792 - July 7, 1969

[bunniefuu]

[ eerie music ]

NARRATOR:Collinwood, at the turn of the century.

With Barnabas' help,

Quentin Collins has escaped from jail,

only to find that he is still imprisoned

by the grotesque face of a stranger.

- Who is that? - Quentin.

Quentin?

Quentin.

Yes, yes, I recognize.

- What do you recognize? - Nothing.

Liar. You recognize the mark of that cursed hand,

but it changed you back.

I knew it could, that's why I came here.

And it wasn't easy.

That place is filled with police.

They're looking for that animal,

and they'll find him too.

And it frightens me to think what they're going to do to him.

That freak, that hideous, unnatural being.

Evan, you've got to help me.

Of course, I'll help you.

What do you need, food, money?

How about something to drink?

I didn't come here for some drink!

I came here so the hand could change me back too!

You'll have to go someplace else for that.

You mean you don't have it?

No, I don't have it.

Then how did you change?

I don't know, it just happened.

Liar, you know how it happened.

Quentin, I swear to you that--

What are you doing?

If you don't have the hand, Evan,

then you shouldn't mind my looking for it.

Well, I do, now stop it!

No!

I said stop it!

Sorry, Evan.

Now you have the hand, Evan, and I'm going to find it.

Who's there?

I'll take the hand, Mr. Collins.

Now.

QUENTIN: Who are you?

It was rude of me not to introduce myself.

- My name is Aristide. - What do you want?

I want what you have.

Would you give it to me please?

No.

[ chuckles ] You were willing to k*ll your friend there,

just a moment ago for it,

but you'll give it to me eventually.

I can be very persuasive.

And very persistent, too.

- You're not getting this. - Yes, I am.

This was made by a Persian swordsmith a long time ago.

He called her The Dancing Girl.

Isn't she beautiful?

Don't move, Mr. Collins.

When she dances for you it's the dance of death,

and I wouldn't want to hurt you.

Really.

How did you know me? How did you find me?

It's my business to find what I need

and to get what I need.

Why do you need the hand?

Never mind, just give it to me,

and quickly, The Dancing Girl is getting restless.

Now, uh, now look, Aristide,

suppose we come to some arrangement?

I keep the hand until it does what it must,

and then, then I'll give it to you, huh?

[ laughs ]

Excuse me for being rude, Mr. Collins,

but there's no need for me to come

to any arrangement with you, is there?

Not as long as I have The Dancing Girl.

I need this hand.

Well, you'll have to find

some other way out of your difficulties,

and I hope you do, I really hope so.

And that face doesn't suit you at all.

Now put the box on the desk.

Put it on the desk, please.

On the desk.

[ chuckles ]

Delighted to have met you, Mr. Collins.

So sorry we won't be meeting again.

[ maniacal laughter ]

[ wind howling ]

Barnabas got Quentin out of jail hours ago,

and he's not here yet.

What's gone wrong?

Did the police pick him up?

Or is it something even worse?

[ leaves rustling ]

- Who's there? - Quentin.

- Where have you been? - I went to Collinwood.

Why'd you go there?

I don't know, I don't know.

Then I went to Evan Hanley's house.

He had the hand.

You got it then, eh?

[ sighs ] No.

No, what do you mean no?

Well, I had it and someone took it away from me.

Someone took it away?

This is crazy.

Who?

Someone I never saw before.

A stranger.

Someone...

Someone sent by the gypsies.

[ gasps ] Oh...

Oh, I knew King Johnny Romano

would send after it,

but I thought we had time,

I thought we had a little time at least.

Well, we don't.

Where is he now?

I don't know, he took the hand and left.

Oh, he didn't leave.

He is on his way here now to k*ll me.

How do you know that?

Because the hand was stolen,

and somebody's got to pay for it.

I am that somebody.

I got to go. I got to run!

No, you can't go anywhere.

I got to, or I'm dead.

You'll never escape that young man, Magda.

- Young? - Yes.

That doesn't make no sense.

- Young. - What do you mean?

Because they would have sent an elder of the tribe

for something this important.

Are you sure he was young?

Yes, I'm sure.

Now listen to me.

Now listen, you've got to stay here

and help me get the hand back.

- Now, together we can do it. - Oh, together we're nothing.

A gypsy who's as good as dead

and a, and a man who is a stranger to himself.

I would laugh

if there was any laughing left in me.

All right, together we're nothing.

But with a powerful ally, there's a lot we can do.

Who have you got in mind?

- Angelique. - Angelique?

Yes.

She owes me a favor.

Where is she?

[ scoffs ] Who knows?

She could be anywhere on Earth,

or in Hell.

On Earth or in Hell.

Yes.

Magda, you and I are going to summon Angelique.

No.

She's trouble, she's always trouble.

Angelique can take care of King Johnny Romano

and his entire tribe.

Angelique can get the hand back for us, Magda.

You won't have to run anymore

and I won't have to hide

in a world where there's no hiding places.

All right.

All right, we got--we got no choice.

But how're you gonna summon her?

- Do you have any black candles? - Yes.

Get them.

[ shallow breathing ]

Oh, hidden spirit,

climb out of the pits of hell,

if that is where you be.

Hidden spirit, make your presence known to me.

You are needed now.

[ laughter ]

What are you doing here?

What do you mean?

Where have you been?

Why, I don't think that matters.

I'm here, and I'm here to stay.

That's why I came to see you.

But I seem to have come at a terrible time.

What's the matter? What's happened?

Uh...

Quentin and I, uh, had a fight.

What did he take from you?

What makes you think he took anything?

Oh, come on, Evan, give me some credit.

Quentin took something from you.

You'll tell me all about it in time.

Right now I'm going to tell you a few things.

My plans for reestablishing myself.

- What do you mean by that? - Just what I said.

I'm returning to the bosom of the Collins family.

That's where I belong, isn't it?

Considering my close relationship

to one of its members.

It's really very simple.

Not so simple considering your fiancé was a vampire.

Oh, [ chuckles ] how was I to know that?

When I met Barnabas, he seemed quite charming.

And after that, I merely became one of his helpless victims,

forced to act as he wanted me to act,

unable to remember anything I did.

- Nobody will ever believe you. - Oh, yes, they will,

when you tell them about me.

- Tell them what? - What I want you to tell them.

Trask and Edward, and all the others

who've turned against me.

They'll turn against you even more

if they know the truth about you.

But they won't know the truth.

I'm not going to tell them the truth.

Don't worry about that.

I'm with you.

With your declaring that you knew me before I met Barnabas,

how can they ever see me as anything else

but a poor, unhappy victim

of their cousin, the vampire?

I...

I don't know if that's such a good idea.

What's the matter, Evan?

Don't you know me better than to hesitate?

Whatever Trask can do to you,

I can do far worse.

It is Trask you're afraid of, isn't it?

No, no, I'm not afraid of Trask.

It's just that he's a difficult man to convince.

All right, you do your part, I'll do mine.

In no time at all, Reverend Trask

will be eating out of my hand.

What's the matter, don't you believe me?

Yes, yes, I believe you.

It's just that I--

It's just that what?

What is it you've been keeping from me ever since I arrived?

[ laughing ] I don't know what you mean.

Oh, Evan, don't act so innocent.

What is it that Quentin stole from you?

I'm fascinated. What could be that valuable?

Come on, I don't like to be kept waiting

once my curiosity is aroused.

I think you better come over here and sit down,

and tell me all about it,

dear Evan.

Spirit of darkness, [whimpering ]

come to me.

- [ whimpering ] - Quentin?

Quen--Quen--Quentintin, it's no use.

- I must keep trying. - No.

No, w--w--we got to give up and go.

I got to go before the gypsies get me.

No, no! I don't want you to go.

Don't try to stop me now!

Were you really going anywhere, Magda?

- You. - Yes, me.

You answered my summons?

Oh, did I, Quentin?

Oh, I didn't realize that.

I was simply passing by.

How did you know me?

Judging from your present appearance,

that must be quite a powerful hand.

How did you know about the hand?

Evan Hanley told me all about it.

And what business do you have with Hanley?

You'll find out in time.

Right now, I want to see the hand.

You can't.

I can't?

I don't have it.

Evan told me that you...

You better not be lying to me, Quentin.

I wish he was lying, but he's telling the truth.

He had the hand, but somebody took it from him.

Somebody else took the hand?

Oh, this becomes more intriguing by the moment,

who else wants it?

Well, I stole it from King Johnny Romano.

And why did you do that?

To try and end the curse.

Ah, the curse.

[ clicks tongue ] Well, you two have been busy.

I think you'd better tell me all about it, Quentin.

All of it.

I don't like half truths.

I will tell you everything,

if you'll promise to help me.

Well, first I'll listen,

then perhaps I'll promise.

Go on, Quentin.

Begin.

[ clock ringing ]

Hello, operator,

give me Collinsport, , please.

Hello, Edward?

Evan Hanley.

Edward, I have just had an unexpected visitor,

Angelique.

Now, now wait a minute, Edward,

the situation is not what any of us thought it was.

The poor, unhappy girl

told me some things that you ought to know.

And no sooner than I'd gotten the hand,

than he walked in, demanded to have it.

He had a knife, I had no choice.

Magda, leave the room.

Why?

Leave the room.

And don't eavesdrop.

What's to be said is to be said between Quentin and me.

Does this mean you're willing to help me?

- For a price. - What do you want?

Oh, I'll tell you in time.

But I'll tell you this right now.

You're asking a lot of me, Quentin,

and I may ask a lot of you in return.

Are you prepared to accept that?

What do you want from me?

Your hesitation amuses me.

Could you possibly be in a worse predicament

than you're in right now?

I'm sorry.

All right, you don't have to answer me.

I'll recover the hand as a sign of my goodwill,

and then I'll name my price

and you can make your decision.

Agreed?

Agreed.

Now, tell me what this gypsy looks like.

- [ wind howling ] - [ buoy bell ringing ]

Good evening.

Good evening.

Is it customary for women of this town to be here?

Are you a stranger here?

- Yes. - So am I.

- Where are you from? - No place. Every place.

- That sounds intriguing. - I was hoping to intrigue you.

You did.

Who are you?

- Just someone waiting. - Waiting?

Waiting for whom?

For you.

- I don't believe you. - Don't you?

But I'll pretend that I do.

Because it's lonely being a stranger here.

But where are you from?

No place.

And every place. [ laughs ]

Are you trying to sound like me?

I can, you know.

It's my profession.

- What do you mean? - I'm an actress.

Here, in Collins Port?

Actually I'm a--a puppeteer.

I just arrived here tonight with a puppet troop.

Oh, why aren't you with the others?

The truth is, I had a quarrel with my, uh...

- Gentleman friend? - Yes.

My gentleman friend.

I felt so terrible that I came down here to be alone.

But, it's much worse being alone.

Well, you're not alone now.

You know, I could--I could entertain you

while you're waiting.

I'm sure you can.

Shall I show you?

Anything.

Um, would you give me your handkerchief?

Ah, you use a very expensive scent.

Well, I like what's pleasing to the senses.

So do I.

Now,

this is you.

Do you recognize yourself?

Not so dapper as you of course,

but definitely you.

Now turn around, and he'll call to you

in your own voice.

What's your name?

Aristide, at your service.

Aristide, ah, I like that.

Turn around Aristide, let me see if I can fool you.

Aristide.

[ chuckles ] That's not very good,

that's not at all like my voice.

Oh? But I did fool you.

[ gagging ]

What's happening?

What are you doing to me?

Can't you tell what I'm doing? I'm choking you.

You must stop.

Stop!

On one condition, that I get the hand.

- The hand? - Yes, Aristide, the hand.

Give it to me quickly.

Any moment now or it will be too late.

[ gagging ]

[ eerie music ]