No! Don't!
Bitch!
Mama!
Stop.
Mama.
Who was that man?
Yes, I saw it. What's going on?
Please, no, don't scream.
Please, answer me. Don't scream!
Stop!
Get up.
Well, is he still awake?
Still sitting right where he was last night.
Beat to the sock, but wide awake.
Boy doesn't sleep, he doesn't dream.
He doesn't dream, he can't be reached.
He's got to roost some time, sugar.
What's the matter?
What can Lila do to make you feel better?
Nothing.
- Good morning, boss. - What's good about it?
Enter.
- Hey, Samson. - Lila.
He wants to see me.
Yeah.
I'll be out in a moment.
Watch your step.
Gonna need us a skull. Small one.
- Dog, cat. Don't matter. - Christ.
Burley, I hope you like the taste of pride...
'cause that's all there is gonna be to eat around here soon.
- Osgood. - Yeah.
- Run and get me a turtle shell. - Okay.
Where the hell am I supposed to get that?
You start with the turtles...
that dries up, you move on to the tortoises.
Possum, rustle me up some fryers. Dozen or so.
- Hell. - What?
Fixing to play a fireball show.
Damn straight. We got nothing in the kitty.
Things are tight around here. Haven't you noticed?
- What's a fireball show? - How am I supposed to pay for the fryers?
You want I should just sculpt them out of corn meal?
Six bits on the fryers.
Osgood, for the turtle.
- What's a fireball show? - Shut up, Osgood.
All right, get the word out. We're going wide open tonight.
Wide as we can go. Trim the chumps for all they're worth.
Now, git.
Jonesy, what the hell is a fireball show?
Rita Sue.
- Clayton. - Yes, ma'am.
I got some lights that are giving me trouble.
Think you could come by later and take a look?
No problem at all.
Woman's built like a brick bean oven.
Shut up, Osgood.
You look like a chewed up piece of twine, Hawkins.
Does that mean anything to you?
You kicked up a big cloud of dust stealing something just like it from Boffo.
Spike the back.
Go on.
You know what them initials stand for?
Henry Scudder.
That's right.
It's yours. Take it.
I don't want it.
The way I see it, rightfully belongs to you.
- How's that? - 'Cause it belonged to your daddy.
Come on by the ten-in-one after lunch.
If you want to, we'll have a chat.
A million hobos riding the rails. Hobos, that's what he called them.
Forget the state police. After today, we'll have an army looking for him.
Then I guess our baby will be blessed.
Join us tomorrow for another chapter...
of The Romance of Erica S. brought to you by Cream of Wheat.
Come on, we're on.
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Now, ladies and gentlemen, we present a special broadcast...
of True Tales from on the Road.
A program devoted to true tales and music of these hard times...
reported by our own Tommy Dolan.
Good morning, friends.
Today, in the continuing saga of Brother Justin, we have...
a wonderful treat.
With us is a remarkable woman:
Brother Justin's sister, Miss Iris Crowe.
Hello.
Folks, believe it or not, this is the lovely Miss Crowe's first time on radio.
She is here to send a message to her brother.
A man we have spoken of many times in this program.
A man who is still missing...
still out there somewhere.
Justin.
It's me.
If you can hear the sound of my voice, I want you...
to know that I'm praying for you.
Everyone in Mintern is praying for you.
Norman...
the migrants...
even some we used to count as enemies.
I love you.
God will grant you peace if only you will return home.
Come on.
Hey, Jonesy.
I'd give you a hand but I have a crick in the neck.
It's okay, I got it.
Turtle Boy?
Samson is blowin' a hole in the bottom of the barrel.
Man-eating chicken?
That is just....
So how was it?
I mean, with Rita Sue. Did you have a good time?
Sure. It was fine.
Pardon.
Did you do that extra special thing she does, the one with the feather?
Hell, Stumpy. What do you want, a blow by blow?
She was swell, okay?
Just swell?
With Rita Sue, that's practically a complaint.
She was great, fantastic.
I got a hell of a lot of things here, you know.
I'll see you later, Stump.
See you later.
I've been looking all over for you.
- Samson's been driving us like a demon. - Jonesy.
What?
Want to take a walk or something later?
Sure. That'd be fine.
Good.
Your sleeping habits are of grave concern to the man in the trailer.
That's real sweet.
Tell him I appreciate it.
There's no need to be afraid.
- Afraid of what? - Hawkins, please.
There is much I haven't told you...
but I have never lied to you, not once.
I'm only interested in truth.
And the truth is you're an extremely important man. Not just to me.
- What? - The gift.
It must be practiced if you wish to attain the skill necessary to control it.
If you don't, you risk placing everyone you know...
everyone you love...
in mortal danger.
And that is what happened to Scudder.
You must sleep, Ben.
You must listen to what your dreams tell you.
- But.... - No matter how terrible.
They will guide you.
They will teach you to face your own power and control it.
- I can't. - You must.
The cost of cowardice is far too high. You know that.
Your mother...
she was only the first victim.
- What do you know about it? - I know you could have saved her.
And yet, you let her die.
How many more men, Hawkins? How many more must die?
Go to hell.
Yes, I suppose I will.
Did you ever know anybody that went crazy?
Crazy, like, just wild...
or full-on basket-weavin', eyes-rollin' nuts?
Nuts.
Oh, yeah. I do.
Homer Griffin.
Shortstop.
Real bright penny.
Was it slow, or did he just go batty?
Gradual-like, little things here and there.
Like what?
Sometimes we'd catch him staring off into space.
Real googly eyes, like Bela Lugosi.
What else?
Started taking real long showers.
Scrubbed himself bloody one day singing, Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
They took him out, all right.
What?
I think Mama's going crazy.
It's been gradual.
Like you said.
Last night....
Go on.
Last night I saw some things.
Things, I guess, she used to be able to keep from me.
And now she can't.
Sorry.
Where are you going?
Samson said the carnival was short-handed--
- What do you want me to do? I'll do it. - I don't want you to do anything.
- I am not talking about the red pig. - Me, neither.
Sit down. Just for a little while.
- I really don't wanna talk about it. - Please!
Where did you get that fob?
Funny. You didn't seem that interested in it this morning.
Where did it come from?
What does it mean to you?
Something happened with you and Boffo's ring, didn't it?
Maybe.
There's a lot of people sniffing around you.
Lodz, Apollonia...
man in the trailer.
Care to tell me why?
- Not a clue. - No.
I'll tell you something.
We didn't pick you up that day by chance.
Is that a fact?
That is a fact.
From the deepest, darkest bayou of Louisiana:
Turtle Boy.
I lied to you.
I said I didn't know her.
This your mama?
And furthermore, I reckon Hack Scudder is your daddy.
He left us flat.
I wouldn't give two cents for that no-account.
When he left your mama, it broke him. Bad.
He didn't say nothing. He didn't have to.
Is this yours?
Management's.
How come he never comes out of that trailer?
I ain't at liberty to say.
You don't have to worry about it, though. He's a good man.
More than I can say for your friend, the professor.
Who, Lodz?
Wouldn't call him a friend.
Well, that's good.
I wouldn't trust that eel with his own mother.
But even eels...
have certain talents.
It was good just talking.
Yeah.
We should do it again, maybe.
It's gonna be okay.
Rita Sue.
Listen, we got to talk.
I can't. Felix is in the tent.
Come by tonight before the cootch.
It's been quite a while since I had a good woman wait on me.
Rita Sue.
I'm sorry about that whole deal with Jonesy.
I just don't know what I was thinking.
It's okay.
He was just another trick.
What should I do if he wants to come back?
You know what to do.
Yeah.
- You had fun. - I was terrified.
- You were good. - No, I--
You were.
It was an experience.
Thank you, for all you've done for Justin.
We're in this together.
That's what Justin always used to say to me.
He's a hero to me, too, Iris.
Thanks to you.
- What are you doing? - What?
- You just ought to be ashamed of yourself. - Hey, hold on, Iris.
Iris, hey, I didn't....
Come one, come all.
Real, alive, and on stage. Ten acts for the price of one.
There's Lodz, the mentalist.
He can read your mind. Probe your deepest, darkest thought.
Because you're such fine, hardworking folks...
tell you what I'm going to do. Tonight all the tickets are free.
Why don't we go on the Ferris wheel?
Line them up now.
- I'll be right beside you. Don't be scared. - All right.
Okay?
Easy, partner, let him get settled in. Let him go.
You ain't gonna be scared up there, are you?
All right. Climb on, then.
And just as she was about to give birth...
the poor woman was scared spitless by a giant turtle.
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and behold:
The man-eating chicken.
Damn teeth could be alive.
When this vicious predator...
has finished with his victim, nothing remains but bones.
Step right up, folks. Stay as long as you care.
Or dare.
Ladies and gentlemen...
the man eating chicken.
We've been gypped. We want our money back.
You paid to see a man eating chicken, you got a man eating chicken.
- What kind of show-- - Whoa!
Hold on there, friends.
What would happen...
if you all went out and told your friends to come see...
the man-eating chicken.
It'll cost them a nickel, too.
Yeah.
I'm receiving a strong mental vibration...
from the owner of this item.
It's a woman.
Heck, everyone knows a woman's watch is smaller than a fellow's.
You're right.
Excuse me. Allow me to try harder.
This was purchased from a traveling salesman.
- Outside Waco. - He's right.
- As a wedding present. - That's true.
Oh, Lord. That's true.
Difficult.
I need your help.
Will all of you please concentrate on this watch?
"To spend all time with you."
Does this phrase have any meaning to you?
It's what Orville said when he gave me the watch.
His exact words.
How did he do that?
It's what he does.
Another item, please.
In hoc signo vinces.
By this sign, we conquer.
Hey. How did you know what he was saying?
Where in the hell did you learn Latin?
Latin?
You better hurry up and get born, kid. You'll have to trust somebody sometime.
The way things are shapin' up around here, it's either gonna be me, or that one in there.
Your call, boy.
Go on. Go help Ruthie.
Now that should do it.
- You've made real progress here. - Yes, considerable.
- Good luck. - Thank you, Doctor.
Be still.
Rita Sue.
Come on in.
- I was just thinking-- - I don't know--
You go ahead.
I was just going to say...
I don't want you to take this personal or nothing...
but last time...
got to be the last time.
You know what I'm saying?
I know.
So you ain't steamed or hurt or nothing?
Good. That's real good.
You are a damn fine man, Jonesy.
You ain't too bad yourself.
Good. I'm glad that's settled.
Now, that's what I call snake charming.
Show your appreciation.
Come on, now, gentlemen.
That's the idea.
I've never seen nothing like that before. It was raining silver.
You're sounding more like a carny every day.
Yeah.
You're flaxed out, boy.
When's the last time you got shuteye?
I'm okay.
- It's okay. - No.
- Ben. - I'm sorry.
Sofie.
Ain't it a little late to be sitting out here smoking a cigarette?
I can't go in there.
Why not?
Sofie.
My mother always told me that my father left her.
He didn't.
He raped her.
She told you that?
No, I saw it.
I saw it in my head like I hear her voice.
Since when?
Last night.
She sees things that no one else does.
I mean, in the present, in the past.
It's all the same to her.
I'm starting to see it, too.
At least now we know why we've had so much trouble with young Hawkins.
I see. We should've known that from Babylon.
So I take it we're moving on.
Fireball shows, they leave us with no other choice.
That's good. I'll get some sleep.
Rest easy.
I almost forgot.
Well played, little man.
I wouldn't keep him waiting.
I wonder if that poor baby is ever going to get to the Land of Nod.
He will.