Original subtitles

Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.

Hosted by Jonathan Frakes.

Tonight, your challenge is to separate what

is true from what is false.

Five stories-- some real, some fake.

Can you judge which are fact and which are fiction?

To find out, you must enter a world

of both truth and deception, a world that is beyond belief.

What's real, and what is illusion?

And can we really tell the difference?

Observe this still picture of a fire.

It contains absolutely no movement at all.

Now, I ask you to stare at the spiral.

Begin now.

Don't close your eyes or turn your head away from the set.

Just continue to concentrate on the spinning circle.

Or should I say circles within circles within circles?

And now, look at our still picture of the fire again.

This time, there is movement, but you

are providing the illusion of movement with your own eyes.

What other illusions are contained in our stories

tonight?

Will you accept what we present as truth without challenge?

Or will you add fuel to the fire?

Oh, excuse me.

I'll call you back.

It's almost impossible to go anywhere

these days without seeing somebody on a cellphone.

In fact, they've become so addictive people now

take them where they don't belong, like movie theaters,

even funerals.

But what about a time of crisis?

What happens when your phone is so

important that it's the only thing that can save your life?

Watch what happens to Jackie Gordon and Mark Winters.

You make the call.

Jackie and Mark have been dating for several months.

They met at Comtronics, a software company that hired

them right out of college.

They both loved the outdoors and were on the first night

of a three day camping trip.

Aw, man, look at this.

Packdad is developing the same piece of software we are.

The race is on.

What's wrong?

Jackie, what is it?

Oh, that's kinda weird.

Look are, you're gonna tell me or what?

Yeah, sorry.

Uh, it was a news report.

You know that guy Stewart Becker?

He founded zebrafoot.com.

Yeah, sure, that, uh, 25-year-old whiz kid.

Yeah, well, he's missing.

He went hiking here in the Potash just three days ago

and never made it back to camp.

Here?

The police said there may be a killer on the loose.

Well, maybe we should just pack up and go home.

Oh, no, Mark, let's not go.

Besides, you know how overblown the news can be.

They just love to scare people.

I mean, he probably just got lost.

And what about the other ones?

Did they get lost, too?

It's possible.

All right.

We'll stay.

The next morning was perfect.

Jackie and Mark tried not to think about the disappearance

of Stewart Becker.

Aren't you glad we decided to stay?

Yeah, this place is incredible.

Yeah.

Here, I'll take that.

OK, here.

So do you think we have enough wood?

Mark, what's wrong? - Jackie, quiet.

You

Oh my god, Mark, he's cleaning blood off that knife.

Ah, he could just be a hunter.

Jackie, run!

Don't look back.

Keep running.

Oh, come on.

I can't get a signal. - Shh.

Listen.

You hear that?

He's coming.

Mark, what do we do?

I don't know.

Look, there's somebody over there.

Come on, come on.

Do you see the yellow shirt?

No. He's too fast.

We're gonna lose him. Just keep running.

I don't see him.

Why didn't he wait for us?

I don't know.

There's still no service.

What good are these things?

Wait.

Listen.

It's quiet.

I think we lost him.

There he is.

Oh! Come on, keep going.

Keep going.

Oh, god.

Hey!

Oh, hey!

Over here!

Hello!

Call 911!

Later Jackie and Mark reported everything

from when they first heard the radio

report about the missing hiker to the man in the yellow shirt.

As soon as he saw us, he just started coming after us.

And then there was this guy in a yellow shirt.

He-- he just kept helping us.

You know, he'd show up, and then, well, we'd lose him.

A man in the yellow shirt?

Hey, there he is.

Where?

He was there, I swear it.

He was pointing at something over here somewhere.

Hey, there's somebody down here.

Mark, it's him.

How?

I don't know.

It's Stewart Becker, the missing hiker.

Thank God.

You found me.

Did this story really happen?

Did the injured victim actually leave his body

to ensure his own rescue?

If not, who the man in the yellow shirt

that kept appearing at just the right time?

Was he just a figure of Mark and Jackie's

overstressed imagination?

Is this tale of terror in the woods based on reality?

Or has the truth taken a hike?

You'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a young man who faces the mystery of his past on Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?

The color, the feel, even the smell of books like these

can stay with us forever.

Dr. Albert Duvall has read many books in his lifetime.

But none has ever prepared him for the patient he's

about to encounter, a patient who will open the doctor's life

to an unexpected new chapter.

I had been a child

psychologist for 10 years and had treated

all kinds of troubled children.

But Jeremy McBain was the most baffling one yet.

I just couldn't reach him.

Don't you like any of the toys, Jeremy?

There's a lot of nice ones here.

Did I tell you that today's my birthday?

When's your birthday?

Jeremy had not

spoken for the past two years.

There was nothing physically wrong with him.

He just stopped talking the day his older

sister died in a car accident.

Jeremy, I want you to tell me how you feel inside right now.

Do you feel good?

Do you feel bad?

I was the latest

in a long line of specialists that Jeremy had seen.

After six months, I was ready to admit failure.

He seems to be even more distant today, Dr. Duvall.

He's going to have good days and bad days, Mrs. McBain, just

like everyone else.

I'm losing my little boy, doctor,

and no one can do anything.

I know how hard this has been for you.

Come on, Jeremy.

It's time to go.

It was very strange,

but Jeremy was headed straight for a book

on my shelf, the most important book in my life.

Jeremy.

Do you like that book, Jeremy?

It's called "Jo Jo Babbit and the Magical Wheel."

My father gave me five of his books as a birthday gift

when I was a child.

If I was unhappy or sick, I'd read

them and look at the pictures, and they'd make me feel better.

I read so much I wore them out.

Four of them were lost.

This is the only one I have left.

It means a lot to me.

Is there something wrong, Jeremy?

I-- I--

I-- I fix books.

When did you fix books?

When I was big.

When you were big.

Did the books you fixed look like this one?

Yes.

Big leather books.

How long did you fix books?

Till I died.

Jeremy.

You died, Jeremy?

My name's not Jeremy.

It's Harry, Harry Chaffy.

It was the most unusual

thing I had ever witnessed.

I wanted to keep Jeremy talking and see where it would lead.

So I decided to address him as Harry Chaffy.

Where did you fix these books, Harry?

At the village bookstore.

That night after work, I stopped

at the village bookstore.

It was nearby my office, so I figured that Jeremy

had probably seen it many times on the way

to our weekly visits.

That could have explained how it got into his head.

But what about the name Harry Chaffy

and that story about fixing the books that looked like the one

in my office?

May I help you?

Do you have any more books that look like this one?

Oh.

That's beautiful.

But, no, I'm afraid I don't have anything that looks like this.

It's probably out of print, hmm?

Do you mind if I look around?

Please, be my guest.

Thank you.

Even though it seemed hopeless,

something was keeping me from leaving the store.

Excuse me.

Have you seen any books that look like this?

No.

Sorry.

But there's hundreds of books here.

You should look around.

Thank you.

Who was Harry Chaffy?

And how could I possibly find another book like Jo Jo Babbit?

I was ready to give up.

But I could hear my father's voice in my head,

challenging me just like he did when

I was little, saying, "Albert.

Come on, Albert, hang in there."

And then I found myself being pulled to a larger bookcase.

"Dear Albert, happy eighth birthday.

May your day be filled with as much magic as Jo Jo Babbit's.

Love, Dad."

Did you find something?

These are my books.

My dad gave them to me 30 years ago.

He brought these four in to be rebound,

and he died before he could pick them up.

We didn't know where he took them.

I thought they would lost forever.

That's amazing, after 30 years.

- I'd like to buy them. - Oh, no, no, no.

Please, please take them.

They're yours.

Thank you.

Did you fix these books?

No. It wasn't me.

They must've been repaired by the man I apprenticed under.

He died about 15 years ago.

Was his name by any chance Harry?

Yeah, Harry Chaffy.

How'd you know?

It doesn't matter.

What you think happened here?

Was the little boy Jeremy the reincarnation

of the bookbinder Harry Chaffy?

Or had the little boy visited that bookstore

before and heard Harry Chaffy's name mentioned there?

In determining whether this story is right or wrong,

don't jump to conclusions.

After all, you can't judge a book by its cover.

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a house with a mind of its own

on Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.

Rockin' on a front porch--

what better way to feel the security

and peace of the family home?

Marian Rayburn and her husband shared many happy hours

on their front porch.

But things have changed now.

Her husband has passed away, and Marian

is facing a financial crisis with no insurance to help.

And like a bad neighbor, Louie Newsom is there.

Several years

back, my husband decided his bank job was a dead end career.

So he struck out on a new venture, a real estate

investing business.

Louie had been calling the shots,

but I was getting more and more involved.

Once you put your listing with us,

we can schedule an open house.

Louie's very confident he can get you a quick sale

at a terrific price.

OK.

Let us know.

Louie dragged

me to a seminar entitled "How to Make a Million in Real Estate."

But I didn't like his methods.

By speculating in the real estate market,

Louie figured we could retire in 10 years.

All we needed was ambition, which Louie had plenty of.

Reluctantly, I put plans to start a family on hold.

Besides, Louie was a handful all by himself.

Shouldn't you at least wait until Mrs. Rayburn's

out to put the sign up?

Take the chance of missing the perfect buyer?

No way.

This morning, we

had to do one of the worst parts of the real estate game

for me, enforcing a foreclosure.

Couldn't wait five minutes to get your hands on this place,

I see.

We've had this conversation before, Mrs. Rayburn.

I'm not a bank.

When I purchase a mortgage, if the payments aren't made,

it comes out of my pocket.

I really had no choice.

This house has been in my family since before the war.

My husband and I wanted to keep it in the family,

to be our legacy.

Mrs. Rayburn, you decided to take a loan on your property.

Yes, to pay my late husband's hospital bills.

Exactly.

The bottom line is you took your money out of this deal.

So when you couldn't make your payments,

I'm the one who got shafted.

This house is mine now.

This house will never be yours, Mr. Newsom.

Mark my words.

Let me help you with that, Mrs. Rayburn.

I think you and your husband have helped quite enough,

thank you.

This is without a doubt my best property.

Four bedrooms, full basement-- it's perfect for you folks.

You're gonna love it.

Louie went

into his usual high pressure pitch,

confident of turning a quick profit on the Rayburn home.

The problem was that the Rayburn home wouldn't cooperate.

As you can see, it's been well kept up.

It's, uh, it's quite cozy, in fact.

This old furnace shoulda kicked in before this.

Uh, don't you worry.

I'm-- I'm sure it's nothing.

Here, of course, is a fantastic feature.

It's a formal sitting room.

Oh.

I, uh, I got to apologize.

That-- that smell's never been there before.

But, uh, don't you worry.

We'll-- we'll get someone out to take care of it.

It's-- it's no problem.

I'll call ya!

As the weeks and months went by,

every time we tried to sell the Rayburn home,

we encountered one bizarre unusual problem after another.

Well, what was it this time?

I opened a window.

Must've caused a draft.

Next thing I know, doors are slamming all over the place.

And the glass?

I went to close the window.

The whole thing came right out of the frame.

I'll get it fixed.

How many thousands have you put into this place already?

New carpet to get rid of the smell, plumbing

repairs, a new furnace, and there

still hasn't been a single offer.

I'll sell this turkey.

You'll see.

Do you believe in karma, Louie?

What goes around comes around.

What are you-- what are you talking about?

You didn't have to kick that old woman out of her house.

You were after fast buck, and now you're

obsessed with selling this place,

and you're driving the two of us nuts.

Just forget about it, Louie.

Please.

Just give it away.

Give it away?

Now you're talking crazy.

This isn't about the house anymore, Louie.

This is about us.

You need to choose--

me or this place.

You're kidding, right?

If you folks are here for the open house,

we're about to close up.

We're not really looking to buy,

but we were curious about seeing the place.

A home's a fine investment, you know.

Just started graduate school over at the college.

'Fraid a teaching assistance pay doesn't go very far.

We've heard a lot about the house.

Uh, don't believe everything you heard.

Do you think it would be all right if we

took a quick walk through?

Of course.

Go ahead.

Thanks.

What?

From the second the young couple

set foot in the house, every problem stopped.

And that's when I came up with a big idea.

Wait a moment.

My husband and I have been very lucky with our real estate

investments.

We got this house at a real bargain.

You can save the sales pitch.

We couldn't even come up with a down payment right now.

Forget the down payment.

Do you have a dollar?

You're kidding, right?

I think that's my line.

I accept this dollar in consideration

as payment in full.

Congratulations.

You're now homeowners.

I have all the paperwork in the car.

Did you just do what I think you--

Uh-huh. And believe me.

You got off a lot cheaper than a divorce.

If this isn't a joke then--

I just figured it would be fun to see

grandma's old house again.

I mean, who would have thought?

It's as if she willed it to us.

MRS. NEWSOM Later, we

learned that the old woman we evicted

was the young couple's grandmother.

She passed away soon after we forced her out.

I still recall what she said.

"This house will never be yours.

Mark my words."

What really caused the problems in the house?

Was the spirit of Marian Rayburn making sure the house

would stay in her family?

Or where all those mishaps just coincidence?

If so, why did all the defects stop

the minute Marian's granddaughter

crossed the threshold?

Does this tale of a soul protecting her property

seem like logical truth?

Or do you think that our writer's off his rocker?

You'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a broken mirror brings terror to its owner on Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction.

How superstitious are you?

For instance, do you have the courage to walk under a ladder?

Horse shoes, rabbits' feet, four leaf clovers--

an entire subculture exists around superstition,

complete with its own rules and artifacts.

Do we make our own luck?

Or are we victim to the whim of the gods of fortune?

Lauren Davis has never been a superstitious person,

but she's about to go through an experience

that will challenge her perception

of the words bad luck.

I had been in my new home

for six months and had finally saved

enough to redecorate my living room

the way I really wanted it.

I can't believe we're almost done.

The paint looks great, Michelle.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Now

That's what friends are for.

It's amazing what you do with a little money

and a lot of garage sales.

Oh my god, this thing weighs a ton.

- Careful. - It's OK.

I have it.

Let me give you hand.

Oh my god.

I don't believe this.

I loved that old mirror.

Oh no.

No, don't touch it.

Don't clean it up, not even one piece of it.

What?

Seven years bad luck.

Michelle, you know I'm not a superstitious person.

I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo.

Lauren, I know about this stuff.

If you leave it the way it is, you'll only

have seven hours of bad luck.

That's ridiculous.

Why take a chance?

Leave it for seven hours, and then clean it up.

What's the harm? - Michelle.

Lauren.

Seven hours of bad luck is much better than seven years.

Just set the time for seven hours,

and then clean it up immediately and you'll end the bad luck.

Humor me.

OK.

OK, I won't clean it up for seven hours.

Thank you.

You still have to be careful.

I'll be careful.

I'm staying in tonight.

I owe my mother a letter.

Maybe I should spend the night.

Michelle, I'll be fine.

Besides, you have that date with Jay tonight.

I don't want you to break it.

You sure?

Nothing's gonna happen.

Three hours in and so far, no bad luck.

Michelle, you are so weird.

Yuck.

The plumber was just here.

Michelle would have a field day with this.

There was only half an hour to go

and the seven hours would be up.

I was sure those incidents in the kitchen weren't bad luck.

They were just coincidence.

I couldn't wait to show Michelle how

stupid her superstitions were.

I don't believe this.

They all look fine to me.

Everything's fine.

Everything is fine.

Even though I put the fire out

easily, I was beginning to think that maybe I was

having seven hours of bad luck.

I needed some light so I could see how much time was left.

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Leave me alone!

Leave me alone!

With the power back on,

I was able to call the police.

I wanted to keep myself busy until they arrived,

so I decided to clean up the broken mirror.

How lucky I was that the thing that saved me

was a piece of glass from the broken mirror.

Did Lauren really experience seven hours of bad luck

as the result of the broken mirror?

Or did the power of suggestion only make it seem that way?

But how do you explain the stalker?

if Lauren's luck was really so bad during the seven hour

period, why didn't he get in during that time?

Do you truly know whether this story is true or false?

Or will you just be making a lucky guess?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a coin reveals untold secrets on Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction.

To most of us, coins are convenient ways to deal

with small cash transactions.

But to a numismatist or serious collector,

there are volumes of stories behind the engravings

of every coin.

Todd Davis is a young man whose only interest in coins

comes from the spare change he receives in tips.

But he will soon encounter an unusual man,

a man who will show him the other side of the coin.

Carter Jenkins

was a spooky legend in my town, because nobody ever saw him.

Even when I delivered pizzas to his place,

he'd never came out until I was gone.

He'd just leave a $10 bill taped to the door, and I'd leave

his $0.50 in a tin cup.

And that it was, the same exact thing every time.

But this time, he messed up.

Instead of $10, he taped a $100 bill to the door.

Hello?

It's the pizza guy.

Uh, sorry to bother you, but, uh, you've made a mistake.

This isn't a $10 bill.

Thank you for your honesty.

Oh, and, uh, by the way, I believe this is yours.

You left it with my change.

I can't believe I did that.

You corrected a very expensive error for me.

Thank you.

I'm Carter Jenkins. - And thank you.

Todd Davis.

That's my lucky nickel.

Oh, man, if I woulda lost this.

I've had it since I was--

Five years old, I know.

Your father gave it to you for helping him rake leaves.

How did you know that?

Psychometry.

Every object tells a story about the people who possessed it.

All you have to do is feel the message.

Here.

Start with this.

And thank you again.

$0.50.

So much for honesty.

I had never been to Carter Jenkins'

place before in the daylight, but the next afternoon,

I had something important to tell him.

Excuse me, Mr. Jenkins, but are you sure you

wanted to give me that coin?

Mm-hmm.

When I saw how old it was, I had a feeling that it was--

must be special.

Yes.

So I showed it to a friend of my dad's who's a-- a coin

collector, and he told me it's worth--

$100.

What is this coin telling you?

That coin has a story connected with one of those pictures.

Which one?

The coin belonged to this man.

Very good.

He was awarded the Purple Heart while serving in Korea.

Keep going.

He gave you the coin for good luck

when he went to Vietnam.

You have a gift, Todd.

Now, try this.

I don't know how long we talked.

I only know that Carter Jenkins had introduced

me to the world of psychometry.

My life would never be the same.

That lucky coin your friend gave you, it saved your life.

That's right.

It deflected a bullet that would have killed me.

That's some picture.

Yes.

And one day, you'll know the whole story behind the picture.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, sir, and thank you.

For the next few months,

I was back in school.

But when the semester ended, the first thing I did

was visit Carter Jenkins.

Come on, get that truck packed and on the road!

I got a plane to catch!

Who are you?

I'm Todd Davis.

I'm a friend of Mr. Jenkins.

Oh, yeah?

Didn't think he had any friends.

Carter's dead, heart attack.

This lawyer calls me up, says my cousin's left me

the contents of his house.

I-- I'm so sorry.

He was--

A real nutcase.

Everybody said he had piles of money stashed around here,

but I tore the place apart-- didn't find squat.

Wife wants the furniture.

The rest is a bunch of garbage.

Can I stay here a minute?

Suit yourself.

Hey, when that lawyer shows up, tell

him I caught an early flight.

He can mail me the paperwork.

What about the photographs?

What, old pictures of people I don't even know?

Tell the lawyer have a garage sale.

Would you mind if I take this one?

Take 'em all if you want.

I'm outta here.

Every object tells a story.

You have in gift, Todd.

A gift.

Where's Ed?

Uh, I guess he just left.

I'm Todd.

I was a friend of Mr. Jenkins.

Todd Davis?

He told me about you.

I'm John Radnor, Carter's lawyer.

He didn't warm up to very many people,

but he really enjoyed the talks you two had.

Me, too.

People didn't realize that Carter

was an extremely generous man.

Contributed to many local projects.

Never wanted anyone to know.

Every object tells a story.

One day, You'll know the whole story behind the picture.

Are they valuable?

Very.

Then they'll help pay for the children's playground.

How'd you know about that?

The playground was Carter's next project.

How did you know they were behind the photograph?

It was a lesson Mr. Jenkins taught me.

Every object has a story.

What really made Todd turn over the photograph?

Was he truly using some paranormal ability,

or he was heeding Carter's words about the story

behind the picture?

But then, how could he have possibly known

about the children's playground?

Carter had never mentioned it to anyone but his lawyer.

Will you use logic to deduct whether this story

is true or false?

Or will you just flip a coin?

You'll find out which of our stories are fact

and which are fiction when Beyond Belief returns.

Now let's look back at tonight's stories

and find out which ones are inspired by actual events

and which ones are totally false.

What about the couple whose camping trip

became a matter of life and death?

Oh, come on.

I can't get a signal. - Shh.

Listen.

You hear that?

Oh, he's coming, Mark.

What do we do?

I don't know.

Look.

There's somebody over there.

Come on, come on.

Did you think this one really happened?

Sorry.

It's a work of fiction.

How 'bout the story of the doctor

who received an unexpected gift from his late father?

"Dear Albert, happy eighth birthday.

May your day be filled with as much magic as Jo Jo Babbit's.

Love, Dad."

Do you think you've heard a story like this before?

You might have.

It's true.

According to our research, a similar story

happened on the East Coast in the late '70s.

Let's take another look at the real estate gambler

who couldn't beat the house.

Well, what was it this time?

I opened a window.

Must've caused a draft.

Next thing I know, doors are slamming all over the place.

And the glass?

I went to close the window.

The whole thing came right out of the frame.

Did you think this story really happened?

If you did, we fooled you. It's a fake.

How 'bout the woman whose broken mirror

set off a streak of misfortune?

Fact or fiction?

They all look fine to me.

Everything's fine.

Everything is fine.

If you thought this story was based on a real life

occurrence, you're right.

Published reports place a similar story

in the Washington, DC area several years ago.

Let's take another look at the pizza

delivery boy and the recluse.

What is this coin telling you?

That coin has a story connected with one of those pictures.

Which one?

The coin belonged to this man.

Is it possible this story is true?

Yes, it is.

There is a published report that a similar story

was experienced by a delivery boy in the Midwest

about 10 years.

How was your truth detecting this time?

Were you able to tell fact from fiction?

Or did you find that our stories were located somewhere

between substance and shadow, a location that could be

only labeled as beyond belief.

I'm Jonathan Frakes.

"When I Was Big" and "Seven Hours"

are true, based upon firsthand research conducted

by author Robert Tralins.

This is Campbell Lane.