 In a moment act one of a strange day in May starring William Mason and written especially for suspense by Michael Healy This portion of suspense is brought to you by the makers of Marlboro cigarette Healy London sings a Marlboro song Little by little, Marlboro, make yourself comfortable whenever you smoke Have a Marlboro cigarette You get a lot to like with a Marlboro filter It could have been yesterday or a hundred days before. I'm not sure anymore. Time has become just a word All I know for certain is that it began that bright morning in May I Major Thomas Manning, U.S. Air Force on special assignment at Claymore Island was on the verge of realizing a dream that would become a nightmare I was suited up waiting to be put into the rocket Gibraltar 3 saying goodbye to my wife Mary I guess it was the quietest room at Claymore that morning Oh Tom, I wish I felt more confident Oh Mary, easy, they'll be calling me soon Honey, it's hard enough I know, I'm sorry You know it's hard to believe After all the training, conditioning, studies Oh Tom, I'm frightened It seemed like a dream until now I haven't dared let myself think what could happen But now Please, don't talk like that It's really no more dangerous than driving a car Tom, you know what I'm talking about Look, Mary Will you listen? Two men before you have gone up there and disappeared Just vanished Vanished somewhere up there What's going to happen to you? Mary, we've been all through this I don't know what happened to those other men We may never know, but we've got to try and find out Somewhere, there's an answer Now my mission is to try and find it This is your mission to leave and never come back What's out there is important is my love for you My need for you I don't know But remember last summer The night you found me lying on the hammock staring up at the stars Well, the nearer this has come to happening The more the fascination's grown until Yes, I remember You were almost in a trance Honey, I self-possessed The universe was calling me to explore its secrets It's that simple And Mary, I feel I'm going to learn what happened to the others This is Maurice Tarplin speaking to you from the Network Pool At Claymore Island facility Just off the southern coast of California For astronaut Major Thomas Manning Will blast off within the hour Into the frontier aloft we know its space It seems fairly definite that this flight is more than experimental From the beginning, there has been an air of mystery And considerable rumor about this venture We do know that it will be the furthest flight yet attempted Here's a quick rundown Blift off the schedule for 0600 this morning Here on Claymore Island And it's turned into a fine morning So the takeoff should be right on schedule I see Colonel Alvin Marks coming from central control He's the head man in this operation We've been trying to get his eye all morning If I can just get his attention now Oh, Colonel Marks Yes Colonel Marks, sir A few questions for our network audience Yes, but you'll have to be brave, sir I just wanted to ask you if there's anything in the rumor That this is not just another experimental flight I mean, if there's something going on Colonel Marks, aren't things having worked okay for go? Tell tracking stations to check out with us Oh, I'm sorry I'm not going to comment on any of those rumors I will say this A great deal could depend on this shot But you'll have to bear with us until it's over Colonel Marks, we'll see you over here for a minute, sir Just one more thing, Colonel Where is Major Manning now? He's standing by There'll be no interviews until after debriefing He's saying goodbye to his wife And that's what I'm saying to you I've got to go into him now for our final words Oh, thank you, Colonel Marks That was Colonel Alvin Marks in charge of today's space shot Whose comments just now have left us about where we were In the running tide of rumors We return you now to I'll see you, Tom Fine, sir And anxious Good Mary, you'll be able to watch the lift off from here if you like Colonel Marks, do you think there is life? I mean, host our life on any other planet? We can only guess Possible I'd say that if there is, it would be a far different kind of being than we know But who can say It'll be a long time before we know the answer to that Maybe they'd be like us Perhaps, but I doubt it Oh, Tom, may I speak to you a moment privately? I'll stand over by the window What is it, Colonel? Tom, you remember what both the missing men reported just before they disappeared Seeing a strange blinding light A blinding light coming at them out of nowhere That seemed to gobble them up Any new theories? None Maybe some celestial current, powerful enough to If you can see it Don't get too close Just see what you can make of it And come back down I will, sir And we'll be waiting to pick you up in the Desert of the Rings Goodbye, Tom Good luck I'll be talking with you over the outcome Well, honey, that's it Tom, hold me for a minute, please No, no, it's going to be all right I'll be down before you know it Come back to me, Tom And come I'm very proud, too This is Maurice Tarplin at Network Full, ladies and gentlemen Astronaut Tom Manning is in the space ship Gibraltar 3, which is being given a final check By the launching crew This is a precision operation The climax of checkout procedures That have touched every operational aspect Of all systems Excitement is mounting here There is an ominous mixture of anxiety And hope in the air Unless something unforeseen looms now The flight will definitely go on schedule Just a few moments from now For we switch now to operations control And Colonel Marx Will be in continuous touch with Major Manning during his flight Come in, Colonel Marx And operations control This is Colonel Marx Hello, Gibraltar 3 Come in, Gibraltar 3 Can you read me? Over All systems are go here, Tom Good luck, over Our vast audience is now linked with ground control And it's connection with Major Manning It's your baby, Tom I'm switching you over to Countdown Any final questions? No questions One Zero Ignition Mark here, Tom Lift off with perfect You are climbing nicely How do you feel? Feeling fine Chains are building You're programming well Pressure okay Oxygen okay You will be entering maximum Gs In a very few moments Roger Still climbing nicely Yes, Colonel Marx Time check here Colonel What I'm feeling It's so still and quiet I've been trying to think of words To express what I see and feel The nearest I can come is Blue Rapture I'm in a blue rapture Maybe that has no meaning down there I don't know Colonel Something new is happening Or it seems to be I keep thinking I'm Seeing something Darning out ahead of me Probably my imagination but That rapture Have been spotting something but I I couldn't tell what it was I can see it Kind of Glowing out there It It seems to be getting closer I suddenly feel very strange Hard to get breath yet Oxygen's pressure is fine Don't understand I can see blue rapture close Check your control Aye sir I'm trying But They're followed somehow Can't understand it Keep trying Can't Do it sir Plus control here too I'm tracking station reports of this blue rapture At 30 degrees Four No I Wait I do see something now Coming closer Closer and closer Trying to get away again early I can't do it No use Coming closer What is it? Close Great blinding light Like in a war memorial I can't see her What is it? You blinded What's happening? Stop it I don't know Oh no You've all lost me When I realized I'd lost contact with the earth I blanked out How long I was out How my ship landed How I survived Major I'll never know I never learned Make the money But I did come too Make the money Did you hear me? I was moving now Oh my head It's probably Feels like somebody is Swinging a 12 pound sledgehammer Against my brains By the numbers Major Make the hammer stop Somebody Please make them stop How are you feeling Major? Coming around now Oh I thought I heard a voice How does it look doctor? You'll be all right Colonel Mark Good Well Mary Manning What do you think now? I can't quite believe it Colonel Mark Just proves out our theory again I don't know about the others But I'll give it a try Where am I? By now you're lying on a cart At the base medical station Colonel Mark Is that you? Yes Mary Oh Mary it's good to be back Hello darling Hello Well just a while You know what kind of a greeting is that? Sorry but that's the best I can do What do you mean? Colonel I can't stay here any longer I understand it's all right Go ahead Mary Mary where are you going? No no I'll settle back please Major That's my wife What's the matter with her? Colonel what is it? Why nothing Major Really is remarkable Colonel Mark I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it You'll forget I've seen it twice before I heard about it Colonel Mark How did I get here? Rebounders suspended on the fringe of the atmosphere and brought you down But how did I get there? Possibly you were picked up and hurled there by what we sometimes call a celestial storm Must have been quite a shock I mean you probably thought you'd never see me again Yes Good Doctor I have to get back to my office now I have to make the arrangement How soon before you'll be ready Another hour I'd say Fine fine That'll be perfect That's perfect And about an hour later I was taken somewhere by two men from the rescue crew I can't remember their names But I know their faces from all the pre-flight tests Strange though If I didn't know better I'd say they were more like guards Something in the grimaces of their faces All right Here he is Colonel Come in Major Come in Anything else there? That'll be all Take a seat Major Smoke? Well you know I don't smoke sir Oh yes of course You do have friends that smoke So don't you? Well sure so what What are you jutting down to? You've seen me smoke before haven't you? Yes many times why Colonel How was the trip Major? Well everything was fine until I saw it Until you saw what? The blinding light Blinding light The blinding light that the other two astronauts saw Before they disappeared Sir if you pardon me saying so This questioning seems a little odd I do not pardon you Major There is an infinite variety of answers To be even the most minute questions It's only a matter of choosing the most correct ones Well I'm afraid I don't follow sir Perhaps you will in time May we continue Sorry sir It doesn't matter about this blinding light That was the celestial storm I mentioned There is another more important point What's that sir? I'm getting to it First at what speed were you traveling When you saw this light? I sat here and listened To this familiar voice and tone And care about these familiar walls I kept asking This is unreal Something's off-think I was part of a problem The pieces that met up the picture match But do not quite fit And I wonder if perhaps it isn't me Maybe my mind was affected somehow I'm waiting for an answer Major What was your speed? I'm not sure sir The gauges seem to be off on my last reading Are you sure you don't know Major? Sir if I knew I would tell you Maybe, maybe not But why shouldn't I sir? You might have reasons of your own What reason could I possibly have for withholding information from you? What time did you lift off this morning? What time did I lift off? I'm waiting for your answer Oh 600 hours And now the point Major What was your mission? My mission? You mean the space probe Well calm calm now Major Let's get down to cases Call it a space probe or anything else But wasn't your mission to get information about our installations here? I don't get it It's as if you didn't even know me My mission was to learn what happened to the other two men I see What are you doing Colonel? Calling the guards I'm finished with you It's up to the doctors now The guards? Well exactly why do I need to be guarded? Colonel The doctor Hello thank you Colonel I'll kill you with your own gun Look son Be sensible Return that revolver it won't help you No thanks I know exactly what's going on You're only making it hard on yourself son We'll try and help you if you let us Colonel sir are you alright? Tell him yet Everything is alright Return to your post Yes He's gone Now what? I don't know I've gotta think Nothing I gotta get home and tell her what's happening Sorry Colonel But I'll have to belt you one Give yourself up The authorities will get you sooner or later See you Colonel This is my house Don't get panicky just sit tight Run into the house Get the money out of my wallet Hold on just a minute Must be in this drawer somewhere What are you doing? Oh Mary am I glad to see you You know my deal with that bitch Yeah let me pay the cab driver No need for that he's been taking care of Oh I see Mary I Don't touch me Oh Mary aren't you glad to see me Well yes of course it's just that Mary look at me Mary this is your husband Tom Manning Mary what's the matter with you What's the matter with everybody Nothing nothing at all Then why do you look at me like I was some kind of a bug or something It's like you're not even the same person I said goodbye to this morning Mary don't you remember how you said goodbye to me Just before I took off Mary you said please come back to me Listen to me please I don't know you Oh I'm Major Thomas Manning's wife But you're not my husband What are you saying I tricked you I don't know whether I'm doing right or not But I'm warning you to get out of here Before it's too late Mary what are you saying I'm faking it let me go Alright let her go Colonel Mark grab him You probably take it easy now No no no this can't be This is this is my house this is my wife don't you I pray that's where you're wrong You have no rights here whatsoever For the love of one Colonel Mark what is happening Better come with us Major Major we're going to take you to a nice place Where you'll get lots of care No no no let's go of me Come along quietly No you're wrong you're all wrong Something is out of That's that I'm sorry you had to go through this Mary I'm alright here I saw them taking him away He didn't see me though Sorry about this Major Manning Especially the day before your flight into space No trouble Well goodbye See you tomorrow morning Goodbye Colonel Goodbye Colonel There was certainly a fright Tom Hysterical creatures are Can't her past on earth So sorry for him I wonder if they all act that way Oh at first I think But he'll calm down when he Finds he won't be harmed Strange isn't it Knowing that for every one of them There's one of us up here And so alike Why that man has a wife down there Who's exactly like me What will they do with him Oh take him to the institute Study him along with the other two Well he'll get good care there Yes And don't forget there's Well there's something to be learned From earth creatures Or people rather I think we'd have to call them people Eventually they probably Will be So the way I look at it It's a small universe Sooner or later darling May need each other We here and our Well somewhat Retarded twins On earth Suspense You've been listening to Strange Day in May Starring William Mason And written especially for suspense By Michael Healy Suspense is produced and directed By Fred Hendrickson Heard in tonight's story where Tony Darnay Reynolds Osberg Bill Lipton Herb Duncan Maurice Tarplin And Bill Smith Music supervision by Ethel Huber Sound patterns by Walter Otto Technical direction by Michael Shoskin This is Stuart Manes speaking Listen again next week When we return with another tale Well calculated to keep you in Don Ben