And CBS for Seattle, this is KIXI with the time
now is six minutes past 11. The CBS radio mystery
theater presents. Come in. Welcome. I'm E .G.
Marshall. Welcome to the world of terrifying
imagination. The fear you can hear. Somebody
said it, I believe, or if he didn't he should
have. The world is neither good nor bad. Tis
wishing makes it so. Our story is about a fae,
elfin young woman who made her own world and
who had a disturbing and fateful capacity to
make her dreams come true. Not always in exactly
the fashion or the dimension she wished for.
I'm warning you, you stop hanging on to me, Marge!
I've got to, Tom! You just can't do it to us
anymore! Just lay off of me! Oh, you can't do
this again! Then I've got the lot tonight! I
can feel it all going for me! The way you always
feel, please! Marge, let go! You wanna put the
worry on me? I said... Tom, you let... Fishing
Stone was written especially for the Mystery
Theatre by Ian Martin and stars Clarice Blackburn
and William Prince. It is sponsored in part by
the Kellogg Company, makers of Kellogg's Special
K Cereal, and by new sugar -free Diet 7 Up. I'll
be back shortly with Act One. We are such stuff
as dreams are made on and our little life is
rounded with a sleep That quote is definitely
mr. Shakespeare's but our little life is equally
founded and sometimes confounded on dreams like
the bad one Jenny Coulter had a few moments ago
and for which fortunately there is present comfort
in the person of her mother and in turn her brother
Judd Jenny, you all right? It's you, Ma. You.
Oh, you all right? Well, I'm fine, honey. What,
did you have a bad dream? I suppose. Oh, now
that I see you. Oh, Ma, it was so real. I saw
you lying there at the bottom of the stairs and...
and your head. Oh, it was turned to the side
like... like... Oh, well, now look. Don't let
it upset you. Here I am, right as rain, and it
was only a dream. But it was just like I saw
it happen. He pulled his arm away from you while
you were hanging on. And you went tumbling down.
He? Who's he? I... I don't want to talk about
it. Was it your father? Yes. Who else would it
be? Judd, what are you doing up? I heard Jenny
Lou cry out. Oh, it was just a bad dream is all.
You okay, sis? I'm just fine now. You go on back
to bed now, son. What did you dream the old man
did to Ma, Jenny? Ma was trying to stop him from
going out gambling again. And he sort of pushed
her off him, like... And she tumbled all the
way downstairs. Now that's enough fussing about
nothing now. You get back to bed, Judd. Okay.
Good night, Jenny. Good night, Judd. You want
I should close the door, Ma? No, I'm coming back
to bed myself. Right away. You're not scared
no more. Are you honey? No Long as I know you
and Jeddard close by But I sure was scared. Oh
my baby. You're just so sensitive Everything
touches you close like a little butterfly sitting
on a leaf with your feelers reaching out all
a tremble I like being butterfly That's a pretty
sort of thing to think on so you just keep thinking
on it and hustle yourself back to sleep Good
night, Jenny Good night, Ma. I love you. And
I love you. Sleep tight. Ma. Sakes alive, Judd.
You like to startle me on my wits. Come away
from Jenny's door. I thought I told you to go
on back to bed. Was you and Pa having an argument
again tonight? When? Well, right now. That she
might have heard. Your father isn't even here.
He went on out after you kids went to bed. Yeah,
but he's over the stove. He's playing poker.
Tom don't mean what he does. He's sick. Yeah,
and so am I. I'm sick of him. I'm here in the
kitchen, Dr. Luther. How's Jenny? Jenny Lou is
just fine, Marge. She's getting dressed, and
I'm going to drop her off at school on my way
into town. It ain't the encephalitis again. You
got to stop worrying about that, Marge. It's
not so easy. after last year getting put back
one grade after missing all her classes. It won't
take her long to jump back where she belongs.
That's the right smart little girl. She used
to be before. That's what I want to talk to you
about. If I've told you once, I've told you half
a dozen times that Jenny was one of the lucky
ones. She came through it without a scratch,
physical or mental. But such a long time. It
was a very mild case, even if it was stubborn
and protracted. It's just I worry so that she...
she was somehow held back. I want you to get
that clean out of your mind, once and for all.
But sometimes she seems so... so young. Oh, Lord,
what do you want her to be at 16? I don't know
of anyone fresher and lovelier and more unspoiled
than your little girl. She wants to cling to
childhood a little longer. Leave her be. Just
so you're sure, last year didn't hurt her none.
There's only one thing I worry about with Jenny.
What? Your husband. Lord knows why, but she thinks
the sun rises and sets in her father. Once she
settles for being a woman she'll have to open
her eyes as to what he really is Oh Tom doesn't
mean to hurt anyone doctor. You told me yourself
that he's sick Yeah, I think it is a kind of
sickness But not one a doctor can treat What
am I going to do I don't know Marge oh One thing
I do know is I've got to go people waiting at
the office, but Tom is hurting all of you. Bad.
Worse, maybe, than any of you realize. And in
the end, Jenny will lose the one he'll hurt most
of all. Judd, is that you? Oh, yeah, Ma. Is Jenny
with you? Well, no, Ma. Where you been? Baseball
practice. Why'd you think Jenny was with me?
Because she didn't come home after school. Jenny
didn't like her to just take off. You don't suppose
she... Well, she won't, Ma. That dream shook
her up. And Tom and me had another bad set -to
this morning. She wouldn't run away. Jenny? From
us? No way. Well, she was sort of strange when
she left this morning with Dr. Luther. Kind of,
I don't know, excited as if she had some secret
plan. You know how she gets. Secret? Yeah, but
I know where she is where Well, I I can't tell
you I mean, it's her own secret place only Well,
the only reason I know about it is I was out
rabbit hunting one day and I stumbled across
it She goes in a birdwatch and just to be alone.
I guess now she made me promise I'd never tell
just where I'll bring her home Jenny? Jenny,
what are you doing hiding out here? I wasn't
hiding. I just came here to say a little prayer.
For who? Pa. Oh? And the sun was shining in like
a big splinter of light, the way it does through
the hole in the tree up there. Remember how I
always used to think when we was little kids
that it was God stretching down His hand to touch
us? Yeah. It was a long time ago. Don't say that.
Because he is there. He was here today. Least
ways one of his angels was. What? I was kneeling.
And looking up into the sun. And all of a sudden,
the birds was all still. And the whole hidey
hole here, filled up with golden light that sparkled
and spun. And right over there, he was standing.
Who? Him. The angel of the Lord. And I could
feel him all around me. In me. Warm and kind.
So kind. Then he touched my hand. And smiled.
And just faded away. And then I looked in my
hand. And I saw it. Wait! I didn't lose it! Oh!
No, here. This is what I found in my... Let's
see. What is it? It's a conjure stone all gold
and shiny a stone I can wish on The angel said
that he didn't have to I heard the words inside
me You can wish on this Jenny. You can have anything
you want Jenny, right to the moment I just gotta
say I'm so fussed and fumed about dinner being
ready and you kids not, and your father ain't
home, I can't hardly think straight about...
Oh, Lordy, if my biscuits have risen, we're just
gonna have to sit and eat without Tom. Jenny,
don't bother my right now. I just want to try
my wishing stone, wish something nice for her.
Let's just hold up for a better time. I could
wish Potter hurry home, so he wouldn't have to
wait. I don't want to wait none at all. I got
a math test tomorrow. I just got a pass or I
don't make the ball team and I need every minute
to study. Except who am I kidding? If I stayed
up all night, I wouldn't be ready for tomorrow.
If you had a few more days, could you make it?
Well, even just one, I'd stand a chance. Okay,
here goes. No, no, no, hold up a minute. Too
late. Shh. I just wished there'd be no school
tomorrow. No school tomorrow? What nonsense is
that? Jenny, go bring them biscuits. Judd, you
sit down. Ain't we gonna wait for Pa? We ain't
waitin' for nothin'. Not even wishes to come
true. We're gonna eat our dinner before it spoils.
Yes, Ma. I'll get the biscuits. You didn't have
to be so rough on them, Ma. Play her game. I
know, Judd. It's just I have no sense of humor
left. Or fun. The way it is with us... If we
had a wishing stone, we could use it for a lot
better things than no school tomorrow. Ain't
that crazy? The two of you have had me half believing
there is a power in that stone. Hi, March. Tom?
Where are the kids? As if you care. Gone to bed.
Where have you been? What was the action tonight?
Bingo? Horses? Pools? Nope. Tonight I got a pretty
fair excuse. The only thing I was gambling was
my life. What's that supposed to mean? I've been
a volunteer helper at a fire. Now it's finally
out. I couldn't hardly wait to get home and tell
the kids the good news. What good news? That
the school burned down. Good news for the kids
everywhere tonight no school tomorrow Is there
any other catastrophe in the world that carries
with it an equal amount of joy than a school
burning down But this time is it chance or is
some supernatural force sinister or benign at
play? We're going to find out that this simple
phenomenon, or happenstance, is a great deal
more than sheer coincidence when we return in
a few moments with Act Two. So, Jenny Liu, our
16 -year -old who is determined to cling to childhood
and all its happiest dreams, has made her first
wish upon the conjure stone the magic piece of
shiny gold that came to her she believes at the
hand of an angel a wish that came true well this
one was a harmless enough request although the
manner of its granting has been destructive enough
if indeed it was actually granted if this is
a wishing the stone it is potentially as dangerous
as a nuclear bomb. Did you say the school burned
down, Pa? It sure as Tucker did, John. Ain't
that good news, Jenny? I reckon. I guess... I
didn't mean to do it that way. Eh? You didn't
mean to do what? To burn it down. I just didn't
want it to be. That's all I wished on. Hey, what
was she talking about, Mark? Oh, it's just Jenny
found out. Don't you tell him, Mark. Don't you
tell me what? Oh, don't pay any mind to the young
'un's nonsense. Just tell us about the schoolhouse
and what happened. Well, sir, I just about finished
trimming up Mayor Saget's hedge, and I just started
to get all my tools together to put back in the
pickup when the fire horn went off. I heard that
old horn go just a couple of minutes after I
shot you. I run straight over to the firehouse,
being that close, and we took off. By the time
we got there, she was past all saving. And it's
funny, you know, you come to think of it... A
brick building like that, you wouldn't figure
it turned into a regular torch. Well, how'd the
fire start, Pa? Yeah, you wouldn't believe this.
And neither does nobody else credit it. But according
to old Sam Wallace, all of a sudden, a flaming
arrow comes straight out of the sky and cut right
through the brick walls and everything and hit
the oil tank and blew her wide open. Oh, that...
Drunken old no good. Some custodian. How bet
he was drinking and dropped one of those foul
old stogies he smokes and all that rubbish he's
too lazy to clean out of the cellar. It could
be. It's what most everyone thinks. Still...
Still what? It's hard to tell someone who wasn't
there. But damn if the way he told that story
didn't make you stop at least once to sink on
it. What do you mean? This first time I ever
seen that old booze hound with his eyes put together
like he really was seeing what he talked about
anyways We talked enough. Hey something to eat
around here. I got it warm and I'll serve it
right away Pa yes sugar that flaming lightning
bolt you said how long before the fire horn sounded
did it come oh? According to Sam story he lit
out next door to the gas station and call the
fire department where it couldn't have been more
than a couple of minutes. See, Judd? It did so
work. Okay, if you want to believe it. What are
you kids talking about? Well, forget it, Pa.
Just kid talk. Oh. Oh, I'm too old to share.
Oh, no. If you want to... Oh, sure I do. Well,
Pa, it's just for now of mine. Jenny and me's
gotta be getting to bed. With no school to worry
about tomorrow? If there's no school, there's
plenty of chores they can catch up on in the
morning. Scoot now, both of you. I'm serving
your Pa dinner. Good night, Pa. Let's go, Jen.
But I wanted to tell... You get on upstairs.
It's past your bedtime. Yes, Ma. Good night,
Pa. Good night, kids. Did you have to chase him
off to bed? Little enough chance I get to see
him. It's little enough chance you make to see
him. Oh, lay off, will you, Marge? I'm not even
laying on. If you stuck a little closer to home
than to the other woman, maybe you'd know what
goes on around your own house. The what other
woman? Now, dang it! I'm talking about Lady Luck,
or whatever name you want to call her, my rival.
Lady Luck. Whatever makes you gamble, Tom, one
way or another, it's... It's gonna be the end
of us. You're ever gonna see that before it's
too late. Why wouldn't you let me tell Pa about
the wishing stone? Because. Because what? Because
first thing you know, he'll take it off of you.
That's why. Why would he? Because it's real gold?
Jenny, that stone ain't gold. Then what is it?
It's pyrite. What? Oh, it's just what everybody
calls... Well, it... It's a sort of medal. Well,
anyways, whatever it is, it's real precious to
me. It's my lucky charm. Well, that's why you
better not let Pa know what you think about it.
Why? Well, you know what he's like. He... He
cares about gambling more than he cares about
anything, and all gamblers are real superstitious.
Now, if he knew you had a lucky piece... Especially
if he heard the crazy story about you and that
school burning down. He'd have it off of you
so fast that it set your head to spinning. It
isn't crazy. You heard me wish on the stone for
no school, and now there is no school. It was
just happenstance. You don't think it happened
just because I wished it? Of course it didn't.
Then I'm gonna prove it to you. What do you want
me to wish for? I don't want you to wish for
nothing. I gotta show you. Look here now. I'm
gonna wish... Jenny! What, Judd? Oh, you sound
so funny. Well, maybe it's because I feel like
that. Like what way? Sort of, you know, superstitious
-like. It sort of gives you goosebumps if you
think on it. What does? Well, now look, Jenny,
supposing... No, no, no, I'm not saying it did
fall out this way, but supposing you did get
what you wished for. You were the one yourself
said you didn't mean to get it the way you did.
No, that's for sure I didn't. I didn't want the
schoolhouse to go on fire. Oh, gosh, Judd. Oh,
supposing... Just supposing someone had been
in there and got caught in the fire. Or a whole
lot of folks. That's kind of what I'm saying.
And my wish could have burned them all up. But
the angel gave it to me. For sure he couldn't
have meant nothing bad to happen. I don't have
to throw it away, do I, Judd? I can keep it.
Well, that won't do no harm, so long as you don't
wish on it. I guess I'll just put it away for
my keepsakes. And I'll never use it unless...
Unless what? Unless the angel comes and tells
me to. Well, that's a right good idea, Jenny.
And remember, don't let Pa get wind of that there
stone. There would nothing hold him back from
using it, even if he didn't believe in it. It's
gonna seem funny going to school in the courthouse.
You think with only a Friday left in the week
that I wait until Monday to start up again. I'm
glad they did. I don't want to miss any more
school ever. Then you better look out the things
you go around wishing, Missy. Oh, she's took...
I'm sorry, Ma. She's taken a pledge. What does
that mean? I'm not going to wish on the stone
anymore, because the wish you get might turn
out bad for other folks. I think that's a very
good pledge. Yes, only... Only what? I'll have
to whisper. Well, don't mind me, I'm all finished.
I gotta get my books from upstairs. What's this
you have to whisper? I was just going to say
that with Judd's... with Judd's birthday tomorrow,
I wanted to wish him a bicycle. He sure has his
heart set on one. Well, you won't have to worry
because he's already got one. Least ways he will
by later this morning. How? You see this flower
tin? Yes. Watch this. Down under the flower.
There, in this old glass salt cellar is the money
I've been saving up for most a year to get your
brother the bike he wants. How come you kept
it there? Your father what he is it had to be
some real safe place to keep his hands off it
It's your uncle Al he's driving me to work this
morning get the door honey, will you my hands
are all flower sure thing mom My you sure are
as pretty as a picture get look more like your
mother every day And they don't come any prettier
than that You and your honey talk. You should
have been on a TV instead of behind a cage. Thank
God the bank don't keep its tellers there anymore.
You make me sound like an ape. Me, Tarzan. You,
Jenny? No, me, Jenny. You must be around a lot.
Hi. Hi, Gabe. Give me some skin. Well, here's
five. I'm at you. See, that's some grip. You
wanna Indian wrestle? Oh, I'm gonna be ready
pretty soon to take you on. I think you're ready
already. No, I got no time this morning. I gotta
catch a school bus. Come on, Jenny, we gotta
scoot. Goodbye, Mom. Oh, have a good day, son.
Bye, Mom. And get a real swell, you know what.
I will. Be happy, Jenny. I am. Bye, Uncle Al.
Hey, it's great to see ya. We'll make it longer
next time. Bye, Uncle Al. Come on, Jenny. Make
next time... You can count on it real soon. Oh,
S. Well, kids, boys, I envy you. Yeah, they're
what I live for these days. Tom left already?
No, he's upstairs, dead to the world. He rolled
in this morning around three, smelling like a
brewery. That brother of mine, I'd like to knock
his head off. The way he'll be feeling the time
he gets up this morning, you won't have to. It'll
fall off all by itself. I got to talk some business
to him. Like what? I don't want to get you involved
in it, Mark. Well, if it's about money, I will
be anyway. It is about money. And there's no
use asking him. I went through his pockets last
night, and he doesn't have one red cent. But
he's got to. What for, Al? Jim Kenny called me
at home late last night the insurance agent.
Yeah Last payment on Tom's life insurance hasn't
been made and tomorrow is the last day of the
grace period But I gave him the money for that
a month ago. You gave him the money I know but
things had been going well for a while like they
sometimes do or anyways, I thought they were
and He asked me to trust him. Oh Lord, what am
I going to do now, Al? I don't know, Marge. This
time I... I just haven't got it. What do you
mean, this time? Marge, Tom is hopeless. I've
been carrying him for years, or thought I was.
I gave him the sixty dollars for that same payment.
When I found out last night it hadn't been made,
I was mad enough to kill him. One reason I waited
till this morning was to cool off. I'd help you
out, Marge, but I can't. I had to take out a
new loan to raise the cash for Tom. I can't let
the insurance go. You'd have a tough time getting
a new policy written if this one lapses, but
how? Nearly a year I've been saving it for a
bike for Judd's birthday tomorrow. Instead...
I'm going upstairs to beat the... No, no, take
me downtown, Al. I just can't face Tom this morning.
I'll have it out with him tonight. After what
you made me have to do today, how could you steal
money out of my purse and leave to go gambling
again? All I want to do is run it up till it's
enough to pay you back. You're sick! I'm not
gonna let you take the money I broke my back
making today. I'll bring you back five times
this. And you're not stopping me. Oh, yes, I
will. I'm warning you. You stop hanging onto
me. I got to, Tom. You just can't do this to
us anymore. Just lay off of me. Tom, you can't
do this to us again. I got the luck tonight.
I can feel it all going for me. The way you always
feel, please. Let go of me. You wanna put the
whammy on me? I said... Tom! Let go! The terror
of addiction step by step it grows to envelop
the addict till it becomes his whole world, shutting
out everything else. But the greater terror is
the destruction of all who love him, dragged
down with him, and eventually engulfed in a tragedy
not of their making. I'll return in a moment
with Act 3. endless moment in time a few dreadful
seconds ticked away with every heart crying out
to take them back again to make this just a bad
dream and not reality three people frozen in
horror the fourth sprawled at the bottom of the
stairs her neck bent at an impossible angle frozen
in what unconsciousness or death Now, at last,
the man brings himself to move. Marge. Marge.
Don't you touch your par. I'll kill you dead.
Son. I'm not your son. I'm your enemy. Jenny,
call the police. Emergency. We got to get Ma
to the hospital fast. Ma. Ma. Okay, kid. Just
take it easy. She's not gonna die. You're not
gonna let her die, doc. Just hang in tough, kid.
We'll do our best. I should have gone with the
ambulance. Ah, you're sticking right with me,
brother. We'll see how your wife makes out. No,
no, no. Look, officer, you... You don't think
she's... Well, for the sake of your own skin,
you better hope she isn't. But it was an accident.
By the way, that boy of yours reacted looked
like he wasn't so sure. Now, we gotta get moving.
Now, what happened to your daughter? Oh, Denny...
She went back to get something. Where are you
taking us? Well, the hospital. First, anyways.
Now, here she comes. Come on, check her leg,
kiddo. I... I had to get something very important.
Okay, okay. Hop in the front with my buddy, Officer
Franks. Okay, Harry, straight to X -ray. You
got a family doctor kid? Yeah, Dr. Luther. Oh,
you know his number? No, but I can look it up.
Okay. Tell your doctor to get here as fast as
he can. It's that bad? I wouldn't want to fake
you out, son. It's not good. And I phoned Dr.
Luther. He's on his way here. Is Ma gonna die,
Chuck? I don't know. I'm scared. Real scared.
So am I. Judd? What? I'm gonna break my pledge.
You forgive me? What pledge? I brought the wishing
stone. I'm gonna wish on it. I'm gonna wish that
Ma's gonna be alright. Just like it never happened.
If you want to, Jenny, go ahead. Can't do no
harm. What can't do no harm? For me to use my
wishing stone? Your what? I'm wishing right now.
I hear the intern brought the cold case in. He
is, officer. I wish he. I'm waiting for X -rays
right now. I'd say she has one chance in a thousand.
For certain, sure her neck is broken. And the
way it's broken and other signs indicate to me
her spinal cord is badly damaged. It isn't severed
altogether. I just can't understand it, Dr. Luther.
When I brought Mrs. Colder in, I had sworn she
was in deep coma. I was sure her neck was broken.
Spinal cord severed. There's no indication of
that from my examination of her. Not the slightest
in these x -rays. I know, but not in this second
set. Was there a first? Yes. And that's a funny
thing. When we developed them, every one was
fogged. And we don't know why. Well, these are
perfectly clear. So is my patient's condition.
I see no reason why she shouldn't go home. Cheer
up, son. All interns make mistakes. I made a
few buttes in my time. And I'll say this for
you, if you have to make one, make it on the
gloomy side. The other ones don't hurt anyone
or anything. Except maybe your pride. I can't
understand it. That cop said it flat out that
Marge was a goner. Well, maybe he was just trying
to put the fear of God into you. Well, if he
was, he sure succeeded. If it'll do any good.
You think I made a stone, Judd? You think I don't
blame myself for what might have happened? You
think I wasn't ready to kill myself if anything
happened to Marge? I don't know, Pa, I... Pa
wasn't trying to hurt Marge, Odd. It was an accident.
An accident that wouldn't have happened if...
Pa wasn't sick with gambling fever. Well, I've
learned my lesson this time. I'll never gamble
again. Oh, Pa. Oh, that makes me so happy. I'm
glad, honey. And it means I won't have to use
the stone again. I can save up what's maybe the
last wish for something special for all of us.
Instead of having it to use it to stop you from
gambling. What stone? The wishing stone. The
one I used at the hospital to wish Ma well again.
Oh, that's right. I forgot. Listen, Duchess.
Let me see that stone. Don't show it to him.
Why not? I don't know. It's just a sort of hunch
that... Wait a minute. Here comes the doctor.
How's my eye shock, loser? She's fine, more is
the wonder. Oh, a few scrapes and a bruise or
two and a lump on the head. Nothing a good night's
rest won't take care of. Thank God. You should.
It's a miracle she didn't break her neck in a
fall like that. That intern at the hospital was
sure she did. But she didn't. No, Judd, I told
you she'll be as right as rain. Well, can I go
up and see her now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was
asking for you. And the kids. She, uh... wants
to see you alone a moment first. I'll go right
up. Just to put your mind at rest, or maybe more
hers, she doesn't want to prefer any charges
against you. So you can tell her my report to
the police. We'll call it just an accident. She
slipped and fell. I'll tell her, Doc. You got
off mighty lucky this time, Tom. You better not
tempt fate again. Well, I won't. I mean it, Marge.
Just give me another chance. I didn't see how
I could, Tom. I never meant to throw you down
those stairs. Oh, not because of that. The last
straw for me was taking a chance away from Judd
to have something he wanted more than anything
in the world. His bicycle. You should just let
the insurance go. How could I, Tom? With two
kids to bring up? If anything happened to you,
I... Not that I want anything to happen to you.
You gonna take me back, Marge? I don't know,
Tom. It's hard for me to feel for you what...
what I once felt. But if you're gonna promise
me you'll quit the gambling for the children's
sake. We'll try to make a go of it. You won't
be sorry much. I hope not I Just wish I knew
how to make it up to Judd tomorrow, but there
was something I could pawn You haven't left anything
in this house that you could Except the one thing
you could never get your hands on. Well, what's
that? my wedding ring Do you you think I could
get enough on that? Well, not enough to pay for
it all, but for a down payment, then I'll take
that night job cleaning sewers. You made me turn
down to pay it off. I don't want you working
in any sewers. Anyway, you can't work day and
night. Well, I can till I get John to his bike.
Well, we'll see. I'll take the ring down in the
morning. No, sir, no, sir. Dr. Lewis doesn't
want you out of bed. I'll take it down. You?
Can't you trust me, Marge? Well, if you can't
trust me now... And what the hope do I have or
any of us I I can ever be trusted Well, you got
to I swear to God I just assumed be dead All
right, Tom, I'll trust you Did what you ran out
of the money look Benny You've got to do an old
customer a favor, huh? You've got to cover me
for the fifth. Headlonger. Now, Benny, Benny,
you've got to. That 15 I laid out on the first
was money I got for pawning my wife's wedding
ring. I've got to get it back, and I've got a
hot tip. Headlonger's a sure... Benny! For God's
sake! Just this once, please. Benny? Benny? What
am I gonna do? Wish to God... Wish. That wishing
stone. Yeah. Where's Jenny, Judd? Oh, I left
her down by the pond. We were skipping stones.
I just came up to see how you were feeling. Fine.
I'm gonna get up. Your pa didn't get back yet,
did he? No, ma 'am. I ain't seen him since early
morning when he pulled out in the pickup. Well,
you go on back down and keep Jenny company. I'm
gonna make me a cake so we can have a real birthday
celebration. Oh, it's all right, Ma. I don't
eat a cake. You're gonna get a lot more than
you bargained for. Now, go on. I don't like Jenny
down by that pond alone. You know she can't swim.
What? Hi, Pa. What are you doing? up on top of
the rock here. Oh, just sunning myself and listening
to the birds. Jenny, you know that wishing stone
you talked about? Yes. Is it gold? You want to
see? Yeah, yeah. Here. Oh, damn, it's nothing
but pyrite. Isn't that a kind of gold? Yeah,
fools, gold, and not even worth as much as a
piece of charcoal. No, huh? It's still good for
one wish. You think this makes any wishes come
true? It made the school burned down, and Ma
got her neck unbroken. You're a Ma. Why do you
grow up as I'm your daydreamer? Don't you know
nobody ever got nothing by wishing? I've been
doing a kind of wishing all my life. Look at
where I end up now. Well, I'm gonna wake up your
little miss bright eyes to show just how tough
a world this is. Pa! Please, please don't get
mad. If this was a wishing stone. Well, nobody
ever needed it more than me right this moment.
So look at this. I'm gonna make a wish. I need
money. I need it bad. So I'm gonna wish that
old Nick himself comes climbing up out of the
middle of this pond with a sack of gold on his
back for me. And I ain't gonna be greedy. And
I ain't gonna ask for much. Just, just say like
a ten, no, no, no, make it twenty thousand dollars.
Okay. Now... I'll rub the stone, and I wish.
You see? It ain't a wishing stone. It'll make
dreams come true. It's a nothing! I'm gonna tell
the kids, Al. They're not really children anymore,
Marge. They know. I guess I do baby them. I won't
anymore. There ain't a lot of ways they're better
off. Tom... Well, Tom had a cancer that he just
couldn't cut out. Even my wedding ring. Oh, I
didn't want him dead, though. Well, he is and
it was of his own making Kind of queer What?
I'm trying to show Jenny Lou her wishing stone
wasn't worth a darn and he ended up having his
wish come true Not quite. The policy is only
for 10 ,000 There's double indemnity for accidental
death Marge Tom got everything he wished for
the full 20 ,000 Three wishes and they all came
true Whether by some supernatural force or sheer
coincidence It doesn't really matter for in the
end. Everyone was better off except the one who
didn't deserve to be This was the gamblers last
plunge One he should never have taken with the
odds so stacked against him like Jenny Tom Coulter
had never learned to swim either I'll be back
shortly As for the wishing stone itself since
it lies buried deep somewhere in the mud at the
bottom of the pond No one will ever know if it
had the power to grant wishes. For Jenny, like
all of us, had no escape from a common fate that
soon befell her. She grew up and inherited a
mantle that only Peter Pan seems to have escaped.
She stopped believing in magic. Our cast included
William Prince, Clarice Blackburn, Anne Costello,
Jack Grimes, and Robert Dryden. The entire production
was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now...
a preview of our next tale. He vanished. The
very next night, the Putnam's crashed through
the bridge over Gormley Gorge. Well, accidents
do happen. It was no accident. Now, the real
estate man didn't tell you the whole story. Mrs.
Putnam lived long enough to tell just what had
happened. The Putnam's didn't go off the bridge
by accident. They were driven off it. Forced
to swerve off it by an oncoming car. A car driven
by a skeleton. Radio Mystery Theatre was sponsored
in part by Anheuser -Busch, Inc., Brewers of
Budweiser. This is E .G. Marshall inviting you
to return to our Mystery Theatre for another
adventure in the macabre. Until next time, pleasant
dreams. CBS News, coming up shortly on KIXI.