Junior's Farm

After the 1990 blastoff of the Shuttle Discovery, 30-ish astronaut JUNIOR, spacewalks to adjust the Hubble Telescope. A UFO passes in front of him, and Junior freaks out. NASA blames him for the telescope's early problems. Disgraced, he gets labelled 'The Trouble With Hubble Astronaut' even though it's not his fault, and NASA forces him to retire when he writes a book on his UFO encounter and other outer space conspiracy theories. Junior awakens in 2051, after being cryonically frozen. A doctor reveals Junior had an age regression procedure, staying as a mid-30s man, but with a slight chance he may develop a disease that would ultimately kill him in ten years. Junior's daughter Emily, also a cryonics survivor, enters and acts as his guide into the 2051 world. She explains prejudice against cryonics and age regressers, mostly from religious fanatics. Eager to live a simple life, Junior buys a small piece of land and turns it into a micro-farm, with limited crops and livestock. His neighbors are divorcee Lisa, whose 10-year-old son disappeared a dozen years ago, and Oliver, an American Indian, who warns Junior the land he bought is cursed. Junior develops a romantic relationship with Lisa and a friendship with Oliver, who starts dating Junior's daughter Emily. Junior discovers a tiny, isolated wooded section where animals refuse to enter. Oliver discourages him, but Junior clears out the area and uncovers the entrance to a mysterious cave. The cave emits a strange sound and smell, and it leads to a bottomless cliff, with the skeletal remains of a child on a ridge. Oliver and Junior assume it is the remains of Lisa's lost son. Oliver's elderly, feeble cat wanders into the cave, falls off the cliff, and disappears. Oliver holds a grudge against Junior, urges him to close up the cave entrance. Later, Junior spots the cat, alive, but virile and feral, and the animal runs off. Investigating the previous owner of the land, Junior encounters an old lady and her two grandsons, who persecute and discriminate against other cyronic survivors and also those who have undergone age regression, wishing to drive them out of the state. A doctor informs Junior he has the dreaded disease and will die in ten years. He tells no one. Determined to clear his name, Junior intends to investigate the cave and cliff, and plans to have the media cover his expedition. Before he can test his repelling equipment, a duo mysteriously appears: Wise-cracking Mustafa and his teenage son. Mustafa declares he is a space alien and time traveler from the year 3002. Junior doesn't believe him, dismisses Mustafa's uncanny demonstrations as magic tricks. Mustafa and son join Junior and meet Emily at a local bar. Mustafa causes Emily to storm out when he sings a song promoting atheism. When they are attacked by the old lady and her grandsons, Mustafa uses telekinetic powers to defeat them. Back at Junior's farm, Mustafa and his son manage to offend neighbor Lisa with barbaric eating habits and sexual innuendos. Once he convinces Junior he's from another planet, Mustafa attempts to pursuade Junior not to explore the cave and insists it will mean the end of the earth in 3002. The religious Junior doesn't trust Mustafa. He suspects the alien's real appearance resembles a devil, remains skeptical of Mustafa's clownish behavior, and questions his motives. Mustafa guarantees to cure Junior's fatal disease if he abandons the cave. Torn between disbelief, a long life, and years of constantly being known as 'The Trouble With Hubble Astronaut', Junior promises to give the alien an answer by tomorrow. Junior knocks on Lisa's door the next morning. He ushers in Lisa's long-lost son, missing for more than a decade, but still at ten-years-old. Overcome with joy and disbelief, when Lisa asks Junior how he did it, Junior answers, "I made a trade." Lisa hugs both of them, and Junior leaves, to allow mother and son to be reacquainted. Junior goes to Oliver's house and learns Emily and Oliver are engaged. He delivers a basket, with a kitten inside, to replace Oliver's lost cat. Later, a content Junior closes the cave entrance and plants new trees and shrubs to cover it up. Says to himself, "I have ten good years left." He gets a message from the departed Mustafa, who thanks him for abandoning the cave and tells him that he left an antidote for his disease. Then, he offers to show Junior what his true appearance looks like. Junior is shocked when he sees a still photo of Mustafa. With long hair, wings, and a halo. The archetypal representation of an angel.