Episode 45:
Slideshow
Special
Note:
It is with this episode that the first voiceover at the beginning of
the
show
is used (ala Dark Shadows). It should also be noted that the voiceovers start
the day that George Salverson and Ronald Chudley take over as writers from Ian
Martin, thus changing the way the show is done. Another note: Robert Costello
(ala Dark Shadows) is now producing episodes of Strange Paradise).
Vangie: "Death lives in this great house on
Maljardin, striking as swiftly as a bolt of lightning, legend says it is caused
by the evil of this man, 300 years dead, but others believe it is something
more...like the Reverend Matthew Dawson."
Matt stands in the Great Hall. "In heaven’s name I wish Doctor
Carr would come down and tell us, is Holly alive or dead. Murder is a three
hundred year old tradition here on Maljardin." he says looking at Jacques
portrait. "Do traditions ever die?"
"Murder Reverend Dawson?" asks Vangie. "What else would you call it?" Matt says
looking back at Vangie. He then walks over to her. "The wine Holly drank was
poisoned." "Put in a glass by her
own mother." says Vangie who is sitting at the séance table. "I make no accusations. The decanter was
filled by Raxl. Where's the glass? Where is the decanter? Both gone." Matt says
to Vangie. "Jean Paul gave them to
Doctor Carr." "To analyze the wine?
So he too believes it was poisoned." Matt says . He then walks around Vangie's
chair. "If the poison is the missing cyanide, then that poor child is dead. All
of this because of a locket from a dead woman." Matt says reaching for the box
on the table. "Don't touch it!"
Vangie tells him. Matt pulls his
hand away. Glancing up he sees Elizabeth on the staircase. She rushes down the
stairs. "Mrs. Marshal is Holly..." Matt asks walking up to Elizabeth. "She's alive, barely. If they try to
murder my daughter what will they do to the rest of us?" Elizabeth asks turning
towards Matt. "They? Who?" "I filled the glass. Raxl filled the
decanter." Elizabeth says as she walks over to Vangie. "And where was Jean
Paul?" Jean Paul sits in his room
looking at the black rabbit. "What are you? A creature who can not exist on this
Island and yet does exist. My Erica?"
"Evil." Raxl says walking in with a tray of tea. Raxl sets it on the
table then walks over to Jean Paul and the rabbit. "The Master is not safe with
the devil's spirit in the room."
"Leave me Raxl. I do not want your tea!" Jean Paul says angrily. "Does the Master wish Raxl to taste the
tea before he drinks?" Jean Paul
and Raxl stare at each other in anger.
Elizabeth walks over standing next to Matt. Vangie is seated at
the séance table. "And what little solutions do you possibly have for this? How
can we protect ourselves now?" "You
refused to believe there was any danger, physical or spiritual." Matt says. "Are you going to insist what happened
to Holly was spiritual? I suppose Miss Abbott thinks it was some angry spirit
that leaped from herself into Holly." Elizabeth says as she walks over to
Vangie. "But that's true, that
happened." Vangie says standing up.
"And it's still here I suppose. Waiting to grab us." says Elizabeth. "Yes it is." Matt walks up to them. "You saw that
Mrs. Marshal." Elizabeth turns to
Matt. "I know Holly was poisoned and we have an angry spirit here, no doubt.
That woman Raxl." Matt looks up.
Raxl is standing on the staircase. Vangie and Elizabeth turn. Raxl walks down
the stairs then walks over to them. She stands and stares at Elizabeth.
"Evangeline Abbott the Master will see you. Bring that locket that came from the
dead woman's neck." Raxl says then walks away. Elizabeth turns to Vangie and Matt. "Did
you see the way she looked at me. That woman hates us." "Yes hatred and anger are in this house
and they entered this by this dreaded sign sent from the world of the dead."
Vangie says as she holds up the locket.
In the crypt Quito cries over Erica's capsule. He hears Raxl and
turns. "There is no one in there who knows the truth Quito. They are children,
they will not listen. It is up to us to obtain the truth from the little one
frozen here. Raxl told them the truth. From the neck of Erica Desmond to the
neck of the evil black rabbit. From this capsule the woman's locket came. Erica
Desmond could not tell them from this strange unnatural grave because the devil
was in the way. Raxl cannot tell them because they are fools! And now even the
Master, the devil's evil is in all of them now! And evil must be destroyed."
Quito nods his head.
In Jean Paul's room Vangie holds the necklace by the chain, while
Jean Paul looks at it. "Here is Erica's locket Jean Paul." "It is real. I did remove it from the
rabbit's neck." Jean Paul says touching it. "You did Jean Paul." "The same locket. The one I put on
Erica's throat with my own hands. I saw it sealed into the capsule with her.
With these same eyes that see it now."
"Take it Jean Paul, feel it. It is real. I will touch it no more. Take it
back." Vangie says as she hands the locket to Jean Paul. "Touch it no more? Vangie you must. How
am I to save my mind. How else am I to know if it's true and real what I am
seeing." "Do you doubt your mind
Jean Paul?" "This is the mystery,
this is the terrible fact. I must find out without this." Jean Paul closes his
hand over the necklace and stands. "Vangie, how can you make a contact?" Vangie turns away. "I'm sorry Jean Paul,
a séance is impossible. The angry spirit that came into this house with this
locket and black rabbit is still here waiting. It can seize any one of us as it
seized Holly. I will not do it!" Vangie yells at Jean Paul. "You will not? What are you saying, how
am I to save my mind! You must do it Vangie!" Jean Paul tells her. "How much are you asking? What are you
doing to me? What are you doing to all of us?" Vangie yells angrily. Jean Paul turns and sits down. Vangie
looks at him, then leaves the room. Jean Paul lowers his head, looking at the
necklace. "How am I to save myself, and my
Erica."
Vangie walks down the staircase. Matt is at the bottom. "Vangie?"
says Matt. "What did you find out?"
Elizabeth asks. "He asked again for
a séance. I refused!" Vangie walks over to the séance table, picking up the box
that had held the necklace she throws it on the floor. "I will not expose him or
myself or Erica's spirit or anyone in this house to that raging thing that's
here!" Vangie says. "But if it's
still here? If there could be such a thing then it is still here isn't it?" Matt
asks. "Were exposed aren't we? Aren't we!"
"Don't Reverend. Don't, I'm frightened enough already." Elizabeth says as
she walks up to him. "Jean Paul was such a reasonable man. Surely there's some
way to make him see clearly again." says Elizabeth. Matt looks at
her.
Jean Paul holds the locket. "How am I to know if this then is no
longer in the capsule. Where is it, or should it be opened would this also be
there?" Jean Paul stands, he looks at the rabbit. Reaching into the basket he
picks up the rabbit . "Who are you? What are you? If I fed you the poisonous
leaves here on Maljardin where nothing lives would you die? Or have you lived
and dined on this vile Island of poison. Or are you innocent and if you are, you
would die blameless. Or is Raxl right was it evil that brought me the locket or
good? Which are you good or evil? Oh which are you? How can I know. Rabbit you
confound me. And for these answers how can I reach Erica? I can't or..." Jean
Paul puts the rabbit back in the basket. Standing he picks up the locket. "Yes I
can find these answers. If the capsule is opened and there's nothing there, or
the locket is there then this is false." He says looking at the
locket.
Raxl is in the crypt. "Sleep on little Mistress, you and I know
the truth beyond the veil. But it is not you to whom it is given to destroy evil
on Maljardin, it is given to me ." Quito nods, he is standing next to her. "I
will search out all evil . I will pluck heart from body and the orders you will
obey will be mine!" Quito again nods his head.
Jean Paul paces around his room, there is a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" "It's me Matt Dawson.
We're very worried Jean Paul." Jean
Paul is staring at the locket. "Can
I help you?" Matt asks. "I'll come back another time." he says when he gets no
answer from Jean Paul. "No, no come
in. Come in Matt." Jean Paul says opening the door. "Sit down over there
please." Matt walks across the
room, he sees the basket with the black rabbit and stops. "You're not afraid of it too I
hope." "It seems were afraid of
everything in this house." Matt says sitting down. "You are? You mean that it's true and is
it I who is causing all of you to be afraid?" "If we knew the causes for the things
that happen here then I could answer you."
"You mean I am the cause." says Jean Paul. "I didn't say that." "No you didn't." Jean Paul says then
walks away from Matt then looks back at him. "Holly is pushed down the stairs.
Then the portrait, the one she sat for is slashed. And now the poor girl is
poisoned. Answer me truthfully. Am I responsible for this?" "Let me ask you Jean Paul, are you
responsible?" Matt stands. "Well, are you responsible?" Jean Paul turns away. "You ask is it
possible for a man like myself to poison a girl like Holly?" He turns to Matt.
"Then you throw the question back at me. Now do you really suggest that I’m to
blame?" "Responsible was the word."
say Matt. "The implication, there
are a great many implications going on around here. For what purpose. To suggest
to someone that I'm not in my right mind. Why? To convince whom? To convince me
perhaps." "For what possible
reason?" Matt asks. "I can think of
a reason, there are a great many things going on around this house over which I
have no control." Jean Paul says walking around the room. "I thought there was
danger to the cryo capsule, to Erica. But I can see now the danger is to myself.
Well you wont get away with it." Matt looks at Jean Paul in
shock.
In the crypt Quito and Raxl go to Quito's room. :The conjure doll
and the silver pin. We will begin all over again Quito. And we will begin here
with you. Search. What better place to hide the thing that will destroy the
devil. Perhaps in the very bed of the one who searches." Quito nods and walks
over to his bed. "While we are searching for the thing that will return Jacques
Eloi Des Montes and the curse on Maljardin into the veil we will search
relentlessly for evil everywhere and destroy it wherever we find it." Quito is checking the bed and also under
it. "The evil is at liberty in this house, the evil comes in the form of a black
rabbit." Raxl walks to the bird cage. "Or anything else it chooses!" Raxl walks
away.
Matt asks Jean Paul. "How can you say that, to suggest we are in
some sort of plot to drive you out of your mind." "Aren't you? If I may throw the question
back at you." Jean Paul says holding the locket. "What plot? I don't understand
you." "Is it possible that Dan
Forrest could have taken the locket from the cryo capsule?" "How could he for heavens sake." Matt
says to him. "He was down there, he
was there when the mechanism failed. He could have caused it. He could have
opened it, and in that case Erica would be dead forever." "For what possible reason?" Matt
asks. Jean Paul turns away. "He
could have taken the necklace, dipped it in blood then had Raxl present it to me
on the neck of that black rabbit. Isn't that a way to drive a man mad. But is it
the blood of the rabbit, who doesn't seem to have any wound? Or could he have
dragged this over something that's bleeding. On Maljardin where no creature, no
animals bleed because nothing lives. Then tell me this. Did Erica bleed? As I
remember , I thought. I thought I remembered it. Then it must have been that
there was blood on her. Then how am I to find out unless I open the cryo capsule
and Erica is doomed forever!" Matt stares at Jean
Paul.
Quito opens the door to the temple. "Even in the Holiest of places
we will press our search. The devil has outwitted us. But we will search for the
means to destroy him, even though it means looking in the alter. The sanctity of
the Holy Spirit." Raxl tells Quito as she holds the torches. Upon entering she
hands Quito one of the torches.
"Search, search even the dead."
Matt runs down the staircase after leaving Jean Paul's room. "Well did he let you in?" asks
Elizabeth. "Yes." "What did he say?" "One moment he wondered if he poisoned
Holly, the next he was outraged at the mere suggestion! And the next moment he
suspected us of plotting against him to drive him out of his mind!" says
Matt. "Suspecting us, suspecting
himself. Oh he just doesn't know!" says Vangie. She walks to Jacques portrait. "
What is the truth?" she says. She turns to the others. "Jean Paul doesn't
know." "Doesn't know what Miss
Abbott?" asks Elizabeth. "I can't
tell. All I can say is Jean Paul doesn't know, and if he doesn't there is no
hope here!" Vangie says then rushes up the staircase. Matt turns to Elizabeth. "He spoke about
the blood on the locket. I felt?" Matt throws his arm up in uncertainty. "This
is madness." "What is it?
Everything’s madness." says Elizabeth.
"He may be wondering if he murdered Erica and he's thinking of opening
the cryo capsule to find out!" Matt tells Elizabeth.
In the Secret Temple Quito is pounding on the drums. "Search!"
Raxl yells at him. Quit looks at her and stops. "The conjure doll and silver
pin! The answer to it all!" she yells at Quito. Raxl stands in front of the Serpents
staff. "Oh show us all evil Great Serpent. The daughter of the High Priestess
serves you now. One who assisted evil in the house, in a form of an animals
innocence now lies near death. Should not this woman child die! Yes I hear. It
is right for Holly Marshal to die! With all evil!" Raxl calls out. Quito shakes
his head no. Raxl turns to him. "Search!" Quito covers his face with his
hands.
Jean Paul is in the Great Hall, holding a glass of wine. He grips
the back of a chair with his other hand.
"Come Jean Paul, we can't have that. You're a man of honor, you must keep
our bargain. You share with me our body and I help you someday to restore your
darling Erica. If you open her cryo capsule Jean Paul you'll learn nothing. You
will finish off Erica for nothing. Pity, don't you think. So all you will learn
is whether that machine works. Is Erica's body perfectly preserved, or is Erica
now something else. Think about it Jean Paul." Jacques tells him. Coming to a decision Jean Paul heads for
the crypt. Carrying the locket he approaches Erica's capsule. Jean Paul touches
the end of the capsule and in anguish he lowers his head touching it. "Death, that is what you will give her
Master. The woman you love, the one you hope to return to life one day. You
must, you must restore her. So that she may have eternal peace with the God you
denied." Raxl says to Jean Paul.
He raises his fist to his face trying to make a decision. "You must Master so that you can solve
the mysteries that might otherwise destroy your mind. Find the answer, or open
it if you will Master." "Are you
suggesting that I am mad? asks Jean Paul.
"Open the capsule, do not open the capsule. If madness is to come, it may
come right away."
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Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
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