268 - July 5, 1967

[bunniefuu]

(narrating) - My name is Victoria Winters.

Near the ancient walls of Collinwood,

there are cliffs that project upward for hundreds of feet

from the turbulent sea below.

Some say the cliffs are haunted

where three women have died here.

And yet, according to the legends,

their spirits remain, lingering to beckon

another to her death.

One desperate woman has become obsessed by this legend,

for she is beginning to believe

that she is destined to fulfill it,

destined to die on the rocks below the cliffs,

summoned there by voices beyond the grave.

**

- What am I doing?

(female voice echoing) - Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

(multiple voices echoing) Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Elizabeth!

(voices continue beckoning)

**

**

(knocking)

- Mrs. Stoddard?

Mrs. Stoddard?

- Oh, Vicki, yes, what is it?

- Is anything wrong? - No, do you want something?

- Well, I wanted to ask you if I could take David

to Bangor for the day.

- Bangor?

- Yes, he needs some clothes,

and, well, I thought we'd sort of make a-- a day of it,

an outing, if it's all right with you.

- Does it have to be today?

Couldn't it be some other day?

- Well, I suppose so.

But, well, I just thought it's such a lovely day.

- Well, what about tomorrow?

- Tomorrow? But, that's--

- Oh, of course. My wedding day.

- Surely, you hadn't forgotten?

- No, but I'd prefer you postpone your trip

to sometime later in the week. - Of course.

- I-- I haven't seen much of David lately,

and I-- I thought we'd spend some time together.

- (knocking) Good morning, Liz.

- Good morning, Roger. - Vicki.

Could I have a word with you, Liz?

- Why, yes, of course.

Vicki, why don't you take the day off?

I'll look after David.

- Oh, but aren't you gonna be awfully busy

getting ready for the wedding?

- I'll have plenty of time to get ready.

And I'd like to be with David. - As you wish.

He's having his breakfast right now.

- Will you send him up after he's finished?

And have you seen Carolyn?

- Well, she went out very early this morning,

but she wouldn't say where she was going.

- Oh, well, when you see her, will you tell her

I'd like to speak to her?

- I will.

- What is it, Roger?

- Liz, what is this about your will?

- My will?

- Garner called and said that he's checking it over.

What does that mean?

- Well, I... asked him to look it over,

and he's done it. That's all it means.

- Why did you do that? - Because I wanted to make sure

it was in order before I got married.

I don't see anything strange in that.

- You're not thinking of having it changed

in favor of your husband-to-be?

- Well, of course not, I wouldn't think of changing it.

David and Carolyn are my legal heirs and they always will be.

- Well then, why bother to check it?

- Well, I-- I simply thought I should.

- Oh, for one dreadful moment,

I thought that Mr. Jason McGuire had persuaded you

to make him heir to the Collinsport enterprises.

- He could never do that.

- I wasn't sure.

We all know that his powers of persuasion

are rather considerable.

I still can't believe that you're marrying him willingly.

- Roger, please.

I don't want to go into that argument again.

- Liz?

If you want to back out, and I think you do,

it's not too late.

- Roger, I don't want to back out.

I'm not going to back out,

and that's the last I want to hear on the subject.

- (sighs) All right, then.

I will try to wish you happiness.

But, I can't really believe you'll have it.

- Try to understand, I'm doing what I think is best.

- I'll try to understand, Liz.

That doesn't mean that I will.

- Is that all you wanted to say?

- I suppose there's nothing more to say.

- No, nothing.

- What is this doing up here?

- Uh, I was just looking at it.

- That's the family Bible, isn't it?

- Yes. - I haven't seen that for years.

Where on earth did you find it?

What do you possibly want to do with it?

- Well, I-- I was going to sign it.

- Sign it?

- Well, I wanted to record the date of my marriage.

- Well, that isn't necessary.

Have you forgotten the family custom?

Nothing was ever recorded in the Bible until after the fact.

- Yes, that-- that's right.

- So, you see, it's really not necessary for you

to add your new name in the family tomes now.

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard McGuire.

I can hardly believe that you're going to be Mrs. Jason McGuire

for the rest of your life.

- Believe it, and try to accept it.

- I'll try.

- If you said everything you had to say,

I-- I'd like to get dressed-- finished dressing.

- Apparently, I've said everything that can be said.

I'll see you later.

**

- Later.

**

**

(knocking)

- Come in.

- Aunt Elizabeth? - Good morning, darling.

- Why can't I go to Bangor with Miss Winters?

- Because I thought we could spend the day together.

You can go to Bangor another time.

- But, we were gonna go to the movies.

Miss Winters said we could.

- Well, you can go to the movies another day.

- I wanted to go today. I had it all planned.

- Don't you want to spend the day with me?

- Well, I guess so, but...

- But, what? - I guess so.

- Well, you can go to Bangor if it means so much to you.

I'll tell Miss Winters.

- No, don't. It's okay.

- You don't mind staying here with me?

- No. - Are you sure?

- Yes, I'm sure.

- I don't like to disappoint you,

but I'd like to spend some time with you.

- Why today?

- Because I'll be busy after tomorrow.

- You mean, after you get married?

- Yes, and it's so long since we've spent any time together.

- Well, what do you wanna do? - Anything you say.

- You wanna take a walk on the beach?

- If you like.

- Okay, I'll show you a place that I found.

It's a sort of cove in the rocks.

I've never shown it to anyone else.

But, I'll show it to you. - I'd like that.

- But, you've got to promise to keep it a secret,

'cause I don't want anybody to know about it.

- It's a promise.

- I like sharing secrets with you,

because I know you won't tell.

- I'm glad you feel that way, and I hope you always do.

You mean a great deal to me, darling.

- I do?

- Yes, almost more than anybody.

And I want you to remember it. - Remember it?

- When you're growing up, I want you to remember

that you've always been very important to me

and always will be.

Don't you forget it.

- You talk as though you're going someplace.

You're not, are you?

- No, of course not.

- Why are you talking like that?

- No special reason.

Your-- your hair needs combing.

- I hate to comb my hair.

- Oh, you'll grow out of that.

- Will I?

- When you're grown up.

- Aunt Elizabeth, you seem sad. You look sad.

- I'm not, not really.

- But, you do look sad.

For a minute, I thought you were gonna cry.

- Oh, that's your imagination.

- You sure? - Of course.

Now, if we're gonna go for that walk, we'd better get started.

Why don't you go and get your coat

and I'll meet you downstairs? - Okay.

**

(door opening and closing)

- Carolyn?

- What are you doing up? - Waiting for you.

- Running a bed check? - No.

- I suppose you want to know where I've been.

All right, Mother, I'll tell you.

I was out, with Buzz.

And what's more, I had a ball.

- Don't be so defiant, Carolyn.

Not tonight. - Who's defiant?

When I find you waiting up for me,

I assume you want to know where I've been.

- Well, that isn't why I waited up.

- No? Then, why did you?

- Because I wanted to have a talk.

- A talk? About what?

- About us. - Us?

- Well, there was a time when we were very close.

I wish we could be that way again tonight.

- Why tonight in particular, Mother?

Because tomorrow morning, you become Mrs. Jason McGuire?

- I'd rather not talk about the wedding right now.

- Well, it must be in your thoughts.

- You're in my thoughts.

- Why me?

- Because I realize that what's happening to you

is my responsibility.

- Mother, nothing is happening to me.

I'm simply living my life, the way you're living yours.

- You're my life. - Am I?

- You always have been, from the moment you were born.

- Well, now, you have a life of your own,

and someone to share it with.

And so do I.

- No one will ever mean as much to me as you do.

- Even your prospective bridegroom?

- Oh, let's leave Jason out of this.

I'm talking about us.

- Mother, do you want me to give my consent to your marriage?

All right, you have it.

- Darling...

I know you don't approve of this marriage.

- It's not up to me to approve or disapprove,

it's your business.

- I-- I know there are a lot of things I've done

that you must disapprove of, couldn't or wouldn't understand.

But, I've never stopped loving you for one minute.

And don't you forget it.

- All right, Mother.

- Do you believe me?

- I want to believe you. - Well, try.

Because everything I've told you is the truth.

- If only I could understand you better.

- Perhaps you'll never fully understand me,

but don't ever doubt my love for you.

That's all I ask.

- Mother, how can you throw yourself away

on a man like Jason McGuire?

How can you do it?

- I thought we weren't going to talk about Jason.

- Jason is the cause of all the trouble between us!

The fights, the quarrels, the misunderstandings,

they've all been because of him!

And you tell me you love him and wanna marry him?

How can you feel that way about him, Mother?

How is it possible?

- I can't explain.

- Then, don't try.

Maybe you're right.

Maybe it is a mistake for us to try to talk about it.

- Where are you going?

- To bed. - No, not yet.

- Mother, I don't wanna argue with you.

- I don't want to argue either.

- Every talk we have seems to turn

into an argument these days.

- Well, there was a time when that didn't happen.

- Why do you keep talking about the past?

- Because I want you to remember things the way they were.

It's very important to me.

- Mother, we have to live in the present

and think about the future.

- Sometimes, the future takes care of itself.

- What does that mean?

- Nothing.

- You're behaving very strangely tonight.

- Am I?

Well, I-- I suppose it's because I'm tired.

- I think you'd better get up to bed.

You have a big day ahead of you in the morning.

- I guess you're right.

- Goodnight, Mother. - Goodnight, darling.

**

(music stops)

**

**

(door opening and closing)

- Vicki! I didn't know you were still out.

I thought you were upstairs asleep.

- Well, I didn't mean to stay up this late,

but Burke took me all the way to Clearwater for dinner.

- I just got in myself.

- We better not make too much noise,

I guess everybody must be asleep.

- Everyone except Mother.

She just went up to bed a few minutes ago.

- This late?

- She was still waiting up for me when I got home.

Vicki, I'm sort of worried about her.

- Why?

- She was behaving very strangely tonight.

- Strangely?

- I don't know how to describe it.

She was very... quiet.

Almost too quiet.

- Well, I-- I suppose that it's natural for a woman

to wanna be quiet and alone on the night before her wedding.

- She kept refusing to talk about the marriage,

or Jason, either.

Almost as if the wedding weren't a fact.

As if it were never going to take place.

- Well, she knows how you feel about it.

Naturally, she wouldn't wanna talk about it.

- She kept telling me how much she loves me.

- Well, that's true.

- She-- she kept insisting that I remember that.

All the time I was talking to her, I had the oddest feeling.

- What kind of a feeling?

- The feeling that... we were saying goodbye.

- Goodbye?

- I know it sounds odd, but that's the way I felt.

- It must be your imagination.

- Maybe.

- Carolyn, it has to be.

Your mother wants your acceptance of her marriage,

and that's all.

- I guess so.

I hardly think she's planning to run away.

But, the way she was behaving tonight threw me a little.

I will admit that.

- I'm sure that there's nothing to worry about.

- I guess not.

- Well, I guess we should be getting up to bed, it's late.

- You go ahead, I'll turn off the lights.

- I'll see you in the morning.

- Goodnight, Vicki.

**

(wind whistling)

(knocking)

- Mrs. Stoddard?

Mrs. Stoddard?

**

(wind whistling)

(waves crashing)

(echoing voices) - Elizabeth! Elizabeth!

(voices continue beckoning)

**