Episode 33:
Slideshow
In the crypt Quito brings fresh flowers for Erica. He
kneels down and leans against the
capsule.
In the Great Hall Tim is working on the portrait. Holly is
sitting in a chair as Tim’s model. "So I threw myself down the stairs and nearly
broke my neck just for laughs I suppose." Holly tells Tim angrily. "Or for attention." Tim tells her Holly
turns her head to look at him. "Your mother said it was to win the sympathy of
Jean Paul Desmond." Holly jumps up
and walks over to Tim. "I said I was pushed and I was." "Will you just sit down. Every time you
bounce up like that I have trouble bringing Erica Desmond to life." Tim says to
her. "How am I suppose to sit still
when I know someone tried to kill me! Which is what you're trying to do!" Holly
says then rushes for the staircase.
Tim goes after her. "Holly what are you talking about?" Holly stops and looks at Tim. "Aren't
you trying to turn me into a dead woman on that canvas?" Holly says pointing to
the portrait, then turning she runs up the staircase. "Holly." Tim says chasing
her.
Quito stands and backs away from Erica's capsule. He bows,
then turns and leaves. He walks into the Great Hall and sees Erica's portrait
uncovered. He walk over to it, reaching out he touches it and
collapses.
Alison and Dan are walking to the front entrance of the
mansion. "This whole Island is as frightening as the things that are happening
in this house." Alison tells Dan.
"And as mysterious. Doctor Menkin’s notes disappear, so does a bottle of
cyanide. Holly gets pushed down the stairs and Erica's capsule nearly fails."
Dan says. "The secrets must be
hidden somewhere. Perhaps that cove we searched for was too good a hiding
place." says Alison. "Or no hiding
place at all." Alison opens the door and they both enter. "Meaning the secrets are hidden in this
house?" asks Alison. "That gets my
vote. But not the séance that Jean Paul wants Vangie to conduct here." Dan says. "Well I'm game for anything that will
clear up the strange things happening in this house." Alison says walking
away. "Alison, you're not saying
that you believe communication with your sister in the after life will resolve
some of the mysteries of this life." Dan asks grabbing Alison by the shoulders
and turning her around. "Well Jean
Paul wants contact with Erica." Dan
drops his hand. "Well I want some solutions to..." Dan says turning and sees
Quito laying on the floor. "Quito!"
Alison calls out. They rush over to him. Dan and Alison kneel next to him.
"Quito!" Alison says then puts her ear against his chest to listen for his
heartbeat. "What's wrong with him?"
Dan asks. Alison looks up at Dan
but doesn't answer. "Quito is the
last one that I'd expect to be the next to die." Dan says. Alison checks for a
pulse in his wrist. She then checks his eyes. Dan and Alison stand. "He is dead." says Dan. "There is no heartbeat, no pulse. Alison
says "And Raxl with her belief in
witchcraft had us believe that Quito would get up and walk away when the wolves
howl or the sun sinks. Or however they do it on Maljardin." Dan says. "Dan we have to do something for
him." "There is nothing left to be
done. Except bury him, if Jean Paul will permit it." "What's going to happen next? What
killed Doctor Menkin? Who pushed Holly down the stairs? What killed my sister
Erica and now Quito?" Alison asks.
"Well we'll find out everything at Vangie’s little séance wont we?" Dan
says. "I think it's time the police were called in. If we ever get off this
cursed Island to notify them."
Alison bends down and puts her ear to Quito’s mouth. "Dan, he's
breathing!" Dan quickly kneels down
next to Alison. "No pulse and no heartbeat." says Dan. "But he is breathing." "He's not dead." Dan says looking at
Alison. "He can't be. I don't get."
Alison says excitedly. "You once called him a zombie, he really is." Tim and Holly walk down the
staircase. "I must go to the lab,
stay with him." Alison tells Dan.
Tim sees Quito. "What happened?"
"Either a living end or a deadly beginning, I don't know." Dan says
rushing towards the crypt doorway. "Keep an eye on him until Doctor Carr gets
back." "Where are you going?" Holly
asks. "On a search." Dan says
leaving. Tim kneels down next to
Quito. "He sure looks dead." he says to Holly. Holly looks at the portrait of Erica and
covers it up. She kneels down next to
Quito.
Dan rushes into the crypt checking the walls, the cryonic
gauges, he then looks around Erica's capsule. He then walks into Quito’s room.
He starts checking drawers when he hears a
scream.
Alison rushes into the Great Hall. Reverend Dawson runs
down the staircase. Holly stands and looks at Quito in terror. Quito stands and
walks towards Holly. She backs up between Dan and Tim. "Make him stay away!" she
cries out. Dan tries stopping
Quito, he gets pushed out of the way. Then Tim and Matt try to stop Quito. Quito
pushes them also away as he stalks Holly. Alison rushes up in front of
Holly. "Quito! Stop!" Alison
shouts. Quito halts then shakily
walks back to Erica's portrait. He pulls the sheet off. Alison walks over and
looks at the portrait, then she looks at Holly. "Is it Holly, or my sister
Erica? I can't tell." She looks back at the portrait. Tim steps forward. "Quito, we thought
you were dead." Quito points to the
portrait, then places his hands against his heart. Tim shakes his head. "Only Raxl can tell what he is trying to
tell us," says the Reverend. "No
Reverend, any woman can tell." says Alison. "A soulless man in love with who?" Dan
asks. Quito points at Holly. "No!" Holly cries out. Quito glances around at everyone, covers
his face and quickly leaves. Matt
walks to the portrait. "He knew Erica was on this canvas. His beloved Mistress,
it must have seen so real to him."
"Yes and the shock, the feeling that somehow his Mistress was still alive
That's what he saw here, that's why he collapsed.' Alison tells Matt. "If you couldn't tell if it was Holly or
Erica?" "That's why he was so
confused. That's why he pointed at you." Alison tells Holly. "I have to get away from here." Holly
says, then runs into the Dining room, she stops and stands in the doorway. Matt follows her and lays his hand
over hers. Holly jumps and pulls her hand away. "It's all right now." says
Matt. "I have to get away from you
too. Oh it's so revolting. I couldn't stand to look at him when he was there on
the floor even though I felt sorry for him. Then he reared up and came at me.'
Holly says to Matt. "It seems now
there are veiled and sinister powers even in the paintings on Maljardin." Dan
tells Tim. He is standing on the bottom step looking at down at Tim. "If you mean I'm some sort of magician,
forget it. There is no magic in me."
"Quito sees something of Erica Desmond in you." Matt tells Holly. "He
meant no harm, I'm sure of that."
"Holy Joe rides again. You can talk up a storm for the spiritual but you
sure don't dig sensitivity." Holly says then walks away. In tears she walks to
the couch gripping the back of it.
Alison walks up to her. "Holly if you would just try to understand Quito.
And he wants you to." Alison tells her laying her hands on Holly's
shoulders. Holly jerks upright. The
Reverend walks up to them. "A
monster who lunges at people. maybe he pushed me down the stairs." Holly says to
them. "I doubt it." says Matt. "Why because you did?" "Are we back at that again?" Matt
asks. "Drag, drag, drag. The
Reverend Mathew drag." Holly says to him then walks away. Matt walks over to Dan. "What do you
really make of it all?" Dan asks.
The Reverend turns away from Dan leaning on the banister for the
staircase. "As I said Quito sees something of Erica in Holly." "A transference?" asks Dan. "An attempt at it. With all his
strength, Quito’s reasoning powers are practically nil." The Reverend says
looking at Dan. "What if someone
else were able to see this aura that Holly has in common with Jean Paul
Desmond’s wife." Dan asks walking down the steps to Matt. Alison also walks over
to the two men. "You mean Jean Paul
himself." Alison says. "You said it
Alison, I didn't." Dan tells her.
"The implication is obvious." Alison tells him. "Tension that is growing between us is
leading to great sorrow." Matt says. "For all of us here." "Except Jean Paul Desmond our host and
jailer, who may or may not be able to bring back his beloved Erica from the
dead. And if he can't there's a handy substitute present isn't there?" "Dan! You're impossible." Alison tells
him. "Bur what I said is quite
probable." Dan says then walks over to Erica's portrait. Tim is standing next to the portrait,
with his foot propped up on the stand. "I did a sketch of Erica Desmond before
she dies. To me this looks nothing like her." "To Quito it did." Dan says. "Well he's no critic that's for sure."
Tim says. "You can paint. You could
have a future if you can get off this Island. Think about it." Dan says to
Tim.
Holly is sitting on the couch. Alison and Matt are
standing together across the room. "If we can only make a point with Holly."
Alison says. "I'm certainly the
last person she would listen to." Matt tells her. "It's rather sad isn't it. A simple
minded creature finds something lovely in her, something she can not even see in
herself." Alison says looking at Matt.
The Reverend takes a few steps. "Holly fears Quito will kill her one of
these days. With all his loving
kindness."
Quito stands in the doorway of the Great hall, then turns
and walks into the crypt. He leans against a wall with his cheek against the
blocks.
"It was like Quito literally rose from the dead." Alison
says. Matt turns and looks at her. "I hope it's not so he can kill." Alison
says. Tim stands holding the
portrait staring at it. Holly walks up to him. "Admiring your jigsaw. When Mr.
Desmond hears about all the commotion we caused he'll probably chop off all our
heads." "You know, if I had all
this to do over again." Tim says.
"You wouldn't" asks Holly.
"Wrong." Tim smiles and releases the portrait. "Because I wouldn't have
met you." "Cool it Tim."
Holly sits looking away. "I don't know who turns me off the most, you or the
padre." Holly says, then she turns and walks away. "Holly, you just can't keep rejecting
people. Especially those who have feelings for you." Holly stops and turns towards Tim. "Who
are you speaking for?" "For your
own good." says Tim. "Otherwise I
go down a flight of stairs again." Holly
says.
Quito is checking the gauges on Erica's capsule. Finishing
he walks to his room, he stop in front of the bird cage. He touches the cage
lovingly, he turns and notices his cloths are messed with the drawers
open.
Matt and Dan walk down the staircase towards the Great
Hall. "You know, all though we don't see eye to eye on everything I've come to
the opinion that if there is an iota of mental and emotional balance on this
irrational Island. You and I have it." Dan says. They both stop walking. "You forget I'm accused of pushing Holly
down these stairs because of my hopeless love for her." "I'm accused of tampering with Erica's
cryonics capsule. So let us at least keep our heads." Dan says. "I'm inclined to think that we better
put them together.' says Matt. "Or
loose them." says Dan. "Is that
what you think?" Throwing his arms
up he shakes his head no, then walks down the rest of the stairs. Matt follows
him. Dan pours a drink. "You know
there hasn't been anyone as loyal to Jean Paul Desmond than I." "Past tense?" Matt asks sitting
down. "I admire the man, but not
some of the things he does." Dan sits. "As keeping his wife in cryonics
suspension. Holding us here as virtual prisoners and what's confusing most of
all are his continuing mood changes Do you know what a Stanford B A IQ is?" Dan
asks. Matt nods. "Jean Paul's is 187."
"And this Stanford B A 187 keeps his dead wife in a freezer in the hope
of bringing her back to life. And in order to protect the secret from some
prying coroner he detains us here until Erica is back in his arms." Matt
says. "Those are the hard facts.
What do they suggest to you?" "A
man suffering from a deep and sudden loss." Matt tells him. "A man part way over the edge." Dan says
standing up. He walks to a table and sets his glass down. "It's going to take
both of us even to cope with him. Do you know what his next little game
is?" "Game?" the Reverend
asks. "One that's going to push him
all the way over. And Maljardin will inherit all of us. And we will inherit the
good earth Reverend. Six feet of the Garden of Evil." Matt looks at Dan stunned
by his words.
Quito is straightening his dresser. He looks at his bird
then raises his hands to his head with a silent
cry.
Dan is standing in front of Jacques portrait. "It may have
made sense to that Machiavellian ancestor of his, Jacques Eloi Des Mondes three
hundred years ago but anyone who believes in séances today..." "I'm not about to question anyone’s
beliefs, If I did I would have to start with my own. I've seen Vangie Abbott at
work, she really believes in those tarot cards. And I sense that's just the
beginning of her powers." Matt says looking up at Dan. the Reverend is still
seated. "Raxl to for that matter,
they can make you believe anything. And I think that's just what they are going
to do with this séance." Dan says then sits against the arm of the couch. "I'd like to feel their both on the side
of good." Matt says. "How can you?
You're a dedicated Christian." Dan says.
"Communication with a lost loved one.' "You mean you believe in that?" Dan
asks. "I mean I'm sympathetic to
anyone who has to escape from the real agony of loss." "Well that's very generous of you but it
will not help you one bit or any of us if Jean Paul completely looses his
control." Dan says "I doubt a
man of his convictions and will, will ever loose control." "You're faith in mankind may be the
death of you." says Dan. "You're
speaking in generalities, I hope."
"I'd like to think that I am." Dan
says.
Quito sits on his bed with his head down, his hands
covering his face.
Holly walks down to the crypt and approaches Erica's
capsule. Quito hears something, gets up and sees Holly He stands and watches
her. Holly drops to her knees next
to Erica's capsule. Quito steps forward watching Holly. "Mrs. Desmond, I want to
say something to you. I don't know if you can hear or not but I'm so afraid.
Afraid of Quito, my mother, the Reverend, Mrs. Desmond. Someone wants to kill
me." Quito looks at Holly sadly
shaking his head no. "And your
husband, I love him the way I love my father. But I'm so lost and so alone.
Please help me, I want to know what it was that Quito saw in the picture." Holly
hears shuffling sounds behind her. She turns and sees Quito. Standing she backs
away from him. "No please no, please don't." Holly quietly cries out to him.
Quito has his hands out walking towards Holly. She screams and runs
off.
Jacques portrait shows up right before Holly yells. "Come
down here everybody, come and see this. Come everybody see what you've
done!" Matt and Dan rush down the
stairs. Alison runs in from a side door. Tim comes down the staircase behind
Matt and Dan. "Look, look at this.
There's your spirit of love." Holly cries out. Erica's portrait is slashed. "Or is it
hate." says Holly.
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Summaries written by Debby
Graham . The slide
presentation is the work of Ron Janick.
~Ron/Bella~
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