"(? "theme from the twilight zone"?" ")" "(heartbeat)" "lieutenant:" "what if we haven't enough voltage?" "captain:" "just keep swinging at its arms." "lieutenant:" "i've got a worry." "scientist:" "report from the front, captain-- lieutenant mcpherson has a worry." "captain:" "what?" "lieutenant:" "what if he can read our minds?" "captain:" "he'll be real mad when he gets to me." "lieutenant:" "keep quiet." "daddy, i'm scared." "aren't you supposed to be in bed?" "daddy, there's a man in my room." "sweetie, you just had a nightmare." "i was not." "i saw him, mommy it's my turn, i guess." "mm-hmm." "i think i'll just have to go see who is bothering my little girl." "and if he can read minds then he's going to be real mad when he gets to mine." "he was over there, daddy." "he was watching me." "there's nothing there, megan." "see, it's clothes." "he scared me, daddy." "i know, megan, but it was just a nightmare." "now, my big girl won't be afraid of some little nightmare, is she?" "hmm?" "come on, come on." "in you go." "now, look, okay." "can you keep a secret?" "well, when i was a little kid i had a lot of nightmares." "monsters... monsters?" "i mean, they were in the closet they were under the bed they were everywhere." "but my dad told me the secret and then i wasn't scared anymore." "monsters... cannot get you... if you hide under the blankets." "they can't?" "they can't." "that's the rule." "even monsters can't break the rules." "that's my girl." "that's good." "you see, the only problem with that theory is that blankets can't hide you from daddies." "(laughing and giggling) okay, okay." "calm down." "now, you're going to sleep, right?" "right." "good night, kitten." "(helicopters and rifle fire)" "oh, sorry." "jeff?" "what's wrong?" "god, you look like death warmed over." "no, it's nothing." "i'll tell you, honey, i thought... what?" "nah, it's absurd." "it's like daughter, like father." "oh, and the man-- it was a chair full of clothes." "well, she has your imagination." "yeah, i was wondering where it went." "she's okay, right?" "yes." "yeah, sure." "(creaking wheels)" "hi, daddy." "hey, hi." "hi. mm." "all right. hello, hello." "i have roast beef." "i have baked potatoes." "i have salad, and i have... wine." "not for you." "you get milk." "all right?" "how does that sound?" "like paradise regained." "why don't you go wash up, honey." "hey, what's wrong?" "wrong?" "now, what makes you think something is wrong?" "clues, sherlock." "the last time you served wine was the day your car got banged up in the school lot." "so, what is it this time?" "this morning in class, a student asked me where i was during vietnam." "so, i told him i was in school." "you were." "i remember it distinctly." "i neglected to tell him it was in canada." "it's none of his business." "that's what i told him." "so, why do i feel so guilty?" "i'm doing it again, aren't i?" "mm-hmm." "okay." "now is this the part where you're suppose to tell me i didn't do anything wrong?" "you didn't do anything wrong." "good, she still remembers all her lines." "you are a perfect woman." "thank you." "meggie, come on down." "dinner's ready." "megan?" "megan?" "honey, you didn't wash your hands." "the man was upstairs, mommy." "he talked to me." "oh, honestly." "now, come on." "let's get you scrubbed up for dinner." "it's okay to play pretend but you mustn't blame somebody else if you forget to do something." "it's not pretend, mommy." "okay, that's a little better." "jeff!" "jeff!" "what's wrong?" "did you see him?" "did he pass you?" "what?" "who?" "the man in the wheelchair." "he was in the mirror." "he was in the hall." "i saw him in the mirror and then he just... he must have come past you." "a man in a wheelchair?" "i would have noticed somebody coming past me in a wheelchair." "besides, how could a chair get down these stairs?" "if he didn't come past you, then he's still... he's gone, mommy." "oh, meggie." "don't be scared." "he's a nice man." "what the hell is going on here?" "(whispering:) jeff... i don't know." "i think it's time i found out." "ohh... what is wrong with you?" "who are you?" "don't freak on me, spaceman." "i need you, man." "no, this can't be happening." "what the hell's wrong?" "no, no!" "(screaming) shut up, spaceman." "shut up!" "(screaming)" "jeff!" "jeff!" "jeff, it's me." "it's just me." "it's just me, sweetie." "it's just me." "i, uh... i'm the reason he's here." "you didn't do anything." "i can think of something." "i got drafted but i chose canada." "i copped out on vietnam." "and now it looks like vietnam is catching up with me." "maybe vietnam was my fate." "maybe i was supposed to die there." "and maybe this... legless ghost is the guy... who went instead of me." "or maybe he got killed because i wasn't there." "no!" "this is your guilt talking, not you." "you said no to a dirty little undeclared war." "you helpedstopthat war." "you know that!" "all i know is i have to leave, because then he'll follow me and you and megan will be safe." "maybe, but maybe not." "jeff-- we've got to face this together." "well, you're right." "you are right." "no!" "oh, god, no." "not again." "calm down." "it's all right!" "jeff!" "jeff!" "wait!" "(intercom beeps) yes, susan?" "your husband's on five." "thank you." "where have you been?" "i've been so worried." "denise... is it you?" "of course it's me." "are you all right?" "you sound really strange." "strange?" "no, i'm fine, denni." "how are you?" "denni?" "you haven't called me denni since high school." "jeff?" "what is going on?" "i just... i just need to see you, denni." "just for a little while." "i'm at home now, and i need to see you." "okay." "okay, i'll be right there." "hi, susan." "jeff... are you all right?" "i spent the night in my car." "is denise here?" "she went home right after you called." "right after i... i didn't call." "i put you through not ten minutes ago." "i should be able to recognize your voice by now." "denni... come here!" "honey?" "jeff?" "you're looking real good." "you look even better than you did back when we were together." "oh, god." "what... what... what happened?" "is that the question?" "what happened?" "vietnam happened, denni." "and the draft lottery." "and a land mine." "denise?" "jeff?" "denni... i'm up here!" "jeff, i'm up here!" "honey, move back." "all right, you... you're me." "that's bingo." "then this isn't happening." "a dream?" "yeah, right." "but are you dreaming me or am i dreaming you?" "i don't give a damn one way or the other." "you see, i think we're both real." "i think that somewhere around 1971 we came to this fork in the road and you went one way, and i went the other." "and we ended up in different places." "jeff?" "spaceman." "on your road, what happened... to us?" "to us." "oh, denni, yeah. you and me." "oh, well." "gee." "you died in a motorcycle accident when i was in 'nam." "the guy you were riding with didn't believe in helmets." "that's why you're here-- because..." "i'm guilty." "i'm guilty, okay." "that's all right." "but if there's any retribution owed then it's to me and to me alone." "you have to leave them out of it now." "no!" "we went to canada together." "we made the decision together." "i'm a part of him and everything that happens to him." "that's why i loved you so much, denni." "and you... come on." "you think i would hurt them?" "god. and they say us vets are crazy!" "then tell me why." "i'm dying, man." "the doctors, they never tell you what's really going on, but i could feel it." "and it's okay." "i lost everything important to me a long time ago." "i lost my legs." "i lost my girl." "i lost my future." "i even lost jeff." "and the spaceman-- ooh, yeah, i mean, come on." "he doesn't have much going on except some really horrible memories." "so, you know, i'm laying in the v.a." "and i'm just waiting to get it over with." "come on." "and i'm thinking... and i'm wondering... how it would have been with denni and me." "you know, if i'd have done it differently." "and i'm laying there." "and i'm wondering." "and i guess i just wondered myself here." "i just wanted to see them, brother." "you did okay, mcdowell." "youdid okay." "i wasn't even there." "i wasn't there either-- i mean, i wasn't there for denise." "i wasn't there for megan." "(sobs)" "ah, come on." "i think... i think it's probably time i went." "no, you can stay..." "if you want to." "yeah, well... i mean, i'd like to." "it would be nice but i can't." "i, uh... i got some nice memories now, though." "thanks." "the flashbacks-- i mean, it must work both ways." "you and me, we're the same person, right?" "i have some memories." "i have some good memories." "maybe if we touched... no, you don't know what you're talking about now." "but i have good memories-- the day that denise and i got married." "our honeymoon." "the day megan was born." "no, it's no good, see?" "'cause then you'd have all that stuff about all those men dying around you then you'd have all the years in the hospital and in this damn chair." "no, and then you'd remember everybody backing away from you." "everybody watching you, watching you, you know?" "i mean, you'd be waking up with nightmares." "you'd be screaming." "i'm not afraid of a few nightmares." "i can always just crawl under the blanket." "i guess we're both heroes, huh?" "narrator:" "we make our choices, and afterwards wonder what the other road was like." "jeff mcdowell found out, and paid the toll." "a lesson in courage and cartography from the map makers... ofthe twilight zone."