The Lovely Bones

I remember being really small,

too small to see over the edge of a table.

There was a snow globe,

and I remember the penguin who lived inside the globe.

He was all alone in there, and I worried for him.

Don't worry, kiddo. He has a nice life.

He's trapped in a perfect world.

Look at that, Susie Q.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

I remember being given a camera for my birthday.

I loved the way a photo could capture a moment before it was gone.

That's what I wanted to be when I grew up,

a wildlife photographer.

Sorry, Mom!

I imagined that when I was older,

I'd be tracking wild elephants and rhinos,

but for now, I'd have to make do with Grace Tarking.

It's strange, the memories you keep.

I remember going with Dad to the sinkhole out at the Connors' farm.

There was something about the way the earth could swallow things whole,

and I remember the girl who lived there, Ruth Connors.

The kids at our school said she was weird,

but now I know she saw things others didn't.

We're gonna kick it over on three, okay? Are you ready?

- All right. One, two, three! - One, two, three!

And I remember the worst thing that ever happened to us as a family.

Help! Somebody help!

- Mom? - Help!

- Where are you? Mom? - Buckley, please, get up!

- Oh, God. Dad? - Somebody help! Please!

The day my little brother stopped breathing.

Buckley!

Buckley! What happened?

He swallowed a twig!

Watch out!

Are you crawy?

Sorry!

Buckley?

Are you okay? You're okay. Oh, my baby. My baby.

And I remember the light in my parents' eyes, the relief.

It was my fault. It will not happen again.

We weren't those people,

those unlucky people to whom bad things happen for no reason.

You know, the Buddhists say if you save someone else's life ...

Grandma Lynn predicted I would live a long and happy life ...

because I had saved my brother.

As usual, Grandma Lynn was wrong.

My name is Salmon, like the fish.

First name, Susie.

I was 14 years old when I was murdered ...

on December 6, 1973.

And up next, we have Crystal in a little, bitty, skinny mini!

This was before missing kids started appearing on milk cartons ...

or were feature stories on the daily news.

It was back when people believed things like that didn't happen.

That's right, ladies. No matter what the size,

it will hug your girly-girl curves in all the right places.

- If you got it, why not flaunt it? - Slow down, buddy!

- Am I right? - Buckley!

Dad, look, look, look!

There it is! Wow.

Who is he? Does he like you as much as you like him?

Grandma, he's a senior!

He doesn't know I exist.

He's cute.

Grandma, can we please just drop it?

You're safe now. He's gone into the record store.

I wasn't safe.

A man in my neighborhood was watching me.

If I hadn't been so distracted,

I would have realized something was wrong,

'cause that sort of thing gives me the skeevies.

But I was too busy

thinking about the length of Ray Singh's eyelashes.

I had counted each one in library time ...

while he was reading Abelard and Heloise,

the most seriously tragic love story ever.

So, have you kissed him yet?

Why not? You like him, he likes you. What's the hold-up?

I'm just afraid I won't be any good at it.

My first kiss ...

was with a grown man.

- You're not gonna tell on me, are you? - Of course not!

- What was it like? - The kiss?

Oh, it was wonderful. Beautiful. Glorious.

It took me a long time before I realized that a kiss like that,

it only happens once.

Suze ...

Just have fun, kid.

It wasn't Mr. O'Dwyer, by the way.

Although, he does look kind of suspicious.

But Mr. O'Dwyer never hurt anyone.

Mr. O'Dwyer's own daughter died a year and a half after I did.

She had leukemia,

but I never saw her in my heaven.

- Hey, look at me! - We'll be right there, honey.

- One second, okay? - Mom!

Hi, honey.

My murderer was a man from our neighborhood.

- Thank you so much. - Careful, honey.

I took his photo once as he talked to my parents about his border flowers.

- Hey, Mom! - You really should have a cup of coffee ...

with us sometime.

I was aiming for the bushes when he got in the way.

Thanks for the flower.

He stepped out of nowhere and ruined the shot.

He ruined a lot of things.

What have you been photographing, honey?

- Everything. - Everything?

Hey, look at me!

Mom!

Smile!

Mom!

Over here!

Hey, look at me!

Hey, Mom!

Hey, over here! Look!

Okay, here we go.

Clarissa has got a crush on you.

Which one's Clarissa?

You know, blond hair, megablue eye shadow.

Her dad owns Surf 'n' Turf.

The tall one?

She's not tall. She wears platforms.

She doesn't know you're an accountant.

I take it that's a negative.

Or that you're a closet scale modeler.

Did Mom know before she married you?

About your obsession?

Susie, hobbies are healthy. They teach you things.

Like what?

Like if you start something, you finish it.

You don't stop until you get it right.

And if you don't get it right, you start over again ...

and you keep on going as long as you have to.

That's the way it is. That's what you do. It's perfectly normal.

You know, Grampy taught me to do this, and now I'm teaching you.

We're creating something here, for us, something special.

I know.

You're my first mate, Susie Q.

One day, all of this will be yours.

Jack! Susie! Dinner!

Wait, wait, wait!

Ready?

- Yeah. - Now, hold her steady.

Okay, shipmate, take it away!

Now that is a thing of beauty.

Come on.

I don't believe this! Would you look at the state of this room?

You're gonna clean this mess up tonight.

Yeah, I will. Hey, Mom, we need to get these developed.

Susie, you used up all the film?

Do you have any idea what this is going to cost?

No. No, absolutely not. Out of the question.

Thanks a lot. That's my career down the toilet.

- Do not be so melodramatic. - Honey, what? What's down the toilet?

She's used up all the film we gave her for her birthday.

- All of it? - All of it. Every single one.

- Susie! - It's a crime to be creative in this family.

All right, all right. Well, say we pay for one roll a month?

One roll a month?

You realize by the time I see my photos, I'm gonna be middle-aged.

Look, we got her 24 rolls of film, right?

At $2.99 apiece to develop, that's $71.76.

- I don't think we're being unfair. - Oh, honey.

Are we?

That's why I love you.

Please.

Could you just not do that at breakfast?

Yes, okay, whatever you say.

Eat your food. Come on.

It doesn't have a siren, you moron. It's a cement mixer.

Please don't call your brother a moron.

Buddy. No, no, buddy. Cement stays in the bowl. Please.

It's not cement. It's my oaties!

- Okay. - School. Let's go.

- Bye, Dad! - Bye, Susie!

Susie.

What's that?

That's your new hat, sweetie.

Wow, Mom, I thought you'd given up knitting.

No, I'm still knitting. You want me to make you one, too?

- Do you have your gloves with you? - Yes!

Could you put them on, please, young lady?

Susie! Susie, put your hat on! It's cold.

Holiday, inside! Holiday, come here! Come here, boy.

Cool-a-roonie, Suze!

- Shut up. - No, really, it looks good on you.

This is an exercise in humiliation.

- Is she looking? - Maybe.

Yes, I am.

Hey, come on. We're late.

Next week, bring your homework!

Othello. What is that? It sounds like a mint.

That guy looked pretty stupid with black makeup on.

- Who? - The one with two first names.

- Lawrence Oliver. - What a loser!

- I know. - Clarissa.

- Come on. Let's go. - I'm talking to Susie.

Yeah, and I've been waiting for hours for your jerk-off film club to finish.