All language subtitles for One.Step.Beyond.S03E17.Dead.Mans.Tale.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-squalor

The frontier
town of Port Williams

on the western
seacoast of Canada,

jumping off place for
the great lumber forests,

the far northern gold
country, and tonight,

that realm where the impossible

and the incredible
are commonplace.

The Port Williams hotel,
rooms a $1.25 and up.

Up to $2.00, but at this
stage of their lives,

$2.00 is important money
to Jan and Phillip Waris,

because they've come to the end,

the dismal end of a
long-cherished dream.

But for Phillip Waris,
tonight is also the beginning

of an adventure beyond
his wildest dreams.

Beyond belief, yet it happened.

Check out time's 12 noon,
bathroom's down the hall.

Thank you.

Well, we've sure come
a long way, haven't we?

I guess we stand it
here for one night.

Yeah.
- Phil.

It's not the end of the world.

Anyway, what have we lost,
eight or nine months?

That's not all we
lost, we lost the farm,

every dime we saved, didn't
even have enough money

to buy a pair of
shoes or dresses.

That lousy flat we lived
in for three years.

Hamburgers or spaghetti every
night, month after month.

You don't like my spaghetti?

I've given you
nothing but a bad time

ever since we've been married.

Will you stop?

So you were a bust as a farmer,

you're a darned
good newspaper man.

The Gazette'll be very glad
to have you back, you'll see.

Sure, sure, all I have to do

is tell them I'm coming
and they'll arrange

a ticker tape parade
around Dominion Square.

Why don't you go down
and get the train tickets?

The walk'll do you good.

Because I don't have the money.

What?

I said I don't have the money.

What about the
money from the farm?

We didn't get 3,500 the
way I said, we only got 28.

22 we owed on the mortgage and
the creditors got the rest.

You mean we're broke, not
even enough for train fare?

Not even enough for
this room for very long.

That's why you
were so depressed.

What are we gonna do, Phil?

I'll try to get a
job, I don't know what,

but we won't starve.

Look, we will be
able to save enough

to get back to
Montreal eventually.

Eventually, who
long is eventually?

Look, I know I made
a mess of things.

Baby, now please don't
cry, we'll make out.

Okay, okay.

Apparently the last
tenant in this room

had money troubles
too, he went right

to the heart of the problem.

The Gold Miner's Handbook.

First thing tomorrow
I'll try to find us a place

where we can fix our meals.

Phil?

Phil, what's so fascinating?

What?
- That book, you're staring

at it as though it were
a thousand dollar bill.

I don't know, when I saw
this name written here, I...

Larry Barton, so?

I don't know, it's screwy.

Look, we better get finished

and go to bed,
it's getting late.

Phil, I'm real sorry
I made that fuss.

It's just I wanted to...

Phil?

Phil!

What's the matter?
- You tell me.

Tell you? What?

Phil, what is it,
what's the matter?

Nothing.

Nothing!

Get up, there's gonna be
line at that bathroom door.

Port Williams,
September 7th 1960.

Out of the gold country
of the far north today

came a shocking story of the
corruption of the human spirit

caused by the poisonous
erosion of greed.

Just three months ago
Lawrence Barton, 42,

and his 38 year old brother
Robert took the train

from Quebec to this
west coast port town --

After purchasing gold mining
equipment and supplies here

they embarked for
Skagway, and there set out

on horseback for the vast
country of the Canadian Yukon.

The club footed Lawrence
and his younger broth...

club foot, that's laying it
on a little thick, isn't it?

Maybe, but it's
got a great start.

Such modesty, since when
did you become a writer?

I didn't write this!

You didn't?
- Are you serious?

Now wait a minute, wait a
minute, I do recall waking up.

Yes, I woke up
suddenly, thinking about

that gold miner's handbook
for some strange reason.

And I got out of bed

and I picked it out
of the wastebasket,

but, that's all I remember.

I don't recall
writing anything or,

or even going back to bed.

Boy, get under the
shower and wake up.

In the shower I figured out
what must have set me off.

Larry Barton,

the name in this handbook.

The brothers in that yarn are
Lawrence and Robert Barton.

It's an absolutely
fascinating story, Phil.

What?

You still don't
remember writing this?

Nope.

Don't you think this
is a little strange?

More than a little, but
what can I do about it?

Boy, I know, you can
finish it and send it

to J.T. Carter, he'll
buy this in a minute.

Look, he's a newspaper editor,

not a publisher of fairy tales.

This is perfect
Sunday supplement stuff.

Look, but it isn't true.

And I'll get myself in a
fine fix sending in a hoax.

Who would care?

You send the paper
an exciting story

and we get the train
fare back to Montreal.

Honey.
- I'm serious, Phil.

This is a darned good story.

These two brothers traveling
through the mountain country

up north looking for gold,
all the trouble they get into

and how they're lost and
they haven't any food.

I don't care what
you say, this is just

the kind of thing they want.

Like this part here,
look, where you say,

"Actually the mine
is only 16 miles

"from the settlement of Riverton,"
only they don't know it.

And with all this gold
they're starving to death.

Brother.

There they are, just
sitting there thinking

of nothing but theat gold
and hating each other.

Each waiting for the other to
make a move toward his gun.

What a situation.
- How does it end?

Well, they kill
each other, naturally.

Phil, I'm serious, if
you put an ending to this --

It ends, where it belongs,

in the wastebasket.

And any five year old
could figure that out.

Look, that's what's
wrong with it,

besides being a fake, I'm off.

Mr. Waris, train just
came in from the east.

Thanks.

What about this?

Take a look!

They bought it!

Brothers kill each
other over gold discovery,

by Phillip Waris.

How about that check?

Jan, I simply don't think --

Phil, listen, I've
cut out every reference

to that club foot.

Read Carter's letter.

It says it's a first
rate job of reporting.

He doesn't even
object to the ending.

Keep reading.
- A followup story?

Yes, they've already
sent a man to Quebec

to dig up background material
on the Barton family.

What do they think about the
brothers who killed each other?

And what about the
mine, who gets it?

Don't you see the
wonderful possibilities

of exploiting this story?

And they'll want pictures
too, of the mine,

of the bodies, of me.

You're making a celebrity
out of me, do you know that?

A fraud.

The least that'll
happen I'll never work

for another newspaper
as long as I live.

I'm sorry, I just didn't
think of all those things.

I'll say you didn't think.

But I just wanted us
to have enough money

so I could get to
a decent hospital.

Hospital, Jan, why
didn't you tell me?

Hospital, whatever
possessed you to go --

Get the door.

Yes?
- Mr. Waris? Phillip Waris?

Yes?
- I'm Mrs. Lawrence Barton.

Mrs. Lawrence Barton?

Yes, I don't want to intrude.

I just want to thank you.

Thank me?

Yes, I suppose I
knew Larry was dead.

I hadn't heard from him
in over three months.

But I'd never have known
what really happened

if I hadn't read your story.

Mrs. Barton, please
come in and sit down.

Thank you.

Mrs. Barton, your husband
stayed in this room.

At least I think he did.

And that's really
all I know about him.

Well, I don't understand.

Aren't you the Phillip
Waris who wrote this story?

Yes, I wrote it.

But I made it up, Mrs. Barton.

What, why are you lying to me?

I'm not, when we took this room

we found a book belonging
to your husband,

with his name in it,
and I unconsciously just

used his name, but the rest
was sheer fiction, believe me.

Mrs. Barton, I know
I did a terrible thing,

an unforgivable thing.

But it just never occurred
to me that Larry Barton

would have a wife somewhere.

I just didn't stop to think.

Mrs. Barton, this is
not his fault, it's mine.

I sent that story in.

You see, we needed money --

Stop it, stop it!

Are you both insane or do you
think I'm a complete fool?

I can't imagine why you're
trying to do this to me,

but I'm going to claim my
husband's body and Robert's too.

And you better not try to do
anything further to prevent me.

Mrs. Barton, please,
wait a minute, wait.

Now Mrs. Barton, does
your husband really have

a brother named Robert?

And did they go
up north together?

But what about the other
things of the story?

They can't all be true!

Their ages, their, their deep
affection for each other.

Mr. Waris, what
do you want of me?

Mrs. Barton, I don't know
how to explain this to you.

It's all an impossible,
horrible coincidence.

My husband did
make up that story.

So you see, your
husband's probably alive.

I'm sure he is.

Wherever he is, I'm
going to find him.

Mrs. Barton, I'll help you.

Believe me, if he's
alive, I'll find him.

Please.

How do?
- Hello.

Say, I wonder if
you could help me.

I'm looking for two men,
brothers, their name's Barton.

Never heard of
them, what'd they do?

Well, they're supposed
to be up in this country

prospecting for gold.

It's mighty big country.

Yes, well can you tell me this?

Is there any gold mining
at all in this area?

I mean nearby, within
50 or 100 miles?

Never heard of any gold
being found in this area.

Well, is there someone
who knows for certain?

I'm also the government
claims officer.

Any gold found, the claim's
gotta be recorded with me

or it don't belong
to the finder.

I see.

You know this
country pretty well?

Been parking my feet on
that there pot bellied stove

for the past eight years.

I wonder if you'd be
familiar with this at all.

Just 16 miles east
of Riverton they came

upon the first sign
of human habitation

in more than 11
weeks, a miner's cabin

on the south shore of a
small, heart-shaped lake.

But there was no
one in the cabin.

They forded the shallow
water and came upon

a small, one man mine.

Inside they found a miner,
he had been dead for weeks,

victim of a rock slide when one

of his shoring
timbers broke loose.

Hey, there is a little
heart-shape lake out that way.

There is?
- Yeah.

Just about 16 miles
east of here too.

I haven't been up there
in a couple of years,

but I don't think you'd
find a cabin or a mine,

not to mention a miner.

Nobody'd be mining anyway.

Say, would you sell me
a pair of field glasses?

Why sure, sure thing.

Are you Lawrence Barton?
- Robert.

Where's your brother?
- The mine.

Where's that?

The other end of the lake.

Yes, I know where it is.

All right, come on, I'll
give you a hand into the bed.

Come on.

Here we go.

Hey, be careful,
he'll shoot, careful.

Look, I'll go for help,
I'll be back as soon as I can.

Mr. Barton!

Mr. Barton.

Mr. Barton, your wife is
very worried about you.

Mr. Barton, I'm not
going to hurt you, I, I,

Mr. Barton, your wife is in
Port Williams and she, she,

Mr. Barton.

Mr. Barton!

Lawrence Barton was dead.

He was dead from
cold and hunger.

But as Phillip
Waris had written,

days before it actually happened,
he was really the victim

of the corruption
of the human spirit,

caused by the erosion of
fear, mistrust and greed.

The story that he
had typed that night

in some sort of psychic
seizure turned out to be true.

Only the ending proved
to be inaccurate.

He couldn't get that part from
the mind of Lawrence Barton

because it hadn't yet happened.

What do you call this sort
of fantastic occurrence?

Well, it's sometimes
almost impossible

to label things accurately,
particularly when we know

so little about what
we're trying to label.

However, the scientists
who study psychic phenomena

have devised 14 separate
categories, or 14 labels.

They are precognition, possession,
clairvoyance and so on.

And as research continues,
more are being added.

Is the story you've just seen
then telepathy or psychometry?

Or perhaps both, or
perhaps both and more.

No one can say yet for certain,

all that we can say for certain

is that the story you've
just seen is not fiction.

It happened.

Next week, and every week,
we'll be bringing you

the personal records
of the rarest kind

of human experience,
man's adventure

in the world of the unknown,
that mysterious psychic world

beyond our five senses.

This is your invitation
to take with us

that astonishing
one step beyond.