03x06 - The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter

[bunniefuu]

[Child's laughter]

[Child's laughter]

Hey, ah, yo.
Let me take that.

That's OK I got 'em.

Babe, they're way
too heavy for you.

They're not.

They are!

They're not!

Will you stop trying to
be such a guy all the time?

You're right.

Ah!

[Giggling]

They are too heavy
for a girl.

Go, Sam.

Making a mess
again, Frankie?

[Giggling]

Hey, what's that,
a book?

What was
your first clue?

Give me a break.
Let me see.

Sorry. Hands off.

Is that book
part of your story?

Sorta. My story's
about stories.

Say what?

We tell all kinds of
horror stories

about demons and ghosts
and stuff.

But no matter
what a story's about,

there's only one thing
that makes it really scary.

What's that?

Your imagination.

Huh?

If you're really
into a story,

you become part of it,

and you start to imagine

what horrible thing might be
sneaking around the corner,

ready to pounce...

And you start to wonder

what you'd do if you were
the one facing

the monster.

It's your imagination
that gets you into a story,

and unless
you're very careful,

you might need your imagination
to get you out.

Submitted for the approval
of the Midnight Society,

I call this story...

The Tale of the Bookish
Baby-sitter.

Belinda was everybody's
favorite baby-sitter.

Her advertisement
in the newspaper

said, "for kids who hate
baby-sitters."

That's it.
And a phone number.

Oh, Belinda.

I almost forgot.

Thursday...

:.

Uh, yeah.
How did you...

See ya then.

Bye.

Come on.

Ha ha ha.

[Strange noises]

Ha ha ha!

Ricky, turn that down.

Thank you.

You working tonight?

I told you.

Got a young couple interested
in the Talbot place.

I think they're gonna
make an offer this evening.

[Doorbell rings]

That must be
the sitter.

A baby-sitter?

Mom, I'm years old.

Exactly. Now, this girl
comes highly recommended.

Please don't be
too hard on her,

not like the others.

Yeah, yeah.

Zombies.

The living dead.

[Knocks on door]

Good evening,
Mrs. Winter.

I'm Belinda.

Oh, hello. Uh...

Is something wrong?

Uh...

No, no. Um...

I just wasn't expecting
someone so, um...

So, um...

So what?

[Laughs]

So what is
your secret?

Every parent I've talked
to just raves about you.

It's simple.

I have...

imagination.

Oh.

Where's Ricky?

Oh, um...

If there's any chance

you could get him to
turn off the television--

Don't worry!

I brought some books
for us to read.

[Strange noises]

Good luck.

Ricky, say hi
to Belinda.

We might
have been caught.

Caught? By who?

Those men
you spoke of?

They are not men,
monsieur.

They are dead bodies.

Be good now, huh? Don't
go to bed too late.

[Whining]
Mom!

He's going through
a phase.

Oh, I'll fix that.

Excuse me?

Nothing.

Are you leaving now?

I, uh, shouldn't be
gone for very long.

If anything goes wrong, you
can reach me at this number.

Nothing ever goes
wrong.

All right, then.

I'll--I'll just--

Good night, Mrs. Winter.

Hey, move!

It's time...

to get to know
each other.

Hey, I really like that
drawing on your shirt.

What does it mean?

It's a metal band that--

Hey, I don't want to
get to know you!

I don't need
a baby-sitter.

Ha ha. Wow!

You must be...
extraordinarily...

amazingly...

mature.

Yeah, I am.
So keep outta my way.

Ha ha ha.

I'm afraid that's
not why I'm here.

Gimme!

Hey!

We are going to read...

These books.

How did you do that?

I'll tell you what.

You read a book for
a few minutes, and...

I'll leave you alone
the rest of the night.

Deal?

How many minutes?

Oh... I don't know.

Let's say...

.

Then I can watch TV
all I want?

If that's what'll
make you happy.

Man, you're
the strangest.

Aloud, please.

I... like to hear them.

"It was late on a dark,
moonless night

as a wild storm raged
across the moors."

"The hideous witch flew
closer to the lonely cottage,

swooped down,
and banged on the door."

[Bang, bang, bang]

What--what was that?

Don't stop now.

This one's boring.

You only read
one sentence!

I can tell. Believe
me, I know boring.

Well, it's not like
TV, you know.

You have to...
Give yourself a chance

to get into the story.

Use your imagination.

Yeah, yeah.

Hmm. "The King's Sword."

Could be OK.

Good!

I like that one
a lot.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Start at the beginning.

Why? I'm not gonna
finish it.

"The stone walls echoed
with the clash of barbs

"and cries of agony.

"As battles raged,

"the courtyard ran crimson with
the blood of fallen warriors.

"Yet now, all was
silent. All was still,

"as if the very memory
of these dreadful events

"continued to haunt
the Mel...

Mel.."

Melancholy.

Yeah. That's it.

This one's lousy, too.

Why?

Too many words.

You know...

Once you start a book,

you really should
finish it.

Yeah, sure.

What's this?

Nope!
Not that one.

What do you mean?

I thought you wanted me
to read.

You're not... ready
for this one.

Yet.

All right.
Forget it.

Where are you going?

I'm not reading any more
of your stupid books.

I... wouldn't go
out there if I were you.

Good thing
you're not me.

Careful, Ricky.

[Footsteps]

Get outta my room.

Look what you
made me do!

Why don't you--

Aah!

Holy--

Belinda?

Belinda!

[Moaning]

Aah!

Aah!

[Moaning]

There's a--

knight in your
bedroom,

and a ghost in
the hall. I know.

Don't worry!

It's just your
imagination.

It's no imagination.
They're real!

Ha ha.

You had no idea
what you were reading,

did you?

Forget the stupid
books. There's a--

Don't you see?
They came from books.

Now, if you help me,
we can get rid of them.

We burn the books
and they go away?

Exactly.

[Knock on door]

[Gasps]

[Woman] Ricky,
don't listen to her.

Let me in!

What's that?

You'd better
let me in, Ricky.

Ricky, let me in!

W-what's going on?

Whaddaya think?
Ah ha ha ha!

Use your imagination!

Oh, man!

I was afraid
this would happen.

Aah!

[Witch] Ha ha ha!

Let me in!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

There. That should do...

For now.

For now? Whaddaya
mean for now?

Make it go away!

Sorry. Can't.

You can't?

You are into
the stories now.

You have to
finish them.

But, since you
b*rned my books...

Let me in!
Ha ha ha!

You're gonna have to
use your imagination

if you don't wanna
end up being her dinner.

What do I do?

I'd finish off
the story--fast.

But the book's gone.

Well, then,
make it up.

Make it up?

Sure. Go for it.

It's your story now.

OK, OK!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Hmm. Weird stuff
happened...

Then it went away,

and they lived happily
ever after. The end.

[Ghost moans]

It didn't work!

Sorry.
[Makes buzzer sound]

That is cheating.

You're gonna hafta
do better than that.

Cheating?
How can I cheat?

I don't even know
what I'm doing.

Uh-oh!

I hate when this
happens.

When what happens?

How did you know
that was gonna happen?

You have gotten
stories all mixed up.

It really makes
things tough.

[Witch] Ha ha ha ha!

Wah ha ha ha!

Run!

[Ricky] Hey, I
can't see anything.

It's right above
your head.

This is getting fun.

Now what happens?

How should I know?

'Cause it's your story,
silly.

What happens?

OK, OK!

How about this?

They ran down
to the basement

where he kept
his U*i.

Yeah, his U*i!

In case of att*cks

by knights, ghosts,
and other nasty things.

'Fraid not.

Why not?

What's wrong with that?
It's a good ending.

Yeah, maybe for some
silly TV show,

but it doesn't
make sense in this story.

The ending's
in that book, isn't it?

No. There's...

Nothing in this one.

So why are you
dragging it around?

Why do you keep
peeking at it

when you don't think
I'm lookin'?

Give it to me!

You really think
you're ready for this?

Yes. Let me have it.

OK. Ha ha ha!

Have fun.

I don't get it.

What's the big deal?

Uh-oh.

"I don't get it.

What's the big deal?"
He said.

Then Ricky's voice
trailed off.

I just said that.

Ricky--that's me!

"He stared blankly
for several seconds,

unable to believe
his eyes."

"For he was no longer in the
comfortable suburban house,

but in the dank crypt
of an ancient castle."

The dank crypt
of an ancient castle?

"The walls ascended
into the darkness above,

unscalable."

I guess that means
forget about climbing them.

"He wondered how the workmen
who had constructed this tomb

had escaped."

[Crunch]

Oh, gross!

"For hundreds of years,

"no human footsteps had sounded
in the dreadful tomb,

no living soul
had drawn a breath of air."

[Clanking]

Oh, man!

The book!

Aah!

Ugh!

"Sworn to protect the sacred
tomb of his beloved king,

the knight is waiting
through the ages for a sign."

Aah!

The sign!

What's the sign?!

The sign!

Wow!

Cool!

"For all,
whether of ghostly form

"or of flesh and bone,

"who grasp the sword

"would become its bearer

to defend to the death"?

I don't wanna defend
anything to the death!

[Girl] Hey, mister.

Please help me, mister.

I'm lost.

"He wondered
how she had come to be

in these ancient ruins."

Can'tcha put down
that book and help me?

I don't know how
to find my way home.

Hey, look, if I knew
how to get outta here,

I'd tell ya.

"She seemed out of place,

as if from another time."

Out of place.

As if from
another time.

Or another story!

You're not a little girl!
You're the--

Put down the book!

Get away from me!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Ah ha ha ha ha!

Aah!

Aah!

Aah!

[Rumbling]

"In his heart,

he knew the answer."

What do I know
in my heart?

OK. OK.

Some sort of witch
or something.

A knight defending
a tomb.

Then that ghost!

The ghost!

"The destruction
of the evil sorceress

freed the ancient king
from her spell."

All right!

"And he was no longer doomed
to wander the earth."

Yes!

[Belinda] "The brave lad
stood, heart pounding,

"enveloped in magically
golden rays...

The first light to penetrate
the tomb in countless centuries."

"In a final act of homage,

"he knelt to return
the enchanted sword

to its rightful bearer,
the ancient king."

What happened?

The story's almost
over.

"Never again would he place
limits on his own imagination,

"no matter what terrors it
was capable of conjuring,

"for he knew that he
could no longer live

"in a world of
willful ignorance.

The end."

I don't believe it.

W-we were just

reading.

Yes. That's, uh,

that's the part
I don't believe.

Well, I...

guess I'd better
be on my way.

Look, Ricky. This
author has your name.

"The Dark Tomb,
by Ricky Winter."

Did it really happen?

It's just a story,
Ricky.

You know that.

Oh, Belinda.
How much do I owe you?

I've already
been paid, Mrs. Winter.

Good night!

Call me anytime.

What an odd girl.

Ricky searched
all over the library,

but he never found
another copy of the Dark Tomb

by Ricky Winter

or any other of the books
that Belinda brought over...

'Cause they were all
first and only editions.

The end.

Good one, bet.

I declare this meeting
of the Midnight Society

closed.

Hey!

Hold on!

I still wanna see
what you've got there.

No. You're way too
young for this one.

Oh, yeah?

"The book that the beautiful and
intelligent Betty Ann held in her hand

"was grabbed by that
stupid little jerk Tucker,

and he read..."

Hey! How'd you--

Gotcha.

Man, are you predictable
or what?

She set me up.

I don't believe it!
She set me up!

Don't sweat it. There's
always another night.