Lights out for the devil and Mr. O. It is later than you think. Turn out your lights, now. We bring you stories of the supernatural and the supernormal dramatizing the fantasies and the mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this frankly so that if you wish to avoid the excitement and tension of these imaginative plays, we urge you calmly but sincerely to turn off your radio now. This is Mr. O. Arch Obler. Nature Study is the title of our story, Nature Study. That's a charming pastime, the wonders of nature in all its infinite variety. But the most varied and fantastic subject of all, I think, is the nature of man and woman, the saint in them, the devil in them. We begin after a short message. Inner sanctum mystery. Hello, this is your host, welcoming you through the squeaking door, not for a half hour of terror, but to tell you about Radio Nostalgia magazine. Radio Nostalgia magazine is a must for old time radio fans. It's a magazine with many photos and stories of old time radio and its stars. Our current issue features a 16 page article on the shadow. All subscribers will get a free Captain Midnight decoder badge, a Captain Midnight flight patrol membership, and a flight commander certificate from the Secret Squadron. To get your copy, send $1.50 in check or money order to Radio Nostalgia, Box 8007R, Union City, New Jersey, 07087. That's Radio Nostalgia, Box 8007R, Union City, New Jersey, Zip 07087. Come on down and get a free 8x10 photo of the Lone Ranger in Tonto, boys and girls. And now, if you haven't already done so, turn off your lights for nature's study. There we are. There we are where? Look about you. Oh my goodness, it is beautiful, isn't it? I did not know this is where we were going. It's like a canyon, isn't it? It is a canyon. Cleft in the rocks, few people in this part of the country know about it. Well, I'm sitting down to rest my poor tired. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, Miss Gard, we must go on. Oh, no, no, no, no. Where are we going? Come now, come. On all our other Sunday nature study trips, I've never had such rebellious. Because we've never walked so far before. Where is this you are taking us today, Mr. Rana, to, Canada? My dear friends and neighbors, we're exactly 15 miles from home. You could think we're out of this world. Yes. Even in the midst of the city's turmoil, one can find nature's true isolation. Well, where do we go from here? There's a little path down through the canyon. There we will find lichens of many varieties. Oh my goodness, what's that? My dear, what is it? I know, I know. They are like little ferns in the rocks. Excellent, Mr. Kamarin, excellent. Oh, I remember from last week. You will note these scratches on the face of the rock. Oh, who did it? Not who, what, the glacier. What's the matter, Miss Gardner? You seem displeased. All I want to say is this. Do you mean to say we came all this way by subway and streetcar and bus just to see some old rock scratches? Well, there isn't any place in the state that has a finer record of glacial action. How do you like that? I thought I was going to see flowers and then just scratches and rocks. Well, Miss Gardner, Mr. Rana, he's a smart man. He knows that... Well, then maybe he knows I want to go home. My feet are tired. This is all there is to see. I'm starting back now. Come on, Miss Wilkins, let's get out of here. Find some real excitement. Well, I don't know. After all, Mr. Arno took all the time and... What's that? Something up there. It's the rocks. Look out! Ah! Miss Wilkins, Miss Wilkins. Miss Wilkins, she passed out, I think. You... you all right? Yeah? Yeah, fine. Oh, see, she's all right. Miss Wilkins, are you hurt? Are you... I'm all right, all right. Oh, sure, sure. She just fainted. And no wonder all those rocks falling down. It's a miracle we weren't hurt. You all right, Mr. Camaro? Oh, sure, sure. We are all right. Nobody hurts. Oh! Miss Wilkins, what's the matter? Under... that rock! Legs! Who? Miss Gard. It's Miss Gard. The rocks! Get them off! Get her out! Get her out! No, no, Miss Wilkins. Get her out! Stay back. We'll get her out. Yeah, we'll do it. We'll do it. Come on. Come on. Hurry, hurry. Careful. The other one now. Come on. Now, even more. There. One more rock. One more rock. You hear that, Miss Wilkins? One more rock. Oh, she's dead. I know she's dead. I can't move. Lift more, Mr. Arno. Lift! Don't move! Oh, Miss Gard. Oh, Miss Gard. No, no. Wait, wait. Look. Miss Wilkins, be quiet. Miss Gard, she's still alive. Alive? But how can... Shh, shh, shh. She's trying to talk. Yes, Miss Gard. I'm here. I'm listening. I... I... Yes, what is it that I'm... I don't know. I'm sorry. I can't understand you, Miss Gard. What are you trying to tell us? Yes, yes. What, Miss Gard? What? I... I can't die without telling... Telling what? My... my husband didn't die hard to failure. I... I killed him. Poison. I killed him. Miss Gard! We... Miss Gard! She... she's dead? You... you feel better now, Miss Wilkins? I'm all right. Oh, don't try to get up. Just rest, rest. A few minutes more or less won't make any difference. Now... Mr. Arnall. Yes, Mr. Kamaren. I have been sitting here. I have been trying to figure it out in my head. Why is it? Well, there must have been a fissure in the rocks. The action of frost and rain loosened them, and perhaps the vibration of our horses... No, no, I'm... I'm thinking why should it hurt her, not us? Well, I guess that's what you'd call fate. Do you think... did she really kill her husband, like she said? Well, I don't know. I don't know anything about her except she was a neighbor. Yes, she lived in our building for a whole year already. I really don't know about her. I know. You, Miss Wilkins? Tell us, please. She told me. She used to sing in a nightclub. So? Really? One morning she wasn't feeling good. She came down to my apartment. I guess she felt like talking. She told me she used to work in this nightclub, and then she married this rich fellow, lots older than she was, lots of money, and she married him, and she didn't like him very much, and all of a sudden he died. Oh. Did she... did she tell you that there was anything unusual about his death? No. She just said all of a sudden he died. Like poison? Oh, what are we sitting here for? Let's get out of here. Quick, let's get out of here. Yes, yes, Mr. Arnaud, why do you sit there? Lead us the way out. Mr. Arnaud, what's the matter with you? Why do you sit there looking at us? I... I didn't want to say anything before. Say what? Say what? I went over there, the only way out of the canyon. The rocks have blocked it off. I'm very much afraid we can't get out. It's no use talking to me, Mr. Arnaud. But it's so dangerous. Dangerous? What is dangerous? I climb up, the rocks are like stairs. I pull up over the top and I'm off. Oh, but I insist it's dangerous, that tumble of rocks. Miss Wilkins, am I not right? Well, we just can't wait in here forever, and I'm sure that Mr. Camara knows what he's doing. That is a very smart girl. Look at that wall, it is nothing. Oh, but I... Oh, you don't worry, Mr. Arnaud. I told you the rocks along here are like steps. I climb up and I go and get help, and soon I have you out of here. All you do is to help me up that first rock. Well, all right if you insist. Sure, sure. Put your hands together in a grip. Like that? That is right. I put my foot in your hand and you push up and give a boost, right? Yes. Hold your hands down. I get my foot. Now leap. Here we go. Ah, there. I'm up. So, I'm up here already. The rest of the way to climb is easy. What did I tell you? Be careful, Mr. Camara. Here I go. He is very strong, isn't he? What did you say, Miss Wilkins? He is very strong, isn't he? Oh, yes, yes. Careful of loose rocks, Mr. Camara. I'm all right. Test every hand hold. Those rocks are loose. You get us out of here. I know he will. Yes, yes, he will. He... he's up so high. Oh, yes, yes. I... I just can't watch anymore. Well, he... he only has a few more feet to go and he'll be over the edge. You're doing very well, Mr. Camara. Sure, I told you. Your Camara, he always does. Mr. Camara, what... What's the matter with him? I don't know. He suddenly stopped talking, isn't moving. Mr. Camara, what is the matter? Mr. Camara. My arm cramp. I can't hold. Cramp in his arm. Hold on, Mr. Camara. I'll try to get up to you. Don't let go. I'll try to... Please let go! Mr. Camara. Mr. Camara. He... he's dead. No, no, no, I don't think so. He lifted up his head. Oh. Mr. Camara, what? I... I couldn't hold on. Don't move. No. Listen. I don't tell you. Yes, yes, I'm listening. My arm... broken. Will be dead. Will be dead. Can't die without telling. When I was boy, Syria, went hunting with my brother. He never came back. They thought he ran away. Not true. I wanted his knife. So I killed him. I killed him. Buried him. I killed my brother. I killed him. Close your fingers and hope. That's what gambling's all about. Some things no sensible person gambles with is his life. Every year, thousands of Americans die because they haven't learned the warning signs of heart attack. Learn these facts. The usual warning signs of heart attack are heavy pressure or squeezing pain in the center of the chest behind the breast bone. The pain may spread to the shoulder, the arm, the neck, or the jaw. Sweating may occur, nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath. If you or anyone you know experience these symptoms, call the doctor at once. If you can't reach them, get to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. For more information on the warning signs of heart attack, get in touch with your heart association. A public service announcement from the Essex County Heart Association and WVNJ. We return to the story of nature study. Miss Wilkins, Miss Wilkins, where are you? Miss Wilkins, are you hiding? Miss Wilkins, you shouldn't have run away like that. You shouldn't. We'll work something out together. We'll get out of here. Oh, there you are. Why did you hide back here? Nothing's going to hurt you, nothing. You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong. What? I'll never get out, never, never, never. Why should you say that? This canyon is well known, sooner or later, any moment. Someone will come along and see us down here. No, never, never, never. Now, that's no way to talk, Miss Wilkins. They are dead, aren't they? Aren't they? Don't think of them. I've got to think of them. They're me, me. What are you talking about? You think I haven't got a brain in my head. You think I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, I do, I always do. I know everybody think I'm a fool, but I know more than you or anyone. And I know why they died, I know. Miss Wilkins, I don't know. I'm telling you, listen to me, I'm telling you. I know why they died. Yes, of course, it was actually... Will you listen to me? All right. Miss Gard died, and she committed a murder. Yes. And Mr. Kamarin died, and he committed a murder. Where? That's why I won't get out of here alive. I committed a murder too. I committed a murder too. That's, that's unbelievable. Oh, you're, you're just saying things. No, no, that's not true. But you, well, how? Married. All I wanted to do was get married. What? Marry Jane Ellis, we got into school together. The same room in college, the same room when we came here to go to work. Always together. My best friend, everyone said my best friend, Dr. Joe. I met him first and then she met him. She said she didn't like him, but I knew she did. She did. At the party I came into the room, his arms had been around her. I knew they had. He couldn't fool me, she couldn't fool me. It was, it was her fault, not his. My best friend. Joe was for me, not for her. He was thinking about her. He kept on thinking about her. Pretty, all right, she was pretty, but he was for me, for me. A night I'd like it, thinking if she was dead. If she was dead. She had to be dead. She had to be dead. Miss Wilkins, for five years, I've known you for five years. What you're saying isn't true. I know it isn't. Your mind, all that's happened. You, you couldn't really. Shut up, Blast you, shut up. All right, Miss Wilkins. You listen to me. I killed her. I killed her with poison. And I'm going to die the way they did. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. You're out of your mind. Now I know exactly what I'm saying and doing. Do you know how long I've waited for this moment, Mr. Arnaud? Five years. Five years. Every night for five years. Every time I was alone in the dark. I've been waiting for this moment. I don't have to wait anymore. Why not? Because it's here. Who? It's here in the canyon. Waiting. Waiting to kill me. There's no one here but you and me. They knew. Now I know. Well, I tell you there's no one in this canyon but the two of us. And their bodies. What? What's over there? Huh? Oh, nothing but the shadow of a rock on the canyon wall. It's not a shadow, Mr. Arnaud. What are you talking about? It's not a shadow, Mr. Arnaud. I see it plainly. It is a shadow. It's not a shadow, Mr. Arnaud. Why do you keep saying that? Because it's coming closer. The sun is getting lower in the sky. If it touches me, I'll die. Don't say that. The way they die. Stop talking nonsense. Get you out of here. Someone will come along. Up there. Is there anyone up there? We're down in the canyon. Get us out of here. Now, you just sit there and relax until summer. Miss Wilkins. Miss Wilkins. Dead? Bottle? What? Poison. You killed yourself. Why? The shadow. Yes. Touching you. Only a shadow. But is it? Someone. Someone get me out of here. Get me out of here. There. There we are. You lie there, Mr. Kamari. Miss Wilkins. Miss God. And now you, Mr. Kamari. Now, all of you lie there and listen to me. It's getting quite dark. And while it's still light enough so that I can see you, I... I want to talk to you. Dead as you are, I've got to find something out. Listen to the wind. It's just come up. The wind. It moans around the rocks, but I'm not moaning. You hear that, Miss Wilkins? I'm not. I'm just talking to you reasonably. It's been so many hours and yet you hear I'm talking reasonably. Please. Please understand, my friends. I didn't mean for this to happen. I took you to Hidden Canyon to show you the lichens and the glacial action on the rocks. I didn't want you to die. And that's what I've got to talk to you about. Dead as you are. Why did you die? It was all quite accidental. Wasn't it, Miss God? Answer me, Miss God. The rocks that crushed you, all quite accidental. It wasn't because you had committed the murder, was it? All quite accidental. Wasn't it, Miss God? Wasn't it, Miss God? How strangely my voice echoes between the rock walls. I will talk to you, Mr. Camargo. You climbed up the rocks. A clamp in your arm. You couldn't hold on any longer. You fell. It was all accidental, wasn't it? Wasn't it? There's no reason for me to shout like that. Is there? How quiet it is. And dark. For years I've never been in the dark. At night all the lights on in my house. I even sleep with the light on in the room. Never been in the dark for years. I'm in the dark at last. Alone. The three of you are dead. And so I... I'm alone. Who? Oh. The bird. And now, yes, of course, now. Miss Wilkins. You shouldn't have taken that poison. You should have stayed alive to talk to me. As long as there's someone to talk to. When there's no one but the dead. That's a frightening thing. And I don't like the dark. And now I'm in the dark. Alone. That's a frightening thing, yes. Oh. Your faces. Why do I see your faces? Oh. It's the moonlight. How quickly the moonlighting your face. Yes. I... I don't think I'm going to look at you. I'm going to sit here all through the night. With my eyes closed. Yes. I will. I will. Oh. How long have I had my eyes shut? All night? Is this... Is this light against my eyes? I know it. All right. I will open my eyes. Moonlight. So bright. Filling the canyon. The walls. So very bright. Shadow. Shadow on the wall. Moving along the wall. Shadow of what? Miss Wilkins. You said the shadow, Miss Wilkins. You...you... You're smiling. Mr. Camarin. You too. Miss Gard. All of you smiling. Is... Is it... The moonlight or... Are you... Really smiling? Why are you smiling? Why? All right. I know. You know. All right. My eyes are open. And when the shadow touches me... When the shadow touches me... Who? Who? Who? Who's... Must have gone down here. Lights. People. Oh, down there. Anyone down there? Anyone? Yes. Yes. Mr. Camarin who killed his brother. Miss Gard who killed her husband. Miss Wilkins who killed her... Yes. If I'm down here, come and get me. I've waited for you for 15 years. I murdered my wife. You hear me? I murdered my wife! This is Mr. O.R. Jobler. I want to tell you about our next chiller after a very short message. See? See the leaf? Right here in my hand. Oh, yes. Isn't that a new leaf? Yes, it is a new leaf. Here. I'm going to turn over a new leaf. Get it? Leaf? New? What does that mean? To turn over a new leaf? Well, in serious... Mm-hmm. Means that you're going to have a little change. From what to what? From bad to good. Oh, really? Yeah. Well, suppose somebody was crying. They could switch from tears to a smile. Suppose they were lonely. They could go from loneliness to having somebody to play with. Well, suppose somebody wasn't loved. Could they turn over a new leaf? They could go from not loving somebody to loving somebody. How do they do that? All they have to do is try to love somebody. Just try? Yeah. It's easy to love people when you try. Love makes all things new again. Hey, what was that? Another sound of love from the Franciscans. This is Miss Thrill once more. To those of you who have asked the title of my new book, it's called House on Fire. Next week, a play with a cast known to all you buffs of the golden days of radio. Frank Lovejoy and Paul Stewart in No Escape. A story to be listened to in the dark. It is later than you think.
