Episode 73: Slideshow
Cort: "Desmond Hall
the ancestral home which held golden memories now only seem to contain only
darkness and danger for all who live beneath it's roof. Cursed with a compulsion
to kill and seemingly powerless to resist the powers that command him Jean Paul
Desmond is none the less determined to combat the evil of Desmond Hall. To end
the spell under which the Desmond family lives. But there are others who have
demonic plans of their own."
Irene puts a
picture of Desmond Hall on her alter. She then pours blood over it from a silver
bowl. "Desmond Hall your fate and destiny is sealed on blood. It will fall upon
you like crimson rain until it engulfs the unworthy, the selfish the proud. I
call thee servants of Satan and offer this mornings libations. Take it as a vow
of my faith that you will soon receive the immortal soul of Jean Paul Desmond"
Irene lowers the bowl then sets it next to the picture of Desmond Hall. Irene's
cat cries out. "Oh Brighten it's only a little morning offering." Irene says
walking over to the cat. "Oh my pretty that's all it was. My pretty my own."
Irene picks up the cat, then opens the window. "Now we'll let in the sunshine
and begin our normal day.” She puts the cat on the window sill, it turns and
jumps outside. "Its true from dawn of day to set of sun a woman's work is never
done." Irene takes off the black scarf she had been wearing as the phone rings.
Walking to the telephone she picks it up. "Good morning, divine day that it is.
Who's calling at this ungodly hour?"
"Irene?" Jean Paul asks.
"Yes." "It's Jean Paul I was
wondering if it is too early for me to stop?" "Not at all. Just give me half an hour
to tidy up,"
"Fine then. Half an
hour then." Jean Paul tells her.
"Perfect, you've been on my mind this morning. Very much on my mind. See
you." Irene tells him then hangs up the phone. She turns to her alter. "Thanks."
she says with a smile. Jean Paul
knocks on Irene's door. She lets him in. After Jean Paul is seated Irene offers
refreshments. "No muffins when I made my long bony fingers even bonier baking
them for you." She says as she offers them to Jean Paul. "Oh Irene I'm afraid I have no appetite.
Besides knowing you I think your muffins are probably sprinkled with your herbs
and roots." Jean Paul says taking a sip from his tea cup and smiles up at
Irene. "Laugh, but they are.
.Ridicule me if you will Jean Paul but look at my pep and vigor. That doesn't
come from gorging myself on cream pie but from herbs." Irene says sitting next
to Jean Paul. "Rare herbs are getting harder to get everyday. The grocer thinks
I'm a silly old lady, so I go out into the fields. What else can I do?" Jean Paul smiles at her. "So if you ever see the hunched figure
of an ancient old crone digging in the cliffs of Desmond Hall for mercy sake
don't shoot." Jean Paul laughs.
"Well why the cliffs? Does anything grow there?" "Deadly nightshade my dear. I couldn't
toss a salad without it. Now tell me what it is you came to see me about Jean
Paul?" Jean Paul looks at
her.
Irene raises her
hand. "Now don't protest. It's something solemn, I can see it in your
eyes." "No I just came to find out
the recent gossip at Desmondton."
"That's a lie."
Irene says looking at Jean Paul. "What is it Jean Paul?" Jean Paul lowers the tea cup. "Well
Irene as you know I've been away from here many years." "Too many years." "And so much has changed. Ada for
instance." Jean Paul says.
"My dear Ada hasn't changed. She's the same timid
little mouse. The only change I have seen in her is she's developed a strange
aversion to me somehow." "Well
Laslo could be the cause of that."
"Laslo? No Laslo is a dear. Oh he pretends to be a surly bear but
underneath. No you mustn’t say a word against Laslo Jean Paul. He's a
friend." "Is he?" Jean Paul says
taking a sip from his tea. "Yes to
us all. I don't know what Desmondton would have done without him. Well with
Philip gone." Jean Paul lowers the
cup. "That was something else I was wondering about. Philip?" "Oh don't waste your time. You might as
well try to follow a will of the wisp." says Irene. "But I can't understand why he would
leave without leaving some word."
"Well that's Philip. I don't see where the mystery lies. Oh he's just a
young man whose learned to take advantage of his money. In fact I encouraged him
to go where he chooses, when he chooses. Oh my dear, he has a brother who
already brings enough gloom into any one family." Irene says taking Jean Paul's
empty cup . "Oh do cheer up Jean Paul." She carries the cup to the table and
refills it. "If Philip did leave."
Jean Paul says to her. Irene raises
her head. "If he did leave?" "If
Philip did leave why did he not tell anyone of his destination?" Jean Paul asks
as he stands and walks behind Irene.
"My dear he did. The night before he left he had dinner with me at the
cottage. Herbaceous food and all. He told me quite clearly of his plans." "What were they?" "Well that he was going to visit you on
Maljardin. Didn't Laslo tell you that?" Irene asks looking up at Jean Paul. "Yes." "Philip was worried about you as I'm
beginning to worry. You're quite not yourself and then there were stories.
Terribly weird stories about some insane feeling on your part to try to restore
your wife back to life." Irene says handing Jean Paul another cup of tea. "Jean
Paul are you sure that you're all right?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine." Jean Paul says with a smile before taking a sip from
the cup. "Well then I must tell you
the latest. Some excitement in Desmondton for a change." Irene says walking to a
chair and sitting down. "Did you happen by chance to know a little waitress, a
strange little girl, quite lonely rather bizarre. Of course, she went to your
house one night looking for employment. Annie Harrigan, did you know that since
that night she hasn't been heard from." Irene asks. Jean Paul stares at Irene. "The whole town is agog. There were
stories about her. She was an unsavory sort of character by Desmond standards.
And yet you know I tried to be good to her. She had a kind heart you know the
proverbial heart of gold. Despite her reputation for affection of certain
gentlemen in town. Still I can't see how anyone can
be so evil as to harm her. Can you?"
Jean Paul stands breathing deeply.
In the Drawing Room
Laslo is seated. "Police?" "They
wanted to talk to me about Annie Harrigan." Cort says to Laslo. "She's
disappeared you know. Or do you? Still she was a friend of yours." Laslo stands. "Did you tell the police
that?"
"Oh no, I couldn't
bear the scandal Papa." Cort says sitting down. "There was no scandal." Laslo tells
him. "There would be. After all you
were the last person to see her. Before her unusual disappearance." Cort says
smiling. "And it would be hardly edifying if people knew that you see her
often." "No more than
you."
"Then I? I saw the
lady now and then but she would only talk. I think it's to my credit that I
never care to repeat that information. It bored me, your involvement with
her." Laslo walks closer to Cort.
"What do you want?" Cort stands
looking at Laslo. "Nothing. I certainly don't want to see my mother sad. She's
depressed enough. Or should I say oppressed. I only want one thing Laslo. Leave
me alone as I will leave you alone in the future." Cort says walking towards the
door. "I had nothing to do with
that girls disappearance." Cort
stops and looks back at Laslo. "No one said you did. I want you to know I have
my plans as you have your plans. So I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone.
I work slowly but with infinite patience." In his hand is a paper decoration.
"Now you see it." Cort crushes it. "Now you
don't."
Emily and Jean Paul
enters Philip's room. Jean Paul is carrying Philip's carousel. "This was his,
Philip's room." He sets the carousel down.
"How kind of you to show me around the house. All of it, you know
yesterday I thought you were annoyed with me. That you didn't want me to stay at
Desmond Hall." Emily says to Jean Paul.
Jean Paul nods. "I've changed my mind." he says with his back towards
her. "Oh why?" Jean Paul turns and walks over to her.
"Perhaps you can help me. You do research, I think I can have your help in
investigating some facts about my brother." "How could I do that?" Jean Paul sits on the end of the bed
frame. "You've been pouring over the history of the Desmond family and its past.
And I feel that perhaps somewhere the past may provide answers to the present.
Emily?" "Yes." "My brother has disappeared and I don't
know where he is. Your letter, the letter you received giving you permission to
come to Desmond Hall. I am convinced my brother wrote that letter. He wanted you
here as dearly as if it had been a call for help." "I don't understand." Emily says. Jean Paul stands and walks a few steps
away from Emily. "My brother wrote that letter but from where? Where is
he?" "But I was told he sent a
message this morning, a cable."
Jean Paul turns and looks at Emily. "I don't believe that. Look at this
room, his room just as it was. Everything in perfect shape. His cloths,
possessions broken childhood toys. But something is wrong. I feel he is trying
to tell me that." Jean Paul walks around the room then looks at Emily. "Emily, I
feel he is trying to reach me."
Emily looks away from Jean Paul. The carousel starts to run. Jean Paul
turns towards it and stares. Emily comes up behind Jean Paul. "You told me it
was broken." "Yes I did." "Then why is it playing?" "Perhaps I was mistaken." Jean Paul
says. "But you said, you said that
you felt that your brother was trying to reach you somehow." "Did I say that?" "Yes, yes you did. Jean Paul I've
never believed in them occult or the spirits reaching out from the dead but I
don't know. Since I came to Desmond Hall there's an atmosphere here a sense of
foreboding that I... Jean Paul?"
Jean Paul is staring straight ahead.
"Speak to me!"
Emily tells him. "You're frightening me!"
Jean Paul turns towards Emily. "I'm sorry it's nothing. It's nothing it's
just, please forget I spoke to you. It's nothing" Jean Paul says looking back at
the carousel. It slows down then stops.
Irene and Laslo are
talking together. "He's been asking questions about Philip. Things that
shouldn't be asked." Irene says to Laslo.
"How do you
know?"
"Because he asked
them of me this morning." "What was
your answer?"
"Clever as usual."
Irene tells him. "Did he believe
you?" "I doubt it. Laslo we've got
to move quickly. Now, tonight there will be a full moon. It's an ideal time for
an initiation ceremony. We can't really use Holly until she's taken vows. Bound
to the membership of the coven."
"Tonight?" Laslo says.
"Tonight and my friends and neighbors. Sweet little witches they will be
ready if their leader is."
"Tonight." Laslo says looking at Irene. Irene smiles back at
him.
In Philip's
darkened room Jean Paul sits in a chair watching the carousel as the bedroom
door opens. "Cort?" "Who is it? Well cousin Jean Paul ."
Cort says sitting on the end of the bed. "Fancy finding you cousin in Philip's
room."
"What may I ask are
you doing here?" Jean Paul asks. "I
wonder, I visit. I'm here and there I'm a kind of ghost at Desmond Hall." Cort
says with a smile. Jean Paul
laughs. "Well you're much to young and much too alive to be a
ghost."
"Well there are
many kinds of ghosts cousin." Jean
Paul stands and walks around the room. "Oh, what do you know about them?" he
says with a smile.
"I'm a Desmond.
Stealthy, secretive and dishonest." Cort says standing. "Like the rest." Jean Paul turns towards Cort. "You have
rather a faulty view of our heritage."
"Do I? Well then I won't bother you with it. I'm leaving." Cort says
walking towards the doorway. "Cort?
Do you think Philip is that way? Stealthy, dishonest." Cort stops at the door then turns
towards Jean Paul. "Yes."
"Not to my
knowledge." Jean Paul says to Cort.
"Well you asked me about mine."
Cort walks towards Jean Paul. "He's no different from all the rest. All
my kindly relatives who sent me to the finest boarding schools where I was fed
upon sugar, strawberries and cream and the very best butter. Who raised me dear
cousin like a prince. And finally when the kingdom was in sight turned away
hands in pockets." "My brother
Philip wouldn't have treated you like that." "But he did." "Well how? Tell me." "Well there's no use talking about it
now." Cort says to Jean Paul. "Tell
me." says Jean Paul. "He was a man
of many promises. We'll go fishing today. We'll find a quiet pool up stream.
We'll read tonight, the poems of Sappho the original Greek." "Now that sounds more like my
brother." "Well he also sounded
like this. We'll go to Paris you and I we'll go to the races. So I packed my
bags and said goodbye to my mama and dear stepfather. And in the morning he was
gone.' "You mean Philip left
you?"
"Without a word
cousin." Cort tells Jean Paul. "As you can see I'm still here, he's not." "He wouldn't." Jean Paul says with his
arms crossed listening to Cort.
"Well let's not try
to find excuses." Cort says turning away.
"Cort wait." Cort turns and looks at Jean Paul. "That's not the Philip I
know." "Perhaps there is a Philip
you didn't know." Cort walks to the door. "I'll show you. Would you like to see
that Philip? Are you afraid?" Cort asks as Jean Paul stands and looks at Cort
from the center of the room. Jean
Paul walks across the room to the door and walks out as Cort closes the door
after them.
Carrying a candle
Cort leads Jean Paul into a secret room. Jean Paul jumps when he sees a full
human skeleton chained to the wall.
"Sorcery, witchcraft." Cort says to Jean Paul. "Why?" "It goes way back in our ancestry. It
goes way back in the Desmond history."
"Philip?" "Dabbled in these
volumes that were never put on the open shelves." Cort says to Jean Paul as he
stands next to a table with books. Behind them are more books in a bookcase.
"With potions and poisons." Cort says pointing to bottles, jars and vials that
are sitting on the table. "He
wasn't interested in this?" Jean Paul looks at Cort. "His diary, he forgot to take it with
him." Cort says handing Jean Paul the book. "Have you been reading this?" "Yes I felt obliged. I wanted to learn
as much as I could about the Desmond Family." Cort says. "Who knows about this room?" Jean Paul
asks looking through Philip's diary.
"Philip and I. He confided in me loyal cousin Philip." Jean Paul reads some of the entries out
loud. "The test for necromancy. An attempt to make gold out of sand?" Jean Paul
glances up at Cort. "Oh he couldn't have been serious. Cort all this, is an
ordinary diary. Look it says here. I intend to take Cort with me on my trip to
France." Jean Paul looks up at Cort. "You see he intended to take you." "Perhaps I should have got it down in
writing." Cort says to Jean Paul. he walks away then turns back and looks at
Jean Paul. "What do you make of
this last entry? What does it mean to you?"
"I haven't read
that far. I have other interests in Desmond Hall and other areas to
explore." "It says there are signs
of evil in Desmondton itself. Signs of witchcraft and a coven of witches. Then
the writing breaks off. It ends abruptly." Jean Paul looks up at Cort. "Perhaps my cousin went mad because of
his peculiar hobbies. Blow out the candle when you are finished." Jean Paul is still looking through the
diary when he looks up. "Cort?" The door stands open and Cort has left. Jean
Paul pulls out a stool and sits down to read the
diary.
Emily is in the
Drawing Room sitting at the desk working when the door opens and Cort enters. He
walks up to Emily. Emily looks up and smiles.
"Hello."
"Hello." Cort
answers. He picks up a book and walks off with it. "You interested in family history?"
Emily asks. "It's functional if it
serves my purposes." Cort says sitting on the couch. "Why are you
interested?" "It's my work." Emily
says standing, then she walks across the room to stand near Cort. "I'm curious, why are you finding the
Desmond history so interesting?"
"Well why are you interested?" Emily asks. "I'm a Desmond. Be thankful you're
not." "Is it so
bad?"
"Dull, dull as
death. If I could be free, if I could escape and do what ever I chose believe me
I'd never look back. Someday I'll be free of all this. Someday all this will
disappear and there will only be...The Desmond name will mean only one thing.
Me." Cort says then stands and walks towards Emily. "You know enough about the
Desmond history to know what ever we want we get by whatever fair means or foul
You're an explorer, I'm an explorer why don't we explore together." He puts his
arm behind Emily leaning on the mantel of the fireplace. "I know some nice
endless caves down by the river."
Emily pulls away shivering.
"What's the matter?" "It's
nothing. I was just wondering where Jean Paul
is?"
Cort looks away
from her. "Oh he's exploring to."
Jean Paul is
reading over the pages of the diary. "September 27. I find myself taking more
and more seriously my studies of witchcraft and demonology. There are more
powers at work on Earth than people know."
The entrance to the secret room closes. Jean Paul jumps up and rushes
over to the doorway. Running his hands over it he can't find the way to open it.
Turning away he looks around the room.
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Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
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