ALLISON: Once upon a time,
there was a beautiful young maiden named Sara
who lived in a castle far, far away.
Every morning, young Sara would awaken
and set about cooking and cleaning
and taking care of the whole castle,
and every night, she'd sit by the castle window
and secretly dream of someday returning home.
You see, her real home lay at the far end of the kingdom
where friendly dragons still roamed the earth
and rainbows appeared whether it rained or not,
but deep in her heart, young Sara knew
she would probably never again see her real home,
for the evil ogre who held her captive,
whose castle she cleaned,
whose food she made,
had vowed that if she ever tried to escape...
( Sara screams )
...he, himself would come after her.
And he swore that no matter how fast she ran...
...or how well she hid,
he would find her...
and kill her.
( Sara screaming )
Mom?!
Mom!
And there was this dragon, and this rainbow.
What's your day look like?
Mom? Are you even listening to me?
Just a second.
Once I drop the kids off at school,
I'm heading to work. Why?
I was just wondering if you'd be
anywhere near the cleaners, that's all.
-Drop off or pickup? -Mom!
Pick up.
-I'm out of clean shirts. -Mom!
What? What is it?
I'm trying to tell you about...
I know-- your dream and I'm listening.
No, you're not.
Yes. I am.
So can you do it, or should I?
I can do it.
Are you sure?
Because I'm totally out of clean shirts.
Heard it. Got it. No clean shirts.
Thank you.
You know, if you're really worried about it,
maybe you should take care of it yourself.
This is completely unfair!
I had her first, Dad!
No. In point of fact, I did, or you
wouldn't be here.
You know, I would,
but the dry cleaners is totally
in the opposite direction from my work, and it's right
on the way to yours.
Yeah, I know, that's why
I was thinking of changing jobs.
It's no trouble, I'll get them.
Thank you.
Okay. That's it.
I'm resigning from this family.
BRIDGETTE: I had a dream, too.
It was about animals.
They were eating people.
For fun.
Honey, okay, there's no need to resign.
I'm all yours.
And that sounds like a terrible dream, sweetie.
Mother, you are not listening to me at all.
Yes, I am.
I am listening to you and everybody else,
but what I'm really worried about is
we're not going to get out of here on time,
and if we don't get out of here on time,
you're going to miss your field trip
to the Native American Museum,
and we wouldn't want that, would we?
-Fine. -Don't forget
to let me sign that permission slip.
I don't care.
I don't care about anything!
I care, Mom.
( grunts )
( squeals )
Hey, you. Hey!
Hey, it's a dream.
This is real life.
-Now let's go. -BRIDGETTE: Oh.
Wow. Send that to Ripley.
He wouldn't believe it.
( grunts )
( children yelling and laughing )
All ashore that's going ashore.
Love you, Mom.
I love you, wild thing.
Ariel?
( car door closing )
Why don't you believe me?
But I do believe you.
You had a dream.
But you're awake now.
There's no castle, there's no ogre.
So you're telling me it doesn't mean anything.
I have no way of knowing that.
It's just...
Most dreams...
Most dreams don't mean anything.
Once in a great while,
certain people will have a dream, and...
and then when they're awake,
they'll see things in their life
that remind them of their dream.
Has that ever happened to you?
Sure, once in a while, I'll...
I'll dream something, and...
it'll puzzle me.
And then I'll either realize that it's nothing,
or I'll start seeing things in my life
that tell me this is a dream I shouldn't ignore.
This is a dream that's important.
Really?
Really, but it's very rare.
Now go.
I love you, Mom.
I love you, kitten.
( soft grunt )
Bye, baby.
Okay, gang, we're only a couple of blocks
from the Native American History Museum.
Now let's go over the rules.
The most important thing is
that everybody stay together.
Do not wander off
on your own.
ALLISON: Once upon a time,
there was a beautiful young maiden named Sara
who lived in a castle far, far away.
All right, everybody, let's go.
Quickly and quietly.
Follow me.
Take everything off the bus.
Do not leave your possessions behind.
Come on.
Come on. Honey, you're gonna
need that jacket. It's still chilly.
Okay, let's move out.
Damn!
DEVALOS: As soon as you can, and I mean
first thing in the morning.
Sorry I'm late.
Did they get you on the cell?
What? Who? I was in the parking structure
and the elevator...
Call the school.
This is a dream that I shouldn't ignore.
This is a dream that's important.
Hey! Watch it!
ALLISON: But deep in her heart, young Sara knew
she would probably never again see her real home.
How come you're standing on my property
and just staring at my house?
This is your house?
How come you're not in school?
I'm home-schooled.
My mom took me out two years ago.
It sucks, and I hate it.
What's your excuse?
So why aren't you in school?
Uh, I'm, uh, looking for somebody.
A... a girl.
What girl?
Uh, Sara.
I think that's what her name is.
Sara.
That's my sister's name.
I think I have a-a...
MAN: We'll work through it...
WOMAN: He's on your side.
ALLISON: Okay, here... here's her
most recent school picture.
-Okay... -I have another one.
Okay. I think we...
Oh. Oh, my God.
Are you all right?
Did somebody hurt you?
Did somebody touch you?
Are you okay?
Nobody touched me, nobody hurt me. I'm fine.
You're fine?
Where did you go?
Don't you ever do that again.
Do you have any idea how upset I was?
And Daddy was, and Mrs. Lockhart?
And the principal?
( crying ): I'm sorry.
I'm really, really sorry.
( sniffling )
I don't understand.
You told me that if I ever saw something in my life
that reminded me of my dream,
then it's probably a dream that I shouldn't ignore.
That's the dragon.
That's him.
I saw him from the bus,
and I just knew I was supposed to come back here.
Okay, I know.
I got it, okay?
But you know there's a lot of reasons
why you could have dreamt about this dragon.
Maybe you passed this advertisement.
Maybe you saw it in a magazine.
Maybe it got stuck in your subconscious,
and that's why you dreamt about it.
That can happen, you know.
Okay. Then what about the house?
What house?
See?
She lives here.
Lived here.
I'm confused.
I thought you said that you were the girl
in the dream trapped in the castle.
It was me, but...
it wasn't.
My name in the story was Sara.
And you're telling me that the real Sara lives here?
This is her home?
That's what her brother said.
What else did her brother say?
That she died two years ago,
and that I was mean to ask him about her.
Oh, baby.
Mommy,
why am I dreaming about a dead girl
that I don't even know?
So am I really grounded for the rest of my life?
I don't know.
So you do understand
how ridiculously dangerous it is
to trick your teachers and your class and...
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay then. All right.
So maybe we'll reduce your sentence
by a couple of years or so.
I have to talk to your father first.
So in the meantime, let's get some rest.
I don't want go to sleep.
I'm afraid of what I might dream.
You're in Mommy's bed.
Nothing bad can happen in Mommy's bed.
Hey, honey.
That visitor
you were expecting is here.
Is everybody else asleep?
Marie's in her crib
and Bridgette's out like a light.
Okay.
You're not
going to leave me, are you?
Just for a little while.
Then I'm going
to get into bed next to you
and we're going to dream happy dreams together.
Love you.
Love you, too.
( indistinct talking )
You know I normally don't make house calls, but...
Thank you so much for doing this.
I really appreciate it.
Well, I heard the panic in your voice when you called.
By the way,
I asked a friend to join us.
I hope you don't mind.
I got a video. You got any popcorn?
JOE: Oh, I remember this.
I saw this on the news.
After you called, I ran a check
on every "Sara" between the ages of eight and 12
reported missing or murdered
within 100 miles of here in the last five years.
Once you subtract
the custody-nappings and the false alarms,
the one case you're really left with is Sara Crewson,
a case Detective Scanlon here helped investigate.
SCANLON: Halloween night,
two years ago, Sara Crewson
is out with a group of friends
trick or treating, decides to go home early.
A man named, uh, Darrell Yellen,
convicted child molester, grabbed her as she was
cutting through a convenience store parking lot
two blocks from her house.
The security camera's got the whole thing.
Yeah, I remember this case.
DEVALOS: Cops caught him two days later
on the run to Mexico.
He confessed to raping and murdering Sara,
along with two other girls.
In exchange for his confession,
and for telling the police where to find the bodies,
we took the death penalty off the table.
Yellen's serving a life sentence in Springville.
I know, because I cut the deal.
Do you mind if I ask what's all this about?
Why this sudden fascination with young girls named "Sara"?
No, that's okay.
I just had a dream.
I'm not sure what it means,
or if it even means anything at all.
( water splashing )
Your dream?
I didn't know what else to say.
Well, for the record,
and nobody asked,
I hate this.
You hate what?
I hate that when my little girl has a bad dream
I can't just give her a hug and a piece of cake.
I have to expect visits from the cops and the D.A.
What did you want me to do?
I had to see if there was something to it.
Why?
Because she thinks
there's something to it.
Look, all over the world, kids have dreams about the boogeyman,
and all over the world, parents tell them
it's going to be okay in the morning.
Well, our kids aren't like other kids.
And I know you hate that, too.
I didn't say that.
It's just... God.
There's enough death and darkness out there
waiting for her when she's an adult.
She's ten, for crying out loud.
It's one night. It's one dream.
It could pass. She's still young.
I give you my word.
I'm not putting her in the middle of all this.
As far as everyone is concerned, it's me, it's my dream.
So if we need to get the District Attorney's office
and the police involved,
they'll think it's me.
Let them deal with me, okay?
( gasps )
What are you doing?
It's the middle of the night.
Do you want to wake everyone up?
You have the coolest house.
If I had this much food in my house,
I would do nothing but eat
and watch TV all day and all night.
I want to check out your room.
I want to check out your clothes.
Wait, you can't go in there.
My sister's sleeping in there.
I want this,
and this and this.
Those are mine.
You can't have that. You can't take that.
What gives you the right?
What gives me the right?
I came to you,
I asked you for your help,
and you didn't do anything.
That's what gives me the right.
( choking )
( gasping )
You okay, sweetie?
Did you have another bad dream?
I don't know.
She's mad, Mommy.
She's mad that I haven't helped her.
Oh, she's not mad at you, sweetie.
How could she be?
How do you know?
Well, it has to do
with the kind of dream that you're having.
It's really just Sara remembering something
that happened when she was alive.
And she's trying to tell you about it,
but she's telling you in a kind of code.
What do you mean?
Like that dragon was really that billboard.
And the castle is probably just a house somewhere.
And I'm guessing that the monster
was really this bad man that I found out about
who took Sara away from her family.
It's okay, sweetie.
He's in prison.
He's locked up where he can never hurt
anyone ever again.
Again? What do you mean again?
Well, it's like her brother told you.
Sara has passed on.
And where she is, no one can hurt her.
Not any more.
No, I don't think that's right, Mommy.
What do you mean? Why not?
Because I don't think Sara is dead.
I think she's alive.
And she really wants my help.
ALLISON: So there's no question in your mind that it was him?
Allison, he confessed.
What was this dream you had anyway?
It's nothing, I just...
I'm worried that this Crewson girl might need our help.
Again, as part of his confession,
Darrell Yellen told the police where to find the bodies.
He took us right to them.
It was all part of the plea agreement.
Okay, you took him out there, you found her, you...
You did find her, right?
Her clothes? Her bones?
Something?
Actually, we found the partial remains
of his first two victims, um,
Mindy Atwater and Elizabeth Cale.
But now that you mention it, no.
No physical remains of
the Crewson girl were ever discovered.
It was the assumption that an animal probably...
Oh, my God, she might still be alive somewhere?
Hang on.
Let's think about this for a minute.
Why would this man confess to a crime he didn't commit?
I don't know, maybe someone should ask him.
My name's Allison Dubois.
I'm with the District Attorney's office.
I need to ask you some questions
about Sara Crewson.
Do you remember Sara Crewson?
Of course.
Okay, so take me through it.
Um... you snatched her on Halloween.
And then how long until you killed her?
The next day.
They had that videotape of me in the parking lot on the news.
I knew it was only a matter of time, so...
I took her out to the desert.
And?
I killed her.
YELLEN: That it?
We done?
Anything else?
That's plenty.
Thanks.
ALLISON: One night when the ogre wasn't looking,
Sara made a break for it.
And just when she was certain she was safe...
there he was.
( screams )
( panting )
ALLISON: I just don't believe
it happened the way he said it did.
I just, I don't.
Why do you think he confessed?
Because he did it.
Because he wanted to live.
He made a deal.
Confessing meant life in prison instead of death by injection.
( sighs )
I'm really struggling
with trying to understand what your position is here.
Are you trying to tell me that you think
this man confessed to something he didn't do?
I sat with him yesterday.
I looked him in the eye.
And I'm here to tell you, Sara Crewson is still alive.
She was abducted over two years ago.
I don't care.
He gave her to someone.
He made a gift of her.
She's still out there.
He told you that?
No. He told me what he told you.
He told me he killed her.
Okay, you and I have a history.
You tell me that this girl is alive,
I'm tempted to believe you.
Where is she? We'll go pick her up.
I don't know.
Then what is it that you'd like me to do?
Assuming what you're saying is true,
this little girl could be anywhere in the world.
Darrell Yellen is already in prison for the rest of his life.
How would you have me compel him to tell us where she is...
assuming that he even knows?
Frankly, your theory doesn't make much sense, Allison.
Think about it.
Let's say Sara was alive
and let's say he actually did give her to someone.
Why didn't he share that with us when he confessed?
I mean, he was trying to make a deal.
Why didn't he use her safe return
for a bargaining chip?
Instead of life without parole,
insist on the possibility of parole in 50 years.
Something.
Or...
Or?
Or Darrell Yellen chose not to use his trump card
because whoever he gave that little girl to
was more important to him than the dim possibility
of parole. Allison...
I mean, think about it,
we find this important person, we find Sara.
( cell phone rings )
Excuse me.
Hello?
Yes. This is her mother.
I'll be right there.
I...
I'm sorry.
Don't apologize if you haven't done something to be sorry for.
You want to tell me what happened?
I was in the library, and I fell asleep.
And I had another dream.
And I woke up screaming.
Oh.
Why did Sara choose me?
I mean, why is she talking to me?
Maybe because she knew that you would listen.
Hey, what you doing?
You were supposed to come to bed an hour ago.
I know. I just...
keep thinking that the answer is in here somewhere.
You know, this crime solving thing is much harder
when it isn't you having the dream.
Why is everyone awake?
Sweetie, did you have another bad dream?
Mm-mm.
Good. I'm glad you're not having those spooky dreams.
I'm not having the dreams
because I'm trying to stay awake.
But, honey, that's why
you're falling asleep at school.
ARIEL: Mommy?
Why do you have a picture of the ogre?
What are you talking about?
This man? Is he the evil ogre?
( door opens )
( footsteps )
MAN: Sara, it's Wednesday.
Come on.
I got to go.
Can't I stay out here?
I won't go anywhere, I promise.
You know Darrell's rules.
I can't go till you're in there.
Can I take the castle with me?
Can I play with the castle?
Sara, stop it!
No. It-It's dark in the closet. You know that.
Now... and no, this is my castle.
Oh...
D-Do you want candy?
I'll bring you candy?
( weepy ): Thank you.
Henry Yellen is Darrell Yellen's older brother.
When he was 18 months old,
he had a fever, and no one noticed.
Went to his brain, and he's been,
I don't know, slow ever since,
but he's got no criminal record.
And there is certainly nothing to suggest
that he's a pedophile.
How'd he get that scar?
Ah. When they were kids,
the father went after Darrell with a knife.
Henry wanted to protect his younger brother
-and got between them. -God.
Father went to prison, died there two years later.
Darrell's pretty much taken total responsibility for Henry
ever since their mother passed away in '98.
So what are you saying?
You think that Darrell gave Sara to his brother?
( Devalos scoffs )
You're the one who said that whoever he gave her to
was even more important than the possibility of parole.
Henry's his blood. Henry saved his life.
And apparently he does need a certain level of care.
Perhaps when Darrell
realized he was going to prison for a long, long time,
he made arrangements
for someone else to take care of Henry.
So what are we doing here?
Why aren't we out looking for this guy?
To start with, we don't know where to find him.
When their mother died,
Henry was the sole beneficiary,
and he's lived off the life insurance ever since.
No credit cards. No driver's license.
No property in his name. No taxes filed.
Henry Yellen is untraceable. He could be anywhere.
In fact, the only person
we know who's seen him...
is you...
in your dreams.
Is there anything you can tell us to begin?
A place to start to look?
Actually, it-it's not my dream.
Excuse me?
It's someone else's dream.
What?
Well...
Well, then whoever this someone is,
let's get them down here.
Maybe they can shed some light on...
Oh, no, no. I don't think I can do that.
Allison?
I'll have to get back to you.
( phone rings )
Gas 'N Go. Yeah?
I'll accept.
It's your call.
Darrell?
Hey.
Y-You didn't call last week.
Lost my phone privileges.
I waited two hours.
( chuckling ): I ate four Slim Jims,
a-and I, uh, I won $5 on the scratchers cards.
Henry.
You remember the present I gave you,
before I went away?
Yeah, I love my present.
Yeah, well, you got to get rid of it.
Wh...
Uh, Darrell, uh, no. I...
What did I say when I gave it to you?
What did I say, Henry?!
I said you might have to throw it away sometime, didn't I?
You promised me you'd do what I said.
I thought you kept your promises.
I do keep my promises, but...
why?
People are asking questions about it.
Bad people.
And they're gonna come looking for it.
They can't come and take my present.
Sure they can.
They'll take the present away, and then they'll take you away.
And we don't want that.
So you got to get rid of it.
Darrell...
I-I'm gonna be all by myself again.
I don't know what to tell you, Henry.
You want to go to jail?
You'll have more company than you can stand.
Does it have to be today?
'Cause I-I promised her candy already.
( sighs )
Doesn't have to be today.
You could do it tomorrow.
But you have to do it.
Yeah, I'll do it tomorrow.
I'll keep my promise.
( footsteps retreating )
( door opens )
So, it's the woods.
So that must mean something rural.
And there's a castle?
It's... like a toy castle.
It's a dream, so...
Well, I don't know that there are
many toy castles in rural Arizona.
Maybe it's an amusement park
or a miniature golf course.
We'll check.
( sighs ): We know who the ogre is.
The blue and white house is where Sara lived.
Is there anything else?
No, I don't think so.
You really think all this stuff is going to save Sara?
We hope so.
Well, I've got my homework.
Very nice
meeting you, Ariel.
I know it's way past your bedtime.
I appreciate you staying up for me.
Uh, don't worry, I'll let myself out.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Okay.
Night, Mommy.
Night, baby.
Is Daddy okay?
Why is he sitting outside alone?
He's disappointed.
I made him a promise, and I couldn't keep it,
and I-I feel very badly about it.
But he'll forgive you eventually, won't he?
( laughs ): He always does.
This thing you did tonight?
I am very proud of you
for trying to help this girl.
But I also want you to know...
having special dreams...
knowing things that people are thinking...
Sometimes when people grow up,
that goes away, and that's okay, too, okay?
Okay.
-Love you. -Good night, Mom.
I love you.
( sighs )
( door slides open )
He just left.
She was wonderful.
I think it's going to be fine.
I really do.
And I believe it could still
all go away-- the dreams, the prescience.
I mean, what choice did we have?
A little girl's life might be at stake.
I know you're right.
I know we had no choice.
It's just that two days ago, she didn't know
there really were monsters...
...grown men who snatch
little girls and keep 'em...
or kill 'em.
And now she does, and I hate that.
Go on; I'll be in in a minute.
ALLISON: Every morning, young Sara would awaken
and set about cooking and cleaning.
And every night, she'd sit by the castle window
and secretly dream of someday finding a gun
and blowing her captor's brains out.
( gasping )
Springville? Why Springville?
Your daughter said woods.
Woods means rural, so as a matter of course, I got
the prison to check Darrell's phone records.
Who's he calling?
Where do they live?
Pretty much every week, Darrell uses his phone privilege to call
-this number in Springville. -You're kidding.
Wouldn't happen to be the home phone at some castle, would it?
( chuckles )
No such luck.
Good morning.
I'm Detective Scanlon
with the Phoenix Police Department.
-Okay. -I was wondering
if we could ask you a few questions?
Okay.
You behind this counter
most Wednesdays between 3:00 and 4:00?
We're investigating a series
of telephone calls that you've been receiving
on a fairly regular basis
from Springville State Penitentiary.
Are the calls for you?
Sir?
The calls come here, but they aren't for me.
This fellow Henry comes in every Wednesday,
waits for his brother to call.
I accept the charges.
Then he pays me cash for the calls at the end of month.
Henry Yellen.
I don't know his last name.
He's got a...
That's our guy.
( sighs )
Has he ever come in here with anyone else?
A little girl, maybe?
No, never seen a girl. Just Henry.
You wouldn't happen to know where he lives, would you?
No. I'm sorry.
He doesn't have an account here?
You never delivered groceries to his place
-or anything? -No.
What if I get a warrant, search your records?
Would that change anything?
Incredible what a memory jogger a warrant is, huh?
What?
Castle Road.
SARA: Someone's coming.
Oh, my gosh, someone's coming!
It's not a castle.
Well, it's the only house on the road.
Don't let 'em see you!
Get away!
Coming to take my present.
Get in the closet.
No...
I don't want to lose my present.
Now get in the closet.
Please don't make me.
( knocking )
SCANLON: Mr. Yellen, I'm with the Phoenix Police.
If you're in there, you want to open up, please?
Good morning, Officer.
I'll be right down.
Come on, hurry up and get in the closet.
( crying )
( sighs )
Mr. Yellen, we haven't got all day!
( whispering ): Sara!
Shh! They're going to hear you.
SARA: Then let me out!
I'll be quiet! Just let me out!
SCANLON: Mr. Yellen?
You promise not to make a sound?
I promise.
I love my present.
I don't want to hurt my present.
No sound.
No sound!
No noise.
SCANLON: Mr. Yellen?
I'm coming!
Here I... here I come!
( phone ringing )
-Hello? -ARIEL: Hi, Mom.
Ariel?
I woke up this morning, and you had already left.
I had to come out to the country with Detective Scanlon.
What is it, baby?
I just... I had another dream.
Hello, Officer.
( door shuts )
Took me a minute
to, uh, tie my shoes.
You Henry Yellen?
Yeah, that's right.
Honey, I-I didn't get that.
What-what did you say about your dream?
I said, "I had another dream".
We're investigating the disappearance
of a little girl named Sara Crewson.
ARIEL: It was another dream where I was Sara.
SCANLON: Do you have a problem
if we look around your house?
Ariel, this is important. Tell me, what happened?
I don't see how I could do that, be...
Uh, I mean, this is my house, and, uh,
I-I don't think I have to let you in my house.
ARIEL: Well, I was sitting in the Castle again,
and you were telling the story...
I can go to my car, call the local courthouse
and get a piece of paper that'll make you let me in your house.
ARIEL: Only this time...
Going to make me do that, Henry?
HENRY: That's not true.
Uh, this is my house,
-and you can't just come in here. -What? Damn! I can't hear!
You can't just come and take my present.
Mr. Yellen, I don't think you're understanding me.
I'm going in there-- it's a matter of whether
you're going to be smiling or frowning when I do.
Okay, Henry, I'm going back to my car.
I'm going to call the judge.
I had a gun, and I shot him.
A gun?!
( gunshot )
Mom?!
Mom?
Sara!
Put that gun down!
Mom?
ALLISON: Can you come down here?!
Are you locked up there?!
-I'm coming to get you! -Ariel, I'm okay, I'm okay.
We need an ambulance at Castle Road in Springville.
You did it! We got her! She's okay!
Yeah.
( shrieks )
ARIEL: Mom?
My present.
You'll take away my present.
She's not a present.
-( door opens ) -ALLISON: I'm okay, I'm okay.
Okay. Bye.
Bye, baby, bye.
Here, sweetie. It's okay, it's okay.
It's going to be okay.
Here. It's okay. It's okay.
It's going to be okay.
Shh...
It's okay.
ARIEL ( whispering ): Mom?
Slept through the night in my own room.
No dreams?
Just one.
Nothing much happened in it, though.
It was just about how I lived here
with you and Daddy
and Bridgette and Marie
and we all lived happily ever after.
Wow, that sounds like a fairy tale.
You still believe in fairy tales?
Good. I'll tell Daddy. It'll make him very happy.
Fee, fi, fo, fum...
( squealing )
I smell the blood of a Dubois young'un.
What's going on here?!
( grunting )
( laughter )