332 - October 3, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Julia Hoffman] - A beguiling and deceptive calm pervades the night air

that has settled over Collinwood.

And even the mild autumn chill holds no hint

of the dangers locked within the dark.

But evil, like a savage beast,

shows its full cruelty only when threatened.

And through this night and the day and night to come,

the threat will mount

and the evil will feel itself forced to exercise

the fullness of its power.

- Barnabas, I've prepared another treatment.

I'd like to give it to you now.

Did you hear me?

- I heard you.

- Well then, why aren't you getting ready?

- Getting ready for what, Dr. Hoffman?

- I told you, I prepared another treatment.

It's almost morning.

- Perhaps it is I who should be giving you treatment.

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- But of course, my treatments

differ somewhat from yours in their effect.

- What's the matter with you? I don't understand.

- At least I am assured of the loyalty of my patients.

- What are you saying?

- I require loyalty, Doctor, above all else.

- I've never been disloyal.

- Haven't you?

- You, you know I haven't. - I disagree.

- Aah! - And I am not sure that I should continue

to take any more chances!

- Barnabas, no!

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪

- You know how unprotected I am during the day,

and yet you failed to protect me.

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- Think, Doctor, think.

- Please, Barnabas, tell me exactly

what you're trying to say. - I have told you.

I demand complete loyalty.

- You've had it for me.

I put myself in terrible danger for you

time and time again.

- What if I were the one in danger?

Would you warn me? Would you tell me?

- When didn't I?

- Earlier this afternoon.

- But you weren't in any danger.

- That, at this moment, is not the point.

- Then what is the point?

- The point is that I am in danger.

Now, someone was here.

Someone was in this, in this room.

Someone came to the basement door.

- Is that what you-- all this is about?

- Then there was someone here.

- Yes, yes, David was here.

- That's better.

And he did come to the basement door?

- Yes, but he didn't get any farther.

[sighing] - Well, what do you mean?

- You weren't in any danger, Barnabas.

- I was in danger and you didn't tell me!

I had to learn it inadvertently, from my cousin, Roger.

- There was no need for you to know

because nothing happened.

- You were afraid if I did know,

that I might do something to David.

- No, you told me that you knew how to cope with him.

- I do.

As a matter of fact, I have.

- What did you do?

- Don't worry.

The boy is quite safe.

At least safer than he was.

- You didn't answer my question.

What did you do?

- I didn't touch the child.

- Good, you didn't have to.

You're safe, Barnabas.

Everyone believes that Willie kidnapped Maggie.

Willie is out of the way.

If you did anything to harm David, or, for that matter me,

everyone would realize that Willie wasn't the right man.

You're safe, Barnabas, but you won't accept the fact.

- Safe. Safe?

When nothing stands in the way of complete exposure

but a locked door,

and someone is already tugging at that lock,

and I don't know about it,

how can you say that I am safe?

- The only way you'll be completely safe

is if I conclude my experiments successfully.

Harm me and you'll never be safe, never.

- I'm frightened.

I have come such a great distance.

And even now my quest is far from over.

I must find my bride.

My dear Josette.

Nothing must stop me now.

Nothing.

- Nothing will stop you

except your own hysteria.

If, if they destroy you,

they destroy me, too.

Barnabas...

if you won't believe...

that I'll do anything to protect you,

then you must believe...

that I will do anything to protect myself.

Now, your treatment is ready.

♪♪

- Well, I didn't see David all day and then,

just a few minutes ago,

when Mrs. Johnson brought in the tea,

she told me that Dr. Woodard had been to see him last night.

Is he sick? - No, at least not physically.

- You mean he had another one of those nightmares?

- Apparently.

Rather, I hope it was a nightmare.

- Do you think something real have happened to him?

- No, not real.

- Well, I don't understand.

- And if it wasn't a nightmare

it could have been an actual hallucination.

- Hallucination? - Yes.

That is worse than a nightmare.

- But... what, what happened?

What does David think happened?

- He said a bat, a huge bat,

was hovering outside his window

and got into his room and began to attack him.

- A bat? - Yes.

We heard his screams and when we got upstairs, we...

found the poor little fellow cowering in the corner.

- Do you know, actually, it could have been a bat.

I have seen them outside on the grounds at night.

- No, it couldn't have been.

- Why are you so sure?

- Because David described the bat as an impossible size

and then said it just disappeared.

- I see. - [sighs]

Oh, I wish I knew what to do with him.

Nightmares, hallucinations...

and signs of paranoia.

- You mean his fear that Barnabas will k*ll him.

- It's more than a fear, I'm afraid,

it's a conviction.

- Well, would you like to know what I think?

- I know already.

You think the boy is very sick, don't you?

- No, not necessarily.

I think he's highly strung and very imaginative.

- Yes, to say the least.

- I think it might be a good idea to send him away,

to school, I mean.

- Strange that you mention that.

Barnabas himself suggested it last night.

- He did?

- Yes, I went down to the old house

to apologize for David's intrusion yesterday.

And I couldn't help but tell him about David's difficulties.

- You, you told him all about David's nightmare and,

and his fear that Barnabas is going to k*ll him?

- Well, the whole thing has me so worried,

I couldn't help but talk about it.

I know that you suggested that I shouldn't, but...

- Only because I thought it might upset Barnabas.

[Roger] - He didn't seem too upset.

He understands that David has a wild imagination.

He even felt sorry for him.

That's when he suggested sending him away to school.

[Julia] - What do you think of the idea?

- Well, I think it's a very good idea.

- Then David will be going away?

- I don't know.

His aunt Elizabeth is completely opposed.

- But if it's for David's good...

- I'm still hoping to convince her,

but my sister isn't the most tractable of opponents.

Yet she knows as well as I do

that the situation can't be allowed to continue.

If David continues to imagine these things about his cousin...

about the evil in the old house,

something very drastic will have to be done.

[David thinking] - They're going to send me away.

They don't believe me.

They... they're going to send me away!

No, I won't let them do it.

I'll prove to them that I'm right.

I'll prove to them

that there's something terrible in the basement.

[Sarah voiceover] - Stay away from the old house.

[flute playing "London Bridge"]

- Sarah?

[Sarah voiceover] - Danger.

- Sarah!

[Sarah] - Don't go near the basement... ever.

Danger.

Danger.

Danger...

- Sarah.

[flute continues playing "London Bridge"]

[David thinking] - But I've got to go.

You said this would protect me.

I don't know how.

It's only an old wooden soldier.

But I've got to get into the basement

even if I have to steal my aunt's keys.

I've got to prove that I haven't just been imagining things.

I've got to.

Sarah? Sarah?

Will this really protect me?

Sarah!

♪♪

[clock chiming]

- David, what were you doing in the study?

- Nothing.

- "Nothing" always means you're up to something.

What was it?

- I was looking for Aunt Elizabeth.

- Are you sure?

Didn't I see you put something in your pocket?

- Oh, huh.

Yes. This.

- What is it?

- It's a wooden soldier. It's a very, very old one.

- Where did you find it?

- Oh, I was kicking around in the leaves

and I found it lying in the dirt.

- Well, it certainly looks old.

- I think I'll go up to my room now.

- Uh, just a minute, you haven't answered my question.

What were you doing in the study?

- I told you, I was looking for Aunt Elizabeth.

I wanted to show this to her.

I thought maybe she'd recognize it.

- Are you sure?

- Nobody believes anything I say anymore.

- All right, David, I believe you.

- I don't know why I bother to explain anything.

- I said that I believe you. Don't get so excited.

- Well, it makes me mad.

- Look, why don't you show that soldier to Miss Hoffman.

You know how interested she is in anything from the past.

- Yes, I'll show it to her sometime.

- Why not now?

Mrs. Johnson said that she's in the drawing room.

- I'll do it some other time.

- Well, she might be able to know something about it

because of her research.

- I want to do it another time!

I'm tired now.

I thought I'd go up to my room and read

or study or something.

- All right, I'll be the last to object to that.

- I'll see you later.

- David?

Why don't you let me show Miss Hoffman the soldier?

- I want to keep it with me.

- Okay, you run along now.

[door opens, then closes]

Well, David seems to be much better.

He actually volunteered to do some studying.

- Well, that's encouraging.

- He seems to be quite pleased with himself.

He's found himself a treasure.

- A treasure?

- Yes, it's an antique, a very old toy soldier.

I think you might be interested in it.

- Oh, is it that unusual?

- Only because it's obviously so old.

- Oh, how old?

[Vicki] - I think that's something

you'd probably know better than I would.

But it's so nice to see David pleased

by something that's so simple.

Lately he's been so upset and troubled.

[Roger] - Yes, you could certainly say that.

[Julia] - Where did he find it?

[Vicki] - Outside, he said, he was just kicking around in the leaves

and there it was.

- What does it look like?

- Well, it's got a blue coat

with, uh, crossed bands on the chest,

and it's holding a r*fle.

And there's a knapsack on its back.

- Then it is old. - How do you know?

- I... I think I've seen something

that looks like that in an old family album.

- Do you mean that you might know who it belonged to?

- Well, well, I'm not sure, not exactly, but...

But there was a picture of a little girl,

and she was holding a doll

and a little boy was holding a little toy soldier

that sounds quite like that.

Of course, it may not be exactly the same soldier,

but if I could see it,

and if David could tell me exactly where he saw it, where he found it...

- Well, he's up in his room. Why don't you go up and ask him?

I know he'd be very interested.

- I will.

I'll be interested, too.

♪♪

[wind howling]

♪♪

- Oh, did David show you his toy soldier?

- No. - Why not?

- He wasn't in his room.

- But he just went up a little while ago.

He said he was gonna do some studying.

- Yes, but he must have changed his mind.

- Maybe he's in the kitchen pestering Mrs. Johnson.

- Or maybe...

- What?

- Maybe he went down to the old house.

- But he knows he's not supposed to go down there.

- That never stopped him before.

- Why does he have to disobey like that?

- Well, you said that he had a fascination for the old house.

- I don't know why he goes down there

when he's so frightened of his cousin.

Every time he goes there he just gets more frightened.

And besides, it's gonna be dark in a little while.

- I'll go find him.

- I'd better go with you. - No!

I mean, it's...

There's no point in both of us going.

I want to go down there anyway and see if I can find

the picture that I was talking about.

He may be around here somewhere in the kitchen

or around the house.

You don't need to come with me.

- Well, I, I don't want him to, to come home alone in the dark.

- Well, I'll bring him home.

- But you said you wanted to look for your picture.

- Well, I can do that some other time.

If he's there, I'll bring him back.

There's no point in both of us going traipsing over.

- Well, all right, but I, I hope he's not there.

- Yes, I hope he's not, too.

- Not that he's in any kind of a danger, but...

Well, it just makes him so upset,

and I think it makes Barnabas upset, too.

- Of course, there's...

[scoffs] ...no real danger.

♪♪

[keys jangling]

[wind howling]

[ominous music] ♪♪

[lid creaking]

[lock opening]

[ominous music] ♪♪

[lid slams]

[ominous music] ♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪

[Grayson Hall] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis production.