Rewriting the Future: "A Sound of Thunder" – A Full-Cast Psychological Thriller

0:00 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. In Chaos Theory... The phenomenon whereby a minute change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere is commonly referred to as the butterfly effect. To put it simply, a butterfly could flutter its wings in Rio de Janeiro, which would cause a tornado in Chicago.

1:17 Speaker 2: I've shot every animal on the planet.

1:19 Speaker 3: Now.

1:22 Speaker 4: Now I'm bored.

1:23 Speaker 5: I want some excitement.

1:27 Speaker 6: So you want to go after a T-Rex. Do you think you could handle such a task?

1:34 Speaker 2: I've been to the deepest part of Africa. I have bagged the most terrifying animals.

1:39 Speaker 5: A T-Rex?

1:40 Speaker 2: The largest monster on Earth? If you think I'm afraid of such a creature, don't worry. I am not afraid.

1:48 Speaker 6: Aren't you?

1:56 Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, A Sound of Thunder, was adapted from the classic by Ray Bradbury and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Darren Marler, Crimson McKenzie, and Winslow Swan. I'll return shortly with Act 1.

2:18 Speaker 6: Mystery. Horror.

2:20 Speaker 5: Thriller. Suspense.

2:23 Speaker 6: Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swann, now available from Amazon.

2:44 Speaker 1: Time travel. It has been the subject of many movies, TV shows, books, and even radio plays. Something for writers to ponder over, thinking of going forward or backward in time. There are many theories as to what could happen if such a device made it possible to leap from one day to another. But what if it were possible? Where would you go? Or should I ask, when would you go?

3:29 Speaker 5: Is that the time machine?

3:32 Speaker 1: Yes, yes it is.

3:34 Speaker 4: A wonder of science.

3:36 Speaker 5: Unbelievable.

3:38 Speaker 2: Kind of makes you think, doesn't it? I mean, if the election had gone the other way, I might be here trying to run away. Thank God Keith won. I think he's going to make a fine president.

3:50 Speaker 4: Yes, we got lucky. If Thatcher had won, we would have had the worst kind of dictatorship. The man is against everything. Anti-religion, anti-human, anti-intellectual, and a militarist.

4:05 Speaker 5: I'll bet you had a lot of calls.

4:08 Speaker 4: Oh, you have no idea.

4:10 Speaker 3: We've been getting phone calls ever since the election cycle started a year ago. People calling up, you know, Joking, but not joking.

4:21 Speaker 4: Asking if they could go back to 1492. We don't do escapes.

4:29 Speaker 1: Only safaris.

4:30 Speaker 4: Time safaris. Doesn't really matter. He's got elected, so there is nothing to worry about. Do you have your identity card?

4:39 Speaker 1: Oh, yes, of course.

4:42 Speaker 5: Here you are. And my bank card.

4:49 Speaker 4: Very good, Mr.

4:49 Speaker 1: Eccles.

4:50 Speaker 4: Now, the only thing you have to worry about is.

4:53 Speaker 2: Shooting my dinosaur?

4:57 Speaker 5: Well, that's what the sign says, right? Time Safari, Inc.

5:00 Speaker 2: Safaris to any year in the past. You name the animal, we take you there. You shoot it.

5:06 Speaker 1: Great motto.

5:07 Speaker 4: And you wanted the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The tyrant lizard. The most incredible monster in history.

5:15 Speaker 5: Careful.

5:19 Speaker 4: Sign this.

5:21 Speaker 5: What is it?

5:22 Speaker 4: Well, if anything happens to you, we will not be held responsible. Those dinosaurs, they can get hungry.

5:32 Speaker 5: You're just trying to scare me because it won't work.

5:35 Speaker 4: Yes, Mr. Eccles, that is exactly what I'm trying to do. We don't want anyone going who will panic at the first shot. We lost six safari leaders in the past year and a dozen hunters. We are here to give you the ultimate thrill as a hunker. We take you back 65 million years to bag the biggest game in all of time. Don't sign the release and go back home.

6:05 Speaker 2: All right, all right.

6:14 Speaker 5: There. Now, when do we leave?

6:17 Speaker 4: Miss Travers... He's all yours.

6:26 Speaker 6: Here. Put this on and just breathe normally.

6:30 Speaker 5: What are they?

6:32 Speaker 6: It's an oxygen helmet, so you don't pass out. Time travel can be a little unsettling. There's an intercom system we can talk through. And keep the rifle down. Don't need it to go off accidentally.

7:31 Speaker 5: Hey. This is amazing. Hey, can this gun really kill a dinosaur?

7:37 Speaker 6: If you hit him right, some of them have two brains. One in the head, the other further down the spinal column. We don't mess with those.

7:48 Speaker 7: That would be.

7:49 Speaker 5: Pushing our luck. So, how do you kill them?

7:52 Speaker 8: Put two shots into the eyes, blind them, Then go for the brain.

7:58 Speaker 2: Yeah, just think, every hunter who ever lived would envy us today. You know, this makes Africa seem like Chicago.

8:09 Speaker 6: Have you ever been to hell, Mr.

8:13 Speaker 5: Eccles? What? No, of course not.

8:15 Speaker 6: Then don't compare something to something that you don't know anything about.

8:31 Speaker 5: So are we... I mean, have we arrived?

8:37 Speaker 6: Christ hasn't been born yet. Moses hasn't gone on to the mountain to have his talk with God. The pyramids are still into the ground, waiting to be erected. Remember that, Mr. Eccles? Alexander the Great? Napoleon?

8:56 Speaker 5: Hitler?

8:57 Speaker 8: None of that have ever existed.

9:01 Speaker 6: Out there? That is a jungle of 65 million, 2,050 years before President Keith has ever been elected.

9:24 Speaker 1: The butterfly effect was first defined by Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist and mathematician. He introduced the concept in the 1960s while studying weather patterns, illustrating how a simple small change in initial conditions could lead to significant differences in the state later on. Lorenz's work laid the groundwork for what is called chaos theory. I'll be back shortly with Act 2.

9:56 Speaker 7: Have you heard any good books lately? Audiobooks from Winslow Swan, now available on Spotify.

10:19 Speaker 1: In his book titled Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, the author Douglas Adams wrote, quote, If the universe came to an end every time there was some uncertainty about what had happened in it, it would never have got beyond the first picosecond. And many, of course, don't. It's like a human body, you see. A few cuts and bruises here and there don't hurt it. Not even major surgery, if it's done properly. Paradoxes are just a scar tissue. Time and space heal themselves up around them, and people simply remember a version of events which makes as much sense as they require it to make.

11:17 Speaker 5: What is that?

11:19 Speaker 8: It's a pathway made of anti-gravity metal. It floats six inches above the ground. It doesn't touch a single.

11:28 Speaker 6: Blade of grass, flower, or even a tree. In other words, it keeps you out of this world.

11:37 Speaker 5: Um, okay, but why?

11:39 Speaker 8: Because we don't belong here. You stay on the path. You don't go off of it for any reason.

11:49 Speaker 6: If you do, there's a stiff sign.

11:53 Speaker 8: And you don't, I repeat, don't shoot.

11:57 Speaker 6: Anything we have not approved.

12:01 Speaker 5: I still don't see why.

12:03 Speaker 8: We don't want to change the future. The government doesn't like us here. We pay a lot to keep the business going. We don't want to kill an important animal, a flower.

12:19 Speaker 6: Even an insect. You could disrupt a link in the growing species.

12:25 Speaker 5: But that doesn't make any sense. So what if we happen to step on a bug? Or anything else? What's the big deal?

12:31 Speaker 8: Say we kill one mouse. That means all the future families of this one mouse are never born. With a stamp of your foot, you've annihilated the first one.

12:47 Speaker 6: Then ten.

12:48 Speaker 8: Then a million. Then a billion future mice.

12:53 Speaker 5: That wouldn't hurt my feelings any.

12:56 Speaker 2: I cannot stand mice.

12:58 Speaker 6: What about the fox?

12:59 Speaker 2: There weren't any foxes around 65 million years ago.

13:02 Speaker 5: I mean, today.

13:04 Speaker 1: I mean.

13:05 Speaker 5: So, what about the fox?

13:07 Speaker 6: For want of a mouth. For food.

13:10 Speaker 8: The fox dies.

13:12 Speaker 6: He has no offspring. The lion can't hunt the fox. An entire species no longer exists. Because you stepped onto a mouse.

13:25 Speaker 2: I just can't believe that something so small would be such a big deal.

13:29 Speaker 6: Think about a caveman. He goes hunting, but can't find any food. And eventually, he dies. An entire nation could never exist because.

13:42 Speaker 4: Because you.

13:44 Speaker 6: Stepped on a mouse.

13:47 Speaker 8: This is why we wear the oxygen helmets.

13:51 Speaker 6: Why everything is sterilized before coming here. We don't want to bring any bacteria to an alien world.

14:02 Speaker 5: Okay, okay, but this is all theory, right?

14:06 Speaker 6: You're right, Mr.

14:07 Speaker 5: Eccles.

14:08 Speaker 6: It is only a theory. We don't really know.

14:13 Speaker 8: But you want to be the one to find out?

14:25 Speaker 5: What was that?

14:28 Speaker 1: Is that one of them?

14:29 Speaker 6: Probably.

14:30 Speaker 5: How do I know which one to shoot?

14:37 Speaker 6: I came back this morning in time. All of the guides steer it. We find the ones that will be killed by a fallen tree or in the tar pit. We calculate to the second which ones have no more future, which ones will no longer mate. Then fire a red paintball on them so we can find them again. Do you understand how careful we are, Mr. Eccles?

15:09 Speaker 5: Well, hold on, hold on.

15:11 Speaker 2: If you came back this morning, well, then you must have run into us. So was our safari successful or what?

15:17 Speaker 8: That would have been a paradox. Time wouldn't have allowed for it. Remember the bump we felt coming here?

15:26 Speaker 6: That was us passing ourselves. I have no idea what happened. Or if any of us makes it back alive. Including you, Mr.

15:41 Speaker 1: Eccles.

15:44 Speaker 2: I'm getting tired. Where is this mighty beast, anyway?

15:54 Speaker 6: Watch your gun, you idiot! He's just up ahead. We will bisect his path in about 60 seconds.

16:04 Speaker 8: And don't fire. Until I tell you to.

16:09 Speaker 6: Understand? Stay on the path.

16:17 Speaker 5: Imagine. In 65 million years, President Keith will take office. All in that worrying for months, lifetime, haven't even been born yet.

16:28 Speaker 6: Safety is off. Don't fire until I tell you.

16:37 Speaker 5: You know what? I've hunted tiger, wild boar, elephant, even buffalo. But now this? I'm like a little kid.

16:46 Speaker 8: Get your gun ready.

16:50 Speaker 5: Oh, it's so tall. He could reach up and grab the moon.

16:56 Speaker 1: Quiet.

16:56 Speaker 6: It hasn't seen us.

17:03 Speaker 5: No, are you kidding me? This puny gun against that beast? We were nuts to come here. What were we thinking?

17:16 Speaker 6: Walk back to the machine. We will refund half your money.

17:21 Speaker 2: I didn't realize it was so big. I miscalculated. I changed my mind. It's seen us! Get me out of here. It was never like this. I was always sure I'd come back alive, but... No, no, no, not this. This is too much.

17:44 Speaker 6: Don't run! Wait! Not that way! Look out! Fire, you bloody idiot!

17:57 Speaker 4: Fire!

18:09 Speaker 5: I did it. I killed him. That must be the tree that would have killed him. But I did it first.

18:29 Speaker 6: What a rush, you fool.

18:32 Speaker 8: You stupid fool.

18:35 Speaker 6: You're off the path! You stepped off the path!

18:45 Speaker 1: Someone once asked, if they could go back in time, knowing what Adolf Hitler had done, would they go back and prevent him from ever being born? A hypothetical question for sure, and could be posed about any bad person or situation. At any given time. I'll return shortly with Act 3.

19:11 Speaker 7: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

19:41 Speaker 4: Time.

19:41 Speaker 1: It is like a stone being thrown in the middle of a calm lake. It creates ripples that drop. through the ages. And with each passing year, the future is never known. But the past remains the same.

20:04 Speaker 5: I'm sorry, Travis. I just got scared, you know?

20:09 Speaker 8: I should have killed you back there.

20:12 Speaker 6: I should have left you.

20:13 Speaker 5: Well, nothing happened. All right, so I stepped off the path. So what?

20:18 Speaker 8: Are you sure you got all the bullets out?

20:21 Speaker 5: Yeah, I got them. I didn't think I'd have to do that.

20:26 Speaker 8: We don't leave anything behind.

20:30 Speaker 2: I thought I could at least have some sort of prize. A tooth or something. Maybe a claw.

20:36 Speaker 8: And we don't take anything back.

20:39 Speaker 5: A million dollars for a safari and all I got was this stupid picture. My kid could have made this using his preschool AI.

21:08 Speaker 6: Put your gun over there. Your clothes are in the locker.

21:14 Speaker 1: Hey, what is this?

21:18 Speaker 6: What are you talking about?

21:21 Speaker 2: These aren't my clothes. I had a blue suit. A very expensive blue suit. This looks more like a uniform.

21:30 Speaker 8: What the hell?

21:36 Speaker 1: Good, good.

21:37 Speaker 4: You made it back.

21:38 Speaker 6: Frank? What's going on?

21:41 Speaker 4: Nothing, Travis. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?

21:46 Speaker 5: Travis, look on the wall. Isn't that a picture of....

21:51 Speaker 1: Frank?

21:54 Speaker 8: Who won the election yesterday?

21:58 Speaker 4: Why, our glorious leader, of course.

22:02 Speaker 3: You know, Mr.

22:03 Speaker 4: Eccles, you should be honored... You are the last hunter to use the time safari.

22:10 Speaker 5: What do you mean?

22:12 Speaker 4: Our imperial government is taking over. You know, to rectify some of history's, well, shall we say, mistakes.

22:22 Speaker 5: Eccles?

22:25 Speaker 8: Look at the bottom of your shoe!

22:28 Speaker 5: What is that?

22:29 Speaker 4: At least that little weakling teeth didn't get in. Could you imagine? No. We got a real man. One who knows what to do.

22:42 Speaker 5: No, it can't be. Not a little thing like that.

22:45 Speaker 4: It's a butterfly.

22:51 Speaker 6: You stepped onto a butterfly.

22:57 Speaker 1: Yes.

22:58 Speaker 4: We should all hail our glorious leader.

23:03 Speaker 2: Can't we, you know, can't we go back?

23:05 Speaker 5: Start over? Make it alive again?

23:08 Speaker 2: Stop us from coming here?

23:09 Speaker 6: You stupid, pathetic little fool!

23:47 Speaker 1: As the sound of the gunshot reverberates with the distant sound of thunder, Travis collapses onto the floor. I'll return shortly with a final word. Mystery.

24:02 Speaker 5: Horror.

24:03 Speaker 1: Thriller.

24:05 Speaker 5: Suspense.

24:07 Speaker 6: Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan, now available from Amazon.

24:28 Speaker 1: The idea of the butterfly effect was proposed, although not under that title, as early as the 1800s. Even before Lorenz published his theory in 1963, a children's book, highly successful, written by author Norton Juster, was published a year before. The passage reads, and I quote, Whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps its wings... A breeze goes around the world. Our cast included Darren Marler, Crimson McKenzie, and Winslow Swan.

25:16 Speaker 1: The script was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

25:30 Speaker 4: Peter! What's happening?

25:33 Speaker 5: That....

25:35 Speaker 6: Satan is coming towards me.

25:38 Speaker 2: For the love of God, Mary, send it back.

25:41 Speaker 7: Send it back to hell.

25:42 Speaker 4: I can't. I don't know how. Peter, it's got me.

25:49 Speaker 6: Help me.

25:55 Speaker 1: This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it.