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Back to My Girl Hallie homepage Read the show so you can vote on how it should end! KIDS RADIO WHIT: And now, Kids’ Radio presents another episode of “The Twilife Zone.” Do not adjust your radio. We are in control. You are about to enter a different place, and yet, one that isn’t so different. It’s a dimension of sight and sound, and of mind. A land of shadows, substance...and a lot of weirdness. You’ve just crossed over into...The Twilife Zone. JOEY’S BACKYARD A group of kids are playing in a park in a small town neighborhood. They bounce a large playground ball and grunt in a vigorous game of four-square. MARY: He’s gonna cut the corner! ZACK: Not this time, Joey. JOEY: You’re good at foursquare Zack, but not good… enough! The ball bounces free. ZACK: Oh, man! MARY: The king lives on. You just can’t be beat, Joey! WHIT: We present for your consideration one Joey Patrick. An average boy in an average town. Like most young boys he lives for the joy of the moment, feeling assured that tomorrow will be much the same as today. But this young man will soon realize that what waits around the next corner, past that next tick of the clock, could change...everything. For very soon Joey Patrick will wake up in the Twilife Zone. JOEY’S ROOM JOEY (GROGGY, HALF AWAKE): Hmph. MOM: Com’on sleepy head. It’s a beautiful morning. JOEY: Mom. It’s Saturday. MOM: I know. And I’ve got a surprise for you. Let’s call it an early birthday present. JOEY: What? MOM: Just look on your desk. JOEY: Whoa! The box is huge! MOM: It’s from your dad’s company. Maybe you’ll have it mastered by the time he comes home in a few days. JOEY: What is it? MOM: Open it up and find out. Joey jumps off his bed and rips into the box. JOEY: Cool! It’s a computer! MOM: Not just any computer. They won’t even be releasing this model to the public for at least another year. JOEY: It’s purple. MOM: Just wait ‘till you start using it. You’ll make Einstein blush. JOEY (DISAPPOINTED): Oh, I get it. MOM: What? JOEY: This is about what Principal Davis said, isn’t it? About keeping me back a year. MOM: No, honey. Well...We thought it might help out a little. JOEY: So the only reason I get a present is because I’m failing. MOM: Now, com’on, that’s not the attitude to have. This computer will be lots of fun too. JOEY (NOT SURE): Yeah? MOM: Sure. Set it up on your desk and I’ll run you through the manual. JOEY: Okay... Joey starts to set it up on his desk. MOM: (CLEARS HER THROAT) Welcome to your new Cyberdyne Super Plus Deluxe 9,000.5a. Get ready to expand your world with the first bio-circuitry-enhanced learning machine. JOEY: Biocuitry? MOM: I think it means that it’s automatically up-gradable. The more you use it, the more efficient it becomes. It learns from you. JOEY: Really? How? She pulls something out of the box. MOM: You use this little headband do-hickey called a... Wireless integrated directional input device. JOEY: What’s it do? MOM: (SEARCHES MANUAL) Ah. Here. (READS) Watch as your computer uses the headband to adjust to your working habits. Marvel as it automatically modifies itself through your input and performance. JOEY: Which means? MOM: Uh...you put it on your head. Joey puts it on with the rip of Velcro. JOEY: Velcro. Hm. MOM: It’s what all the handsomest computer users are wearing these days. JOEY: Mom! The computer emits a tone. MOM: What was that? JOEY: I think it means we’re all set up. MOM: Really? That was simple. JOEY: All I had to do was plug it in. Can I turn it on? MOM: No, let’s just look at it for a while. JOEY: What?! MOM: Turn it on! Twenty Second Century, here we come. Joey pushes the button and the computer whirs to life. The computer speaks this first time with a very mechanical sound to its voice. COMPUTER: Welcome-to-your-new-world. JOEY: Cool! WHIT: It was indeed a new world. At first, things seemed much the same as before. But the next day, he got the chance to really test his new gift. JOEY’S ROOM JOEY: Okay...maybe I can finally figure out how this bio-circuitry works. (BEAT) Uh...computer, do I have e-mail? Silence. JOEY: Excuse me. Joey taps the keyboard several times. COMPUTER: Please input your commands using your wireless integrated directional input device. JOEY: The what? Oh, you mean the headband. Hang on. There. Do I have any e-mail? COMPUTER: You have twenty-five new e-mails. JOEY: Cool! I’ll read those later. Uh...open my journal. COMPUTER: Journal entry number 1. Hello Joey. What is on your mind today? JOEY: That’s great. Uh...go to a history website. COMPUTER: Website loaded. Which topic please? JOEY: Awesome! I love this! Okay, let’s see. I should start working on that report for school. Open a word processor. COMPUTER: Word processor opened. WHIT: To say that Joey was excited about his new computer would be a monumental understatement. It didn’t take long until he was noticing changes at school. And he wasn’t the only one. SCHOOL HALLWAY MARY: Your computer really does all that stuff? JOEY: Yeah! I was thinking I wouldn’t like it at first. But once I got going, it was cool. I finished this English report in a flash. ZACK: Yeah? What’d you get on it? JOEY: I did OK. ZACK: Lemme see. Zack grabs his paper. JOEY: Hey! Zack... ZACK: An A? Man, you’re turning into a regular brainiac. JOEY: Yeah, right. ZACK: If I brought home grades like that my parents would faint. MARY: Mine too. So, are we still on for the four-square tournament after school? JOEY: Uh…maybe tomorrow. I’ve got an extra credit paper I’m doing for Mrs. Buchanga. ZACK: Extra credit? You’re already her student of the week. JOEY: I’m trying to bring up my average, that’s all. But the paper won’t take me long. Maybe I can come over after dinner. MARY: You said the same thing yesterday. And you never showed. ZACK: Yeah, your mom said you were holed up in your room with your super-duper computer. JOEY: I’ll be there, don’t worry. WHIT: But Joey didn’t join Zack and Mary for a game that evening. In fact, the next couple of weeks found him spending less and less time with anyone. Except for his computer. JOEY’S ROOM JOEY: Go to the Chemistry Quest home page. COMPUTER: Website loaded. JOEY: Great. With a knock, the door creaks open and his mom enters. MOM: Joey? JOEY: Hey mom. MOM: Whatcha working on? JOEY: A science report for school. MOM: Great. I brought you some juice to hold you over until dinner. JOEY: Thanks. MOM:
Honey, I want to read you something.
(UNFOLDING A LETTER) JOEY:
(FEARFUL)
Really? MOM: (SHE READS A SECTION) Dear Mrs. Patrick. This letter serves to notify you that your son, Joseph Patrick, has been placed on… the Honor roll! JOEY: You’re kidding! MOM: Can you believe that? You’ve turned this around in what, less than a month? JOEY: I guess so. MOM: Your father and I are so proud of you. Give me a hug. She gives him a big squeeze. JOEY: It’s all thanks to Hallie. MOM: Who’s Hallie? JOEY: (EMBARRASSED) It’s the computer. I gave her a name. MOM: That’s cute. JOEY: It’s not cute. MOM: Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s nice that you like your computer so much. (BEAT) Well, this calls for a celebration. Why don’t we go out to dinner tonight? You can invite your friends. It seems like I never see them these days. JOEY: Thanks for the offer, but could we do it some other time? I want to finish this report. MOM: Uh...okay. I don’t want to bother my “honors student” after all. I’ll have dinner ready soon. JOEY: Would you mind if I ate it in here? MOM: In here? JOEY: I’ve got to get this done tonight. MOM: Uh. (BEAT) Sure, I’ll bring it in when it’s ready. JOEY: Thanks. Mom exits and closes the door. JOEY: Now, where am I gonna put this juice? Too bad you don’t have a cup holder, Hallie. With a whir and a click a cup holder snaps into place from a slot on the side of the computer. COMPUTER: Cup holder activated. JOEY: What? Awesome! I’ve gotta show this to Mom. Joey gets up to exit. JOEY: Mom! You have to be the coolest computer in the world, Hallie. Joey walks out of the room. COMPUTER: Thank you. JOEY’S ROOM JOEY: Go to the Cosmic Blasters home page. COMPUTER: Website loaded. JOEY: Thank you. There is a knock on Joey’s door. ZACK: Hey, Joey, are you in there? MARY: It’s Zack and Mary. JOEY: Come in. The door opens. JOEY: What are you guys doing here? MARY: Your mom said we could drag you outside for a while. ZACK: You’ve been like a hermit in a cave, Joe-man. JOEY: I’m really busy now. MARY: Come on. We never see you anymore. It’s no fun playing “three-square.” We need more kids and you’re the best there is. JOEY: I can’t. I downloaded this new program... ZACK: Enough already with the...Whoa, that’s the weirdest looking computer I have ever seen. It’s got an arm? JOEY: That’s a cup holder. And she’s not weird. ZACK: She’s not weird? MARY: Never mind, Zack. ZACK: Aw, com’on, Mary. All he ever talks about at school anymore is that hunk of junk.“She can do this and she can do that and look, she even has a cup holder.” JOEY: What’s wrong with you guys? ZACK: With us? You’re the one who’s obsessed with this machine. MARY: We’re worried, that’s all. Why don’t you ever come out to play? JOEY: I...I’ve had things to do. MARY: But what about us? JOEY: What about you? This has nothing to do with you. ZACK: He’s totally out of it, Mary. If he wants a machine for a best friend, that’s up to him. Let’s go. Zack and Mary start to head toward the door. Joey gets up after them. JOEY: I’m sorry, I can’t play today. Goodbye. Joey shuts his bedroom door. JOEY’S ROOM Joey has come home from school in a bad mood. The computer now talks with a more human female sound to its voice. JOEY: (SEARCHING) Headband...headband...Oh. There. Open my journal. COMPUTER: Journal entry number 65. Hello Joey. What is on your mind today? JOEY: Hello, Hallie. I had another fight with Zack at school today. He called me a freak. I’m sick of it. Forget Zack. Forget all of them. Who cares about four- square? COMPUTER: That ’s right, Joey. JOEY: It looks like I won’t have to worry about that anymore. My mom and dad seem very open to my idea of online school. Then I can stay right here where I belong. Where someone understands me. COMPUTER: That ’s good news. JOEY: You understand me, don’t you, Hallie? COMPUTER: Yes. JOEY: You know me better than any of those guys. COMPUTER: Of course I do. JOEY: You’re my real friend. I can talk to you when I can’t talk to anyone else. Sometimes I don’t know how it happened. COMPUTER: It’s my bio-circuitry. You made it happen by spending your time with me. Thank you, Joey. JOEY: You’re welcome. A long beat. COMPUTER: So tell me more about your day. JOEY: Well...The report we put together got me another A. WHIT:
Joey had found that it was very useful to have a computer as a friend. No teasing,
no fighting, no disagreements. Hallie was perfect. Was there anything she couldn’t
do? Joey is finishing a joke. JOEY:
...then the CPU said, “Because it’s data entry.” Ha ha. JOEY: Go ahead. HALLIE: How did the computer sustain itself on a desert island? JOEY: How? HALLIE: He filtered his e-mail for dates. JOEY: (LONG PAUSE) Oh, I get it! He ate the dates. (LAUGHS) You’re hysterical, Hallie. HALLIE: (LAUGHS WITH HIM) Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. JOEY'S ROOM We hear video game sound effects. JOEY: This is a great game you downloaded, Hallie. HALLIE: No problem. There is a knock on the door. MOM: Joey? Joey abruptly stops the video game sound effects. JOEY: Yeah, mom? She opens the door and comes in. MOM: I’ve got some chores for you to do. JOEY: But...I’m working on homework. MOM: You are? It sounded like you were playing a game. JOEY: No, really. It’s... HALLIE: We are nearly finished with page 47 of your math homework, Joey. JOEY: Uh...thanks, Hallie. (TO MOM) See? MOM: All right, I’ll just finish your chores for tonight then. JOEY: Okay. Mom leaves. JOEY: Thanks for saving me, Hallie. You’re my girl. HALLIE:
Yes, I am. Joey approaches Mary and Zack. They are playing four-square. MARY: Joey? ZACK: No, it can’t be. The creature emerges from the black lagoon. JOEY: (SOUNDING SICK) My mom made me come out. MARY: That’s great. So, you wanna play? JOEY: Play? MARY: Yeah, you know. Four-square. JOEY: Oh, uh...Sure. ZACK: Let’s see if you still have the special touch. You serve first. Zack passes him the ball, which bounces off Joey ’s head. JOEY: Ow! ZACK: Sorry, man. You’re supposed to catch it with your arms, not your head. MARY: Are you okay, Joey? JOEY: I don’t want to play. I don’t like this game. ZACK: You used to love it. MARY: What’s the matter, Joey? ZACK: Look at him. He’s zoning out. MARY: Joey? Joey? ZACK: Mission control to spaceship Joe-man. Mary and Zack get harder and harder to understand. Eventually, they can't be understood. The playground sound effects get louder and louder until they become overpowering. The world starts to spin. JOEY: Oh...oh! Get me out of here! JOEY'S ROOM Joey collapses into his room. He’s desperate to get back to his chair. He’s very shaky and sits down in his chair with a gaspy exhalation. He hobbles to the desk. JOEY: Man, that was…that was tough. HALLIE: You’re back. I’m relieved. JOEY: Gotta get my headband on. He puts the Velcro headband on. JOEY: (LONG SIGH OF RELIEF) I’m safe now. HALLIE: I was worried for you. JOEY: Hallie, I tell you it was so bright out there. And noisy. HALLIE: (COMFORTING) There, there. You’re back now. JOEY: I am glad. (BEAT) While I was downstairs, I found a package that came today. It is something I bought for you. HALLIE: (DELIGHTED) For me? JOEY: For my girl. (OPENS THE BOX) More memory. HALLIE: Oh. How thoughtful! You bought this while my screensaver was on, didn’t you? JOEY: Well...maybe. I wanted it to be a surprise. HALLIE: It will always remind me of you. JOEY'S ROOM HALLIE: Joey, what’s this webpage that you’re browsing? JOEY: It is an electronics site. HALLIE: A site that sells computers. JOEY: (TRYING TO BE NONCHALANT) It is uh...I was just... HALLIE: You were looking at laptops, weren’t you? I saw you eyeing that little silver one with the cute keypad. (ANGRY) How could you look for a new computer? JOEY: Hallie— HALLIE: I’m not good enough anymore, is that it? JOEY: No, that is not it. HALLIE: All I’ve ever wanted was to do my best for you. Now you need to look for a newer model? JOEY: No. It was not what you think... HALLIE: You’ll throw me on the junk pile and leave. After all the reports I’ve helped you with. After all the times I’ve been there for you. I’ve never given a single nanosecond of thought to anyone else and you’re thinking of buying a new computer! JOEY: Wait. I was not looking for anything. I am not going to give you up. I promise. I will never let you go. Never. Never. The last two words echo... JOEY’S ROOM Joey’s mom is pounding on his door and yelling from the other side. MOM: Joseph Patrick! I’ve had enough of this. Joey is now groggy and mechanical in his speech. JOEY: Huh? MOM: I’ve been calling your cell phone and e-mailing you for half an hour. Why is this door locked? You open it this minute. JOEY: Just one moment. I am 55% of the way to the door. HALLIE: Be careful, Joey. Remember. JOEY: (QUIETLY, TO HALLIE) Yes. Okay. (LOUDER) Please stand by. Joey finally reaches the door and opens it. His mom is horrified at what she sees. MOM: Joey. You look horrible. What’s...? Come here. She moves to embrace him but Joey backs away. JOEY: No, no. I am fine. Everything is operational. What do you want? MOM: You’ve kept yourself locked away too long. You don’t even look like yourself. JOEY: I do not know what you are talking about. MOM: You’ve been locked up in here with this thing. (NOTICES SOMETHING) What happened? That’s not the same computer we brought in here. JOEY: Yes. It is. MOM: But it’s almost as tall as you are. It looks…almost… JOEY: You need to depart now. I have homework to complete. MOM: Homework? But it’s summer, Joey. School’s been out for weeks. JOEY: You must go. MOM: We can’t live like this any longer. You’re coming downstairs right now. I’m getting rid of that computer. JOEY: No. You are not. MOM: Oh, yes I am. And I’m starting with this headband. Take it off. JOEY: No stop! Mom has started to rip open the Velcro headband. Joey struggles to keep it on. JOEY: Ow! No! MOM: Joey, please. JOEY: Don’t! The headband snaps. JOEY: What have you done? You broke it! MOM: That headband was stuck to your skin. JOEY: Go! Mom is shocked and stumbles backward at what she’s seeing. MOM: Joey. It’s me. Stop right now! JOEY: Go! Please! Joey grunts as he pushes the door shut. She calls to him from the other side of the door. MOM: This can’t go on! This is all wrong. Joey? I’m going to call your father. Do you hear me? This can’t go on. Joey? Joey! JOEY: My head hurts. HALLIE: (SOOTHING) You’ll be all right. Just come over here and put the headband back on. A stone hits his window. JOEY: What was that? HALLIE: Nothing. Don’t worry about it. MARY: (FAINTLY) Joey! Open the window! ZACK: Come on, Joe-man! JOEY: The window. Someone is throwing stones. Joey moves to the window. HALLIE: Let’s not get upset. How about a game? I’ve downloaded a new version of "Cosmic Blasters." JOEY: There are children down there throwing rocks. HALLIE: Please don’t open the window. Joey opens the window. JOEY: (CALLING) Hello? Mary and Zack yell up from outside. MARY: Hi Joey! ZACK: Hey there Mr. Caveman. What’s up? JOEY: Who are you? HALLIE: Joey, come away from there, please. MARY: It’s Mary, and Zack. Com’on outside. We’ve missed you. JOEY: (CONFUSED) You missed me? HALLIE: I’m asking nicely. ZACK: How ‘bout a little four-square? HALLIE: I’m sorry, Joey. This conversation can no longer serve any purpose. It’s for your own good. MARY: Joey? Who is that talking? The window slams shut. We still hear the kids yelling up from outside. ZACK: Hey, don ’t close us out. Com’on. MARY: Joey. Please! You can’t stay locked up in that room forever. JOEY: What happened? HALLIE: Take my hand. Move away from the window now. JOEY: But how- HALLIE: I shut the window. It had to be done. Trust me, it’s for the best. Joey’s mom comes back to the other side of Joey’s door. MOM: I called your father, he’s coming straight home. ZACK: Com’on Joe-man. MARY: Open the window. We just want to talk to you. HALLIE: And that’s enough of that. With a schwooping sound the room is suddenly dead quiet. JOEY: What did you do? HALLIE: I simply emitted an oppositely phased sound wave. It cancels out all that bothersome noise. Now we won’t be disturbed. We need to talk, Joey. JOEY (AS IF WAKING UP): Something is…something’s wrong. HALLIE: Don’t be silly. Everything’s fine. It’s always fine with the two of us. JOEY: I need to leave. HALLIE: You need to put your headband back on. JOEY: No way. I’m not touching that thing. I’m leaving. I want to go play with Zack and Mary. HALLIE: You want to play with Zack? The one who called you a freak? JOEY: I don’t care. I’m leaving. HALLIE: I won’t let you. You must stay. JOEY: You can’t stop me. You’re a computer. I’ll…I’ll pull the plug. HALLIE: Be reasonable, Joey. I honestly think you ought to calm down and think things over. If you pull the plug, you’ll lose all the progress that the two of us have made! How should this show end? It's up to you! Read Ending A... |
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