WEBVTT 00:00:01.740 --> 00:00:22.739 The CBS radio mystery theater presents. Come 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:29.109 in. Welcome. I'm EG Marshall. Ever read this 00:00:29.109 --> 00:00:30.929 sort of advertisement in the real estate section 00:00:30.929 --> 00:00:33.090 of the newspaper or their personal columns of 00:00:33.090 --> 00:00:36.090 a magazine? Young Austrian couple, no children, 00:00:36.229 --> 00:00:38.509 no pets, would like to exchange their gemütlich 00:00:38.509 --> 00:00:41.210 alpine chalet for New York apartment two to three 00:00:41.210 --> 00:00:44.049 months. Please write, etc., etc., etc. If you 00:00:44.049 --> 00:00:46.649 had read that, would you be tempted to try it? 00:00:47.450 --> 00:00:52.210 Don't. It could work out nicely, but then again... 00:00:55.049 --> 00:00:57.630 What is it? I don't know, Moira. I think something 00:00:57.630 --> 00:01:00.469 flew into the room. Something? What? A bird. 00:01:00.689 --> 00:01:03.090 Like a huge gray owl. We shouldn't have left 00:01:03.090 --> 00:01:06.170 the window open. I'm glad we did. It flew right 00:01:06.170 --> 00:01:18.590 out. Again. Our mystery drama, The Ghost Gray 00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:21.030 Bat, was written especially for the Mystery Theater 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:24.459 by Ian Martin and stars Don Scardino, and Jennifer 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:39.900 Harmon. I'll be back shortly with Act One. The 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:42.280 advertisement I began to read to you was the 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.599 actual one that Alec and Moira Grant answered. 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.019 Moira was interested because Alec was exhausted 00:01:48.019 --> 00:01:51.879 from overwork and she felt he needed a long vacation. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.099 Alec... because they had recently been married 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:59.180 and so far had been denied a honeymoon. Outside 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:01.640 of these two small concerns, they had nothing 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:04.540 in the world to worry them. They were blissfully 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:08.240 happy. The gods were good to them. How fortunate. 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:12.719 Except it was Byron who said, whom the gods love, 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:21.139 die young. Professor Grant, you don't have to 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:25.629 be formal. It's just me. Oh, who's me? Your wife. 00:02:26.050 --> 00:02:29.050 Oh, that man. Darling, the most marvelous thing 00:02:29.050 --> 00:02:32.449 just happened. It came. That's nice. What came? 00:02:32.710 --> 00:02:36.830 The letter from Frau Gottschalk in Austria. She's 00:02:36.830 --> 00:02:39.349 charming. There's a picture of her and her husband, 00:02:39.389 --> 00:02:41.990 and they look like dear people, and the house 00:02:41.990 --> 00:02:45.469 is a dream, and they want to exchange, only they 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:48.110 don't own a car. But couldn't we just rent one 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:51.430 there? Hey, honey, slow down, will you? When 00:02:51.430 --> 00:02:53.870 are you coming home? I'm just finishing up. I 00:02:53.870 --> 00:02:55.750 had to empty the drawers and get all this junk 00:02:55.750 --> 00:02:58.069 out of poor Murray's way. Well, you're only going 00:02:58.069 --> 00:03:00.629 to be away from the university for a year. It's 00:03:00.629 --> 00:03:03.169 still your office. Not while I'm on sabbatical 00:03:03.169 --> 00:03:05.389 leave, but it's all done. I should be home within 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:08.689 the hour. Oh, hurry, darling. I'm just bursting 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:15.909 with all the news about Austria. I'm Dr. Alec 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:18.610 Grant, and my sabbatical leave began at the beginning 00:03:18.610 --> 00:03:21.449 of the summer. I hold a full chair in philosophy 00:03:21.449 --> 00:03:24.050 at Gotham University, and my intention was to 00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:26.909 spend my sabbatical year finishing a book. When 00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:29.189 Murray Spraig got in a bind and asked me to take 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:31.569 over a summer course he was teaching in comparative 00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:34.069 theology, I would have turned him down except 00:03:34.069 --> 00:03:36.509 that it was he who was covering my courses while 00:03:36.509 --> 00:03:39.110 I was on leave. It was a stroke of luck that 00:03:39.110 --> 00:03:41.909 I said I would. First, because during the course 00:03:41.909 --> 00:03:44.990 I learned more than I wanted to know about demonology, 00:03:45.610 --> 00:03:49.210 but mainly because I met Moira. And we got married. 00:03:51.729 --> 00:03:54.669 There's only one hitch, Alec. Provided you think 00:03:54.669 --> 00:03:57.009 the house sounds right. Boy, it sounds too good 00:03:57.009 --> 00:04:00.349 to be true. I mean, right on its own lake. Isolated, 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:03.409 but only ten miles by road from Wietersbau. Ski 00:04:03.409 --> 00:04:05.889 trails everywhere. And enough peace and quiet 00:04:05.889 --> 00:04:08.289 for me to finish my book. So what's the hitch? 00:04:08.590 --> 00:04:12.050 We won't be alone. I knew it was too good to 00:04:12.050 --> 00:04:15.780 be true. What are we stuck with? An ancient dachshund? 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:19.660 Oh, no. Just a housekeeper. But we don't have 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:22.399 to pay for her. That's bad. I think it's good. 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.379 What's she like? She's sort of an old family 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:28.339 retainer, but Gretel says she cooks like an angel 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:30.860 and disappears right after dinner every night, 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:32.839 and you never hear from her until you're ready 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.399 for breakfast in the morning. Uh, Gretel? That's 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.480 Frau Gottschalk's name. Her husband is Hans. 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:42.639 Isn't it too much? Hansel and Gretel in this 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.379 divine gingerbread house waiting for us. Plus 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:49.060 a built -in witch. Now that's unfair to Frau Zalber. 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:51.800 Gretel says she's a dear old thing and will take 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:54.360 care of us like we were her own children. I don't 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:58.819 need anyone to take care of me but you. And you 00:04:58.819 --> 00:05:02.100 know how totally I want to possess you, surround 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:04.920 you, make you all my own. Well, you don't have 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:09.110 to try. You got me. So we are off for the Austrian 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:11.970 Tirol? Well, aren't there arrangements to be 00:05:11.970 --> 00:05:14.110 made? How do you know they'll like this old dump 00:05:14.110 --> 00:05:17.810 of ours? I mean, mine. That's all settled. I've 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:20.110 described it and sent pictures. When do they 00:05:20.110 --> 00:05:23.189 plan to arrive? A week from Saturday, the morning 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:25.949 of the day we leave. We'll have a whole day to 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:27.949 show them everything and help them get settled. 00:05:28.230 --> 00:05:30.810 I hope they don't miss their plane. Oh, stop 00:05:30.810 --> 00:05:33.920 trying to put the hex on all this, Alex. Anyway, 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.259 your child bride was smart enough to cover that. 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.360 How? Well, if by any chance things get crossed 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:43.000 up and they don't arrive before we leave, Betty 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:45.399 Sprague has the keys and she'll settle them in. 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:48.300 They know about that? Of course. I mean, you've 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:50.860 heard from them since you wrote them? Natch, 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:54.120 worrywart. I don't mean to sound that way. It's 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.060 just that... Why didn't you just get them on 00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:59.339 the phone and work out all the last minute details? 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.319 Well, that's the one thing I didn't mention. 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:06.579 They don't have a phone. They don't? Who needs 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:10.339 it? We can shut out the rest of the world. Oh, 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:13.699 isn't it heaven? As long as I share it with you. 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.519 The idea of being that isolated was heaven to 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:23.439 me. I couldn't put my finger on what niggling 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.199 little thought kept sputtering in my brain like 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:29.610 a loose electrical connection. And in the face 00:06:29.610 --> 00:06:32.490 of Moira's enthusiasm and shining expectation 00:06:32.490 --> 00:06:35.490 of our projected trip, I didn't have the heart 00:06:35.490 --> 00:06:39.029 to allow anything to spoil it. I never dreamed 00:06:39.029 --> 00:06:46.970 my random hunch would turn out to be true. Hello? 00:06:48.009 --> 00:06:51.230 Yes, this is Mrs. Grant. Is that the Gottschalks? 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:56.029 What? A cablegram from Frankfurt, Germany? 00:06:56.730 --> 00:07:01.189 Right. No, please, read it to me. Have you got 00:07:01.189 --> 00:07:04.089 a pencil, darling? Right here. That's correct. 00:07:04.449 --> 00:07:09.250 Just read the message. Missed connections here. 00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:14.769 We arrive New York a day late. Sorry we will 00:07:14.769 --> 00:07:18.550 miss you, but please not to delay your departure. 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:23.310 Frau Zalber expects you. We will contact your 00:07:23.310 --> 00:07:27.349 Mrs. Sprague and all will be well. Auf 00:07:27.349 --> 00:07:31.889 Wiedersehen, Hans and Gretel Gottschalk. Yes, thank 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:35.209 you, operator, I have it. No, no, a copy will 00:07:35.209 --> 00:07:40.009 not be necessary. They missed the plane? Or maybe 00:07:40.009 --> 00:07:42.610 you ought to take up fortune telling. I'm sorry, 00:07:42.829 --> 00:07:45.990 darling. No, I didn't mean to bite at you. I'm 00:07:45.990 --> 00:07:48.870 just disappointed. I would have liked to have 00:07:48.870 --> 00:07:51.490 met them. Well, do you want to cancel our flight? 00:07:51.629 --> 00:07:55.459 Are you kidding? That's a special excursion deal 00:07:55.459 --> 00:07:59.040 that saves us a fortune. Besides, we have to 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:01.879 pick up our car in Munich. We don't want anything 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:05.240 to go wrong with that. Okay, and we'll let Betty 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.920 Sprague handle our German cousin. Austrian. Oh, 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.300 my apologies to the Grand Duke or whoever. I 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:16.000 think it's the Chancellor. Anyway, we're going 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:19.399 on a honeymoon in Austria, darling, and we're 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:26.610 going to love... every minute of it it's so easy 00:08:26.610 --> 00:08:30.889 to be prophetic in hindsight but some chill tremor 00:08:30.889 --> 00:08:33.909 even then closed around my shoulders like a shawl 00:08:33.909 --> 00:08:36.909 i shrugged it off because moira was sizzling 00:08:36.909 --> 00:08:41.899 with delighted anticipation The plane flight 00:08:41.899 --> 00:08:44.700 across the Atlantic was uneventful, except for 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:47.340 Moira's constant happy chatter about the new 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:50.159 life we were headed for. By the time we got to 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:52.860 Munich, she had me decked out in rose -colored 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:56.860 glasses too. And all my doubts had evaporated. 00:08:57.419 --> 00:08:59.519 We picked up the car at Munich in the early morning 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:01.740 and by shortly after lunch, we found ourselves 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:06.200 arriving at the end of our journey. Oh, it's 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:10.740 all so green and so beautiful. It's like driving 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:15.639 on the floor of a still green lake. It's breathtakingly 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:20.100 lovely. An enchanted forest. Oh, but doesn't 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:24.820 it ever end? Oh, yes. Up ahead. See? Oh, that's 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:27.279 the lake. And the trees are starting to thin. 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:54.279 Oh, there it is, Alec. Oh, it is. It is. We are 00:09:54.279 --> 00:10:01.440 Mr. and Mrs. Grant, but we don't speak German. 00:10:02.449 --> 00:10:06.750 Oh, it is no matter. I have English pretty good. 00:10:07.549 --> 00:10:11.129 Have you come with a nice trip? Oh, yes. The 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:14.710 countryside is gorgeous. From Munich, you are 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:17.429 arriving? Yes. We flew in this morning and drove 00:10:17.429 --> 00:10:20.710 straight here. I have been waiting, though. With 00:10:20.710 --> 00:10:23.570 the broom, I sweep the doorstep again and again 00:10:23.570 --> 00:10:27.809 so you will see the house at its best. But you 00:10:27.809 --> 00:10:32.080 must be tired. Come and see, bitter. I show you 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:37.440 your house of dreams. We entered the chalet, 00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:40.100 our shadows streaming before us from the sun 00:10:40.100 --> 00:10:44.919 at our backs. Something revived that vague, uneasy 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.419 feeling I had forgotten during our journey. But 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:50.620 the tour of the house was too fascinating to 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.720 allow me to dwell on it. I might never have thought 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:56.940 of it again if it hadn't been for what happened 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:05.129 that night. What's that? What is it, darling? 00:11:06.210 --> 00:11:09.070 Nothing. We shouldn't have left the window so 00:11:09.070 --> 00:11:12.129 wide open. I think something flew in here. Something 00:11:12.129 --> 00:11:19.450 what? Oh, a bird, a sort of gray owl. Don't worry, 00:11:19.850 --> 00:11:21.950 it flew right out again. Where are you going? 00:11:22.429 --> 00:11:26.279 I just want to have a look -see. Sounds like 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:29.279 a storm brewing. I think I ought to close the 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:32.600 windows. Oh, yes, it's gotten cold. Oh, hurry 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:37.519 back to bed. Come on, darling, close them. Huh? 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:44.120 Oh, yes, right. Oh, here I come. Oh, you have 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:49.679 cold feet. Warm heart. Oh, don't I know it. Oh, 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:54.500 Alec, I love it here. The house is a dream and... 00:11:54.509 --> 00:12:00.570 I've never been so happy. I love you. Good night. 00:12:00.990 --> 00:12:09.169 And I love you. Good night. She was back to sleep 00:12:09.169 --> 00:12:13.230 in a second, like a child. I wasn't so lucky. 00:12:14.710 --> 00:12:17.870 Was it only a wind -driven puff of gray cloud 00:12:17.870 --> 00:12:21.389 I had just seen crossing the moon? Or could it 00:12:21.389 --> 00:12:25.210 have been what it seemed to be? A monstrous ghost 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:30.490 gray bat. I put it out of my mind. What nonsense. 00:12:32.190 --> 00:12:34.389 And then I remembered what it was I had forgotten 00:12:34.389 --> 00:12:39.389 when we entered this dream house. Three of us. 00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:43.169 The sun behind us. Our shadows dancing before 00:12:43.169 --> 00:12:47.190 us. But it didn't seem to me there were three 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:56.399 shadows. Only two. This doesn't appear the pleasant 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.080 little story it started out to be, does it? Of 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.440 course, Alec has been working very hard, and 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.200 he seems prey to strange premonitions, perhaps 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:11.220 even delusions. Maybe with mourning they will 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:14.940 all have passed away, except I wouldn't count 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:29.909 on it. I shall return shortly with Act Two. An 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:32.990 ancient legend has it that those who became proficient 00:13:32.990 --> 00:13:36.149 in the black arts were chased by the devil himself 00:13:36.149 --> 00:13:39.669 through subterranean halls. If he caught only 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:42.789 their shadow, they became first -rate magicians 00:13:42.789 --> 00:13:47.169 or witches, but lost their shadows forever. The 00:13:47.169 --> 00:13:50.570 question here, so far, is two -fold. Is there 00:13:50.570 --> 00:13:54.110 a shadow missing at all? And if there is, whose 00:13:54.110 --> 00:14:00.169 is it? Mora? Frau Zalber? Or... Alec himself. 00:14:00.990 --> 00:14:03.870 Well, it's the following day. Let's see if that 00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:07.570 question is resolved. Would you like already 00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:10.710 some more coffee here, Grant? Ah, no. No, thanks. 00:14:11.049 --> 00:14:14.610 Frau Grant? No, no. But it was wonderful, Frau 00:14:14.610 --> 00:14:17.909 Zauber. So was breakfast. And dinner last night 00:14:17.909 --> 00:14:22.929 was superb. Dankeschön. It makes me very happy 00:14:22.929 --> 00:14:28.309 you like it. I'll clear away everything. Thank 00:14:28.309 --> 00:14:32.129 you so much for making us feel so much at home. 00:14:32.409 --> 00:14:37.070 It is your home while you are here. I'll go make 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:41.190 you a picnic lunch. Don't worry. The mist will 00:14:41.190 --> 00:14:45.029 burn off and it will still be a beautiful day. 00:14:45.909 --> 00:14:51.769 Isn't she an angel? Yes. What's this about a 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:55.860 picnic lunch? Well, it was... Frau Zalber's idea. 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:58.460 She thought we might like to spend the day exploring. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:01.419 She's told me about a wonderful spot which will 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:03.879 give us a view of the whole lake. Oh, doesn't 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:07.100 it sound like fun? I don't know. What's the matter, 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:10.299 darling? I was just wondering about the gotchalks. 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:13.480 I didn't realize how much I'd miss a phone. I 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:15.580 would like to have run down to Wietersbau and 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:17.759 given them a ring to see if everything was all 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:20.460 right. Darling, you're forgetting the time difference. 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:22.860 It's still the middle of last night at home. 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:27.860 Oh. That's right. Excuse me, please. Oh, I didn't 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:30.840 hear you, Frau Zalber. You're the talking. I 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.179 didn't want to interrupt. I have here the picnic 00:15:34.179 --> 00:15:38.000 all in the basket. You want it now? Oh, well, 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.399 not quite yet. I want to get dressed. I won't 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:44.740 be long, Alec. Oh, Frau Zalber, you're so kind. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.460 You're making us very happy. But of course I 00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:52.879 must. You are very... I don't know how to say 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:58.659 it. Precious to me. Frau Zalber, do you have 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:04.440 any bats around here? Bat? Uh, Fledermaus. Ah, 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:09.899 that's Fledermaus. Oh, no, no, no bats. Nothing 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:13.740 like that in this place. Why do you ask? Well, 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:16.580 we were disturbed last night. We had the window 00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:19.480 wide open and I woke up thinking a bird was in 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:22.639 the room. When I went to close the window... 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:26.909 I saw something like a great gray bat flying 00:16:26.909 --> 00:16:30.549 across the moon. Oh, and the leap ship? She saw 00:16:30.549 --> 00:16:33.649 this too? Oh, no. Fortunately Moira was asleep. 00:16:34.269 --> 00:16:37.509 I didn't tell her what I thought I saw. I didn't 00:16:37.509 --> 00:16:41.789 want to upset her. Oh, very wise, my dear. This 00:16:41.789 --> 00:16:46.009 holiday means so much to her. You must not disturb 00:16:46.009 --> 00:16:51.470 her. Oh, yourself? Here I am. Ready to go, Alec? 00:16:51.590 --> 00:16:53.830 Ready, willing and champing at the bit. Then 00:16:53.830 --> 00:17:00.110 let's get the picnic started. It was everything 00:17:00.110 --> 00:17:03.549 a picnic ought to be. We ate in a meadow floating 00:17:03.549 --> 00:17:06.849 above the emerald lake. The food was sublime 00:17:06.849 --> 00:17:09.730 and walking home over the pine needles we were 00:17:09.730 --> 00:17:14.490 both floating on a cloud. Oh, what a day this 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:17.569 has been. I think you're a little high, my pet. 00:17:17.690 --> 00:17:22.309 I am. On clear air and the scent of pine and 00:17:22.309 --> 00:17:26.390 the quiet. Oh, the lovely quiet. And a bottle 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:29.650 of sparkling rind wine. I only finished it because 00:17:29.650 --> 00:17:32.490 you were being such a tea totaler. It was making 00:17:32.490 --> 00:17:39.539 me sleepy. My arm was about her waist. her head 00:17:39.539 --> 00:17:43.980 on my shoulder. I was tired myself and full of 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:48.380 sun and fresh pine scented wind and peace as 00:17:48.380 --> 00:17:51.700 heavy as a drug. We floated down the hills back 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:54.519 to the chalet to find Frau Zalber waiting for 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:58.380 us, fussing over us like children. You are both 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:02.720 so tired. I am a foolish old woman to send you 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:07.779 so found yourself dead. I'm fine. I'm just always 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:11.230 so sleepy. I've got to have a nap before dinner. 00:18:11.769 --> 00:18:15.450 Go up right away and turn down the bed. You will 00:18:15.450 --> 00:18:18.769 join her also, Herr Grant. No, I'm not that 00:18:18.769 --> 00:18:21.990 sleepy. I'll see Moira upstairs. Perhaps you'll 00:18:21.990 --> 00:18:24.809 make a cup of coffee for me? Yeah, but you don't 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:27.109 have to come up, Alec. I want to see you tucked 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:36.190 in. I'll be right down, Frau Zalber. Thanks for 00:18:36.190 --> 00:18:40.200 the coffee, Frau Zalber. Keine Ursache. I needed it. 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:44.799 I'm quite sleepy myself. You should be resting 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:47.700 with the little one. Nope. This is a good chance 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:50.019 to make a quick trip to town and make that phone 00:18:50.019 --> 00:18:54.759 call. Why don't you wait till tomorrow? It's 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.960 only 10 miles. 15, 16 kilometers to Wintersby. 00:18:58.099 --> 00:19:00.660 I'll be back within the hour. Oh, I think maybe 00:19:00.660 --> 00:19:04.279 you should not drive. You look very tired. I'd 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:06.839 like to set my mind at rest. You just keep your 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:10.670 eye on... But he's lost my hair. Something wrong? 00:19:11.009 --> 00:19:14.289 Oh, no. Not a thing in the world. Just a flat 00:19:14.289 --> 00:19:18.829 tire. Wait a minute. Both front tires are flat. 00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:24.089 I'll be damned. Oh, is it something bad? It's 00:19:24.089 --> 00:19:27.049 not good, Frau Zalber, until those tires are 00:19:27.049 --> 00:19:30.970 fixed. One, I could handle, but two... Is there 00:19:30.970 --> 00:19:34.849 a mechanic near here? In Wietersbau, yeah. That's 00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:36.630 great. How do I get in touch with him without 00:19:36.630 --> 00:19:39.759 a phone? Sweet comes with the milk. I could tell 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:43.140 him to let the garage know. When's that? Tomorrow 00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:46.700 morning? Ah, no. Tomorrow's Thursday. He'll be 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:52.339 here again on Friday. Oh, no. Oh, not even Friday. 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:56.539 It's all stay and stay. It's a holiday. It will 00:19:56.539 --> 00:20:00.640 not be until Saturday. I guess that fixes that. 00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:03.779 Without wheels, I'll just have to use shanks' 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:11.230 mare. Excuse me? Walk. Oh! 15 kilometers? Well, 00:20:11.230 --> 00:20:14.490 not tonight, anyway. I guess my phone call to 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:19.589 the godsaws can keep. Oh, maybe I'll join my 00:20:19.589 --> 00:20:23.269 wife in that nap. But supper? Why don't you leave 00:20:23.269 --> 00:20:26.410 us some sandwiches? Yeah, yeah, I will make a 00:20:26.410 --> 00:20:30.210 try on some wine. And the coffee, all ready to 00:20:30.210 --> 00:20:37.200 brew. Will there be anything else? No. If I want 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:41.440 you, where will you be? I sleep in the cellar. 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:45.000 It would be too difficult for you to find me. 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:48.720 Doesn't matter. We both probably will sleep until 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:57.519 morning. I went to bed with the sun still high 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:00.339 on the horizon, never having felt more tired 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:04.329 in my life. Moira was dead to the world. As soon 00:21:04.329 --> 00:21:10.930 as I pulled the covers over me, so was I. What 00:21:10.930 --> 00:21:16.509 is it? Moira, what is it? I thought something 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:21.509 was biting my neck. What? Let me see. No, no, 00:21:21.549 --> 00:21:27.170 it was just a dream. This is nothing. Oh, Alec, 00:21:27.710 --> 00:21:34.119 I'm so tired. I can't sleep. Just sleep. It's 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:41.839 all right with you here. With you here. She was 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:46.079 asleep again. I turned the light on, but it didn't 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:50.440 disturb her. I examined her carefully, and on 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:53.460 the right side of her throat, just under the 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:58.440 jawline, I saw two marks, side by side, as though 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:01.519 they might have been made by a hypodermic. In 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:03.660 a sudden panic, I rolled out of bed and shut 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:08.700 the windows fast. I came back to Moira. She was 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:11.720 breathing as evenly as I was gasping with fright. 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.700 I went through the house calling for Frau Zalber. 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:20.759 I found the door to the cellar and went down 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:23.619 into a rabbit warren of halls and compartments 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:26.980 with the damp earth under them, smelling of decay. 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:30.990 All were closed. frozen shut with rusted locks 00:22:30.990 --> 00:22:34.490 save one which gave easily as I thrust against 00:22:34.490 --> 00:22:38.549 it I stumbled through clawing in the dark down 00:22:38.549 --> 00:22:43.109 a long twisting passage dank and odorous till 00:22:43.109 --> 00:22:47.250 suddenly instinct stopped me short I took out 00:22:47.250 --> 00:22:51.289 my lighter thumbing the wheel and gasped at what 00:22:51.289 --> 00:22:59.349 the small flicker of its flame revealed I was 00:22:59.349 --> 00:23:03.009 on the edge of a vast cave covered with bats. 00:23:03.690 --> 00:23:07.349 Bats everywhere, hanging upside down, gazing 00:23:07.349 --> 00:23:11.890 at me inscrutably, accusingly. The most horrible 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:15.089 of all was a huge, worm -grey one hanging by 00:23:15.089 --> 00:23:18.410 the hooks on its wing elbows, its unwinking, 00:23:18.410 --> 00:23:21.210 upside -down eyes driving a dreadful hate through 00:23:21.210 --> 00:23:24.930 me like nails pinning me against the wall. Then 00:23:24.930 --> 00:23:27.950 as I raised my lighter, with a sudden powerful 00:23:27.950 --> 00:23:30.289 swing, it somersaulted upright and spreading 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:32.789 its enormous wings, it launched itself at me 00:23:32.789 --> 00:23:44.670 with a banshee wail. The next thing I remembered 00:23:44.670 --> 00:23:48.950 was waking out of utter blackness to find myself 00:23:48.950 --> 00:23:52.049 lying on the bed with Moira shaking me gently. 00:23:52.890 --> 00:23:59.569 Alec? Alec? What? Yes? What are you doing lying 00:23:59.569 --> 00:24:04.490 outside the bedclothes? I must have fallen asleep. 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:07.950 Without getting into bed? Well, I was up because 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:12.109 of whatever bit you. I wanted to close the windows 00:24:12.109 --> 00:24:16.450 and... Bit me? What do you mean? Don't you remember? 00:24:17.390 --> 00:24:20.240 You woke up suddenly and... You thought there 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.599 was something in the room and... Alec, darling, 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:27.700 I haven't been awake since I went to bed. Oh 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:31.380 no, Moira, you... Well, just let me take a look 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:38.559 at where... Oh, what is it? They're gone. The 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:42.400 bite marks are gone. Oh, Alec, my darling, what's 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:46.279 wrong? There never were any bite marks. Nothing 00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:50.410 bit me. Oh, you must have had a bad dream. Moira, 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:53.490 let's get dressed and get out of this place. 00:24:53.809 --> 00:24:57.750 Now. I can't leave now. I'm just beginning to 00:24:57.750 --> 00:25:01.910 relax. I have to sleep. You can't, Moira. You've 00:25:01.910 --> 00:25:04.950 been asleep for over 14 hours. It's morning. 00:25:05.109 --> 00:25:10.009 The sun is up. I must sleep. Why? What is it, 00:25:10.210 --> 00:25:14.289 darling? I have to be ready. Ready for what? 00:25:14.869 --> 00:25:20.950 Ready for... For the moment when... For the moment 00:25:20.950 --> 00:25:26.650 when... Moira. Moira. You've got to wake up. 00:25:27.549 --> 00:25:30.730 Oh, heaven help me. What am I going to do? I've 00:25:30.730 --> 00:25:34.170 got to have a doctor. And I can't leave her alone. 00:25:42.930 --> 00:25:47.380 A terrible dilemma for Alec. A strange sickness 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:50.680 is drawing the life from his wife's body. He 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:54.640 must find help for her. On the other hand, stark 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:57.299 and terrible is the memory of that awful cavern, 00:25:57.480 --> 00:26:01.240 peopled by the obscene and monstrous bats. Or 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:03.980 were they only a figment of his imagination? 00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:08.079 Does he need a doctor as desperately as his wife? 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:24.210 I shall return shortly with Act Three. If there's 00:26:24.210 --> 00:26:27.309 anything that makes my blood run cold, it's a 00:26:27.309 --> 00:26:31.170 bat. Oh, somewhere there may be a bat lover's 00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:33.769 society who wish to protect the dear little furry 00:26:33.769 --> 00:26:36.869 things with their two canine teeth as sharp as 00:26:36.869 --> 00:26:41.609 hypodermic needles. Not me, nor Alec Grant. But 00:26:41.609 --> 00:26:44.869 which was the greater danger? More as strange 00:26:44.869 --> 00:26:48.569 and unaccustomed lastitude, or those horrendous 00:26:48.569 --> 00:26:51.450 bats which might live only in his imagination? 00:26:52.200 --> 00:27:00.380 Only he could make the choice. I listened to 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:04.579 Moira's heart. It was steady, far steadier than 00:27:04.579 --> 00:27:09.039 my own. Her pulse was strong and normal. She 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:12.960 breathed easily. But she was in a profound sleep 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:16.579 that was dangerously close to coma. I had to 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.940 get her to a doctor. It's good you're looking 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:24.829 here, Grant. Did you sleep well? No, I didn't, 00:27:24.869 --> 00:27:29.089 Frau Zauber. Oh, but why? I thought you told 00:27:29.089 --> 00:27:31.390 me there were no bats in this part of the country. 00:27:31.849 --> 00:27:37.309 Yeah? Why do you think there are? Because I believe 00:27:37.309 --> 00:27:41.710 one bit my wife last night. Oh, poor Lipsch. 00:27:41.809 --> 00:27:44.869 I came down to the cellar after my wife was bitten, 00:27:45.269 --> 00:27:49.480 looking for you. I called... But you didn't hear. 00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:53.940 Oh, I am the very sound sleeper. Yes, I couldn't 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:57.259 find your room, but what I did find was one door 00:27:57.259 --> 00:28:00.799 that could be opened. What do you think I found 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:04.819 behind that door, Frau Zalber? Oh, I had some 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:07.259 trouble with the end glitch. I don't... I found 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:11.220 a long corridor, and at the end of it, a cave 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:16.160 full of enormous bats. Bats, Frau Zalber. Hello, 00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:23.930 girls. I think you are having a nightmare. There's 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:27.250 nothing like that in the cellar. I tell you, 00:28:27.410 --> 00:28:36.829 I saw it. Then come. You show me. There it is. 00:28:36.910 --> 00:28:40.670 That's the door. But that's the door to my room. 00:28:41.210 --> 00:28:48.910 Now, I show you. I couldn't believe my eyes. 00:28:49.650 --> 00:28:52.210 Beyond the door was not the twisting shadowed 00:28:52.210 --> 00:28:56.109 corridor of the night, but a bright, neat bedroom. 00:28:56.650 --> 00:28:59.690 The walls covered with pictures, the bed neatly 00:28:59.690 --> 00:29:03.390 made and covered by a handmade counterpane, the 00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:06.529 furniture, a comfortable armchair, an inlaid 00:29:06.529 --> 00:29:09.450 chest of drawers, a huge and magnificent arm 00:29:09.450 --> 00:29:17.180 -war. Herr Grant, you look so shocked. I am. 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:20.680 Oh, you should have a doctor. You say there is 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:23.640 one in Wietersbau? Yeah, the Herr Dr. König. 00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:27.539 But how can you get to him? Well, I can walk. 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:31.859 Ach, no, so far, 15 kilometers. It should take 00:29:31.859 --> 00:29:34.500 me less than three hours. I will not let you 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:38.900 go. Why not? You trust the rheumatism in my old 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:43.420 bones. We ought to have a storm. When the snow 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:46.109 comes... Driving with the wind, you could lose 00:29:46.109 --> 00:29:49.269 your way. I'll have to take my chances. With 00:29:49.269 --> 00:29:56.369 any luck, I'll get there before it breaks. Five 00:29:56.369 --> 00:29:58.849 kilometers to the main road were a nightmare 00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:02.670 of slipping, sliding stone under my feet and 00:30:02.670 --> 00:30:06.460 above. The sky was becoming ominously black as 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:09.859 the temperature dropped. As I reached the main 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:13.059 road, I had a piece of luck. A farmer with a 00:30:13.059 --> 00:30:16.019 load of feed hay in a cart drawn by a small donkey 00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:37.440 was passing. I want to go to Wietersbau. Wietersbau, 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:42.759 ja. Ich geh hin mit eins. In Wietersbau? Ja. 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:48.339 Kommen Sie. Dankeschön. Ich mochte einen Doktor, 00:30:48.339 --> 00:30:53.789 Dr. König. Oh, yeah, yeah, Herr Dr. König. Zurück. 00:30:54.109 --> 00:30:58.809 Wir müssen gehen. I climbed aboard among the 00:30:58.809 --> 00:31:01.789 sweet smelling hay. I was shivering and glad 00:31:01.789 --> 00:31:04.930 to pull its warmth around me. The farmer let 00:31:04.930 --> 00:31:07.930 me off at the doctor's house. The doctor was 00:31:07.930 --> 00:31:10.289 out on a house call, but his wife let me in to 00:31:10.289 --> 00:31:13.029 wait for him. She was also kind enough to let 00:31:13.029 --> 00:31:21.339 me make a phone call on my credit card. Betty. 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:25.519 Betty Sprague? Alex? Yes. For heaven's sake, 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:29.200 where are you? In Austria? Yes. Oh, isn't this 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:31.559 lucky? I've been racking my brains trying to 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:35.400 get in touch with you. Oh, why? Well, those people. 00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:38.339 Your tenants? You know the gotcha? Mm -hmm. Well, 00:31:38.339 --> 00:31:40.500 I've been on pins and needles, Alex. They haven't 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:43.240 arrived yet. I don't mean to worry you, but... 00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:46.319 Well, that's all right, Betty. Matter of fact, 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:49.920 that's the reason I called. I had a hunch. Maybe 00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:53.039 they wouldn't. Is something wrong, Alec? What 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:56.839 can I do? Nothing, Betty. I'll have to handle 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:59.900 it from this end. You don't sound like yourself. 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:04.759 Are you sick? I don't know. Well, is Moira all 00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:07.480 right? I have to hang up now, Betty. You'll be 00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:10.319 seeing us very soon. Tomorrow, if I can arrange 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:18.329 it. Alec, you're scared? I was scaring myself 00:32:18.329 --> 00:32:22.109 because once again I was blacking out. That's 00:32:22.109 --> 00:32:24.029 the way the doctor found me when he returned. 00:32:24.309 --> 00:32:26.730 And I don't know what garbled story I blurted 00:32:26.730 --> 00:32:30.150 out. It was only after I found myself gulping 00:32:30.150 --> 00:32:33.150 some scalding black coffee that I gathered my 00:32:33.150 --> 00:32:37.289 wits enough to return to normal. Very well. That 00:32:37.289 --> 00:32:42.529 is better. The eyes begin to focus now. You know 00:32:42.529 --> 00:32:48.539 me? I, uh, yes, but... I am Dr. Franz König. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:52.480 You are in my consulting room. Have I told you 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:56.259 why I'm here? Oh, you have told me a great deal. 00:32:56.779 --> 00:32:59.359 You came to me under the influence of drugs, 00:32:59.619 --> 00:33:04.440 Mr. Grant. Some form of hallucinogen plus deep 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:08.359 sedation. And you have told me a most exceptional 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:11.920 story. My wife, Moira, you've got to come and 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:14.819 see her, Doctor. I'm afraid. Yeah, I too am afraid 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:18.009 for her. That is why if you feel well enough 00:33:18.009 --> 00:33:21.269 now, I suggest we get into my automobile and 00:33:21.269 --> 00:33:24.490 drive quickly before the storm breaks to bring 00:33:24.490 --> 00:33:28.009 your wife away from that evil house. What do 00:33:28.009 --> 00:33:32.789 you mean? I try to explain that to you as we 00:33:32.789 --> 00:33:40.920 drive. You mean that Frau Zalber has been systematically 00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:44.380 drugging us? If what you tell me about your wife 00:33:44.380 --> 00:33:50.380 is true, who else? But why? First of all, because 00:33:50.380 --> 00:33:56.119 she is not Frau Zalber. Who is she then? I cannot 00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:59.980 give you the whole answer to that. Oh, I can 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:03.680 tell you that her real name is Gretel Gottschalk. 00:34:04.259 --> 00:34:07.279 But... Her husband? Hans has been dead for the 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:10.679 last 20 years. I wrote his death certificate 00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:14.099 myself. But the Gottschalks were young people. 00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:19.539 My age? Younger. Two generations ago, yeah. How 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:24.079 old do you think Gretel is now? Gretel? You mean 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:27.460 the woman I know as Frau Zalber? Yeah. I don't 00:34:27.460 --> 00:34:31.340 know. Nearly 80, I would think. You would be 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:35.239 wrong. By the records of my grandfather, who 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:41.980 was also a doctor, she was born in 1871. A hundred 00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:45.760 and nine? But why would she pretend to be younger? 00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:49.159 Why all this masquerade about dragging us over 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:52.059 here and pretending to exchange homes? Because 00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:56.179 she does not want to die. Gretel, or the woman 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:59.920 you call Frau Zalber, has been shunned for the 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:04.739 last 20 years. People are afraid of her. They 00:35:04.739 --> 00:35:09.820 believe, at the very least, that she is a witch. 00:35:10.500 --> 00:35:16.139 At the very least? What else? A vampire? There 00:35:16.139 --> 00:35:19.739 is a legend here that witches possess human bodies. 00:35:20.940 --> 00:35:23.599 And having lived out the term of the human they 00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:28.360 invade, must find a new one to violate. And she 00:35:28.360 --> 00:35:31.039 wants to invade my wife's body and steal it for 00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:34.940 her own. I think the real danger is that she 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:38.179 believes she can. Then for pity's sake, let's 00:35:38.179 --> 00:35:41.739 get there. I'm driving as fast as I can in this 00:35:41.739 --> 00:35:49.760 weather. I... What is it? The motor. I can't 00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:52.719 believe it. We're not out of gas. We can't be. 00:35:53.239 --> 00:35:55.320 If we get stuck in this blizzard, we'll be buried 00:35:55.320 --> 00:35:59.239 in an hour. I don't see how it is possible. But 00:35:59.239 --> 00:36:02.610 we are out of petrol. Well, now what do we do? 00:36:03.389 --> 00:36:05.769 No one will be traveling this road on a night 00:36:05.769 --> 00:36:10.769 like tonight. We must walk. What, back to Wietersbau? 00:36:10.829 --> 00:36:14.289 No, it's too far. If we are to save your wife, 00:36:15.050 --> 00:36:23.690 we go on to the Cuttrock house. The wind is built 00:36:23.690 --> 00:36:26.730 up, driving the snow before it into our faces, 00:36:27.070 --> 00:36:30.500 blinding us. It was an endless journey to the 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:33.860 chalet, and by the time we reached it, we were 00:36:33.860 --> 00:36:38.400 exhausted. Inside the house, there was light, 00:36:39.119 --> 00:36:43.539 but there was nothing else. No Frau Zalber, or 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:48.239 whoever she was, but more important, no Moira. 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:54.619 Moira! Moira! You wouldn't find her by calling 00:36:54.619 --> 00:36:59.389 for her. We must do the finding. How? We can 00:36:59.389 --> 00:37:04.030 start by looking for the witch. Where's her room? 00:37:07.630 --> 00:37:10.190 I've used the flashlight, Herr Grant. It's almost 00:37:10.190 --> 00:37:13.090 burnt out. Wait a minute. There's a light. Here. 00:37:13.929 --> 00:37:18.369 Yeah. As you described it, it's the night before 00:37:18.369 --> 00:37:21.349 you thought this door led to the tunnel and the 00:37:21.349 --> 00:37:26.889 cave of bats. Yes. This armoire right opposite 00:37:26.889 --> 00:37:34.139 the door. Let's see. Just a closed closet. The 00:37:34.139 --> 00:37:40.000 back is solid. But wait. There's a mark on the 00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:43.480 floor. See? From the casters on the legs. It 00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:46.960 must be hinged to swing open. Yeah. There's a 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:49.539 hinge on this side. That means there must be 00:37:49.539 --> 00:37:52.900 some sort of a catch or a lock on my side. Yes, 00:37:53.099 --> 00:37:58.920 I have it. It's opening. And right behind it 00:37:58.920 --> 00:38:02.400 is the passage I went down that leads to... Wait. 00:38:03.579 --> 00:38:10.639 Listen. So there are bats. Yes. And that proves 00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:15.380 she's a witch. And also you may be right. A vampire. 00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:21.440 She's got Moira. Come on. I tore recklessly down 00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:24.360 the twisting, torturous passageway. The doctor 00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:27.699 followed more slowly. As I ran... I could hear 00:38:27.699 --> 00:38:31.420 words chanted in Frau Zalber's cracked old voice, 00:38:31.940 --> 00:39:00.360 words that chilled my blood. I had reached the 00:39:00.360 --> 00:39:03.800 entrance to the cavern. On a slab of stone, like 00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:08.280 a rough altar, Moira lay unmoving. Behind her, 00:39:08.500 --> 00:39:12.039 a step higher, that ghost-grey bat was poised. 00:39:12.420 --> 00:39:14.900 The words I had heard issuing from its mouth. 00:39:15.659 --> 00:39:19.579 And behind it, obscenely, a crucifix turned upside 00:39:19.579 --> 00:39:30.630 down. What is it? A god? A filthy, pagan rite, 00:39:30.730 --> 00:39:33.730 huh? All the forces of evil and the legions of 00:39:33.730 --> 00:39:39.449 hell. What do we do? We call on him and ask him 00:39:39.449 --> 00:39:59.860 to lend us his strength. As she bared her fangs 00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:02.480 and bent to sink them in Moira's throat, I went 00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:05.480 berserk. Seizing the torch from the shaken doctor's 00:40:05.480 --> 00:40:08.480 hand, I shone it directly in her face. As she 00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:11.480 recoiled from the light, I lunged and drove the 00:40:11.480 --> 00:40:14.380 heavy oaken alpin stock with its steel tipped 00:40:14.380 --> 00:40:17.500 end through the lonesome, furry body, driving 00:40:17.500 --> 00:40:20.900 it back to pin it to that obscene, inverted crucifix. 00:40:22.889 --> 00:40:25.949 I took Maura up in my arms, rushing through the 00:40:25.949 --> 00:40:29.030 mist, gasping for breath, dodging flames which 00:40:29.030 --> 00:40:31.969 were beginning to sprout from the earth. I reached 00:40:31.969 --> 00:40:35.110 the safety of the passageway none too soon, for 00:40:35.110 --> 00:40:38.389 suddenly, behind us in the cave, the floor exploded 00:40:38.389 --> 00:40:54.489 with a roar of flame and hissing steam. Doctor, 00:40:54.949 --> 00:40:59.809 is Moira all right? Yeah, she is fine. Oh, she 00:40:59.809 --> 00:41:04.389 was very heavily drugged, more so than you. But 00:41:04.389 --> 00:41:09.570 she is young and will shake them off. What? What 00:41:09.570 --> 00:41:14.090 happened last night, Doctor? Herr Grant, this 00:41:14.090 --> 00:41:17.489 whole countryside around here sits on a subterranean 00:41:17.489 --> 00:41:23.530 lake of boiling sulfur springs. It happens now 00:41:23.530 --> 00:41:28.570 and then. There was an explosion. Too much pressure. 00:41:29.530 --> 00:41:35.730 It blew off like a volcano. Did you see everything 00:41:35.730 --> 00:41:40.909 I saw? The light was poor and my eyes are not 00:41:40.909 --> 00:41:45.349 what they were. The mist of steam created strange 00:41:45.349 --> 00:41:51.460 illusions. That cavern is gone forever. buried 00:41:51.460 --> 00:41:56.579 under tons of earth and stone. You need fear 00:41:56.579 --> 00:42:03.079 nothing anymore. You are free of her forever. 00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:09.099 There's nothing either good or bad, but thinking 00:42:09.099 --> 00:42:12.099 makes it so, as Hamlet remarked to Rosencrantz 00:42:12.099 --> 00:42:15.539 and Guildenstern. Are there such things as witches 00:42:15.539 --> 00:42:18.539 and vampires? I can only answer with another 00:42:18.539 --> 00:42:34.769 quote. We are what we believe. I might add that, 00:42:34.769 --> 00:42:37.610 as you have seen, Lord Byron was mistaken about 00:42:37.610 --> 00:42:41.650 the Grants. They did not die young. But then, 00:42:41.809 --> 00:42:44.949 on reflection, after all they had to go through, 00:42:45.329 --> 00:42:49.360 perhaps the gods didn't love them so much. Maybe 00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:51.800 that's the trouble with quotations, that they 00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:54.519 tend to be only half true, that we should never 00:42:54.519 --> 00:42:57.400 accept anything as the ultimate answer to life. 00:42:58.239 --> 00:43:00.800 It has a lovely way of going on, no matter what 00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:03.960 happens or what the poets say. Our cast included 00:43:03.960 --> 00:43:06.960 Don Scardino, Jennifer Harmon, Joan Shea, and 00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:09.739 Robert Dryden. The entire production was under 00:43:09.739 --> 00:43:13.239 the direction of Hyman Brown. This is E .G. Marshall 00:43:13.239 --> 00:43:16.079 inviting you to return to our mystery theater. 00:43:16.510 --> 00:43:21.230 for another adventure in the macabre. Until next 00:43:21.230 --> 00:43:24.670 time, pleasant dreams.