" No, I didn't." " Yes, you did." " I did not!" " Yes, you did." "Just let me play with it." "Come on, you promised." " No, I didn't." " Yes, you did." " I did not!" " Yes, you did..." "What's the problem?" " Nothing." " Then chill out." "Dad, he promised to let me play with it." "And now he says he didn't, and he won't." "Did you?" " Did I what?" " Did you promise?" "Yeah, but no big deal." "Yes, it is." "Yes, it is a big deal." "You can't just say, "I promise," and then forget about it." ""I promise" are the most important words you'll ever say." "Well, almost the most important words you'll ever say." " You know what I mean?" " No, why?" "Because I say so, that's why." "No, because it only takes a second to say "I promise"... but the commitment could last the rest of your life." "Remember I told you guys about Uncle Bobby and me when we were kids?" " Yeah." " Of course." "I didn't tell you the whole story because..." "I left out a bunch of stuff because I figured you guys were too young." "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any." "In fact, now is just about perfect." "Okay." "All right, listen up." "But I want you to remember something:" "History is all in the mind of the teller." "Truth is all in the telling." "Understand?" "Not really." "Don't worry about it." "You will." "To understand the whole thing... to understand why a promise is such a big and important deal... you gotta go back... to before any of it ever happened." "Back to before we ever lived in Novato, before we even came to California." "Back even before we were born." "Go ahead." "You have to go way back to a kid named Fisher...  who wanted to be a legend." "Come on, guys." "We're almost there." "Careful, all right?" " Hold it steady." " I got it." "Fisher, it can't be done!" " It can be done." " No, it can't, God damn it!" "It's far as a football field to that fence!" "Come on, Fish, listen to us." "We're your friends!" "This is nuts, Fish." "You're gonna get hurt." " Don't do this." " Cape." "Come on, keep it steady." "Don't let it fall, okay?" "He's not gonna listen." "That's exactly how Fisher got remembered:" "Flag it!" "... as a legend." "Ten years later, when we finally got to California...  his legend would change our lives forever." "Careful, man!" " Watch out!" " God, what have we done?" "Oh, my God!" " Hang on, Fish!" " We're coming for you!" "Oh, man!" "He's..." "Alive!" " Your leg." " It's twisted." "Don't touch me!" "You did it, man!" "You flew!" "All right, Fish!" " You did it." " I did it." "I really flew." "Bobby, close the window." "You've been flying for three hours." " But I like the wind." " Yes, I know you do." "Yuck." "It's my scoop." "You had the last one." "But that is the last one." "Okay, we'll share it." "Fifty-fifty." "Here." "One day, before the long trip, our dad didn't come home." "Our mom knew why, but she never told us and we never asked her...  because we knew it made her sad." "That's eight jars, Mom." "How far is that?" " Mom?" " What?" "How far is that, eight jars?" "I don't know." "You have to check it out." "1,500 miles." " Does it snow in California?" " No." "It doesn't rain, either." "Thank you." "Mom had waited three months for him to come back." "When she was pretty sure he wasn't, she packed everything we had in our car...  and told us we were going West for a fresh start." "Our dad was never around much anyway, so after those first 1,500 miles...  me and Bobby just forgot all about him." "And Mom, well..." "Mom pretended like she did." "By that time, I knew that I would never see him again...  and that now I was the man of the family." "Go west, young mom." "Go right, Mom." " Bobby." "It's lethal." " I didn't do it." " Mikey!" " Wait a minute." "I didn't do it." "It's that dog." "It's deadly!" "Come on." " Get out of here." " Come on." "It doesn't help that much." ""Want to know more about the Old West?" ""Exit one-half mile ahead to see the best." ""Just mosey on in Geronimo Bill's Buffalo Farm and Wild West Adventure. "" "Can we go, Mom?" "Please!" "Except for the giant dinosaur in Missouri...  that they had turned into a hamburger stand when it died...  what we saw in Oklahoma was the greatest thing we'd ever seen." "Thanks a lot, Mom." " Can we please stay the whole day?" " Yeah, please?" " How many buffalo do you think they have?" " I bet there's millions." "Keep your eye on that dog, Eugene." " Hi, boys." " Hi." "Welcome to the Geronimo Bill Buffalo Farm... and Wild Adventure Souvenir Shop." "That'll be three for 75¢, ma'am." "Would it be okay if I just set them up on the fence so they could see the buffalo?" "Well, ma'am, today is your lucky day." "You see, it's Free Admission Day for all folks from out of town." "Hey, we're from Jersey." "That don't make y'all bad." "So you go on in, stick to the path, and enjoy yourself." " All right!" " Man, look at that." "Come on." "Mom can't afford that." " Thanks a lot." " Thanks for coming." "Okay, troops." "Keep your eyes on the buffalo." " Go ahead, Mom." " Thank you." "Don't let your dog get my buffalo, son." "Thank you." "Wow!" "Look at..." "He's huge." "He's huge, Mom." " Bobby, look at him." " Isn't he beautiful?" "Look at that." "But where are the other ones?" "Think he's the only buffalo left in the world?" "Maybe he is." "Oh, gosh, Mom." " He looks lonely." " I'm sure he is." "Mom, what's gonna happen to him?" " It's so sad." " Why?" "I don't know, Mikey." "I guess that's what happens when you're alone." "There's lots more to see." "Come on." "You boys take care of your mom now, you hear?" "We promised we would." "We never broke that promise." "Fuck." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean..." "It was an accident." "Somebody give me some soap." "I'll do it myself." "Finally, after 22 jars of peanut butter, and just as Mom ran out of money...  we made it to the apartment of an aunt we didn't even know we had." " I'm driving." " It's too low, Mom." " It's not too low." " Yes, it is." "Not that one." "This one." "Michael, I told you to tie it on tighter." "You broke my bike!" "Oh, my God, they're here!" "Mary!" "Lois, hi!" "How are you?" "You got here." "Bill, honey, they're here." "This is Bobby and this is Mikey!" " Hi, Bobby." " How you doing?" " Mikey." " Who's the dog?" "And this is Shane." "Don't worry, he's housebroken." " But they're not." " Mom!" "As it turned out, we didn't have to stay there too long...  because about a month after we got there, he entered our lives." "Oh, Jack." "Mom liked him right away." "After she'd known him for a while...  she said that he was the answer to all her prayers." "I want those two top cards." "Keep me in." "You guys remember what I told you." "Cover up." " Okay." " All right." "We called him The King, because that's what he liked to be called." " Here's a cold one." " Thanks, Mom." " That looks good." " He's fixing the bike you broke, Mom." "Come on, Bobby, blow!" "Make a wish!" " Come on, sweetheart." " Blow, Bobby." "All right, Bobby!" "Wow, a Radio Flyer!" " Wow." " Do you like it?" " Yeah, thanks, Mom." " You do?" " I thought you would like it." " I love it." "Happy birthday, Bobby." "It was at a carnival where, for the first time..." "I knew there was something different about my brother." "I could tell by the look in his eyes that night that he knew...  about a special, secret thing that all kids know." "Only, he knew more." "A lot more." "Here you go." "Yeah, that's right." "Okay, look." "See this?" "You close that up." " It's just like a safety pin." " That's it." "Okay, pick that up." "Let me cast it out there for you." "You wanna bring it back." "Let it go at about one o'clock." "Bingo!" "That was far." " Not bad, huh?" " That's a good cast." "Here you go." "Whose turn is it?" " It's Bobby's." " Okay, here you go." " Here we go." "You're gonna catch a big one." " All right." "Reel it in, but don't pull too hard now." " You got one!" " I got one!" " Wow!" " Reel it in!" "Come on, hurry." "Push it and pull." " It's a honker!" " Reel it in slow." "Nice and easy." " Don't pull too hard." " I got it." " Easy." " Come on, reel it in." " Reel it in." "Here." " Reel it in nice and easy." "Come on!" " Don't pull so hard." "You bent it too much." " Darn." "God damn it, Bobby!" "What the hell's the matter with you?" "I told you not to pull so hard, didn't I?" "What's the matter?" "You deaf or just stupid?" "Hey, I'm talking to you." "Listen to me." "Knock it off, or I'll really give you something to cry about." "That was a $5 lure, for Christ's sake." "All right." "Here." "Here, use mine." "I'll set you up with a new lure on this one." "Remember, the good fish wait for no man, all right?" "We never told Mom about that day." "And that bothered me a lot." "Comb that hair back for you." "Get you to look like a real man here." "Okay." "Look at you." "Look at this hair." "I now pronounce you man and wife." "You may kiss the bride." "In the summer of 1969, we moved to the suburbs...  where everybody had a house, a car, and two-and-a-half kids." "So we figured we fit in really good...  because with Shane, that's exactly what we were." "Check this out." "Hi!" "Ask who they are." " Hey, who are you?" " Yeah, who are you?" "Who's that?" "But The King bought the house from a family named the Marshals." "And there were two boys about our ages living in it when it got sold." "They kicked out the Marshals?" "Hey, they kicked out the Marshals." "Me and Bobby never kicked anyone out of anywhere." "But for some reason, the rest of the kids on the block always said we did." "Come on, out of the way." "We need the key." "Yes, the key!" "Watch out, Shane." "Give me a kiss." "I love you guys." "It was there, when all of Mom's prayers were just about answered...  when everything seemed like it would be happy and good for the rest of our lives...  that it really all began." "It's official now." "Sold." " It's official now." " Great, Jack." "It's official." "Yes, it's ours!" "Hi, welcome to the neighborhood." "How y'all doing?" " Come on, let's go." " Hi." " Hi, guys." " Hi." " What's your name?" " I'm Mike and that's Bobby." " This is our dog, Shane." " Hi, how do you do?" " I'm Jim Daugherty from the Sheriff's office." " Hi, I'm Mary Mackenzie." " Come on!" " I'm coming." "Mom, can me and Bobby go exploring?" "Is your room put away?" " We'll check." " That's what I thought." " Mike, get me out of here." " Get out." "Come on, let's go!" "We checked." "It's clean." "Are you kidding me?" "You've only been in there for 27 seconds." "Mikey, Bobby, come on." "All right!" "Don't scratch it." " Wow!" " I bet there's some secret entrances." "The Marshall kids must have built it as a fort." " Anything?" " No, nothing." "Come on, Bobby." "This must be it." "Shane, don't go in there!" "No!" "It's a turtle." "That's what I was going to say." "Look at that chain." "He must have busted it and climbed into the clubhouse." " We gotta name him." " Yeah, but what?" " Good one, Shane." "Samson." " Samson?" "Why?" "Hey, stay back." "'Cause he was so strong to break the chain." "Yeah, great!" "Samson." "Welcome to the family." "Back in your old home, Samson." "Carefully put him down." "Ready?" "One, two, three." "What's that?" "Look at this, Bobby." "This board's loose." "It's a coffee can." " Nothing in here." "Wait." " It's a bank." "Nothing else under here but a bunch of spiders." "Darn, it's empty." "Bobby, we can stash money in this thing." " Don't tell anybody about this, okay?" " I swear." "Pinkie promise." "I'm telling you, you're not supposed to pick your nose." "Your brains will fall out." " Will not." " Will so." "You'll make a hole in your head and your brains will fall out." " Will not." " Yeah?" "Let's go ask Mom." " Okay, let's ask her." " Fine." " Mom, the room's clean." " Clothes are washed and folded." " Fed Samson and Shane." " Picked the poop up." " And the grass is watered." " Okay." " Guys." " Yes, Mom?" "I want you to be back here before your dad gets home." "And I have to work double shifts all summer long..." " so I don't want you out too late." " Okay." "Guys." "Yes, Mom, what is it?" "Nothing." "I love you." "We love you, too, Mom." " Hi, how are you?" " Hi!" "Before anybody ever grows up, there are magical things...  impossible for adults, that can still happen." "The reason these things are lost to the grown-up world is simple." "In the quick second between the age of 12 and your 13th birthday...  the great secrets to them all are replaced in your mind...  with thoughts of the opposite sex." " Say, "Uncle. "" " Uncle." " Give?" " Uncle." "There are seven of these lost secret fascinations and abilities." "They are:" "That animals can talk." "Your favorite blanket is woven from a fabric so mighty...  that once pulled over your head, it becomes an impenetrable force field." "Great." "Nothing is too heavy to lift, with the aid of a cape." "Mikey, you did it." "Wow!" "Your hand, held forefinger out and thumbs up, actually fires bullets." "Hurry." "Jumping from any height with an umbrella is completely safe." "You okay?" "I did it, Mike." "I flew." "Monsters exist, that can both be seen and done battle with." "One, two, three!" "And the greatest, most special and regrettable loss of all:" "The ability to fly." "From what we'd heard around about that kid Fisher...  and what he'd done 10 years before we'd moved into the neighborhood...  we knew the second we saw it." "That must be the place." "Truly." "Could be killed." "That's why they called that kid Fisher a legend...  because he did the greatest thing anybody's ever heard of." " He wasn't that great." " What do you mean?" " He got killed, didn't he?" " No, he didn't." " Yeah, he did." " No, he didn't." "Yeah, he did." "Look at that jump." "You know, at the barn?" "It's a long way down, probably 2 miles." "Probably did a good try." "He just did it wrong." " We should do an expedition up there." " Yeah, it's probably cool up there." " Not today, though." " Yeah, not today." "Nah, too busy." "We will... later." "Please, help." "Stop." "Please, don't." "Help." "No, don't!" "Please stop." " No, don't do it!" "Stop." " Oh, my God." "Bobby." "Bobby, it's me." "It's me, Bobby." "What happened to your back?" "Oh, God." "Don't you ever tell Mom, Mike." "Don't you ever." " Promise?" " I promise." "What was the dream?" "What was the nightmare about?" " You swear you won't tell Mom?" " Yeah." "The King, he was chasing me and I couldn't get away." "Did he do that to your back?" "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" "I was afraid you'd tell Mom." "She's happy now." "At that moment, I realized that Bobby was my responsibility." "I had to think up some way to help him." "I made sure we left our house when the sun came up...  and we never went home till just after dark." "That way, Bobby could avoid The King all day." "So we spent all our time expeditioning." "Come on." "Come here, frog." " Okay, we got one." " We got two, you mean." " Open it for me, will you?" " Okay." "We knew we were in trouble instantly...  the way kids know they're in for it when bigger kids appear in front of them." "It's a sixth sense that you never lose." "And we knew we were as good as dead." "You're dead." "You're both dead." " Frogs?" " We're the only ones who can catch frogs." "Yeah, you need Victor's permission to go in the pipe." "You need Victor's permission for everything around here, sissies." "It ain't your pipe." "You're both dead." "All right." "Tell your mutt to stay there, man." "He ain't a mutt." "He's a killer German shepherd attack dog." "And if you move any closer, he'll kill you." "Just tell him to cool down." "Tell him to stay there, all right?" " Say, "Please. "" " Say, "Pretty please. "" " Kiss my butt." " Yeah." "Okay, Shane." "Kill!" "You're dead meat." "Dead as a doornail." "Good boy, Shane." "Good going." "Come on." " Hi, guys." " Hi, Mom." "What's cooking?" "Guys, who stepped in what here?" " It wasn't me." " Me, either." " Where were you?" " We were exploring." " Where?" " Sewers." "That is just disgusting!" "It's perfect." "Okay, come on." "Big boys first." " Mom, I can do it myself." " I'll help you." "You're first." " I can do it myself." " Come on." "You guys are nuts!" "I have no time for games." "I have to go to work." "I can't believe you guys!" "Finish your baths." "All filthy clothes in the wash." "I'm going to work." "Thanks, Mike." "Hi, honey." "Good night." "Goodbye." "I love you." "It's coming down." "I know." "It's alive." "He's moving." "He's alive." "It's alive!" "In the name of God!" "What are you doing up?" "Go to bed." "Not you." "Bobby, come here." "Mikey, you go to bed." " Bobby, come here." " But I want to..." "Go to bed!" "Come here, Bobby." "Come here!" "What did I tell you?" "Why don't you listen to me?" "Why don't you ever listen to what I'm telling you to do?" "Get to bed, you little son of a bitch!" "We can't stay up so late anymore." " Are you real?" " Sure." "Touch my nose." "But how did you get here?" "The window was open." "Michael, it's getting worse." "Why is this happening to Bobby and not to me?" "Because Bobby cannot fight back." "But you can." "You have to help him." "But I don't know what to do." "I can't tell Mom." "I can't tell anyone." " I can't break my promise to him." " Keep your promise... but listen to Bobby." "Bobby already has the answer." "It is for you to help him find it." "Good night, Michael." "Good night, Bobby." "Good night, buffalo." "The dream had given me a strength...  a sudden sense of purpose." " Look, a house!" " Cool!" " You okay?" " Open her up." "Cool." "An engine!" "Like from an airplane or a grass cutter." "You mean a lawn mower." "Yeah." "Groovy." "But, Mike, how do we get it?" "We don't." "We shouldn't, anyway." "Come on, Shane." "It ain't ours." "Mike, it's been in there a million years." "The owner's probably dead." "Yeah, probably." "Wait a sec." "What do we need it for?" "Don't know yet." "What?" "Nothing." " Oh, no!" "The Flyer!" " Shane, get it!" " Hurry up, Mike." "It's trying to get away." " Get it, Shane!" "Come on, Shane!" "Get it!" " Not too fast." " Come on." "Would you just wait, Mike?" ""Fisher's landing. "" "We finally got up enough nerve to climb that big hill." "We called the top The Wishing Spot...  because we reasoned that God would have to hear a wish made that close to heaven." "And we made a lot of wishes up there...  but mostly just one:" "For The King to stop hitting Bobby." "Although he always started again after a while...  at the times we made those wishes, he always stopped." "So we knew, beyond a doubt, that The Wishing Spot worked." "It was just a little too far away from heaven for God to hear them all." "God did hear a certain wish that Bobby made a thousand times up there." "And I never even knew he did." "One day, we discovered a part of how that wish would come true." "It was in the biggest...  ...yard I've ever seen." "I think it's a golf course." "There can't be very many of them." "Otherwise, they'd take up the whole world." "Why are those guys hitting those balls into the water?" "I don't think they're doing it on purpose." "Shit." "Yeah, there must be 11 million balls out there." "That gives me an idea." "Yeah, what?" "It was money." "I didn't know how it was gonna help...  but I knew that we were better off if we had some than if we didn't." "Get your golf balls. 30¢ apiece." "Two for a quarter." "So we collected as much as we possibly could." "I've got eight of them, guys." " All right!" " $2." "Money up." "Here you go." "Thank you very much." "There you go, right there." "Thanks, boys." " Thanks a lot." " You bet." "That's how many I lost today." "Sir, you want some golf balls?" "30¢ apiece." "That's $3." "$4, $5, $6, $7, $8, $9." "$9!" "What are you doing?" "That's a brand-new ball." " Whose dog is that?" " It's not our dog." "Look, $10." "Put it in." "Wait." "From this time on..." "Mike and Bobby, who know the contents of the secret hiding cubbyhole place... will never, ever, even if they are tortured to death... ever tell anyone who asks or don't ask... what is inside the secret cubbyhole place, and where it is." " Pinkie promise." " I swear." "Amen." "Amen." "Thanks." "4, 8, 12, 14... 15, 16, 17, 18." "Okay, boys." "Thanks, buddy." "Then it's 19." " There was 19, right?" " Okay, 19." "Groovy!" "That's 20, right?" "Sorry." "We're millionaires!" "What are we gonna get with it?" "Nothing." "We can't spend any of it." "Promise we won't, Mike." "Okay, Bobby." "Don't worry." "We won't." "I still didn't know what Bobby knew, but I felt it." "I knew that whatever I wanted to spend it on...  was nothing compared to what Bobby was going to need it for." "When we were kids, there were still plenty of things to be afraid of." "Because, in those days, there were no video games and no computers." "Monsters still existed, because they hadn't yet been rounded up...  and made to live only in electronic games or on floppy disks." "...his dog." "Watch it." "Of course, Bobby and me believed in all the regular monsters...  like Frankenstein and the 50 Foot Woman." "But we didn't totally fear them." "Back then, they just made movies." "Mostly, it was only one particular monster we feared...  and we couldn't get rid of him." "The best way to be sure you didn't fall prey...  to any of those ultimate bad guys...  was not to summon them into the world." "Was not to summon them into the world." "Ouija board... is there really a Bigfoot?" "I'm not moving it." "Are you?" "You must be doing it." "I ain't." "The window." " I don't believe in this stuff, do you?" " Yeah, it's just a game." " Let's go check anyway." " I don't think so, though." " I don't believe in this stuff." " Wait for me." "Ready?" "One, two, three." "The ad promised that it was a 100%...  absolutely, positively guaranteed anti-monster potion." "Or your money back." "Offer void where prohibited by law." " City and state." " Novato, California." "Thank you." "Perfect." "All right, let's go mail it." "Come on." "The board had told us that the anti-monster potion would work...  but it didn't tell us that it would get there just a little too late." "Want to go to the airport today... and see that plane that we saw yesterday?" "Yeah, that was fun." " Here you go, buddy." " Thanks." "Let's get it in before she sees it." "Why did he do it, Mike?" "Who knows?" "Come on, let's clean this up." "Your new shirt." "It's all right." "Here, you hold this." "What is it, Shane?" " What's the matter, Shane?" " What you barking at?" "Having a yard sale?" " Your dog can't save you now, sissies." " That's right." " Run, Bobby." " Let's get them." "Get off me!" "Let go of my brother!" "Leave my brother alone!" "I told you to leave my brother alone!" "Hold it!" "You okay?" "What's going on here?" " We didn't do anything." "They started it." " They did?" " You're just minding your own business?" " Yeah." "All right, get out of here." "Get your bikes and go home before I call all your parents." "Come on, Victor." "Move out!" "Pick it up." "Come on." "You all right, Victor?" "He told us to get our bikes." "Bozo!" "You're dead meat!" "We're coming back!" "Just wait till next time, you little pukes." "I'm gonna get you, Mike!" " You boys all right?" " Yes, sir." " Are we in trouble?" " Are you in..." "What?" "Come here." "Are you in trouble?" "No, you're not in any trouble." " Did you make this mess on the lawn?" " No." "If you didn't, who did?" "I don't know." " You boys need some help?" " No, sir." "We have to clean up now, before he gets home." "Son..." " if you need me, I'll be here." " Yeah, thanks." "We got it." "Bobby, yeah!" " You guys sure you'll be all right?" " Yeah, we'll be all right now." "Yes, sir!" ""One frog, newt's eyes..." ""bat's wings, one potato bug..." ""locust guano..." ""bull sweetbreads, magma from hell..." ""brain of zombie. "" ""Locust guano. "" "Dictionary." ""Guanine." "Guano. "" ""Manure of sea birds. "" "Manure, poop!" "Samson's poop!" ""Newt's eyes. "" "Marbles!" "What are bull sweetbreads?" " Don't know." "Skip it." " Okay." ""Brain of zombie. "" "Hamburger meat." "That should do it." "This is disgusting." "There we go." "I gotta go to the bathroom." "I think I'll watch some TV." " I just saw a ghost." " Was he a fat one?" "That was me!" " Take it easy, now." " Stand back." "It's a bomb!" "Stand back." "Stand back or I'll mail you to the undertaker!" "Shut it off!" "It didn't work!" "Holy crap." "Oh, my God." " Mike, if he gets home first..." " Maybe not." "Maybe Mom will get home first and she'll help us." "Watch out!" "That's it." "What are you doing?" "We gotta save some to protect us if he gets home first." "You're right." "Come on, I'll give you a hand." "Out, Shane!" " It won't be that bad." " Not for you." "I'll hide this cord." "It won't be so bad." "For you, either." "Not if he can't find Old Trusty... way in the back." "Think he'll find it?" " No way." " Thanks, Mike." "It was the only time in our lives that we were ever glad...  that he went into the garage to get drunk." "There's only one way he'll never find out." "The Wishing Spot." "Right." "When we took Mom to The Wishing Spot once...  she said she thought it was pretty and had a nice view." "We knew that she had no idea of its true power." "That day, we wished The King never find out about the mess we made." "He never did." "How come he does it?" "How come he drinks?" "I guess beer means more to him than we do." "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." "By design, a younger brother is a tagalong." "You're a little bigger, a little stronger...  only because you were born two years earlier." "So you're always looking back to see if he's still there...  and always embarrassed of him in front of all of your bigger friends." "Duck, Bobby." "We're gonna go play some football." "Wanna come?" "Come on, Mikey." "Let's go." " We need another player." " Yeah, come on." "Let's go!" "They're only saying..." "Maybe not." "Maybe they want to be friends with me." " We need an extra player." "Let's go, Mikey." " Yeah, come on." "You don't know." "They could be cool." " But..." " Just stay here, Bobby." "You're too young." "Stay here." "Here, you can have my Pez." "Mike, come on." "Burn out." "Let's go!" "Burn some rubber." "Come on." "Beat you there." "No, Shane." "Just let him go." "Let's go!" "This is gonna be lots of fun when we get there." "Come on, Mikey!" " Mike, ever played Kill the Carrier?" " Yeah, sure." "Sure?" "Okay this is how it goes:" "Bikes are free." "If you get through, you're safe." "If you get there." "No, it's not fair!" "Now you're bleeding, little sissy?" "Get up." "Guys, I think this is not the way we play it where I come from." "Too bad." "Get him, guys." "Damn it!" "Jesus Christ." "Where are you, Bobby?" "What the hell's the matter with you?" "Didn't you think I'd miss this?" "What were thinking about, putting that in there?" "What's the matter with you?" "What do I have to do to teach you, Bobby?" "Sissy!" " Baby!" " Get him." "He's getting away." " Mikey, you made it." " Cheater." " Victor, leave him alone." " Man, that's enough!" "I did it!" "You better run, damn cheater." " What are you talking about?" " Got a problem with that?" "Now it's yours." "All right, Mike!" " Get out of here, man." " Go!" "You should start wearing a cup." "I did it again." "I got him in the you-know-what..." "Oh, God... please make him all right." "Please make it that he'll be okay." "I'm so sorry, Shane." "I know I shouldn't have left him." "I promise I'll never leave him again." "Sweetheart..." "I'm so sorry he did this to you." "I promise this will never happen again." "He's in jail." "It's gonna be all right, Mom." "Don't worry." "Mom, can I talk to Mike for a minute?" " Is Shane all right?" " Yeah." "Did he find the secret hiding place?" "No, it's still there." "Good." "It won't be long now." "I can feel it." "For what?" "I can't tell you yet... but it won't be long." "Take your man, that's it." "I go." "One, one." "I'm out." "Go ahead, go." " I'll get it." " No, I'll get it." " I'll get it." " Oh, man!" "Hello?" "Yes, this is she." "No, I can't hear you." "Just a minute." "Yes, I'll pay the charges." "When did it happen?" "I see." "I'm sorry to hear about your mother, Jack." "It sounded like The King." " What's he want?" " Don't know, but it was bad news." "I can't handle it." "It's okay, Mom." "Mom, it's gonna be okay." "It's gonna be all right." "Don't cry." "Please, Mom." "Mom, listen." " Mom, look." " Stop!" "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" "Go to your room!" "It's bedtime, anyway." " Go to your room..." " But the sun's still out." "Please, just leave me alone." "I'm sorry, boys." "Go to your room for now." "Good night." "Yes." "No." "They said no." "They said they're going to repossess your truck." "You haven't paid up in the last two weeks, they don't care." "I don't know." "I have to go now." "He's coming back, Mike." "It's not Mom's fault... but he's coming back." "Fire!" "I could be one of those girls." " No, you're prettier than them, Mom." " I bet they make more money." "I'm sure they do." "They're on television." " I got it." " I'll get it." "Hi." "I got you a couple of presents." "I'm sorry." "I think you boys should go to your rooms, okay?" "God, I'm sorry, Mary." "I'm so sorry." "Mom had said he was never coming back." "But here he was, bringing presents, saying he was sorry." "We thought he was in jail, but he'd got out on a temporary release...  so he could attend his mother's funeral." "We heard him cry...  tell Mom that he had changed...  that he would never drink again, that he was sorry...  that he loved us...  and especially her." "We knew that it was not just the drinking that had caused him to act the way he had...  but we'd never heard a man cry before." "It shocked us." "We guess that it shocked Mom, too." "We knew that she still needed him." "We were too young then to understand...  about how a man and a woman loved one another." "How because of that love...  they can believe all sorts of things about the other person that are just not true." "But we did understand...  that Mom was faced with about the hardest decision she ever had to make." "Don't get any on you, now." "Two for us, please." " How many?" " Two, please." "Thank you." "While I watched Sinbad do battle...  with the massive, irate, two-headed chicken of Colossa Island...  my mind started putting together all the things we discovered that summer." "You see, in those days...  because they never made you leave after the movies were over...  we saw two movies 12 times." "He made it." "Yes." "It's fantastic!" "It was then, during the tenth show...  when I saw that look in Bobby's eyes again...  that I got the greatest, scariest, biggest...  most dangerous and incredible idea...  any kid, in the history of all time, ever got." "That's when I got..." ""The Big Idea. " That's what I'm calling it... because it's so huge and dangerous." "Who was the greatest flyer of all time?" "The Red Baron, of course." "Why?" "What color is it?" " Red." " What's it say on the side?" ""Radio flyer. "" " Flyer?" " Radio flyer." "Thanks, Mike." "Told you it wouldn't be long." "It's all for the Big Idea." "These struts have to be stronger." "Is the tail as big as that one?" " Up here?" " Okay." "Don't forget the top support." "See, that's the main support, the Cox motors." "Using The King's tools was suicide." "He'd kill us just for touching them." "Besides that, he could be coming home at any minute." "Where's the bikes?" "Got it." "Be careful." "Don't just put it there." "$5, right there." "Thanks." "Thanks!" "Thanks a lot." " Hey, cool." " All right!" "Look at this one." "It turned out that the guy who owned the lawn mower engine was dead." "So it wasn't like stealing or anything." "We just claimed it in the name of the United States of America." "Come on, Shane, hurry up." "Not too fast." "Slow down, will you?" " Okay, I think it's gonna make it." " Come on." "Start." "All right." "I'll get the propeller." "Okay, come on." "All right, it's gonna work." "Let her rip." "It ain't as easy as it looks." "Damn thing." "Come on." " Okay." " It's going!" "It stopped again." " It's balanced." " Keep it steady." " Start." " Darn." " Come on!" " Damn." "Go!" "Start the Cox." "Groovy, yes!" "It works." " You got it." " It's gotta go." "It's still going." " It's going." " I think it's gonna make it!" "It's gonna make it!" "It's not stopping." "All right, Bobby!" "Yes!" "It took six days to build the Flyer." "Okay, let's close her up." "But on the seventh day, we were done." "So we planned to go in two days." "Good morning, Shane." "Hurry." "Shane, get them!" "Go." "Come on, hurry!" "Watch out, dude!" "We'll get you." "They're trying to bust into the clubhouse." " Good morning, boys." " There's no milk." " Use some orange juice." " I don't like orange juice." "Boys, tell me, what happened out back?" "Nothing." "Some kids wanted to get into the clubhouse, that's all." "Why did they want to get in there?" " I don't know." " You don't know?" "Could it have anything to do with what you're building in there?" "Look, don't worry." "I didn't peek." "I don't know what's going on in there." "Just that if it's difficult and you need a hand... maybe you could wait until your dad gets back..." "It's okay." "We don't need any help." "Guys, come here a sec." "I want to talk to you." "It's gonna be different, you know." "Everything's gonna be okay." "I promise." "I wish you'd please believe me." "We believe you, Mom." "We do." "Don't be late for school, and don't forget your lunch." "Mom." "I love you, Mom." "I love you, too, sweetheart." "We had worked as fast as we could...  but it wasn't fast enough." "The King came home two days early...  before even Mom expected him back." "They took my side views." "Damn it!" "God damn it!" "My stomach hurts." " Why don't you throw out your sandwich?" " Okay." "Mine doesn't feel good, either." " Can we run home?" " Okay." " We should go home, Mike." " But we gotta get..." "No, something is wrong." "My stomach hurts." "We should go home right now." "Yeah, you're right." "My pain is getting worse, too." "Where are you, Shane?" "Oh, my God!" "Hey, you guys... don't ever touch my tools again." "Put those side views back on my bike." " Is he okay?" " He's alive." "Bobby, you have to go tonight." "I know." "He's coming with me." "Shane had risked his life to stop The King from finding the Flyer." "It was only right that he go with Bobby that night." "Dear Mom...  me and Bobby went to The Wishing Spot with the Radio Flyer." "I will be back, but Bobby...  won't." "Please don't get mad." "We took Samson and Shane, too." "Your son, Mike." "Okay." "6:45." "Let's go." "No other kids in the history of the world...  had ever had a better idea." "And if they did, they never built it." "The Radio Flyer was going to soar." "Suddenly it became clear to me...  why Bobby always got those faraway looks in his eyes...  whenever he looked at the Radio Flyer." "He had known something I didn't." "He had known the true potential of the wagon." "He could see right through the metal of it and imagine the way it should have been." "See, it wasn't just the bright red paint, or the logo that was written on it...  so it looked like the words were gonna fly right off the sides." "It was what the wagon represented." "It meant escape." "Who The King of terrors couldn't see...  who he couldn't look into the soul of...  and who he couldn't get his hands on...  he couldn't hurt." "Bobby was going away...  to faraway places where The King could never hurt him again." "That was what the Flyer was for." "And that pretty much was the Big Idea." "God damn it!" " Fill her up, please." " With Super." "If there's anything left of her halfway down... you got a chance." "At the bottom, just before you grab air... ease off." "Don't pull up." "You'll stall out." "The angle's too great." "You got it?" "Here." "Fish, telephone." "Good luck, kid." "Fisher's flight had been doomed from the beginning...  because he tried it way after he lost all the knowledge...  of the seven great abilities and fascinations." "You see, he was 14." "Here you go." "This one's on the house." "Pick it up, Shirley." "It's kind of slow." "Why don't one of you go home?" " I'll stay." " Yeah." "Thanks." "Groovy." " It's been swell." " Good night, Mary." "She's beautiful." "She's amazing." "I told those guys to stay off of that hill." "Too risky." "Better wait till they all take off." "What's going on here?" "Answer me." "I'm home." "Hello?" "Come on." "Dear Mom, me and Bobby went to The Wishing Spot with the Radio Flyer." "I will be back, but Bobby won't." "Please don't get mad." "We took Samson and Shane, too." "Your son, Mike." "That's one, Bobby." "There's only two more to go." "You gotta get ready." "Come on." "You promised me!" "There's stamps in there for you to send me the postcards." " You'd better send them to us." " Thanks, Mike." "Damn that music!" "Please, I need to speak to Officer Daugherty right away." "What are you doing?" "No, Mike, that's your favorite jacket." "Come on." "It's yours now." "You gotta keep warm." "I want to go, too." "I want to go." "You can't." "You gotta stay home and take care of Mom." "Bobby, I'm gonna miss you." "I wanna be with you." "You gotta get ready." "So long, Shane." "I love you." "Take care of Bobby." "Samson, be a good turtle." "Have a good ride." "Mike, the third one took off." "We gotta go." "Hang on, Bobby." "I'm gonna get that rock out." "Come on!" "I can't get this thing loose." "Come on!" "You little son of a bitch!" "Free the wheel." "Hang on, Bobby!" "Start it, Mike!" "Hang on!" " I got it!" " Pull the cord!" " I got it!" " I love you, Mike." "I love you, Bobby." "Mike, I'm in the slot." "Do you read me?" " Can you hear me?" " I'm in the slot, Mike!" "Mike, I'm falling." "She's going down." "Do you read me?" "Listen to me." "The Cox engines." "The auxiliaries, the thing above your head." "Pull it, now!" "Mike, I'm flying!" "He's flying." "You're flying, Bobby." "I knew it." "I'm trying to turn her, Mike, but there's a lot of wind." "Bobby, I see you." "You're right over the airport." "Mike, can you hear me?" "Take care of Shane." "Take care of Mom." "Goodbye, Mike." "I love you." "Goodbye, Bob." "There." "Where's Bobby?" "You're done." "Mikey, where's Bobby?" " Mike, where's your brother?" " Mom." "What?" "Michael, where is he?" "He made it, Mom." "What are you talking about?" "He's gone, Mom." "Where is he?" "Like Bobby said, it's gonna be okay now." "He's safe." "He's okay now." "However many times I tried explaining to Mom what had happened...  being grown up, she could never recapture the frame of mind needed to understand." "But being our mom, she never stopped looking." "Never, that is, until the day I ran home from school...  and all her fears and worries were laid to rest." "The day I got the first postcard." "Mom, look!" "It came, Mom." "Dear Mom and Mike, I am fine." "I hope you are, too." "The Flyer works great." "I scared the buffalo, flying too low." "But Geronimo Bill was nice." "I love you." "Bobby." "I told you, Mom." "I told you he'd write." "Time passed, and I grew up, and I went to college." "But I never completely lost all knowledge of the seven great abilities and fascinations." "Every time I felt them slipping away..." "I got another postcard." "Bobby traveled all over the world...  and visited places we dreamed about visiting when we were kids." "You see, in time, he grew up to be...  exactly what he was born to be:" "A flyer." "Do you guys understand what I meant about history being in the mind of the teller now?" "I think so." "Good." "'Cause that's how I remember him." "Dad, can we ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure." "Is that where we got Samson?" "Yeah, that's right." "That's exactly where we got him." "Really?" "You promise?" "You pinkie promise?" "I pinkie promise." "You see... that's what makes a promise such a big deal." "Once you make it, it'll last forever." "Ripped by:" "SkyFury"