03x05 - The Geezenstacks

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

NARRATOR:
Man lives in the sunlit world

of what he believes
to be reality.

But... there is,

unseen by most, an underworld.

A place that is just as real

but not as brightly lit.

A dark side.

[playing discordantly]

WOMAN:
Audrey, darling,
it's time for bed.

I'm not sleepy yet.

[resumes discordant playing]

You must be sleepy.

It's 10:00.

AUDREY: I'm not.
Your Uncle Richard

is coming over
tomorrow night.

If you go to bed now, you may
stay up late when he's here.

I'll be up
in a minute

to tuck you in.

But I'm not sleepy.

Night-night.
[clucks tongue]

MAN:
I remember being Audrey's age
as if it were yesterday.

Clear as a picture,

I remember your fourth
birthday party, Edith.

So, how old
must I have been?
Isn't that funny

how those things start
coming back to you?

Um... if I was...
Yeah.

Uncle Richard.
Hmm?

If I was four, then you would
have been exactly Audrey's age--

seven and a half.
Right.

But what's under the sheet?

Can I look under it?

"May I look under it?"

RICHARD:
Go ahead.

It's for you.

DAD:
Holy moly!

EDITH:
What have you done?

Where did you get this?

Well, it was strange.

Yesterday afternoon,

I was showing a house
for sale to a buyer

over on Rochester Place.
Yeah, you know the one,

Edith, past the
Mariner Building.

EDITH:
Yes.

Um, and the house was empty--

absolutely cleaned out

except for this
dollhouse.

DAD:
Well, that doesn't
make any sense.

Why would somebody
leave this behind?

Apparently, the people left
in a hurry.

Just...
up and disappeared.

This was all
they left.

So, rather than
throw it away,

I thought I'd bring it over
and give it to Audrey.

They're the Geezenstacks.

They want to play with us.

[chuckling]:
Oh. Really?

AUDREY:
The Geezenstacks.

That's their names.

They're our new family.
[chuckles]

Here's Mr. Geezenstack.

Here's Mrs. Geezenstack.

Here's little
Audrey Geezenstack.

And here's Uncle Richard.

[chuckling]

Just like us, eh?

Now, I hope you're all
going to be very good,

so I never have
to punish you.

I don't understand it.

Where's your mother?

It's not like her
to be late.

Ooh, nice.

Did Mrs. Geezenstack

buy it for
something special?

Does the coat
have a velvet collar?

Does it have shiny buttons?

Ooh, nice.

Isn't it divine?

I know, I know.
Don't tell me.

It's true.
I have a closetful of coats,

but look at this, Sam.

I saw it in the window
of Simon's on my way home.

Audrey... look at my new coat.

It's nice, Mommy.

I like it.

I just couldn't resist.

I ran into Simon's,

and I bought it.

A wild impulse.

It's amazing
what a new coat can do.

I feel like a new woman.

Isn't it divine?

[chuckling]

MALE NEWSCASTER [over TV]:
It seems that, uh, he and an...

[broken up by static]:
...woman, maybe 20...
was seen...

...left that bar
earlier in the day.

They were seen
by a witness leav...

The bodies were found
by a... a maid.

Wait a minute.

Audrey, uh,

right before your mother
came home, didn't you say

that Mrs. Geezenstack had
just bought a new coat?

I don't know.

[chuckles]
That'd be a funny coincidence.

[static droning over TV]

[sighs]
Edith!

This TV is driving me crazy.

...and a prost*tute.

Did... did your mother
mention that...

that she was going
to buy a new coat?

Is that it?

Dinner will be ready
in a minute.

So, uh... tell me about
this new coat you got here.

Oh, Sam.

Now, don't be angry.[font color="#0000ff"] [/font]

I-I just saw the
coat in the window,

and it was so
pretty, and...

I don't know--
something came over me.

[TV playing indistinctly]

You shouldn't take it
so seriously.

AUDREY:
Poor Mr. Geezenstack.

Is he very, very sick?

All right, fine.
Should I take
his temperature?

Should I call the hospital
or cook him some chicken soup?

That woman

has always got something
bad to say about someone.

Edith, we got to get a new TV.
I mean it.

AUDREY:
Well, he has
to stay in bed.

Sick people
have to stay in bed.
I will.

He has to.
I mean it.
Not a word.

That's an order.

But you can't believe
everything you hear.

No work for you tomorrow,
Mr. Geezenstack.

No. I'm sorry,
but that's final.

I understand.
You have a bad,

bad cold,
and you have to stay put

and drink medicine
and eat chicken soup.

[coughing]

Oh, honey, no.

If I don't go see
that client today,

they're going
to fire me.

Don't be silly, Sam.
No.

Come on, put this
under your tongue.

Three minutes,
no talking.

All right.

[coughing]

Bye, Daddy.

Honey, wait just
a second here.

I want... I want to... I
want to have a... a talk.

I want to talk to you
about... [coughs]

I'm sorry.

I want to talk to you
about the Greezensacks.

Geezenstacks, Daddy!

Now, how do you know that
Mr. Geezenstack is sick?

How do you find
these things out?

Who tells you?

Is he... is he sick today?

He had a sore throat
and a bad cough

and a stomachache
and a bad head,

but he's better today.

Well, now...
[chuckles]

Mr. Geezenstack is a doll,

and-and dolls don't
really get sick.

Little girls and
little boys just pretend.

Isn't that right, Audrey?

I don't know.

Well, uh, we do know

that Mr. Geezenstack
is feeling better.

He went back to work
this morning.

Oh, good. Hey!

That's good news.

[chuckling]

Bye, Daddy.

Bye-bye, hon.
[coughs]

I'll see you tonight.
[coughs]

Sam, please.

Stay in bed.
[groans]

Honey, I... Edith!
Please.

I'll be back at noon
with some soup.

In bed, Sam.
I...

That's an order.

AUDREY:
Now, I hope you're going
to be good.

No more monkey business,
or someone is going to get hurt.

I don't want
to hurt you,

but I will
if I have to.

If I have to, I'll spank you.

Hard.

You know, I think
there's something odd

about Audrey's dolls.

[chuckles]

It's in their faces.

You know, their...
their eyes are...

You know, what's with
these conversations

with Audrey
all the time?

Well, you know
how kids are.

Yeah, but, I mean,
haven't you noticed...

something a little odd
about them?

I mean, a little...
a little weird.

Mmm, not really.

Mrs. Geezenstack
buys a coat,

and the same day,
you buy a coat.

And then,
Mr. Geezenstack gets sick

and misses
a day of work.

And the next day,
I get sick.

I miss a day of work.

Oh, come on, Sam.

In my entire life,
I've never met anyone

with as active an imagination
as yours.

Except, perhaps,
Audrey.

Well, did I imagine
that I was sick?

Did I imagine
you bought a new coat?

Oh, Sam, darling.

It's winter, it's cold,
and I like to shop.

It's winter,
and it's cold,

and half the population
of this town is sick with flu.

There's nothing more
to it than that.

Well, you're probably right.

Of course, I'm right.

Audrey, come finish
your breakfast.

Now, or we'll be
late for school.

[playing discordantly]

He could have called me.

After a decade of marriage,
you'd think

he might have learned
to pick up the telephone

and tell me he'll be late.

I don't even like pork roast.

I made it because he likes it,

and I felt he needed
cheering up.

[car pulling up]

Never, never again.

[door opening]

Sorry I'm late.

[door closing, Sam sighs]

[sighs]
I had a horrible day.

[sighs]
I feel lousy.

You should have
called me, Sam.

You know I'm right.

All you had to do
was pick up the telephone,

and then dinner
would not be burned.

Oh, I apologize, okay?

Apologize to the burned roast.

Roast?

Did you make a roast?

Did you make a pork roast?

Yes.

Mommy, Daddy,
guess what?

Guess what?

Something bad happened
to the Geezenstacks!

Oh, really?
That's a shame.

Do you wanna know what happened?

Sure.
Not now, Audrey.

Why not?
Mr. Geezenstack

hit Mrs. Geezenstack!

He hit her in the head-- hard!

Audrey told me
Mrs. Geezenstack...

Audrey, stop it.

You know I don't
like this...

I have just about had
enough of those dolls!

I'm sick and tired
of hearing about them!

Just because you are
over one hour late

is no reason to raise
your voice at Audrey.

This is your fault, Sam,

not Audrey's.

This has nothing to do
with Audrey or her dolls.

It's entirely
your own doing.

Did Mrs. Geezenstack

get a cold compress?

I hate doctors
and hospitals do smell.

Edith tells me everything's
going well at the office.

Oh, yeah.

Fine.
And you're feeling better.

Feeling better?

Why, what did she say
was wrong with me?

The flu, I think
she said it was.

Richard, those dolls...

What dolls?

The dolls, the dolls
that you gave Audrey.

There's something wrong
with those dolls.

There's something evil.

Where did they come from?

I don't understand.

I know that...

what you told me
about the empty house

and the sudden good-bye
and everything.

I know what you said,
but... what really happened?

Truthfully?

It happened just the way
I described.

But why, why the sudden urgency?

Dinner's ready.

Don't you start with me.

Sam?
Daddy?

[sighing]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sam just hasn't been
feeling very well lately.

There've been stresses at
the office and, and that flu.

I don't want to pry,
but I felt last night

as if Sam wasn't quite himself.

As if he were a little
stressed physically

and... mentally.

You know, I think
maybe Sam...

has gotten some strange ideas
about those dolls I gave Audrey.

He seems to have gotten
a little... fixated.

Well, I don't know
what you mean.

I'm so confused.

I've wanted to pretend
it wasn't happening,

but it is happening.

Sam's gotten all wound up
about those dolls.

What should we do?

I don't like it when
people get in bad moods.

It makes me mad.

It makes me very, very mad
when people misbehave.

So, Sam, darling,
how was your day?

Is everything all right
at the office?

Um, Richard, did Sam tell you
about the new man at the office?

Tell Richard
about Mr. Clemens.

But you can't go away.

I don't care
what she said.

And never, ever
for that long.

Out the window?

Does he break all his bones?

Does he smash to death?

Should we have
a funeral?

Poor Mr. Geezenstack.
No!

Wait, no!

Sam!
Sam?

No, Audrey, listen to me.

Audrey, now, don't do it.

I want you to promise that you
will never let any of your dolls

jump out of a window.

Promise me

that you will
never, never pretend

that one of your dolls
hurts himself or dies.

No funeral, Audrey.

There is not going
to be any funeral

because none of your dolls
is going to die.

RICHARD:
Don't worry, everything's
going to be all right.

He didn't mean it.

Your Daddy's fine.

It's just that sometimes,

sometimes people get
confused about dolls.

About dolls
and real people.

That's dumb.

Dumb or not, I'm
afraid you're going

to have to say good-bye
to the Geezenstacks,

because tomorrow, I'm
giving the dolls and
the dollhouse away.

You don't have to do that.

Even if they are
my best friends,

they're about to take a trip--

a long, long trip.

[snoring]

[sighs]

[groaning]

[birds chirping outside]

Sam?

RICHARD [loud, booming voice]:
Edith?

[normal voice]:
Audrey?

[footsteps thudding loudly]

RICHARD'S VOICE:
The house was empty--

absolutely cleared out
except for this dollhouse.

Apparently, the people
left in a hurry.

Just... up and disappeared.

EDITH:
I'm afraid you're going

to have to say good-bye
to the Geezenstacks.

AUDREY:
They're about to take a trip--
a long, long trip.

RICHARD [booming voice]:
Sam? Edith?

Edith, wake up!

SAM:
Edith!

Edith, wake up!

Edith!

SAM:
Edith!

RICHARD:
Sam!

Edith!

Audrey!

Audrey!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR:
The dark side is always there.

Waiting for us to enter.

Waiting to enter us.

Until next time, try
to enjoy the daylight.