Original subtitles

Caution, the show you're about to see is headed for disaster.

"Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Hosted by Jonathan Frakes.

We live in a world where the real and the unreal

live side by side.

Where substance is disguised as illusion

and the only explanations are unexplainable.

Can you separate truth from fantasy?

To do so you must break through the web of your experience

and open your mind to things beyond belief.

Talk of disaster is very much with us in these times.

One day we're discussing the sinking

of great ships, the next we're contemplating

comets headed toward the earth.

But disasters like most things, depend on your perspective.

Some people look at this drawing and see

a high mountain safe from harm.

While others see a tunnel spiraling

down into an endless abyss.

Our stories in this show all deal in some way with disasters

or their consequences.

Some of the stories are inspired by actual events

while others are totally made up.

We'll give you the answers at the end of our show.

And one suggestion, when evaluating whether they are

true or false, take your perspective

from the mountaintop and at all costs,

avoid having tunnel vision.

Cheers, salúde, skal, lachaim.

Whatever the language, whatever the culture,

there is always a toast to good times,

a design for celebration.

These life affirming rituals are important because they give us

hope for the future and recognize

triumphs over past adversities.

Charles and Gwen Chandler have good reason to celebrate--

they're alive due to the strangest of circumstances.

Let's join them now in their celebration.

The party is about to begin.

It was the spring of 1937.

Charles and Gwen Chandler loved traveling with their good

friends, the Delaney's--

Philip and Margaret.

They'd seen much of the world together.

Gwen and Charles couldn't think of anyone

else they'd rather celebrate their 22nd wedding

anniversary with.

I'd like to propose a toast.

Here's to smooth sailings and happy landings.

Oh yes. - Here, here.

And I would like to propose another toast.

To 22 years of wedded bliss, may you have 22 more at least.

Oh, thank you.

Here, here.

I can't believe it was 22 years ago.

We never did get to take our dream honeymoon.

The one we had was fine.

Ah, yes.

This mystery honeymoon.

Are you ever going to tell us what actually happened

to make you change your plans?

It's just that what happened is so unbelievable

that we decided a long time ago to keep it between ourselves.

Come on, Charlie, spill the beans.

Tell us the story, we've got the time.

It's more than just a story, Phillip, it really happened.

Charlie.

It's fine, Gwen.

We were young and so much in love.

We were married the day before and we

were scheduled to leave for Europe on the most

wonderful honeymoon imaginable.

We were sailing late in the day

so that we could sleep late that morning.

Remember how we both woke up at the same moment?

Yes.

We figured all we had was a bit of packing to do

and we'd be off.

I'll never forget when

we tried to get out of bed.

So what happened?

Well, this is when it becomes a little strange.

As we attempted to get out of bed,

we couldn't separate our hands.

That was when we noticed that our wedding

rings had fused together.

What?

That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard of.

We told you it was unbelievable.

Well rings don't just fuse.

I mean, how is that even possible.

No one could explain how it happened

but it certainly was fate that it did happen.

No matter what we did, we

couldn't get our hands apart.

They were locked in place.

Why didn't you just slip them off?

We tried to.

Our fingers were so swollen, they wouldn't budge.

We finally had to call

a jeweler to our hotel room.

But he was at a loss, he'd never seen anything like it.

He wanted to be

very careful about not damaging the rings or our hands.

By then we were very worried that we were going to miss

the departure of our ship.

But what could we do?

We couldn't even get out of our nightclothes.

That's an amazing story.

Well it gets even more amazing, Phillip.

You won't believe what happened next.

After sending for just the right tools,

the jeweler was finally able to cut us free of the rings.

So you made it to your ship.

It's a fabulous story.

It's not finished yet.

We rushed to the dock but we were

too late, our ship sailed--

we missed it by minutes.

Oh that is a saddest story I've ever heard.

It was the luckiest thing that ever happened to us.

You see, the ship that we were set to depart on,

was the RMS Lusitania.

Six days later, it was torpedoed and sunk.

Almost 1,200 people died.

That is incredible.

These are the lucky rings, we wear them every day.

You can see where they were cut apart.

It truly is a miracle.

Well I would like to propose another toast.

To the luckiest people in the world,

our best friends, the Chandlers.

Oh indeed, Charles and Gwen.

Oh look, everyone's going to the observation deck.

We must be getting ready to dock.

Look at that view, it's absolutely spectacular.

I can't believe I'm not the slightest bit airsick.

Now what city do you suppose that is?

It must be Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Oh good, we'll be docking soon.

This has been such an incredibly smooth ride.

I can't believe we left Frankfurt

only 2 and 1/2 days ago.

An amazing way to travel, much more relaxing than by ship.

I can't wait to see this part of America.

We're taking a car to New York tomorrow.

Look, that man down there has a microphone.

They must be broadcasting the landing.

I have one last toast.

Here's to this great airship, the Hindenburg.

Here, here.

Cheers.

It's practically standing still now.

They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship

and it's been taken a hold of down on the field

by a number of men.

It's starting to rain again and the man

had to back up a little bit. It burst into flames!

Oh, this is one of the worst

catastrophes in the world.

It's a horrific day, ladies and gentlemen.

There's smoke and there's flames now.

Oh the humanity!

And all the passengers screaming around here.

I told you, I can't even talk to people.

I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen.

Students of history know that the Hindenburg,

a luxury dirigible, exploded upon its arrival in New Jersey.

One of the most infamous air disasters of all time

killing almost one half of the passengers on board.

Charles and Gwen Chandler, who had escaped

the fate of the Lusitania, leaped out of the frying pan

and into the fire.

Is this cruel joke based on an actual event

or have we ignited an explosion of lies?

We'll tell you whether this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a swap meet is visited by a mysterious stranger,

on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Have you ever visited a flea market,

swap meet, or garage sale?

To run a successful booth, takes a combination

of desirable merchandise, a positive attitude,

and an irresistible charm.

Elmo P. Middleton had much to offer in all those departments

but despite all this, you might say

his business was a disaster.

The local swap

meet was a place where we used to go to browse

and shop for bargains.

But this week, we were going to operate our own booth.

It was part of the plan I had to get

some extra money that would help my daughter, Molly, go

to the state university.

The swap meet had been closed for about

a month since the earthquake and there were

still aftershocks going on.

But at 8:00 AM, all the people were arriving

just like a regular Sunday.

My daughter Molly, is the best daughter

a parent could ever wish for.

She worked hard throughout high school, one goal in mind--

college.

That was her dream, to go to a good school

somewhere and make me proud.

As if she hadn't done that already.

As any parent will tell you, college education isn't cheap,

tuition, books, room and board.

And with a small scholarship, it's

way more than I can afford.

My late husband Marv was a good man.

He always provided for his family

but his insurance only covered so much.

My job just gets us by.

I didn't have a lot to sell at this market

but I was determined to go home with some money

for Molly's education.

Molly was preoccupied all the time.

I knew she was worried and anxious

about what her future choices were going to be.

At the start of the day we just couldn't

seem to interest anyone in anything we had to offer.

Molly turned on all her schoolgirl charm

but nothing seemed to be helping.

We have been here for three hours

and we haven't even sold a lampshade.

Mom, the day's not over yet.

I don't know honey, this may not

have been one of my best ideas.

Can I help you?

All you got here is just a bunch of regular junk.

I don't see anything special in the whole lot.

You want to sell that old station wagon?

I could use something to haul my stuff in.

No thanks.

We need it to haul our stuff.

Have it your way.

But I wouldn't count on having a big day.

Well, thank you so much.

Mom, I've been thinking.

Maybe I should put off going to college for a little while.

Get a job, make some money.

It's no big deal, really.

You are going to go to college.

We'll find a way.

That was when we first saw him--

the man in the Model T.

Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello.

The name is Middleton--

Elmo P. Middleton, yes!

Purveyor of unusual and rare merchandise.

Did you feel that?

Feel what?

Well, that tremor.

Actually, I didn't feel anything.

Well, maybe next time.

The back of his truck

was loaded with an amazing assortment of things.

He didn't waste a moment and loaded quickly.

As he did, I kept wondering, who was this strange man

and what was he doing in Northridge?

Another question that kept haunting me

was, why didn't he feel the earth tremor we all felt?

Hello, hello, hello!

Anything you see, you like.

Anything you like you see.

Come up folks, take a gander!

How much uh-- how much for that gramophone?

How much you got?

Looks awfully new.

Probably fake.

No, everything you see here is a genuine article, mister.

OK, how much?

How much you got?

How much for those old books?

How much you got?

Look mister, I'm trying to buy something here give me a price.

How much you got?

How about you, mister.

How much you got?

Hey, how much you got, lady?

No matter

what people asked for Mr. Middleton

would repeat those same words.

How much you got?

Hey, come on in there's plenty of room.

Everybody

felt insulted by his question so nobody bought anything.

It's a lovely lamp, isn't it?

Yes, how much would a lamp like that cost?

How much have you got?

Oh, I couldn't buy anything.

We're here trying to sell stuff too.

I know isn't everybody?

Uh, Molly?

How did you know my name?

You really love this lamp, don't you?

Yeah but like I said, I couldn't buy anything.

How much money you got in your pocket?

$3.

Sold to the beautiful little lady.

Enjoy it.

Molly told

me later that she wasn't sure why she gave the man her $3.

There was just something about him that she liked and trusted.

Mr. Middleton wait, you forgot your chest!

It belongs to you, Molly!

It comes with the lamp!

What a strange man.

Yeah, but nice.

Yeah.

Mom, look at this.

Oh my gosh, I don't believe it.

This was from the Titanic.

This could be worth a fortune.

Look, it's so old.

Oh, isn't that beautiful?

It's so pretty.

A million thoughts

were racing through my head.

Oh Molly.

Molly's great grandfather

was one of the passengers lost on the Titanic.

He had a handlebar mustache too, just like Mr. Middleton.

His name was Marvin L. Jurgins.

Oh my God.

Molly, this was your great grandfather's.

The Titanic artifacts proved to be authentic and paid

for Molly's college education.

But who was Elmo P. Middleton?

Was he really the spirit of a long

lost relative of the Jurgins' family

or was he just an old man who had

a soft spot for a struggling mother and daughter?

But then, how did he come into possession of relics

from the Titanic?

Is this story of unexpected treasures based on actual event

or are we swapping the truth for More lies?

We'll tell you whether this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a strange dream of disaster haunts a reporter,

on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Today, news reports travel at lightning speed

around the world and back again at the flick of a switch.

But at the turn of the century--

the last century that is--

news came by way of the telegraph, like this.

Jack Hogan is a reporter who needs a good story.

But the only one he can come up with is in his dreams.

Those dreams are about to become nightmares.

Copy boy!

Joey!

It was a Monday morning in 1883

and I couldn't find a story to save my life.

It wasn't my fault that nothing much was happening

in the world that day.

As I looked around, everybody else seemed to have a story.

Or were they just trying to impress

old man Trapwell, the managing editor of the journal?

Good morning everybody! Work, work, work.

Here, hey!

Clickity-clack, clickity-clack, that's the way to go, Roy!

Wally, listen when I was a young reporter back old New York,

we didn't have modern machines like that-- keep it up, boy.

You need a new ribbon for your typewriter, Hogan?

Or is there some other reason why you're

just sitting there staring?

No sir, I just can't find a story.

That's ridiculous my boy.

I mean, a good reporter can find a story anywhere.

Look out the window.

That's Philadelphia, one of the biggest cities in the country.

Show some initiative, son.

Yes, sir.

At that moment I hated my job.

I hated Philadelphia.

And I hated the way Trapwell said initiative.

Jack, want to grab a drink? - Oh no, not tonight.

Thanks Wally.

I think I'm just going to wait around for the late wire copy,

see if anything interesting comes in.

OK, Jack.

See you tomorrow.

Nothing came in over the wire

that night.

I really needed to find a story but I was exhausted.

I laid down on the couch, closed my eyes for a minute,

and fell right to sleep.

My dream was so vivid and real that I

decided to write it all down.

I thought maybe I could sell it as a short story.

Look at Mark Twain, he didn't do so bad

and he started out as a reporter too.

I wrote of a beautiful tropical island called Pralape.

It began as an idyllic day in paradise.

Natives fishing and swimming in the shallow surf.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently,

and then it happened.

An entire mountain exploded in a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.

The eruption set off a monstrous tidal wave

and killed thousands in it's path.

The words just poured out of me and in less than an hour,

I had finish my story.

I was spent, reliving my dream had drained all my energy.

All I wanted to do was go home and get some sleep.

I made the mistake of leaving my work of fiction

in the typewriter.

The next morning I slept in.

Copy boy made his usual rounds which meant stopping

at my desk for any late copy.

Mr. Trapwell read the story that the copy boy

mistakenly grabbed off my desk.

The more he read, the more excited he became.

This could be the biggest scoop in years.

Joey!

Tell George I want this in the early edition

and let me know the minute that Jack Hogan comes in.

Jack, hey!

Attaboy, Jack!

Congratulations.

What are you talking about?

Congratulations, Jack your story is sweeping the country.

But it's our scoop, we printed it first.

What story is this?

Your story about the volcano erupting

on that island of Pralape.

What?

Oh, Mr. Trapwell that uh-- that story-- that's uh-- that's

not true.

What do you mean it's not true?

It was a dream I had and I wrote it all down.

I was going to sell it as a short story.

But uh-- you're going to have to print a retraction.

I can't print a retraction. I

can't print a retraction.

I'd become a laughing stock.

I know but it never happened.

There was no volcano.

I could cheerfully break your neck, Hogan.

Do me a favor, if I ever say the word "initiative" to you again,

don't listen to me!

Mr. Trapwell had no choice

but to prepare the retraction.

Joey!

He was about to send it out

over the wire when a report came in about unusually

high waves hitting the coast of California.

Hey Joey, bring me back that copy.

Another report followed the first one.

It told of a cataclysmic event that had taken place

somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Throughout the day there were more reports

of giants swells hitting Mexico and the coast of South America.

Somebody get me Jack Hogan!

The last thing

I needed was another reprimand about Pralape.

Uh, you wanted to see me Mr. Trapwell?

Come on in.

Well, your initiative paid off, son.

Your dream was true.

What are you talking about?

There was a volcanic eruption in the Straits of Sunda

yesterday.

Happened on an island called Krakatoa, just west of Java--

still going on.

There are reports of tidal waves coming

in from all over the world.

I--I--I don't believe it.

Krakatoa?

But the natives--

the natives call it Pralape.

Pralape.

Was Jack Hogan psychic?

Did he actually have a premonition

of the volcanic eruption or was it just a dramatic coincidence?

If so, how could he have dreamed the original name for Krakatoa.

A name so obscure he couldn't have

possibly known it beforehand.

Is this story the scoop of the century real or is it

something that we dreamed up?

We'll tell you whether this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a pleasure trip turns into a voyage

into terror, on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

A flight on an airplane can be a great escape

from the pressures of the world, especially if you're

traveling for pleasure.

You can avoid the phone and the fax if you choose too

and simply make yourself at home high

above the cares of the world.

Beth McGuire is going on vacation,

she's flown many times before to Europe, Asia, and beyond.

But she's about to take off on a trip

where the final destination is beyond belief.

I couldn't believe I was

finally getting on the plane.

It was a vacation I had dreamed about for a long time.

A whole week in Tahiti, no phones, no late meetings.

Just me, lying on a white sand beach in the South

Pacific drinking piña coladas.

Hi, you're in row 3B.

Thanks.

Ma'am?

Ma'am the first class section is up here.

First class?

I didn't pay for first class.

You must have been upgraded.

Well that's funny, nobody said anything when I checked in.

This must be your lucky day.

Yeah it must be.

The trip was off to a great start.

I had never been upgraded before and here I was in first class.

Ma'am, I'm sorry you're in the wrong seat.

3B is the aisle seat.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize.

It's no problem.

If you prefer the window, I don't

mind sitting on the aisle.

Uh-- um, no thank you, I'm fine here.

That's weird.

I tried

to put the fact that I didn't really belong

in first class out of my mind.

All I wanted to do was enjoy the experience.

All kinds of new things were happening to me,

like a personal visit from the pilot.

Are you enjoying the flight so far?

Yes, I am.

I have never flown first class before and it is great.

It's always a good idea to keep your seat belt fastened.

You never know when we might hit a small pocket of turbulence.

Thank you.

That was nice of him.

Excuse me?

Oh the captain.

Didn't-- didn't you see him?

No I didn't.

Well, he was right there.

At the time,

it seemed a little strange but looking back,

it all makes sense to me now.

This is the captain.

Just wanted to let you know that we're

about an hour away from beginning our descent into Oahu

international airport.

We have a two hour stop over there

before we continue on to Tahiti.

After the captain's announcement,

the oddest feeling came over me.

I was suddenly very anxious, tense.

Why were those passengers looking at me and smiling?

It was as if they knew what I was feeling

and were trying to reassure me.

It only added to my nervousness.

I just couldn't shake the anxiety.

I was so uptight.

Attention all passengers,

please return to your seats at once.

What was happening to me?

Excuse me, did the captain's announcement

mean that we're beginning our descent into Oahu early?

What announcement?

I didn't hear any announcement.

Oh come on, what are you talking about?

Didn't you hear the captain tell everyone to get

back to their seats just now?

No, I didn't.

But-- but I heard it in the bathroom,

it must have been out here too.

It wasn't.

I mean if he made the announcement, why is everybody

still walking around the cabin?

Are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

I'm just having a very strange flight experience.

A lot of people have a fear of flying.

Well I don't, I love to fly.

Well, I'd just try and relax.

We'll be there pretty soon.

Tighten your seat belt.

I felt that the stewardess

was communicating with me telepathically.

Warning me to buckle up.

I thought about telling the man next to me

but I knew he had heard enough of my strange fears.

I looked for the man seated

next to me but he was gone.

A mechanical malfunction tore a door loose

and ripped a gaping hole in the body of the plane.

The fuselage and roof had been ripped off the aircraft.

I was holding on for dear life.

A handful of passengers, including Beth McGuire,

miraculously survived that flight.

But the four rows of passengers in front of Beth

were lost as was the passenger in the seat next to hers--

the seat she almost took.

A series of mysterious circumstances

led Beth to the right seat at exactly the right time.

Was there some angelic force with her throughout the flight?

In fact, other surviving passengers told

of similar stories to Beth's.

Was there a band of angels at work here or simply a band

of writers?

We'll tell you whether this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a young girl trapped beneath the ground and a rescue

that's beyond belief.

Weather forecasting is no longer a guessing game.

The satellites that watch over the Earth's atmosphere

are able to predict meteorological disasters well

before they occur.

The ability to project tornado watches and hurricane warnings

have saved thousands of lives.

But there are always people who are still victims.

People like little Luisa.

She was playing in the basement when the storm hit.

Now, she's trapped and her life hangs on the whims of fate.

Luisa's favorite words are "buenos dias,"

Spanish for "good day."

But a good day is the last thing Luisa is having.

A tornado ripped apart

homes and a local high school as it

cut a 10 mile swath across southeast Texas yesterday.

The twister struck without warning

during powerful afternoon thunderstorms.

At least eight people are dead, 60 injured and dozens are still

reported missing, according to the Texas

emergency management agency.

Here we go.

Great.

OK we can do this now.

All right, let's go.

All right.

It's been 24 hours since the storm hit,

but rescue teams here are still hopeful that they might find

some survivors still buried beneath the rubble that

was once their homes.

This is Wanda Lopez, KNSC News, live.

Hey guys, let's take a look over here.

We'd been scouring the area for survivors

for the past 14 hours.

I'd just about given up hope of finding

anyone else alive when I first heard the faint sound

of a child crying.

Hello, is there somebody down there?

Is there anybody down there?

Maybe it's nothing skip.

We've been at this a long time, now.

Yeah, maybe you're right.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

We got one.

Sounds like a kid.

I hear you, honey!

I hear you!

What's your name?

I am Luisa.

All right, Luisa.

Don't you worry, we're going to get you out of there.

She must be trapped in the basement.

Help me please, I am hungry and I am so tired.

Luisa, listen honey, my name is Skip.

Now, sweetheart I need you to be a brave little girl

and hang in there for me, OK?

I'll try.

What do you think?

It's too risky to dig straight down, we'll collapse

the whole thing on her.

We're going to have to go in at an angle.

It's going to be slower but it's the best way.

All right listen, we're coming to get you,

Luisa, it won't take long.

All right, let's get moving, guys.

We've got to get her out of there.

We're on it.

My head hurts.

Did something hit your head?

Yes, it's bleeding.

Please, get me out of here.

All right, honey, we'll get you out of here, I promise.

How are we doing?

It's going slow.

Well listen, try and speed it up, she's got a head injury.

I'm so tired, I want my grandpa.

I know it's going to be, OK Luisa.

Now try and stay awake for me, OK honey?

Luisa?

It was urgent that I keep Luisa awake.

She might have had a concussion and I didn't

want her to slip into a coma.

I didn't know how old she was so I talked to her about anything

I could think of.

Is this your house Luisa?

Luisa, is this where you live?

Answer me honey.

I want my grandpa.

Oh, is this your grandpa's house?

Yes.

My mommy went away.

Every morning my grandpa wakes me up all happy and says,

buenos dias, Luisa.

I wish I could hear him now.

I know honey, I know.

It won't be long.

It won't be long just hang in there for me sweetheart.

Luisa?

Come on, stay away honey.

Talk to me, Luisa.

Luisa?

Anyone on this channel?

Yeah Paller, this is Skip over here on Albrecht road.

Listen, I got a little girl named Luisa and she's trapped

in the debris of her house.

She keeps asking for her grandfather.

Now look, you've got to find him and try to get him over here

as soon as possible, all right?

All right, you call me back just as

soon as you find out anything.

All right, I'll be waiting for you.

Now what's wrong?

We need another hour.

I ran into a ton of concrete down there.

All right listen, just do the best you can.

I'll try to keep her awake, all right?

Luisa?

Luisa, honey can you hear me?

Luisa!

The center called

back but the news wasn't good.

Luisa's grandfather's body was found yesterday--

a victim of the tornado.

Are you sure?

All right, yeah, got it.

Luisa?

Luisa, please wake up and talk to me, honey.

Come on, Luisa?

Can you hear me?

Rodger, I can't get a response, I'm afraid we're losing her.

We're digging as fast as we can,

Skip. It's going to take time.

All right.

Luisa, Luisa honey, come on talk to me sweetheart.

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Buenos dias, grandfather.

We'll make it about--

Shh!

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Do you hear that?

Yeah.

Where in the heck's that coming from?

I don't know.

Luisa continued

to hear her grandfather's voice calling

out, "buenos dias Luisa!"

It was the only thing that kept her awake

until we finally broke through and pulled her out.

Let's do this.

Bravery mixed with tears is the theme of the day.

A miraculous rescue just occurred of a little girl

who was buried for 48 hours in the rubble that

was once her home.

Where's my grandpa?

Buenos dias, Luisa.

That's Pedro, my grandfather's parrot.

Pedro, where's grandpa?

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Buenos dias.

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Could this story have really happened?

Is it possible that a parrot could give

a young girl the will to live?

In the delirium of her fear, could

Luisa have imagined it was her late grandfather's voice?

Or did the grandfather somehow transfer

his spirit to the parrot in order to save

his precious granddaughter?

Is this story totally made up or is there truth

buried here in the rubble?

Coming up, we'll find out which of our stories

tonight were fact and which were fiction,

when beyond belief returns.

Let's take another look at our stories

and find out which ones are fact which ones are fiction.

What about the story of the unlucky couple

who survived the Lusitania only to celebrate

aboard the Hindenburg.

You see, the ship that we were set to depart on

was the RMS Lusitania.

Six days later, it was torpedoed and sunk.

Almost 1,200 people died.

That is incredible.

These are the lucky rings, we wear them every day.

You can see where they were cut apart.

Oh it truly is a miracle.

Well I would like to propose another toast.

To the luckiest people in the world,

our best friends, the Chandlers.

Did the tale of these fated passengers really happen?

No, we made it up.

Let's see a glimpse of the story of the strange man at the swap

meet.

It's a lovely lamp isn't it?

Yes, how much would a lamp like that cost?

Well, how much have you got?

Is this plot of the couple who found

treasures in a most unexpected way based on an actual event?

No, this one was invented by a writer.

Let's look back at the news reporter

who had the premonition of a volcanic explosion.

Was it true or false?

Well, your initiative paid off, son.

Your dream was true.

What are you talking about?

There was a volcanic eruption in the Straits of Sunda

yesterday.

Happened on an island called Krakatoa, just west of Java--

it's still going on.

There are reports of tidal waves coming

in from all over the world.

Was this story based on a real event?

Yes, it's true.

How about the story of the woman who

seemed to be watched over by angels on an ill fated flight?

Ma'am I'm sorry, you're in the wrong seat.

3B is the aisle seat.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize.

It's no problem.

If you prefer the window, I don't

mind sitting on the aisle.

Uh-- um, no thank you.

I'm fine here.

That's weird.

Do you think that this was based on a similar event?

You're right, it was.

What of the story about the little girl

kept alive by the words, buenos dias?

How did you judge that?

Luisa, honey come on talk to me sweetheart.

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Buenos dias, grandfather.

Buenos dias, Luisa.

We'll make it about--

Shh!

Buenos dias, Luisa.

Do you hear that?

Yeah.

Where in the heck's that coming from?

I don't know.

Is this saga of a parrot who saves a girl's life

inspired by an actual event?

Not this time, it's fiction.

So how was your judgment?

Did you guess them all right or was your score a disaster?

And did our show on disasters demonstrate

that truth and fiction are almost inseparable?

Or perhaps that stories, like the great disasters

of our time, are truly beyond belief.

I'm Johnathan Frakes.

Join us for more stories on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."