Episode 5:
Slideshow
Jean Paul is standing next to the empty canvas of Jacques portrait
with his arms crossed. He walks toward Alison. "I think a portrait of Erica would put a
modern touch to the gallery,” she tells Jean Paul. "It's a thought to think about,” he
tells her with a smile. "Think
about? You baffle me." "Oh why?" he
asks. "You're just not the man I
thought I knew." "Is that good or
bad?" Jacques asks with a smile.
Alison smiles back at him. "I remember when you would jump at the chance
to do anything to please Erica. Jean Paul, I want to see Erica. Where is she?"
she starts up the staircase. "She's
not upstairs...she's below." Jacque points down. "In the family crypt." "What on earth is she doing in the...
No, no she's not! Alison tells Jean Paul turning towards him. "Only temporarily." he says. "What kind of a man are you? Take me to
her!" Jacques smiles "Of course."
He extends his arm out pointing towards the crypt. "Through the archway." Alison gives Jean Paul a shocked look
and heads through the doorway.
Jacques smiles as he looks at his blank portrait, then he leaves Jean
Paul's body. Jean Paul lowers his head.
"Please. Are you coming? Hurry." Alison says as she stands in the
doorway. They both hurry into the crypt.
Quito is carrying a huge cylinder on the stairs, Alison jumps when she
sees him. Jean Paul tells her it's only Quito. She goes around him and enters
the crypt. "I want to see her!" she
cries to Jean Paul. "You can't see
her, the coffin has already been sealed.
Alison notices the cryonics capsule. "Cryonics? You didn't, you
couldn't!" "I love her to much to
just allow her to die." "You froze
her before...!" "No, no!" Jean Paul
tells her. "How do you know? You
aren't a doctor!" "There's one
here, Dr. Menkin. All vital signs of life were gone I assure you." Alison starts sobbing holding the end of
the capsule. Jean Paul tries comforting her, holding her.
Quito is touching the portrait of Jacques. Raxl sees him. "Quito! Your master is Jean Paul
Desmond, no one else. Do you understand? That one belongs in the grave." Alison pulls away from Jean Paul. "I
can't believe it. I can't accept it."
"I don't know what I believe, what I accept these strange days. Sometimes
I don't even realize what I am doing. Something drives me on, some power
stronger than me. Some evil force." Jean Paul tells Alison. "Raxl claims it's
the devil." Alison is looking at
Erica's capsule with a shocked look on her face.
Jean Paul is sitting in a chair in the Great Hall speaking to
Alison. "Erica hadn't been feeling well. So Dr. Menkin took some blood samples
to the Mainland for tests. She was sitting on that couch just as you are now,
when the first attack came. It was devastating. I have never known such fear.
Dr. Menkin called it an ecliptic convulsion." He stands and pours himself a
drink. "I see." Alison replies. She
is curled up on the couch. "Well, I
got her up to her room and put her to bed. Dr. Menkin took over but there was
very little he could do to ease her suffering. Alison stood up and walked to the
fireplace, she looks back at Jean Paul. "And the baby?" "We lost him. But I couldn't care in
that moment. About an hour later when I was holding her in my arms she cried
out, No Jean Paul no, don't let me go. Her body felt like a steel spring under
compression. It felt like it was almost ready to explode. When the spasm hit her
she arched." Alison came back to
Jean Paul to stand next to him.
"There was nothing I could do. Nothing!" "If a doctor could do nothing how could
you be expected to?" Alison tells him.
"All that beauty, all that life. My life, snuffed out as easily as a
candle. How I loved her. How I still love her." Jean Paul says with grief. "My darling Erica gone." Alison says as
she looks away. "But she isn't.
Don't you understand? That is what I am tying to do." "Cryonics is still so new, untested."
Alison tells him. "I will make it
work." Jean Paul tells her.
"Perhaps someday. God willing."
"Alison, this is my Island and I am God here." "Jean Paul!" Alison gives him an angry
look before walking to the fireplace. "Erica's internal organs must be
damaged." Jean Paul talks about
transplants. "There must be brain
damage. You can't transplant a brain."
"All right, if not today, then tomorrow." Jean Paul answers her. Alison starts getting upset. Jean Paul
sends for Raxl to take Alison to her room.
"I wish I could convince you, I wish I could comfort you, comfort
myself." Alison says to Jean Paul. He reaches out and holds Alison. "We both suffered." Jean Paul tells
her. "You know, when I met you on
the Mainland then when we came back to Maljardin you were all charming and
cheerful and a stranger to me. Also your attitude towards Erica. Now
your..." "Raxl, could you take Dr.
Carr to her room please." Jean Paul cuts Alison off with an upset look on his
face. Raxl is standing at the
bottom of the staircase waiting for Alison. Jean Paul stands at the bottom of
the stair watching them, and then angrily strides to Jacques portrait. "Why did you bring her here? Why?" he
shouts. "She's such a delectable
woman. How can I, you, we ever resist. Or let her go." "You swine!" Jean Paul shouts. He then
turns and runs up the staircase.
Raxl comes down the stairs and sees her master Jean Paul Desmond looking
out the window. "Dr. Menkin would
like to leave tonight." she tells him.
"Well that's impossible." Jean Paul walks toward her as he speaks. "He feels he is no longer needed on
Maljardin." "That's true enough,
but tell him he can not leave until tomorrow. Without daylight it's too
torturous to go across." Jean Paul tells her. "I think he does not approve what is
going on here." "I'll talk to him."
Jean Paul says as he leaves the room. Alison comes downstairs and asks Raxl if
she has any aspirin for her headache. After asking about Jean Paul, Raxl tells
her he is talking to Dr. Menkin. Alison question Raxl about Jean Paul and his
strange behavior. Raxl replies.
"This Island is called Garden Of Evil, here the devil walks again." "Devil?" Alison says. Raxl walks to Jacques portrait. "Do you
see this man?" "I see a portrait of
a man." Alison replied. "Who died
three hundred years ago." Raxl tells her.
"He looks amazingly like Jean Paul,” says Alison. "Jacques Eloi Des
Mondes, he's an ancestor." "Or
maybe more. He married and brought his wife to this Island to bear his child.
Once he used her for that he decided he didn't want her anymore. As he killed
her we took our revenge." Raxl tells Alison. "Killed. Revenge. We, who Raxl?" Alison
asks. "In my faith we believe, to
God belongs the soul. To the devil the body. All my life is to escape the burden
of sin. And the true hell forever is when men cannot escape the flesh he was
born into." "Forgive me Raxl." "Hear me out, to condemn someone he must
be trapped eternally in the body. An effigy in the form of a doll is the spell
to bind him and a silver nail through the doll's brain destroys all help for
salvation." "Silver nail, your
talking about witchcraft Raxl."
"There are many who believe, of those of us who do it is not witchcraft.
In the crypt below beside the casket of your sister, there is a plaque marked
with his name (pointing to the portrait of Jacques) the curse was upon him. The
silver pin was driven through the doll's head to deny him any hope. Then Msieu
Jean Paul found the effigy, withdrew the nail and set the devil free." "Three hundred years ago. I find that
hard to believe." Alison tells her.
"You said there was something strange. The master stood in this very room
and blasphemed God. He refused to return his wife as God's will." "The master believes he is God, he said
that." Alison tells Raxl. "Thus the
change in the master when the devil possesses him." Raxl replies. "You mean a soul of a dead person goes
into a living man?" Alison asks.
"I'm afraid that is what happened." Raxl replies. "Not in this day and age." Alison smiles
and shakes her head at Raxl. "You
don't believe me do you?" "I
believe Jean Paul isn't himself. But I find it hard to believe some devil from
the past possesses him."
A scream is heard from outside. Raxl and Alison rush to the front
door and look outside. Alison asks if they should investigate. Raxl closes the
door and tells her they will know soon enough. Alison and Raxl start up the
staircase to their rooms.
Downstairs the door opens and Quito is carrying Dr. Menkin. Jean Paul is
walking behind him. Raxl comes down
the staircase. "Dr. Menkin? what happened?" She looks at Jean Paul. "Quito you know what to do. To the
basement." Jean Paul turns to Raxl, his arms are crossed. "I really don't know.
He tried to fight his way to the boat. I tried to stop him, he pulled away. I
think he was drunk." "Drunk! Dr.
Menkin never drinks." Raxl tells him.
"Well, there is always a first time. At least it was quick." "I'll have Quito notify the police on
the Mainland." Raxl tells Jean Paul.
"Oh there won't be any necessity for that, circumstances have left us
with an empty coffin. Don't you remember? Your mistress has moved to other
quarters." "Msieu Desmond, what has
come over you?" Raxl asks as she is getting upset. "Where is Doctor Carr?" Jean Paul
asks. "In her room." Raxl
answers. "Good then none need know
about this. No one do you understand?" Jean Paul says with a smile. "I'm beginning to." "Goodnight Raxl." Jean Paul says still
smiling. "I said goodnight Raxl."
"Yes." "Yes...!" he shouts
at her. "Yes Master." Raxl bows to
him. "Good, that's better. Sweet
dreams." he blows a kiss at her.
Raxl walks slowly up the stairs.
With a grin Jean Paul turns to the blank portrait of Jacques. Next Jean Paul is sleeping on the couch
holding a glass of brandy. Quito comes in and gently takes it out of Jean Paul's
hand placing it on the table. Jean
Paul becomes restless and starts dreaming. Raxl is speaking to him. "You must
fight the devil. You must not give in to him. Where are the doll and the silver
pin?" Jean Paul appears behind
Raxl; "What doll, what pin?" "The
effigy that kept Jacques Eloi Des Mondes in hell for three hundred years. Until
we find them you are possessed and we are all cursed. "Possessed, possessed, possessed. Who is
the devil?" Jean Paul says. He is getting very upset. "Jacques Eloi Des Mondes, who claims he
has returned to help save your wife, Erica. But turn from him, don't face him.
Don't look or else you may see the very man you are, the very man you might have
been." Jean Paul wakes and cries
out. "No, no!" Getting to his feet he goes to Jacques portrait. "You are the
nightmare. Must I restore your evil life to have my darling Erica's life back?
Damn you! Or am I the one who is damned. Must I be lost in hell with you!" As
Jean Paul turns away from the portrait he covers his face with his hands as he
sits down.
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Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
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