Original subtitles

People ask, where do you get your ideas?

Well, right here.

Oh, this is my Martian landscape.

Somewhere in this room is an African belt.

Just beyond, perhaps, is a small Illinois town where I grew up. And I'm

surrounded on every side by my magician's toy shop.

I'll never starve here.

I just look around, find what I need, and begin.

I'm Ray Bradbury, and this is...

Well then, right now, what shall it

be?

Out of all this, what do I choose to make a story?

I never know where the next one will take me.

And the trip?

Exactly one half exhilaration, exactly one half terror.

That's preface section.

It's a wanted child.

What do you mean? Yes.

Yes, as you say.

Alice wanted it too.

It's once upon a time.

Maybe.

It's hardly now.

But she'll... She'll get used to it.

Tell me, is that enough?

I'll love our son to start with.

And Alice will catch up.

Yes.

All right, but she will need help. It was a near thing.

What do you mean?

I didn't want to worry you, but now Alice is safe.

It was a very hard birth.

We almost lost her.

What have we got here, then?

What indeed?

Oh, look.

He's beautiful.

Is he?

Doctor?

You're terrific.

Just happened to be passing by.

Special delivery.

Thank you.

You two been introduced?

Baby, mother, mother, baby.

Give me a call later, David, will you?

Here we are.

Good on what man to do the cooking, eh?

I'll have dinner with Mum and Dad tonight.

Won't it be too hot in that one here?

What do you think?

What's he doing here?

What do you mean, what's he doing here?

He likes company, doesn't he?

He's a good boy.

Hello.

What's the deliberation?

I'm alive.

Well, I'll drink to that.

cheers no champagne for you you know

What's wrong?

Him.

Him.

All day.

All day what?

He never cries when you're here, so you don't know, but as soon as you walk out

the door, the minute you're gone, he screams, he shrieks, he yells, and

as soon as you come in, the minute the door opens,

How? Oh, I'm awful.

I've said it all in front of him, and look.

Come on, son.

Your mother needs a little rest.

Here's the silent.

I wish we could start all over again.

Be like we once were, just the two of us.

I love you.

Does your love protect me?

It's what love's about, isn't it?

my baby love me.

Well, you better.

Look, it takes time.

Say there isn't enough time.

Say there isn't time for the child to learn.

Well, then you've got a little monster on your hands, haven't you?

to kill me at the bath.

Keeps me awake. Keeps me weak.

And I was there listening to us talking.

I think you'd go with it. He tried to kill me again.

I swear it.

And I'm not being paranoid.

This business trip tomorrow, perhaps I should postpone.

You must go.

It's important.

It's only one night after all.

It's a natural recognition of this new position of strength in an area of

exciting commercial development that we welcome David onto the board.

And we hope that what has happened in his area will be echoed in our other

sectors. The company develops its strength throughout the country, widened

financial base outside the metropolis.

Not that this means, Nigel, that we're any the less concerned with our

traditional commitments in the South East.

It's all right. I've given her something to calm her down.

What happened?

Well, three o 'clock this morning, she called.

She was going to kill the baby.

The baby had cried for three hours and she'd gone over to his crib.

And she was going to pull the clothes up over his face, press him down.

One night in the room.

Where is the baby?

Oh, I left him in the little room just now.

Oh, he's fine. He's a fiddle.

The baby stopped crying, as babies do.

And then had his phone.

Don't worry, David.

I thought about it a bit, man.

I decided against it, because what she really needs now most...

is home and you. So she'll sleep for a little bit.

She'll be fine as soon as she knows that you're here.

Thanks, Doctor.

Baby.

He knew I was weak from the hospital and so he cried.

I know so much about him.

I have no love for him.

There never will be.

Huh?

Tommy, I checked the dead boats.

Tommy, wait.

Why's his face so red?

Alice. He hasn't been crying for so long. He's covered with perspiration.

I'll get you some hot milk.

That

is

ridiculous.

Impossible and stupid.

Why impossible?

Because babies don't do things like that. Maybe he's a genius.

A genius?

Good God, Ali.

The baby is three weeks old. Keep your voice down. What, so that he can't hear?

I'll tell you something.

He's being moved to his own room today.

You're only three weeks old, see?

So your mother says you're not to keep leaping in and out of your crib and

waltzing around the house at midnight.

And keep your junk toys off the stairs!

Do you remember being born?

No one remembers that.

I do.

That makes you a very unusual person.

I am.

I haven't told many people. They always laugh.

But I remember.

The pressure, the being forced out, the shock.

My crying, I hated it.

It was all so comfortable, so easy before, and suddenly I was thrust out

the cold, out into the world.

I hated my mother for making me give up all that warm, sleepy comfort.

For abandoning me.

It's a very peculiar way of putting it.

Babies don't hate their mothers. They can't reason.

Exactly.

But they can feel, can't they?

Imagine that my genes, my chromosomes, have been passed down to my baby.

Imagine that, like me, it's born fully aware.

That is able to see, hear, feel from the very moment of birth.

And imagine that baby feeling as I felt, but more so. I mean, real resentment,

anger, a sort of rage at being born, wanting to go back.

as a warm, dark comfort, but no forced art and angry and saying to itself,

feeling to itself.

Who did this to me?

I tried not to be born.

I tried to destroy my mother in the very act. It didn't work. Now I'm in the

world and I hate her.

Mrs. Lieber. Alice.

I'm sorry.

Alice.

And what if the baby is born not only fully aware, but able to move,

crawl around the house, weeks,

months before most babies are able to move or crawl?

It's impossible.

I wish I had your certainty.

And David, I wouldn't dream of telling him.

So where does that leave me alone, unprotected?

No one would believe if I said no one would help.

But a baby... The smallest thing, you mean.

I... Lovely child.

Forgive me for saying this, but... Do you think that perhaps... A few days on

your own...

My sister has no children. She's babysitting for us at the moment.

Well, she's always wanted a son.

Perhaps if she takes charge, our child will change.

Alice, have you talked to David about me?

I've decided.

From tomorrow, the baby can't stay with me any longer.

Shouldn't you give it just a little more thought?

You want to tell the baby?

Hello, darling.

It's me.

Look, I've just had a chat with Dr Jeffers.

Why don't you make yourself a nice cup of tea, go to bed and try and sleep.

I'll be back before you wake.

And what's more, before the baby does, I think he's fast asleep.

Is he?

Good.

Love you. Bye.

And you.

Goodbye, darling.

I've no more appointments this afternoon, so I'm off home.

Did the door blow shut so you couldn't get back into the crib?

Oh, my God, what am I saying?

to bring you into the world.

See, baby?

Something bright, something pretty.