Episode 6: Slideshow
Jean
Paul stands and speaks to Jacques. "Why must I suffer your torment from hell?
Can't I buy my Erica life in the future without restoring your evil from the
past? Am I cursed with you?" Jean Paul turns and walks quickly to the
crypt. Raxl comes down the
staircase from the bedrooms carrying a candle. She walks up to Jacques portrait.
"Jacques Eloi Des Mondes let my master free. Do not bring death to this house
that you have poisoned with your unseen presence." Thunder and lightning crash outside.
Jean Paul enters the Great Hall. "Raxl, what's wrong? You seem so
distraught." "Don't you know? After
what has happened." "It's just a
power failure with the generator. Everything should be back in order now." Jean
Paul tells her. "Is it? When a man
has died." Raxl replies. "What?
Who?" "Come." Raxl tells him as she
leads him to the crypt. "Wait! To
Erica?" Jean Paul asks. "To the man
who treated her." "Dr. Menkin?"
Jean Paul then follows Raxl down to the crypt. On entering Jean Paul lays his
hand on Erica's capsule. Raxl walks to Erica's old coffin. "Msieu Desmond." Raxl calls to him. Jean
Paul walks over to Raxl. Raxl lifts the lid on the coffin. "Oh my God. It is the doctor." Jean Paul
says. "Did you doubt me?" "Look, those bruises. He has had an
accident,” says Jean Paul.
"Perhaps." Raxl tells him.
"Wait. Wait I remember now. We were talking. He wanted to leave the
Island." "I told you that." Raxl
tells him. "Yes, yes we were on the
dock." "And he was drunk."
Raxl replies. : Dr. Menkin never
drank." "Yes I know. But you
told me yourself that he had been drunk." Raxl tells Jean Paul. Walking towards
Jacques tomb Raxl says. "Jacques Eloi Des Mondes. We buried him here, for all
eternity. Until you opened his casket and set him free. Why?" "All I found was a conjure doll and a
silver pin through it's head." replies Jean Paul. "Which you withdrew and released all the
horror of the past on us."
"This is legendary talk Raxl."
"Three hundred years ago Jacques Eloi Des Mondes ceased to care for his
wife and she was dead. After that her younger sister, then she was dead. There
is a sister of your wife under this roof. Is she younger than my Mistress?" "Yes." Jean Paul replies. "Then get her out of here before she is
dead. Please Msieu, it is all we can do. We must fight." Raxl tells him. "Against whom? A man of three hundred
years ago." "The devil is eternal!
We must destroy him. The doll and silver pin, where are they?" Jean Paul puts his hand to his head and
walks around. "I don't know!" Jacques portrait goes blank. Jean Paul lowers his
hand, he is wearing Jacques ring.
"Please Msieu, where is the conjure doll?" "Oh Raxl, you are to old to play with
dolls. Now be quiet and mind your place." Jacques (in Jean Paul’s body) tells
her. Raxl quickly leaves the
room. Jacques goes over to Erica's
capsule; he reaches out and touches it with both hands. "Erica, beloved wife of
Jean Paul Desmond. You are cold comfort to him while you lie here. But while you
stay here you are welcome warmth to me. Sleep well and long, so I may roam
free,” he says with a smile. Walking to the plaque with his name on it he dusts
it with Jean Paul's handkerchief.
Back in the Great Hall Jacques leaves Jean Paul's body and returns to the
portrait. Jean Paul turns away and shakes his head. Walking to the couch he lies
down and closes his eyes. Alison
walks down the stairs to the Great Hall. She stands across from Jacques portrait
staring at it. Jean Paul stirs and
as he stands he notices Alison. "Alison, I didn't know you were here. Is there
anything wrong?" "I couldn't sleep,
that's all." "Could I get you
something? A sleeping pill perhaps." Jean Paul asks. "No thank you." "A drink? A brandy will help you
rest." "I'll have a little
brandy." "For medicinal purposes.
Jean Paul replies. Alison lays her
head against Jean Paul's chest. "I can't believe it. She is dead Jean
Paul." "Yes, she is dead. But not
forever." Alison pulls away from
him getting angry. "I can't bear to think of her in that artificial long life.
She should be allowed to die with dignity" As she steps away from him she turns
her back to him. "Properly interred and her soul sent to God." As Jean Paul turns away from Alison he
lifts his brandy glass and smiles. On his hand is Jacques ring. After finishing
his brandy he turns back to Alison. "Let's forget about Erica for the moment and
our private little quarrel about the manner of her burial. More brandy?" he asks
with a smile. "That portrait."
Alison says. Jean
Paul turns toward the portrait. "Oh, Jacques Eloi Des Mondes." "If he were alive today
he could be your twin." Alison says.
"If he were alive he could even be me." "No, not after what Raxl told me."
Alison tells him. "The family
gossip." Jacques says with a laugh. "Now what did she tell you about Jacques?"
he says with a smile. "She told me
he is the devil, the embodiment of evil. He wants this whole house and the
Island. And even worse than that..."
"Even worse than that? How bad could it be?" Jacques asks. "She told me you freed him from a
centuries old curse. And he possesses your soul." Alison tells him. With a shake of his head Jacques
collects the brandy glasses. "A man three hundred years dead. Slightly
ridiculous, don't you think? A woman like you, a doctor. Oh come now. Surely you
don't believe in that kind of nonsense." Jacques refills their brandy glasses.
"I will tell you, Jacques was a very active man, he was renown of Royalty, and
he was a scholar, an engineer, an explorer and a free looter. He was the
beginning of the family's true wealth. Legend has it that in the caves beneath
the Island of Maljardin, he buried a king’s ransom. And it still lies hidden. To
tell you the truth, I am a secret admirer of his." Jacques says as he drinks his
drink. Alison turns away from him.
"You admire a man who killed his wife? And threatens death to all of us
here?" Jacques smiles at Alison as
he swirls his brandy. He then reaches for Alison's glass. "Come and sit. You
have had a most difficult day." They sit on the couch. "Now let me tell you
something. If this Jacques were alive today, this very moment. He would behave
in much the same way as I am." "You
do identify with him. He frightens me." Alison tells him. "Look at our history. He had a wife who
he adored that died as I did. He brought her to this Chateau as I brought Erica.
He lost a princess, a woman he loved."
"As you lost Erica." "Well
you could say the connection has a ring of witchcraft about it. But only in
theory of course." Jacques tells her.
"That's a comfort," Alison tells him. "But I will add one more thing. Jacques
' wife had a sister. Jacques (in Jean Paul's body) stands up. "And her name was
Raua." ""That's a pretty name."
Alison tells him. "A name of a
Goddess and her hair was like ripened wheat. Her skin was as white as goat's
milk. And soft to the touch as water on the morning lake." Jacques walks behind
the couch and kneels behind Alison.
"Sounds lovely." Alison says in a hypnotic daze. "So real. You describe
her as if you knew her." "History
to me is real, and so romantic in spite of the tragedy,” says Jacques. "How did his wife die?" Alison asks, her
voice is growing faint like she is very tired. 'Huaco was her name. They climbed to the
headlands alone to watch the sunset. They didn't realize the force of the trade
winds were a danger to them. When they reached the cliff edge Jacques cry of
warning were drowned out by the wind that plucked her from the edge and threw
her to the sea like a rag doll."
"How dreadful. He must have loved her very much. Just as you loved
Erica." "Yes." Jacques stands
and walks around to the front of the couch. "He chose to join his wife in death.
But I choose to wait, until my Erica joins me in life." Jacques sits next to
Alison with his arm resting near her shoulder. "Let's not continue that argument this
evening." Alison tells him. "You
are right, what ever I think of Jacques Eloi Des Mondes. I think of him as
living. Not as a man who has died before."
Alison is coming more and more under Jacques control. She can hardly keep
her eyes open. Jacques looks up at
his blank portrait. Suddenly he is back in his own time. Raxl is serving wine.
Jacques gives a toast to his guests. "To the intrigue of the future." Jacques
turns and talks to his sister-in-law. (Who looks like Dr. Alison Carr) One of
the guests gives a toast to Jacques wife. Jacques toasts his wife's sister. The
discussion moves on to Huaco and Jacques new baby son. Jacques asks his wife if
she must leave the table to tend to their son. When she tells him yes, one of
Jacques friends a crewmate from the ship sees his wife off to her room. Raxl is left with Jacques and his
sister in-law. Jacques sends her from the room. After checking if Raxl has left,
he takes Raua in his arms where they kiss. They confess their love for each
other. Raua tells Jacques it's wrong, he is her sister's husband. Jacques tells
her finding love cannot be wrong. Take happiness where you find
it.
Alison is sleeping on the couch. She starts tossing and getting
restless. "No, no." she cries out.
Jacques goes to her. "Alison, Alison." he calls her name. She jumps when she sees him. "It's alright, you were asleep.
Unpleasant dream?" "A rather
disturbing one. I had a dream about your ancestor." "Jacques Eloi Des Mondes? Was he as
gallant as I described him to you?" he says with a smile. "In a very strange way." Raxl comes quietly into the room. "Yes
Raxl?" Jacques says his smile disappearing. "Is there anything else tonight Msieu?
If not I will retire." "I think I
will also." Alison says. Jacques
takes her hand and helps her up. "Be so good as to show Dr. Carr to her room
Raxl." Looking at Alison he tells her. "I wish you continued pleasant dreams
Alison. And remember, take happiness where you find it." "With the death of Erica so fresh in my
mind and in your mind to, happiness seems so far away for both of us." Alison
replies. "Goodnight." Alison follows Raxl up the stairs. Jacques grins and claps his hands before
he lies on the couch. "In her dreams and in her reality it appears that the
lovely Alison is falling in the clutches of the devil. That's little old me,” he
says with a smile as he reaches for his wine glass. "How could I be expected to
resist such a lovely woman? She's so delectable, so desirable. After all her
brother in-law and I are closer. We are brothers in the same skin." "Msieu! " Raxl is standing on the
landing of the staircase. Jacques
stands and takes a few steps toward her. "Eavesdropping Raxl. I don't like
that." "I only heard your
muttering, but I beg of you. Don't let it be three hundred years ago all over
again." Raxl tells him. "I haven't
the powers of God." Raxl is upset
and walks away. "Only those of the
devil. " he says with a grin. He walks out of the room with his
brandy.
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Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
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