WEBVTT 00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:29.929 I'm E .G. Marshall. Welcome to the world of terrifying 00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:37.829 imagination. The fear you can hear. Just mention 00:00:37.829 --> 00:00:42.250 the word swamp and coal settles in the bones. 00:00:43.130 --> 00:00:47.109 The dampness runs through the veins like slime. 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:51.710 And the thoughts of the brooding, cloying miasma 00:00:51.710 --> 00:00:57.770 lingers in the nostrils. headed, decaying, conjuring 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:02.109 in the mind visions of things that slide and 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:09.629 slip and slither in the night. Who's that? Where 00:01:09.629 --> 00:01:56.230 are you? The Creature from the Swamp was written 00:01:56.230 --> 00:01:59.049 especially for the Mystery Theater by Ian Martin 00:01:59.049 --> 00:02:04.170 and stars Jack Grimes and Joan Loring. I'll be 00:02:04.170 --> 00:02:20.310 back shortly with Act One. A young game and fish 00:02:20.310 --> 00:02:23.639 warden named Larry Drake who for reasons of his 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:26.699 own lived an isolated hermit's life in the heart 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:29.879 of the great swamp, was returning after dark 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:34.439 in a wild thunderstorm to his lonely cabin. Just 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.759 as he approached the cup -shaped body of quicksand 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:42.319 and swamp water called... But since this is his 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:45.900 story, and he left a painfully careful and detailed 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.919 record, why not let him tell it for himself? 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:56.020 I'm typing this before I do what I have to do 00:02:56.020 --> 00:03:00.139 because I know the sheriff must be on his way 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:06.300 for me by now. This is the end of what began 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:10.379 seems a lifetime ago, but I reckon it's only 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:16.099 a few days. The weather was foul and as I started 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:18.180 to skirt the edge of the devil's cauldron, I 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:21.689 heard the sound of a woman crying. I broke through 00:03:21.689 --> 00:03:23.270 the undergrowth, and in a flash of lightning, 00:03:23.430 --> 00:03:25.689 I saw her for the first time, trapped waist deep 00:03:25.689 --> 00:03:29.849 in a slime and sinking fast. Try to stay still! 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:34.310 The more you flounder, the more you sink! Leave 00:03:34.310 --> 00:03:38.969 me! Save yourself! I'm not in any danger! Now 00:03:38.969 --> 00:03:42.449 neither are you if you do as I say! Grab the 00:03:42.449 --> 00:03:45.389 end of this tree branch! You steal your soul 00:03:45.389 --> 00:03:48.330 too! Let's not fuss over me! Concentrate on you! 00:03:48.409 --> 00:03:52.060 Grab the branch! That's it. Now pull it towards 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:55.080 you till you get the main step. All right, now 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.840 listen. I'm not worth your saving. We'll talk 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:02.800 about that later. Now go on. Grab him. He's too 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:07.419 strong. He'll pull me down. Who? My man. That's 00:04:07.419 --> 00:04:09.580 just old country talk. Have you got the plan? 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:14.400 Yes. Okay. Now don't you move, you hear me? I'm 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.529 gonna pull you in to me. Don't try to help. You 00:04:17.529 --> 00:04:20.730 can't do anything without sinking deeper. Just 00:04:20.730 --> 00:04:37.410 trust me. Trust me. Trust me. Oh, no. No, hush 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:43.810 up. Hush up. You're all right. Who are you? Just 00:04:43.810 --> 00:04:47.420 a guy who pulled you out of the swamp. My name's 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:52.779 Larry Drake. Here, I brought you some soup. It's 00:04:52.779 --> 00:04:55.819 so dark in here. It's the middle of the night. 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:00.420 Don't you have any light? Just the gas lantern 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:03.720 in the other room. Here, I'll set this down the 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:06.980 table by the bed. Can't you bring the lantern 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:10.480 in here? I'd rather not. You have enough light 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:17.899 to see. I want to look at you. Why? I want to 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:21.160 see a man who had enough courage to risk his 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:25.199 life for me. I don't really think you would. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:31.079 Does it matter all that much? No. Who are you? 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:35.899 I told you, Larry Drake. What were you doing 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:40.360 by the Devil's Cauldron? Coming home. You live 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:46.250 here? Yep. If you call it living. Why? I mean, 00:05:46.430 --> 00:05:50.629 what do you do? Oh, I'm a fish and game warden. 00:05:50.910 --> 00:05:52.529 You see, right here, smack in the middle of the 00:05:52.529 --> 00:05:55.009 Great Swamp, is the last colony of great hooping 00:05:55.009 --> 00:05:58.509 spoonbills in the world. It's my job to try to 00:05:58.509 --> 00:06:02.029 keep them living. The blind, leading the blind, 00:06:02.189 --> 00:06:05.129 or the damned, trying to preserve the damned. 00:06:06.029 --> 00:06:09.110 I don't quite understand you. No, I suppose not. 00:06:10.670 --> 00:06:12.490 See, the spoonbill and me, we're just the same 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:15.259 kind of species, right out of Mr. Darwin. What 00:06:15.259 --> 00:06:19.959 does that mean? We don't seem to fit our environment. 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:26.319 Oh. That makes me sort of the same. Well, now 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:31.420 I don't understand you. It doesn't matter. Who 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:39.639 are you? My name is Udine. That's all? Just... 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:48.550 Udine? I like the way you say it. That's all. 00:06:50.149 --> 00:06:55.069 Okay. I don't want to pry. What were you doing 00:06:55.069 --> 00:06:57.970 way out here at the end of the world? I was trying 00:06:57.970 --> 00:07:02.209 to escape. Run away? If you want to call it that. 00:07:02.490 --> 00:07:09.529 From whom? The swamp man. The who? He lives at 00:07:09.529 --> 00:07:13.870 the bottom of the Devil's Cauldron. There are 00:07:13.870 --> 00:07:17.050 only holes where his eyes ought to be. And his 00:07:17.050 --> 00:07:22.029 hair is made of Spanish moss. His shoulders are 00:07:22.029 --> 00:07:24.790 knotted with mussels and his hands can span a 00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:30.189 wagon wheel. He has no legs. Only a great long 00:07:30.189 --> 00:07:33.949 trunk with one huge foot like a giant clam that 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:36.430 grips the rock at the bottom with a suction no 00:07:36.430 --> 00:07:39.970 one can break. And he lives on those who are 00:07:39.970 --> 00:07:43.750 foolish enough to walk the swamp by night. With 00:07:43.750 --> 00:07:48.350 his hands he draws them down down beneath the 00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:53.350 green slime and shifting black sand Are you had 00:07:53.350 --> 00:07:57.129 a bad scare you need to rest you should have 00:07:57.129 --> 00:08:09.889 left me Now you're lost too What a storm Devils 00:08:09.889 --> 00:08:14.579 are walking tonight Ain't had a spring like this 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:19.019 since 1953. Who's that there stretched out on 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:22.000 the theater side? Oh, that Bubba James and some 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.899 riffraff friend of his runs the still with him. 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:29.500 Passed out cold. But they brought in some powerful 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:33.019 tasty corn liquor. Could you use a shot against 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:35.679 the cold? You wouldn't have to twist my arm, 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:38.799 Jeff. I would say you run the best store in Carteret. 00:08:38.899 --> 00:08:43.879 What? Yeah, the only one. Huh? Guess you ain't 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:47.960 doing much business today, Jim. Oh, no. Powerful 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:52.440 slow. Damn, I meant to tell you right off. Guess 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:56.799 who blew in again just before dark? Who? Larry 00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:00.720 Drake. Larry? I thought you said he'd come in 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.080 yesterday to stock up on the money. Oh, he did. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:05.919 He come back again today, all the way from the 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:09.019 swamp? He did. Well, how come? Well, he wanted 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:13.899 some more supplies, and, uh... A female dress. 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:19.379 Other such things. What? You think he's finally 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:23.080 getting over Barbara Jane? Well, figure it out 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.879 for yourself. Well, how'd he look? Well, that's 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:29.200 hard to say. No different, I guess, than he ever 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:31.679 will. Well, why didn't he stay in the hospital 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.399 and have that face fixed? I reckon after what 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:38.460 happened, he just plain didn't care. Uh, looks 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:42.279 like maybe he might now. You mean old turtle 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:44.980 skin Drake's got himself shacked up with some 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:48.120 woman? My doggone bubba thought you was coon 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:51.679 turkey. You only gotta mention woman around old 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.340 bubba and he's awake. Nah, you lay off Larry 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:59.399 Drake. He's had enough trouble for his lifetime 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:02.659 without having to carry you on his back. I'd 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:04.840 just like to see what kind of woman old bacon 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:08.019 face Larry Drake could get to look at him twice. 00:10:13.870 --> 00:10:16.509 You reckon you can sleep now, wouldn't you? You're 00:10:16.509 --> 00:10:18.850 going to leave me, Larry? Bring the lantern. 00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:26.490 Why? I want to look at you. Very well. Maybe 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:32.169 it's best. I'm shading this light. I wouldn't 00:10:32.169 --> 00:10:36.129 want you to turn away from me. Uncover it. Let 00:10:36.129 --> 00:10:47.090 me see. All right. Poor Larry. What happened? 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:53.990 I had the world in my pocket, didn't I? I was 00:10:53.990 --> 00:10:55.830 going to be married to Barbara Jane, who everybody 00:10:55.830 --> 00:10:59.190 said would be next in this America. We were golden 00:10:59.190 --> 00:11:04.230 boy and golden girl. Wasn't Byron who said, whom 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:09.340 the gods loved, I young? I got myself all licked 00:11:09.340 --> 00:11:11.259 up at a party two nights before the wedding and 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:15.440 insisted on driving home. We went off the road 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:19.080 and into a ditch. I was thrown clear, but she 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:23.320 was trapped in the car. I tried to get through 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.960 the flames to her, but she was burned to a crisp. 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.600 As you can see, there wasn't much more left of 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:42.340 me. Except I lived. Your poor, poor face. They 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:44.320 wanted to fix it. I suppose it could have been 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.440 made better, but I had no money and less interest. 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:52.460 I want you to go to the swamp and bring me water 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:55.840 from the cauldron and mud from the edge. What 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:58.340 for? I'll show you. I don't want to leave you 00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:02.580 now. I wouldn't let you leave me now. You can 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:04.960 only go by daylight. He can only come out of 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.559 the swamp by night. The swamp man? Yes. I'm not 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:11.399 afraid of him. I'll go now. No. No, please, Larry, 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:16.940 don't. Stay with me. Stay with me. Come. Hold 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:23.720 me in your arms. What is it? Are you ill? I'm 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:29.460 afraid, Larry. I'm only afraid that he came for 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:33.139 me once before on a night like this. Before I 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:44.490 was... The death and the wits. Because he can't 00:12:44.490 --> 00:12:52.590 walk, he has to crawl like a snake. Please, Larry, 00:12:53.110 --> 00:13:02.809 please, hold me. Hold me tight. Oh, Diné. Oh, 00:13:04.570 --> 00:13:22.149 Diné. Don't fear me. Try. Don't fear me. I... 00:13:22.149 --> 00:13:31.090 I... No... This... It's coming for me. It's coming 00:13:31.090 --> 00:13:44.710 to take me back... creatures of the night the 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:49.509 mind can form. What faceless horrors that creep 00:13:49.509 --> 00:13:53.870 and crawl and drag themselves out of the imagination 00:13:53.870 --> 00:13:59.370 into the world we think safe. Is the sound Larry 00:13:59.370 --> 00:14:04.350 and Udine strain to hear some unimaginable creature 00:14:04.350 --> 00:14:07.509 born from the murky deeps of the rotting swamps? 00:14:08.629 --> 00:14:12.830 Or does he exist only in the forest of the mind? 00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:29.029 I'll return shortly with Act Two. An isolated 00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:33.730 cabin, deep in a semi -tropical swamp land. A 00:14:33.730 --> 00:14:36.570 young man scarred physically and mentally by 00:14:36.570 --> 00:14:40.610 a tragic accident. A strange girl called only 00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:44.179 Udine. rescued from being sucked to death in 00:14:44.179 --> 00:14:49.059 smothering quicksand, and outside, as something 00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:52.580 that bumps and crawls in the rain -swept night. 00:14:54.179 --> 00:15:00.019 Listen. Let me go! No! If he's there, I'll get 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:02.279 rid of him! You can't stand against the swamp 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:05.519 bed, Larry! I can try! No! No, it's me he's come 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:10.120 for! Don't! Don't go up there! Wait! What is 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:18.120 it? Listen. Do you hear anything? The rain has 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:23.659 stopped. He isn't moving anymore. Damn well, 00:15:23.659 --> 00:15:28.600 let's settle it. Larry! Larry! It's all right, 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:33.360 Rene. There's nobody here. The sun is coming 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:38.059 up. Oh, he's afraid of life. He can't face the 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:45.559 day. What is it, Udine? I don't know. I'm burning 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:52.679 up. Hold me, Larry. Hold me. You want to, don't 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:57.340 you? Yes. I don't know why, but yes. Oh, yes, 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:05.600 yes. Is it because I look like her? Who? Barbara 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:16.330 Jane. Maybe. No. Yes. I don't know. I... I need 00:16:16.330 --> 00:16:23.190 you so. I need you so. Yes, I need you. Yes, 00:16:23.190 --> 00:16:38.409 I need you. Who is it? It's Laurie. It's all 00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:40.110 right. I went out to get the mud and the swamp 00:16:40.110 --> 00:16:44.960 water. Give me water, please. No, I'll get some 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:50.080 fresh. No. Run the swamp. I have a glass right 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.919 here. But it's stagnant. It'll poison you. No. 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.980 Don't bring me the other tail. You did bring 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:32.480 mud. Looks more like slime to me. You sure? Of 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:36.099 course I'm sure. It's marvelous, Larry, you'll 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:42.859 see. It soothes the skin. Look, I rub it into 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:48.339 my skin and I can feel the muscles relax and 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:52.460 then become renewed again. It smooths away every 00:17:52.460 --> 00:18:03.240 wrinkle. Come here, Larry. Don't be afraid. I 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:07.619 see behind the mask. And I'm going to gentle 00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:14.740 that poor charred skin. Feel how smooth and gentle. 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:21.420 Shut your eyes. And you are in a cave of water. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:27.599 Down in the cool green depths. Quiet and soulful. 00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:31.980 cathedral at the silent bottom of a sun -struck 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:38.119 lake. I could have this moment last forever or 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:42.279 choose it for the one to die. Does it feel good? 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:47.559 I don't know about this primeval slime. It's 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:51.000 all in the touch of your hands. Oh, if only it 00:18:51.000 --> 00:19:03.900 were. Here, let me get a cloth to wash your face. 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:08.640 No, leave it up. Don't leave. Let me, let me 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.359 feel your brow. Oh, Janay, you're running a fever. 00:19:11.500 --> 00:19:13.839 I'm gonna get it for a doctor. I don't need a 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:17.460 doctor. Don't leave me alone. What is it you're 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:21.420 afraid of? I told you. The swamp man? Yes. That's 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:25.440 plain fancy, hallucination. Oh, Janay, who are 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.420 you? Where do you come from? Are you a husband? 00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:33.519 A lover of a family? No. No family, no husband, 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:42.160 nobody looking for me but him. But I have a lover 00:19:42.160 --> 00:20:00.839 now. Larry. I need rest. Boudinet? Boudinet? 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:05.099 She must be running a hundred to three or four. 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:15.279 I've got to get a doctor, a doctor. Tarnation, 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:18.079 Larry. You can't just bust in here and ask me 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:19.980 to go tricks and off into the swamp with you 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:22.220 to look at this girl. But she's sick, Dr. Prince, 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:23.900 very sick. It sounds to me like she could have 00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:27.599 double pneumonia. I can't, son. There's only 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.660 one of me. Bring her in here, I'll be glad to 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:32.730 examine her. I got the cow, you're out of the 00:20:32.730 --> 00:20:34.410 swamp. You know there's no road into my cabin. 00:20:34.730 --> 00:20:38.190 Yes, I know it. It's why I can't spare the time. 00:20:39.470 --> 00:20:41.609 You think this antibiotic will bring your temperature 00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:45.549 down? I can only hope. I don't dare prescribe 00:20:45.549 --> 00:20:49.089 anything else sight unseen. Of course, if I knew 00:20:49.089 --> 00:20:52.029 for a fact that it was the swamp fever, I... 00:20:52.029 --> 00:20:54.950 You need a blood test for that. Yeah. All right, 00:20:55.089 --> 00:20:57.509 Doc. I'll bring you back a blood sample myself. 00:20:58.450 --> 00:21:02.109 That's right. You were fiction to be a veterinarian. 00:21:02.130 --> 00:21:05.309 I forgot a lot of things. I was fixing to be 00:21:05.309 --> 00:21:15.470 once doc They are Larry boy, that'll be 375 out 00:21:15.470 --> 00:21:20.369 of 10 Now you take two ever four hours. You want 00:21:20.369 --> 00:21:22.509 some water to start off here. Oh, they're not 00:21:22.509 --> 00:21:27.190 for me job I didn't somehow expect they were 00:21:27.769 --> 00:21:30.230 You don't act like you was sick now. Oh, I'm 00:21:30.230 --> 00:21:34.329 not. Jeff, I want to buy a gun. Oh, stuff me 00:21:34.329 --> 00:21:37.509 for a little. I thought you was plum -set against 00:21:37.509 --> 00:21:41.430 any sort of firearm. Well, I've changed. How 00:21:41.430 --> 00:21:44.730 much is that one, then? This year, 45? Yeah. 00:21:45.950 --> 00:21:47.890 And a box of shells. What do you want it for? 00:21:49.309 --> 00:21:52.690 Protection. Well, I reckon living as deep in 00:21:52.690 --> 00:21:55.880 the swamp as you do, you need it. All right, 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:58.500 that'll be let's see eighty five dollars and 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.420 five dollars and twenty cents for the state. 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:06.200 That's ninety dollars twenty all together So 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:10.920 enough you a lot of boy Where'd you get money 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:13.660 like that? Well, I've been saving it since I 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:16.039 went into the swamp chair, but nothing much to 00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:20.839 spend it on there Up until the last few days. 00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:27.210 What does that mean? Come on, son Hey, here's 00:22:27.210 --> 00:22:30.950 a change. I know from the other day that you 00:22:30.950 --> 00:22:34.829 You got yourself a woman out there. That's none 00:22:34.829 --> 00:22:37.089 of your business Larry. You ain't got nothing 00:22:37.089 --> 00:22:40.309 but friends around here I ain't poking into your 00:22:40.309 --> 00:22:42.950 chicken coop. I just hope she's someone who'll 00:22:42.950 --> 00:22:46.849 treat you right and I'm right sorry to hear she's 00:22:46.849 --> 00:22:50.630 poorly Why she got herself caught in the devil's 00:22:50.630 --> 00:22:53.390 cauldron. I had to pull her out. You don't say 00:22:53.390 --> 00:22:58.190 not local girl I don't know. Any missing hereabouts? 00:22:58.329 --> 00:23:02.829 I don't know if I've heard tale. Can I ask her 00:23:02.829 --> 00:23:10.769 name? Udenay. Udenay. That's a kind of foreign 00:23:10.769 --> 00:23:18.069 name. What's she look like? She looks like the 00:23:18.069 --> 00:23:21.289 spitting image of Barbara Jane. And you found 00:23:21.289 --> 00:23:25.000 her in the Devil's Cauldron? Half buried in the 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:31.299 quicksand. Larry. Larry, boy, you sure she's 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:37.359 what she seems to be? Come on, Jeb. See you in 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:41.859 a little rain. Hi there, Jeb. Got some smokes 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:46.339 for me and my buddy? Well, here's an unexpected 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:51.319 pleasure. Mr. Larry Drake, the happy hermit. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:54.339 I'll be leaving, Jeb. Can I? Didn't you hear 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:59.480 me talking to you, old buddy? Hello, Papa. Ain't 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:03.140 you gonna say hello to old Jess here? You remember 00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:09.380 Jess Gilbert? Hi, Jess. Oh, there, huh? Excuse 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:12.279 me, I was just... So whatcha hurry? Don't you 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:15.940 wanna visit for a while? There isn't much left 00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:18.839 to be said between you and me. That's damn right. 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.440 Not since you killed my sister. It was an accident. 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:28.039 Barbara Jean got killed. You escaped. Come on, 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:32.440 Bubba. Let me stay out of this, Jess. What you 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:36.839 wearing, Larry? Little black paint to hide that 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:40.059 pretty face the fire chewed up? Let me pass, 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:43.119 Bubba. Maybe you're smart to cover up now you 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:46.259 got a new woman with you. You might turn her 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:48.680 stomach. Get out of my way. Blindsided, Jeff. 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:54.619 Get free. All free of you. Don't any of you move 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:57.619 a whisker now you shut up bubba, and you just 00:24:57.619 --> 00:25:00.779 just stay out of what's none of your pair Larry 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:04.880 You don't use your hands for nothing more than 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:09.299 letting yourself out that door Oh No, how's it 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:13.960 going good? I'm going jab But why did you tell 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:18.920 trash like bubba about me and me Larry he he 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:24.980 overheard by accident Okay Now, Barbara, you 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:28.359 stay away from me. I've taken all from you, I'm 00:25:28.359 --> 00:25:43.500 going to. Ah, chai chou diné. Nye? Oh, I thought... 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:47.880 No, no, there's nothing to worry about. How do 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:52.579 you feel? Some water, please. That's right here. 00:25:53.200 --> 00:26:01.119 Thanks. Larry. It feels better. I feel like getting 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:04.259 up for a while. I've made us some dinner. If 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:08.799 you want me to. Oh, what happened to my dress? 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:11.559 I threw it away. It was all stained and torn. 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:14.019 Oh, well, then what about... I brought you a 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:19.599 new one from the store. I hope it fits, and you'll 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:24.309 like it. You bought me a new gown. Well, you 00:26:24.309 --> 00:26:27.210 have to have something to wear. Open this. I 00:26:27.210 --> 00:26:33.250 haven't had a new gown for... Oh, Larry. It's 00:26:33.250 --> 00:26:38.309 beautiful. Oh, it's beautiful. Give me a little 00:26:38.309 --> 00:26:42.730 time by myself to freshen up and put it on. Oh, 00:26:42.750 --> 00:26:48.569 you're beautiful. You're so beautiful. Is it 00:26:48.569 --> 00:26:57.829 because I look like her? And no. Barbara Jane 00:26:57.829 --> 00:27:06.069 is dead. You're alive. What is it? Nothing. Larry, 00:27:06.569 --> 00:27:14.970 I... tired again. So tired. I've kept you sitting 00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:18.130 here too long in front of the fire. You sure 00:27:18.130 --> 00:27:20.470 cast a spell over me. I didn't realize it had 00:27:20.470 --> 00:27:23.650 gone out. I'll get some fresh wood. No, darling. 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:29.500 I don't need a fire. I just need... Is it still 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:34.059 raining? Yeah, cats and dogs. Oh, so heavy you 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:38.480 can't see. It's pitch dark out. Well, it's been 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.599 a black day. The night came early. So will he. 00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:47.839 This time he won't wait too late. Can they listen 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:50.160 to me, darling? You're here with me. You're safe. 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:57.180 There's no such thing as a swamp man. He's coming. 00:27:57.619 --> 00:28:00.339 It's just superstition and folklore. No, listen. 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:10.599 You see, there's nothing. He's calling me. He 00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:13.400 won't leave without me. He won't leave with you 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:18.380 as long as I'm here. No, don't go out. I brought 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:21.500 some protection. My son's known you since then. 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:43.529 We'll find out soon enough. Swampman! an eerie 00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:47.470 cry out of the night, and a shot in self -defense. 00:28:48.470 --> 00:28:52.349 But what good is a gun against a ghoul or a hobgoblin? 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:56.130 Creatures of the mind and dark night fantasies 00:28:56.130 --> 00:29:00.190 are not laid to rest by a bullet. I'll return 00:29:00.190 --> 00:29:19.839 shortly with Act 3. the human imagination has 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:23.640 dredged up from the depths. The Loch Ness Monster, 00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:27.859 mermaids, sea serpents, a merciless Lorelei, 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:32.500 the inexorable sirens, the poet Keats' immortal 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:36.720 La Belle Dame Sans Merci, a lovely lady without 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.400 mercy, who lured kings and princes to a watery 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:45.599 grave. But in this story, which... Is the true 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:49.059 menace from the swamp? The swamp man himself? 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:55.140 Or his escaped captive, Udine? Let us return 00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:59.779 to Larry Drake's confession to find out. I didn't 00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:04.920 mean to shoot, but I couldn't help myself. Then 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:08.299 I saw the shadowy figure stumbling towards me. 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:13.960 After the shot, the crazy laughing stopped. I 00:30:13.960 --> 00:30:17.839 moved up on it very carefully. I could see that 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:20.299 it was no swamp man since there were legs dressed 00:30:20.299 --> 00:30:25.500 in jeans and field boots. Who are you? Barbara. 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:34.359 Barbara Jones. Oh, God almighty, you killed me. 00:30:34.539 --> 00:30:39.640 What were you doing here? Just a joke. I wanted 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:43.220 to see what kind of woman would give you the... 00:30:43.390 --> 00:30:50.450 Time of day. Jokes on me. Killed me just like 00:30:50.450 --> 00:30:54.509 you killed my sister. It was an accident, Papa. 00:30:54.589 --> 00:30:58.410 I told you. Oh, you know what, frog face? You 00:30:58.410 --> 00:31:04.049 better take yourself out of circulation. You're 00:31:04.049 --> 00:31:14.210 from Accident Pro. Where's... Where's... Nothing 00:31:14.210 --> 00:31:20.569 more I could do for Bubba. He was dead. I got 00:31:20.569 --> 00:31:22.750 a tarp from the lean -to by the cabin and covered 00:31:22.750 --> 00:31:25.970 them up against the rain. And then I went back 00:31:25.970 --> 00:31:32.089 to the cabin. Boudinet? What happened out there? 00:31:33.450 --> 00:31:36.809 Nothing. Forget about that. All that matters 00:31:36.809 --> 00:31:41.130 right now is to get you to a doctor. No. I'm... 00:31:41.579 --> 00:31:46.480 Too weak, Larry. I couldn't make it in this weather. 00:31:46.700 --> 00:31:49.900 Then I'm going for the doctor. No. Don't leave 00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:57.039 me alone. Okay. Okay, Udine. With the river cresting 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.460 and all the rain, I probably couldn't get across 00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:03.759 anyway. But tomorrow morning, come hell or high 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:11.059 water. Let tomorrow wait for its time. Tonight 00:32:11.059 --> 00:32:19.500 we're still together. Let time wait on us. I 00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:23.119 never closed my eyes. But all the time we were 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:27.180 together, Udine slept a troubled sleep. Her skin 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:31.160 hot and dry, her breathing shallow. I took a 00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:33.740 pulse in her temperature and what they showed 00:32:33.740 --> 00:32:42.079 me sent me off at dawn for town. You know what 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:46.000 the Sam Hill you're up to, Larry? Have you been 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:48.700 drinking? No, doctor, but what do you mean? Well, 00:32:48.700 --> 00:32:51.500 I don't know about the blood sample. That'll 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:55.240 have to be tested. But those other vital signs 00:32:55.240 --> 00:32:57.099 you described... That's why I'm here, to drag 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:59.240 you back to see her. Well, it ain't possible. 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:05.900 A pulse of under 30, a BP of 60 over 40? Flushed 00:33:05.900 --> 00:33:08.359 and feverish and running a temperature of under 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:12.710 90? Well, she should be cold and clammy. That 00:33:12.710 --> 00:33:15.670 isn't enough to sustain life. Human life, anyway. 00:33:16.410 --> 00:33:18.970 You must have made a mistake. No mistake. I was 00:33:18.970 --> 00:33:21.430 as careful as I could be. Wootenay is alive. 00:33:21.470 --> 00:33:24.490 You can see for yourself when you come. Oh, I 00:33:24.490 --> 00:33:28.869 shouldn't give in to you, but you got me intrigued. 00:33:29.750 --> 00:33:31.849 Can we get across the river? If we leave right 00:33:31.849 --> 00:33:38.789 now. Okay. Hello? When? Well, can he be moved, 00:33:39.250 --> 00:33:47.160 Cheryl? him in a blanket and handle him like 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:51.420 he was partridge eggs. Yeah. Right to the office. 00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:56.900 I'll be waiting. Well, Larry, I can go with you 00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:58.640 now. Oh, wait a minute. You said you were... 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:02.759 That was the sheriff down in Levee. Tony William 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:05.460 got trapped under a sandbag slide. He's in bad 00:34:05.460 --> 00:34:07.720 shape. They're bringing him here for me to operate 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:10.059 on. How long is that gonna take? It could be 00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:13.130 well on the most of that noon. Come out to your 00:34:13.130 --> 00:34:15.090 place as soon as I'm finished. You don't understand. 00:34:15.110 --> 00:34:19.150 I understand, son, but I gotta take first things 00:34:19.150 --> 00:34:21.750 first. But you'll surely come. Yeah, I promise. 00:34:22.389 --> 00:34:24.050 How are you gonna find your way into the swamp? 00:34:24.590 --> 00:34:28.550 I'll pick up Jeb Scanlon to guide me. He knows 00:34:28.550 --> 00:34:43.969 this country like the back of his hand. Sidekick, 00:34:44.090 --> 00:34:50.150 Bubba. Bubba. He's dead, Jim. He's dead. Mary 00:34:50.150 --> 00:34:52.969 Drake blew a hole in him with a big old .45. 00:34:53.210 --> 00:34:56.489 Lord Almighty. The sheriff know about this? No. 00:34:56.829 --> 00:34:59.170 No, I just got to town. I thought I might find 00:34:59.170 --> 00:35:01.929 him yet. Oh, he's down at the river. Chris goes 00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:05.429 by this afternoon around four. Here's your drink. 00:35:05.650 --> 00:35:10.170 Oh, thank you. When did all this happen? Last 00:35:10.170 --> 00:35:16.400 night. Bubba and me. Well, you know, Bubba, he 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:18.599 figured he was going to bother Larry some about 00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:20.659 the woman he was supposed to be shacked up with. 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:25.039 We come up on the cabin and the lights was on, 00:35:25.500 --> 00:35:29.179 and Bubba, he says, I want to give old frog -faced 00:35:29.179 --> 00:35:32.639 Larry and this fancy woman some big scare. He 00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:34.800 just watched me make like the old swamp man. 00:35:35.539 --> 00:35:38.800 And then he started calling, kind of ghostly 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:42.809 -like, and the next thing I knew... Come on, 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:49.250 boy, pull yourself together. Larry went on the 00:35:49.250 --> 00:35:54.630 porch and he called Evan. And he just lit a rip 00:35:54.630 --> 00:35:57.969 with that big old cannon. I heard that slug rip 00:35:57.969 --> 00:36:02.269 right through Bubba and I took off with the trees 00:36:02.269 --> 00:36:05.369 like all the devils in hell was on my tail. So 00:36:05.369 --> 00:36:08.610 you don't know if Bubba's dead. The way I heard 00:36:08.610 --> 00:36:11.210 him take it, I don't see how it could be anything 00:36:11.210 --> 00:36:13.769 else. You didn't stay to find out? No sir, not 00:36:13.769 --> 00:36:17.909 me. You just took out. Larry don't know you was 00:36:17.909 --> 00:36:20.309 with Bubba last night. You know, I wouldn't think 00:36:20.309 --> 00:36:23.769 it. You see, he come out thinking Bubba was the 00:36:23.769 --> 00:36:26.949 swamp man. And old Bubba, he's just trying to 00:36:26.949 --> 00:36:31.170 keep up the fun and all. Yeah, that Bubba was 00:36:31.170 --> 00:36:34.710 a card. He just picked himself the wrong poker 00:36:34.710 --> 00:36:39.380 game this time. Sure looks like Larry's got himself 00:36:39.380 --> 00:36:58.280 mixed up in something mighty strange I'm sorry. 00:36:58.320 --> 00:37:01.519 I was gone so long. Can I get you something? 00:37:03.340 --> 00:37:06.599 No, no more poison the doctor's coming to see 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:09.780 you The doctor can't help me. Just give him the 00:37:09.780 --> 00:37:14.300 chance. I haven't time. Listen to me, Larry. 00:37:15.260 --> 00:37:21.500 He's won. I know that now. Who? The Swamp Man. 00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:29.860 I can't live in the air anymore. That's ridiculous. 00:37:30.119 --> 00:37:33.139 That's sheer nonsense. Look at me, Larry. I'm 00:37:33.139 --> 00:37:40.230 dying. I'm... Out of my element. Your element? 00:37:40.769 --> 00:37:48.530 It isn't air anymore. It's water. I have to go 00:37:48.530 --> 00:37:59.929 back or not. If only you could come with me. 00:38:01.070 --> 00:38:06.250 But he'd never let you. I'd fight him for you. 00:38:06.730 --> 00:38:14.309 Oh, I suppose you'd try. You love me that much. 00:38:39.019 --> 00:38:45.179 I'd never let you go. I know. Okay, this is to 00:38:45.179 --> 00:38:47.300 drink to your staying here till Dr. Prince gets 00:38:47.300 --> 00:38:49.739 here and has a chance to prescribe for you and 00:38:49.739 --> 00:38:53.800 make you well. So that you and me can live forever 00:38:53.800 --> 00:39:15.460 afterwards. for you again I have to leave you 00:39:15.460 --> 00:39:22.239 now the water is green and cool and it washes 00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:26.039 the skin like ointment and the moss dampness 00:39:26.039 --> 00:39:30.860 makes you whole again you will be so fair your 00:39:30.860 --> 00:39:36.780 skin renewed your youth returned so much for 00:39:36.780 --> 00:39:50.139 so little What is a soul worth, after all? Well, 00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:54.559 quite frankly, I... I think my patient is much 00:39:54.559 --> 00:39:58.480 more Larry than this mysterious woman. What's 00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:02.019 that mean? Well, from all the evidence, no one, 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:05.480 save Larry, has seen her. You don't mean she... 00:40:05.579 --> 00:40:09.380 She don't exist. Physiologically, as a doctor, 00:40:09.460 --> 00:40:13.239 I don't see how she came. In addition to the 00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:16.679 impossible figures on her vital signs, I got 00:40:16.679 --> 00:40:20.840 a report on her blood sample. And? I don't know 00:40:20.840 --> 00:40:24.360 where our veterinarian game warden got it, but 00:40:24.360 --> 00:40:31.079 that was no human blood. What kind, then? Not 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:36.070 a biologist or a hemopathologist. Reptile. fish 00:40:36.070 --> 00:40:39.429 not a warm -blooded animal and certainly not 00:40:39.429 --> 00:40:43.369 a primate you think this is some kind of a hoax 00:40:43.369 --> 00:40:48.650 yeah I think boy I love very deeply because of 00:40:48.650 --> 00:40:53.909 what he once was is obviously broken psychologically 00:40:53.909 --> 00:40:57.789 I think we'd better get out to that swamp and 00:40:57.789 --> 00:41:00.929 see what tatters of them remain that might be 00:41:00.929 --> 00:41:05.639 pasted together If Jess Tomlin's testimony is 00:41:05.639 --> 00:41:16.559 right, there ain't many tatters remaining. So 00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:20.719 this is the end of it. I don't know what undie 00:41:20.719 --> 00:41:23.440 they put in that wine, but I just woke up and 00:41:23.440 --> 00:41:28.139 she's gone. I intend to follow her now once I 00:41:28.139 --> 00:41:32.099 finish this. I don't know what I shall find in 00:41:32.099 --> 00:41:35.619 the devil's cauldron. A fight to the death with 00:41:35.619 --> 00:41:41.699 a swamp man, reunion with Udine, peace at last, 00:41:42.679 --> 00:41:47.300 or eternal damnation. I only know that a moment 00:41:47.300 --> 00:41:51.659 ago I looked in the mirror and my face is no 00:41:51.659 --> 00:41:56.920 longer twisted or scarred. The skin is as young 00:41:56.920 --> 00:42:00.159 and unwrinkled as it was. That night so long 00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:02.539 ago when Barbara Jane and I left the party two 00:42:02.539 --> 00:42:06.739 days before we were to be married. I will step 00:42:06.739 --> 00:42:12.420 into the sand and wait to sink while death smooths 00:42:12.420 --> 00:42:19.000 me over. Maybe there's still time. We better 00:42:19.000 --> 00:42:26.639 head back for the swamp. Hold the line high. 00:42:28.199 --> 00:42:31.679 Do you ever see anything like that? The old devil's 00:42:31.679 --> 00:42:34.400 cauldron is falling like the fire of hell was 00:42:34.400 --> 00:42:37.480 under it. Probably all the rain in the high surface 00:42:37.480 --> 00:42:41.320 table. Trapped swamp gas bubbling to the surface. 00:42:41.619 --> 00:42:45.219 Yeah, Larry and old one -toe rocked in combat. 00:42:46.079 --> 00:42:48.460 Oh, there ought to be some way we could get in 00:42:48.460 --> 00:42:50.980 there and try to help a boy. You stay where you 00:42:50.980 --> 00:42:54.840 are. This swamp has bought enough lives in its 00:42:54.840 --> 00:42:58.679 time. Come daylight, we'll see. My God. Look. 00:42:59.760 --> 00:43:03.460 What's that? I can't see too good. Hold your 00:43:03.460 --> 00:43:07.880 landers high. Well, that's a body surfacing. 00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:11.960 It ain't lousy. How do you know in this half 00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:14.639 -wild? Well, it ain't got no legs. That's the 00:43:14.639 --> 00:43:19.940 swamp man. Or a manatee, or some other animal. 00:43:21.420 --> 00:43:25.300 Too dark to see. And by tomorrow, the currents 00:43:25.300 --> 00:43:28.260 will have sucked it away. Well, maybe if it is 00:43:28.260 --> 00:43:33.940 the swamp man, he's the lucky one. Who's to say 00:43:33.940 --> 00:43:37.900 the woman ain't the one who sucks them dry and 00:43:37.900 --> 00:43:42.079 spews them out? Ah, you spent too much time gossiping 00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:46.659 around the stove, dear man. It could be. That's 00:43:46.659 --> 00:43:51.599 what the olden say. A swamp is a woman that drags 00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:57.289 men down, often her body. in exchange for their 00:43:57.289 --> 00:44:11.690 souls. The way the legend goes. But then, there 00:44:11.690 --> 00:44:15.610 are so many legends. The classic fabled water 00:44:15.610 --> 00:44:19.179 sprites called Boudinet who could receive Human 00:44:19.179 --> 00:44:23.099 souls by marrying a mortal, La Belle Dame Sans 00:44:23.099 --> 00:44:26.300 Merci, who stole men's souls in exchange for 00:44:26.300 --> 00:44:30.360 love? Then numbers must be legion. And for that 00:44:30.360 --> 00:44:34.239 matter, since no one but Larry ever saw her, 00:44:34.659 --> 00:44:38.480 perhaps Oudiné was only a figment of the imagination. 00:44:39.900 --> 00:44:43.679 I leave you to make your choice. I'll be back 00:44:43.679 --> 00:45:01.110 shortly. before we part. The word of this story 00:45:01.110 --> 00:45:04.690 having gotten around, the Okefenokee swamp is 00:45:04.690 --> 00:45:08.010 avoided by hunters these days, like the plague. 00:45:08.769 --> 00:45:11.989 And as a result, the wildlife, left in peace 00:45:11.989 --> 00:45:15.530 and quiet, breed happily and prolifically once 00:45:15.530 --> 00:45:19.909 again. So, like Larry and Udine, let's allow 00:45:19.909 --> 00:45:25.719 them all to rest in peace. Our cast included 00:45:25.719 --> 00:45:29.420 Jack Grimes, Joan Loring, Ian Martin, Robert 00:45:29.420 --> 00:45:33.019 Dryden, and Leon Gianni. The entire production 00:45:33.019 --> 00:45:35.760 was under the direction of Hyman Brown. This 00:45:35.760 --> 00:45:38.739 is E .G. Marshall inviting you to return to our 00:45:38.739 --> 00:45:41.980 mystery theater for another adventure in the 00:45:41.980 --> 00:45:48.440 macabre. Until next time, pleasant dreams.