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.

In trying to determine truth, we must

examine things from all angles.

For example, this sculpture, when viewed head on,

is a simple, clean, cube shape.

But turn it around to another angle, look what's revealed--

a mass of different shapes and lines that was

previously hidden from view.

In tonight's stories, the truth is often hidden.

We'll tell you which stories are based on reality

and which are fiction at the end of the show.

And remember, just like this metal sculpture,

while you think you see something clearly,

the truth may be hiding just around the corner.

Do you have a favorite cure for the flu?

Some people take medications, vitamins, pills.

Others rely on home remedies, like chicken soup.

No matter what you take into your system to fight the flu,

everyone agrees on one thing--

you need plenty of rest.

Douglas Hibbard is exhausted.

His resistance is low.

And he's beginning to get that dull, achy feeling.

Is it the flu?

Is it beyond the flu?

Is it, in fact, beyond relief?

Attorney Douglas Hibbard

had spent the last five days in Eureka, California,

conducting hearings for the Employment

Development Department.

You you up that way?

I'm over here.

- Great job, Doug. - Yeah, yeah.

It went pretty well.

See you back in Sacramento.

OK.

Oh, happy anniversary.

And take care of that cold.

Yeah, thanks.

All Douglas wanted to do

was get home to his wife, Carol, and celebrate

their 10th wedding anniversary.

He just wished he'd felt better.

Hello.

DOUGLAS HIBBARD [ON Hey, Carol.

Hey.

I knew it was you.

How did it go?

We kicked butt.

You sound like you got worse.

Oh, yeah.

I feel horrible.

My body aches.

Fever.

Aw, Doug, I really wish you were home.

So do I. Honey, I hate to do this, but, uh, I, uh--

I'm a little worried about making the five-hour drive

with this flu.

I'm thinking of spending the night somewhere.

Really?

DOUGLAS HIBBARD [ON Don't worry.

I'll be home for our anniversary tomorrow.

OK.

Well, you just take care of yourself.

Get plenty of rest.

I love you.

I love you too.

Oh.

How you doing?

Not so good.

I have the flu.

Oh, nasty stuff.

I just got over it myself.

I need a nice, quiet room.

Ah, well, I got plenty of rooms and plenty of quiet.

I just need a major credit card.

Oh, right.

There you go.

There we are, thank you.

I can't breathe.

I just wish I was there with you.

Doug called his wife Carol

right after he checked in.

She was glad that he had found a nice, clean place to stay,

but she was worried about his health.

She begged him to get some rest.

Yes.

Yes, I'll try to get some sleep.

Doug had hope to sleep through the night,

but it was of no use.

The flu wouldn't let him.

Can I help you, Mr. Hibbard?

Yeah, I can't sleep.

Um-- I'm looking for, uh, an open drug store nearby.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You just follow Crystal Lake Drive for about a mile.

Yeah.

And then you come to the-- come to the first light,

take a right, Stanley's Drugs.

You can't miss it.

Thanks.

No problem.

Mr. Hibbard.

Jeez, what happened to you?

I need you to do me a favor.

Well, sure.

I-- did you get your medicine?

I need you to put this in the motel safe for me.

I'm afraid I might lose it.

What is it?

Thank you.

It all seemed very

odd to motel owner Harold Plum.

Why was Doug Hibbard soaking wet and covered with mud?

But Harold had learned not to ask questions.

Weird.

Eh, good evening.

Lakeshore Motel.

Hi, my name is Carol Hibbard.

And I believe my husband Douglas Hibbard is registered there.

Yeah, he's here.

I keep calling his cell phone and I'm not getting any answer.

Maybe he has it turned off.

I mean, I-- I know he's here.

I-- I just saw him.

Would you like me to ring through to his room for you?

Yes, please.

HAROLD PLUM [ON OK, hang on.

Now, he's not answering.

Would you do me a favor?

Could you check on him and see if he's all right?

He wasn't feeling well.

Oh, sure.

Just-- just give me your number there

and-- and I'll call you right back.

Mr. Hibbard?

JONATHAN FRAKES Harold

was surprised to find that Douglas

Hibbard was not in his room.

He also found it strange that there

was no sign of the wet muddy clothes

that Hibbard was wearing.

Can I help you?

I need to talk to you about a guest

I believe you have registered here

by the name of Douglas Hibbard.

He's dead.

His car went off the road.

He had this room key on him.

Well, I was just talking to him a few minutes ago.

Sir, that's impossible.

A witness saw Mr. Hibbard's car go into Crystal Lake

about an hour ago. He just towed it out.

His body was inside.

JONATHAN FRAKES Harold Plum

remembered the bag Douglas Hibbard

gave him to keep in the safe.

He wasn't sure if it would be there.

He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Carol Hibbard arrived at the Lakeshore Motel

the following morning to pick up Doug's belongings.

Inside the box was the diamond ring

Doug couldn't afford to buy when they first got married.

Years ago, he had promised Carol that one day he

would buy it for her as an anniversary present.

What really happened here?

How could Douglas Hibbard have given

the motel owner that diamond ring if he was already dead?

Was his will to keep his promise so strong

that nothing, not even death, could stop him from

delivering her anniversary gift?

Or did the motel owner just imagine Douglas walked in?

If so, how did he get the gift bag?

Is this story about the dedicated husband

based on reality?

Or have we left you holding the bag?

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

at the end of our show.

Next, psychic powers are used against a gang of thieves

on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Wheelchairs like this are used in many ways these days.

There is, of course, the primary use--

as transportation for those that are

unable to walk on their own.

But recreational opportunities now

exist for the wheelchair-bound.

They're now used in races, even marathons.

And wheelchair basketball has become an exciting competitive

activity.

But you're about to see a wheelchair show up

in a rather unusual place--

at a crime scene.

DETECTIVE HANSON As a detective,

I'd investigated many robberies in my downtown district.

But the Tri-City jewelry heist is the one I will never forget.

The Anvil Armored Truck Service received

pickups at the Tri-City Jewelry Company several times a week.

The guards were trained to take nothing for granted,

and to approach each delivery and pick up as a potentially

dangerous situation.

There was nothing that aroused their suspicion that morning.

It all seemed routine.

OK, he's in.

We got three minutes.

What the guards should have

taken a closer look at was the flower delivery

van parked across the street.

Excuse me.

Can you tell me where to catch the number three bus?

I-- I'm very late for a doctor's appointment,

and I'm a little lost.

Get out of our way!

What are you doing?

Are you crazy?

I arrived on the scene

a half hour after the robbery.

I never expected to find anything out of the ordinary.

I was wrong.

OK.

So you really didn't get a look at the guy, huh?

Never even saw him coming.

Sorry.

How about you?

This thing was pretty well planned.

They must have been watching you guys for weeks.

- Detective Hanson. - Yeah.

I think I might have something.

There was a guy in a wheelchair that got caught

in the middle of the robbery.

Can he give us an ID?

Better than that.

He says he can tell us where they are.

Mr. Siegmeier, Detective Hanson.

I understand that you were a witness to the robbery

that took place here.

I was a victim.

I was just passing by, minding my own business, when this guy

comes running up, pistol whips the guard

and knocks me out of my chair.

What kind of punk would do that, huh?

To a guy in a wheelchair.

- I don't know. - They're scum.

That's what they are-- scum.

Mr. Siegmeier, you told Officer Hanna that you

knew where we could find them.

Is that true?

Yeah.

It's true.

I got this special power.

It comes and goes.

Sometimes, when I get real mad, I see

flashes of stuff in my mind.

Stuff?

What kind of stuff?

Well, after that guy knocked me down, I was yelling at him,

and this address just popped into my head.

1211 Carlson Street.

Is that where you think they are?

I know that's where they are.

I can feel it.

See, that's how it happens.

Things just pop into my head.

OK.

Thank you, Mr. Siegmeier.

I'm gonna need your address and phone number.

We may want you to come in and take a look at some pictures.

Yeah, sure.

Whatever.

I want those animals put away.

I had worked with psychics

before, so I decided to check out the address

that Peter Siegmeier gave me.

1211 Carlson turned out to be an abandoned warehouse downtown.

Even if it turned out to be a waste of time,

I had no other leads.

You should have seen the look on his face what

I knocked him out of his chair.

Get your hands up! Put 'em up!

Put them where I can see them!

Put 'em up!

I gotta know--

how'd you find us so fast?

The guy in the wheelchair that one of you gentlemen

knocked over.

He told you?

That's right.

Let me tell you something, Detective.

That guy in the wheelchair, he planned the whole thing.

He brought the guard so I could get the money.

- What? - Yeah, we met him in jail.

His name is Darren, Snyder.

Why'd you knock him over.

We decided to cut him out, figured,

you know, what could he do?

I'll check it out.

Yeah, you do that.

There's just one thing I don't understand.

How did he know we'd be here?

What do you mean?

We changed hideouts.

Snyder didn't know about this place.

DETECTIVE HANSON I followed

up on the name Darren Snyder.

I found out that he was an ex-con with a long rap sheet,

and that one of his aliases was Peter Siegmeier.

I located Snyder a week later and arrested him

for armed robbery.

He still insisted no one had told

him the location of the hideout, and that he

possessed a special power.

So how did Peter Siegmeier know the new hideout

of the three men?

Did he somehow overhear someone mention it?

That seems unlikely.

They were going out of their way to keep it from him.

Was he truly psychic?

No one had ever seen evidence of that before.

Maybe he was so furious at being betrayed

he somehow converted his anger into a psychic energy.

Was this story of thieves falling out

inspired by an actual event?

Or are we double crossing you?

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

at the end of our show.

Next, a young couple needs a miracle on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

A life support system--

medical equipment designed for the purpose

of sustaining life when our own vital organs cease to function.

At its most effective, the system

takes over temporarily until a medical solution or a miracle

can be found.

At its least effective, life can be prolonged indefinitely,

often without hope.

Julie Driscoll is currently being

kept alive by life support.

Her boyfriend, Gary, believes deep in his heart

she will pull through.

But right now, Gary is searching desperately

for a second opinion.

My girlfriend, Julie, had been in a coma

for the past seven months.

While driving, her head hit the windshield after she was

broadsided by a pickup truck.

Julie never regained consciousness,

but she was alive.

So the doctors put her on life support.

She was on her way to meet me.

We were gonna go to a movie.

I hardly ever left Julie's side since the accident.

I knew that somehow, she could still hear me,

and that one day, she'd recover.

I ran into your friend Denise today.

She, uh-- she sends her love.

She got a new puppy, little golden lab.

I read that it's good to keep

talking to a comatose patient.

Sometimes, it can trigger something.

So I just talked about whatever came into my head.

I had to keep connected to her.

Remember Lucy, your dog?

She misses you.

Everybody misses you.

Not as much as I do.

You know, I love you, Julie.

How you doing, Gare?

I'm OK, Dr. Parkins.

She looks so peaceful today.

Mm, she is.

Julie's parents are here, and they-- they

want to see you for a minute.

Sure.

I'll be back.

Lately, it seemed that Julie's

parents were losing hope.

It was hard for me to talk with them like I used to.

Hi, Gary.

Hey.

I was just Julie you about how her friend

Denise got a new puppy.

You know how much Julie loves animals.

We couldn't even pass a pet shop without her--

I'm sorry, Mrs. Driscoll.

I didn't mean to upset you.

Gary, I know it's hard, but it's

time for us to face reality.

It's been seven months, and Julie shows no sign

of coming out of the coma.

You-- you know we've consulted several specialists.

And the consensus is that Julie's

condition is irreversible.

No. No, it's not.

I don't believe that.

Gary, we know how much you love her.

We all do.

But it's time to let her go.

We've decided to disconnect Julie's life support.

No No.

No, you can't do that.

She can come out of this.

I know she can.

The insurance has run out. It's--

But it-- it's not about the insurance.

It's-- if-- if Julie had just shown

one sign of coming out of the coma,

we'd keep her on life support.

Julie wouldn't want to go on this way.

You know that.

Look.

Just give me one more day.

OK?

I-- I just want to talk to her.

I know-- I know she can hear me.

Please, just one more day.

OK.

I didn't want to give up.

I pleaded with Julie to respond.

I could feel our time running out.

Julie, you don't have much more time.

OK?

I know you can hear me.

You have to come back.

What do you want me to do?

Why can't I reach you?

Don't you love me?

They're going to stop your life support, OK?

You have to fight.

You have to live.

Julie, please.

How you holding up, Gary?

Everything's the same.

I just can't get through to her.

You've done everything that you could.

You know, sometimes, all the love in the world

is just not enough.

The Driscolls are going to be here in a while.

So why don't you give yourself a break?

I-- I can't.

I don't want to leave her alone.

Gary, you gotta go easy on yourself.

Look, this isn't your fault. I didn't know how I was

going to live without Julie.

I never let myself think about it.

This is so hard, Julie.

I knew there were no more options,

but I just couldn't accept letting her go.

I was finally ready to admit it was hopeless.

And then--

Gary.

Julie.

Julie, I heard you.

No, I didn't imagine that.

That was you.

It was your voice.

You say something to me.

Say something again.

Please.

I hear you, Gary.

I hear you too, Julie.

I hear you.

I

I can move.

Look, you can't pull life support.

She can move.

Julie can move.

You actually saw her move?

No, no, no, no.

She told me she could move.

She spoke?

Well, not exactly.

Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy.

But Julie spoke to me, telepathically.

I'm sorry.

There's no change.

No.

No, it can't be.

Julie.

Julie, do something. Show them.

Please.

Go ahead, Dr. Parkins.

No, don't do this.

Let her go, Gary, please.

Gary, look at my hand.

Her hand.

Look at her hand.

Oh, Gary.

Please stop.

Just--

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god, Bill.

Look at her hand.

It's moving.

Julie.

Julie.

She's coming back.

Julie slowly regained consciousness,

and after months of therapy, she was able to return

to a normal life.

The doctors were amazed by her total recovery.

There was absolutely no brain damage.

Julie and I picked up right where we left off,

and I'm more in love than ever.

Did Julie and Gary actually communicate telepathically?

Or did Gary's sleep deprivation cause him to imagine

that he heard Julie's voice?

If so, then why did Julie's hand move exactly

when Gary heard her voice?

Was that just coincidence?

Does this story of a medical miracle stand on its own?

Or does the truth show no visible signs of support?

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

at the end of our show.

Next, a young boy channels a mysterious spirit

on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Have you ever visited a Chinatown section

in a major city?

It's like a world unto itself.

Souvenirs such as these are found everywhere,

making Chinatown a must-stop for many tourists, even those

who have no prior background with the Chinese culture

at all.

Take Jim Barclay and his family.

They're from Wichita.

And on a visit they're about to make to Chinatown,

it'll be very clear that they're not in Kansas anymore.

Our family had a 200-acre farm

back in Wichita, Kansas.

We'd been saving up for a vacation

to San Francisco for a long time.

Oh, Jim, look at these dolls.

Oh we've got plenty of souvenirs, Annie.

We can open up shop of our own, couldn't we, Randy?

Can we go on the cable cars again?

Later.

After we eat, OK, bud?

OK.

We'd hit all the top tourist spots--

the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf.

It was our last day, and so we came to the only place

we hadn't seen yet--

Chinatown.

I'm hungry.

Don't worry, we're gonna eat.

How about this place?

Well, the prices are pretty good.

The duck looks pretty good too, doesn't it, Randy?

Randy?

Jim, where did Randy go?

I don't know.

He was just here.

We just looked away for a second.

Where could he have gone?

There he is.

Randy!

How did he get across the street so fast?

Randy!

Why doesn't he answer me?

Randy!

You know, I think I'd better have

a little talk with that boy.

It was totally unlike Randy

to wander off like that.

But the mystery was about to grow deeper.

ANNIE BARCLAY We couldn't

understand what was happening.

But it sounded like Randy was talking Chinese.

What do you think you're doing?

You don't know how to talk Chinese.

Randy, you stop talking like that.

This isn't funny.

We're leaving right now.

Randy, what's wrong?

Why are you doing this?

OK, it's time to stop the play-acting.

We're going back to the hotel.

Randy, where are you going?

Randy?

Please.

They've waited almost a century for this moment.

Now, what are you talking about?

That's our son in there.

Right now, your son is Wen Ching,

my great grandfather's master.

What?

This is insane.

I want my son back.

Jim, what's going on?

I don't know.

The bowl was made 100 years ago by master artist Wen Ching.

It was entrusted to my great-grandfather,

who was Wen Ching's apprentice.

He was to keep it until they met again.

And so they have.

What are you saying?

The spirit of the great artist Wen Ching is in your son.

I don't understand.

Why Randy?

He was chosen to be Wen Ching's vessel.

It is a great honor.

I thought we were going to have lunch.

Oh, Randy.

How'd I get in here?

Why do I have this bowl?

We'll explain it to you later, son.

Here's your bowl back.

Oh, no.

It is your son's.

Are you sure?

Yes.

He was chosen.

Come on, Jim.

Let's go.

We decided that the right thing

to do was to donate the mandarin's

bowl to the Chinese Cultural Museum in San Francisco.

The head of the museum was very grateful.

He told us it was a priceless artifact made by a master

artisan in the late 1800s.

And there were some Chinese words

written on the side of the bowl that he translated for us.

They said, "embrace this bowl until next we meet.

I shall return as a child from the yellow fields of wheat."

Wheat was the crop we grew back on the farm in Kansas.

Is it possible that a young farm boy from Kansas

could be possessed by the soul of a Chinese artisan?

If not, how could the boy suddenly speak Chinese?

Young Randy never spoke a word of Chinese

before or after this incident.

Could he have stumbled upon the ability temporarily?

There are stories of people who have

played an instrument perfectly, just once and once only.

Could this be the same phenomenon at work?

Is this story of the precious artifact

a vessel for the truth?

Or are we just trying to bowl you over?

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

at the end of our show.

Next, a tycoon hides an evil secret on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Helping a famous person to write their autobiography

is a daunting task.

You must use every tool at your command

to make accurate notes of the thousands of stories

that you'll hear.

Martin Ames has taken a job to write the autobiography

of Wilford Clayton, a hard-headed businessman

with a heart to match.

In fact, Clayton is so mean that-- wait.

Barton's been taking the notes.

Let's let him tell the story.

Now, where was I?

Sentiment.

Oh, yeah, sentiment.

OK, Mr. Clayton, we're recording.

Sentiment is for losers.

You know, I learned a long time ago that the weak work

for the strong.

You know, most people, they're happy with very little.

They have no self-esteem.

They think that whatever they're earning now

is all they deserve.

And they're right.

Wilford Clayton

was a cold-blooded monster.

He was the most insensitive, self-loving egomaniac

I ever met.

That thing pick me up if I walk around?

Yeah, it's very sensitive.

You know, most people were born to serve.

Tell them what to do, they'll do it.

Treat them like a dog, they'll obey.

Show them the hoop, they'll jump.

Clayton was the president

of the founder of one of the largest textile

companies in the United States.

He hired me two months before to ghostwrite his autobiography.

It was my first paying job as a writer, and I was excited.

But that didn't last long once I got to know him.

Now me, I own a townhouse in New York,

another on a beach in Barbados, and a villa

in the south of France.

At first, I took my notes

in longhand, but I switched to a tape recorder

so I could tune out his obnoxious opinions.

And I didn't get everything I have today

by giving my employees an annual cost of living

raise, I can tell you that.

They don't like it, they can find themselves another job.

So what do you think, Marty boy?

Pretty good, huh?

I'd say got myself a bestseller happening right here

in this room, wouldn't you?

Say it.

Yes, sir.

WILFORD CLAYTON

You gotta play a little mind games with the worker ants.

Let them think the other guy is doing

a better job than they are.

Keep them hungry and scared.

They work better that way.

I hate him.

I hate him.

I'd like to shove this tape recorder down his throat

and tell them I quit.

Martin, we need the money.

I know.

Why does a creep like Wilford Clayton have so much

when so many good people have to struggle just to get by?

You know, can you imagine how empty his life must be?

All he cares about is money and power.

We have so much more than he'll ever have.

I love you.

I love you.

Later that night, we were both asleep

when the storm kicked up.

But what really woke us was the tape recorder.

WILFORD CLAYTON

I used to have this woman working for me.

She told me she was a single mother.

She wasn't getting paid enough to feed her four kids.

I fired her right on the spot.

Martin, what's going on?

I think the recorder came on.

WILFORD CLAYTON [ON TAPE I hate weak people.

I really hate-- they can come whining all they want.

They're not getting--

It won't go off.

Stop it!

Stop it!

It's over, [inaudible].

It's over.

What-- what happened?

I wish I knew.

Yeah?

Eh, Mr. Clayton, I'm sorry I'm late.

What with the storm last night, I--

I don't want to know your problems.

There's plenty of other crummy ghostwriters out there

who can get here on time.

- I apologize. - Yeah, yeah.

Stop whining.

Let's get to work.

Today, I want to talk about how I started this company.

OK.

We're recording.

Now, let's see.

WILFORD CLAYTON

He tried to warn me about the fire hazard,

but I wouldn't listen.

What are you doing?

I don't know.

It's playing back instead of recording.

WILFORD CLAYTON

There was an explosion and the fire broke out in the dye room.

I never said that. What are you trying to pull?

You must have said it.

It's on the tape.

WILFORD CLAYTON

People were running and screaming everywhere.

Some were trapped and couldn't escape.

Nine people died.

Stop.

Stop it.

WILFORD CLAYTON [ON TAPE Nine people died.

Nine people died.

Why won't this thing turn off?

WILFORD CLAYTON [ON TAPE I denied it all

and collected the insurance.

That's how I built

Clayton Fabrics and Textiles into the company it is today.

No.

No.

It's not true!

Mr. Clayton?

Wilfred Clayton

survived the massive stroke he had that day

and became a changed man.

His autobiography was released shortly

before his death a year later.

He gave me full writing credit.

And in his will, he left Clayton Fabrics

and Textiles to the families of those

that perished in the fire.

How did Wilfred Clayton's confession get on that tape?

Martin had left the recorder with Clayton a number of times.

Did Clayton recorded confession out of guilt

and then push the wrong button trying to erase it?

Or was his brain in such a pre-stroke condition

that he might have said something involuntarily?

Or was it the ghosts of nine dead workers

controlling things from beyond?

Is this story of the mysterious autobiography

researched with facts?

Or should you check our references?

Next, you'll find out which of our stories

are facts 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 man who may have come back from the dead to give

his wife a special gift?

Mr. Hibbard.

Jeez, what happened to you?

I need you to do me a favor.

Well, sure.

Did you get your medicine?

I need you to put this in the motel safe for me.

I'm afraid I might lose it.

What What is it?

Thank you.

If you thought this story was based on a real life

occurrence, you're right.

Our research uncovered a similar incident.

How about the wheelchair-bound man

with the apparent psychic ability?

I was just passing by, minding my own business,

when this guy comes running up, pistol whips the gun,

knocks me out of my chair.

What kind of punk would do that, huh?

To a guy in a wheelchair.

- I don't know. - They're scum.

That's what they are-- scum.

Mr. Siegmeier, you told Officer Hanna that you

knew where we could find them.

Is that true?

Yeah.

It's true.

I got this special power that comes and goes.

Sometimes when I get real mad, I see

flashes of stuff in my mind.

Stuff?

What kind of stuff?

Well, after that guy knocked me down, I was yelling at him,

and this address just popped into my head.

1211 Carlson Street.

Is that where you think they are?

I know that's where they are.

I can feel it.

This one has to be false, right?

Wrong.

Our research shows a similar incident

happened on the Virginia-North Carolina

border in the mid '80s.

How about the couple who loved each other

overcame a serious medical crisis?

It's so hard, Julie.

JULIE DRISCOLL Gary.

Julie.

Julie, I heard you.

No, I didn't imagine that.

That was you.

It was your voice.

Julie, say something to me.

Say something again.

Please.

I hear you, Gary.

I hear you too, Julie.

I hear you.

JULIE DRISCOLL I can move.

Have you heard a story like this before?

You may have.

A similar event happened in the Rocky Mountain area

in the early '90s.

Let's have one more look at the story

of the little boy from Kansas who seemed to be

possessed by a Chinese spirit.

Jim, what's going on?

I don't know.

The bowl was made 100 years ago by master artist Wen Ching.

It was entrusted to my great-grandfather,

who was Wen Ching's apprentice.

He was to keep it until they met again.

And so they have.

What are you saying?

The spirit of the great artist Wen Ching is in your son.

Did a similar story to this one take place?

Perhaps.

But our presentation is a lie.

The story of the writer who discovered

a mysterious confession on his tape recorder--

how did you judge that one?

We're recording.

Now, let's see.

WILFORD CLAYTON

He tried to warn me about the fire hazard.

But I wouldn't listen.

What are you doing?

I don't know.

It's playing back instead of recording.

WILFORD CLAYTON

There was an explosion and a fire broke out in the dye room.

I never said that. What are you trying to pull?

You must have said it.

It's on the tape.

WILFORD CLAYTON

People were running and screaming everywhere.

Some were trapped, couldn't escape.

Nine people died.

Stop it.

Stop it.

WILFORD CLAYTON [ON TAPE Nine people died.

Nine people died.

Nine people died.

Why won't this thing turn off?

WILFORD CLAYTON [ON TAPE I denied it all

and collected the insurance.

That's how I built Clayton Fabrics and Textiles

into the company it is today.

Is this story so strange that it must be true?

Not this time.

It's fiction.

How did you accomplish your mission tonight?

We you able to predict which of our stories were based on truth

and which were here to fool you?

However you did, be proud of your achievement,

because the challenge of separating fact from fiction

is a challenge that is truly beyond belief.

I'm Jonathan Frakes.

Wheelchair Man and The Vigil

are true based on firsthand research conducted

by author Robert Tralins.

For "Beyond Belief," this is Campbell Lane.