DARK FANTASY DARK FANTASY DARK FANTASY DARK FANTASY I am the Neanderthal man. Operator? Are you there, Operator? She's probably gone out for a spot of tea. Or a date with one of the music hall boys. Will you people be quiet? Isn't she pretty when she's excited, Hayes? Oh, quiet, quiet. Operator? Operator? Why would anyone be so anxious to call one's sister anyway? I can't for the life of me imagine. Will you two please go take a walk or something? Operator, are you there? You could write your sister a letter, you know, instead of trying to call her long distance. I'm probably getting in touch with her sooner. Are you there, Operator? Oh, I had her on the line just a moment ago. Now, if it were her young man she were calling, I'd know why she's so very anxious. I say, old man, it so happens I am the lady's young man. Oh, well, I have nothing to do with either of you if you don't stop teasing me. My dear girl, do you really want to get that call through to your sister? Oh, no, I'm just standing here jiggling this receiver for the exercise. Ajax says it's good for the arm muscles. Operator, will you please answer? Here, old girl, let me have a try. Reggie, go away, don't bother me. Permit me, milady, to assist you. Oh, Reggie. One side now, one side. Reggie, this call's important. Just why I'm so anxious to help you. Now look here, Operator, we've been trying... Eh? What's that? Oh, Operator. Yes, into a telephone transmitter, but if... I say now, look here, my girl, if you want... Oh, give me that receiver. Oh, but Mandy. Are you there, Operator? Yes, I wish to place a call. We were disconnected. This is Amanda Loveland. Yes, at Lookout Point. That's right, the artist called me. I wish to speak to Miss Grace Loveland, number 12, Garrett Street, London. Yes, that's right. How soon can you get through to London, please? Very well, will you call me back? Thank you. There, you see, the damsels always come running when a gentleman calls. Oh, Reggie, save your humor for some other time, will you? I say, something wrong, old girl? I...I don't know. Why do you use that tone, darling? Look here, Amanda, nothing wrong with your sister, is there? No, it's...it's not that. But something's wrong. I can tell by the way you've been acting. Yes, you were certainly never in such a hurry to call Grace before. I...I'm anxious to know where she was today. Where she was? Yes, she was supposed to be attending a tea party in London, but...well, I've reason to think she wasn't there. What so supposed she wasn't? Why should that upset you? Perhaps if I tell you, you'll understand. Yes, something's wrong. I certainly want to know about it. Yes, Amanda, by all means, tell us what's troubling you. Yes, but I must tell somebody. Reggie, will you please close the door? Well, certainly, darling. Now, Amanda, sit here. No, no, I'd rather not sit down. Say, you are upset. Yes. I had the strangest experience this afternoon. You did? Where? In Nanner Canyon. So that's where you were today. No wonder we couldn't find you. Reggie and I wanted you to go up to the falls with us. I went into the canyon to paint. Well, we gathered you were off somewhere working. I noticed your equipment wasn't around any place. You've been there, haven't you, in the canyon? Oh, not I. I've been planning to go there, though. Oh, I've been a couple of times. Why didn't you tell me you were going into Nanner? I've gone along. There's only one way into the canyon from this end, you know. Yes, near Flagstone Point. It's 12 miles to the other end. Well, I arrived at Flagstone Point about noon. So I climbed down the path and picked out a shady spot in the canyon to eat the lunch I'd taken along. Yes. After that, I looked around a while and then picked out a scene near the entrance to the canyon. To paint? Of course to paint haze. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, dear. It was a perfect scene. The light was just right, so I spent most of the afternoon there until the light began to fade. Did you finish the sketching? Yes. Filled in a great deal of the color. It was really going to be quite good. What do you mean, going to be? I'll never finish it. Why, dear? Because I never want to go back there again. Well, what on earth happened? Oh, why doesn't that operator get that call through to London? Amanda, tell us what happened in the canyon. Yes, for heaven's sake, the suspense. What happened was like a nightmare. Darling. Yes, like a nightmare. That's what I was getting ready to pack up my things. I heard a noise behind me. A low rumbling noise. And when I looked around, I saw that a side of the canyon was caving in. My word, landslide? Yes. The whole side of the canyon was falling away, making a terrific noise about it. Left a sheer vertical cliff there. I had been sloping before. Yes? Right where the only path down into the canyon had been. You mean you were trapped there in a canyon? I certainly was. With night coming on. And you know the stories they tell around here about Nanor Canyon. Yes, they say the place is simply oozing with ghosts at night. Oh. No, really, Reggie. The place does have a reputation. Oh, I've heard the stories, but you don't want to believe everything you hear, you know? Well, how on earth did you get out of the canyon, Amanda? I had a beastly time of it. Did you get out before dark? I certainly did not. As soon as I saw that the path was cut off from the landslide, I started walking along the side of the canyon, trying to find a way out. But there are no others. Didn't I find that out? I walked and walked and all the time it was growing darker and darker. Finally the sun went down and a ghostly gloom settled over the canyon. I began to walk faster, but I couldn't find any place that looked like a way out. My life seemed so empty and powerless andacking. My world seemed so empty and alk southern and grav wear where. In a Gunduround I've walked for miles. No way out of here. Oh dear, it's so dark. What was that? It was some night birds. Yes, it was at all. It was such a weird sound. I've never heard anything like it before. Oh, thank heaven it's gone. That's strange. That bird was the only noise I've heard in this place. Now other than night noises at all. Oh, good heavens. What's that up there? Light shining on a human figure. Am I losing my mind? It's Grace there in the light. Oh no, oh no, I can't see her. Grace, Grace. There is Grace standing there in that strange flow of light. Pointing, gesturing. Is there trying to show me a path out of here? Yes, yes she is directing me out of the canyon. The light, I can see the way out. Grace, Grace is that you? Is that you Grace? How did my love go? Fading, the light's fading away. She's gone. There's still that strange light. Shining on the way out of this awful place. And from that point on, there was a path leading up out of that canyon. How else do you suppose I got back here? Amazing. That strange light continued to glow until I found the path and managed to climb up. When I looked back, I saw a path leading up to the canyon. I was so surprised. I was so surprised. I was so surprised. I was so surprised. I was so surprised. It was pitch dark in the canyon. Amanda, are you certain you didn't dream all of this? Oh for heaven's sake. No, I don't think it was a dream. How do you know? It must be London. Are you there? Yes, this is Amanda Ludlund. Yes, ready for my call to London. Oh, darling, this is Amanda. Oh, fine, thank you. Darling, have you been in London all day? Oh. Oh, no, nothing's wrong. Oh, no, don't worry, dear, everything's all right. Yes, I may be coming to London soon. All right, darling, prepare yourself. Goodbye, dear. Huh? Grace has been in London all day. Surely. There in the canyon in that strange light, I saw her, as plainly as I see you now. But the voice wasn't her. Then how are we going to account for what happened? There is only one way to account for it. You mean... Hey, you think you know what happened to me? I think so. You were guided out of that canyon by... by a swarf. A swarf? A swarf. It's a name commonly applied to a supernatural spirit with the power of impersonating some earthly being. Impersonating, you say? Yes, there's no explanation. Except that swarfs have often been seen in these parts. Now, this... this particular spirit took the earthly shape of your sister and helped you find the way out of your temporary prison. No, I don't believe such things happen, Hage. But you'd certainly believe it if you'd experience it like I did. Yes, Reggie, you're wrong. Those things do happen. Swarfs do appear in this vicinity. But that's... that's... that's weird. Well, it certainly is. See one's sister appear in a place in the darkness and speak in a voice and... then to learn she was actually hundreds of miles away at the time. Amanda, is this the landscape you were doing? Oh, yes. Mind if I have removed the color and have a look? Oh, no, go right ahead. Just as I left off, I was packing up. Oh, here, Hage, you'd better let me give you a hand. If you spoil one of Amanda's paint shows... I say, look, Amanda, have you seen this since you left the canyon? No, no, I told you I haven't. Look at it. There in the right-hand corner, a strange, monstrous-looking creature lurking in the shadows. Amanda, were you conscious of the fact you were painting that fantastic creature into the picture? No. No, I wasn't. I hadn't even noticed it. That's very strange. Yes. Isn't it? If your perspective is correct, Amanda, that creature is about eight feet tall. A huge, fiendish thing. But how did it ever become a part of my painting? Yes. How? Well, we'll find out. What do you mean, Hage? We'll go down into the canyon and have a look. Oh, no, not me. Oh, I mean tomorrow, of course, when it's daylight. How much farther, Amanda? We're practically there. What amazes me is that you couldn't find the way the swarf pointed out to you last night, Amanda. I'm sorry, Hage. It doesn't seem to be there today. Well, what's the difference? It didn't take us long to come in from the other end of the canyon on horseback. Yes, the only thing that annoys me is that we couldn't ride the animals all the way. Oh, well, the walk will hurt you. Besides, we've only been a foot a few hundred yards. Oh, here we are. This is the spot I was painting. I set up my canvas over there on that little mound. Hmm. Then according to the sketch you made, that fearful creature was lurking about here. Reggie, look here. Bones. Human bones down there in that crevice. Oh, I say, those can't be human bones. Oh, no, they're much too large. I should say so. You're wrong, both of you. They are human bones. I've studied anatomy enough to recognize the clavicle, humerus and ulna of the human arm, and the femur and fibula of the leg there. Sure. He's right. This was some gigantic prehistoric creature. Heaven knows how many years old. Could this skeleton have any connection with the ghostly figure in my painting? It could, yes. It's just possible that the spirit of this prehistoric man is himself a swarf and can take on a human shape. The spirit, I mean. Precisely. He saw Amanda sitting there on that mound painting. He assumed a shape she couldn't make out, but one which her professional brush caught in the sketching. Then he could have assumed the form of my sister. If our theory is correct, yes, that's fantastic. But how can we learn anything about this thing that was buried here in this crevice? There's one way I know of. We can consult Dr. Gustav. I drove you right. Dr. Gustav's staying at the colony. Well, then let's go get him and bring him here. Yes, let's. Who knows? We may have discovered something entirely unknown to our civilization. Well, Dr. Gustav? Yes. Your suspicions were correct, my friends. These are human bones. Can you identify them, Doctor? I most certainly can. This was a Neanderthal man. Neanderthal? But the Neanderthal man existed thousands of years ago. True, Miss Loveland. From 20 to 40,000 years ago. There's no mistake about it. Not the slightest. This is a fossilized remains of an ancient man. Yeah, look. Look at these peculiarly shaped molar teeth. Now that's one sign. Every bone of his body shows some distinct markings. Many of them are of simian nature. Ape-like, you mean? Exactly. Eyebrow ridges were like those of the gorilla. The roof of the skull was low like theirs. And yet, his brain most probably surpassed the modern Europeans in size and ability. How long ago did you say he existed? The date of his culture may be put down tentatively as extending from 40,000 to 20,000 B.C. The Neanderthal man appears to have been the sole occupant of Europe during the middle of the Pleistocene period, throughout the time in which the Musterian culture prevailed. He buried his dead with great signs of respect. He worked plent implements with great skill. He was a fine hunter. Lived in caves and rock shelters. But, Doctor, after all this time, his remains should be quite deep in the earth. I know. And he, on the other day, has been buried deeply through the centuries. But some subterranean disturbance must have caused his crevice and exposed his burial place. Look. Did you men see this? What there? A stone tablet. There's some sort of strange pictures on it. Let me see. Let me see, please. Ah, yes. Just so. Just so. What is it, Doctor Gustaf? This is the final proof. This is the picture writing of the Neanderthal man. Can you decipher it? I can, indeed. And now, let's see. This portion here, my left, that's indiscernible. But the rest of it reads, who moves my bones will surely die as I have died. Ah. A curse. Well, then, let's take his advice and leave him alone. Not on your life, sir. Why, why, this is one of the most amazing finds of the century. His bones must be removed to the museum and reconstructed. But the warning on the stone tablet. Nonsense, Miss Loughlin, nonsense. You think a curse can continue to exist through 40,000 years? 400 centuries? Well, Mandy, this is the museum. Ever been here before? Once, when I was a child. Uncle Reginald brought me. How long has it been since the Neanderthal man was brought here? Oh, at least six weeks. Well, Doctor Gustaf said in his letter that the man had been completely reconstructed. The skeleton had been placed in a standing position in a special room. There's the room, see? Yes, the sign over the door. The Neanderthal man. Let's go look before we visit the doctor, shall we? Right. Hmm, here we are. The door was open. But this room is empty. Yes, but there's a stone base over there. Those things might have been built up on it. That's strange. I beg your pardon. Yes, what is it? I am called Banniff. Could you direct me to Doctor Gustaf's study? Oh, why yes. It's at the end of the hall. See, his name is in black letters on that prostidore pane. Oh, yes. I thank you so very much. Pardon me for having disturbed you. Regis! Amanda! That man, Joe, what a giant! At least eight feet tall! With such bushy eyebrows and low far, he looked like an ape. And what was wrong with his neck? He held his head crooked over to one side, one shoulder humped up in a terribly galt-tassed position. Did you think that I might have been into the doctor's office? I know I didn't. Regis, if I didn't know better, I'd think that man was... Was what, then? Oh, nothing. I know what you're thinking. That warning, Regis. Who moves my bones will die as I have died. Look! What? There in the room, on the stone base, the skeleton of a prehistoric man. But he wasn't dead just a few moments ago. Good Lord, come on, into the doctor's office. Dr. Gustav! Dr. Gustav! Dr. Gustav! Good heavens. Oh, Regis. What's happened to him? He's dead. Broken neck. What is it that he's dead? Writing? Writing? In the port on the Neanderthal Man. Look. It just completed one sentence. Hmm. It is my finding that the death of the Neanderthal Man discovered in Manor Canyon was caused by a broken neck. Dark fantasy. The Curse of the Neanderthal. Another original tale of dark fantasy written by Scott Bishop. Ben Morris was heard as Regis. Eleanor Naylor Corrin was Amanda. Murillo Schofield was Hayes. Fred Wayne played Dr. Gustav. And Darryl McAllister was Banner. Next Friday night at the same time, we'll bring you another story of the fantastic and the unusual, created by Scott Bishop. Listen for Depth from the Past, a strange, weird adventure laid in modern America with the flavor of the 19th century. The story of a businessman who was almost too honored and who found a method of paying a long-standing debt of honor, although 30 years in his grave. Dark fantasy originates in the studios of WKY, Oklahoma City. Tom Paxton speaking. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
