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The final scenes unfolded rapidly, as the resort rose from the ground and began to host guests. The old Kasper Ridge Hotel was torn down, and the film showed Marvin attending his parents’ funerals, Lola at his side.
The final shot of the actual movie shows the couple standing under the Kasper Ridge Resort sign in front of the finished building, guests moving in and out of the doors behind them as cars pull in and out.
The screen went dark then, but a second later, more images lit up the theater. These were clearly home movies—Marvin and Lola are recognizable, but there are a couple of other adults who are not. Until Archie takes a quick gasp of air, and then breathes out, “Mom.”
“Arch, it’s Mom and Dad.”
Just then, two toddlers moved across the screen as the adults watched, all of them in a clearing with the resort building towering behind them.
“Is that us?” Archie asked, his voice filled with wonder. “I don’t remember this.”
“Me either,” Aubrey said.
Archie told me he’d never met his aunt, but clearly, he had. He was just too young to recall.
The film rolled on, showing the kids with exuberant smiles as the adults doted on them. The most poignant thing wasn’t the antics of the children, though. It was how the camera captured shots between the kids’ appearances, little stolen moments between the two couples. And the way the adults treated those children made my heart ache—they adored them. It was clear in their eyes, the way they touched them, laughed with them.
Another home movie rolled, this one showing teenagers—clearly Aubrey and Archie—looking less exuberant and gleeful, and Marvin on his own.
“Who took all these?” Aubrey asked.
“I remember him setting up a camera a few times,” Archie said. “This was after Mom and Dad...”
“Yeah.”
The teenagers were both sitting on lounge chairs against the backdrop of the mountain, Aubrey in a bathing suit and Archie in shorts and a T-shirt. Aubrey shaded her eyes and laid in the sun, while Archie read a book. He was lanky and thin, but the red hair was fiery in the sun and I could see the deep intelligence in his dark blue eyes, even then.
The screen flickered and switched again. Now we saw inside the bar at the resort, though it was a faded and run-down version of the bar we knew. Marvin was hunched over a map he was working on, and he turned and winked at the camera. And that was it.
Emotion was heavy in me, and I felt tears running down my cheeks, which I hurried to wipe away.
“Do we clap?” Sasquatch asked. “Weird ending.”
We sat in the dark as the film rolled forward blank, but just as Archie rose to go shut it off, Marvin appeared once more on the screen. Much older now, with white hair and a beard, but thesame devilish grin he’d worn his whole life from what I could tell.
“If you’re watching this,” he began, settling into a chair. “Well, you’re probably wondering about all those movies I wrote before and whether I made all that shit up because this one was so amateur.” He laughed to himself, and then turned to the camera again. “I was a writer, not a filmmaker, so forgive the choppy nature of this effort, kids.
“I wanted to put something together to tell the story—in case you didn’t figure it out. But also to show you what this place is. To me, at least. But I hope to you too.
“Kasper Ridge is our namesake. But it’s also the place that saved my life. It’s the place that taught me about hard work, about wanting something so bad you can taste it.
“And it’s the place where I learned about what really makes the world turn. It’s where I discovered the greatest treasure anyone in the world has ever known.
“Kasper Ridge gave me love. Abundant, all-encompassing love. Not just for your aunt, who I loved with all my heart, but for the people and the place I was lucky enough to call my own.
“There are those who wonder why I’d burden my only living relatives with a run-down resort and a huge swath of land they probably couldn’t use...and I’ve questioned myself too. Maybe it is a burden. But what I hope more than anything is that it will be a treasure instead. I hope that you kids will find everything I found up here. And more.
“This place is your heritage, of course. And with your folks gone, I hope you’ll see it as your home too. But even if you never restore the place, I hope you’ll see what a real treasure it is.
“Kasper Ridge is magic, kids. It pulls people to it, and ties them together. It builds families out of friends, and love out of thin air. I’ve seen it time and again, and I hope you’ll stay long enough to give it a chance to work its magic on you.
“I’m sorry if you were hoping for a chest full of gold,” he said, rubbing his head and dropping his gaze for a second. “I hope you’ll see how much better the real treasure of Kasper Ridge can be.”
The screen went dark again then, and Aubrey sniffed loudly beside us. Archie got up and turned up the lights, and I stretched, feeling like I’d been in a deep sleep and had a very odd dream.
“That’s it?” Sasquatch asked. “No booty?” His face broke into a huge smile, and he pulled CeeCee closer to his side.
“Uncle Marvin was a genius,” Aubrey said. “He was right. The second I came back here I found everything I’d ever wanted in life.”
