Rebecca Harrell Tickell credited as playing...
Jessica Riggs
- Carol Wetherby: The problem is, Jessie... I don't believe in Santa Claus anymore.
- Jessica Riggs: What?
- Carol Wetherby: I mean, think about it. How could one man climb down all the chimneys in the world in one night?
- Jessica Riggs: He's magical, Carol!
- Jessica Riggs: Alright for you, Carol Wetherby! You're not my friend anymore!
- Carol Wetherby: What did I say?
- Jessica Riggs: That there was no Heaven!
- Carol Wetherby: So?
- Jessica Riggs: [tears up] What about my mother, then?
- Jessica Riggs: Look, Steve. I'm not going to ever, ever live with Aunt Sarah.
- Steve Riggs: Aunt Sarah?
- Jessica Riggs: Dad wants to send me there, and I really don't want to go.
- Steve Riggs: He does? Why is everyone keeping me in the dark about everything?
- Jessica Riggs: I didn't think you'd care.
- Steve Riggs: Of course I do.
- Jessica Riggs: I thought maybe you might be glad.
- Steve Riggs: Of course not. Now come on back, Jess. We'll work this out.
- Jessica Riggs: I don't think all of this is necessary. He's probably used to being around people.
- Orel Benton: What am I, an elf?
- [last lines]
- Jessica Riggs: I wish I could keep you for just my own pet. I'll always remember you, Prancer. I love you. Thanks, Prancer, for everything.
- [Prancer runs through the forest, and Jessica follows him to Antler Ridge]
- John Riggs: [joining his daughter on the cliff] Look.
- Jessica Riggs: [seeing Prancer's tracks on the ledge] Where did he go?
- John Riggs: I don't know. He just disappeared.
- Jessica Riggs: He couldn't have jumped and live.
- John Riggs: Maybe he flew. This would be a good place for Santa to come and get him.
- Jessica Riggs: The moon is full.
- John Riggs: And it is Christmas Eve. Listen. Maybe you'll hear his bells.
- Jessica Riggs: [bells ring in the distance] I hear them. I hear them, daddy, I do.
- [notices the presence of Prancer]
- Jessica Riggs: Goodbye, Prancer. Good bye. Remember me.
- [as Jessica waves goodbye, Prancer appears in a streak of light as Santa's sleigh flies by; Prancer joins it, and flies away into the night]
- Minister: You have added inspiration to my day, young lady.
- Steve Riggs: [leans over to Jessica, joking] What'd you do, hand out money?
- Jessica Riggs: I don't have any idea what they're talking about!
- Jessica Riggs: [tearfully] I didn't really want to run away. I just... I just wanted you to find me and... bring me back here, and tell me things were gonna be okay. Like they used to be.
- John Riggs: Oh, Jessie. I can't tell ya everything's gonna be alright. I wish I could. But I know things are always gonna be hard around here. Could even be we'll lose this farm one day. I can bear that. What I can't bear is...
- [begins to tear up himself]
- John Riggs: when you were gone last night, I saw what it'd be like around here not to have you around. I love you, Jessie.
- Jessica Riggs: [whispers] Sorry. I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry.
- Jessica Riggs: [hugs John as she cries] I love you, too, Dad.
- John Riggs: Oh, baby.
- [cries as he holds her]
- John Riggs: It's okay, don't cry. You're home, honey. And that's where you're gonna stay.
- Aunt Sarah: Nancy Hooper works over at the hospital, and she says whenever there's a full moon, the patients on the eighth floor, you know, the mental patients, they all start acting up like crazy.
- Jessica Riggs: Really? How?
- Steve Riggs: Why don't you go there on Christmas Eve and find out? They'll show you magic.
- Orel Benton: [Jessie is holding onto his car as he tries to leave] Young lady, I was up half the night with a pregnant cow and a crazy horse. I'm tired, my hand hurts, I've got a sick wife to tend to. I can't help you.
- Jessica Riggs: But I tell you, he's one of Santa's!
- Orel Benton: Then call Santa! And let go of my car.
- [removes Jessie's hands]
- Jessica Riggs: Probably couldn't help him anyways. Doctors are just liars. They never make anyone better!
- Mrs. McFarland: Five dollars and... ten dollars, is fifteen dollars.
- Jessica Riggs: We agreed on five.
- Mrs. McFarland: I know, but... you did fifteen dollars worth of work.
- Jessica Riggs: Thanks, Mrs. McFarland.
- Mrs. McFarland: Well, now let's go in for those cookies and milk.
- Jessica Riggs: Oh! I gotta go!
- Mrs. McFarland: But you said you were going to stay a while!
- Jessica Riggs: I got something important to do!
- Mrs. McFarland: Fine! Be that way!
- Jessica Riggs: [as John finds out about Prancer] Oh, no. He's gone. Daddy, where is he? Did you kill him?
- John Riggs: You had that deer out in that shed all week, didn't you?
- Jessica Riggs: Tell us, daddy.
- John Riggs: That's why you skipped school. You gave him food from the barn, telling lies. Then I find a 40 pound sack of oats out there with a Christmas bow on it! Do you wanna tell me where that came from? Did you steal that, too?
- Steve Riggs: No, she bought it with...
- John Riggs: You were in on this, too, huh? I'll get to you later.
- [Steve leaves]
- Jessica Riggs: Daddy!
- John Riggs: Sit down to read the newspaper for a change and all heck breaks loose. Darned deer lets the stock out then comes into the house! I got too much on my mind for all this. You kids are making me nuts.
- Jessica Riggs: Daddy, you didn't shoot him. Tell me you didn't shoot him.
- John Riggs: I didn't shoot it.
- Jessica Riggs: You didn't?
- John Riggs: No, I didn't.
- Jessica Riggs: Really?
- John Riggs: No, I didn't.
- Jessica Riggs: Oh, thank you, daddy. Did he run away? Which way did he go? Did he go to Antler Ridge?
- John Riggs: Down at Three Oaks. I sold him.
- Jessica Riggs: Sold him?
- John Riggs: To Herb Drier. He offered me $200 to take him off my hands.
- Jessica Riggs: Mister Drier, the butcher? Daddy, he'll eat him!
- John Riggs: No, he won't.
- Jessica Riggs: He's a butcher, daddy. He'll cut him up and sell the pieces.
- John Riggs: Now stop it.
- Jessica Riggs: No, I won't. You don't understand what you've done. He's one of Santa's.
- John Riggs: Oh, come on, Jessie!
- Jessica Riggs: Mom would've never done this.
- John Riggs: Look, a reindeer don't fly, okay? I hate to be the one to tell you that, but they don't.
- Jessica Riggs: I'll shoot her instead of you.
- [collapses on her bed in tears, having had enough of her father's racism]
- Jessica Riggs: Die, I'm gonna die.
- Aunt Sarah: [feeling sorry for Jessica] Oh, John, you really didn't do that, did you?