[Opening title music] [Church bell tolls] [Narrator] Are you awake Count Magnus? [Narrator] Are you asleep Count Magnus? [Narrator] I stood in the
shadow of Roebeck Hall... home to the distinguished
De la Gardi family I had planned to pen my next
travel book on Scandinavia and I had most generously been given access to all parts of the De la Gardi
Family Home and estates in Sweden according to the family
letters and other documents which I had kindly been given permission
to peruse in the course
of my studies the most notorious member of the family... Count Magnus De la Gardi
was a most cruel fellow... with a keen interest in
matters alchemical and occult there were distressing
accounts not only of floggings and even brandings
meted out to his tenants... but the most trifling of
offenses against punctuality but also, scarse credible... Of men burnt alive with
their families in homes the land of which adjoined the Count's own rumor had it that the Count
had made the black pilgrimage to
the ruined Galilean city of Corazin in which so prophecy would have it... The Antichrist was to be born. It was widely believed
that he had brought back with him from his travels,
someone or something but as to the nature of this
companion I could discover nothing. [Monstrous evil gurgling] [Narrator] There was also a library to
which I was given unrestricted access and which proved to
contain many fascinating papers dating back several centuries. 'If any man desires to obtain a long life if he
would obtain a faithful messenger
and see the blood of his enemies' - Oh! I was staying at a local Inn and
Roebeck house was but a short walk away in the course of which I should have to
pass the church and its adjoining Mausoleum which contained the remains of the Count. This Mausoleum was a
quaint eight-sided building built at the Eastern
end of the north Isle. The ceiling of the church was adorned
with a most hideous last judgment... full of lurid flames, falling
cities, burning ships, crying
souls and ghastly grinning demons. It reminded me of a tale The
Innkeeper had told me the previous night. The Count had been
dead a hundred years or so when two local men
decided to poach on his land despite warnings that they would meet with
persons walking who should not be walking. [Ominous music] [Count Magnus laughs] [Monstrous gurgling] [Poacher screams] [Narrator] The screams were so loud as to be clearly audible
in the village below and the next day a small party
was sent out to recover
them. What the fellows in
the search party found... was so shocking that they
would never speak of it again. One poacher was still alive
but stood rooted to the spot his back to a tree trunk
seemingly trying to... push away an unseen assailant. The other, quite dead... but had all the flesh
stripped from his face... so that his eyes could not be closed... for there were no lids
with which to close them. The survivor died within the
week and soon it was whispered... that the Count had
claimed an
other two victims. [Cound Magnnus laughs] [Narrator] That night I had the
most terrifying and astonishing dream. [Mysterious music] [Count Magnus laughs] [Demon roars] [Ominous music, bells toll and demons roar] [Rising moaning of spirits] [Dark music rises] [Monstrous gurgling rises] [Narrator gasps] [Narrator] Daylight, thank goodness! [Ticking clock] The next day we visited the Mausoleum. The interior was surprisingly well lit and the central space was occupied by three sarcophagi. Two of the
se borea
large crucifix upon the lid but the third had none only a full-length effigy but it was the scenes engraved
around this effigy that was so strange... Very strange. [Ominous music] Ah, this must be the Count's
mysterious companion! My goodness what is this?
Only one padlock is secure. I tried to close the two
padlocks unsuccessfully. I bid good night to the Count and made my way back to the Inn. The next few days was spent scouring
the family records, most pleasant! But I found myself su
ffering from a strange
compulsion to visit the Count once more. I resolved to call upon him one last time on my way back to the Inn in the evening. I had you should
understand received an urgent letter requesting my
immediate return to England. Ah Count Magnus we meet for the last time. [Padlocl opens] But what is this? My goodness! How on Earth? [Coffin creaks and
monstrous gurgling rises] [Creature gurgles] [Narrator] What is this done? The next day I began my
journey back to England. I put la
st night's terror
to the back of my mind... but I could not rid myself of the idea
that I had not locked the door behind... me the voyage by steamer
was comfortable enough yet I could have sworn that I
kept glimpsing two odd figures one tall and cloaked with
a broad brimmed hat... the other short and shrouded in some dark hooded garment. They had an air of familiarity about them but perhaps my mind was playing tricks. I landed at Harwich
where I took a carriage. It was about nine o'clock that we
approached the
village of Belsham Saint Paul. We came to a crossroad... and I saw them again! [Thunder] I am being toyed with I fear! [Thunder clap] [Narrator] I find myself
in decent lodgings... I'm to be quite comfortable... [Whispers] They are closer now! [Footsteps creak] What's that on the stair?! Count Magnus, you have found
me! Oh no...[Door creaks open] I beg you... oh oh! [Screams] [Creature gurgles and Count Magnus laughs] [Narrator] Are you awake Count Magnus? [Eerie wind] [Narrator]
It was December. The Easterly wind lashed at my face... I was lost. Snow began to fall and cover the
bleak landscape with a blanket of ice. [Wind blows] Darkness descended as I
approached a Crossroads. I would not have known it
but for crooked wooden sign. I longed to lie down and
ease my aching bones, but in this weather I would surely die! [Horses whinny] What is that? Dear God I am saved! But nobody was there... As disappointment crept across my face... I resolved myself to continuing my jou
rney. Where was I going? I could not say I could not see but through the dark I
noticed a flickering light the light grew brighter as it approached an elderly man carrying a lantern. My rescue! He kindly agreed to put me up for the night
putting my thoughts of perishing to rest. He led me to his modest home and my heart leapt at
the sight of a roaring fire. We pulled our chairs close to the hearth and the gentleman told me about his life as
the fire thawed the frost from my fingers. [Fire crackl
es] His sad tale was one of
self-imposed exile and humiliation. I realized his only company with the tools
of his trade which lined the dusty shelves. He seemed to forget I
was sitting beside him as he mused on philosophies
and scientific speculations. His voice dripped with despair
as he told me of his loneliness. Growing uncomfortable with such intimacy... I walked to the window
and sighed with a relief to realize the snow had stopped falling! I informed my host I would be on my way. The elder
ly man told me
I was foolish to attempt the 20-mile walk back to
my lodgings in Dwolding yet my heart yearned to see my wife again to feel the warmth and
security of her embrace. Her heart would be breaking
with terror and suspense that I had not yet
returned from my travels. "Be careful' my host warned..." [Old man] 'The road is deadly! Nine
years ago there was a terrible accident... 'Six lives were lost on a
treacherous night just like this!' 'The overnight mail coat
slipped on the broken para
pet and plunged
into the valley below...' [Screams] 'None of the Travelers survived...!' Once again we drank in the silence
of the cold and barren landscape. The journey to the crossroads
seems swift by comparison and soon it was time for
me to part with my host. I thanked him for his
hospitality as we parted. I walked on alone convinced I was lost when through the darkness I saw... the unmistakable lights
of approaching coach! The coach moved without sound... the snow cloaking the
hooves of the
horses... their hot breaths
steaming from their flared nostrils like a locomotive [horses whinny] the coach glided past me and I feared
that The Coachman hadn't seen me I opened my mouth to cry out
as the coach came to a standstill I ran toward the vehicle and embarked. [Horses hooves] Though impossible it felt colder inside
the coach than outside in the fresh air. I had three fellow passengers but none of them turned to acknowledge me rather too lost in their
own thoughts stories. [Low ominous
music] I became aware terrible stench that created a rising sickness within me. I carefully tried to open the window but the leather strap broke off in my hand. As my eyes gew accustomed to the dark... I was able to fully
appreciate my surroundings. The frayed and rotting fabric... mildew on the glass... rotten planks of wood
crumbled beneath my feet... exposing the snow covered
track beneath the carriage I gasped with horror! But my fellow passengers
remained still and silent. The gentleman si
tting
opposite slowly raised his head. Moonlight Illuminating his pale waxy skin the dew of the grave in his hair. A corpse! The two other passengers turned to me... the only life life burning
from their empty eye sockets! [Roaring] [He screams] [Horses whinny] [Crashing] [Narrator] Darkness. I slowly blinked open my eyes and rejoiced as I recognized my dear wife at my side. I was alive we were together and that was all that mattered. I had been found by two
Shepherds on a snow drift it had save
d me from dashing on the rocks they had dragged me to the village and summoned my wife from
the address in my wallet. As I stared into my wife's eyes. I thanked God for my survival last night I had been
the fourth passenger in... that Phantom Coach! [Horses] [Thunder] [Narrator] My dear Robert, this is a curious letter to be
writing for I am truly at a loss. I sit here on Boxing Day... far from you and your family... and sad that I was obliged to decline your kind invitation to spend
Christmas D
ay at your festive board. Now I am alone... perhaps I can tell you a little more
about the disappearance of Uncle Henry. [Mr Punch's evil laugh] [Bell tolls] [Crackling fire and bell] [Narrator] The facts are these: On Friday the 19th he went as
usual shortly before five o'clock to read evening prayers at the church and when they were
over set off to pay a visit to a sick person in a
cottage some 2 miles away. He paid the visit and started on his
return journey at about half past six. This is th
e last that is known of him. Poor Mrs hunt his housekeeper of
many years standing is quite overcome and it is to be presumed
that our poor uncle was attacked on his way home
by ...persons unknown. Perhaps his assailants
thought he was carrying money... [Fire crackles] The Bow Street men say they have
found no clue and have left the town. This evening I had company
in the shape of a bagman he had been on the roads
for some days about here but had nothing to tell of
any suspicious characters. Alth
ough he was very full of
a capital Punch & Judy show with the most wonderful Toby dog! He advised me to be sure not to
miss it if it should come to town. My reason for telling you all this relates
to a dream Sir which, I am going to record and I must say it is one
of the oddest I have had. I crave your patience in this for it seems to hint at
some explanation for the... dramatic conclusion of my story. It began with what I can only
describe as a pulling aside of curtains and I found myself seate
d
in some ill-defined space. There were people on either
side of me they never spoke. They were all grave and pale-faced and staring fixedly ahead. [Ominous bell] [Scary music] [Mr. Punch laughs] Tee hee ha ha! [Mr.Punch] Hello boys and girls [Giggles] let's play a trick on old Joey eh! Joey...! Oh Joey...? Where are you? [Distorted fairground music] [Footsteps] [Thud - screams] [Mr. Punch] That's the way to do it! [Screaming] [Mr. Punch] Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Poor Joey! [Bell tolls] [Mr. Pun
ch] Oh look... There's Judy with the baby... Hello ickle baby! [Mr. Punch] Coo coo coo! [Baby cries] [Mr. Punch] Looking after baby! [Mr. Punch] Coo coo coo! [Judy] Oh no Mr. Punch..oh no! [All scream] [Struggling] [Intense chords] [Thump] [Thumping and screaming] [Mr. Punch] That's the way to do it! [Mr. Punch] That's the way to do it! [Siren and Mr. Punch laughing] [Footsteps] [Footsteps] [Running footsteps] [Mr. Punch laughs and screams] [Threatening music] [Mr. Punch laughs - distorted organ
music] [Unearthly creaking-distorted organ music] [Dark soundscape] [Creaking] [Mr. Punch cries in terror] [Creaking] [Mr. Punch cries in terror] [Mr. Punch cries out in terror] [Dark soundscape builds] [Creaking] [Mr. Punch] Oh dear oh dear oh dear! [Mr. Punch screams] [Owl] [Narrator] There is a reason
why I'm telling you this Robert... the body has been found. It was surely the strangest
Christmas Day that ever I spent... I was settling down to read the
latest number of the Pickwick.. When I
noticed a commotion in
the marketplace outside my window it was a Punch & Judy show... and I can tell you it
gave me quite a shiver... and not entirely one of delight... and due doubtless in part to
my dream of the night before. The names of the two
proprietors on both however were Italian not the
English ones of my dream. This time the Toby dog was there... and I was able to watch the
proceedings from my window. [Cheerful organ music] The play began and it seemed the
whole of Bicester must be
in attendance. My newfound squeamishness
abated. I laughed heartily as Mr. Punch dealt with his adversaries even
when he did away with the baby! Finally the hangman came
to punish the guilty fellow. But I could see something amiss from my
vantage point that the audience could not. There slowly rose for a few
seconds an uncovered face... with an expression of terror upon it! The showman himself was being
forcibly lifted towards his own gibbit! Behind him in the gloom
of the booth I could... just
make out someone's
head shrouded in a hood... like the one a hangman
places on a condemned fellon. [Struggle then running] [Booth collapses] [Narrator] Everybody gave chase. I followed albeit at a
slightly slower pace. It happened in a chalk pit. [Screams] The man went over the edge
quite blindly and broke his neck. [Ominous music] [Narrator] We searched
everywhere for the other... Until he too was found dead... beneath the overturned Showbox. But it was in the chalk pit that the
body of poor Un
cle Henry was found... with a sack over the head. And the throat horribly mangled. I cannot bring myself
to write in greater detail. Oh I forgot to say that the men's
real names were Kidman and Gallop. No one here seems to
know anything about them... but it is my belief that they have
received just such punishment as they deserved for the
murder of Uncle Henry. [Dramatic music] [Narrator] I am coming to you
as soon as I can after the funeral. I must tell you when we
meet, what I think of it all.
[Underwater] [Wind blows] [Clock chimes] [Narrator faint] It is a
very singular thing... It is very singular. People are always asking if
anyone has ever seen a ghost. I have. [Ship's horn] [Narrator] The Kamtschatka
was one of my favorite ships I say was because she no longer is. Those of us who crossed
the pond with regularity do not take voyages of this length lightly and many sailors will wait for their
favorite ships before making passage. [Boatyard and seagulls] ['Narrator] '105 if you pl
ease'. The steward took my portmanteau, a
strange expression came over his face... he muttered under his breath and led
me below deck to 105 on the port side. The steward deposited my things
and seeing he was anxious to leave... I pressed three coins in his hand
before he scurried off to his other duties. [Ship's engine] [Narrator] We left punctually,
the motion of the steamer providing a refreshing breeze
in the warm and sultry weather. [The sea and seagulls] The usual sights took my interest.
Passengers paced the deck staring at
each other and the odd chance meeting of friends who didn't know
the other was on board. That night I turned in early to my surprise and
dismay I discovered I had a roommate for the
duration of the passage. The threadbare curtains were almost pulled
revealing his possessions neatly laid out. [Sombre piano and dark music] [Groaning] [Narrator] What on Earth? [Shivers] Good Lord the room was freezing. It was as if I was out in the open air. [Thumping and moanin
g] [Running footsteps] Poor fellow, he must be seasick and I was in the worst
place for it on the lower birth. I closed my eyes and dozed until daybreak. [Ship's horn] The next morning I
dressed hurriedly, keen to avoid my roommate
and rushed out onto deck. There the ship's doctor was
grabbing a breath of fresh air himself. 'Fine morning' he greeted me. 'Indeed' said I. 'Despite the damp in my room that
has rather chilled me to the bone '. 'Damp?' he exclaimed 'That's
unusual whereabouts are you
?' 'One hundred and five' The same look that took the steward now passed over the doctor's face. [Narrator] I should complain! And to add to that I have
a deuce of a roommate that takes to bolting
out of bed in the middle of the night leaving
the porthole wide open! 'Look' said the Doctor
'I don't wish to alarm you but the last three
people to have slept in 105 have all gone overboard, share my room with me though
I don't know you from Adam it would be my pleasure to
see you away from that room.
The last thing I wanted was to make
a fuss and however silly it seemed I didn't doubt the
sincerity of the good Doctor I decided I would stay put for the
time being and return to my quarters. My roommate must have returned
his curtains were tightly pulled shut. [Waves and seagulls] Later that day the Captain came to find
me asking the whereabouts of my companion fearing he had followed
the others overboard. [Captain] Good afternoon Sir we seem
to be missing your roommate [Fades] Again I decline
d the
offer of another cabin. Now I would have the state room to myself. On the second night I
had just drifted off to sleep. [Wave spalsh] [Thump asn the narrator cries in pain] I was badly bruised and that
wretched porthole was wide open. To add insult to injury I
would be a crown poorer. I had placed a bet with the steward, he said no man could keep the porthole
shut all night and now he was proved right. I was not alone someone or
something was in the upper birth. [Ominous music] [Frightened
breathing] [Horrible scream] [Supernatural screaming] [The ghost breathes] I returned to my room expecting
it to be awash with icy sea water... but to my disappointment
the bedding was dry. 'There is something wrong with that
place I've been frightened half to death!' 'I can tell' said the Captain. Change
your mind about sharing with the Doctor? 'Will you help me?' I asked. 'I will though it is not in my expertise
to meddle with ghostly things.' I refused to believe I had seen a ghost. Together
we set the room... I closed the porthole and
he jammed the door shut. If we see anything now it is our
imagination or something Supernatural. We both sat on the lower birth
our eyes glued to the porthole. [Captain] 'They all jumped jumped
to their death from the stern of the ship a horrified look on each of their faces
as if they were running from the Devil. [Screams echo] [Ghost gurgles] [Narrator] The stench of
rancid salt water filled our nostrils. [Ghost wails] I saw something don't let it
escape! [Porthole creaks] [Underwater] [Ghost wails] [Ghost wails louder] [Heartbeat] [Ominous music] [Captain screams] [Ghost fades] It was gone and miraculously we were alive. Well, do you want to hear more? There is nothing more. That is the end of my story. If you take passage on the Kamtschatka, you will find a different Captain... and cabin 105 permanently engaged. Engaged by that dead thing. [Ghostly breathing] [Rain and thunder] [Wilson] I bequeath to
my only living relative... Mr. John
Humphreys... Willsthorpe Hall and its surrounding
estate including the Willsthorpe maze. [Evil laughter] [Train whistle] [Steam train] [Narrator] I was on my
way back to my new home I never knew my uncle, Mr James Wilson
but he had left me his entire estate. [Train whistle and steam] [Car horn] My agent Mr. Cooper had taken a
great delight in showing me the grounds which, included a fine replica temple
and rather more interestingly a yew maze. [Bird song] [Unlocking and door creak] Ah... Secretu
m Meum
Mihi Et Filis Domus Meae... My secret is for me and
the sons of my house... Well, that would apply to me! I wonder what Uncle
Wilson's secret could be? [Footsteps on leaves] I very quickly found myself at the center. Oh! [Rustling of branches] Oh, the engravings on this
metal Globe are really very odd... This must be Cain... yes! And Chore... ah yes... and the slaughter of Absalon. An assemblage of the Patriarchs of evil perhaps not uninfluenced
by a study of Dante! [Low whispering voices
] Who... who could that be? I say hello? Mr Cooper? Come out I say! Mr Cooper? [Cooper] Ah Mr. Humphreys, Sir I've got these chaps waiting here to give
me a hand clearing out the maze for you. [Narrator] Oh well thank you Mr. Cooper. Please do as much as you can. [Cooper] Blimey! That holds the heat... [Narrator] Odd, this part of the
maze gets no sun all day long. [Laughs] perhaps you are of a
hot temperament Mr. Cooper. [Cooper] Perhaps you're right Sir. [Birdsong] The next day I had the
pleas
ure of showing Mrs and Miss Cooper the
newly cleared walkways. Embarrassingly enough I could
not find my way to the center... [Chuckles] In the end we had to give
up and went back to the house for tea. As we approached the house I noticed
something I had never observed before... a yew tree by the window to the dining room it had the unmistakable form the
man reaching toward the window. How very curious... I spent the remainder of the
evening in Uncle Wilson's Library. [Clock chimes] I came acros
s a rather
interesting collection of sermons and meditations
concerning a man who'd journeyed into a maze to uncover a precious Jewel and was
never seen again more. How very appropriate! At the center of this Labyrinth
there was a jewel of such price and rarity that would enrich
the finder thereof for his life. When they fell as stillness
again, he distinguished a trampling of running
feet coming very close behind him wherewith he was so daunted that
he continued to run until the dawn broke. A m
ore dreadful night was
never spent by mortal creature than that he had endured in that Labyrinth. [Yawns] The pains he had suffered... [Snores] [Voices echo] Cain... Cain! [Voice] Welcome fellow brothers of Cain... One of you has been chosen... Step forward Wilson! [Voices echo] Draco... Draco... Draco! [Demon screams] [Voices echo] Burn..Burn Burn! [Wilson screams] [Voice] BURN! Oh my goodness! What a thought oh! I took myself to bed. In the morning Lady Wardrop a local
curator of mazes would b
e dropping by. [Birdsong] [Car horn] [Lady Wardrop] Ah Mr. Humphreys...
so good of you to see me. At last I shall glimpse the
Willsthorpe maze with my own eyes. A happy happy day! Lady Wardrop seemed delighted
as we made a thorough exploration. I wondered why my uncle
had refused her visitation. She led the way, this one she already
knew must date from around 1780. The globe moreover completely absorbed her. [Lady Wardrop] Oh! I
should like a rubbing of that if it could possibly be made? I shoul
dn't like to take
any liberties here... don't you feel that a... a
watch is being kept on us...? And that if we overstepped the
mark in any way there would be... well... a pounce? [Narrator] I can't say that I... [Lady Wardrop] My dear Mr Humphreys, I'm not sure that I
shan't forgive you if I find next spring that that
maze has been grubbed up! I had promised her a sketched
plan of the maze by the next day which I sat down to complete that evening. [Scratching at the window] [Scratching at the w
indow] [Ink splash] Oh, drat! But what in the name of...? [Water splashing] Before me, there appeared a hole... A hole, that seemed to go through the paper
and desk through to the floor below...! I... stared into an infinite abyss! [He gasps] [Sinister music] [Sinister cackling] [He screams] Mr. Cooper summoned the doctor and I... I... was confined to my bed to rest. In the final clearing of the
maze the globe was broken... Its contents? Ashes! Which one could assume were the
final remains of my
uncle James Wilson. [Thunder clap] [Julia Stone] Jack will
show you to your room... I have given you the rule in the tower! [Thunder] [Narrator] There she was again, that
voice coming to me night after night... A voice that had haunted me on and
off for longer than I can care to remember. [Thunder] Every night I'd close my
eyes and be back at that house. [Door creaks open] I'd arrive just as tea
was ready to be served. I would always be greeted by
the same group of somber figures. The air was s
tifling hot. And my friend Jack stood there
at the back behind his mother... Julia Stone, glaring at me. [Rustling paper] [Rustling paper] [Chair dragging] [Rustling paper] [Julia Stone] Jack will
show you to your room... I have given you the room in the tower! [Screaming] My heart sank, dread crept over me... and I could not say why... What terror was waiting for me? [Jack] Your room... friend. [Paper rustles] [Frightening chord] As the years passed I had gotten
to know the house quite well...
there was a smoking room, always so dark. [Door creaks open] There was a figure there too, always
hiding in the shadows watching me... [Terrifying soundscape] I could never figure out who it was. Marriage and death would leave
its indelible mark on the family... Jack once a strong young man... no more and Mrs Stone. And Mrs. Stone... [Disturbing soundscape] [Julia Stone rasping] Jack
will show you into your room... I have given you the room in the tower! [Screams] It had been six months
since I'
d last had the dream... and this time there was one
figure noticeable by her absence. [Gates creak open] [Julia Stone rasping] Jack
will show you to your room... I have given you the room in the tower! [Thunder] The next summer I was
at my lodgings in London when my dear friend
John called in to collect me. Together we took the 11:45 from Victoria
to visit his family home in the country. [Footsteps on gravel] No... it can't be! [Rising drone] The house was the same... but this time friendly face
s greeted me. [Mrs Clayton] Ah Oliver, such a pleasure... we've heard so much about you, you must make yourself at home. John will show you to your room... I have given you the room... in the tower. [Crows] [He gasps] No! There is something terrible... Terrible in that room! [Birdsong and crows] [Footsteps and ominous music] I looked around the room I had never seen. On the wall opposite my
bed was a huge painting. A face I recognized... Julia Stone was as I remembered her... Emanating evil. It
was a self-portrait. There was no way I would sleep
with that abomination in my room... So together John and
I removed the painting. In doing so I cut my hand... or seemed to... blood! There was no cut or injury. [Countryside] [Teaspoon] [Cat purring] [Cat meows] Poor puss, he sees something
that he both hates and fears... I wonder, what does he see? [Thunder and crows] With the portrait in the hallway,
outside my room held no terror for me. I felt I could have slept where I
sat, I was so overco
me with fatigue. I do not know how long I
had been asleep when... [Thunder clap] [Evil laughter] The portrait... but how?! [Whispers] I... was... not... alone! [Julia] I have been long waiting for you... Tonight I shall feast... Before long, we will feast... together! [Dark soundscape] [Narrator] Noooo! [Running footsteps - door opens] [Narrator] Look, the painting! [Ominous soundscape and crumpling paper] I'm not sure if Jon quite believed me... But there was only one
ending for that dreadful p
icture. [Match strikes] Julia Stone was no more. Never again would she visit... the room in the tower. [Thunder clap] [Strong wind] [Indistinct chatter] [Glasses clink] [Narrator] Ah gentlemen... when you have finally passed
the port for the last time... I wonder if I might regail you with a tale set within the confines
of these very walls. Which I have compiled from a series
of diaries found in the attic of the house. Whitminster has a Bluebeards
chamber, a Jack-In-The-Box if you will... awaiti
ng some future occupant of the house. The Diary of Dr Ashton,
December the 13th 1730. Doctor and Mrs Ashton
had no children of their own and had taken into their
care a young orphan boy by the name of Frank. More recently they had also
taken in the son of an old friend the Earl of Kildonan who was traveling overseas. The boy's father felt him
unfit to make the voyage. 'Not that he is sickly'
the Earl wrote 'But that he is given to
mopping about in our wraths and graveyards and he brings home rom
ances
that fright my servants out of their wits!' [Cockerel] it was a Friday and Mrs Ashton's
black Cockerel had gone missing. She sent the boys to look for it but all that could be recovered
were a few black charred feathers. [Chickens clucking] [Low wind] [Dr. Ashton] Abominable! ...Aboninable! [Clock chimes] [Strange howling] [Frank] Keep them off... Keep them
off! Oh help me, help me, keep them off! [Clock chimes fade] Dr Ashton having his suspicions
questioned Saul who explained that young
Frank had taken fright from
a game they had both been playing. That night doctor and Mrs
Ashton sat at Frank's side. A sickness... a fever
had taken hold of him. [Frank] I am afraid for my Lord's
Saul, I am afraid he will be very cold. I am free of them now... I'm sorry about your black
cockerel Mrs Ashton... but he said we must use it so if we
were to see all that could be seen... [Frank struggles and gasps] [Frank dies] [Sinister soundscape] [Church bell tolls] [Indistict religeous chanting] [
Demon howls] [Dark soundscape] [Demons snarl and howl] [Frantic knocking] [Saul] Please let me in... Oh help! [Demons snarl and Saul screams] [Demons howl] [Intense soundscape fades] [Narrator] Whatever had taken
Frank had come back for Lord's Saul. Judging from later entries, Doctor and Mrs Ashton lived on
undisturbed into their old age for there are no further records
of anything out of the ordinary. Over 70 years had passed and the
house welcomed in its new residents... Dr. Oldys. his niece M
ary... their housekeeper Mrs Maple
and various servants in her charge. Mrs Maple was having a
terrible problem with a sawfly infestation in the room
adjoining the Doctors... [Mrs. Maple] So many
sawflies, such terrors! [Narrator] During her cleaning of the
house she found an unusual glass tablet, which the good Doctor thought
might be of interest to Mary. She duly studied it but was not prepared
for what she saw next... Mary could not believe her eyes yet could not tear them away! The only way i
n which
she could calm her nerves was to record her experience in
her journal for a good friend of hers. [Mary] My dearest Emily,
my hand is trembling as I write this but I
must keep record of it do not ask me how... I saw... it was in a glass tablet
found on the ground. I found myself transfixed, mesmerized as
a vision appeared before me in the glass. I saw two boys in the
grounds of the house... an old Crone she she
put something glittering in the youngest's hand...
the same glass tablet and g
ave instructions
for something terrible and then in the view from my very
bedroom window... I saw a sacrifice. [Cockerel crows] [Mary] Blood and burnt
feathers on the ground. The eldest a pale
youth... oh it was horrible... He called them... he called them and they came for him. Hideous creatures crouching low at first
and then swift like like hounds from Hell! The pale boy ran to the door of this
very house and these creatures... they... they tore the flesh from his skin! [Demons howl and Saul
screams] My dear Emily, by some
terrible miracle I have been the unwilling witness to some episode
of tragedy connected to this very house. [Narrator] Later that
night Dr Oldys had finished in his study and was
heading for his bedroom. It was pitch black and his
room was the farthest way. He passed through the
hallway and found himself outside the infested
rule the door was open. [Door creaks] and he could hear
something rustling in the dark. [Faint buzzing of flies] [Footsteps] [Loud flies buzz
ing] [Dr. Olds cries in horror] [Narrator] Dr Oldys wouldn't tell
Mary what had happened to him. His only words were 'Tomorrow tomorrow!' she put him to bed and then made
her way back to her own room... where she slipped uneasily, plagued by terrible dreams. [Rising sinister soundscape] [Shrill violins] [Narrator] The next day another attempt
was made to clear out the infested room. The doctor still would not say what
had happened to him in the night. In the daytime it was
a very well lit room..
. though perhaps not a very airy one. The principal piece of furniture
was a gaunt old press of dark wood locked and incidentally
the resting place of the papers from which
I have distilled my tale. [Dr.Oldys] Mrs Maple... oh Mrs Maple? [Narrator] Dr Oldys
called for Mrs Maple and asked for the keys with
which to unlock the press. [Mrs. Maple mutters] Mrs Maple spoke at great length... a habit of hers about The
house's previous occupants and of how Lord Saul, to whom the
press and contents had b
elonged... had me his somewhat macabre end. He had quite a mysterious reputation being often seen to creep about
at night peering in at the windows. It was believed he was not alone. It was whispered, and it still is that on lonely winter
nights when the fires blaze... his lonely thin ghost... flutters at the windows. [Mrs. Maple] Oh that was many
years ago in the time of Dr Ashton... He was a very fine gentleman... [Narrator] Mrs Maples
meandering train of thought having finally allowed her to
recall the resting place of the keys... the decision was made to move Lord Saul's last
remaining posessions to the attic... where they were shut
up never to be exhumed... Until now that is. Whitinster does indeed have a
Bluebeard's chamber ...a Jack-in-the-Box... awaiting some future occupant of the house. [Tapping at the glass] [Narrator] What is that
tapping rustling at the glass? [Man] I see it... What on Earth? [The men gasp and
explaim] It's real... Good Lord! [Saul] I'm so cold! [Tapping]
So very, very cold. [Man] Them that was with him stripped
the skin leaving an ugly thin ghost. [Sinister drone]
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