03x02 - The Tale of Apartment 214

[bunniefuu]

[Child's laughter]

Put it down!
Gary will freak.

What is this stuff,
anyway?

Hey. Don't touch
the pouch.

Sorry.

What about
your friend Sam?

Are we getting
a new member?

Next week.
Kiki's up tonight.

Hey, man. I'm dead.

Yeah, from the neck up.

Hey, you wanna be dead
from the neck down?

I was helping
my brother move all day.

Yeech. I hate moving.

Moving's the worst.

I love it.

Say what?

How can you like
moving?

Lugging stuff around
isn't any fun,

but moving
into a new place

is like a mystery.

You always wonder
who lived there before,

you know, what they
were like, why they left.

Sounds like
a pretty good story.

It is.

My story's about moving,

and about promises.

A promise is a pledge,

something to rely on.

You should never
break a promise.

If you do,

it might come back
to haunt you.

Submitted
for the approval

of the Midnight
Society,

I call this story...

Give it back, Bozo.

Submitted
for the approval

of the Midnight Society,

I call this story...

Stacy Cooper was going
through a rough time.

It looked like her parents
were going to break up.

She and her mom had to move

into a tiny apartment

across town.

It's a lot smaller
with all this stuff in here.

It's a little cramped.

Mom, a sardine can
is a little cramped.

OK. It's small,

but it's all I could
afford right now.

[Glass crashing]

Oh, Bugsy.
Get out of there.

[Dog whimpers]

Hey!

[Gasps]

You scared me!

You don't park here.

I don't think the manager
would mind. We're moving in.

I am manager.

I do mind.

You move car now.

What a mess.
What a jerk.

Do you know where
we packed the broom

and the dust pan?

I'll go get it.

OK.

[Door creaks]

[Knocking

[knock-knock]

[Knocking]

[Door creaks open]

[Person humming]

Mom, you scared me.

What are you
doing out here?

I thought
I heard something.

I don't want you
wandering around at night.

Come back inside.

I wasn't doing
anything wrong.

Well, I asked you
not to do that.

[Door creaks shut]

What are you doing?

Uh--um, I was...

Who are you?

I'm Angela.
I live in .

Do you know
who lives here?

I didn't think
anyone did.

You just moved
into , didn't you?

How'd you know?

I've seen you around.
Not many kids live here.

Would you want
to hang out sometime?

Maybe.

Well, I'll see
you later, then?

Yeah. Bye.

Hey, Ma!

Hey. How come
you're so late?

The bus broke down.

Oh.

It's about time
you came to see me.

I'm having some tea.

Will you join me?

What's your name?

Stacy.

Well, Stacy,
it's going to be

a real trick
to drink it from there.

Are you an art
collector, or something?

In a manner
of speaking.

These are all the original
works of Madeline Koegel.

That's me.

You painted
all of these?

A long time ago.

Who's this,

your family?

That's my nephew Frank
and his family.

I never had children
of my own.

Frank promised that I could
always live with them,

but when
his family grew,

he got tired of taking
care of an old woman,

so he asked me
to leave.

He broke his promise?
Just like that?

That's when
I moved in here,

away from
the children,

away from all
my friends.

I kind of lost
all my friends, too.

They're all back
in my old neighborhood.

Well, Stacy, we seem to
have something in common.

Do you know
what I think

might do both of us
a world of good?

What?

Visits.

If we were to visit
now and again,

maybe we wouldn't
miss our old friends

quite so much.

You sure you want
to be friends with a kid?

If you don't mind being
friends with an old woman.

As the days went by,
Stacy and Madeline

spent a ton
of time together.

Stacy helped Madeline
with some of

the tougher chores
around the apartment.

Madeline told Stacy really
cool stories about her life.

It was perfect.

Madeline wasn't lonely
anymore,

and Stacy found
her first new friend.

Stacy, would
you mind terribly

if I asked you
to drop by tomorrow?

No. What's up?

Nothing.
It's just a day

on which I prefer
not to be alone.

No sweat.
I'll be here.

Promise?

Promise.

Wonderful.

I've got a surprise
for you.

What is it?

You'll have to wait
till tomorrow.

OK.
I'll see you then.

Hey, !

Hey, Angela.

Check these out.

What are they?

Tickets to
the Battle of the Bands.

I didn't know they
were selling them yet.

They are.

And we're going.

You wanna come?
We got an extra ticket.

Really? When?

Right now.

My mom's getting the car

and we're going to pick
up some of my friends.

You can meet them.

I--I can't.

Why not?

I promised someone
that I'd visit them.

Stacy, this is
the Battle of the Bands.

I thought we were supposed
to start hanging out together.

[Singing]
Free ticket.

[Car horn honks]

You coming or not?

OK. Let me
tell my mom.

Thanks, Angela.
I had a great time.

Bye.

[Woman crying]

[Woman sobbing]

Madeline?

Is that you?

[Crying]

Why did you
break your promise?

[Thunder]

Somebody open this door!

Please open this door!

Open it!

Somebody open this door!
Please let me out!

What were
you doing in here?

Mom! Mom!

What's wrong?

What happened?

Madeline! Madeline's
apartment is empty!

What are you
talking about?

Everything is gone.

I promised to go visit her,
and I didn't.

When I went to go say
I was sorry, she was gone!

Honey, she must
have moved out.

No! She was standing
in the dark,

and when I turned on
the light, she was gone!

She couldn't be there one
second and not the next.

If it is about plumbing,

I have already
got complaint.

Mr. Horstrom, did the
lady in move out?

Horstrom:
What lady?

There's no one
living there.

But Madeline lives there.

Who?

Madeline Koegel?
The artist.

Mom, I swear
she lives there.

Horstrom:
No one live in .

No one live there
for years.

It just didn't make sense.

All Stacy knew for sure
was that Madeline left

and she would have
to live with the guilt

of a broken promise.

As time went on, she realized
that Madeline wasn't coming back

and she would never
get the chance to apologize.

[Thunder]

Stacy?

Stacy?

Stacy?

Stacy, where are you?

OK. Here's the number
of the restaurant.

Are you sure you'll be
OK by yourself?

Mom, if you don't
get going,

Dad's going to think
you're not coming.

Stacy, just because
we're talking

doesn't mean we're definitely
getting back together.

Understand?

I know. Tell
Dad I love him.

I will.

OK, you.

Stay inside,
and lock this

as soon as I'm gone.

Bye, Mom.

Bye, sweetie.

[Knock on door]

Who is it?

[Knocking]

[Thunder]

Madeline!
What happened to you?

I was scared
when you weren't--

[door creaks]

[Knocking]

Madeline?

Madeline?

Madeline,
are you in here?

Madeline!

What's going on?

You promised
to visit me.

I didn't want to be
alone on that day.

That day is
the worst day,

and you didn't come!

It was a very lonely
day for me, Stacy,

and do you know why?

It was my anniversary.

years ago,
on that day,

is the day I d*ed!

[Thunder]

[Screams]

Angela! Angela!

Open the door!

Please, Angela!

[Door slams]

[Screams]

What for you scream?

You go back
your apartment.

I can't.
Madeline's in there.

Who?

The old lady
who lives in apartment .

I'm telling you
is no one there.

I can't rent.

Every time
I show apartment,

something happen.

People get scared.
Go away.

You go home now.

Where are you going?

I go fix fuse.

Got to make lights
come back on.

I'll come with you.

Nyet!

You go home now.

Bugsy, no.

Bugsy, come.

Bugsy, please.
Bugsy, come.

Come, Bugsy.

[Thunder]

[Whispering]
Bugsy.

Bugsy, come on.

Bugsy!

[Click]

Bugsy.

Bugsy.

Where are you?

Bugsy?

Come on, Bugs.

[Jiggling noise]

Bugsy! Oh, Bugsy.

You broke your promise.

You're just like
my nephew.

Please don't hurt me.

I waited for you

all day.

You didn't come.

I'm sorry!

How could you
do this to me?

I wasn't trying
to be mean.

I just wanted
to make a new friend.

And did you make
a new friend, Stacy?

I didn't mean
to break my promise.

I came over after,
but it was too late.

You were already gone.

It's very important
to make friends, Stacy.

You shouldn't have
to be alone.

I won't bother you
anymore.

Madeline,
are you really dead?

I'm afraid so.

Aren't you supposed
to move on, or something?

I'm much too old
and set in my ways

to move anywhere.

This is my home. This is
where I'm going to stay.

Is that why
you scare off anyone

who comes to look
at the apartment?

Strangers traipsing
through my home.

How dare they?

Sooner or later,
they're gonna rent it.

You'll have to leave.

I've got
nowhere to go.

Nobody wants me.

I'm not welcome
anywhere.

I don't want to leave.

[Sniffling]

Maybe you won't have to.

Hello.

Ah. How you like
new apartment?

It's great.
We have so much room.

I still don't understand
why it's cheaper than .

Heh heh heh.
You get a discount.

Living with ghost.

You watch too much TV.

There's no such thing
as ghosts.

Heh heh heh.

Welcome home, Stacy.

When Stacy and her mom
moved into apartment ,

she made up
for her broken promise...

Because Madeline wasn't going
to be alone anymore.

The end.

Good story.

Where's the pouch?

The what?

The pouch, with--

it was right here
before we started.

You're getting
on my nerves.

I declare this meeting

of the Midnight
Society closed.

Next week, Betty Ann's
friend is up for initiation.

Don't miss it.

Hey! Where'd
the bucket go?

Tucker,
where's the bucket?