Mazes and Monsters

Look, I've got less than a minute.

You know I can't release the name yet.

But they told me it was a student of the university.

- Yes. - Right.

Now what was he doing in there?

How should I know?

John, we're going in.

OK.

Be careful.

Look, we heard a game of mazes and monsters

got a little out of hand over at the university.

Mazes and monsters?

Right.

You know how to play it? - My kids play it.

I know the game. - Yeah.

Well. - All right. up here.

Five seconds. Let's go.

Let's go.

This is Bud Hayden live from Pequod Caverns, where I'll

be reporting on the apparent disappearance

of a grad university student, the victim

of a seemingly innocent game, mazes and monsters.

Now mazes and monsters is a fantasy role

playing game in which the players

create an imaginary character.

These characters are then plunged into a fantasy

world of invented terrors.

The point of the game is to amass

a fortune without being killed.

It's kind of a psycho-drama, you might say,

where these people deal with problems in their lives

by acting them out.

But in this case there might be loss of distinction

between reality and fantasy, and possibly the loss

of life in the process.

I'll be back in three minutes with another live report.

Ah, nice to see you, Mr. Brockway.

Nice hat.

Thanks, Paul.

Mom, I'm home.

Thanks, Paul.

Take care.

Jay Jay, where are you?

I'm in here.

Oh, darling.

You've grown.

I'm not growing anymore.

This is it.

Well you have an IQ of 190, I don't suppose it

matters if you are that tall.

I'm late. Oh.

Oh, where are you going?

To the French consulate for cocktails,

then to a new place in Soho for dinner, got rave reviews.

Everything is less fattening.

Even the Champagne has less sugar.

Before I go I want to show you your new birthday present.

But it's a month until my birthday.

Oh, it doesn't matter.

You'll see it anyway.

Oh, no. Oh, yes.

Yes. NO.

Come on.

Voila.

Oh, no.

What have you done?

It looks like a hospital.

Don't scream at me.

I worked my tail off to get this finished in time.

Where's all my stuff?

My furniture?

I can tell you don't like it.

Don't like it?

I hate it.

Jay Jay, do you know how many of my clients

would give their eyeteeth for a Julia Brockway room like this?

Your clients put their eyeteeth in a glass of water

every night.

You are still fresh kid.

Mother, this is my sanctuary, my nest.

When you change it like this, which

you do every time I turn my back, you obliterate me,

you wipe me out.

It's just driving me crazy.

And Merlin hate it, too.

Don't you?

Bird's can't talk.

Coward.

Jay Jay, You know I would never do anything to hurt you.

Well, I guess I'll get used to it.

And when I do, you'll probably change it again.

I truly do not understand why you are so upset.

I thought it would be such a nice surprise.

Must run.

Actually, mother, college was fun.

Oh, well I'll probably get straight A's again this term.

Thanks, mother.

I'm glad you're glad.

Poor old Merlin.

Poor Jay Jay.

So Noreen is boring, huh?

Boring is the nicest thing I can say about Chlorine.

Kate, she is your father's wife now.

No, you're my father's wife.

Oh, baby.

It's been over a long time.

But I love you for saying it.

Come on now.

Mom?

When dad left us, were you ever sorry you married him

in the first place?

For about one minute, but I was really angry.

Listen, we had some very happy years together.

Life is risk.

Yeah, but--

I don't know.

The guys at school are such chauvinists.

I can't be myself with them.

You know you have to pretend to be dumb because bright girls

scare them.

Feelings scare them.

They don't really want to know me.

They want a little act.

I don't care.

I'm never going to get married anyway.

I'm going to be a famous writer.

By the way, how is the writing coming?

I got writer's block, but I finally figured out why.

It's because I haven't really lived yet.

So how can I write about things I don't know about?

Well you could--

you would use your imagination.

I tell you We're destroying our planet.

They do a satire on television and a couple of years

later it comes true.

And no one's doing anything about it.

Daniel will.

Right, son?

I don't know, dad.

But you know where the future is?

Well I'm not sure.

Computers.

Your father's right, Daniel.

Have you thought any more about transferring to MIT?

I know it's near here, and all of that.

Mom, I think it's a really good

idea that I be away from home.

If I see you on the street I promise I won't say hello.

It's not you.

It's me.

I'm just not that competitive.

So Grant is comfortable for me.

Daniel, I have seen students in my class

and I have seen you.

You have a special gift for computers.

You've always had that.

What I really love is to make up games for computers.

There's nothing wrong with that.

You can do it as a hobby.

Daniel, your father and I are not

telling you not to enjoy life, we're just

telling you not to waste it.

Who's going to make up the games in the world?

Other people will.

You have a much more important talent.

Just give me a little more time, OK?

Daniel, this is a very competitive world

and you're going to have to live in it.

Now.

Not later, but now.

Later you're not going to be able to find a job.

Later they're going to want the computer expert from MIT,

not a game player from that Grant University.

Your father and I love you very much, Daniel,

and you know that.

Otherwise we wouldn't be so concerned.

Jay Jay?

Kate?

How are you?

- Oh, I'm fine. - Good.

Have you seen, Daniel?

Oh, I took it for granted he was up

locked in some room with his latest woman of the week.

I don't know.

Do we have a fourth player?

Well, I typed up the notice.

I'm going to put it up in the bulletin board, OK?

Great. Let's go.

OK.

We've got to find a fourth player.

Right.

Someone who doesn't flunk out or freak out.

Not like last year.

Robbie, you're starting new at Grant.

That means no more games.

You know what it did to your marks at Tufts.

This time you're going to concentrate

on your school work.

Do you hear?

Yeah, I know, dad.