Stir of Echoes

OK.

Jackson came over to play.

Superheroes!

I was Black Power Ranger.

He was Batman.

Jake, are you OK in there, buddy?

I'm OK.

Can I ask you a question?

OK! Time to hit the sack.

- An important question.

- There we go, big guy. Come on.

- Can I wear bugs?

- Bug pyjamas... are all the way downstairs.

But fire trucks are here.

- Bugs.

- Fire trucks.

- Bugs.

- Fire trucks.

- Bugs.

- OK, bugs.

I'll be right back.

Does it hurt to be dead?

- Animal.

- What did I do now?

- Can I tell him?

- If you wanna die.

- Well, your beer-addled sperm still work.

- Lisa!

- You impregnated my sister again.

- B*tch!

- I thought you wanted me to?

- I said "Don't"!

The kid could have been born

before he'd notice.

- You're not pregnant.

- I feel "Congratulations" is more appropriate.

- You told her before you told me.

- She's a witch!

She took one look at me and guessed.

Say something!

Bummer.

Something else!

So... she's six weeks pregnant.

That means the baby's due in April, May,...

...June. Gemini. That's cool.

Einstein was a Gemini.

- So's that Scottish gal from Garbage.

- Will you go help Jake with his pyjamas?

- If she's late...

- Lisa, I swear to God,...

...start with the Dionne Warwick stuff,

I'll throw you out the f***in' window.

- So please help him with the pyjamas.

- Love you, too, Tom!

Hey, this is great. I mean it.

It's about time we had another kid.

I was gonna bring it up myself.

- Really?

- Absolutely!

- This time, you gotta take some time off.

- Please! We can't afford that!

- We can. I'm gonna hit the overtime again.

- I don't want you to work those hours again.

You come home in a trance.

You're completely useless to me.

I'm gonna be fine, OK?

I'm just gonna tell Teddy

to get somebody else for the thing.

- Oh, God! Oh, Tom!

- What?

I'm sorry. I completely forgot.

No wonder you're pissed off.

I'm not pissed off. I just...

No, I'm... I'm not. I'm not.

I'm a grown man. I shouldn't be screwing

around with some shitty band anyway.

Hey, look, I-I... I gotta go change.

You know, put on something cool.

I love you.

I'm... I'm a happy guy.

You know, I'm not gonna be a lineman

forever, I promise you that.

Whaddaya mean?

I clip... clip wire all day.

A monkey could do it.

Yeah, but they're gonna

move you into the office soon.

No, I meant, when we first got together, I said

a lotta stuff about what I was gonna be,...

...and I just wanted you to know that, uh...

I wasn't giving you some kinda line,...

...that I meant it.

I didn't marry you because I thought

you were gonna be famous.

I just liked the way your ass looked in jeans.

I never wanted to be famous. I just, uh...

I didn't expect to be... so...

What?

I don't know.

Ordinary.

Shhh.

Hang on! Hang on!

You know, I hope it's a girl.

I'm kinda sick of all these balls

around the house. Except for yours, babe.

What are the odds on an educated single man

being at this thing?

And I don't mean a GED!

- Does it matter if he's on the boner pill?

- I wouldn't look a gift-boner in the mouth.

Nice - that's very nice, Lisa!

- Hey! How you been?

- Hey, Tom, Tom, Tommy! How ya doin'?

Oh, you would not believe the day I had.

- Take this. I'll get another.

- Thanks.

- Harry.

- Tom. Taking care of the place for me?

We're drilling holes all over your floors!

I hope you don't mind.

Tom, you know my squaw Sheila.

Bobby, Vanessa.

- Thanks for having me.

- Drink up! Take your medicine.

Tom, how do you like the neighbourhood?

I grew up in Bridgeport,

so it's not like it's a foreign country.

You're goddamn right.

This is the best neighbourhood in Chicago.

We all look out for each other. That's

saying a lot as we approach the year 2000.

- Are you running for mayor?

- Hey, did any of you guys...

- ...see them crank dealers...

- What is Lenny doing here?

Bobby, did you tell him you had a party?

- Vanessa made me. We invited everybody.

- To actually invite this jack- off...!

Oh, yeah, laugh it up!

When you wake up dead with your throat cut,

don't come crying to me!

Not attracted to.

Not drunk enough for.

Frightened by!

Argh!

Don't touch me. I'm fine.

Haven't you heard about people being

operated on when they're under hypnosis?

Yeah, but I don't believe in any of that.

People who say they were hypnotised

were just playing along.

- Certo.

- Really?

Then how could they have a scalpel stuck

into their throat without even bleeding?

- Bullshit!

- You never saw that happen!

- That's bullshit!

- Learn another word!

Yeah, what about "narrow-minded"?

I saw a guy in my class get a two-inch needle

stuck into his arm by my instructor...

- ...when he was under hypnosis.

- Horseshit! That better, honey?

I saw a picture of it the next day.

It left a mark.

What I don't understand is

how a person that's been to college...

...can believe all that superstitious crap.

- It isn't superstitious!

- Come on!

- I'm practically a licensed hypnotherapist.

- "Practically"?

Isn't that like saying

"I don't have a licence"? Ow! My arm!

This may come as a surprise to you, but just

because you lived here for your whole life...

...doesn't mean that there isn't

a whole larger world out there,...

...doorways you haven't even opened, things

you wouldn't have any understanding of.

Doorways... OK, OK. All right, Kreskin,

prove it - hypnotise somebody.

- Yeah! Do me.

- No.

- Why not?

- For one, you're hostile.

I'm not hostile!

Do I seem hostile to anybody?

- Uh... yeah.

- Thanks for having us. It was a great party.

Nah, nah, this is just getting good.

Come on, Lisa. Hypnotise me. Come on!

- No. You're drunk.

- I'm not drunk!

You're not supposed to mesmerise

somebody who's been drinking!

Mesmerise! No! Stop!

Oh, please! I'm begging you.

Educate the savages.

It won't work with

that kind of uncooperative attitude.

I swear to you, I'll follow

every instruction to the letter.

It still won't work.

Come on.

What's the worst that can happen?

- Somebody turn out the lights.

- Oh, yeah!

Whoo!

All right, just relax. Put your arm down.

Just rest it comfortably. Just lean back.

Just be very comfortable and relaxed.

Trust me. OK?

- Close your eyes.

- Certainly, Lisa.

Now... just listen for a moment.

Listen to the sounds of the room around you.

I don't know why, but I'm scared.

Now I want you to pretend

you're in a theatre.

A movie theatre,

You're the only one there.

It's one of those great old movie palaces.

When you look around,

it's a huge, empty theatre.

You notice that the walls of the theatre

are painted in black.

The seats... are covered in black.

And in the whole pitch-black theatre,...

...there's only one thing you can see,

and that's the white screen.

You'll notice there are letters on the screen...

tall, thick, black letters.

But they're out of focus, so you drift closer

to them in your chair, trying to read them.

You're very comfortable now.

It's your favourite chair.

You're drifting closer and closer,

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