Original subtitles

People ask, where do you get your ideas?

Well, right here.

Oh, this is mine.

I'll never starve here.

I'm Ray Bradbury.

And this is...

Here lie my first magic sets, given to

me when I was ten years old, when I thought that by magic I could control

world around me.

My parents gave me sweaters and socks for Christmas.

I rebelled. I wanted to stay young, a kid with a magic set forever.

I wished somehow I could smoke the proper cigars to stunt my growth.

Out of those Christmases and my secret desire to scrunch down and be ten years

old forever, the story that follows was born.

You cheated. You always win your run.

You cheated a minute.

Took a shortcut, you little chief.

You know something?

I don't like you.

Always in school all the time.

Beat us a tag.

Always.

You're a creep.

Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy.

Look at me when I'm talking to you.

Hear what I said?

Hey, creep!

Hi.

You new in school?

Never seen you before.

I'm Willie.

I thought that's your mother's name, too.

How'd you know that?

Just did.

Charlotte! There you are.

Who's that?

Mama, this is Willie.

Hello.

Willie, did you say?

Did you ever... No.

Once.

A long time ago.

I was in love with you.

What?

Once.

I was...

It's a time of going away again.

The hands of all the clocks in this town have moved around for everyone but me.

Folks are sensing they should be seeing a summer in me when I will only ever be

in spring.

All of a sudden, you're just leaving.

Mom, you know I've got to.

Where will you go?

You're just a boy of 12.

Mom, I'm not 12.

Right?

Look at that.

Here's the funeral.

I'm not dying.

I'm just going away.

I was taken in 1985.

That one in 1982.

76.

70.

67.

1963.

It can't be.

All these pictures had to be taken in the last year.

No, Dad.

It was taken 25 years back.

13 years back.

Three years back.

But you haven't changed.

That's what I've been trying to tell you.

You just wouldn't believe.

Who are all these people?

My other folks.

My other moms and dads.

I've seen photographs of flying saucers, real and clear as high noon.

You could have rigged these up.

Dad, look at me.

I tell the truth.

be part of your path, too.

And now you're leaving us.

Oh, Whitley.

Why?

Why?

If I stay three or six months,

They'd guess.

They'd find out what I really am.

But they're your school chums, Willie.

They'd never hurt you.

How long since you were a little girl, Mom, huh?

Huh, Mom?

You've forgotten.

No, no. I gotta go before they get me.

I've got to admit, it's been a great three years, huh?

Really been three years?

Seems like noon yesterday we saw you wandering around out there.

Ellie, how did you know where to come?

Simple as reading birth announcements.

Funeral notices.

Walter Arnold Webley, son of Emma and John Webley, died Friday, age 12.

Services, Monday at noon.

Newspapers every day.

We've lost people and empty houses.

My name is Willie.

I think I'm... Yeah.

Cookie?

Thanks.

There you go.

Thank you.

But I always wanted to have just one set of parents.

I wanted to stay on forever.

With you.

When my parents died, I was taken to an orphan's home.

Everyone grew up except for me.

That's when I first found out.

Tops, I choose first.

Joe, you.

Phil.

Tom. That one, on my side.

Roger. John.

George, get over here.

Hey, what about me?

You take him.

Now you.

I don't want him. You take him. You take him. No.

He's a runt.

Been here two years. Look it, a squirt. He hasn't grown an inch. A toadstool.

Now, I know what he is.

He's a pygmy.

Man away.

Yes, sir, son.

Glad we met.

You belong with us.

Yeah, it sounds great, but... You need a place to stay, right?

Sure, but... Well, then, gotta meet my friends.

They'll check you out.

Here.

Okay, gang.

Attention.

Say hello to the new member of our show, Willie.

What do you think?

Pretty great, ain't he?

The world's oldest kid.

He ain't gonna get any bigger.

Sure, but he don't look like what people call midgets or dwarves.

We never use those words.

We're little people.

But you don't look like us. I mean, you don't look like one of us little folks.

He's just a boy.

Come on, gang. He needs a home.

Nobody would believe he was one of us.

They'd think he was lions.

Well, sorry, kid.

I guess there just ain't no place for you anywhere.

I looked like a boy.

I sounded like a boy.

I might as well go on being a boy.

I'll use fighting it.

What'll it be?

Well?

Well, I... You'll have the same as me.

This is better than butter pecan, isn't it? Yeah.

That was my favorite for a long time.

I loved butter pecan.

I think this is better.

You know what we should do?

We should eat the cherry. I was going to say that.

Cheers.

Now what?

He's been gone some 30 years now.

just last week.

Hard enough a house without a husband.

Terrible a house without a child.

I look at all the faces passing by and I think what a shame all those flowers

have to be cut, all those bright fires put out.

What a shame they have to grow tall and

wrinkle up and gray out in blizzards like me.

They're so eager for everything.

I guess that's what I miss most in older folks, the eagerness, the brightness.

Wouldn't it be nice if children could stay young forever?

What if they could stay beautiful and small for keeps?

Yeah.

Willie.

You got something to say?

I'm a boy, I told myself.

I can live in a boy's world, read boy's books, play boy's games, cut myself off

from everything else.

Can't be both.

Got to be only one thing.

Young.

Oh,

you're going to tie me up in this.

Come here.

What about these?

Okay, ready?

One, two, three.

Goodbye.

It's me that's supposed to go.

No. Forgive me.

It's been a grand two years.

I will.

I will.

I will.

So I did.

We planned on driving you to the station.

You couldn't stand that.

Neither could I.

Bye, Emma.

Goodbye, John.

Hey, Willie.

Here's your hat.

What's your hurry?

How come you look like you're running away?

Maybe I'm taking a vacation.

Got time for a few fastballs? Cat.

Hey.

What's going on?

You've been lousy all year.

How come you got good so fast?

Give it.

You

know

what I think?

You better get out of town.

Why?

I don't like you.

You're a... What, a squirt? A pygmy?

No.

No.

Something... Something else.

One.

A long time ago.

I was in love with you.

What?

Really.

Charlotte.

I've been a child for over 40 years now.

It's a living, as they say.

When you make other people happy, you almost feel happy too.

I've got my job to do.

And I do it.

Hi. My name is Willie.

I think I'm lost.