hello, mr. foster.
it's the unemployment office.
i'm sorry, but your benefits
as of the 2nd, 17th, 99 have expired.
you have my number
but i'm afraid there's really nothing i can do.
the year is nineteen hundred and ninety-nine.
within the box, evidence that some things
do not change with the passage of time.
its contents—
the collected debris of a shattered life.
now valuable only for the dimes and nickels
they can solicit from a third party.
a familiar process
and a familiar long walk
that is about to lead into the unfamiliar terrain
of the twilight zone.
yes, sir?
something i can help you with?
well, ah, if...
i'm afraid i'm not buying.
ah, selling then.
yeah.
bring it here.
let's see what you got.
i know it's not much.
it's hard times—
things going wrong.
mm-hmm.
you hear that a lot in here, huh?
yes, i do.
fifty dollars.
the watch alone is worth that.
make it 60, but that's as high as i'll go.
there's a depression on.
you can take it somewhere else.
you won't get more.
when you come back the offer will be 50.
flat.
couldn't you make it 65?
done.
you sure you've nothing else to sell?
no.
you weren't sent here, were you?
referred?
referred, no.
if i had anything else, it would be in the box.
i got nothing left.
i'll tell you what i have— a gut full of pain.
make me an offer.
what's the going price for pain these days?
perhaps there's something else
we can negotiate.
come.
you're familiar, i trust, with memory dipping?
only what i read in the papers.
supposed to be the big trend—
renting people's memories.
it's become quite popular
among those able to afford it.
the usual practice is to scan one's memories
and copy them onto a computer chip.
you can take a skier
copy his memory of his best race
and by plugging into that
you can experience what he felt—
his feelings, his thoughts, how the snow felt
the crowd's roar at the finish line.
a fascinating concept, isn't it
mr...?
foster.
mr. foster.
unfortunately, copied memories are not
as vivid as some like.
like a video that's been dubbed too many times
the color is washed out.
the experience less than 100% real.
so a market has developed for connoisseurs
looking to sample a far more intense experience.
for that they require, not dubbing
but direct transference.
we go in electronically, and slice away memories—
a minute, an hour, a year.
we can remove these memories
and store them for use by others.
the experience is quite painless, of course.
and illegal.
eminently.
and the wonder of it all
is the product is not a distortion of reality.
it is reality distilled.
for those who buy, the risk is quite worthwhile.
as for those who sell
the rewards are quite reasonable.
how much would i get?
depends on what we find.
i've never really done anything special.
unnecessary.
look at the soap operas, mr. foster.
no alien invasions, no vast sagas.
but they know the value of voyeurism
and so do i.
i'll have to think about it.
of course.
i wouldn't have it any other way.
do think about it.
and while you're thinking about it, think on this—
what have your memories done for you lately, mr. foster?
third reminder, foster.
in case you've forgotten, the rent's due
the first of every month.
today is the sixth.
either i get the rent from you by tomorrow
or i'm throwing you out.
am i clear?
have a nice day.
it's not fair, you know.
very little in life is, mr. foster.
i've just had a very good offer
from a fellow who collects high school graduations.
it's a pleasure to present this student
with not only his diploma, but also this watch
in recognition of leading the fund-raising
for the new gymnasium.
congratulations, simon foster.
mr. foster?
here.
drink this.
for some reason
the process tends to dehydrate a little.
a perfect transfer.
how do you feel?
i don't feel any different.
of course not.
but now there's just a tiny gap in your memory.
just so.
everything between 8:00 in the morning
and 8:00 in the evening
of the day in question— 12 hours, poof, gone.
and are you any the less for it?
no.
in fact, i would dare say
you are quite the richer for it.
well, good doing business with you, mr. foster.
next time...
there won't be a next time.
i just needed enough to get ahead a little.
that's all.
thank you for your help.
as you say.
but if you ever change your mind...
be seeing you, mr. foster.
600, 620, 625.
thank you.
now, if you don't mind...
next month, too.
new policy.
a lot of transients coming through.
owner says we need an extra month's rent.
you can't do that.
i'll tell you what.
go to the housing commission and tell them about it.
maybe when you get back
you'll find your apartment rented.
one of those clerical errors
you hear so much about.
i'm sorry, but there are no openings in your area.
when a vacancy opens up in your field, you'll be notified.
good-bye.
gone.
you're in luck.
i just got a call
from someone interested in buying birthdays.
happy birthday, simon!
there's five candles, simon.
one for good luck.
close your eyes, make a wish.
make a wish, simon.
blow out the candles.
good boy.
happy birthday, simon.
darling, look at simon.
he's taking his first step.
look!
that's my boy.
i just wanted to say... you're a great dancer.
thank you.
it was very nice.
i have to go inside now
but... i'll never forget this.
punctual. Very good.
we have a job in the repair field
which you're perfect for.
we just have to ask you a few questions.
your high school?
cliffordville high in madison.
two years of junior college.
what was your major?
i... think it was...
your resume
lists engineering.
that's it.
if you could give me a minute
i think i have some records around here somewhere.
i'm sorry, but we are pressed for time.
if you're not ready for this...
no, no, i'm ready!
sorry.
go on.
describe your training in that field during college.
well... I...
i require specifics, mr. foster.
i'm sorry, mr. foster
but if you're not going to cooperate...
wait, please...
it's difficult sometimes.
it's difficult for us all, mr. foster.
the unemployment rate is 32%
there are many applicants...
wait, please.
if you'll just give me a chance.
please resubmit your application.
good day, mr. foster.
you can't do this to me!
come back here!
come back, damn you!
my god.
how many?
how many others?
i run a business, mr. foster.
like any good business, it depends on volume
and diversity.
one must be responsive
to the fluctuations in the market.
oh, save me your grand gestures.
you're not going anywhere.
even if you leave, you'll be back.
your kind always comes back.
we come back because bread is $5 a loaf
and meat you can only buy on the black market.
the only person i see eating is you.
i pay you a fair price.
it's not enough!
you say this minute is worth a nickel,
an hour, maybe a dollar?
five, if something interesting's going on?
what gives you the right to put a price tag on my life?
i didn't.
you did.
yeah.
i did, didn't i?
so what will it be today, mr. quint?
a trip to the zoo?
a ride on a roller coaster?
why don't you take my first marriage
and save us both some grief?
not interested.
i'm only buying one thing today.
we need a companion piece
to the young lady who just left here.
we want to buy
the first time you made love.
i could make you a very good offer.
no.
take it or leave it.
that's all i'm buying at the moment.
walk away and i may not buy anything else.
tell me.
just tell me you love me.
it's not silly.
just tell me you love me.
always.
for ever and ever.
that will be all.
that will be all, mr. foster.
it's over.
your payment is on the counter.
she's in here, isn't she?
don't touch the equipment.
you might damage something.
you know, they say you can always remember
the first time with a woman.
i guess, now, i'm the exception to that rule.
very good. now, if you'll please just...
i want her back.
i changed my mind.
take your money and go.
i want her back.
i want her back in my head where she belongs.
i want my life back.
you've got my life.
i want it back.
you give me my life back.
i want my life back, damn you!
i haven't got it.
i sold it.
it's not here.
then get it.
i can't.
well, i suggest you try
because i don't have anything much to lose.
i want a life.
i want to be whole again.
now.
now!
there is a way.
but it's not perfect.
well, like you said, mr. quint—
"what in life is?"
we received your new application.
very professionally typed.
was it done by a service?
no, ma'am. i typed it myself.
you've added clerk-typist to your job goals
and a number of other occupations.
where exactly did you learn to type?
i had three years of typing at sorworth college.
it's all on the resume.
but sorworth was a women-only college at that time.
how do you explain this?
i graduated college on june 12 on the year shown.
i graduated again on july 1 of the following year.
i graduated lennox high.
also, chula vista high.
mr. foster...
that was shortly after my return from london.
did i tell you i have two children?
i remember when they were born.
it was such a moving time for me, being an only child.
i remember my fifth birthday.
my brother and my sister helped make the decorations...
mr. foster...
but the credentials are what's at issue here.
my german is quite fluent.
i spent most of last year in vienna
and i worked as a translator
and a secretary, and a bus driver
and i interned at theinstitute de neurologica.
prior to that...
exit simon foster—
a patchwork collection of lost dreams, held together
by the stolen memories of strangers.
a man who discovered
that we truly are the sum of our parts.
mr. simon foster, a very special resident
of the twilight zone.
those were such wonderful times.
i remember them so well.