[Theme music playing]
(Narrator) You're tra vel/ng through another dimension...
A dimension not onl y of sight and sound, but of mind,
a journey into a wondrous land
whose boundaries are tha t of ima Gina tion.
Your next stop, the twilight zone.
Hey, Doris, I lost one of my cuff links.
Oh, I'll see if I can find it.
No, I found it.
That's all right, then.
I found it in your Jewel case.
And I found some other items.
Oh?
What about them?
You tell me.
There's nothing much to tell, really.
I decided to bring back some souvenirs.
Souvenirs?
A human finger?
A sacred DEA th stone?
A vul ture's ola w?
Baubles of a witch doctor.
Tha t's all these are to you, souvenirs?
Of course.
Nothing else? Are you sure?
Certainly, I'm sure.
Then you won't mind if I dispose of them, will you?
Alan, don't!
Please don't!
Please don't, Alan! Please don't!
Why not?
No!
All right, now, are there any more "souvenirs"?
We aren't in Africa any longer, we're here in New York.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
This is for weak people,
ignorant, uncivilized people who don't know any better,
not for you, not for me.
Doris, listen to me, we've done nothing wrong.
We ha ve nothing to fear.
Least of all from a bunch of witch doctors
5,000 miles a way.
Wha t are you afraid of?
Africa.
Do you remember
what the old shaman said long ago
when the men started drilling?
He said we were wounding the land,
hurting it, making it bleed.
Alan, he said that land would make us pay.
Doris, we left Africa weeks ago.
Did we? Well, I wonder.
Alan, sometimes at night I can feel it,
all around me, like some huge, dark animal.
Alan, please.
Please don't let them go there.
Tell them it won't work.
Stop them now while there's still time, please!
It's my job to engineer a hydroelectr/c project,
not pander to ignorant witch doctors.
I'll try to be back early.
You'll never be back.
Don't open the door.
[Drums beating]
(Narrator) The carcass of a goat,
a dead finger,
a few bits of broken glass and stone
and Mr. Alan Richards, a modern man of a modern age,
hating with all his heart
something in which he cannot believe
and preparing, although he doesn't know it...
To take the longest walk of his life
right down to the center of the twilightzone.
(Male voice) Level/ng and drainage ha ve already been started
as well as preliminary work on the dam itself.
Our time of completion will have to be upped
by three to six months,
but this shouldn'taffect our general cost
more than a few thousand dollars.
Well, it's getting very late.
Before we make a decision,
I have a few questions if you don't mind.
Certainly, sir.
I'm sure you've considered this aspect carefully,
but, for my own curiosity,
what about the natives?
Natives?
What about them, sir?
Well, what's their attitude?
How are they reacting?
As far as I know...
Well, the kekouyu are a violent people.
They resent the loss of their homes.
They resent the enterprise
even though they're going to benefit eventually.
They resent us.
But I doubt they'll cause any serious disturbance.
Except... for uchawi.
Uchawi?
Uh... witchcraft.
[Chucang]
A number of the shamans decided
to put a curse on everyone connected with the enterprise
effective upon the decision to go ahead with the project.
What sort of a curse, Mr. Richards?
The usual:
A slow, painful death.
[More chortling]
Wait a minute, gentlemen, I assure you,
there's nothing the least bit funny funny about uchawi.
Oh, you're not serious.
I am, I've seen it work.
I have seen healthy men sicken and die
within ten minutes of the time set by the witch doctors
who cursed them...
Healthy men. And women.
They weren't touched.
They weren't poisoned.
They weren't harmed in any way.
They just died.
Don't talk rubbish.
Wait a minute, just a second.
Mr. Sinclair.
What time is it?
Oh, sa y, what? t's this
you're wearing on your watch chain?
Why, it's...
A rabbit's foot, isn't it?
Why do you wear that?
Now, see here.
It's for luck, isn't it?
Well, what's that got to do with magic?
Sinclair carries the severed foot
of a dead animal around with him for good fortune
and he can't see what that's to do with magic?
[Chucang]
Hardy is amused.
Although it's known he's a superstitious man
or have you finally given up astrology?
Well, now,
here's a 20th-century man
with a 20th century mind who allows the stars to make his decisions.
And a fine job they've done of it, too, young man.
That's exactly what
a kekouyu witch doctor said to me
when I suggested panther bones
could not foretell the future.
[Harrumphs]
You needn't smile, Mr. Templeton.
I've seen you knock on wood
more than once.
Oh, Alan...
Mr. Fleming, when was the last time you
walked under a ladder?
Or crossed your fingers or threw salt over your shoulder?
All right, Mr. Richards,
you've made your point.
A multi-billion dollar corporation run by witches,
warlocks.
In a 40-story building
that doesn't even have a 13th floor.
Now, gentlemen, I...
Mr. Richards!
Chad.
Tell me something:
If you wanted to get hold of a dead goat
on an hour's notice, where would you go?
To a psychiatrist.
No, I'm serious.
Well, so am I.
You really want a dead goat?
Then what are you talking about?
[Grumbles]
I'll do it.
Hey.
What's this?
That, my dear Chad, is kipitu.
A protective amulet.
Where did it come from?
Doris.
You see, if this is a lion's tooth,
I gather I'm being protected from lions.
In, uh, New York City?
Yeah.
Well, got to admit they're doing a fine job.
I'm sure that's the way Doris looks at it.
What will you do about Doris?
I don't know.
She's sick, isn't she?
So are half of the people in this city!
My wife carries a lion's tooth,
the company president, a rabbit's foot...
It's all the same, same rotten disease.
It's eating away at the strength, the will,
the very soul of me.
H ey, h ey, Alan.
Think you better have another drink.
Mm-mm.
Alan, I'd take it easy if I were you.
A guy doesn't get all this worked up
about something he doesn't believe in.
What do you mean?
Oh, nothing.
Come on.
Look, it's 3:00.
Doris will be worried.
No, I called her, I told her I'd be late.
Did you pay?
Yeah.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
[Car starting]
[Re wing motor]
[Starter clicking]
Hey, Chad!
[Starter clicking]
Hey.
Anybod y there?
[Door jiggles]
( Coin o/inks )
[Phone ringing]
Hello?
[Bird ca wing o ver phone]
[/ion roaring, bird ca wing]
[Roaring and ca wing continue]
[Roaring and ca wing continue loudly]
[Roaring and ca wing stop]
[Gentle hum of breeze]
[Wind howling]
[H yena-like yelping]
[Yelping continues]
[Vehicle approaching]
(Male voice) Cab, mister?
Shuler house.
Right.
[Wind howling]
[H yena-like yelping]
[Bell dings in taxi]
[Bell dings]
Driver, the light's green.
You can go now.
Dri ver.
The light's green.
[H yena-like yelping]
[Animal squeaking]
[Silence]
[Animal screeching]
[Distant drums beating]
[Animal squeaking]
[Bird ca wing]
[Distant drums beating]
[Animals chittering]
[Animals continue chittering]
[Drums continue beating]
[Chittering and drums stop]
[Distant hum of traffic and honking]
[Elephant trumpets loudly]
[Chuckles softly]
[Sighs]
Hey, excuse me, mister.
I've had nothing to eat for two days.
I'd surely appreciate it if you could help me out.
Sure...
Sure, sure.
Yes, sir.
[Paper crinkling]
God bless you, mister, god bless you.
Hey, wait a minute.
[Distant drums beating]
Where's that sound coming from?
[Drumming gets louder]
Wh-what sound was that?
Those drums.
[Bird ca wing]
I don't hear no drums.
Listen.
[Ca wing continues]
You mean to tell me you can't hear that?
Huh, you'll have to excuse me.
You see, my ears aren't as good as they used to be.
Say, wait a minute. [Sighs]
How'd you like to make some money?
To do what?
I'm trying to get home
on the other side of the park.
Look, if you'll walk with me, I'll give you ten dollars.
[Elephant trumpets]
[Bird chattering]
[H yena -like yelping /oud/ y]
Now, don't tell me you can't hear tha...!
[Drums and chittering stop]
Hey!
Come back!
Hey, come back!
Look, I'll give you $20!
Come back.
[/ion roars]
[Honks from distant traffic]
[Insects chirping]
[Insects continue chirping]
[Gentle hum of breeze]
[Wind ho w/ing]
[Lea ves rustling]
[Wind ho w/ing]
[Animals chittering]
[Bird ca wing]
[Animal squeaking]
[Ca wing intensifies]
[Animals chittering]
[/ion roars]
[Wind ho w/ing]
[/ion snarling]
[/ion roaring]
[Deep, guttural snarling]
[Roaring]
[/ion snarling]
[Elephant trumpets]
[Animals chittering]
[/ion roars]
[Animals chittering, drums beating]
[Elephant trumpets]
[/ion snarls]
[Animals chittering, elephant trumpets]
[Hyena-like yelping, drums beating]
[/ion roaring]
[Drum beating intensifies]
[H yena-like yelping]
[Drums beating]
[Natives chanting]
[Elephant trumpets]
[/ion snarling]
[Drums beating, natives chanting loudly]
[Drums and chanting stop]
[Sighs]
[Groans]
[Sighs deeply]
[Sighs]
[Pouring liquid]
[/ion gro w/s faintly]
[/ion gro w/s softly]
[Glass breaks]
[Gro w/s soft/ y]
[Gro w/in g soft/ y]
[Growling softly]
[Wild roaring]
[A /an screams]
[/ion snarling]
(Narrator) Some superst/t/ons kept alive by the long night of ignorance
ha ve their own special power.
You'll hear of it througha jungle grapevine
ina remote corner of the twilight zone.
(Male presenter) Rod serl/ng, crea Tor of the twilight zone,
will tell you about next week's story
after this message.
(Male presenter) And now, Mr. Serl/ng.
Next week on the twilight zone,
we bring to the TV cameras a most unique gentlemen
whose own very special brand of clownship
has long ago become a milestone in American humor.
Mr. Buster Keaton appears in once upona time.
A script written especially for him by Richard Matheson,
this one is wild, woolly and most unpredictable.
On the twilightzone next week,
Mr. Buster Keaton in once upona time.
Remember, the mentally ill need your help,
not criticism. Learn how.
Write: (Reading)