Episode 43:
Slideshow
Thunder and lightening crash on the Island of Maljardin as Jean
Paul looks around the Great Hall. He is standing on the staircase. He watches as
Raxl and Quito enter the Great Hall. Quito is carrying the black rabbit. "Raxl,
Quito I'm looking for Vangie Abbott." he says as he walks down the
staircase. "She rests Master. The
Conjure Woman has not fully restored her strength." Raxl says. "She thinks otherwise. Vangie has told
me herself that she is much recovered." Jean Paul says to Raxl. "Master please, remember the last
séance." "I do remember. I almost
heard Erica speak. We were so close."
"Then the storm came breaking the chain of contact. The chandelier
falling smashing like the fist of the devil and almost killing us all. And now
this. This thing that mocks the form of a rabbit." "Oh Raxl." Jean Paul says angrily
turning away from her. "A black
rabbit. Where did it come from? No where, out of the air?" Raxl says spreading
her hands and arms outward. "It was found living and thriving on Maljardin where
for three centuries no living creature has grown naturally. Oh Master believe
me, this thing in the form of an animal is a manifestation of evil." Raxl says
walking up to Jean Paul. "In your
eyes Raxl." says Jean Paul. "Not
only in mine, look at Quito." They both turn and look back at Quito. "He has
eyes to Master, he knows. Oh Master believe me the black rabbit is an emissary
of death!" Raxl tells Jean Paul. Quito nods his head. Jean Paul walks over to Quito, then he
looks back at Raxl. "Raxl, superstition is taking away your reason. This a
harmless animal, no more." Jean Paul says petting the rabbit. "How did it get on Maljardin?" "Well the supply boat perhaps. Holly
Marshal had no trouble in hiding herself in getting over here. Surely a small
animal like this would be less likely to be noticed." "If you want to believe that, but I
believe that it is possessed by evil." says Raxl. "Raxl it seems that you are the one
possessed by fear." Jean Paul says walking away from Quito and Raxl. He stops
near the staircase. Raxl walks over
to him. "Master there are many forms of possession, even you can not know. It
seems the devil is possessing us all, quietly and each day just a little more."
Raxl says sadly as she walks away to the crypt. Quito follows her. Jean Paul
turns and watches them go.
Raxl walks over to Erica's capsule, Quito looks at the gauges. "Oh
little Mistress another evil spirit is among us and it can only mean one thing,
Jacques Eloi Des Mondes has found an ally . but the Master will not believe. He
will not accept guidance to combat the growing darkness of this unhappy house."
Raxl bows her head in tears.
In the Great Hall Jean Paul stands next to Jacques portrait with
his back to it. He steps away trying to decide about Raxl's words. He walks to
the table to pour a drink. "One
little black rabbit and so much confusion. A solid animal brought to life on
lifeless Maljardin." Jacques says to Jean Paul. "You want me to believe that animal is
supernatural. Why I wonder?" Jean Paul says turning towards Jacques
portrait. "Big beings have little
beings upon their backs to spite them, and little beings have smaller beings and
so on and infinite." Jacques tells him.
"First some of Doctor Menkin’s missing notes on cellular reconstruction
were miraculously found. Again I suppose you had nothing to do with that? And
now this black rabbit who miraculously appears on Maljardin. Perhaps Raxl is
right. Now just what is in your mind?"
"Perhaps you will find out at the séance." says Jacques. "You keep away from the séance!" Jean
Paul says angrily walking to Jacques portrait. "It is Erica. I must contact her,
talk to her. I must!" "But
supposing dear sweet Erica doesn't want to talk to you? Supposing she would
prefer to sleep forever in the earth instead of frozen in that ridiculous
state." "The cryonics process is
not ridiculous, it's a key to a new life for her!" Jean Paul says angrily. "Perhaps she doesn't want a new
life?" "We made a pact. Isn't it
about time you delivered her back to me."
"We will find out at the next séance." "You wont be there!" Jean Paul says
pointing his finger at Jacques portrait.
"Maybe neither of us will be, maybe there won't be another séance for
that matter." "There will be! I
solemnly swear it by my soul!" says Jean Paul. "Jean Paul?" Matt calls out to Jean
Paul. "All the talk of mystery and witchcraft has me imagining things. I could
have sworn that you were just talking to yourself now." Jean Paul glances downward as Matt is
talking. He glances up at Matt. "Well it's hard to imagine that a man of the
cloth would lose control so easily." says Jean Paul as he sits down. "Circumstances around here would tax
even the most devout." Matt tells him walking over to Jean Paul's chair. "I see, your overtaxed." "Like all of us, yes." "Losing your faith perhaps Reverend?"
Jean Paul says as he glances at Matt.
"For a while it seemed so. But now I have the distinct sensation of
recapturing it. So now I must warn you." Matt says sitting on the arm of a
chair. "You warn me?" Jean Paul
says angrily. "Not all of here may
have your strength of your obsession. But we are not children. We are not
completely powerless. We will find a way to cut the knots that bind us
here." "Reverend you are not
regaining your faith your merely losing your faculties." "Words, words Mr. Desmond." Matt says
standing up. "And I shall have the last one." Matt says as he walks away. "On Maljardin only I speak , others
listen." "But not all will listen."
Matt says walking back towards Jean Paul. "Not all will obey. Not forever." Jean Paul turns around angrily. "So it
has come to that has it? The man of God has appointed himself my
adversary." "No, I did not appoint
myself. I left my pulpit and the people who needed me, depended on me . For a
girl." "Holly Marshal." Jean Paul
says standing and looking at Matt. "Who rebuffed your every advance." "Yes I admit I've come to Maljardin
under misconception, several of them. I thought I wanted to save Holly, then I
thought I wanted to save her for myself. Now I know why I came to Maljardin. The
real reason, it was my destiny."
"Your destiny." asks Jean Paul.
"Yes, to be a force of good among all the evil here." "A savior?" "Perhaps. Is there one here who
needs saving? From himself." Matt asks.
Quito and Raxl enter the Temple. Raxl carries the black rabbit.
Quito closes the door and puts the torches back in holders He then picks up the
drum. "Hear me oh Great Serpent,
creator of things dark and light. Hear now the plea of Raxl, daughter of the
High Priestess of the Sacred Temple." Quito pounds the drum. "Oh Great Serpent
here is the black rabbit. This thing has crept among us. Even though I see the
peril to the Master and his beloved sleeping wife, I can not make him believe.
View this monster Oh Great serpent and when you have learned the extent of its
evil wondering tell me what I should do." Quito beats the drum faster. "Speak to
me Great One for the sake of my Master and beloved Mistress and all the spirits
in this house who are roasting on the spit of fire of evil. Open your speech to
my understanding!" Raxl yells out. Quito quiets the drum. Raxl rocks back and
forth. Quito stands and walks to Raxl worriedly. "Quito, take this evil thing. It's
foulness has stilled temporarily the voice of the Great Serpent." She says
giving Quito the rabbit.
Jean Paul is in his secret room recording a message to Erica.
"Erica my darling I wonder how you will find me when at last we are together
again. I fear all the strain of this has made me hard and cynical. The Reverend
is good, twice the man he was when he first arrived. If only he could see the
rightness of my cause he would make such an ally for my purpose." Jean Paul
turns and leans on the wall. "Some serve me to their honor and reward. Some
cross me to their death. But no one understands that there is an inner circle my
love. And it's big enough for just the two of us." Jean Paul looks back at the
monitor, it shows the crypt. .He turns it off, then the recorder. Jean Paul
starts walking away then changes his mind and returns to the recorder. Turning
it on he says. "My darling, the second séance is very close at hand. The Conjure
Woman recovers and this time nothing will stop us! You will come, you will speak
and at last for the first time for just a little while you and I will be
together."
Holly walks into the Great Hall. She starts pacing back and forth,
then walks towards the crypt. Matt walks down the staircase . "Holly? Remember
what Jean Paul said he would do to anyone found down there again." "They are doing something to my
rabbit down there. Raxl wants to get rid of it! I've got to stop them!" she says
turning towards the crypt. Matt
grabs her wrist. "For heaven sake, Holly you can't stop anything. None of us can
yet." Quito raises the rabbit above
his head then lowers it. Raxl looks over at him. Looking down she sees a locket
around the rabbit's neck. "A
locket, it wasn't there before." She reaches out and touches it. "Blood." There
is blood on her fingertips from the locket. She reaches out and holds the locket
in her hand. "This locket, did you see it before?" Quito shakes his head . "I'm
right! I am right, oh Great serpent protect us from the magic , from the forces
of evil. This locket where did it come from?"
Quito leaves the Temple alone, he looks around the crypt. Holly
and Matt are on the crypts stairs. Quito sees them and chases them from the
crypt.
Matt and Holly run into the Great hall as Holly stumbles. Quito
runs up to them. "What have you
done with that rabbit?" Holly asks Quito.
Quito backs away. Raxl rushes up from the crypt. "It's gone." "You mean you let it go, oh Quito thank
you." Holly says to Quito.. "It
escaped. It just jumped out of my arms just as I saw the... oh now we are
doomed. I will search here. Quito you go back to the crypt and guard the
Mistress. She needs it more closely now then ever." says Raxl as she starts
looking around the Great Hall. Matt
walks up to Raxl. "You discovered something, didn't you? The doll and pin?" "I wish it were." says Raxl. "More of Doctor Menkin’s missing
experiments?" "No." "Well for heavens sake what another
demon?" Matt asks. Raxl turns to
him. "Why do you mock? You are a Christian you do not believe in demons." Raxl
says getting upset. "Now you're
becoming irrational." says Matt.
"Evil forces in this house are growing stronger." says Raxl. Holly walks over to Raxl. "I don't
believe you." "You don't believe in
the forces of evil? Then you are very foolish." "No, I don't believe you are looking for
that rabbit at all." "Then
what do you imagine I am doing?"
"Trying to hide that you killed it already. Jean Paul didn't say you
could kill it. But you did because of your stupid superstitions.. Now your
trying to cover it up by pretending it escaped." Holly says to Raxl. Matt is checking around the room,
looking for the rabbit.
"Foolishness! Madness! I..." Raxl yells at holly. "There he is." Matt says pointing at the
rabbit. "You found him." Holly says
rushing over to pick up the rabbit. She hugs it as Raxl watches. "Give it to me!" Raxl demands. "No leave it alone." Holly rushes away
with it. "It is evil, it must be
killed!" Raxl says coming after Holly.
"Raxl!" Matt says grabbing her arm.
"It must be destroyed before it's to late!" Raxl yells at them. "Stop it!" Jean Paul shouts from the top
of the staircase. Matt lets Raxl's
arm go then turns towards Jean Paul. Raxl also stops. Jean Paul walks down the staircase. "Now
give it to me Holly." he says quietly. "It's all right." Holly hands him the rabbit. As Jean Paul
holds it the locket falls on the floor. Bending Jean Paul picks it up. "This
locket?" "Yes Master I..." Raxl
starts to tell him. "This locket
was Erica’s." Jean Paul says. Everyone stands and stares at the locket. Raxl walks up to Jean Paul. "Master the
spirit of your dear wife is not here."
"But she is near Raxl, very near."
Matt looks at Holly. "I don't understand this. Was the locket on the
rabbit the last time you saw him?"
"No I didn't notice." says Holly.
"If it wasn't where did it come from?" Matt asks. Jean Paul is looking at the locket.
"Raxl do you recognize this locket?"
"Yes the Master gave it to the lovely Mistress on the last birthday
before she..." Raxl says lowering her head in sadness. "How long have you known about it?" asks
Jean Paul. "Since a few moments
ago. It wasn't on the rabbit before when I was trying to find out on your
command whether or not that foul black thing was a true emissary of the
devil." "Or to find an excuse to
kill it." Holly says. "When I was
seeking help from one who is powerful, one who knows all, I handed the rabbit to
Quito. There was no locket around its wicked neck then. I swear. And then a
moment later I looked and it was there."
"Just like that?" Holly asks.
"No Miss Holly, not just like that! It was put there of course but not by
any process you could understand."
"Oh for heavens sake." Holly says.
"For the sake of heaven eh, you use your Christian words very lightly. It
is because you do not believe in what you are supposed to be. You do not believe
in anything of the spirit. But I know about such things. I know the spirit world
is something you do not mock." "But
I think it's time you dragged yourself out of the dark superstitious world of
your ancestors. Both you and Quito. And stop fooling around with all this mumbo
jumbo." Holly says upset. "The
idea, putting a locket on a rabbit. A locket that was a precious possession of
Jean Paul Desmond's wife." Matt tells Raxl. "And then you try to convince us
that it materialized out of the air. So that we will believe in spirits and
demons." "That is what you think,
is it Man of God?" Raxl says walking up to Matt. "That is what I think." says Matt. Jean
Paul stands holding the rabbit. "I
have been on this Island Maljardin for such a time you would not believe. The
ancient people have been here since the beginning of time. And since the very
first day the Great Serpent created the world we have done his bidding and
fought the evil forces which lie in wait forever to trap the foolish and unwary.
But I tell you Reverend there are more fools in this world than you would ever
know. And you are one of them!" Raxl shouts at him. Raxl turns to Jean Paul. "Master you
know I am right when I speak. This rabbit must be killed!" Holly rushes over. "No!" Quito also
rushes to Jean Paul’s side. "You
are all wrong!" Jean Paul yells. "It's not only the rabbit I am thinking of,
this locket is Erica’s. She was wearing it when she died. I left it with her..
It was sealed in the cryo capsule. How did it get out?" Jean Paul asks clutching
it in his hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
