311 - September 4, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Victoria narrating] - There is a stillness in the darkness

that envelops Collinwood,

but fear st*lks the great house on this night.

For a small boy has disappeared

and, unknown to him or to those who would protect him,

his life is in great danger.

- Sarah?

Oh, Sarah.

Wait!

I bet I know where you're hiding!

[clank]

Sarah?

[Willie] - Well, why did you stop?

- Because I...

I had a sensation.

- What?

[Barnabas] - Never mind.

[Willie] - You thought she was nearby.

- Yes.

Sometimes I feel she's so close to me

I could almost reach out and touch her.

- Well, we'll soon know.

- Yes.

[clanking]

[door squeaking]

- Well, there's nothing here.

- No.

- Not a trace of her, not a trace of anything.

- So I see.

[Willie] - Well, you didn't think she'd really be here, did you?

[Barnabas] - I had hoped she'd be here.

Where is she?

Where?

- Well, she isn't here and there's no point in us staying.

Shall we go?

- I suppose so.

Willie, wait a minute.

- Why?

- Open the panel.

- The panel?

Well, you don't think she's in there, do you?

- I've got to be sure!

- Well, she wouldn't be in there, you know that.

- Be quiet, Willie! Don't argue with me.

Open the panel.

[creaking] - Okay.

[stone scraping]

♪♪

♪♪

- See? She's not in here.

- Close the panel.

[Willie] - Nothing's been disturbed.

- Yes.

- Never will be, nobody will ever find this place.

- You say that as if you wish somebody wouldfind it.

- No, I don't wish that. Now let's get out of here.

- You're frightened of this place, aren't you?

- It gives me the creeps.

- Why?

Because of the presence of death?

- Maybe. - You amuse me.

- Everybody's afraid to die.

- There are far worse fates.

- I wouldn't know about that.

- Willie, you're a coward. You always will be.

- You're scared too.

- Not of death.

- You're scared of her.

- Am I?

- You know you are, and you know you have to find her.

- I could never be afraid of her.

She would never bring harm to me.

- You keep saying that, but I'm not sure that you believe it.

- Quiet, Willie. You know nothing about her.

- I only know what you've told me.

- She was a gentle creature,

totally incapable of harming anyone.

Especially me, because she loved me more than anyone else.

She never wanted harm to come to a single living creature.

Once we had a dog, a pet dog.

He grew old and had to be put out of his misery.

She was inconsolable.

I had to comfort her.

Night after night, she would go to sleep in my arms

and I would dry her tears.

- Well, why is she here now?

- I don't know.

I wish I did.

- Well, what are we gonna do now?

- [heavy sigh] Go back to the house.

- Well, aren't we going to search any more?

- Not tonight.

Open the panel.

- Okay.

- Why do you hesitate?

- Listen.

- To what?

- It's gone now.

I thought I heard something.

- What?

- Well, I don't know.

- You continue to amuse me, Willie.

- Why do you say that?

- Because your knowledge of the contents of this room

obviously stimulates your imagination.

- Maybe.

- Open the panel.

[scraping]

[scraping]

[clatter]

[creaking]

♪♪

- Let me out!

Let me out!

[muffled pounding]

Let me out! Let me out!

♪♪

[clock chiming]

[approaching footsteps]

- Did you find anything?

- No. - Nothing at all?

- I was all over the east wing.

All I found was a lot of empty rooms.

- Then David isn't in the house.

He's out there somewhere... maybe lost.

- Now we don't know that.

He might come back at any minute.

- I feel so responsible for him, Joe.

Vicki left him in my care and this has to happen.

- Well, you couldn't help it if he sneaked out of the house.

- I knew he wanted to go out. - Look, if anybody's--

- I should have kept an eye on him every minute.

- If anybody is responsible, it's me.

- You? - Yes.

I shouldn't have gotten him so worked up

about finding Sarah.

- Oh, Joe, he wanted to go out and look for Sarah

long before you got here.

- Well, I certainly didn't help matters any.

- I wish Vicki would get home.

- Yeah, where is she?

- She's out with Burke.

- Oh...

- I suppose you've heard about their engagement?

- Oh, yes.

- I guess everybody in town has.

- How do you...

- Go on. - Oh, it's not important.

- You were going to ask me how I feel about it, weren't you?

- Yeah, but it's none of my business.

- I don't mind telling you, Joe.

I made a fool of myself over Burke.

But that's in the past now.

And... everything I felt for Burke is in the past also.

I'm happy for Vicki.

- I'm glad to hear that. - I really am, Joe.

My only worry now is David.

- We'll find him.

- I keep imagining that he's lost.

Or that something terrible has happened to him.

♪♪

- Help! Help!

Oh, please, somebody, let me out of here!

Help me!

[Carolyn] - Vicki?

- Yes.

- Vicky, I'm so glad you're home.

- What's the matter?

- David has disappeared.

- Disappeared? - Yes, he's been gone for hours.

And we've looked everywhere for him.

- We think he sneaked out of the house

to try and hunt for his little friend, Sarah.

- How long has he been missing?

- Four hours, maybe five. - That long?

- Look, I'm not gonna hang around the house any longer

just hoping he'll show up.

I think I'm going to go search the woods.

- I'm going with you. - I'm going, too.

- No, listen Vicki, someone--

someone ought to stay here in case he comes home or phones.

- All right.

- Joe, do you think he is on the property?

- Well, I think it's likely.

He and Sarah used to play around here, didn't they?

- Yes.

- They probably are someplace nearby.

- We've got to find him, Vicki.

We've just got to.

[pounding]

- Help!

Help!

[sobbing] Nobody can hear me!

Nobody!

♪♪

[wind whistling]

[footsteps crunching]

- Do you see anything?

- No.

- I thought he might be here.

He comes here sometimes to play.

- Well, where else does he play?

- There's a cove under the rocks in the cliffs.

He-- He goes there to play sometimes.

- With Sarah?

- I-I don't know.

- Look, try to think of places where he's mentioned

that he's played with Sarah.

- Joe, it's hard to remember!

I-- I never used to pay any attention to him

when he talked about Sarah. - Try.

- I can't think of anywhere we haven't already looked.

- Okay...

We'll just have to keep on looking. - Joe...

- He's gotta be around here someplace.

- I-- I know I shouldn't say this, but...

I keep having the feeling

that something terrible has happened to David.

- Oh, now, stop imagining the worst.

- I can't help it, David, I've known...

for a long time that something was going to happen.

Something terrible.

- What do you mean?

- I've... been having nightmares for weeks now.

And in them,

I could sense some disaster that was about to strike.

I didn't know what it was,

only that it was going to happen.

But I thought it was going to happen to me...

not to David.

♪♪ [flute playing "London Bridge"]

- I thought I heard...

Sarah?

Is that you?

Sarah!

I know you're around here someplace!

Sarah! Why don't you come?

Sarah! Where are you?

Sarah! Sarah!

[wind whistling]

- Wait a minute.

- Why?

- I thought I saw something moving over there, a figure.

- Who is it? - I don't know.

- Who's there?!

- Willie!

- Take that light out of my eyes, I can't see.

- Carolyn and Joe.

- What are you doing prowling around the woods

in the middle of the night?

- Uh, collecting firewood.

- At this hour?

- Yeah... and you?

What are you doing here?

[Carolyn] - We're looking for David.

- David? - Yeah, he's disappeared.

- You haven't seen him around anywhere, have you?

- No, I haven't seen a thing.

- I was afraid of that.

- Hey, listen, we're--

we're pretty close to the old house, aren't we?

- Why?

- Well, I just had a thought.

Maybe we could find David there.

- At the old house? - Yes, he always used to play there, didn't he?

I mean, whenever he disappeared,

that's where we used to find him, didn't we?

- Yes! - No, he isn't at the old house.

I-I just came from there, I would have seen him.

- Well, now, look, it's a big house, there are lots of rooms.

He might be hiding in one of them.

- He isn't. - How do you know for sure?

- Well, he couldn't get into the house, it's locked up tight.

- Oh, David is famous for getting into places

where he's not supposed to be.

- Yeah, I think we'd better go take a look.

- You can't do that. - Why not?

- 'Cause Mr. Collins doesn't want anybody

prowling around the house.

- Well, I don't see any reason why Mr. Collins would object

if he knew that-- what we were looking for.

- If we tell him we're looking for David...

- Look, there's no point in going to the house

'cause he's not there, I would've seen him!

- Willie... - Now, good night!

- I wonder why he's always so strange

about letting people into that house?

- Yes.

That is a little peculiar.

- It's more than a littlepeculiar.

I'd say it was verypeculiar.

It's almost as if...

- As if what?

- It's almost as if he's hiding something.

♪♪

- There is a way out!

Barnabas said, "Open the panel, Willie."

But how did he do it?

How?!

How?

♪♪

[wind whipping]

- Vicki!

- Oh... hello Barnabas.

- I was out for a walk and I saw you sitting here.

- Did you?

- You look distressed. Is anything wrong?

- Yes.

David has disappeared!

- Disappeared?

- He sneaked out of the house hours ago

and no one's been able to find him.

- Well, is someone still searching for him?

- Carolyn and Joe are searching the woods.

- Well, I'm sure they'll find him.

You must try not to worry.

- I am trying, but...

I can't help but be worried!

It's so dark out there and it's so late.

- Well, is there anything I can do?

- Thank you, I-- I can't think of anything.

- Well, perhaps you and I should go and look for David.

- No, I-- I have to stay here in case the phone rings

or we get some word of him or something.

- Then I'll wait here with you.

- That's not necessary.

- Oh, I wouldn't think of leaving you

while you're so distressed.

- You're very kind.

- Not at all.

I selfishly enjoy your company

no matter what the circumstances.

- I keep thinking that if I look hard enough

out into the dark, I'll see him.

- You're very devoted to David, aren't you?

- Yes, very.

- I know how easy it is to become attached to children.

- Do you? - Yes.

A child can represent everything that is pure and innocent.

[wind whistling]

- David's become... very important in my life.

It's almost as though I had a little brother.

- I know.

- If anything happened to him, I don't know what I'd do!

- Oh, but nothing has happened, I'm sure of it.

- I try to believe that.

[sobbing] I'm just so frightened!

- I understand.

- I'm sorry, I--

I told myself I wouldn't cry.

- Oh, don't apologize.

Caring for someone never requires an apology.

- [sobbing] He's got to be all right!

He's got to!

- Come, put your head on my shoulder and cry all you want.

Nobody will hear you but me.

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis Production.