WEBVTT 00:00:20.549 --> 00:00:25.629 Welcome. I'm E .G. Marshall. Those of you who 00:00:25.629 --> 00:00:27.850 have attended performances in the Mystery Theater 00:00:27.850 --> 00:00:30.850 know that there are certain tales that particularly 00:00:30.850 --> 00:00:34.509 entrance and intrigue me. They deal with the 00:00:34.509 --> 00:00:38.909 unusual, the unfamiliar, the unexplainable. So 00:00:38.909 --> 00:00:41.630 I have turned today to that master of mystery, 00:00:42.149 --> 00:00:44.770 Wilkie Collins, who has a habit of coming up 00:00:44.770 --> 00:00:47.770 with a story that always makes me say, why, that's 00:00:47.770 --> 00:00:55.240 not possible. Or is it? Xavier! Xavier Yardley 00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:01.439 Zenith! Can you hear me? Yes, I can, Uncle. It's 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:06.439 me, Xavier. Are you a ghost? Why didn't Father 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.879 Daly bless my coffin? I wanted him to, Uncle. 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:18.390 But he refused. Absolutely refused. Because he 00:01:18.390 --> 00:01:21.689 said you didn't die a natural death. You must 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:28.030 make him bless the grave, Xavier. I... I cannot 00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:41.030 rest until he does. Our mystery drama. Shadows 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:44.209 from the Grave, adapted from a story by Wilkie 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:46.829 Collins, was written especially for the Mystery 00:01:46.829 --> 00:01:50.569 Theater by James Agate, Jr. and stars Christopher 00:01:50.569 --> 00:02:06.219 Tabori. I'll be back shortly with Act One. One 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.819 invariably associates the mysterious with lonely 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:12.919 old houses, strange small inbred towns, peculiar 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:16.199 characters, and I have to admit this story follows 00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:19.840 that pattern. The man who told it to me is one 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.840 XYZ -ness. You can imagine the kind of comments 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.479 this poor fellow has gone through life with. 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:30.020 Nevertheless, he didn't seem to mind when I said, 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.620 XYZ, would you tell us about your extraordinary 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:42.439 adventure yourself? Having been christened Xavier 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.199 Yardley Zenith and suffered with those initials 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.479 all through school in California, I decided that 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:52.539 when I got to the job age and became very good 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:56.219 in photography to open up a studio of my own. 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:01.939 Call it Zenith of Hollywood. Not an unusual word 00:03:01.939 --> 00:03:04.879 in Hollywood. where everything is the top, the 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:09.819 best, the ultimate, the zenith. Two things occurred 00:03:09.819 --> 00:03:12.400 in April of this year which totally changed my 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:17.860 life. One, I planned to marry. And two, I got 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.520 a note from my Uncle George who lived in Fresno 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:24.520 to come see him on what he called a matter of 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:28.979 some importance. Hello up there. Uncle George, 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:32.090 it's me Xavier. What are you doing up in that 00:03:32.090 --> 00:03:36.169 tree? Xavier. Welcome, my boy. I've just about 00:03:36.169 --> 00:03:40.310 sealed up this hole in the tree. Here, give me 00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:47.490 a hand. Steady. Pretty spry for a man of my age, 00:03:47.530 --> 00:03:50.110 don't you think? You've never been up this way 00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:52.610 before, have you, Xavier? Not since I was a child, 00:03:52.689 --> 00:03:55.370 Uncle George. Oh, that's right. I remember now. 00:03:56.129 --> 00:03:59.719 This beautiful house hasn't changed. My father 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:03.479 built it in memory of Queen Victoria. What happened 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:06.500 to this big old oak, struck by lightning? No, 00:04:06.580 --> 00:04:08.819 it's the woodpeckers and squirrels that make 00:04:08.819 --> 00:04:12.620 all these holes. I've just had it with the noisy 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:15.639 beggars. They jump from this tree to the top 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.259 of the porch and then they run along my bedroom 00:04:18.259 --> 00:04:20.980 window making the most infernal racket you can 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:23.860 imagine. So I've just been sealing up a few of 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:27.519 their nesting places. Let them find apartments 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.379 elsewhere. I say. What about that big hole on 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:34.439 the other side of the tree? Maybe tomorrow I'll 00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:38.560 mix up some more cement. Say, boy, do you always 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.579 go around with two cameras hanging around your 00:04:40.579 --> 00:04:42.980 neck? Photography is my business, so I'm always 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:46.139 prepared just in case. Is there living in it? 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:50.540 You sell your pictures? I used to do better. 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.860 Took shots of movie stars on location. Did a 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.829 lot of newspaper and magazine work. But work 00:04:55.829 --> 00:04:57.990 is thinned out. I have a proposition to make 00:04:57.990 --> 00:05:01.350 you Since I gather the picture taking business 00:05:01.350 --> 00:05:04.449 isn't too profitable these days. I think you 00:05:04.449 --> 00:05:07.810 may be interested Are you married? I'm just about 00:05:07.810 --> 00:05:10.550 to be this coming Saturday matter of fact good 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:14.149 Then what I have in mind might make an excellent 00:05:14.149 --> 00:05:19.730 wedding present I'm not a rich man Xavier, but 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:25.000 comfortably off 59 acres orchards gardens this 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.540 house, and a private family vault on the premises. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:34.199 You're joking. You own a mausoleum? Death is 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:39.959 not a joke, Xavier. I am going to die in a week. 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:43.779 You? No, you're not. You look fit as a fiddle. 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:47.879 An ill -tuned fiddle. No, death is only a few 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.560 days off for me. I've known it would come to 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:54.600 this for some time, so it's no surprise. I'd 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:57.839 like to show you where I'm going to be buried. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:05.279 Here we are. That's Carrara Marble and Vermont 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.120 Granite. Those two locks on the bronze door are 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.500 an invention of mine. Mind if I take a picture 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:18.060 of it? Not at all. There's no one in your private 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:24.089 mausoleum now, is there? No. There was. No. No 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:28.269 one. Now Xavier, I want you to pay particular 00:06:28.269 --> 00:06:32.889 attention. Two keyholes and two separate brass 00:06:32.889 --> 00:06:38.129 keys. There is a very good reason for the two 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:41.829 locks. When I am laid to rest inside this vault, 00:06:42.069 --> 00:06:44.769 Xavier, I don't expect I shall be trying to get 00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:49.550 out. But I do not wish anyone else to get in. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:52.740 But why would a person want to? It's not necessary 00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:54.879 for me to explain all that to you now, my boy. 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:03.879 I turn the handle, and so... Not spacious, but 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:09.180 not crowded. My final home. Uncle, if you don't 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:12.680 mind, could we go back to the house now? I'm 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.920 not at my best in mausoleums. All right. I've 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:18.560 shown you everything. We'll sit ourselves on 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.300 the porch, and I'll tell you what's on my mind. 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:33.139 Have you ever sat in a porch swing, Xavier? Comfortable? 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:40.019 I love these old swings. Xavier, I have no choice. 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:44.860 You are my only living kin. There is no one else. 00:07:45.550 --> 00:07:49.089 I'm leaving all my worldly possessions, this 00:07:49.089 --> 00:07:52.829 house, the contents, the grounds, everything 00:07:52.829 --> 00:07:57.009 to you on one condition. You must live here and 00:07:57.009 --> 00:08:01.110 every day, every single day, mind you, you must 00:08:01.110 --> 00:08:03.509 go to that mausoleum and make certain there's 00:08:03.509 --> 00:08:08.470 been no one tampering with the locks. And that's 00:08:08.470 --> 00:08:13.490 the only condition, Uncle? The only one. I certainly 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:17.259 appreciate your generosity. Can I think it over 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.800 and let you know I I'd like to talk it over with 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:23.139 Catherine absolutely not You're going to agree 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:27.720 right now, but under but what? You can have your 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.740 Zenith of Hollywood office right here. This place 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:33.399 is plenty big enough You can turn the solarium 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:36.440 into a studio if you like. I don't care. I won't 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:41.600 be here It's all decided then hmm. Hmm good I'll 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.000 have Henley take you to the top of the hill a 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.700 good view and you can see most the property Have 00:08:46.700 --> 00:08:50.340 a tug at that bell pole, will you, Xavier? My 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:52.879 dear boy, you don't know what a relief this is. 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:56.100 My fate lies in your hands. Wait just a moment, 00:08:56.179 --> 00:08:58.320 Uncle. I haven't agreed to this inheritance yet. 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:03.620 But if I do, and I find someone's been at the 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:07.600 locks of that mausoleum, what should I do? In 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:10.500 my desk in the library, bottom right -hand drawer 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:14.240 is a letter of instructions. The envelope has 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:19.279 one word on it. Joshua. Did you say Joshua? But, 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:23.039 unless someone's been trying to break in, that 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:26.879 letter must never be read. You rang, sir? Yes, 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:31.100 Henley. This is my nephew, Xavier Yardley Zenith. 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:34.379 He's going to be living here. I want you to acquaint 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:37.820 him with the property. Very well, sir. Goodbye, 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:42.559 Xavier. I shall not be seeing you again. Have 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:48.519 a good walk. Well, my dear Joshua, your old friend 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:52.559 George Zenith has found a way to outwit you. 00:09:54.820 --> 00:10:03.860 Do you hear me, Joshua? That's exactly what he 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:06.759 said, Catherine. He stood looking out of the 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:09.519 window at the tree he'd been cementing, talking 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.539 to someone called Joshua, who of course wasn't 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:18.259 in the tree. It was most uncanny. And then I 00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:20.879 left the room with Henley the butler. How well 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:23.299 do you know your Uncle George? Only slightly, 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:26.580 I'd say. So then you have no idea what he meant 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:30.019 by, Joshua, I'm going to outwit you now. Not 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:32.720 the vaguest. But the important thing is, Katherine, 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:35.440 do we want to spend the rest of our lives in 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:37.559 a Victorian white elephant with a cook and a 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:39.980 butler? Our lives? Well, that's the deal, if 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:45.039 I accept. I have to guard that mausoleum. Every 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:48.000 single day. Darling, let's forget about this 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:51.100 crazy Uncle George of yours. We're getting married 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:53.340 Saturday. That's enough to think about for now. 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:56.720 If your uncle wants to leave us his big old house 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:00.559 in Fresno, fine. I love old houses. Especially 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:04.080 when it's a free gift. You didn't promise anything, 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:12.200 did you? No, I didn't. Saturday, Katherine and 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.539 I tied the knot. Nothing fancy just a few friends 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:17.919 at the registrar's office on Hollywood Boulevard 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:20.559 About a dozen of us drove out to Laguna Beach 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.379 for a wedding breakfast And we just got around 00:11:23.379 --> 00:11:25.779 to toasting one another in California champagne 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:29.120 When my service tracked me down and left a message 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:33.820 that uncle George Had died and would I come back 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:37.700 to Fresno? I'm father daily mr. Zenith your uncle 00:11:37.700 --> 00:11:40.059 came occasionally to our church father daily. 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:43.750 This is my wife Catherine. How do you do? I'm 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:46.210 sorry this sad occasion has brought us together. 00:11:47.009 --> 00:11:49.549 Not a very auspicious first married week, is 00:11:49.549 --> 00:11:53.190 it? It's hard to believe. He seemed so healthy. 00:11:53.710 --> 00:11:55.870 And when he talked about being dead in a week... 00:11:55.870 --> 00:11:59.909 Did he? Yes. I thought it was his macabre sense 00:11:59.909 --> 00:12:03.389 of humor. How do you suppose he knew? Well, if 00:12:03.389 --> 00:12:06.750 he intended to take his own life, then quite 00:12:06.750 --> 00:12:10.360 naturally he would know. Well, surely no one 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:14.360 thinks... My son, no one knows. When is the funeral 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.759 service? Well, there isn't going to be one, in 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:21.279 the strict sense of the word. No funeral? But 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.500 why not, Father? I'm afraid Mr. Zenith's uncle 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:28.539 may not have died a natural death. The medical 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:32.379 examiner said an overdose of sleeping pills. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:34.360 Oh, but couldn't that have been an accident? 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:36.679 I mean, he told me he had a lot of trouble sleeping. 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:39.639 Well, of course it could have. Which is what 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:43.919 the coroner decided, death by accident. But so 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.480 long as there's the slightest suspicion, which 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:49.960 you have rather confirmed just now for me, I 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:52.820 cannot bless the grave. I could bite my tongue 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:55.019 for telling you what he said, that he'd be dead 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:58.360 in a few days. Had you kept your uncle's intentions 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:01.759 secret, that indeed would have been a mortal 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:11.659 sin. Yes, Henley. You wish to see me? I do, sir. 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:14.860 Cook and I want to leave. You wish to leave this 00:13:14.860 --> 00:13:17.799 house? But why? While your uncle was alive, there 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.639 were some very peculiar things going on. But 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.419 out of loyalty, we just couldn't go. Peculiar 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:25.139 things that frightened you? Oh, yes, indeed, 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:29.360 sir. Strange voices and goings -on and awful 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:33.440 shrieks. Like someone being attacked. Terrifying, 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:36.080 if you ask me. I quite agree with you. Have you 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:37.779 heard such noises since my uncle passed away? 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:41.100 No, Mr. Zenith. Well, then I suggest to you the 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:44.139 noises died with him. Now, I'll double your salary, 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:46.240 Cook's also, and I don't want to hear any more 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:50.220 about your leaving. You put it that way, sir. 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:58.700 We'll be happy to stay on. Every day, I'd go 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:00.580 out and check the locks on the family vault. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.500 Katherine and I started making over the solarium 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:06.159 into a studio, and I ordered equipment for a 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:12.139 dock room. But then, one night, I had a strange 00:14:12.139 --> 00:14:20.419 dream. Xavier! Xavier Yardley Zenith! Is that 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:24.440 you, Uncle George? Why didn't Father Daly bless 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:28.379 my coffin? I wanted him to, Uncle, but he wouldn't. 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:31.919 He said there was... Some question as to how 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:42.179 you died Uncle George am I really talking to 00:14:42.179 --> 00:15:05.950 you or am I imagining things in my sleep? To 00:15:05.950 --> 00:15:09.129 sleep, says Hamlet, perchance to dream. Aye, 00:15:09.289 --> 00:15:12.009 there's the rub. For in that sleep of death, 00:15:12.210 --> 00:15:15.389 what dreams may come when we have shuffled off 00:15:15.389 --> 00:15:20.289 this mortal coil, must give us pause. Our friend 00:15:20.289 --> 00:15:23.769 Xavier Yardley Zenith has surely been given pause. 00:15:24.629 --> 00:15:27.309 His uncle dies mysteriously, then appears in 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:31.450 a dream giving orders, exacting promises. Where 00:15:31.450 --> 00:15:35.350 will it leave? Where will it end? I shall return 00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:49.570 shortly with act two. It has been an enigma for 00:15:49.570 --> 00:15:54.009 thousands of years. Are ghosts an illusion, a 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:57.490 projection of what one wishes to see, or do they 00:15:57.490 --> 00:16:00.870 represent some ephemeral link between the world 00:16:00.870 --> 00:16:04.240 of the dead and the world of the living? The 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.360 problem that faces Savior Zenith is to persuade 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.620 a member of the ministry to bless the remains 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:13.159 of a man who may have committed murder. For indeed, 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:17.360 that is how the Church regards suicide. Catherine, 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:20.600 I tell you, Uncle George's ghost said it as clearly 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:24.100 as I say this to you. Father Daly must give me 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:27.539 his blessing. I cannot rest until he does. Honey, 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:31.940 can I say something? I appreciate this inheritance, 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:34.580 the house, the grounds, money to run it and have 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:37.840 a butler and a cook. I never in my wildest dreams 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.580 did I ever think I'd have that. But on the minus 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:43.480 side, there's all this infatuation with death. 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:46.139 That mausoleum which has to be guarded as though 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:48.639 it were Tutankhamen's tomb. And now you having 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:51.820 nightmares about your uncle. Savior, it's not 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:54.659 healthy. What am I to do? I gave my word. Well, 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:57.220 what about your career? You're a little young 00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:59.759 to retire to a gingerbread house in Fresno and 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.139 play nursemaid to ghoulies and ghosties. Oh, 00:17:02.179 --> 00:17:04.299 we're gonna make a great studio out of the solarium, 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:06.440 and then that enormous closet, turning it into 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:08.839 a dark room, it'll be great. You don't understand 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:12.259 me, do you? You've got to get out into the world 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:15.359 and take pictures, Mr. Zenith of Hollywood. But 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:17.380 having always to be one night away from this 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:20.000 place so you can check the locks on a dead man's 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:23.440 tomb is going to hold you back. I told you all 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.319 this before we married, so don't throw it in 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.759 my face now. What's the matter with you, Xavier? 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:30.720 Have you no will of your own? Why, a month ago, 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.259 if I told you that a ghost came to me in my sleep, 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:35.539 you would have laughed right out loud. I'm not 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.359 laughing now. You really believe you saw him, 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:40.720 don't you? Of course I do. I was there. He was 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:42.779 there. I heard him. And you've decided to stick 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:44.660 it out here for the rest of your life. Is that 00:17:44.660 --> 00:17:48.079 it? If I have to, I will. I think I'd better 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.440 leave you alone until you cool off. I'm not letting 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:54.480 any dead uncle get in the way of my life. And 00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:01.660 I mean it. Katherine did mean it. Next thing 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:04.359 I knew, she'd lit out and went back to LA. I 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:07.500 knew where to find her, all right. At her mother's. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:09.720 But I was darned if I'd go running after her. 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:13.980 My dear Mr. Zenith, my hands are tied. The church 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:17.140 simply cannot acknowledge any untoward death. 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:20.720 Father Daly. For three nights running uncle George 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:24.240 has appeared to me at night saying Help me lie 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:28.339 in rest. I cannot until father daily blesses 00:18:28.339 --> 00:18:32.079 my coffin Xavier May I call you Xavier? I wish 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:37.160 you would my boy You and I are both modern men 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:41.079 at the edge of the 21st century For you to tell 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.440 me that you're being visited by your uncle's 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:48.000 ghost While I won't discount it as a possibility, 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:51.819 it's much more likely to be your own conscience 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:54.680 worrying you to such an extent that you can convince 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:58.180 yourself that you've seen him. You tell me it 00:18:58.180 --> 00:19:01.700 happens when you're asleep. I say to you, yes, 00:19:01.819 --> 00:19:05.440 it could, but that still doesn't make it any 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:10.130 more than a dream. Last night... He said I should 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:12.089 read some of the books in his library, and I 00:19:12.089 --> 00:19:14.809 would understand. Go read your uncle's books. 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:18.650 And if this brings you peace of mind, then you'll 00:19:18.650 --> 00:19:21.769 know whether his appearances are fact or fancy. 00:19:22.809 --> 00:19:31.970 That's just what I aim to do, Father. You rang 00:19:31.970 --> 00:19:35.069 for me, sir? Yes, I did, Henley. Come into the 00:19:35.069 --> 00:19:38.950 library and shut the door behind you. Did you 00:19:38.950 --> 00:19:41.269 know my uncle was greatly interested in black 00:19:41.269 --> 00:19:44.329 magic? Well, I did tell you I was aware something 00:19:44.329 --> 00:19:48.849 strange was going on. He and Mr. Tree, they did 00:19:48.849 --> 00:19:52.589 some kind of... I don't know what you'd call 00:19:52.589 --> 00:19:57.049 it. Mr. Tree? A friend of your uncle's. They 00:19:57.049 --> 00:20:00.089 spent a lot of time together, and then, a year 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:03.109 ago, Mr. Tree went away. Can you be more specific 00:20:03.109 --> 00:20:08.480 than something strange? Oh, well, sir... be a 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:12.640 lot of candles, hundreds, in fact, that have 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:16.079 them all burning, and there'd be incense and 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:19.660 chanting right here in the library, Mr. Zenith. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.819 I've been reading these books, and what amazed 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:26.180 me was how many of them deal with the power of 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:29.759 black magic. I remember him asking me to bring 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:32.700 home a cup of holy water from the church. And 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:36.160 I said to him, I said, well, sir, you're supposed 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:39.519 to go to church in person and bless yourself 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:43.359 with holy water, not bring the holy water here. 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:46.539 And your uncle said, getting the holy water is 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:51.819 the easy task. I have to get the blood of a child 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:56.109 to mix with the water. Henley, did you ever find 00:20:56.109 --> 00:21:00.230 out what it was for? No, I didn't. I didn't ask. 00:21:00.829 --> 00:21:03.069 And I didn't steal the holy water from the church 00:21:03.069 --> 00:21:06.809 either. Henley, you strike me as a sensible man. 00:21:07.250 --> 00:21:09.789 Will you do me a favor tonight? I generally take 00:21:09.789 --> 00:21:12.650 a walk in the garden after dark. Perhaps you'd 00:21:12.650 --> 00:21:22.269 walk with me. Certainly, sir. I see you brought 00:21:22.269 --> 00:21:25.640 your camera, Mr. Zenith. Can you take pictures 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:28.940 with only moonlight? Oh, yes. Filming so fast 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:31.539 nowadays, I could get a picture of you at 20 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:35.299 feet by the light of one match. Now this part 00:21:35.299 --> 00:21:37.799 here, where we're walking, is this also part 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:42.200 of my uncle's property? I should say your property, 00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:46.759 sir. This is all part of it. And that brook, 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:49.519 too. Let's walk to the other side across this 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:54.359 footbridge. The path seems to continue downstream. 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:57.380 Over there, over there. What's that little stone 00:21:57.380 --> 00:22:01.640 building? Oh, that's the mausoleum, sir. Oh, 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:05.220 so it is. By moonlight, I'm afraid I'm a little 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:09.519 discombobulated. Oh, wait. That's a good shot 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:12.200 from this side of the brook. The mausoleum reflected 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:18.220 in the water. Yeah, I think I got it. Henley, 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:24.140 Henley. What's that? What's what sir figure of 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:27.980 a man I just saw him in my viewfinder then he 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:34.700 disappeared Again can't you see it Yes, there 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:37.259 was someone he's moving away from the mausoleum 00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:41.259 you see him He's wearing a long cap almost to 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:45.099 the ground. Can you see how long keep? Oh, no, 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:49.079 no, no Excuse me, mr. Zenith, but I must go now. 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:51.210 I know it's just a minute. What is sir? Will 00:22:51.210 --> 00:22:53.890 you please let go of my arm? Yeah, I will when 00:22:53.890 --> 00:22:58.690 you tell me now. Do you know that man? He's come 00:22:58.690 --> 00:23:04.250 back. Oh, I never thought we'd see him again. 00:23:06.690 --> 00:23:08.869 Henley ran off. I followed the man in the cape, 00:23:09.130 --> 00:23:11.750 keeping my distance across the brook. He seemed 00:23:11.750 --> 00:23:15.309 to glide over the earth. I ran across the footbridge 00:23:15.309 --> 00:23:19.430 towards him, and then he disappeared. I turned 00:23:19.430 --> 00:23:21.579 back to the house. And suddenly, there he was, 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:26.400 standing against a big oak tree. And then... 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:34.579 he seemed to melt right into it. I do apologize, 00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:37.680 Mr. Zenith, for my behavior last night, leaving 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.819 you like that. Yeah, sounds rather puzzled. You're 00:23:40.819 --> 00:23:45.220 a photographer, sir. And so I... I have something 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:50.849 to show you. This snapshot. Do you see that man? 00:23:51.730 --> 00:23:54.930 Yes. It's very like the thing I saw last night. 00:23:55.250 --> 00:23:59.009 A hunched over man with a long cape. It looks 00:23:59.009 --> 00:24:01.529 like he's talking to someone. Someone out of 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:04.950 camera range possibly. That's the peculiar part 00:24:04.950 --> 00:24:09.069 of it. He was talking to someone. I took a picture 00:24:09.069 --> 00:24:12.349 of the two of them. But the other man's not in 00:24:12.349 --> 00:24:15.869 the picture. Are you saying this person we can't 00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:18.450 see was there but didn't register on the film? 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:21.759 I don't think I understand. Perhaps it's better 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:25.420 that you don't, Mr. Zenith. What about the man 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:28.559 whose picture you've got? Do you know him? It's 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:32.400 Mr. Joshua Tree, sir, when he used to live here. 00:24:32.900 --> 00:24:36.380 And now he's come back. That's why I must pay 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:38.759 you for your understanding and indulgence, Mrs. 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:41.799 Henley, and I simply cannot stay for a moment 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:44.420 longer. But even if it is Mr. Tree who's come 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:48.480 back, why must you leave, Henley? I... Can't 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:51.400 say anymore, I really can't. But if you want 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:55.460 my advice, Mr. Xavier, if you value your life, 00:24:56.200 --> 00:25:05.380 you leave here also. When I developed the shots 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:09.279 I took of the Cape figure, they were identical 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:13.839 to Henley's snapshot. That night, from the darkened 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:17.640 library, I watched the oak tree. At midnight, 00:25:18.339 --> 00:25:20.920 the figure in the cape appeared. I crept out 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:22.599 of the house, following it to the door of the 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:26.099 mausoleum. This is what Uncle George must have 00:25:26.099 --> 00:25:29.599 meant. I reached forward to stop the man. Something 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:33.000 hit me on the head from behind. I blacked out. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:43.799 Savior? Savior, are you all right? Catherine, 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:47.740 what are you doing here? Am I dreaming? Don't 00:25:47.740 --> 00:25:50.180 ask so many questions. That's quite a bump on 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:53.039 your head. Here, let me help you. I can make 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:58.880 it all right. Whoever hit me wasn't kidding. 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:01.519 Just stop talking and lean on me and we'll walk 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:05.380 slowly back to the house. Catherine, this gets 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:07.859 more mysterious every minute. But the biggest 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:10.640 mystery is how you just happened to show up. 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:13.619 I'm your wife, remember? I decided I was being 00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:17.230 stupid, so I came back. No, darling, you don't 00:26:17.230 --> 00:26:19.130 have to hold me up. I can make it all right. 00:26:19.470 --> 00:26:21.490 You're not gonna trip and fall again while I'm 00:26:21.490 --> 00:26:27.230 around Catherine I didn't fall Somebody hit me 00:26:27.230 --> 00:26:30.390 Maybe or what are you talking about? I saw you 00:26:30.390 --> 00:26:32.230 at the mausoleum when I came out of the house 00:26:32.230 --> 00:26:35.549 I saw you step back and fall over there wasn't 00:26:35.549 --> 00:26:38.730 a soul in sight You didn't see anyone near me. 00:26:38.930 --> 00:26:41.609 It's after two in the morning when we get back 00:26:41.609 --> 00:26:43.990 to the house to bed You go and not a peep out 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.859 of you You don't believe that I was hit from 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:51.059 behind. I believe my eyes, and they didn't see 00:26:51.059 --> 00:27:03.539 a thing. Father Daley, who is Joshua Tree? Where 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:06.180 did you hear that name? Henley told me, but not 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:12.220 much else. Joshua Tree. He was a man who, to 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:16.089 the bottom of his heart, if he had one, was basically 00:27:16.089 --> 00:27:19.349 evil. How did my uncle come to know him? Well, 00:27:19.349 --> 00:27:22.950 he just turned up about two years ago. Your uncle 00:27:22.950 --> 00:27:25.430 took a fancy to him and saw a good deal of him, 00:27:26.049 --> 00:27:28.750 which I am afraid was the most unfortunate thing 00:27:28.750 --> 00:27:31.009 he ever did in his life. Why do you say that, 00:27:31.190 --> 00:27:35.029 Father? Joshua Tree was the very spirit of the 00:27:35.029 --> 00:27:37.569 devil himself. I show you a photograph I took 00:27:37.569 --> 00:27:39.930 near my uncle's vault the day before yesterday. 00:27:41.089 --> 00:27:47.160 Is that Joshua Tree? Hmm. All right. I can't 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:51.319 really make out the face. But the cape and the 00:27:51.319 --> 00:27:55.380 angle of the head is very similar, I'd say. But 00:27:55.380 --> 00:27:58.599 of course, how could it be? He disappeared a 00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:01.700 year ago. Father, here's another picture. Is 00:28:01.700 --> 00:28:06.140 that the man? Yes. That's him. You didn't take 00:28:06.140 --> 00:28:09.180 this picture, did you? No. It was given to me 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:11.799 by Henley. He took it. Now, if that's Joshua 00:28:11.799 --> 00:28:15.210 Tree, you notice... He appears to be talking 00:28:15.210 --> 00:28:18.269 to someone, but there's no one there. Oh, yes, 00:28:18.269 --> 00:28:22.349 there is. But the camera can't record an apparition. 00:28:22.809 --> 00:28:25.069 You mean Joshua Tree was talking to someone, 00:28:25.109 --> 00:28:28.049 but we can't see him? Because, my dear young 00:28:28.049 --> 00:28:32.630 lady, that invisible thing is a familiar. What's 00:28:32.630 --> 00:28:37.349 that? A familiar is an evil spirit visible to 00:28:37.349 --> 00:28:41.730 very few. The devil can see him, as can a sorcerer's 00:28:41.730 --> 00:28:47.210 apprentice. So you were saying, Joshua Tree was 00:28:47.210 --> 00:28:57.869 such an apprentice. Xavier, are you in here? 00:28:58.990 --> 00:29:01.910 There's nothing here. I'll try this drawer. What 00:29:01.910 --> 00:29:05.230 are you doing? Nothing, nothing, nothing. What 00:29:05.230 --> 00:29:07.809 do you mean, nothing? I mean there's nothing 00:29:07.809 --> 00:29:10.690 in any of my uncle's desk drawers. He told me 00:29:10.690 --> 00:29:13.769 there was. Xavier, why don't you answer me? Because 00:29:13.769 --> 00:29:16.730 I don't have any answer. Let me see if I can 00:29:16.730 --> 00:29:20.009 get under this desk. Knock the wood. Maybe there's 00:29:20.009 --> 00:29:25.190 a secret drawer. Ah, yes, it's hollow here. Listen, 00:29:26.250 --> 00:29:30.170 one of these drawers is short. Behind it, there 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:34.609 must be. I'll pull this drawer out. I'll put 00:29:34.609 --> 00:29:41.599 it on the floor. Then I reach back inside. I 00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:46.200 feel something. An envelope. Well, here she'd 00:29:46.200 --> 00:29:49.000 be. How did you know it was back there? Before 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:52.960 he died. Last time I saw him alive. Uncle George 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.839 told me that if somebody was tampering with his 00:29:54.839 --> 00:29:57.500 mausoleum, I'd find my instructions in a letter 00:29:57.500 --> 00:30:01.579 with the word Joshua written on it. To whom it 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:12.380 may concern... Oh, no. Oh, no! Murdered! He killed 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:21.599 him! Lord in heaven, what are we to do now? The 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:25.500 ghost in the play Hamlet says, I am thy father's 00:30:25.500 --> 00:30:28.839 spirit doomed for a certain term to walk the 00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:32.740 night till the foul crimes done in my days of 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:37.539 nature are burnt and purged away. Is it so with 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:40.660 our Uncle George? Is he also doomed to eternal 00:30:40.660 --> 00:30:44.259 unrest until his sins are purged and burnt away? 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:48.099 With the end of uncertainty, I shall bring you 00:30:48.099 --> 00:31:02.460 Act Three, when I return shortly. It's all very 00:31:02.460 --> 00:31:05.859 well to poo -poo the occult, ghostly apparitions, 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:08.529 phantoms that haunt. the deceased who cannot 00:31:08.529 --> 00:31:11.690 find peace until they find love, or are forgiven 00:31:11.690 --> 00:31:15.250 their earthly sins, etc., etc. But the fact remains 00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:17.589 that time and again psychic researchers have 00:31:17.589 --> 00:31:21.509 agreed there are manifestations that defy and 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:25.369 disobey nature's laws. And whether we like it 00:31:25.369 --> 00:31:33.769 or not, the unexplained does exist. I shall never 00:31:33.769 --> 00:31:37.029 forget that evening, for even as I stood there, 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:39.240 The letter of confession in my hand, Catherine 00:31:39.240 --> 00:31:42.359 waiting for me to read on. We were both suddenly 00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:44.960 so overcome by the cold, I had to light a fire. 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:49.599 And this was late July, mind you. We needed a 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:53.900 fire, we lit candles. Something compelled us 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:57.259 to light dozens and dozens of candles. I feel 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:00.599 warmer now. It's seeing the flames, I think. 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:04.259 Go on, Xavier, read your uncle's letter. To whom 00:32:04.259 --> 00:32:07.839 it may concern... Especially you, my dear nephew 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:12.259 Xavier. I fear they have come to get me. They've 00:32:12.259 --> 00:32:15.099 appeared at the door of my mausoleum. Or else 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:20.240 you would not be reading this letter. Stop. Uncle 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:25.700 George! Catherine, do you see him? Yes. Is he... 00:32:25.700 --> 00:32:38.549 is that your uncle? Don't be alarmed. Am I really 00:32:38.549 --> 00:33:33.140 hearing this? Joshua Tree's body is hidden somewhere. 00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:37.779 How can I find it? We will try anything to help 00:33:37.779 --> 00:33:41.660 you, Uncle. Persuade Father Daly to bless my 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:49.460 grave. Help me, Xavier. Help me, me, me, me, 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:53.460 me, me. I'm glad you finally saw him too, Captain. 00:33:54.799 --> 00:33:56.759 Oh, those heavy summer storms. We better check 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:58.940 the library window. I'll do the ones on the side, 00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:00.420 Catherine. You make sure the ones facing the 00:34:00.420 --> 00:34:02.799 front will have the show. Look! The fire in the 00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:05.240 fireplace. It's going out. How strange. It must 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:07.660 be the downdraft blowing down the chimney. Now 00:34:07.660 --> 00:34:09.500 the fire's gone out. All the candles are going 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:12.179 out. Must be some strange air circulating in 00:34:12.179 --> 00:34:14.199 this room. Let me get the electric lights. The 00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:18.219 switch is by the door. Well, that's funny. Nothing's 00:34:18.219 --> 00:34:23.300 happened. Can't you turn the lights on? No way. 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:27.260 That happens often in the country. You get a 00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:29.460 big storm and the electricity just shuts off. 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:31.760 I'll look out the front library windows and see 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:33.039 if there are lights in the other houses down 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:37.679 the road. Xavier, come here. There's someone 00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:41.199 out there. Look. Pressed against the big oak 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:46.039 man in the cave. And next to him, a tall kind 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:48.800 of man. They're both huddling against the trunk 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:52.659 of the tree trying to keep out of the rain. Catherine. 00:34:54.159 --> 00:34:57.860 The tall one. It's turning around from the tree. 00:34:58.599 --> 00:35:01.000 It's looking right this way. Can it see us? Oh, 00:35:01.079 --> 00:35:05.219 what a hideous face. Like death. The eyes. Do 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:07.380 you see those eyes? Now it's beckoning to the 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:10.360 man in the cape. I see him. Is that Joshua Tree? 00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:14.039 In spirit. For I'm sure now where his body is. 00:35:14.139 --> 00:35:17.260 Where? In that tree. That's why Uncle George 00:35:17.260 --> 00:35:20.159 was so haunted. Oh, it's all clear to me now. 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:23.559 At that time, I followed Joshua Tree to the mausoleum. 00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:25.760 They were trying to get at the corpse of Uncle 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:29.659 George. It was the familiar who knocked me down. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:33.559 Am I imagining it? But the both of them have 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:39.699 come much closer to our picture window. Hello? 00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:44.440 Father Daley, is that you? Yes. This is Xavier. 00:35:45.300 --> 00:35:46.679 You've got to come over to my uncle's house. 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:48.940 You've simply got to. My boy, you sound quite 00:35:48.940 --> 00:35:52.130 upset. Father, I implore you. Come now. Catherine 00:35:52.130 --> 00:35:55.190 and I are here alone. Only you can save us. Give 00:35:55.190 --> 00:35:58.269 me that phone. Father Daly, this is Catherine 00:35:58.269 --> 00:36:02.110 Zenith. There are two creatures outside the library 00:36:02.110 --> 00:36:04.989 window right now. They're not real people, Father. 00:36:05.670 --> 00:36:08.090 I have a very strong feeling they are not human. 00:36:21.460 --> 00:36:24.820 Quickly! Help us! Help us! They're raising their 00:36:24.820 --> 00:36:27.900 hands now and pounding at the glass! They're 00:36:27.900 --> 00:36:32.679 coming after us! We ran out the back door into 00:36:32.679 --> 00:36:35.079 the raging stormy night, lashed by rain, not 00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:37.360 knowing which way to escape. The only path through 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.500 the garden led right to the mausoleum, and before 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:41.579 we could stop ourselves, we were practically 00:36:41.579 --> 00:36:44.940 on top of it. It's there! It's standing at the 00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:47.280 door of the vault! Grab my hand, Catherine. Hold 00:36:47.280 --> 00:36:49.239 on. We'll run for the brook. Where are we going? 00:36:49.340 --> 00:36:51.960 Into the water. Come on! It's not deep, Catherine. 00:36:52.360 --> 00:36:54.840 We can walk it. Stay in the middle of the brook 00:36:54.840 --> 00:36:57.480 with me. You see, these evil spirits cannot follow 00:36:57.480 --> 00:36:59.980 humans into water. If we just keep moving, it'll 00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:02.940 give up. I'm sure of it. Oh, I hope you're right. 00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:11.340 It's got to give up before I do. I was right. 00:37:12.219 --> 00:37:15.219 The thing gave up, finally. And by the time we'd 00:37:15.219 --> 00:37:17.880 climbed to shore, it had gone. There we stood. 00:37:18.349 --> 00:37:21.969 The rain beating down on us from above, and our 00:37:21.969 --> 00:37:25.449 legs and clothes soaked from the brook. Somehow, 00:37:26.530 --> 00:37:29.389 we found the main road to town and ran towards 00:37:29.389 --> 00:37:33.010 it. Oh, there's a car coming. I see headlights. 00:37:33.349 --> 00:37:35.110 Let's stand at the wayside of the road. After 00:37:35.110 --> 00:37:36.489 staying alive this long, I don't want to be hit 00:37:36.489 --> 00:37:42.550 by a car. Xavier! Catherine! What are you doing 00:37:42.550 --> 00:37:45.230 out here? Oh, Father Daly! Oh, don't answer me. 00:37:45.369 --> 00:37:47.289 Just get in. We've got to get back to the house. 00:37:47.550 --> 00:37:49.349 All right, all right, all right. Close that door 00:37:49.349 --> 00:37:52.510 and let's go. Now, tell me, you two, what are 00:37:52.510 --> 00:37:54.409 you doing standing in the road wet from head 00:37:54.409 --> 00:37:57.030 to toe? We ran from the house to get away from 00:37:57.030 --> 00:38:00.030 them. They actually broke through a plate glass 00:38:00.030 --> 00:38:04.730 window. That's most peculiar. Peculiar? It was 00:38:04.730 --> 00:38:08.110 horrifying. Why do you say that, Father? Because 00:38:08.110 --> 00:38:12.670 the spirit of Joshua Tree and his familiar... 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:15.429 are not after either of you. Well, they certainly 00:38:15.429 --> 00:38:17.889 gave a good imitation. You don't seem to understand. 00:38:18.010 --> 00:38:21.710 These creatures, the dead and the spirit they've 00:38:21.710 --> 00:38:25.369 called up, they're satanic twin, in fact. They're 00:38:25.369 --> 00:38:28.969 not after living persons. They're on the constant 00:38:28.969 --> 00:38:31.449 lookout for the newly dead. Wait till you see 00:38:31.449 --> 00:38:33.670 the broken library window, and then tell me if 00:38:33.670 --> 00:38:37.090 there aren't exceptions. Where are they now? 00:38:37.429 --> 00:38:41.139 It's time I wrestled with the devil. What will 00:38:41.139 --> 00:38:44.980 you do? I shall quiet the demons with my crucifix. 00:38:45.579 --> 00:38:48.619 There's only one way to drive out Satan, and 00:38:48.619 --> 00:38:56.960 the Church has been doing it for centuries. Father, 00:38:57.059 --> 00:38:59.179 look. The vault door's open. Someone's coming 00:38:59.179 --> 00:39:05.059 out. Not someone, but some things that are carrying 00:39:05.059 --> 00:39:09.400 out your uncle's coffin. Stop! I charge you, 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:12.800 archfiends of Hades! Thou hast entertained familiarity 00:39:12.800 --> 00:39:17.440 with Satan, the grand enemy of God! I charge 00:39:17.440 --> 00:39:23.800 you! Put down that body and begone! Father Daly 00:39:23.800 --> 00:39:26.440 advanced upon the two creatures holding his crucifix 00:39:26.440 --> 00:39:28.980 in front of him. The familiar and the spirit 00:39:28.980 --> 00:39:31.300 of the murdered Joshua Tree halted, released 00:39:31.300 --> 00:39:33.920 the coffin and ran. Father Daly and I carried 00:39:33.920 --> 00:39:36.179 Uncle George back inside the vault and closed 00:39:36.179 --> 00:39:40.599 the doors. It came to me in a flash. The big 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:44.019 oak tree. It was there we would find the source 00:39:44.019 --> 00:39:49.340 of the evil. You were right, Savior. I can see 00:39:49.340 --> 00:39:53.320 their shadows. I'll hold them back with my crucifix. 00:39:53.599 --> 00:39:58.179 Somewhere inside this oak are the remains of 00:39:58.179 --> 00:40:00.639 the man my uncle killed. When we find them, I 00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:03.000 suspect they'll be wrapped in that long, capy 00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:06.199 war. There's a sizable hole on the far side. 00:40:06.409 --> 00:40:09.570 When I first came here last April, my uncle was 00:40:09.570 --> 00:40:12.369 up there cementing up some holes. Since he knew 00:40:12.369 --> 00:40:15.130 Joshua Tree's body had been taken from the mausoleum 00:40:15.130 --> 00:40:18.530 by the familiar, your uncle might have suspected 00:40:18.530 --> 00:40:22.610 it was in this tree. I don't look forward to 00:40:22.610 --> 00:40:26.030 finding a pile of decomposed bones. What do we 00:40:26.030 --> 00:40:29.590 do with them, Father? Burn them. I'm glad Catherine's 00:40:29.590 --> 00:40:32.150 in the house. Don't know how she would react 00:40:32.150 --> 00:40:39.340 to a funeral pyre. We have no choice. The familiar. 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:44.500 It's still there. Its minutes on Earth are numbered. 00:40:45.579 --> 00:40:48.760 Once we have destroyed the body of Joshua Tree, 00:40:49.800 --> 00:40:52.519 what held it here no longer exists, and the familiar 00:40:52.519 --> 00:40:56.599 must return to the black beyond. And Uncle George 00:40:56.599 --> 00:40:59.320 must have known that his body could be invaded 00:40:59.320 --> 00:41:03.380 after death. And he would have had to walk the 00:41:03.380 --> 00:41:07.000 Earth forever with this familiar. When I find 00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:10.210 the remains... I shall light the fire to them 00:41:10.210 --> 00:41:14.010 and hold high the cross. But what about Uncle 00:41:14.010 --> 00:41:18.550 George? I shall go back into the mausoleum and 00:41:18.550 --> 00:41:29.210 bless the coffin. Requiescat in pace. The flames 00:41:29.210 --> 00:41:32.869 consume the phantoms from the grave. The good 00:41:32.869 --> 00:41:35.969 father returns to the tomb and blesses the coffin. 00:41:36.619 --> 00:41:40.860 Will there be deliverance for the uncle? Yes, 00:41:41.300 --> 00:41:44.420 released from wandering the earth. But in the 00:41:44.420 --> 00:41:46.920 dimension of the beyond, will the spirit of the 00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:51.340 murdered sorcerer allow his murderer to exist 00:41:51.340 --> 00:41:56.039 in peace? Or will Uncle George discover his eternal 00:41:56.039 --> 00:42:00.699 torture is just beginning? I shall return shortly. 00:42:12.010 --> 00:42:16.050 The ghost of his father is real to Hamlet. Banquo's 00:42:16.050 --> 00:42:20.409 ghost is real to Macbeth. And even if you or 00:42:20.409 --> 00:42:24.170 I cry out as they did, hence, horrible shadow, 00:42:24.610 --> 00:42:29.750 unreal mockery, hence, can we make specters disappear? 00:42:31.190 --> 00:42:33.949 Defend ourselves from the unknown as we may try 00:42:33.949 --> 00:42:38.550 to. The battle of angels and devils goes on. 00:42:39.190 --> 00:42:44.219 So close not your eyes. Remember, all is possible. 00:42:45.199 --> 00:42:47.639 Our cast included Christopher Tabore, Fred Gwin, 00:42:47.820 --> 00:42:51.360 Betsy Beard, and Court Benson. The entire production 00:42:51.360 --> 00:42:58.360 was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now, 00:42:58.659 --> 00:43:02.159 a preview of our next tale. Our little mouse 00:43:02.159 --> 00:43:06.579 has jumped at the chance. We move in? For a week 00:43:06.579 --> 00:43:11.539 or two. That doesn't give us quite enough time. 00:43:11.539 --> 00:43:16.760 Oh, there will be ways to prolong our stay. The 00:43:16.760 --> 00:43:19.760 sicker she gets, the more she needs nursing. 00:43:20.820 --> 00:43:24.300 How long will it take? One can never be quite 00:43:24.300 --> 00:43:29.380 sure. The young have more resistance. And we 00:43:29.380 --> 00:43:33.519 must take care. Oh, still I should imagine within 00:43:33.519 --> 00:43:38.269 six weeks. And we'll be rich again. Forever, 00:43:38.590 --> 00:43:42.010 my love. Once little Amy joins the Commodore 00:43:42.010 --> 00:43:46.969 in, if you'll excuse the pleasantry, Davy Jones' 00:43:47.050 --> 00:43:53.230 locker, you and I will be set for life. This 00:43:53.230 --> 00:43:56.090 is E .G. Marshall inviting you to return to our 00:43:56.090 --> 00:43:59.289 mystery theater for another adventure in the 00:43:59.289 --> 00:44:05.099 macabre. Until next time, pleasant. Dreams?