The Twilight Zone is one of my science fiction TV shows of all time. One of the most iconic episodes of it is called “It’s A Good Life”. It stars the amazing Bill (Billy) Mumy as six year-old Anthony Fremont. He has godlike mental powers.
With his powers, he has isolated his town, Peaksville, Ohio, completely. They don’t know if they have been removed from the rest of the world or he has removed everything but them and their town. Everyone is terrified of him. He can read minds, so they must think happy thoughts and never negative ones toward him. If you displease him, he can outright kill you, or worse, like wish you into the cornfield.
At a birthday party, for a resident, the birthday celebrant gets drunk and begins to do and say things that anger Anthony. At one point, he pleads with the rest of the people, he pleads with them, that while Anthony is distracted, someone should kill him.
Think about me. Go ahead, Anthony, think bad thoughts about me. maybe some man in this room, some man withe the guts, somebody who is so sick to death, of living in this kind of place and willing to take a chance, will sneak up behind you and lay something heavy across your skull and end this once and for all. Somebody sneak up behind him! Somebody end this now!
For some reason, this quote has begun resounding in my head. I can’t imagine why.