The CBS radio mystery theater presents. Come
in. Welcome. I'm EG Marshall. Ever read this
sort of advertisement in the real estate section
of the newspaper or their personal columns of
a magazine? Young Austrian couple, no children,
no pets, would like to exchange their gemütlich
alpine chalet for New York apartment two to three
months. Please write, etc., etc., etc. If you
had read that, would you be tempted to try it?
Don't. It could work out nicely, but then again...
What is it? I don't know, Moira. I think something
flew into the room. Something? What? A bird.
Like a huge gray owl. We shouldn't have left
the window open. I'm glad we did. It flew right
out. Again. Our mystery drama, The Ghost Gray
Bat, was written especially for the Mystery Theater
by Ian Martin and stars Don Scardino, and Jennifer
Harmon. I'll be back shortly with Act One. The
advertisement I began to read to you was the
actual one that Alec and Moira Grant answered.
Moira was interested because Alec was exhausted
from overwork and she felt he needed a long vacation.
Alec... because they had recently been married
and so far had been denied a honeymoon. Outside
of these two small concerns, they had nothing
in the world to worry them. They were blissfully
happy. The gods were good to them. How fortunate.
Except it was Byron who said, whom the gods love,
die young. Professor Grant, you don't have to
be formal. It's just me. Oh, who's me? Your wife.
Oh, that man. Darling, the most marvelous thing
just happened. It came. That's nice. What came?
The letter from Frau Gottschalk in Austria. She's
charming. There's a picture of her and her husband,
and they look like dear people, and the house
is a dream, and they want to exchange, only they
don't own a car. But couldn't we just rent one
there? Hey, honey, slow down, will you? When
are you coming home? I'm just finishing up. I
had to empty the drawers and get all this junk
out of poor Murray's way. Well, you're only going
to be away from the university for a year. It's
still your office. Not while I'm on sabbatical
leave, but it's all done. I should be home within
the hour. Oh, hurry, darling. I'm just bursting
with all the news about Austria. I'm Dr. Alec
Grant, and my sabbatical leave began at the beginning
of the summer. I hold a full chair in philosophy
at Gotham University, and my intention was to
spend my sabbatical year finishing a book. When
Murray Spraig got in a bind and asked me to take
over a summer course he was teaching in comparative
theology, I would have turned him down except
that it was he who was covering my courses while
I was on leave. It was a stroke of luck that
I said I would. First, because during the course
I learned more than I wanted to know about demonology,
but mainly because I met Moira. And we got married.
There's only one hitch, Alec. Provided you think
the house sounds right. Boy, it sounds too good
to be true. I mean, right on its own lake. Isolated,
but only ten miles by road from Wietersbau. Ski
trails everywhere. And enough peace and quiet
for me to finish my book. So what's the hitch?
We won't be alone. I knew it was too good to
be true. What are we stuck with? An ancient dachshund?
Oh, no. Just a housekeeper. But we don't have
to pay for her. That's bad. I think it's good.
What's she like? She's sort of an old family
retainer, but Gretel says she cooks like an angel
and disappears right after dinner every night,
and you never hear from her until you're ready
for breakfast in the morning. Uh, Gretel? That's
Frau Gottschalk's name. Her husband is Hans.
Isn't it too much? Hansel and Gretel in this
divine gingerbread house waiting for us. Plus
a built -in witch. Now that's unfair to Frau Zalber.
Gretel says she's a dear old thing and will take
care of us like we were her own children. I don't
need anyone to take care of me but you. And you
know how totally I want to possess you, surround
you, make you all my own. Well, you don't have
to try. You got me. So we are off for the Austrian
Tirol? Well, aren't there arrangements to be
made? How do you know they'll like this old dump
of ours? I mean, mine. That's all settled. I've
described it and sent pictures. When do they
plan to arrive? A week from Saturday, the morning
of the day we leave. We'll have a whole day to
show them everything and help them get settled.
I hope they don't miss their plane. Oh, stop
trying to put the hex on all this, Alex. Anyway,
your child bride was smart enough to cover that.
How? Well, if by any chance things get crossed
up and they don't arrive before we leave, Betty
Sprague has the keys and she'll settle them in.
They know about that? Of course. I mean, you've
heard from them since you wrote them? Natch,
worrywart. I don't mean to sound that way. It's
just that... Why didn't you just get them on
the phone and work out all the last minute details?
Well, that's the one thing I didn't mention.
They don't have a phone. They don't? Who needs
it? We can shut out the rest of the world. Oh,
isn't it heaven? As long as I share it with you.
The idea of being that isolated was heaven to
me. I couldn't put my finger on what niggling
little thought kept sputtering in my brain like
a loose electrical connection. And in the face
of Moira's enthusiasm and shining expectation
of our projected trip, I didn't have the heart
to allow anything to spoil it. I never dreamed
my random hunch would turn out to be true. Hello?
Yes, this is Mrs. Grant. Is that the Gottschalks?
What? A cablegram from Frankfurt, Germany?
Right. No, please, read it to me. Have you got
a pencil, darling? Right here. That's correct.
Just read the message. Missed connections here.
We arrive New York a day late. Sorry we will
miss you, but please not to delay your departure.
Frau Zalber expects you. We will contact your
Mrs. Sprague and all will be well. Auf
Wiedersehen, Hans and Gretel Gottschalk. Yes, thank
you, operator, I have it. No, no, a copy will
not be necessary. They missed the plane? Or maybe
you ought to take up fortune telling. I'm sorry,
darling. No, I didn't mean to bite at you. I'm
just disappointed. I would have liked to have
met them. Well, do you want to cancel our flight?
Are you kidding? That's a special excursion deal
that saves us a fortune. Besides, we have to
pick up our car in Munich. We don't want anything
to go wrong with that. Okay, and we'll let Betty
Sprague handle our German cousin. Austrian. Oh,
my apologies to the Grand Duke or whoever. I
think it's the Chancellor. Anyway, we're going
on a honeymoon in Austria, darling, and we're
going to love... every minute of it it's so easy
to be prophetic in hindsight but some chill tremor
even then closed around my shoulders like a shawl
i shrugged it off because moira was sizzling
with delighted anticipation The plane flight
across the Atlantic was uneventful, except for
Moira's constant happy chatter about the new
life we were headed for. By the time we got to
Munich, she had me decked out in rose -colored
glasses too. And all my doubts had evaporated.
We picked up the car at Munich in the early morning
and by shortly after lunch, we found ourselves
arriving at the end of our journey. Oh, it's
all so green and so beautiful. It's like driving
on the floor of a still green lake. It's breathtakingly
lovely. An enchanted forest. Oh, but doesn't
it ever end? Oh, yes. Up ahead. See? Oh, that's
the lake. And the trees are starting to thin.
Oh, there it is, Alec. Oh, it is. It is. We are
Mr. and Mrs. Grant, but we don't speak German.
Oh, it is no matter. I have English pretty good.
Have you come with a nice trip? Oh, yes. The
countryside is gorgeous. From Munich, you are
arriving? Yes. We flew in this morning and drove
straight here. I have been waiting, though. With
the broom, I sweep the doorstep again and again
so you will see the house at its best. But you
must be tired. Come and see, bitter. I show you
your house of dreams. We entered the chalet,
our shadows streaming before us from the sun
at our backs. Something revived that vague, uneasy
feeling I had forgotten during our journey. But
the tour of the house was too fascinating to
allow me to dwell on it. I might never have thought
of it again if it hadn't been for what happened
that night. What's that? What is it, darling?
Nothing. We shouldn't have left the window so
wide open. I think something flew in here. Something
what? Oh, a bird, a sort of gray owl. Don't worry,
it flew right out again. Where are you going?
I just want to have a look -see. Sounds like
a storm brewing. I think I ought to close the
windows. Oh, yes, it's gotten cold. Oh, hurry
back to bed. Come on, darling, close them. Huh?
Oh, yes, right. Oh, here I come. Oh, you have
cold feet. Warm heart. Oh, don't I know it. Oh,
Alec, I love it here. The house is a dream and...
I've never been so happy. I love you. Good night.
And I love you. Good night. She was back to sleep
in a second, like a child. I wasn't so lucky.
Was it only a wind -driven puff of gray cloud
I had just seen crossing the moon? Or could it
have been what it seemed to be? A monstrous ghost
gray bat. I put it out of my mind. What nonsense.
And then I remembered what it was I had forgotten
when we entered this dream house. Three of us.
The sun behind us. Our shadows dancing before
us. But it didn't seem to me there were three
shadows. Only two. This doesn't appear the pleasant
little story it started out to be, does it? Of
course, Alec has been working very hard, and
he seems prey to strange premonitions, perhaps
even delusions. Maybe with mourning they will
all have passed away, except I wouldn't count
on it. I shall return shortly with Act Two. An
ancient legend has it that those who became proficient
in the black arts were chased by the devil himself
through subterranean halls. If he caught only
their shadow, they became first -rate magicians
or witches, but lost their shadows forever. The
question here, so far, is two -fold. Is there
a shadow missing at all? And if there is, whose
is it? Mora? Frau Zalber? Or... Alec himself.
Well, it's the following day. Let's see if that
question is resolved. Would you like already
some more coffee here, Grant? Ah, no. No, thanks.
Frau Grant? No, no. But it was wonderful, Frau
Zauber. So was breakfast. And dinner last night
was superb. Dankeschön. It makes me very happy
you like it. I'll clear away everything. Thank
you so much for making us feel so much at home.
It is your home while you are here. I'll go make
you a picnic lunch. Don't worry. The mist will
burn off and it will still be a beautiful day.
Isn't she an angel? Yes. What's this about a
picnic lunch? Well, it was... Frau Zalber's idea.
She thought we might like to spend the day exploring.
She's told me about a wonderful spot which will
give us a view of the whole lake. Oh, doesn't
it sound like fun? I don't know. What's the matter,
darling? I was just wondering about the gotchalks.
I didn't realize how much I'd miss a phone. I
would like to have run down to Wietersbau and
given them a ring to see if everything was all
right. Darling, you're forgetting the time difference.
It's still the middle of last night at home.
Oh. That's right. Excuse me, please. Oh, I didn't
hear you, Frau Zalber. You're the talking. I
didn't want to interrupt. I have here the picnic
all in the basket. You want it now? Oh, well,
not quite yet. I want to get dressed. I won't
be long, Alec. Oh, Frau Zalber, you're so kind.
You're making us very happy. But of course I
must. You are very... I don't know how to say
it. Precious to me. Frau Zalber, do you have
any bats around here? Bat? Uh, Fledermaus. Ah,
that's Fledermaus. Oh, no, no, no bats. Nothing
like that in this place. Why do you ask? Well,
we were disturbed last night. We had the window
wide open and I woke up thinking a bird was in
the room. When I went to close the window...
I saw something like a great gray bat flying
across the moon. Oh, and the leap ship? She saw
this too? Oh, no. Fortunately Moira was asleep.
I didn't tell her what I thought I saw. I didn't
want to upset her. Oh, very wise, my dear. This
holiday means so much to her. You must not disturb
her. Oh, yourself? Here I am. Ready to go, Alec?
Ready, willing and champing at the bit. Then
let's get the picnic started. It was everything
a picnic ought to be. We ate in a meadow floating
above the emerald lake. The food was sublime
and walking home over the pine needles we were
both floating on a cloud. Oh, what a day this
has been. I think you're a little high, my pet.
I am. On clear air and the scent of pine and
the quiet. Oh, the lovely quiet. And a bottle
of sparkling rind wine. I only finished it because
you were being such a tea totaler. It was making
me sleepy. My arm was about her waist. her head
on my shoulder. I was tired myself and full of
sun and fresh pine scented wind and peace as
heavy as a drug. We floated down the hills back
to the chalet to find Frau Zalber waiting for
us, fussing over us like children. You are both
so tired. I am a foolish old woman to send you
so found yourself dead. I'm fine. I'm just always
so sleepy. I've got to have a nap before dinner.
Go up right away and turn down the bed. You will
join her also, Herr Grant. No, I'm not that
sleepy. I'll see Moira upstairs. Perhaps you'll
make a cup of coffee for me? Yeah, but you don't
have to come up, Alec. I want to see you tucked
in. I'll be right down, Frau Zalber. Thanks for
the coffee, Frau Zalber. Keine Ursache. I needed it.
I'm quite sleepy myself. You should be resting
with the little one. Nope. This is a good chance
to make a quick trip to town and make that phone
call. Why don't you wait till tomorrow? It's
only 10 miles. 15, 16 kilometers to Wintersby.
I'll be back within the hour. Oh, I think maybe
you should not drive. You look very tired. I'd
like to set my mind at rest. You just keep your
eye on... But he's lost my hair. Something wrong?
Oh, no. Not a thing in the world. Just a flat
tire. Wait a minute. Both front tires are flat.
I'll be damned. Oh, is it something bad? It's
not good, Frau Zalber, until those tires are
fixed. One, I could handle, but two... Is there
a mechanic near here? In Wietersbau, yeah. That's
great. How do I get in touch with him without
a phone? Sweet comes with the milk. I could tell
him to let the garage know. When's that? Tomorrow
morning? Ah, no. Tomorrow's Thursday. He'll be
here again on Friday. Oh, no. Oh, not even Friday.
It's all stay and stay. It's a holiday. It will
not be until Saturday. I guess that fixes that.
Without wheels, I'll just have to use shanks'
mare. Excuse me? Walk. Oh! 15 kilometers? Well,
not tonight, anyway. I guess my phone call to
the godsaws can keep. Oh, maybe I'll join my
wife in that nap. But supper? Why don't you leave
us some sandwiches? Yeah, yeah, I will make a
try on some wine. And the coffee, all ready to
brew. Will there be anything else? No. If I want
you, where will you be? I sleep in the cellar.
It would be too difficult for you to find me.
Doesn't matter. We both probably will sleep until
morning. I went to bed with the sun still high
on the horizon, never having felt more tired
in my life. Moira was dead to the world. As soon
as I pulled the covers over me, so was I. What
is it? Moira, what is it? I thought something
was biting my neck. What? Let me see. No, no,
it was just a dream. This is nothing. Oh, Alec,
I'm so tired. I can't sleep. Just sleep. It's
all right with you here. With you here. She was
asleep again. I turned the light on, but it didn't
disturb her. I examined her carefully, and on
the right side of her throat, just under the
jawline, I saw two marks, side by side, as though
they might have been made by a hypodermic. In
a sudden panic, I rolled out of bed and shut
the windows fast. I came back to Moira. She was
breathing as evenly as I was gasping with fright.
I went through the house calling for Frau Zalber.
I found the door to the cellar and went down
into a rabbit warren of halls and compartments
with the damp earth under them, smelling of decay.
All were closed. frozen shut with rusted locks
save one which gave easily as I thrust against
it I stumbled through clawing in the dark down
a long twisting passage dank and odorous till
suddenly instinct stopped me short I took out
my lighter thumbing the wheel and gasped at what
the small flicker of its flame revealed I was
on the edge of a vast cave covered with bats.
Bats everywhere, hanging upside down, gazing
at me inscrutably, accusingly. The most horrible
of all was a huge, worm -grey one hanging by
the hooks on its wing elbows, its unwinking,
upside -down eyes driving a dreadful hate through
me like nails pinning me against the wall. Then
as I raised my lighter, with a sudden powerful
swing, it somersaulted upright and spreading
its enormous wings, it launched itself at me
with a banshee wail. The next thing I remembered
was waking out of utter blackness to find myself
lying on the bed with Moira shaking me gently.
Alec? Alec? What? Yes? What are you doing lying
outside the bedclothes? I must have fallen asleep.
Without getting into bed? Well, I was up because
of whatever bit you. I wanted to close the windows
and... Bit me? What do you mean? Don't you remember?
You woke up suddenly and... You thought there
was something in the room and... Alec, darling,
I haven't been awake since I went to bed. Oh
no, Moira, you... Well, just let me take a look
at where... Oh, what is it? They're gone. The
bite marks are gone. Oh, Alec, my darling, what's
wrong? There never were any bite marks. Nothing
bit me. Oh, you must have had a bad dream. Moira,
let's get dressed and get out of this place.
Now. I can't leave now. I'm just beginning to
relax. I have to sleep. You can't, Moira. You've
been asleep for over 14 hours. It's morning.
The sun is up. I must sleep. Why? What is it,
darling? I have to be ready. Ready for what?
Ready for... For the moment when... For the moment
when... Moira. Moira. You've got to wake up.
Oh, heaven help me. What am I going to do? I've
got to have a doctor. And I can't leave her alone.
A terrible dilemma for Alec. A strange sickness
is drawing the life from his wife's body. He
must find help for her. On the other hand, stark
and terrible is the memory of that awful cavern,
peopled by the obscene and monstrous bats. Or
were they only a figment of his imagination?
Does he need a doctor as desperately as his wife?
I shall return shortly with Act Three. If there's
anything that makes my blood run cold, it's a
bat. Oh, somewhere there may be a bat lover's
society who wish to protect the dear little furry
things with their two canine teeth as sharp as
hypodermic needles. Not me, nor Alec Grant. But
which was the greater danger? More as strange
and unaccustomed lastitude, or those horrendous
bats which might live only in his imagination?
Only he could make the choice. I listened to
Moira's heart. It was steady, far steadier than
my own. Her pulse was strong and normal. She
breathed easily. But she was in a profound sleep
that was dangerously close to coma. I had to
get her to a doctor. It's good you're looking
here, Grant. Did you sleep well? No, I didn't,
Frau Zauber. Oh, but why? I thought you told
me there were no bats in this part of the country.
Yeah? Why do you think there are? Because I believe
one bit my wife last night. Oh, poor Lipsch.
I came down to the cellar after my wife was bitten,
looking for you. I called... But you didn't hear.
Oh, I am the very sound sleeper. Yes, I couldn't
find your room, but what I did find was one door
that could be opened. What do you think I found
behind that door, Frau Zalber? Oh, I had some
trouble with the end glitch. I don't... I found
a long corridor, and at the end of it, a cave
full of enormous bats. Bats, Frau Zalber. Hello,
girls. I think you are having a nightmare. There's
nothing like that in the cellar. I tell you,
I saw it. Then come. You show me. There it is.
That's the door. But that's the door to my room.
Now, I show you. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Beyond the door was not the twisting shadowed
corridor of the night, but a bright, neat bedroom.
The walls covered with pictures, the bed neatly
made and covered by a handmade counterpane, the
furniture, a comfortable armchair, an inlaid
chest of drawers, a huge and magnificent arm
-war. Herr Grant, you look so shocked. I am.
Oh, you should have a doctor. You say there is
one in Wietersbau? Yeah, the Herr Dr. König.
But how can you get to him? Well, I can walk.
Ach, no, so far, 15 kilometers. It should take
me less than three hours. I will not let you
go. Why not? You trust the rheumatism in my old
bones. We ought to have a storm. When the snow
comes... Driving with the wind, you could lose
your way. I'll have to take my chances. With
any luck, I'll get there before it breaks. Five
kilometers to the main road were a nightmare
of slipping, sliding stone under my feet and
above. The sky was becoming ominously black as
the temperature dropped. As I reached the main
road, I had a piece of luck. A farmer with a
load of feed hay in a cart drawn by a small donkey
was passing. I want to go to Wietersbau. Wietersbau,
ja. Ich geh hin mit eins. In Wietersbau? Ja.
Kommen Sie. Dankeschön. Ich mochte einen Doktor,
Dr. König. Oh, yeah, yeah, Herr Dr. König. Zurück.
Wir müssen gehen. I climbed aboard among the
sweet smelling hay. I was shivering and glad
to pull its warmth around me. The farmer let
me off at the doctor's house. The doctor was
out on a house call, but his wife let me in to
wait for him. She was also kind enough to let
me make a phone call on my credit card. Betty.
Betty Sprague? Alex? Yes. For heaven's sake,
where are you? In Austria? Yes. Oh, isn't this
lucky? I've been racking my brains trying to
get in touch with you. Oh, why? Well, those people.
Your tenants? You know the gotcha? Mm -hmm. Well,
I've been on pins and needles, Alex. They haven't
arrived yet. I don't mean to worry you, but...
Well, that's all right, Betty. Matter of fact,
that's the reason I called. I had a hunch. Maybe
they wouldn't. Is something wrong, Alec? What
can I do? Nothing, Betty. I'll have to handle
it from this end. You don't sound like yourself.
Are you sick? I don't know. Well, is Moira all
right? I have to hang up now, Betty. You'll be
seeing us very soon. Tomorrow, if I can arrange
it. Alec, you're scared? I was scaring myself
because once again I was blacking out. That's
the way the doctor found me when he returned.
And I don't know what garbled story I blurted
out. It was only after I found myself gulping
some scalding black coffee that I gathered my
wits enough to return to normal. Very well. That
is better. The eyes begin to focus now. You know
me? I, uh, yes, but... I am Dr. Franz König.
You are in my consulting room. Have I told you
why I'm here? Oh, you have told me a great deal.
You came to me under the influence of drugs,
Mr. Grant. Some form of hallucinogen plus deep
sedation. And you have told me a most exceptional
story. My wife, Moira, you've got to come and
see her, Doctor. I'm afraid. Yeah, I too am afraid
for her. That is why if you feel well enough
now, I suggest we get into my automobile and
drive quickly before the storm breaks to bring
your wife away from that evil house. What do
you mean? I try to explain that to you as we
drive. You mean that Frau Zalber has been systematically
drugging us? If what you tell me about your wife
is true, who else? But why? First of all, because
she is not Frau Zalber. Who is she then? I cannot
give you the whole answer to that. Oh, I can
tell you that her real name is Gretel Gottschalk.
But... Her husband? Hans has been dead for the
last 20 years. I wrote his death certificate
myself. But the Gottschalks were young people.
My age? Younger. Two generations ago, yeah. How
old do you think Gretel is now? Gretel? You mean
the woman I know as Frau Zalber? Yeah. I don't
know. Nearly 80, I would think. You would be
wrong. By the records of my grandfather, who
was also a doctor, she was born in 1871. A hundred
and nine? But why would she pretend to be younger?
Why all this masquerade about dragging us over
here and pretending to exchange homes? Because
she does not want to die. Gretel, or the woman
you call Frau Zalber, has been shunned for the
last 20 years. People are afraid of her. They
believe, at the very least, that she is a witch.
At the very least? What else? A vampire? There
is a legend here that witches possess human bodies.
And having lived out the term of the human they
invade, must find a new one to violate. And she
wants to invade my wife's body and steal it for
her own. I think the real danger is that she
believes she can. Then for pity's sake, let's
get there. I'm driving as fast as I can in this
weather. I... What is it? The motor. I can't
believe it. We're not out of gas. We can't be.
If we get stuck in this blizzard, we'll be buried
in an hour. I don't see how it is possible. But
we are out of petrol. Well, now what do we do?
No one will be traveling this road on a night
like tonight. We must walk. What, back to Wietersbau?
No, it's too far. If we are to save your wife,
we go on to the Cuttrock house. The wind is built
up, driving the snow before it into our faces,
blinding us. It was an endless journey to the
chalet, and by the time we reached it, we were
exhausted. Inside the house, there was light,
but there was nothing else. No Frau Zalber, or
whoever she was, but more important, no Moira.
Moira! Moira! You wouldn't find her by calling
for her. We must do the finding. How? We can
start by looking for the witch. Where's her room?
I've used the flashlight, Herr Grant. It's almost
burnt out. Wait a minute. There's a light. Here.
Yeah. As you described it, it's the night before
you thought this door led to the tunnel and the
cave of bats. Yes. This armoire right opposite
the door. Let's see. Just a closed closet. The
back is solid. But wait. There's a mark on the
floor. See? From the casters on the legs. It
must be hinged to swing open. Yeah. There's a
hinge on this side. That means there must be
some sort of a catch or a lock on my side. Yes,
I have it. It's opening. And right behind it
is the passage I went down that leads to... Wait.
Listen. So there are bats. Yes. And that proves
she's a witch. And also you may be right. A vampire.
She's got Moira. Come on. I tore recklessly down
the twisting, torturous passageway. The doctor
followed more slowly. As I ran... I could hear
words chanted in Frau Zalber's cracked old voice,
words that chilled my blood. I had reached the
entrance to the cavern. On a slab of stone, like
a rough altar, Moira lay unmoving. Behind her,
a step higher, that ghost-grey bat was poised.
The words I had heard issuing from its mouth.
And behind it, obscenely, a crucifix turned upside
down. What is it? A god? A filthy, pagan rite,
huh? All the forces of evil and the legions of
hell. What do we do? We call on him and ask him
to lend us his strength. As she bared her fangs
and bent to sink them in Moira's throat, I went
berserk. Seizing the torch from the shaken doctor's
hand, I shone it directly in her face. As she
recoiled from the light, I lunged and drove the
heavy oaken alpin stock with its steel tipped
end through the lonesome, furry body, driving
it back to pin it to that obscene, inverted crucifix.
I took Maura up in my arms, rushing through the
mist, gasping for breath, dodging flames which
were beginning to sprout from the earth. I reached
the safety of the passageway none too soon, for
suddenly, behind us in the cave, the floor exploded
with a roar of flame and hissing steam. Doctor,
is Moira all right? Yeah, she is fine. Oh, she
was very heavily drugged, more so than you. But
she is young and will shake them off. What? What
happened last night, Doctor? Herr Grant, this
whole countryside around here sits on a subterranean
lake of boiling sulfur springs. It happens now
and then. There was an explosion. Too much pressure.
It blew off like a volcano. Did you see everything
I saw? The light was poor and my eyes are not
what they were. The mist of steam created strange
illusions. That cavern is gone forever. buried
under tons of earth and stone. You need fear
nothing anymore. You are free of her forever.
There's nothing either good or bad, but thinking
makes it so, as Hamlet remarked to Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern. Are there such things as witches
and vampires? I can only answer with another
quote. We are what we believe. I might add that,
as you have seen, Lord Byron was mistaken about
the Grants. They did not die young. But then,
on reflection, after all they had to go through,
perhaps the gods didn't love them so much. Maybe
that's the trouble with quotations, that they
tend to be only half true, that we should never
accept anything as the ultimate answer to life.
It has a lovely way of going on, no matter what
happens or what the poets say. Our cast included
Don Scardino, Jennifer Harmon, Joan Shea, and
Robert Dryden. The entire production was under
the direction of Hyman Brown. This is E .G. Marshall
inviting you to return to our mystery theater.
for another adventure in the macabre. Until next
time, pleasant dreams.