ANDY

It's very pretty, sir.

NORTON

You like working in the laundry?

ANDY

No, sir. Not especially.

NORTON

Perhaps we can find something more befitting a man of your education.

INT -- MAIN BUILDING -- STORAGE ROOMS -- DAY (1949)

A series of bleak rooms stacked high with unused filing cabinets, desks, paint supplies, etc. Andy enters. He hears a FLUTTER OF WINGS. An adult crow lands on a filing cabinet and struts back and forth, checking him out. Andy smiles.

ANDY

Hey, Jake. Where's Brooks?

Brooks Hatlen pokes his head out of the back room.

BROOKS

Andy! Thought I heard you out here!

ANDY

I've been reassigned to you.

BROOKS

I know, they told me. Ain't that a kick in the ass? Come on in, I'll give you the dime tour.

INT -- SHAWSHANK PRISON LIBRARY -- DAY (1949)

Brooks leads Andy into the bleakest back room of all. Rough plank shelves are lined with books. Brooks' private domain.

BROOKS

Here she is, the Shawshank Prison Library. Along this side, we got the National Geographics. That side, the Reader's Digest Condensed books. Bottom shelf there, some Louis L'Amours and Erle Stanley Gardners. Every night I pile the cart and make my rounds. I write down the names on this clipboard here. Well, that's it. Easy, peasy, Japanesey. Any questions?

Andy pauses. Something about this doesn't make any sense.

ANDY

Brooks? How long have you been librarian?

BROOKS

Since 1912. Yuh, over 37 years.

ANDY

In all that time, have you ever had an assistant?

BROOKS

Never needed one. Not much to it, is there?

ANDY

So why now? Why me?

BROOKS

I dunno. Be nice to have some comp'ny down here for a change.

HADLEY (O.S.)

Dufresne!

ANDY STEPS BACK INTO THE OUTER ROOMS AND FINDS HADLEY WITH

another GUARD, a huge fellow named DEKINS.

HADLEY

That's him. That's the one.

Hadley exits. Dekins approaches Andy ominously. Andy stands his ground, waiting for whatever comes next. Finally:

DEKINS

I'm Dekins. I been, uh, thinkin' 'bout maybe settin' up some kinda trust fund for my kids' educations.

Andy covers his surprise. Glances at Brooks. Brooks smiles.

ANDY

I see. Well. Why don't we have a seat and talk it over?

BROOKS

Pull down one'a them desks there.

Andy and Dekins grab a desk standing on end and tilt it to the floor. They find chairs and settle in. Brooks returns with a tablet of paper and a pen, slides them before Andy.

ANDY

What did you have in mind? A weekly draw on your pay?

DEKINS

Yuh. I figured just stick it in the bank, but Captain Hadley said check with you first.

ANDY

He was right. You don't want your money in a bank.

DEKINS

I don't?

ANDY

What's that gonna earn you? Two and a half, three percent a year? We can do a lot better than that.

(wets his pen)

So tell me, Mr. Dekins. Where do you want to send your kids? Harvard? Yale?

INT -- MESS HALL -- DAY (1949)