248 - July 5, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[narrating]
- My name is Victoria Winters.

A stillness hovers over Collinwood tonight.

But there is no peace in the silence.

For it is the silence that precedes a great storm.

Peace that holds a promise of terror.

Far away from Collinwood,

one man knew a moment of hope on this night...

only to have that hope withdrawn,

and despair and further confusion

follow in its wake.


- I saw her, Burke.

It was Maggie.

She was standing right outside there!

Right outside that window!
- Take it easy.


- Stop telling me to take it easy!

I know it was her! I know it!


- Okay, I believe you.


- Why did she run away?

Why did she disappear?

Did I frighten her when I called out her name?


- I don't know.


- I couldn't have imagined it, Burke!

I couldn't have!


- Sam, I don't think you imagined it.

Now, Maggie's somewhere in the neighborhood

and the sheriff and his men will find her.


- Well, why doesn't the sheriff get here?


- Well, he'll be here any minute.


- Well, we can't wait around here.

We should be out looking for her.

I know she's out there somewhere.

I know it!

♪♪

[wind whistling]

[dog whimpering, howling]

[other dogs howling]

♪♪

[choking, stifling scream]

[waves crashing]

♪♪

♪♪


- Where you going?
- Out.


- You can't go out there.
- Can't I?


- The sheriff will be here any second.


- I can't wait for him.

She's out there somewhere and I've got to look for her
-
-

[knocking on door]
- Sam!

George.
- Burke.

Well, I got here as soon as I could.


- Well, it wasn't quick enough to suit me.


- Take it easy.


- Well, I had to round up some men!

I've got every available man searching in the area.

If she's anywhere nearby, we'll find her.


- You'd better!


- Well, why don't you stop arguing with me?

You're the one who's wasting time.


- I'm sorry, George. It's
-
- It's just that
-
-

She was so close and now she's gone!


- Well, she can't have gone far, so calm down.


- I'm trying to.


- All right, now tell me just what happened,

exactly the way it happened.


- Well, uh...

Burke and I were talking.

I was standing here,

Burke was out in the kitchen, making some coffee.

And I happened to glance up and there was Maggie.

Just standing out there.


- She wasn't moving or calling out to you?


- No, no, she was just standing there.

Like she was almost in a daze.


- And then?


- Well, then I called out to her and I ran outside,

but she was gone.


- Well, where did she go?


- I don't know.

It's the strangest thing.

One minute she was standing here

and the next minute, she was gone.


- Did you see her, Burke?


- No, by the time I looked, she was gone.


- Well, then, you didn't see anything.


- No, but I believe Sam did.


- Well, what happened then?


- Well, I came back in here and called you.


- Well, did you find any evidence that she was here?

A footprint, or anything?


- No, no, but I know she was there.

I saw her with my own two eyes!


- Sam, how did she look?


- Uh...

She looked pale.

She was paler than I've ever seen her before.

She had a pallor that was almost ghostly.


- Did she have on the nightgown

that she had on when she disappeared from the hospital?


- No...

No, no, no, she was wearing a dress.

Actually, it wasn't a dress. It was a gown.

Long, white flowing gown.

Looked like it was something out of another century.


- Another century?


- I know it sounds odd,

but that's the way she was dressed.

I wonder why she was dressed that way.


- Yes, that does sound odd.

So does the fact that she disappeared into the night.


- But you believe me, don't you?


- Sam, I have just one more question

and I'm afraid it's one you're not going to like.


- What's that?


- Before you saw Maggie out there,

had you been drinking?


- Ah, what's that got to do with it?


- Just answer the question.


- Aw, George, what I saw didn't come out of any bottle!

It was real!

She was standing right out there.

She was so close, I could almost touch her!

You've got to believe me!


- Sam, if there's one chance in a million that you saw Maggie

and that she's somewhere around nearby,

we're going to search for her until we drop.

You have my word for that.

You coming, Burke?

[door closes]

♪♪

[wind whistling]

[gate creaking]

♪♪

[door scraping open]


- Come.

You must come with me.


- Aaah! [whimpering]


- You tried to leave me.

You must be punished, Josette.


- Please!


- I dislike having to punish you, but you must come.


- No!
- Please!

You must learn to never leave me.

You must stay with me always.


- Yes
-
- Always!


- You must never go.

Just like long ago, when you tried to leave me,

You must never leave me again.


- I want...


- What do you want?


- I want to be with you!


- You should have remembered that tonight.

You will remember that after tonight.

Come.


- No...

No, don't
-
- please!


- Don't hesitate. Come quietly.

[tearfully]
- Please, no, please!


- Oh, don't cry, Josette.


- Josette?


- That is your name: Josette.

The most beautiful name in the world.

And you are the most beautiful creature in the world.


- Josette.


- Why did you forget all that I taught you?

Why did you try to leave me?


- Josette.


- Yes, you must keep saying that to yourself over and over again.

You are Josette.

Say it.


- I am Josette.


- Yes.

You are Josette.

And you will be my bride.

The bride of Barnabas Collins.


- Bride of Barnabas Collins.


- And we will be happy together.


- Happy.


- Through eternity.


- Eternity.

Happy.


- Do you know how happy we will be?

So very, very happy.


- Very, very happy.


- Do you believe that?

Truly and completely?


- Yes.


- You look lovely in the moonlight, Josette.

So very, very lovely.


- Lovely?


- Yes.

It makes it very difficult for me to punish you.


- Happy.

Together...


- Yes.

We will be
-
- we will.

You must always believe that.

You must never forget it.


- I believe.


- Perhaps...

Perhaps there's no reason to punish you tonight.

But if you ever try to escape me again...


- I want to be with you.


- Forever.
- Forever.


- We will leave this place now

and return to our house and home.


- Our home.


- What is that?

Give it to me.


- No! Don't!

No! No!
-No, you mustn't touch it!

You mustn't touch it!
- No! Pa!


- Please don't mention that name!

[sobbing]
- Pa!


- That world is gone forever and you are Josette Collins!

I tried to save you,

I tried to appeal to you, but now I must punish you.

[fainting]
- Oh.


- You must learn your lesson.

[door scraping closed]


- I...

Where...


- This is where you will rest.

Until I send for you.

[screaming]
- No!

No!

[screaming in terror]

[birds chirping, wind whistling]

♪♪

[coffin lid creaking]


- Josette?

Josette? It's Willie.

Can you hear me?

I've come for you.


- Willie?


- Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am?


- Willie.
- That's right.

I've come to get ya.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Now you just do what I tell you to do.

You understand?

You wait here.


- [crying]


- I told you not to be afraid.

Barnabas is gone now.


- Gone?
- For a while.

And I won't hurt you
-
- You know that, don't you?

You do what I say.

You just come with me, huh?

♪♪

♪♪


- That's right.

You lie down and rest.


- Rest.


- Try to sleep if you can.


- Dream... sleep...


- That's right.

[whimpering]
- I had a dream.

Terrible dream!


- Oh, you don't think about it.


- He was standing over me
-
-
- No, don't.


- And I was in a coffin.

I was in a coffin!
- Try to forget!


- It wasn't a dream!
- Shh! Don't!


- I was in a coffin!

[sobbing] I was in a coffin!


- You listen to me, you listen to me.

Can you hear me?

I'm trying to help ya, don't you understand?

Huh?


- Oh, what is it
-
-


- I'm trying to help you
-
- Listen to what I have to say.

Running away was a mistake, a bad mistake.


- I had to get away from him.


- You can never get away from him.

He'll never let ya!

If you try to get away, he'll punish you again.

And you don't want that, do you?

It'll make it worse.


- No.
- Okay.

Then do what he wants you to do.

Be what he wants you to be.

Yeah.

You're Josette Collins.
- No!


- You have to believe that's who you are.

It's the only way you'll be safe.


- I'm not Josette Collins!


- Don't let Barnabas hear you say that.

Never let him hear you say that.

You don't know how cruel he can be.


- I know.


- Then don't take any more chances.

Try to believe you're Josette.

Just try.


- I can't!
- You can!

[music box playing melody]

♪♪


- Listen.

Listen to the music.


- Oh, I hear it.


- It's her music.

When you listen to it, you say to yourself over and over,

I'm Josette Collins.

Josette Collins.


- I'm Josette Collins.


- And I'm gonna be the bride of Barnabas Collins.


- Bride.
- Right.

[music box continues]That's right.

Whenever you get scared,

you listen to this music,

and you keep listening.

[music box continues playing]

♪♪

[knocking on door]


- [sighing heavily]


- Well?


- Bad news, Sam.


- You didn't find her.


- No, not a trace.

We've gone over the countryside with a fine
-toothed comb.

Nothing.

If she'd been anywhere near the area, we would have found her.


- Now, what do we do?


- Well, I'm gonna have to call off the men.


- You're not gonna stop searching for her, are you?


- Sam, the men are dead tired.

We've searched everywhere there is to search.

We've come up with nothing.

Not a clue
-
- nothing!


- Have you tried the graveyard?


- The graveyard?


- Yeah, you know, the one up by Eagle's Hill.

We found her there once.

You look up there yet?


- Yes, we did.


- And you didn't find anything?


- Well, there was a moment we thought we had something.


- What?


- Well, there was a figure moving through the shadows,

but it turned out to be nothing more or less than a big dog.


- A dog.


- Yes, a big ugly beast.


- Oh, every time something happens around here,

there's always a dog hanging around.


- Sam, the point is

there's nothing more that can be done now.

But don't think that we've given up the idea of finding Maggie.


- You don't think I saw her last night, do you?

You think it was all in my imagination, don't you?


- Sam, would it be so strange

if your imagination had been working overtime?

You've been worried sick.


- Do you think so, too, Burke?

You think it was all in my imagination, too?


- Well, I'd like to believe that you saw her, Sam.


- Yeah, but you don't.

You're right.

I never saw her,

except in my imagination.

♪♪

[gasping]

[music box playing melody]


- I'm Josette Collins.

Josette Collins.

[music box continues playing]

I'm Josette Collins.

[music continues]

[panicked whimpering] No!

Maggie.

I'm Maggie Evans.

I'm Maggie!

[crying]

Help!

Help!

Pa! Joe! Somebody!

Somebody!

Somebody!

No!

Somebody.

Somebody.

Somebody.

[crying] Maggie!

I'm Maggie Evans!

[sobbing] I'm Maggie!

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis Production.