1086 - August 23, 1970

[bunniefuu]

[creepy music]

ANNOUNCER: Collinwood in ,

where the spectral forces that have invaded the great house

continue their slow, but certain conquest

of David Collins and Hallie Stokes.

On this night, the children have

heard Julia Hoffman speak of a mysterious staircase,

a stairway she says will lead to a different time.

But their search is not for the stairway,

but for the voices they hear calling them.

Come!

Please come!

Hurry, hurry!

Don't keep us waiting, please!

Follow us!

[creepy music]

BOY: Come!

GIRL: Please come.

BOY: Hurry, follow us.

GIRL: Please, don't keep us waiting.

No!

Hurry!

GIRL: Please come in.

No, David, we mustn't, we mustn't!

BOY: Come!

- They're calling us. - Come to us, please.

BOY: Please hurry, please!

Look, David!

They're gone!

Where did they go?

No, David!

We mustn't.

Follow, were we gonna follow?

You started to, and you wanted me to go too.

Yes, up the stairs.

Carrie and Tad!

David, don't!

The staircase, where did it come from?

A closet!

The staircase is gone!

Carrie and Tad, where are they?

What happened?

- Quentin. - Hmm?

Do you know where Julie and Barnabas are?

They're down at the old house pouring over some papers

and books, why?

Well, I didn't want them to overhear me.

I don't want to encourage them in their...

ridiculous prophecies.

What might encourage them?

Oh, nothing very important, but I must admit,

I do feel a sense of something in this house.

Like what?

I can't explain it.

But you do feel a presence or something?

No, nothing like that.

Well, have you seen or heard anything?

Quentin, please, save the ghost stories

for Julia and Barnabas!

Well, all I'm trying to do is--

Well, I'm just trying to find out exactly

what it is you're talking about.

Well, I read something in my horoscope today

that made me rather uneasy, that's all.

QUENTIN: And what was it?

Well, it said that a loved one

was going to meet a stranger.

Oh, what kind of a stranger?

ELIZABETH: It didn't say,

sometimes it's all so ambiguous.

Yes, like life itself.

Yes, a loved one could be anyone in this house.

Stranger.

Quentin, you haven't seen any strangers

on the grounds today, have you?

No.

No one.

Quentin, are you sure?

Elizabeth, I haven't seen anyone today or tonight,

that I haven't seen before.

I swear it.

[dramatic music]

The important thing is, we, we didn't follow 'em.

But we almost did.

And if we had--

David, do you realize what would have happened?

Yes, we would have been lost from our own time forever.

Where nobody could ever find us.

David, what are we going to do?

Nothing!

We can't do anything, I know that now.

HALLIE: Yes, we can.

- We can run away! - Run away?

Yes, from Collinwood!

From Collinsport!

Far away from, from this place, where they can't find us,

where they can't follow us!

DAVID: They would.

No, they wouldn't.

Not if we were far away from the, the play room,

and the stairway, from the rooms in this house.

Oh David, please, we've got to!

Do you really think it would work?

We've got to try.

There's nothing else left!

Come on.

Be quiet.

It's locked!

Somebody locked the door!

[dramatic music]

Come on, don't cry!

Let me see if the door's still locked.

HALLIE: It is, we know it is.

Maybe if I bang on it, maybe somebody will hear it.

HALLIE: No, we can't.

I'm not gonna stay in here.

But how are we gonna explain it?

Who are gonna say had locked the door?

The ghost of Miss Daphne?

Or Carrie, or Tad?

No, David, we can't.

I'm not gonna stay locked up in here.

It won't be for long.

They'll come to us and they'll tell us what to do.

And we'll do it.

You can wait for them but I'm not.

What are you doing?

I'm gonna go and unlock the door.

HALLIE: How?

I'm gonna climb out the window.

Down to the next ledge and down the lattice work,

then I'll come around and unlock it.

HALLIE: David, don't!

DAVID: I can't just stand around here and do nothing.

HALLIE: David, it's dangerous!

David, let me come with you.

No, you might fall.

HALLIE: But David, I don't wanna be alone in this room.

DAVID: Don't worry, I won't be long.

[wind howls]

David, please!

Please don't go!

Please be careful!

Please!

[wind howls]

[eerie music]

You're here, aren't you?

Daphne?

I can smell the lilacs.

You're going to punish us.

But we didn't run away.

We couldn't!

You can stop us from doing anything.

We can't do anything.

We're lost.

We're lost.

[crying]

Hallie, is that you?

Hallie, are you in there?

Yes, Mrs. Stoddard!

ELIZABETH: Well, why are you crying?

Open the door.

I can't.

You what?

HALLIE: It's locked from the outside.

Hallie, who locked you in this room?

Hallie?

I want to know who locked that door.

No one.

Now, that's ridiculous, someone had to lock you in here

and I insist on knowing who it was.

Was it David?

Answer me, Hallie!

Was it David?

Yes, it was David.

[bell chiming]

[eerie music]

The stranger...

Well...

I wish you were a stranger, Daphne.

I wish I'd never seen you!

Oh, but I know that when the scent of lilacs come,

oh, I shall be lost to you.

Then perhaps I'm the stranger, yes.

Yes, now I...

I wonder what,

I wonder what Quentin would be doing now,

would he be silent?

I wonder if I'm Quentin or I wonder if I'm a stranger.

Who are you talking to?

The dregs, David, the dregs of this glass,

that's where all the answers are.

I thought you said something about a stranger.

Oh well, I'm in immediate danger of becoming

a stranger to my glass, but that can be easily remedied.

Yes, it can be.

Ah ha ha, friends again.

Well, good night.

Yes.

Good night to all of us.

[curious music]

David?

Yes, Quentin?

Are you all right?

All right?

Why, yes, I am.

[curious music]

Hallie, there must have been some reason for David

doing this cruel and stupid thing.

Can't you tell me exactly what happened?

He, he just locked the door, that's all.

But you're trembling, there must be more to it than that!

There isn't, please, there isn't!

[door opens]

David, come in here.

There's something very strange going on

and I wanna know exactly what it is.

[dramatic music]

David, did you lock Hallie in this room?

Yes, ma'am.

ELIZABETH: But why, can't you see you frightened her?

DAVID: I didn't mean to.

That's right, Mrs. Stoddard, I was being silly.

Now, please, Hallie, I don't want you

to make apologies for David.

Why did you do it?

Well, it was only a game.

A game?

I can't believe my ears.

Do you realize what a cruel and stupid thing you did?

DAVID: Yes, ma'am.

ELIZABETH: I can't imagine what kind of person

would do a thing like that, can you?

No.

Well, game or no game, I'm shocked and disappointed.

Hallie is our guest, and we're supposed to do everything we

can to make her life pleasant and comfortable

while she's here.

Now.

I'm sorry.

I want you to apologize to Hallie.

Please, Mrs. Stoddard, it was my fault as much as his.

I was playing the game, too.

I'm sorry, Hallie.

You don't know how sorry I truly am.

Yes, I do, David.

I know you would never do anything to hurt me.

Well, off to bed, both of you.

And David, I don't want to find you outside

this room again tonight, is that clear?

DAVID: Yes.

It's probably safer having him in here alone,

away from strangers.

Well, good night, both of you.

David, strangers, what does she mean?

Do you think she knows?

DAVID: I don't know.

Quentin said something about strangers earlier.

Oh, we've got to be careful.

They mustn't ever find out.

DAVID: I wish they would.

But they won't, ever!

Because we won't tell them.

Hallie, wait!

What?

Look on the mast.

There's a flag.

HALLIE: Pirate's flag.

DAVID: That wasn't there before.

No, it wasn't,

I know it wasn't.

Then who put it there?

I don't know,

I don't wanna know.

[eerie music]

No.

Quentin, what is it?

Oh, nothing, nothing.

What are you reading?

Oh, it's just a diary that I found for Julia.

Oh, I'd like to see it.

Oh, it's just, just some ravings

by a mad ancestor of ours who's name is, Quentin Collins,

of course.

He happens to be a great-grand-uncle of mine.

Now I am curious.

Oh, it's all rather ridiculous, honest.

May I?

[dramatic music]

The entry is the same date as today!

But it's !

QUENTIN: Yes.

Is this what you were reading?

QUENTIN: Yes.

What does it mean?

QUENTIN: Exactly what it says, I suppose.

Tomorrow, we bury Carrie and Tad.

[suspenseful music]

[eerie music]

Asleep, safe.

No strangers to trouble his day.

The day is over and nothing happened.

He's all right.

And I thank God for it.

[eerie music]

[spooky music]

[door squeaks]

[spooky music]

[rattling]

[door opens]

Quentin, Quentin!

Where are they?

Take me to where they are.

No, you can't go in there.

I must see them, I must be with them!

[screaming]

[sobbing]

QUENTIN:Elizabeth, we did all we could.

[door opens]

QUENTIN: All right, it's gonna be all right.

ELIZABETH: No.

QUENTIN: Listen to me, some things in this world

we can do nothing about.

ELIZABETH: Oh no!

QUENTIN: All right.

[sobbing]

[eerie music]

[dramatic music]

DAVID: No, no!

[suspenseful music]

[heavy breathing]

HALLIE: You had a dream, I know.

Yes.

A horrible-looking man led us down the stairs.

I know, please, I know.

Who was he?

Who was he?

David, look!

[eerie music]

[screaming]

[creepy music]