gotta go. I'm running a little bit late.
But, um, like I said, I'll be down at my grandma's for a while.
Well, I'm at Millwood now.
- As a therapist, of course. - Oh.
- What? - Very interesting.
I got decorated by a schizophrenic.
She was having a bad day.
- You have to go. - Right.
So I'll be up in the area tomorrow doing some research.
I'll be here around the same time.
- Hello. - Honey! Oh!
Do you know I've left you four messages.
Seriously. Where've you been?
Ah... Yeah. Mom.
Sorry, I just...
I've been busy. Sorry I haven't called.
You're not the only one.
I tell you, this has been the week from hell.
Why? What've you been doing?
Nothing.
Which, to my constant amazement, is absolutely exhausting.
You need to get out of that house.
Take a vacation.
So, tell me, darling, how's your new place?
I took a job today,
and don't get all dramatic when I say this. Mom. but...
I'm working at Millwood.
What? Why would you go back to that terrible place?
Well, maybe to make it not so terrible.
You gave up your position at Cornell for Millwood.
Is this some kind ofjoke?
It's not a joke. It's a job.
Zachary, you know what day is coming up.
And you know how hard this time of year is for me. Always.
You know all this,
which makes your choice all the more cruel.
Of course. you're no stranger to cruelty when it comes to me.
You know what, Mom? I've got to go.
OK. Before our group sessions,
I wanted to meet with each of you individually.
I come from this real small town.
It's the kind of place where people...
...never talk a whole lot.
I play the piano.
I mean, um, I used to.
Hi.
They were exposed. And he was too blind.
I never ever hurt those children.
I know that the CIA is sometimes watching me.
And the thing is I have this fiancée.
And she wants to see me here.
And I don't know if she'll understand.
I don't even understand.
Hello, Gabriel.
Would you like to talk?
I know it's you.
Gabriel Finch will be your first patient.
He's been in and out of hospitals for nearly 40 years.
Three months ago. the county brought him in.
He dismantled a few bulldozers on a construction site
in the mountains north of here.
Gabriel has never uttered a word to any therapist.
until today... to you.
- Oh! - Oh, my God!
Gabriel. I didn't see you standing there.
All right, thank you for coming.
Messy office. Why don't you sit down. We can get started.
So is there anything...
...in particular that you'd like to begin with?
Anything in particular?
You. Here.
Your cool indifference. Let's begin with that.
- OK. - You've changed, boy.
I've changed? We've just met.
There's something gone missing.
Something not right behind the eyes.
You think I'm hiding something. What would I be hiding?
Don't get me wrong. I understand the need for secrecy
in this dungeon we're in.
I mean, you are talking to someone who understands
the vital need for discretion in my... Our predicament.
But there hasn't even been the slightest sign or signal from you,
and I look for signs and signals, given my position, my responsibility!
- You know that! - OK. Gabriel?
You seem to be getting a little upset, so let's slow down for a little bit.
And I haven't gone by Zachary for a long time.
- You can call me Zach. - That's impossible!
- You're taking this charade too far. - Help me understand.
Are you feeling calmer?
Are you feeling anything at all?
Why don't we start over.
We should talk about what brought you here.
What bought you here is a far more interesting question.
OK, well, I came here to help you.
I...
...don't believe it. Of course!
- Go on. - Yes.
It makes sense now. Clear as day!
Clear as day. Tell me about that.
Something's been done to you. It's a dark spell
to erase your thoughts and the memory of your youth.
To make you forget.
Hmm?
Good, good, good. What does that mean to you?
We'll stop here.
Statues made of snow, Zachary.
We don't have much time.
I'm almost off, hon.
All right.
Hi.
"It wasn't until Friday morning that Zachary would find the map.
leading him to the rock on the other side of the mountain
that was the entrance to Neverwas.
The monstrously hideous wizard, Ghastly Lapeer,
had kidnapped Zachary's father
to keep him from restoring the land
to its former beauty and bright spirit.
It fell upon Zachary to journey into Neverwas,
and rescue the king from Ghastly's dungeon.
Only then could the king fight Ghastly's minions
that were attacking his castle,
bent on destroying the last bright thing in Neverwas."
- I love this book. - Me too.
- Wanna know a secret? - What?
Funny you should say that. I was thinking about that time
there was a bunch of kids playing in the woods. You were there. We...
We got totally lost! I was there.
I was tagging along, to everyone's annoyance.
We were lost out there for hours.
But the thing I remember most about that day was that it was you.
You found our way back to the road. Remember?
- I guess I did get us out of there. - Yeah.
Isn't that amazing, how one summer so long ago
can just stand out amongst all the others.
So what are you doing your thesis on?
The contrast between deciduous trees of the upper Hudson.
I'm a botanist.
Before I forget...
I told you how much I love your dad's book.
- Yeah. - Well...
I use it as a purse sometimes.
- You've got to be kidding me. - No.
- You're a collector. - Since I was a kid.
And look at this.
My parents gave this to me the Christmas before they passed away.
This... is the most important thing I own.
Excuse me?
Are you Zachary Small?
I'm sorry to have bothered you.
Come on, honey.
- All right, I spilled the beans. - I go by Riley now.
My mother's maiden name. I don't, uh...
...like to talk about my father's book.
- Sorry. - Not a big deal. It's just,
it really has nothing to do with me. So...
- He wrote it for you. - Yeah, well... Um...
- It's not great literature. - It's a classic!
It's just a silly fairy tale.
Have you ever read it?
- You've never read it. - Of course I've read it.
Why don't you skim through this.
I think it'll do you good.
Wait. You're just gonna...?
Don't think I can talk to you until you've read it.
- You're gonna leave? - I'm gonna call you.
- I'll expect a book report. - Maggie!
Maggie!
Come on!
"Zachary Small took off through the forest
lain waste by Ghastly,
the once-good wizard
turned ugly and diabolical
by the use of black magic.
Zach's best friend would be a flying pig
named Bastion,
whose first language was,
of course, Pig Latin."
Come here, come here.
Ah, yeah.
Oh, my boy. My boy.
Jake and I have just had a conversation.
And I think there's something that Jake would like to say to the group.
Jake.
I wanted to say...
I have a fiancée.
She's coming up this weekend for a visit.
I don't want her to see me like this.
Maybe if you plan out what you're going to say to her,
- you would feel less frustrated. - I'm not frustrated!
I'm just tired.
Tired.
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent
It is right It should be so
Man was made forjoy and woe
And when this we rightly know
Through the world we safely go
Joy and woe are woven fine
A clothing for the soul divine
Man was made forjoy and woe
Joy and woe are woven fine A clothing for the soul divine
Thomas, don't let Zach hear.
Where's my joy, Katherine?
That's what the hell I wanna know. Huh?
Don't let Zachary hear you.
He's just a little boy!
Doesn't matter! He knows I'm numb!
Zach doesn't judge me, Kate. He doesn't judge me at all!
There's no judgment!
Oh, Dad!
- Gabriel. - Ah!
I mean, don't ever creep up on me when I'm making an entry.
Sorry. I thought you saw me come in.
Did others see you?
I don't know. Would that be a problem if they did?
You sound like a complete fool.
I was wondering where you heard that poem you recited earlier.
- You can't have disappeared. - Focus on the poem, not about me.
It has always been about you.
Especially now, in this moment of crisis, with just four days left.
Your bravery. I've seen it with my own eyes.
- Let's save this for our session. - Oh! It's such a shame.
Everything you ever were has been replaced by total fear.
And your skin! You wear your skin as if it's three sizes too small
and barely stretched over your bones.
Gabriel, please!
We have to find what you lost, Zachary.
For both our sakes!
Zachary, look who's here.
Hi.
Don't just stand there like a bump on a log. Come in!
- Hello, Mother. - Hello, hello, hello.
Maggie stopped by earlier. It... She wanted your phone number.
- It seems... - I said I was gonna call,
and I realized I didn't have your number. So...
I just told her to come back and ask you herself.
Um...
Well, you two catch up.
And I'll go make sure that everything is perfect.
Thank you.
I have always wished that they made a movie of Neverwas.
Thomas would never give up the rights, ever.
No. He hated himself for approving that merchandising that they did for a while.
I used to collect that. All of it.
Maggie is Dad's biggest fan, Mom.
Isn't that nice. And what about a boyfriend?
No, I'm too busy for that. I'm a bit of a workaholic.
Oh.
Do you know that when I met Thomas,
I was studying to be an actress?
Mom has a flair for the dramatic.
And then, of course, Zachary was born.
- Maggie doesn't want to hear this. - Sure, I do.
Sure, she does.
I'd never seen Thomas so happy.
I do believe, from that moment on,
Zachary was his only reason for living.
This torture can stop any time you want.
Why does that story upset you?
Because it's not true. And lies upset me.
Zachary has conveniently blocked out all happy childhood memories,
which make it almost impossible to reminisce.
Reminisce about what, Mom?
About the good times we had.
Oh, OK, the good times. Let's see. Um...
You, after Dad died, I remember that.
I did the best I could, Zachary.
With what I had. I did the best.
- Why don't you have some more wine? - Stop it!
It's working at Millwood that's doing this to you.
We can't possibly be having this much fun.
Honey, why don't you help me with dessert.
I haven't seen you like this since before you left for college.
Let's just stop. I was out of line.
I assume you haven't been sleeping.
I can deal with it.
But you were doing so well for so long.
Don't jeopardize everything that you've accomplished.
Just tell me how you want me to act, and I will.
I want whatever...
...this is,
whatever we are... to be all right.
Well, let's have our cake.
Mr. T.L. Pierson. what an honor this is to have you as my guest.
Thank you.
First. why don't you tell my audience at home about Neverwas.
Neverwas.
Neverwas, on the surface. is really quite simple.
In essence. it's the story of a little boy whose mother died.
and who lives with his father. Daniel. a janitor.
Although Zachary feels embarrassed about his father.
he thinks he's embarrassingly average.
it turns out that Daniel
is the king of a once great land...
...called Neverwas.
which lies on the other side of a mountain not far from where they live.
And...
Well. you should read the book.
Mr. Pierson. critics have speculated
on the symbolism held within your often bleak images.
Do you care to comment?
No.
As far as I'm concerned.
the work speaks for itself. That's it.
I don't believe it.
I'd like to talk about this in today's session, if you don't mind.
Neverwas. Does that mean anything to you, Gabriel?
- You remember? - I figured it out.
- I noticed the symbol you drew... - Yes.
...is the reverse image of the royal crest...
Yes, well, that's it!
So it was my little clue that triggered your memory.
I knew it would.
Amazingly simple, but it removed Ghastly's spell.
I can see your strength returning. You've come so far, Zachary.
But there's no time for celebration.
We need to discuss our plan.
Let's begin with what Neverwas means to you.
Have you lost your...?
Then again, it could be an elaborate trick.
Can't be too careful.
- You say you know about Neverwas. - Right.
What does the fruit of the Dribblebush taste like?
I wouldn't know, they're poisonous.
How long is the Twisted Neck River?
From the Tourmaline Mountains to the Sea of Simplicity.
- And what's a Gralloch? - A lazy giant.
Ghastly Lapeer, how did he come to look as he does?
He cast a spell on Zachary which backfired, blowing him up.
He was pieced together by Snarling Minions.
Oh, my God, you remember!
The spell is lifted. Ah.
- We've got to act quickly. - Let me explain.
Gabriel, please, I need you to listen.
Just listen. Right. Absolutely correct.
A good plan needs a thoughtful discourse. Proceed.
This might be hard for you to hear.
Could there have been, is it a possibility,
that there was a book called Neverwas?
You have to stop this.
You are refusing to understand me.
I have so little patience left.
I need help.
- And I really want to help you. - No, you don't!
I'm the only one taking the action. Taking the risk.
It was me who blew up the Razor Sharps on the edge of the Nightmare Bog!
But it was a trap. Ghastly and his Minions were waiting.
- They brought me back to this dungeon. - Why would they bring you?
Because they wanted me gone. Away from the castle,
so that I wouldn't be there to defend it when they attack, in three days.
That's what the order has pronounced.
So, you see, we have to act quickly.
I can't do it on my own.
Help me understand why they want your castle.
Isn't that obvious by now?
I am the king!
I am the king of Neverwas.
Doctor, I'm running into some unexpected issues
with, um, with Gabriel's case.
What kind of issues?
I mean, for starters...
...he's completely delusional,
the subject of his delusion being a fairy tale.
One my father wrote.
- Your father? - T.L. Pierson.
It's funny you didn't mention that.
I did say that I had an acquaintance.
Oh.
Go on.
The point is Gabriel believes that he lives in Neverwas.
That he's actually the king.
And I assume...
...that he believes that I'm...
...the boy sent to rescue him.
There's always some counter-transference
with patients with delusional or schizophrenic psychosis.
I don't know how to help him.
I'll leave it up to you.
How long has it been since you've slept? Tell me.
I'm fine, doctor.
You look uncomfortable. Wanna sit on the couch?
No. I'm fine right here.
You were asking about the baby.
About your book. actually. Dedication to your son.
Zachary Small.
Good character.
People will like him.
Thomas. I'm talking about your son. not the character.
- What? - Your son.
I don't know about that one yet.
Just trying to get to know you.
All that I am. that's worth a damn. is in those pages.
If you know where to look. if you can...
...know how to find it.
What I'm saying...
...what I know...
...is that sometimes a story
finds the storyteller.
Not the other way around.
I don't really like these, Dad.
No, Zach, these are good for me.
They make everything better.
They make me very, very happy.
You want me to be happy, don't you?
This is too hard for me. You know that, don't you?
I need you here with me. Fighting.
You know I can't do this without you.
You know that!
Don't. Zach!
Zach!
Zach, open the door.
Zach!
Hello?
- Hello? - Hey. Maggie.
It's me. It's Zach.
Zach, hi.
- I know it's late. but... - No, no, it's fine. I was up.
Look, Maggie, let me ask you a question.
This is hypothetically speaking. But...
What would you say if somebody, a delusional person,
believed with every certainty
that he lived inside my father's book?
- That they were part of the story? - Yeah.
I guess I can think of worse places to be.
When I was a kid. I definitely spent some major quality time there.
- It's not so bad. - It's just strange.
I can't sleep, and...
Talk to me.
I probably should have never gone back to Millwood.
I should have left it alone.
- I should go. - Zach...
Can I see you tomorrow morning?
We really need to talk.
Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice.
Sometimes...
Sometimes I just want the night to be over.
You remembered how to get here.
- Come on in. - I'm not bothering you?
No, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to.
I was just working.
You look a little tired. Did you get some sleep last night?
Unfortunately not. It's killing me.
You've got to try yoga.
It's amazing. It gets a little chantey and weird,
but it's so relaxing.
I sleep like a baby afterwards.
You're not exactly the yoga type, are you?
It's a little too chantey and weird.
Right.
- Thanks for the suggestion. - I'm a good suggester.
Wait.
We really need to talk.
This is really not working out like I thought it would.
I think I like you, Maggie.
You think?
I've always liked you, Zach.
If he wants that boat, he can just sue me. Right?
I didn't make the rules.
- You had an appointment... - I know.
I'm late, I'm sorry.
I was late today,
and that was wrong, Gabriel.
I was just thinking about my kingdom.
They're helpless without me...
...and I without them.
They are my one purpose.
My reason for being.
That's the funny thing about being a king, boy,
he's so much more than just station.
He's the very glue that holds the center together
so there can be peace.
I love that word.
Peace.
Gabriel...
Can you tell me what it is about Neverwas
that attracts you?
It's where I'm from.
It's where I belong.
Neverwas is where you belong.
Where you will find your strength,
and your purpose.
Your reason for being.
Dr. Riley, we need your help!
I'll be right back, Gabriel.
Get off of me! Ah!
- I wanna die! You'd like that! - Take him to an isolation room.
- You'd like that! - Doors, please.
Jake, you've suffered a terrible blow.
I told her she shouldn't have come.
I told her that I wasn't who she thought I was.
That I couldn't be that anymore.
I have no place, anywhere.
And I don't know what happens to people who have no place.
Do you?
I gotta go, Jake.
You left this outside in your bag.
Gabriel looked through it and had a complete meltdown.
He broke away from the orderlies. He's barricaded in his room.
- I don't wanna... - Destiny!
Gabriel, you OK in there?
- Who is that? - Gabriel, it's me, Zach Riley.
Zachary.
Let me go in first. Please.
I don't know what you are waiting for.
Gabriel, I am so sorry that you saw this.
What is...?
The prophecy is about to be fulfilled
and you still haven't completed your task: That which was promised.
We'll take it.
Oh, yes, you and your guards can lock me up in this cage,
you can torture me with your poison pills and electric shocks,
it's been done before. But I will not give in to you!
Hide that! Keep it close, you hear me?
To the death! You!
To the death!
Who I am! Where I'm from!
Where did you get this?
Zachary knows, don't you? Zachary!
Don't let the guards take the journal!
- Where did you get it? - You've done enough!
- Stop now! - Who gave it to you?
Dear Gabriel.
Of all the things one says and does.
I look back on what never was.
Then think of all that life could be
if I could capture what I see.
Gabriel. I hope life finds you well
and that your kingdom remains at peace.
Your trusted friend. Thomas.
1965.
"This journal is a historical document
particularizing the details of the land of Neverwas,
its history, inhabitants and geographical points of interest."
Martin told me you were coming down here.
Gabriel's back in his room.
- We had to sedate him. - Look at this.
This is Gabriel Finch's journal,
which gives detailed descriptions of the land of Neverwas,
years before my father thought of his book.
Almost a decade before!
And this letter,
he sent to Gabriel,
I wasn't even born yet.
Gabriel's been in and out of hospitals for 40 years.
He was at Millwood.
- That was before my time. - It's right here.
They were here together. Listen.
It says my father "seems to be fixated
on the world of a young patient, Gabriel Finch."
Doesn't make sense. Gabriel came up with Neverwas, before he met my father.
No, he didn't come up with it, he lived it.
It's all very real to him.
Part of his elaborate delusion.
It's right here.
Gabriel's admissions intake, 30 years ago,
detailed that he had "a paranoid delusion that one day people will come
and take the land he is living on." He said a wizard named Ghastly
was sending an army for his castle.
That's basically the plot of your father's book.
He based his book on Gabriel's fantasy.
- It's an A.A. Milne sort of thing. - What?
He wrote Winnie-the-Pooh.
He based the character of Christopher Robin on his own son, Christopher.
Yet the Hundred Acre Wood was a real forest.
Or Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice in Wonderland.
He created the elaborate fantasy of Wonderland,
yet Alice was based on a little girl he knew.
Your father might have done the same.
Put me into Gabriel's delusion.
One man's insanity
is another man's children's book.
It's a fine line.
- I have to talk to Gabriel about this. - No, that's impossible.
You have your own agenda for being here,
and it has nothing to do with my patients.
So not only am I taking you off Gabriel's case,
but I'm forbidding you to ever speak to him again.
Did you hear what I was saying?
To be honest, I'm more concerned about your own mental state.
I'm well aware of my mental state, doctor.
I have everything under control.
Then you can come up to my office tomorrow morning.
We'll discuss what we can do.
For right now, I'm asking you to leave.
Get out of my clinic, Dr. Riley.
Maggie?
Hello?
Maggie?
Maggie.
Today the world mourns the loss of children's book author T.L. Pierson.
Pierson gained national attention with his children's book. Neverwas.
He is survived by his wife and young son.
...a piece commemorating the life of Pierson.
on the 25th anniversary of his death.
T.L. Pierson sold over 50 million copies of Neverwas.
His son Zachary has never touched any of the royalty money.
I wanted to tell you.
Don't freak out on me. I'm just a friend.
- You're my friend? - Yes.
I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. I got scared of you telling me
- you couldn't see me anymore. - A reporter! Are you kidding me?
I just wanted to know who the real T.L. Pierson was.
I have nothing to do with my father.
Listen. Zach, wait. Please.
Zach! Can you stop?
Please wait. Please.
Everything that happened between us was real.
Do you think I want this complication, this confusion?
Well, I don't. I like things to be nice and clean and this isn't.
I'm sorry if Neverwas meant nothing to you.
Sorry if it represents something dark and painful.
But for me, and for millions of people,
that's all we had.
Zach, I needed something better than my life.
And your father, he gave that me,
he gave me something hopeful.
I wanted to write about that, about the hope.
But there isn't any here, is there?
Get out of my way, Maggie.
Dad?
This keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Zachary!
I didn't know where else to go.
You knew my father.
Yes, of course. Thomas was my friend.
- He wrote to you. - Yes, we wrote.
That letter you found is one of many.
We was a worthy counselor. He listened...
...and he believed.
Believed in what?
What lies through the Mossy Rock.
Gabriel, please. What are you talking about?
Neverwas.
And he more than believed in it.
He often used to come and visit me there...
...on the other side of the mountain.
My kingdom, boy, there.
That mountain, that's where he used to go?
For days, weeks.
I was beginning to doubt the truth of your coming.
Then I read the oracle.
I kept it hid from the guards.
I don't understand.
Thomas, in these pages, wrote of your coming for me.
It's the secret oracle of Neverwas.
You talked about me coming to rescue you from our first session on.
I hoped, and remembered.
You would rescue him.
I hid and watched.
I saw you take him by the hand and lead him out of this dungeon
as if you were cloaked in invisibility.
Ghastly's guards wouldn't dare stop you.
I was just picking him up after his stay.
That's all. He was sick.
Oh. Poor Thomas.
At the end, yes, he couldn't fight.
Ghastly's spell, it destroyed him.
There was no spell.
I wish there was, but there wasn't.
- You couldn't have stopped it. - Yes, I could have.
That night, Gabriel, he was outside my room.
I wouldn't open the door. I guess he just wanted to hear my voice,
to know I loved him, I needed him a little.
Maybe that would've been enough,
but I let him die.
Those are nightmares, dreams.
I had them once. Terrifying.
The bottom of a dark hole.
Kept quiet. Voice banned. No light.
Never seen.
But that wasn't real.
It was just a dream I once had.
Neverwas is real.
You are real.
Saving me is real.
Read this.
You are innocent.
Now you must leave.
Before the guards find you.
Tomorrow, at the day's end, you must meet me at the Mossy Rock
at the edge of the kingdom. And come alone.
Don't be late, or I'll be forced to battle the Minions on my own.
They're not gonna let you out of here.
I promise you'll get help.
That's all I ever wanted from you.
Your help, Zachary.
It's inhuman that they don't let you outside at night.
Well, come on, then!
Out of this dungeon!
Come on!
All of you!
Feel the night air again!
It begins.
Dear Gabriel.
I write to you in hopes that you are in good health
and your kingdom is in safe hands.
This. regrettably.
might be my last letter I write to you.
I feel ashamed of who I have become.
Ashamed that I can no longer fight this battle.
I have been emptied.
This black hole I have lived in for so long
is growing darker.
even as the love for my son grows deeper.
I missed you.
A lot.
How can this impossible human paradox exist?
The wizard. Gabriel. he has won.
He has banned me from your world and mine.
I existed because I dreamed.
I dream no more.
I just wanted...
I want to explain it to him.
What do you want to explain?
That I love him.
Sometimes...
...I just wanna hold him.
I walk around and tell him everything's gonna be all right.
And that...
That I'll be there for him.
And I'll always be.
It's in the pages.
In the forest.
It's waiting for him.
Mom. it's me.
Pick up.
Mom.
I wanna talk to you about Dad.
About that morning.
I know this day is always hard for you.
Are you there?
I love you. Mom.
"Zachary's father screamed..."
"Neverwas was real."
That's my favorite sentence in the book.
Zach, could I please come in?
I wanted to show you the article
that the magazine is going to print.
Would you please take a look at it?
Why don't you read it to me?
OK.
"Fall leaves on the Hudson.
Where to go to see the best changing leaves in New England."
- Should I go on? - No.
- No, that's pretty good. - Thanks.
I think the world knows enough about T.L. Pierson.
The rest...
The rest belongs to you, Zach.
I miss him, Maggie.
- Hello? - Dr. Riley?
- It's Martin. - Hey, Martin.
Look, the cops are here. Gabriel escaped last night.
They're saying he jumped in the back of a truck heading up the mountain north.
OK. He's going back to the forest.
There's a warrant. They're sending sheriffs to look for him
around that site he messed with.
- What's going on? - What is the name of the company?
Dominion.
Did your dad write down anything to look for?
Nothing. Signs, turnoffs. Penciled in this road.
This is impossible.
No, it's not going to be impossible.
He told me to meet him at the Mossy Rock.
The entrance to Neverwas. It's just forest out here.
Wait a minute. Look!
This is unbelievable.
Where are you going? Maggie.
- The book. Pumpkin Pine. - What is it?
Come on!
The Pumpkin Pine! Look!
OK. Come on.
- Where? - Come on.
I think I know which way to go.
- For what? - Don't ask questions.
Just follow me!
It's this way!
Ouch.
You just gotta trust me.
Right through here.
I'm telling you, this map is the key to finding Neverwas.
The Twisted Neck River's just up ahead.
Here. Thanks.
No way.
The River Knight.
- It's incredible. - It's real.
The Mossy Rock is just beyond this tree.
- He wants me to come alone. - Forget it.
No. You have to do something for me.
- No. - Yes...
- I've come this far... - Go.
I set something into motion. I need your help.
Call my lawyer. He'll tell you what to do.
Thank you.
Wait.
I don't believe it.
I knew you would come.
- You scared me! - You scare easily.
We have to talk, Gabriel, right now.
About the minions. What I know you're thinking of doing to...
I've been to the castle and back.
Reinforcements have been made. All precautions taken.
Why are you waiting?
Neverwas lies here on the other side.
You want to talk? You must come through the rock.
Gabriel!
The first step is a tricky one.
Thanks for the heads up.
Can you see them?
- What? - The Grace Fairies.
They're flying all around, you see?
There! And there!
They've missed you, Zachary.
Gabriel, listen to me.
I need you to come back with me.
Back? There is only forward from here!
That is if you're going to see what your father saw.
This air, you breathe it in, boy. That will bring you back.
Gabriel!
Still with me?
Only forwards from now!
Come on, boy! Keep up.
- It's here. - Oh, yes.
Go and have a look, boy.
Zachary, my boy!
Home.
You must be famished.
Come on!
Good boy.
You just look around.
Home.
Safe.
Make yourself at home. I'll get you something to eat.
That's right.
Makings of a feast.
The moments before a battle always seem quieter than usual.
That's what I wanna talk to you about.
- You mustn't worry about details. - No. I wanna apologize to you.
What for?
Well, because you were under my care
and I let my own issues cloud my judgment.
I never meant to help you escape.
It was your destiny.
I'm afraid if they come, when they come,
you or somebody else will get hurt.
The Minions? You're worried about them?
- You talk as if they're human! - They are!
They're not! They're evil, Zachary.
I need you to listen to me.
Go snatch your beans.
They're here.
They've crept in like snakes in the grass.
You guys, come with me!
Gabriel Finch!
This is Sheriff Williams of Saranac County.
I'm serving you with your court-ordered eviction!
I will never give you my kingdom!
You will never have it!
You have to vacate the premises.
- I will never leave! - Stop it!
Don't be afraid, Zachary.
The castle is reinforced.
Those are sheriffs. If you don't let me go out there
and talk, they'll break in. They have guns.
I would rather die where I stand,
than give the kingdom to you, do you hear me?
I want you to think about what you're doing, Finch.
It'll end for you and your kind! That's for certain.
Gabriel, let me handle this.
Zachary, you come and stand here out front.
You keep watch. Warn me when they charge.
- Get the ram. - Yes, sir.
You need to let me out of here.
- Let me speak to them. - Gabriel.
I'm asking you to come out on your own.
You keep watch! Almost time for my plan.
What plan, Gabriel?
Finally, boy, a question worth asking.
What have you done, Gabriel?
I've been reinforcing my castle for three decades.
Waiting for this moment.
Bombs are set and waiting.
Stay back! Stay away! Get away, everyone! Get away!
Please! Stay back!
Can you hear me? Stay back! Get back!
Get out!
I want you to come out the front door.
Don't make us break the door down.
- Get ready to go in. - Yes, sir.
If you blow these bombs,
I promise you they'll put you back in the dungeon
and never let you out!
You can't!
Sheriff!
- Sheriff! - Maggie.
Sheriff! Zach!
Zach!
Maggie, stay away. Get back!
- You need to wait, ma'am. - Maggie, get back! Maggie!
Statues made of snow. When will you understand this?
You can't do this!
I want you to get on the floor and put your hands on your head.
Your death is assured. That you can count on.
There are people out there. I have a friend out there.
Do you understand? Someone I care about.
You should want to protect this as much as I do.
Because Neverwas is yours as much as it's mine.
Is that the best you monsters can do?
You don't need to do this.
Hold on.
- Time, boy. - Gabriel, please.
You were born under a land of brightness.
No matter what Ghastly does to try and take it,
here's where we belong.
- Listen to me. - Some things...
...are worth dying for, boy.
I've been here!
Many times.
- Why did you come here, boy? - I needed some hope.
Gabriel!
You told me you were in a hole,
your voice was banned, nothing made sense.
- Gabriel! - You said that was a dream.
- Gabriel! - Where will you hide from them?
No more hiding.
Gabriel!
Listen to me.
That wasn't real.
This is real. I'm real.
Do you understand?
You don't have to be scared anymore.
You can stop hiding now.
Let me help you.
Hold it, hold it.
Gabriel!
I've nowhere to go.
I can't survive anywhere else, Zachary,
only here.
It's the only home...
...that I've ever known.
Don't let them take it from me.
I won't.
Oh, that's a good boy.
- Thank you, sir. - Billy.
Go in the court, check on a stay of eviction
for Gabriel Finch.
What use has this world got
for a king without a kingdom.
It needs him.
- I'm afraid. - You don't need to be anymore.
I'm here. And we're gonna go out there,
you and me, into the light.
Like I did with my father, remember?
Me first, then you,
the way it's always been, Gabriel.
The way it's always been.
"You can always avoid a Minion slaughter by dousing the beasts with sugar water."
Gabriel, the bombs.
They were nothing but sugar water.
Of course, boy.
Zach!
Be careful.
My name... is Zachary Small.
I came through the Mossy Rock
to rescue the king from his dungeon.
To help defend his castle.
To stop you!
All of you.
The time for you all to leave is now.
And this land.
And this castle...
...is the king's!
It has always been the king's!
Stand down, boys. Stand down.
You see, Zachary.
Nothing to fear.
Nothing at all.
Will you come and visit me?
It can be lonely from time to time.
Of course I'll come, Gabriel.
You're a good boy, Zachary,
as unordinary as they come.
Hi.
- Thought you were gonna go back. - I am.
I just wanted to drop something off.
Oh, yeah? I heard this is a pretty good book.
It's not bad for a trite fairy tale.
I thought this was the most important thing in the world to you.
It was.
- You can wait for me, huh? - Of course.
I'll see you real soon.
Fantastic job, everyone.
And so it ends as it began.
with the promise of freedom and a prophecy now fulfilled.
I will never be sure of what Zachary did
to drive the Minions away forever.
but in the end. there were no more dark decrees.
And as I always knew he would.
he returned Neverwas to the king.
But the spirit of Neverwas.
that was returned to the boy.
My kingdom is at peace.
Once again. I live as I dreamed.