I'm E .G. Marshall. Welcome to the world of unbridled
imagination. You know, man is a curious creature.
Most of us settle for routine and habit. Eight
hours on the job, another seven or eight in bed,
and the other eight on some hobby that is neither
too physically demanding nor asks for too many
mental gymnastics. Few of us stretch ourselves
beyond a reasonable limit. We coast through life.
Our metal never really tried. But some of us,
through harrowing experience, are stretched to
the full capacity of our beings. It's then we
find out what fiber we are made of. David! David!
Help me! Eve, what is it? What is she? Help me!
Where is she? Where is she? Where is she? She's
gone. Where? I dragged her under the arch there.
Did you see anything? No, but you heard Eve.
It's true. There is a thing that lives in these
caves. And we're trapped. Trapped here. And it's
messy. Our mystery drama, The Thing in the Cave,
was written especially for the Mystery Theater
by Ian Martin and stars Terry Keen and Marion
Seldas. It is sponsored in part by Anheuser -Busch
Incorporated, Brewers of Budweiser. I'll be back
shortly with Act One. I don't suppose many of
us ever plan to grow up to be speleologists,
since most of us are subject to claustrophobia
to at least some degree. For the very few of
you who don't recognize the Latin terms, let
me add that a speleologist, of course, is someone
who studies and explores caves. And claustrophobia
is that suffocating, pervasive dread of being
shot in. This tale concerns itself with four
young spelunkers. Those are cave explorers who
do it only for fun. and their gruesome experience
of being cave -bound. Literally buried alive.
It's just around the next bend in the trailhead.
It's funny being born and bred in these mountains
and yet I've never been inside Choctaw Cave.
Oh, I'm not sure I want to myself. You get claustrophobia
too, Barbara. David, I never even dare close
the door in a phone booth. Darling? Yes, Eve?
We can forget all this, you know. I don't have
to. to have my childhood revisited. No, thanks.
Right on. If I refused you this little memory
trip, I'd hear about it for the rest of our marriage.
If you ever decide to go through with the wedding.
Oh, just you try to leave me at the altar, David
Showers. Well, here we are. Are we here? Yes,
sir, General Custer. Cavalry dis... No! I don't
see any cave. It's right behind that scrub oak
there. Listen, what do we do about the horses?
Oh, here. I'll hitch us all to the Aspen here.
My old Baldy, all I gotta do is let the rains
trail. He won't budge more than 20 feet till
I get back. Hey, you know, it's kind of clouding
up over in the northwest. Maybe we ought to be
getting back down the mountain. Ah, come on,
give me your jigs. What's this? Just my old faithful
knapsack with some of the remains of lunch. And
a flashlight. Ah, meet an old boy scout. Be prepared.
I brought a water bottle, too. Hey, come to think
of it, if he wants to get up to the ledge, which
he says goes to the back cavern, we ought to
bring along a rope. Fetch my Luria, too, while
you're at it. Will do. Where are you fellas?
Come on. Bobby and I have found the entrance
to the cave. bigger when I was a kid Barbara
and I can make it all right rolling but it comes
in the giant size hey can you make it just about
as tight as a cork in a bottle if I get stuck
you can be sorry if this is the only way in and
out just a moment we can all stand up you'll
see maybe we should all forget it You scared?
Ah, no, but I'm not exactly happy either. I don't
know if Hank can... We're here. In the cave.
I can stand up. Oh, come on, everyone. It's just
beautiful. It's just as I remembered it. You're
right, Ethan. It's breathtaking. Like a cathedral
buried at the bottom of the sea. Oh, hey. Oh!
Green like Saint -Chapelle in Paris. Saint -Howe
in Paris? Oh, it's a marvelous chapel near Notre
-Dame with all stained glass windows that make
you feel as if you're scuba diving and looking
at it through water. Hey, I could hear water,
too. Somewhere. Come on. I'll show you where.
Listen, look out for the, uh, what do you call
them? A stalactite. If they hang from the roof
and the ones from the floor are felt like Mike,
right? What makes the professor and my degrees
in English Hank? Water dripping calcium in the
rock something like that. They build up or down
drop over the centuries Here it is Here's the
waterfall Oh That's beautiful But what is the
full drain? Nobody knows. But some say it's bottomless
and it goes right through the earth. But where
does the river that makes the waterfall come
from? Up there? Well, the kids I used to know
climbed up to the ledge there and then went in
through the crest. They say it comes from another
chain behind this. Where it comes from before
that, I guess nobody knows. What's that? Maybe
a skin. What are you talking about? Oh, crazy.
Oh, but it's such fun to remember how we kids
used to come here together and talk about the
thing. The thing? What was the thing? Oh, it
was just something we made up, some country legend,
someone had heard about this creature, this monster
that lived in this underground river, whatever
it is. What kind of monster? Well, you know.
with one great red -rimmed eye and long, shaky
tentacles that crept and crawled along the rocks
until suddenly they bounced. What was that? It
sounded like thunder. I bet that storm broke
outside. Come on, we better get going. Oh, I
just wanted to get into the cave behind us, where
we are. Just once again. Oh, no. Count me out.
This place is giving me the heebie -jeebies.
I'm getting a little tight in the throat myself.
Come on, darling. You're right, David. I must
have been a little crazy. I don't know what it
was, but something seemed to draw me here. Almost
as if it was something calling. Come on, Eve.
Run! Now we mustn't lose our head. So dark. So
pitch dark. What happened to Hank and Dave? They've
gone to see about clearing the entrance. We only
had some light. The boys had the only flashlight.
Wait a minute. What is it? Is it the... No, no,
cool it. Cool it, Eve. Just Hank and Dave coming
back with the light. Any luck? You both alright?
We'll make it. How's Eve? Oh, I'm okay, David.
Can we go now? Well, it isn't going to be that
easy. Well, can't we help to clear? Eve, Barbara,
I don't know. The landslide we heard, it may
have covered over the cave entrance outside.
You mean that even if people came looking for
us, they might not be able to find the entrance
to the cave? That's why we have to start clearing
out from inside here. Eve. Well, what is it?
I mean, at least we know where the way out is.
We can crawl back through the tunnel. We don't
know where the way out is anymore. What do you
mean? The whole area where we passed along the
stalactites and the stalagmites has collapsed.
Even if we could guess where the tunnel going
out began, the rocks blocking it are so large,
it would take a bulldozer to move them. Oh, good
Lord. Then we're trapped. It's sealed in like
a tomb. And it's all my fault. Oh, Eve. Eve,
don't. Come on. Darling, baby. Stop it. Stop
it. Take it easy, Barbara. Now, Eve, come on.
You've got to get a hold of yourself. Oh, I'll
be all right. I'm sure you will. Hank, have you
any ideas what we can do? Well, I guess the first
thing to do is not to panic. Now, we've got water.
I've got some chocolate bars and a couple of
sandwiches left over from lunch in my saddle
bag. We've got light as long as the batteries
last, which reminds me. Do we have to be in the
dark? There's no sense in using up the batteries
when we don't need it. David. Right here, Eve.
Hank, what are our chances of being found? Oh,
it's hard to answer, Barbara. Of course, they'll
miss us back at the ranch by tonight. Didn't
say where we were going. But when they find the
horses hitched right outside... It's always supposing
they weren't buried in the landslide. Is there
any other way out of the cave you know of, Eve?
No, not really. Like I told you, some kids got
up on the ledge at the top of the waterfall and
they went into some kind of a chamber behind
there. But they claimed that... That what? Eve,
please, we've all got to keep our heads. Well,
it's just that the thing came rising out of the
water, hissing and snarling, so they just took
up and ran. Well, I don't guess four of us grown
-ups, as long as we stick together, are going
to dream up any bogeyman out of the shadows.
I've got to turn the light on for a minute. Twenty
after four. They won't miss us till dinner time.
By the time they start any kind of search, it'll
be dark. Yeah, and with the thunderstorm and
the Picota River running high as it does at the
ford, they may figure we hold up a halfway house.
That's this side of the river? Yes, and there's
no phone, right Hank? That's right. Look, it's
only about 20 feet up to that ledge. It'd be
easy to climb. Dave and me could go in through
that cleft and have a look around. Maybe there's
a way out that way. You girls wait here. Oh,
no way. I'm not sitting around in the dark. We'll
all go, Hank. Well, okay. You climb first, then.
David, right behind you. Then Barb, and I'll
come up last. Let's go. Bingo. We're in the second
cavern. How big is it? This must be where the
waterfall comes from. Is there any way out? Hold
it, everyone. Hold it. Let's see. Let's start
to the left here. The walls are so smooth, like
they've been polished. Once upon a time, I guess
the whole floor was underwater. Shine the light
higher, Hank, so we can... Let's see if there
were any clefts or passageways at ground level
first. It's so small. You're over halfway round
and nothing. Maybe where the water comes in.
We'll be there in a minute. No? Try along the
right hand wall. The water runs along against
it. And back through a hole in the floor, down
to where we came from. Shine the light back again
where the water comes in. Why? The batteries
are getting dim. But I saw something. Wait a
minute. You may be right. The water doesn't come
quite to the top of the archway. It isn't that.
It's something else. It's calling me. The same...
Hey, wait a minute, wait! Oh, Hank! Are you all
right? Damn it! Turn my ankle! David, the flashlight!
I know, I know, I'm looking for it. David! David,
help me! What is it? Where are you? Something's
breaking! Help me! Where's the damn light? He
dragged her under the arch there. I don't know.
I can't swim. I can't. Look out. Hold the lights
steady. Go in the arch. I'm going after her.
Did you see anything? No. The water's only a
couple of inches under the roof. Hank's gone.
He thinks it's the same again. And he's coming
back for all of us. From ghoulies and ghosties
and long -legged beasties and things that go
bump in the night, good Lord deliver us. The
quote is from an old friend, Anom. Or to give
him his full name, Anonymous. But will he deliver
our four young spelunkers, or any of them, from
this thing that haunts the cave? I'll return
in a moment with Act Two. There's a creepy, crawly
feeling about the very thought of being shut
in anywhere, without doors or windows. Confinement
of any kind is as foreign to the human animal
as it is to his fellow beasts. And as for caves,
I know I wouldn't be found dead in one. I hope
that figure of speech isn't a prophetic one for
one of our four young friends who are cave -bound.
What was that? A column of water. I don't know.
But didn't you see something inside it with great
arms reaching out like a tree? It was just a
geyser, a water spout, some freak of nature.
Eve said there was a thing. Oh, what did it matter?
Eve's gone. She's dead, drowned. And it's my
fault. And Hank hasn't come back either. David,
you can't help it if you can't swim. He hasn't
helped Hank, but he could. He's disappeared.
She was my girl. If anyone had to die with her,
it should have been me. Maybe they've gotten
to another cave. If they hadn't... Their bodies
would have come up to the surface. Look at that
vortex there, Barbara. Where the spout, or whatever
it is, came from. Just before the archway. It
spins like a whirlpool. It could have sucked
them both down to the bowels of the earth. Oh,
Damon, what are we going to do? I don't care
anymore. Well, I do. Give me that flashlight.
It's getting dimmer. Maybe there's a hole or
passage higher up that might... What's that?
The lights are still on. Put it out. No, I can't.
I can't. I don't want to be in the dark with
them. We'll have them all over us. Unbushed against
me, please. Please help me! Take it easy, Eve.
You're all right. You'll be all right. The thing...
The thing that pulled me under the water. You're
out of the water now. Where? I don't know. Dry
land anyway. Thank you. How did you get here?
I went into the water after you. Try to save
me? Oh, it's an eagle scout. You know, trustworthy,
loyal, helpful. What about David? He can't swim.
Oh! But what did you... How did you... I don't
think I could explain. What do you mean? It just
doesn't make sense. The stream was flowing out
of the arch. So I was swimming against it. But
suddenly, something... Something just... pulled
me along against the current what about you oh
don't you see it was him the thing oh if it was
why did he save you and me you thought he wanted
to drown you yes i i did it first and then it
seemed so kind so kind as if it wanted to help
but We've got to find, we've got to get back.
Take it easy. Too tired. Oh, we have some lights
that we can... Nothing but matches. Soaking wet.
Maybe dry out. You can't even see the time. David?
Yes, Barbara? Would the light disturb the bats
again? They make my flesh crawl, but anything's
better than the dark. Well, it must be night
outside by now. I have a hunch they've taken
off of the outside cavern. Well, are they in
for a surprise when they find there's no exit
anymore? Maybe they know of one out of here.
Let's try. So far, so good. Getting so dim isn't
all that highlight. see. Well. Can you see anything.
No. Like the inside of an egg. David what are
we going to do get back get back near the arch
rocks flat maybe if the water goes down or something
we can figure a way. To. Know no they've got
to be like David I can't take it. A minute. Thank
God. Some light. It's only a lighter. It won't
last long. Now we've got to save it. Sit down.
Just don't turn it off. I have to. Just keep
thinking it's there if it's needed. It's there
if it's needed. Oh, David, hold me. Please. Okay,
okay. Got you, all of you, into this. But Eve,
Eve, that won't help. What we need to do is move
around and try to get warm. At least we're dry.
Try those matches again. Oh no, no good. If only
we could see to... What is it? Look up, Eve.
Way, way up there. What do you see? It's... It's
a shaft of light. Sunlight. It's coming from
outside. It means there's a way out. But it's
so high up. It's so little. With any luck, as
the sun rises, it'll give us more light. Then
we can explore. must be a good 60 feet. Hard
to tell in this light. Could we climb up there?
Oh Lord, no. We've got to think about Bob and
David first anyway. Oh, I've been thinking about
that. Trouble is I was groggy when I fetched
ashore here. I've no idea how long the underwater
swim is. But with the current going with you...
There's a good chance I could make it through,
but making it back's another problem. Especially
since David doesn't swim. We can't count on Mr.
Singh to be around to help us out again. But
here, we have a chance. And there, they don't.
So there's got to be some way. I've got a notion.
Eve, you got anything to write with? No. I haven't
got a pocket for any kind of pen. Wait a minute.
Pocket of my jeans. Lipstick. Any good? Famous.
Now look. I'm going to take my canteen and empty
it. Now the one sure thing we have is plenty
of water. You think we could write a message
with lipstick on that? No, not so good in that
canvas cover. But if we just strip it, we could
write on the metal. You don't think water would
wash it off? I don't suppose you've done much
dishwashing. Well, even a bachelor does his share.
Well, then you know how tough it is to get lipstick
off a glass. I sure do. But how do we get this
message? Look, with the stopper in this canteen,
it won't sink. Now, I'm going to tie it to the
end of the rope and let it float on down far
as I can. Supposing the rope isn't long enough?
Oh, there's 30 to 35 feet of rope here. It better
be long enough. Now, let's put our heads together
and figure how much of a message we can get on
this canteen. David? Yes, Bart? Is it me? Or
is it getting hard to breathe in here? It's all
in the mind. You know what's funny? Bart? I used
to be kind of jealous of all the big brains.
Me, I was just, you know, fun and games and the
action girl. No ties, strictly let it all hang
out loose. I wish I had the chance to find just
one cell. Oh, Davis. What, Barbie? You're not
kidding me. The air is getting heavier and heavier.
Please, can't we have a little light? There's
not much light if you... What is it? There's
something floating in the stream. Here, hold
this up for me. Can you reach it? Yeah, I have
it. What is it? It's a canteen. It's tied to
a rope. Looks like Hank's canteen. The water
bottle he brought in without the cover. Hold
it close, dear. Oh, look. There's writing on
it. Oh, God, I'm blind without my glasses. It's
in lipstick. That means Eve. Here, can you read
it? Hold the flame steady. Eve, Hank, safe, hug,
rope, three times if found. Way out. If writing
materials reply, send all in flask. How much
do you measure? About 20 feet. And how far between?
One, two, three! They've got it! Now all we have
to do is wait for one tug and we can bring back
the message. There's so much more we should have
told them the time the light is almost out of
fluid. Thank God my watch has an illuminated
dial We missed their return instructions. Well,
oh we can't that's all. Oh the lighter I've got
to be sure this bottle sight the captain. Okay
here goes One tugger the Geronimo the light Or
if I ever get out of here, I'll write for special
dispensation during the energy crisis. I never
want to spend another moment in the dark again.
What does it say? We could use a better reading
light. What's it written on? Pencil on a handkerchief.
Dearest Eve Hank, write only for one more message
from you. Air supply failing. Trapped here. Give
instructions. Expect answer five minutes. Pencil
enclosed. Can you imagine? The 20th century,
a little less than 20 feet away, and we communicate
like the Stone Age. Never mind. At least we communicate.
Let's just get them here so we can communicate
face to face. It's silly, Dave. You know you
can't swim. If anything goes wrong and you panic,
I'll at least be here. And if I leave you here
in the dark alone? I... Now, look. Let me slip
the rope around your shoulders like Hank instructed.
I know how to handle a sling like this. Will
you remember? Yes. Go on. Get in and tug. Let's
get out of here before my lighter gives out.
It's nothing. I could have swum it alone. I didn't
hold my breath more than half a minute. Oh, Bobby,
it's so good to see you again. Let's get that
sling off and float it back on the bottom of
David. Hurry, hurry. I think he'll be able to
manage. Oh, sure, a cinch. Oh, here you are,
Hank. Oh, I just hope your boyfriend isn't jealous.
You mean the thing? No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't
have said that. All right, 17, 18, 19, 20. Twenty
-one. It should be right on the mark now. What's
the matter? Haven't he tugged yet? Give him a
chance. I hope the lighter hasn't run out of
fuel. But if he can't see, then how can he get...
Watch it. There's the tug. Come on. Let's all
pull fast. Should it come as easy as that? Something's
wrong. He's lost the rope. He's lost the rope
all right. But it's something worse than that!
Get back, everybody! Get back! Once again, some
malign influence interferes in the tantalizing
possibility of escape for the four young people
whose metal has already been tested unbearably.
And for the lovers, the tables are bitterly turned.
It seems that it is Eve's turn to mourn David.
We'll return shortly with Act Three. Instead
of David, appearing from the tunnel, secure on
the rope, there is an empty sling. tied to the
canteen for a float. And behind it, a boiling
spout of frothing water spewing from the narrow
opening of the channel like a huge fire hose,
reversing the normal current till the opposing
forces drive a seething lake over the floor of
the cavern. Hank! Hank, what happened? I don't
know! It's that... That thing David and I thought
after you went in to save Eve. David said it
was some sort of a water spout, like a geyser.
Look! What? Floating in. David, help me. Help
me. Right with you. Easy. Eve. Let me get Eve.
Don't let him go. Eve, it's all right. The water's
washing him ashore. Eve. Eve, swallow the letter.
Get him on his back, Hank. That's right. Now
help me pull his jaw forward. What's that for?
Free his tongue so he doesn't strangle. Okay,
now let's get the water out of his stomach. And
then we'll start mouth to mouth. But what happened,
David? The lighter gave out, so I had to lie
there in the dark, feeling with my hands for
the bottle to come through. Suddenly I felt it,
but it slipped out of my hands, and I fell in
the water, grabbing at the rope. That must have
been the tug I felt. I don't know. I lost the
rope, and I was floundering when suddenly the
water began to literally boil all around me.
The water spot? Yeah. It lifted me half out of
the water and flung me against the orchard. I
guess it knocked me out. You've got quite a bruise
on your forehead. It's what happened to us, Eve.
What do you mean? There's some fault right below
there. And every often, you know, enough cold
water hits the molten lava way down. You're the
professor, Dave. What happens? I don't know.
I suppose it forms a steam explosion that blows
a whole column of water back up into the small
cavern and part of the tunnel. Creates... Yeah,
sort of a whirlpool that's momentarily strong
enough to hit the normal current like a whip
tide and drive it back. Best I can do. I can
do better than that. It's the thing that wants
to help us. It saved three of our lives already.
I owe at least part of my thanks to Barbara.
And me to Hank. And if it hadn't been for David,
I'd have ended up a raving maniac in the dark.
I guess we all have turned up a little short.
One way or another, except Hank. I'll say one
thing. There's only one best man in the group.
Only at your wedding, mister. Because, well,
Hank is about to exhibit his private white feather.
What do you mean, Hank? Well, if we're going
forward, there are only two ways to go. Even
I have looked at the other end of the river here,
where it comes in, and there's no way out there.
How about... the cleft up there where the light
comes from. Well, looks to be the best bet, only
Davey, old man, that's 60 or 70 feet up there.
And I want to tell you, heights turn my belly
to water. Even that first 20 foot climb we made,
I'd like to die. I didn't dare look down after
we got there. So what do we do now? We climb.
Just let me look it over. Now, shouldn't be too
tough. Are you sure you're up to this, darling?
Eva, I may be an egghead, no muscle boy, and
I can't swim. But one thing I do know how to
do is climb mountains. This one's my baby. Now,
just let me go over a few points once again.
I lead, he follows, Barb and Ben Hank. What if
I fall? You're on a sling. The rest of us can
hold you, and if you don't lose your head, try
to relax. And as you swing back to the wall,
grab hold again. But you're not going to fall.
It isn't a tough climb. The main thing is, don't
look down. Just keep your eyes up. And each one
follow whatever toe holds or hand holds, the
one before is used. I'll test each one of them
first. Most of the climb, we can follow ledges.
If they feel now, face the wall and move sideways.
Don't look down. No hurry. Don't anyone try to
play hero. If you're tired, let me know and we'll
rest, okay? I'm not worried, darling. I trust
you, Dave. Well, if we don't get started, I may
never move. Here we go. We're halfway up now.
Anybody want to take a rest? No. I'm all right.
I'm afraid to stop. Next part's going to be a
little tougher. Hang in, and keep your eyes up.
James! James! Hold on, anyone. What is it, Hank?
James, I can't! I can't! My knees! It's so far
down! Hank, damn it! Look up here at me! Now
that's better. Now you listen. We only have about
15 more feet to go. There's a nice wide ledge
we can settle on while I explore the cleft we're
heading for. You lose your head, you can take
all of us with you. Just cut me loose and let
me... Don't be a fool, Hank! We're a few feet
from getting back in the world. Come on, don't
let us all down! All right, I'll try... Easy
does it. Just hook your weight forward over the
ledge. I can't. I'm stuck. Now, when I pull,
get your knee up. All right, now slide yourself
back against the rock. There, that's it. I can't
get out of this. I'm moving to Kansas, where
it's as flat as a pancake. What are you doing?
I'm tying the rope. I need it. It was awful.
But nothing, wasn't it, darling? What do you
mean? That place where the light's coming from
is behind that big rock in the ceiling. We can't
climb up there. It would take a fly. I can get
there, darling. How? I just need some knots in
this one lariat. Can you see that spur that sticks
out? I toss the noose of a lariat over that.
and then I can shinny up the rope and over on
top of the rock. But you'd swing like a pendulum.
If I took off from here without any break. But
I'll tie the other rope to this one for a trip
line. And the rest of you can let me swing over
slowly and steady me as I climb. How do we get
across there to join you? See that other spur
higher up between us and the rock I'm going for?
Yes. After I get across, I'll sling a line over
that and secure it my end. You can all swing
across. Like we used to do when we were kids
and played Tarzan. It's only about ten feet.
I don't think I could do it. You've got to, darling.
It's the only chance we have left. Thank heaven!
I never thought he'd make it! Did you find the
rip? Yes! Does it lead outside? Eventually. It's
a sort of long chimney. Could we climb it? Yes,
if we were gremlins. It's wide enough all right
one way, but the other is not over six or seven
inches. None of us could get through. Oh, no.
Well, that blows it. What can we do, David? There's
nothing to do except... I'm down again. Not me!
I am in the gut! I don't think I have the strength.
You have a mute A on your hands, Captain. I couldn't
make that climb down again either. Okay. We'll
do what I told you before. Swing all of you over
here. There's plenty of room for all of us. I
got you, Eve. Back on good old terra firma. Just
like riding down an elevator. Oh, thanks Hank.
So we all got down easy. How does David? He's
got a way. He sort of takes a hitch around himself
and he lowers himself down. But here he comes.
Oh man, oh man, that's some kind of guy you're
marrying. Everybody all right? We are. A few
rope burns, that's all. Sorry I put you through
all that for nothing. I wasn't much help, but
it was worth a last chance. You have to harp
on it. I'm not giving up yet. What else is there
to try, darling? Faith. Trust in God. I don't
think he'd have put us through all this much
and not plan to save us. He certainly tried to
see what we were made of. Yes, and look at us.
We all came through and none of us is whimpering
anymore, thinking of himself. I still think there's
something there. Maybe not a childhood picture
of a... a thing. Oh, good Lord! What is... coming
out of that other tunnel? It's hard to see in
this murky light. But it's the thing. I knew
all along he didn't mean us harm. It's the thing!
I reckon our muster has thrown quite a scare
into you folks. Jim Trimble here, Deep Sea Diving
and Ocean Bed Recovery Incorporated, ex -frogmen
in the Navy. You've got a mess of folks mighty
worried about you on the outside. They're going
to be some relief once my boys bring in scuba
tanks and gear to get you to the outside there.
Just let me get them to go ahead. Hello grace
to Jim all four missing persons alive and well
proceed with planners outline But How did you
find us? Well, sir, my daddy was quite a diver
in his day free diving that was not with gear
like today And he always had a notion there was
a back way into Chalk Dog Cave through the underground
river. And he found it one day off Chip Dog Lake
here. I was about 16, and he went down and he
never came back. I wonder if he ever made it
to the cave. Oh, no doubt about that, ma 'am.
After I got out of the Navy, I went down myself
with scuba gear and a motor outfit just like
now. And I found my daddy, or his skeleton. I
figure he got down just holding his breath, but
trying to make it up again at that angle, the
current was just too strong. After it got him,
it brought him back to rest here, you know. I've
rung him out and buried him proper. I'm sorry,
Jim. No need. He died doing what he wanted to
do. But how did you find us? Well, Hank's old
horse Baldy was smart enough to outstep that
landslide and... When he turned up downhill,
folks got alerted. But there wasn't a hope of
digging you out. And they sent for me, and I
got flown in from San Diego. That's how I come
to scare you into thinking I was that old legend.
I guess my father started. But the thing... It
isn't a legend, Jim. Your father never really
died. He was the one that saved us. The fountains
of hot water still spout. The vortexes swirl.
The long double lariat still hangs swinging from
that high spur. But no living creature will ever
enter them again. For even the bats are gone.
Smothered in the first two caverns where air
forever was shut off. Perhaps all that is left
is one thing. With a small T now For it has become
the pleasant ghost of a simple kindly man I'll
be back shortly So for this time a happy ending
and let's write the epitaph to this tale of suspense
in Milton's words. Hence, loathed melancholy
of cerebrous and blackest midnight -born, in
Stygian cave forlorn. For myself, I equate cave
with a Latin word spelled the same way, c -a
-v -e, but pronounced cave. It means beware.
Our cast included Marion Selders, Terry Kean,
Michael Wager, Bob Caliban. The entire production
was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now,
a preview of our next tale. And you don't believe
in the presence of Satan? No, I don't. All I
know is what that kind of talk leads to. Oh,
the brick, you mean. I'm sorry about that. Well,
yes, you should be. You've got these farmers
half insane with your superstitious prattle.
Some say that about religion. I wonder why. All
right, let's not get sidetracked, Reverend Stokes.
I don't want a theological debate. I want you
to tell your congregation the truth. And what
is that, Dr. Stumpf? That my son might raise
his frauds for his lab experiments. Shall I tell
them to believe in coincidence that a peaceful
town is ripped apart every time your son returns?
That cattle die for no reason at all? That we
are suffering epidemics? and the worst drought
in our history all because of coincidence yes
yes you tell them that this is the 20th century
what else could it be ask your son dr sample
ask him if he's just doing lab experiments this
is eg marshall inviting you to return to our
mystery theater for another adventure in the
macabre until next time pleasant dreams