"(? "theme from the twilight zone"?" ")" "(heartbeat)" "old friends have a way of being there when you need them." "and, sometimes, when you don't, as alex mattingly and his son jeff are about to learn courtesy of a very special friend from the twilight zone." "hey, you could help me with these, you know." "let's go for a walk." "i'll show you the woods." "i hate this place." "how can you hate it?" "you just got here." "i wish i was back with mom." "hey, hey, wait a minute." "you can't keep doing that." "you can't get mad at mom and stay with me, and get mad at me and want to go back and stay with mom." "it's not fair to any of us." "what's fair about sticking me out here where there's nothing but trees?" "i know how it looks, kid, but it's not that bad." "come on now." "you remember when i told you about staying here with great-grandpa when i was your age?" "remember that?" "well, that was my first summer here." "i had fun." "you will, too." "i will not." "there's no kids around." "not now, but when school starts, i'll bet a lot of professors have kids your age." "but i don't want to wait that long." "well, then, use your imagination, okay?" "make up things." "when i got bored, i made up things." "i made up new countries, uh... new planets." "i even had a make-believe friend." "yeah?" "yeah." "well, maybe." "well, maybe you should fill your hands up with work." "come on, let's do it." "(wind whirling)" "(owls hooting) little boy's voice:" "ollie, ollie, oxen free... ollie, ollie, oxen free... hmm." "hi, dad." "hey, kiddo." "you got time for lunch?" "i haven't seen you all morning." "i was in the woods." "i told you you'd like the woods." "mike showed me all the neat places." "yeah?" "who's mike?" "this kid i met. he's real neat." "what's his last name?" "maybe i know his parents." "he didn't say." "well, invite him in sometime." "meantime, wash your hands." "i got a sandwich here for you." "okay." "jeff." "jeff." "what?" "you told me to wash my hands." "yeah, wash your hands." "mike:" "what do you want to do?" "jeff:" "i don't know." "whatever you want." "jeff:" "how come you never pick the game?" "mike:" "because i like doing what you like." "well, i'm sick of playing tag." "how about we get some horses and play cowboys?" "cowboys?" "what are you talking about?" "hey... where are you?" "over here." "if you think cowboys is dumb or something, we can play something else." "uh-uh." "this is going to be great." "all right, come on, let's go." "pulling teeth here with you." "can't we just stay home?" "wait a minute, wait a minute." "you complain about not having anybody to play with, and you don't want to meet any new kids?" "what is that?" "i like mike." "i don't want to meet any other jerky kids." "aw, come on, come on, come on. "jerky kids."" "ross conrad is the head of my department." "now, i doubt that he has jerky kids." "who is this mike anyway?" "i haven't seen him around." "he just thinks we're weird." "i think you're weird." "you don't mind being so far from campus?" "i'm sure it is quiet." "well, it's good for my writing, but it's a little tough on jeff not having other kids around to play with." "well, anytime he wants to come up and play with our little guys... i appreciate that." "daddy!" "daddy!" "jeff and larry are fighting!" "come on, quit it, you guys!" "all right!" "jeff, knock it off!" "hey, hey, come on!" "cut it out!" "stupid jeff blew the game, dad!" "did not!" "what game?" "we were playing dodgeball, and jeff wanted to be it, but it wasn't his turn!" "he just kept throwing the ball at larry!" "hit me twice in the head." "stupid jerk!" "all right, come on, boys." "let's go get some burgers." "sorry, ross." "is that true?" "did you hit him?" "i told you these kids would be stupid." "how about we play speed racer again?" "i got to head back home." "dinner's pretty soon." "mike, how do you get all that stuff?" "i mean the racers and the horse and everything?" "i thought you liked it." "i thought we were having fun." "oh, we are." "it's a lot of fun, but... you didn't tell nobody about the way we were playing or nothing, did you?" "remember, you promised." "of course not." "don't be such a wimp." "if you do, we can't do it anymore." "how about you come over to my house and have dinner with me and my dad?" "i can't." "why don't you want to meet my dad?" "he's a pretty okay guy." "no, i said." "come on." "i want to show you something." "where are we going?" "you'll see." "it's a really neat place." "isn't this great?" "it's old." "yeah, but it's neat, right?" "i guess." "come on." "it's really neat in here." "isn't this great?" "this place is falling apart." "no, it's not." "it's just dust." "i'm getting out." "come on. it's neat in here." "isn't this neat?" "this is really cool." "yeah, it is." "oh, you're right." "isn't this great?" "this place is so cool." "jeff:" "mike." "mike." "mike, help!" "help me!" "jeff?" "jeff?" "jeff!" "hey, jeff!" "jeff!" "jeff!" "jeff!" "(moaning) jeff!" "i'm coming." "where are you?" "where are you?" "i got you." "i got you." "i'm coming, jeff." "here we go. come on." "come on, come on." "got you, got you." "dad?" "oh, kid." "oh, jeff." "oh, god." "are you okay?" "yeah." "ah... boy." "pulled him out just in time." "a few more minutes... as for you, young fella, i hope you learned a lesson about playing in dangerous places, hmm?" "bye, doc." "thanks." "he's right, you know." "you should never have been playing in that place." "now don't go anywhere near there, okay?" "if this friend, mike, leads you into situations like this, i don't want you playing with him." "he's the only friend i've got." "you can't take him away from me." "he likes me." "he's the only one who likes me." "i like you." "your mom likes you." "we love you." "then why can't i stay with the both of you?" "it's like you get tired of me, and then she gets tired of me." "i'm always going back and forth because no one likes me enough to keep me." "damn it, jenny, he was playing." "it was an accident." "some kid in the neighborhood." "i don't know." "uh... no, no." "he's upstairs resting." "look, jenny, i got to go." "i'll have him call you." "bye." "slowpoke!" "come on, slowpoke!" "hey, wait a minute." "hey, kid... kid, i just... want to talk to you." "that's all." "kid?" "what's the matter, alex?" "don't you recognize me?" "i mean, it hasn't been that long." "come on." "let's play." "mike?" "of course it's mike." "how did you get to be such a drip?" "you can't even keep up with me anymore." "this isn't possible." "you're not real." "of course i'm real, alex." "i mean, i'm here, aren't i?" "okay... i'll give you back your stupid yo-yo." "maybe then you'll believe me." "it's a rainbow rider, just like mine." "itisyours." "i saw you carve your name in there with my own eyes." "uh... you gave it to me to take care of when you went away." "but you never came back, alex." "i waited, but you never... i never gave it to you." "i was angry at you." "i threw it into the forest." "i only pretended to give it to you." "how could i give it to you?" "you're not real." "i made you up." "i could only see you with my mind." "how can you be here?" "i've been waiting a long time for someone to play with." "someone like you." "i guess, after a while, i fell asleep or something." "but, when you came back, i woke up." "so you want to play cowboys or not?" "(gunshot noise) doesn't like cowboys." "okay." "how about tag?" "you're it." "no?" "then what?" "wait. i know." "see?" "i can still tell what games you like." "no. no more games." "no, we can't play." "we were kids then." "we're not now." "it wouldn't be the same." "maybe you're right." "i mean, you did make me up." "you made up how i look." "i took it from your mind." "back then, you needed a friend." "you needed one really bad." "that's why i came back with jeff-- to play with him just like i did with you." "you lead him into that mud fort." "you could have gotten him killed." "i didn't mean for him to get hurt." "i don't want you to play with him anymore, hear?" "okay. please don't be mad at me." "please." "i don't understand any of this, mike." "but i do know that you can't play with jeff anymore." "why not?" "he's having fun just like you and me did." "yeah, we did, didn't we?" "look... jeff has to play with real kids now." "kids like him." "if he continues playing with you, you'll let him do whatever he wants, and let him play whatever he wants." "he'll never play with real kids." "so what's so bad about that?" "i didn't think you'd understand." "but, if i don't have anyone to play with, i have to go back... to where there's nothing to do." "then that's what you'll have to do." "well, i'm not gonna!" "i like playing with jeff, and you can't stop me." "mike." "all right, mike." "listen, please." "sometimes you got to do things you don't want to do." "that's what a real friend is." "we were friends once." "mike." "i'm asking you one last favor." "mike, please just let him go." "let him go." "all right!" "got you." "you missed me by a mile." "no way!" "you're it." "how come she's never it?" "come on, jeff." "she's a little kid." "well, she's ruining the game." "let's play cowboys." "both:" "cowboys?" "yeah, you know... that's the stupidest idea i've ever heard." "what a goober." "goober." "cindy:" "mommy!" "mommy!" "mommy!" "huh?" "mommy!" "you all right?" "are you okay?" "come on." "oh, boy." "hey, mike, wait up!" "come on." "why are you running?" "to get away from you." "you smell." "come on." "i ditched those goonheads." "let's play something good." "get out of here." "mike." "mike:" "no, i mean it." "you belong with those jerks." "cut it out." "hey, knock it off." "i thought you were my friend." "no way!" "you're a jerk." "i never liked you." "i was just kidding you." "and you even fell for it." "don't come back." "i hate you!" "fine." "if that's the way you want it." "i don't need you." "i can make other friends." "dad... hey, jeffie, jeffie... he said he liked me." "it's all right." "and now he says he lied." "ohh." "why won't he play with me anymore?" "maybe he's not a good friend after all." "when i was your age, i had a friend just like mike, and i think he did everything i told him to do because he wanted me all to himself." "i didn't have to play the rules-- i didn't have to share with anyone-- because there wasn't anyone else." "but it doesn't have to be that way with you." "yeah?" "mike isn't the only one who'll like you." "you're going to see." "just get back and apologize to cindy, okay?" "okay." "i'll be back in a minute." "want to play, alex?" "sorry, mike." "i guess i do have to go then, don't i?" "what are you, really?" "man's voice:" "i am something of this place." "i've been here since it first existed, and so i shall be always." "mike's voice:" "you and me... we had fun once." "didn't we?" "yeah, we sure did, mike." "what you did meant a lot to me and to jeff." "what are friends for?" "ollie, ollie, oxen free... bye, mike." "it's a war." "shoot him!" "ah!" "you missed!" "i'm going to get you." "you wish." "i got your shot." "all right." "all right, nice shot." "i got tagged." "they decide to make a truce?" "jeff apologized like a perfect gentleman." "better get them up here." "dinner's ready." "two." "three." "you're gone." "aw... let them play for a while, okay?" "for alex and jeff mattingly." "there will always be one special friend-- one who loved them both enough to vanish when the time was right." "but, after all, that's what friends are for... especially a friend from the twilight zone."