493 - May 15, 1968

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Night has settled over Collinwood,

and even the harsh shriek of the gulls beyond the cliffs

is silenced over the darkening sea.

But the seeming serenity of the night is almost a mockery

to those who are trapped in an unrelenting curse,

that respects neither day nor night,

and each attempt to escape that curse

seems to lead deeper and deeper into the tightening web.

Here, just as evil begets evil,

what is monstrous among men

begets something even more monstrous still.

If I did not know what horrors we commit,

even in our dreams,

I'd say all malice and evil leave us when we sleep.

How gentle he looks, at times like this.

I wouldn't stand too close to him.

He's apt to wake up any minute now.

BARNABAS: Brute force incarnate,

disguised now as one of Earth's most gentle creatures.

Stand away, he's waking up.

And we have no idea what he'll do.

♪♪

[ERRIE THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

WILLIE: Hey, you told me he was harmless.

BARNABAS: He is.

Well then why are both of you so afraid of him?

JULIA: We're not afraid, merely cautious.

He's quite harmless, if you treat him in a certain way.

A lesson Dr. Hoffman learned at some expense.

What do you mean?

Well, the first and most important thing

is not to show any fear.

But I am afraid, how can I hide it?

If you show fear, it communicates itself to him,

and he is also afraid.

What's he do?

Well, he reacts the way any creature would do,

who's afraid.

WILLIE: What, you mean he runs away?

Dear Willie, don't judge everyone by your own standards.

The natural reaction is to strike out.

You mean he might strike out at me?

Not if you do as you're told.

You still didn't tell me what it was you did that,

that made him strike out.

The second precaution

is to do nothing that would ever cause him pain.

He doesn't understand pain,

it frightens him more than it hurts him.

Did you hurt him?

BARNABAS: He's awake.

WILLIE: What do we do now?

We act naturally.

How, how are you feeling, Adam?

BARNABAS: We have brought you to a new home.

Adam, this, this is Willie.

He's gonna be your friend, just as we're your friends.

He will stay with you and take good care of you.

Very good care, won't you, Willie?

I thought you said he didn't understand words.

He doesn't, but he'll learn them the way any child does,

by listening to us speak.

Willie will teach you certain things.

You remember how Dr. Hoffman taught you how to eat?

Well, Willie will teach you how to speak.

Barnabas, please, I can't go through with it.

I'm scared, and then what's gonna happen?

You have no reason to be frightened.

I can't help it.

BARNABAS: No, no, Adam.

It's all right, he won't harm you.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Nothing at all.

Please, Barnabas, don't let me be alone here with him.

If you teach him something, anything,

it tends to calm him.

I don't know anything.

BARNABAS: Just by staying here

and talking to him will help him,

and he will respond, I'm sure.

You say you're sure, but you're not.

How can ya be?

Now Willie, listen to me, because,

because I was the first one who caused him any pain,

he was very hostile to me.

But now, now that I've taught him to eat,

he seems to have forgotten his anger.

But then why don't you and Barnabas stay here with him?

I mean, he seems to like you!

Just a minute ago when you spoke to him,

he was even calm!

BARNABAS: And he will respond to you in like manner,

if you do what you're supposed to.

JULIA: Come, come, Barnabas. We'd better get going.

Oh, please don't leave me here.

Keep in mind now, Willie,

that you're as responsible for Adam,

and you're also responsible for yourself.

What do you mean?

Your only safety is to talk to him.

Keep an eye on him.

Talk to him and be friendly,

and nothing will have given you any fear,

either from him or from me.

Now, come, Julia.

[ADAM GROANS]

Look, he doesn't want you to go, either!

I will come back and see you.

Goodbye.

Now, this is a custom that we use

when we wish each other well at parting.

- Now give me your hand. - [ADAM GRUNTS]

WILLIE: Don't, don't you scare him.

This is a gesture of friendship.

It means we are friends.

[ADAM GRUNTS]

Goodbye.

One of us will be back to check on both of you.

Goodbye, Adam.

Hey.

You don't mind if I sit down?

I didn't think you would.

Hey.

Do you mind if I smoke?

Huh?

I didn't think you would.

You know, I'm a pretty nice fella.

Once you get to know me.

Honest.

- [ADAM SCREAMS] - Hey, I didn't do that!

I didn't hurt you! You did that yourself!

[ADAM GROANS]

[ADAM CRIES]

♪♪

[GASPS]

Mrs. Johnson,

is there something I can do for you?

David's not in here, is he?

Oh, isn't he with Miss Winters?

Oh, I expect so.

Well then why don't you look for him there?

I don't want to find him.

I beg your pardon?

I'm so afraid when I go in a room that I may see him.

Mrs. Johnson, if you're not feeling well,

why don't you go to your room and lie down?

Yes, I'll go to my room and I'll stay there.

David never comes to my room, never.

Mrs. Johnson?

Yes?

Why are you afraid to see David?

- I'd rather not say. - You must tell me.

Can't you guess?

You, you've had the dream, haven't you?

He's so terrifying!

I didn't want to go in that room,

and I didn't want to open those doors,

- but I had to! - Please, please, I don't want to hear about it.

And then there were bats in the doorway!

- Bats? - Yes,

and they filled the air, and they were screeching so!

Please, stop.

I knew that I shouldn't go in that room.

I tried to resist him, but I couldn't!

And the one who beckoned you was...?

David.

You must, you must never tell him the dream.

Never.

I don't want to tell him!

I didn't want to follow him in the dream,

I didn't want to open those doors,

- but I had to! - I know, I know.

And I know as hard as I try, I must tell him!

- You mustn't. - Oh, but I must!

No, you mustn't, Mrs. Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson, we've got to, we've got to stop this dream

before it's too late.

You couldn't, you couldn't break the circle,

nor can I.

It's no use trying.

There's one thing that we can do,

that you can do.

It means not telling David, I don't...

If you don't see David, then you can't tell him.

Isn't that true?

Oh, but I'll see him sooner or later.

Not if you leave Collinwood.

- Leave Collinwood? - Yes.

Oh, but I... I couldn't leave.

I have no place to go.

Mrs. Johnson, this may be a matter of life

and death for David!

Oh please, don't.

I'm too frightened to go anywhere by myself,

I'm afraid to be alone!

And until I tell David that dream,

I feel it's within me!

That it's threatening me,

that I hear those bats screeching!

[DOOR HANDLE RATTLES] WILLIE: Dr. Hoffman?

Willie, what are you doing here?

Mrs. Johnson, good evening, I...

Oh, Mr. Loomis, I'm talking to Dr. Hoffman.

Mrs. Johnson, yes, but you must go to your room now.

Why don't you go there and lie down and rest,

and I'll come and talk to you later.

I can't rest.

You must try.

I'm sure whatever Willie has to tell me

will only take a minute.

I can't go anywhere, I can't!

Go to your room.

I'm sure everything will be all right,

and I'll come and see you soon.

I pray I don't see David on the way!

Willie, what are you doing here?

He ran away.

He, he escaped?

I couldn't help it, he knocked me out.

Wh... Where is he?

I don't know, I couldn't see, but I tell you, he's gone!

He's gone!

[RUSTLING IN TREES]

♪♪

Now stop sniveling and come with me.

Oh no, I'm not gonna go looking for him.

One look at me, he'd k*ll me, I know it.

Why did you have to give him that cigarette?

He grabbed it, what could I do?

Now get a hold of yourself.

I can't, I'm afraid.

I wanna look for someplace to hide.

No, you can't, you have to come with me.

Look, all that Adam would have to do would be just to see me.

It's not Adam we're looking for.

It's Barnabas we've got to find, before anything happens.

Miss Julia, please, I gotta go someplace.

Just where it's safe.

No, the only safety for any of us is to find Barnabas

and have him find Adam, now come with me!

♪♪

[WATER RUNNING]

[RUSTLING IN LEAVES]

[GIGGLES]

[SLURPS WATER]

[GRUNTS]

[WAILS]

MRS. JOHNSON: David, Is that you out there?

Who's out there?

Oh, what are you doing here?

Who, who are you?

What do you want?

You don't belong here!

Who are you, answer me!

Can't you speak? Answer me!

Don't come any closer!

Well, you don't belong here, whoever you are!

Don't you come any closer.

Help, help!

- [ADAM GROANS] - Somebody help me!

BARNABAS: What is it, Mrs. Johnson?

JULIA: Where are you? What's happening?

I'm out on the terrace, help!

What is it?

A man. A huge, huge man.

Well, who?

It was a man... No, no, he was a monster!

A monster!

♪♪

[WATER RUNNING]

Barnabas shouldn't have gone to see who that was.

He should've called the police first.

Oh, I'm sure it was only some stranger

who wandered into the grounds.

Oh no, it was something more than that.

What do you mean?

Why, the way he stared at me.

When I spoke to him,

it was as if he didn't understand me.

It was as if he were more an animal than a man.

Now, Mrs. Johnson, you've been terribly upset,

and your imagination's running away with you.

Oh no, you didn't see him.

I saw him first at the fountain.

It was probably a vagrant.

Oh, I'm so frightened! When will this fear end?

I told you, when you leave Collinwood.

No, I'll only take it with me.

I'm sure a rest is what you need,

more than anything else,

and once you get away from Collinwood,

you won't have the opportunity to tell David the dream.

Don't even mention the dream!

You've talked any number of times about

your sister in Boston.

You've mentioned that you would like to go and visit her.

I'm too frightened to do anything or go anywhere.

It's the only thing for you, for you and David.

[GASPS] What was that?

What?

Didn't you hear that?

What, was it something in the woods?

I don't know.

Oh, maybe it's the bats,

or that man-animal crashing in the woods.

Yes, I will leave Collinwood,

for my sake, as well as David's.

Listen to that.

Just pray it doesn't come any closer,

whoever, or whatever, it is.

You recognize me, don't you?

You know I'd never hurt you, don't you?

Come, I'm going to take you home.

Barnabas, we shouldn't be here, just the two of us.

We should get help.

You know that's not possible.

Now you can't stay out here in the woods.

You must come home with me.

- Come. - [ADAM GRUNTS]

No, this is nothing to be afraid of.

You know you can trust me.

- Come. - [ADAM GRUNTS]

Barnabas, watch out.

[ADAM PANTS]

Come.

[DOOR OPENS]

You, you got him safely back?

Yes.

And did he drink the medicine I left for him?

Yes.

And did he, did he fall asleep?

Yes, almost immediately.

And, and was the restraint applied?

Yes.

I'm sorry, Barnabas, it's the only thing we could do,

- in the circumstances. - I know.

I understand.

[ADAM GRUNTS]

[ADAM CRIES]

♪♪

[EERIE THEME MUSIC PLAYING]