266 - July 3, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[narrating] - My name is Victoria Winters.

On this night, a pale moon illuminates

the walls of Collinwood

only to pass periodically behind masses of clouds,

leaving the great house in total darkness.

A night wind blows in from the sea,

past the cliffs where many have died...

to Collinwood itself,

and as it rushes past the great house,

a sighing can be heard.

Some say it is a call from the dead to the living.

For one woman, there is terror in the night.

For the dead are calling to her,

beckoning her to the cliffs

where others have died before her...

and in a dream

she is having a premonition of her own death.

♪♪

[wind whistling]

♪♪

[woman] - Elizabeth...

[woman] - Elizabeth...

[woman] - Elizabeth...

[wind whistling]

- Elizabeth! - Elizabeth!

- Elizabeth!

- Elizabeth... - Elizabeth!

- Elizabeth! - Elizabeth!

[women] - Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

♪♪

♪♪

[clock chiming]

♪♪

[knocking]

[knocking continues]

- Mrs. Stoddard?

Mrs. Stoddard?

- Oh, Vicki.

Yes?

- Are you all right?

- Of course, why?

- Do you know what time it is?

- No.

- It's :.

- Is it?

- Have you been asleep all this time?

- Asleep?

Yes.

- Well, that's not like you.

You're generally up and around so early.

Are you sure that everything is all right?

- No, I'm fine.

- Mrs. Johnson wanted to know if she could fix you any lunch.

- Lunch?

- What shall I tell her?

- Tell her...

tell her not to bother.

- Are you sure?

- Yes.

- It's a beautiful day outside.

- Is it?

- I walked out to the garden this morning.

Your flowers are all in bloom.

You should see them.

- Well, I may go for a walk later.

- I-- I'm going out with David

after he's finished his homework.

Why don't you come with us?

- No, I...

I'd rather be alone.

- All right.

Mr. McGuire was looking for you.

- He was?

- I told him that I'd be a witness at the ceremony.

- Did you?

- He told me that I should buy a new dress

and charge it to you.

- Go ahead.

- You don't object?

- Why should I?

- Well...

frankly, I wouldn't feel right about doing it.

- As you wish.

- I didn't wanna have to tell-- tell you about it,

but I think I should.

I overheard Carolyn talking with Buzz

on the phone this morning.

They were talking about getting a marriage license.

- Were they?

- You may not think that-- that Carolyn

is gonna go through with this but she just might.

- I doubt that.

- Well, what if she gets the license?

- I wouldn't worry, Vicki.

- Well, aren't you worried?

- No. Not now.

- Why not?

- I've simply decided not to worry.

Things have a way of working out.

- I don't understand.

- Please tell Mrs. Johnson not to bother about my lunch.

- All right.

Are you sure you're gonna be all right?

- Of course.

I'm fine.

♪♪

♪♪

- Ah, Elizabeth.

I'd been wondering where you've been keeping yourself.

- Have you?

- I was beginning to think you were planning on

sleeping the day away.

It's much too fine a day for that.

- Is it?

- Would you come into the drawing room please?

I wish to speak to you.

- Later, I'm going for a walk now.

- It'll only take a minute, Elizabeth.

And it's very important.

- All right.

- Please, sit down.

- What is it?

- It's about our wedding, Liz.

- Our wedding? What about it?

- Well, now first of all, I want you to realize that

I have your best interests at heart.

- Have you?

- But I know you may not believe it but I do.

- Now, I realize of course that you have a considerable

reputation to maintain in this town.

When a Collins marries,

the whole community knows about it

and is talking about it.

- What does that mean?

- Well, it means that we can't just rush off to City Hall

and go through the motions in front of some

justice of the peace.

I mean, I think our wedding

should have more dignity than that.

Well...

I'd like it to be held here in this room.

- Here?

- Why, yes, it seems fitting somehow

that a Collins should be married here

with the immediate family in attendance.

You do agree with me, don't you?

- I suppose so.

- Well... I'm glad we agree.

- It might as well be here.

I-- I really don't care where it is.

- Oh, but I do.

- Then we'll have it here.

- Well, good.

Now...

who is the most prominent judge in the community?

- Judge Crathorne.

- Ah, Judge Crathorne. Yes.

Would you ask him to officiate at that ceremony?

- Yes. - Good.

Excellent.

- Anything else?

- Well, yes.

I was thinking we ought to have a reception.

A rather large reception, actually.

I think it's only proper to invite

a few men from the cannery and their wives

and some of the more prominent families in town,

about or in all.

Oh, I realize that sounds like an awful lot

but, well, after all, Liz,

we want our wedding to be absolutely proper, don't we?

- Yes.

- Well then, you agree to the reception?

- I suppose so.

- Well, I must say, you're being very agreeable today.

- There's no point in not being agreeable.

- I'm glad you realize that.

- I do.

- Well, good then.

I suppose we had better get on with the plans

for the reception.

Now, I was thinking about serving

Champagne and caviar.

What do you think?

- I'll leave that up to you.

- Then you won't object

if I tell Mrs. Johnson what to order?

- Go ahead.

- Well, then, I think we ought to have flowers too,

banks of them.

I don't know why flowers are so necessary at weddings

and funerals, but they are.

- Well, order what you like.

Is that all?

- Ah, well, no, Liz.

There is just one little detail.

It's my wardrobe, Liz.

I'm afraid it doesn't quite include

the proper dress for a bridegroom.

And you see, my funds are rather low and--

- Then go to the local haberdashery--

you know where he is-- and charge whatever you want.

- Why, Liz, your generosity overwhelms me.

- Is that all?

I'd like to go for my walk.

- I must say, your attitude pleases me very much.

And, uh...

it also has me a bit puzzled.

- Puzzled, why?

- Well, you haven't always been so...

acquiescent.

- Perhaps not.

♪♪

- Why the change?

You haven't got a trick up your sleeve, have you?

- Trick?

- You don't think there's a way out of this do you?

Because there isn't.

- I know there's only one way out.

- Yes, that's right.

By keeping our little secret in the family.

- Yes.

- Well, then...

I see you've decided to accept the situation gracefully.

- Yes.

And now may I go for my walk?

- Of course.

♪♪

♪♪

[wind whistling]

- Oh, Mrs. Stoddard.

- Mrs. Johnson.

You startled me.

What are you doing out here?

- Well, I came looking for you.

I was beginning to be worried.

- Why?

- Well, do you know what time it is?

It's coming on to be :.

You've been outside for hours.

- Have I? - Yes.

What are you doing up here?

- I-- I like it up here.

- Well, it's dangerous up on this cliff.

You could miss your step and fall.

- I won't fall.

I... I know the property too well.

- Well, just the same, you oughtn't to be here.

It's getting very dark.

- I'll return to the house in a few minutes.

- Well...

Oh, Mrs. Stoddard.

- Yes?

- Mr. McGuire says that

you'll be wanting to have a really big wedding reception,

about or people.

Is that true?

- Yes.

- Well, I don't know if I can handle

all that many people by myself.

- We'll get in extra help.

- Do you really want a big wedding reception?

- Mr. McGuire does.

- Do you? - Of course. I...

I want what he wants.

- All right, if you say so.

- It is getting dark.

I... I hadn't noticed.

- Listen to that wind. - Yes.

- Ooh, I don't see what you like about this place.

It gives me the creeps.

- Why?

- Isn't this where they died, those widows?

- Yes.

- I don't know if I believe those legends.

I don't like to hear some of them.

- It isn't just a legend.

The widows actually died here...

all three of them.

- That's what they say.

- The first was Rachel Comstock.

She was the wife of a fisherman.

He died when his fishing boat was lost at sea.

Her five sons, all of them sailors...

were lost at sea, too.

When they brought her the news,

she could only say a few words

over and over again.

"The sea is my grave...

my grave is the sea."

And so it was.

She came to this place one night

carrying six white roses.

Six.

For every man who was lost.

She threw them into the sea

and then jumped to her death.

- I've heard that legend before.

It makes my blood run cold.

- Abigail Tolliver was the second to die.

She was a bride,

only married a few days when her husband was found dead...

dead by drowning.

She followed him into the sea.

Her bridal bouquet was found on the rocks by her body.

The last to die was Margaret Findley.

- I don't know if I wanna hear about her.

- Margaret Findley...

her husband lost in a storm at sea.

She came up here on that same stormy night

and followed the others.

- Why would anyone want to die that way?

- They died because their lives were hopeless.

- I've heard the rest of the legend is

that they're supposed to be waiting for

a fourth one to join them?

- Yes.

- People can talk about those legends,

I don't like to even think about them.

- I don't either.

- Oh...

What a way to die.

Look at those rocks below, look at them.

- What?

- I said look at those rocks.

What a way to die!

- Well, we better be getting back, Mrs. Stoddard.

- I... - What is it?

- I... - What's wrong?

Oh!

Here!

- Oh, I feel faint. - Oh, here.

You just lean on me, I'll help you back.

- I'll be all right.

- Here. - Thank you.

[wind whistling]

♪♪

♪♪

- Are you sure you're all right?

- Yes, I-- I don't know what came over me.

- Well, you still look pale to me.

Isn't there anything I can get you?

- No, thank you, I'm all right.

- Liz!

We've all been worrying about you.

Where have you been?

- Just out for a walk.

There was no need for you to worry.

I think I'll go up to my room and rest for a while.

- Wait just a minute, Liz.

I have something for you.

- Something for me?

- Yes, would you come into the drawing room

for a moment please?

- All right.

- Oh, excuse me.

- Oh don't leave, Miss Winters.

We don't mind if you stay, do we, Liz?

- No.

- Your wedding present.

- Wedding present?

- Well, it isn't much but I hope you like it.

I wanted you to have it.

Well, aren't you going to open it?

- Yes.

- Well? Do you like it?

- It's lovely.

- Its value is only sentimental, I'm afraid.

It belonged to my mother

and I wanted you to have it, Liz.

- Thank you.

- Here, let me put it on for you.

- All right.

♪♪

- There.

Well, it's very becoming.

My mother wore that 'til the day she died.

- I... I am tired.

I... I think I'll go up to my room

and rest for awhile before dinner.

- Oh, yes, dear. Why don't you do that?

Dear Liz...

I think she was quite touched

with my little wedding gift, don't you?

- I guess so.

- Well...

I'll go have a look at the evening paper.

Oh, Mrs. Johnson...

will you call me when dinner is ready?

- Yes, I will. - Thank you.

- I think something's the matter with Mrs. Stoddard.

- What do you mean?

- Well, the way she disappeared like that and...

You know where I found her?

- Where?

- The top of Widows' Hill.

- What was she doing there?

- Just staring out over the ocean.

And it's a lucky thing I was there

because she almost fainted just before we came home.

- Fainted? - Yes.

I think it was because of what we were talking about.

I got a little shaky myself with that conversation.

- What were you talking about?

- She was telling me the legends about the widows.

- The widows? - Yes.

Who each of them were and how they each came to die.

She seemed very interested in those legends,

and that struck me as odd,

her being that interested in them.

- That is odd.

It's very odd.

[woman] - Elizabeth...

[woman] - Elizabeth...

[woman] - Elizabeth!

- Eliz...

[wind whistling]

- I hear you.

- Elizabeth... - Elizabeth...

- I hear you calling me.

- Elizabeth... - Elizabeth...

- Elizabeth! - Elizabeth!

- Elizabeth!

[women] - Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

- The sea is my grave...

my grave is the sea.

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis production.