(theme music playing)
NARRATOR: Man lives in the sunlit world
of what he believes to be reality.
But... there is,
unseen by most, an underworld.
A place that is just as real
but not as brightly lit.
A dark side.
Okay, I've got it.
I've got a great word.
G-L-I-T-C-H.
Glitch.
What kind of a word is glitch?
It's a computer word.
Mookie uses it all the time.
There's no computer words in this game.
It's a foreign language.
It's a perfectly good English word, isn't it, Mookie?
(static crackles)
Mookie?
BOY: What, glitch?
That's a great word.
What does it mean?
It's a hang-up in a computer program.
You know, um... a glitch.
To him, English is a foreign language.
Well, you know you can't argue with twins.
They always stick together.
That's 39 points. We're way ahead.
Pookie, come upstairs for a sec?
Okay.
It's your turn, dear.
Right, I know, I know.
We're ahead two points.
Yeah, I know.
You look awful.
Listen, Pookie,
I want you to make me a promise--
twin to twin.
Why?
Because I'm asking you to.
All right, what is it?
I'm finishing up this very important program
on the computer.
I thought I'd have time to finish it,
but now, I'm not so sure.
What are you saying?
I'm saying...
that I want you to finish it for me, Pookie.
No. That's not what you're saying.
Listen to me, Pookie, there's not much time.
No. I won't listen to you.
You've let this damn machine take over your entire life,
and I hate it.
Pookie, you promised.
I don't care.
I'm gonna switch it off.
No, don't, please!
Look,
I know you hate computers,
but that's because you don't know anything about them.
There's a whole world in here just waiting to be discovered.
I don't know anything about computers, Mookie.
Don't worry.
I've prepared a whole special set of instructions
just for you.
How special?
Very special.
Sorry it took so long.
We're playing "comeback."
50 points.
I knew it. (chuckles)
(rhythmic buzzing)
(rhythmic buzzing continues)
(rapid footfalls)
Kevin! Mookie.
(rhythmic buzzing)
¶ ¶
MOM: Susan.
Susan?
Judy and Allison are downstairs.
Why don't you see them?
It might make you feel better.
I feel fine, Mom.
What are you looking for?
I'm looking for some notes that Kevin left for me.
What notes?
He asked me to finish something for him, before...
Oh, sweetheart.
Sweetheart.
Why don't you just let it be.
I can't, Mom.
Mookie said it was important.
Okay, I, uh...
I left some notebooks down in that...
in that chest there, in the first drawer.
Thanks, Mom.
Susan, we all miss Kevin very much.
(electronic tones bleep)
Oh, I forgot to tell you.
Dave at the office is looking for a computer.
I'm gonna ask him to look at ours,
and possibly get it off our hands.
Well, I think we should wait a little longer.
Hon, she's been up there all summer.
She sits there
just reading those manuals and punching in those programs.
She never sees anybody.
She's hardly been out of the house since the funeral.
Well, I guess it's just her way
of working through her grief.
Must be the hardest thing in the world to lose a twin.
I think we just have to try to be patient
and help her through this.
Honey, the longer we wait, the worse it'll get.
Oh, let's give her more time.
We'll talk tonight.
Bye. Bye.
(beeps)
This must be it.
(beeps)
Come on, Mookie, come on.
(printer clattering)
(doorbell ringing)
Who is it?
MAN: Delivery. Hmm.
Hi. I have a package for Susan Anderson.
Well, I'm her mother.
Good. Would you sign, please?
Thanks.
Who's it from?
I don't know.
Be careful, it's heavy.
Thank you.
(printer clattering)
(keyboard keys clacking)
Susan.
Hi, Mom.
I had a real breakthrough this morning.
I got into a humongous data bank.
I think I'm really getting somewhere.
This package arrived for you.
Do you know anything about it?
No. Just put it on the bed.
Oh, it's heavy.
Don't you want to know what it is?
I'm in the middle of something.
Uh, do you mind if I open it?
If you want.
You know, that, uh, riding camp that you wanted to go to,
and I said you couldn't because Kevin was so sick?
Well, I don't see why
you couldn't go now.
No use sitting around all summer.
I've, um...
signed you up for the next two week session.
Isn't that great?
Mom, it's the voice synthesizer.
I can't believe it.
What is it?
The voice synthesizer.
Uh, it-it's kind of a talk box.
He knew I was ready for it.
Who knew?
What are you talking about?
Mookie.
He's in the network, in the computer.
He ordered it for me.
Susan...
You can't be serious?
But who could've ordered it?
Did you?
Of course not.
I don't know, she...
she could've done it herself, you know.
Harold, that's a terrible thing to say.
Well, couldn't she?
Ruth, we've got to put an end to this.
I worked out a deal today with Dave Meltzer for the computer.
So, let's just go up there, unplug the thing,
and take it out of there.
Just like that?
Yeah, just like that.
We've got to make a clean break now.
Believe me, we won't have a problem.
¶ ¶
(electronic alarm blaring)
SYNTHESIZED VOICE (distorted): Pookie.
(alarm stops) Mom, what's going on?
Susan, we've
decided to... Dad, what are you
doing there?
Did you hear Mookie?
Yes, of course we did.
No, I didn't hear anybody.
What I heard was a computer controlled electronic voice.
No matter how fancy a computer is, Susan,
it's still only a machine.
It was Mookie calling me.
He's out there in the network
and he needs me to get through to him.
That's why he left me his notes.
Mom, tell him. Let's talk sense, Susan.
Kevin is not inside a computer.
And he's not on any network.
You don't understand.
Kevin's my twin brother, I know he's in there.
Susan, you've got a choice.
You either stop this nonsense right now,
or I'm gonna have this computer disconnected and taken away.
Sweetheart...
Mom, don't let him do it.
I can't leave Mookie stranded.
Honey, are you sure that...?
How do you explain the voice
and the word on the computer?
Uh, I don't know.
SYNTHESIZED VOICE: Let Pookie finish.
That's it, Mookie, I'm done.
(computer trilling)
Come on, talk to me.
(printer clattering)
Susan, sweetheart...
Oh, Mookie, no.
Mookie, no.
What is it?
Oh, darling, you look exhausted.
Why don't you stop for a while?
Mom, something terrible's happened.
I just finished the program, and I found out... Well, Susan?
(computer trilling)
Did you sell the computer to a Mr. Meltzer?
Who told you?
Mookie.
He found the check in the computer network.
Come on, Susan.
Did you sell it?
As a matter of fact, I did.
Harold, how could you? Why?! Why did you do it?!
I told you I would.
I warned you, Susan.
When is he gonna take it away?
Sometime this afternoon, I think.
Oh, Harold.
Dad, what am I gonna do?
Look, I'll prove to you that Mookie's in here.
(sighs)
If I prove it to you, will you change your mind?
Okay. Okay, I will.
On one condition.
That you change yours
if you fail.
Okay.
Punch in a question, any question at all,
he'll answer you.
You go first.
Oh, no. No, you're the believer.
You try it.
Uh, what do I do?
Just type out any question.
Like on a typewriter.
You'll see.
"Kevin,
are you there?"
(beep)
He won't answer you.
Why? He answers me.
Try again.
You, you do it.
"Are you...
really Kevin?" (beep)
Maybe he's mad at you for selling the computer,
and he won't answer you.
He answers me.
We made a deal, Susan.
I know, but I can prove it, Dad.
I swear, I just need a little more time, okay?
Harold, we've waited this long.
A couple of days won't make any difference.
I'm sorry.
Mom!
I'll see what I can do, Susan.
Where are you when I need you?
Thank God.
Who's not ready?
SYNTHESIZED VOICE: Dad.
DAD: We're going to lose her, Ruth.
But what if she's telling the truth?
What if she has reached Kevin?
I heard him up there, it was real.
You heard something, sure, a gimmick.
A preprogrammed electronic voice synthesizer.
Every kid on the block can do this trick.
It's no big deal.
What about Dave Meltzer?
How do you explain that? She doesn't even know him.
Simple. She broke into some data bank
and came across the check by chance.
No, I don't think it's that simple.
Ruth, come on, there's no magic in computers.
But there is for me.
Okay, I'll tell you what.
I'll give her one more chance.
(printer clattering)
Susan...
I've got good news.
You changed your mind?
No, not that.
Uh, here.
"Hi, Pook, I'm fine now.
"You've done a good job.
"It's time to let Dad unplug the computer,
"and sell it to Mr. Meltzer.
Mookie."
Mookie didn't write this, you did.
How could you think I could believe this?
And how could you expect me to believe that?
Because that is real, and this isn't.
Prove it! What's happened?
Mom, Dad tried to trick me.
Harold, you said you'd give her another chance.
I've had enough of this.
We'll settle this once and for all.
Now you tell Kevin that I'm going to unplug his computer.
If he has something to say, now's the time.
Please, Dad, don't.
SYNTHESIZED VOICE: Don't do it, Dad.
Listen to Pookie.
How did you do that?
Don't you understand? It's Kevin.
My son is not a computer.
Well, he's in there somewhere. He isn't.
He is. He is not.
(Kevin's voice synthesized): I'm right here, Dad.
Kevin, you stay out of this.
And as for you, young lady...
I think I'll go downstairs for a while.
Dear, I think we'll have to use the timer.
Harold, you're only supposed to take two minutes.
Well, I can't help it if I don't have any vowels, can I?
Mom, I'm going to go riding with Allison,
tomorrow afternoon, okay? Wonderful, darling.
All right, all right.
Here's "gable" and "wing."
That's the best I can do.
Bravo.
14 points.
You're way behind, Dad.
It's your turn.
(Kevin's voice synthesized): Guess what, Dad.
"Voyager."
Seven letters. Triple word.
50 points bonus.
V-O-Y-A-G-E-R.
NARRATOR: The dark side is always there.
Waiting for us to enter.
Waiting to enter us.
Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.