Unwell Season 3/Episode 4 - The Imminent Frost

by Bilal Dardai

Meteorological differences.

Layers within Layers.

Who does this place belong to?

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Listen to the episode here

Content Advisories for this episode can be found here.

Support Unwell and HartLife NFP on Patreon at www.patreon.com/hartlifenfp

This episode features: Joshua K. Harris as Rudy, Krista D'Agostino as Hazel, Pat King as Chester, and Kim Fukawa as Joanne.

Written by Bilal Dardai, sound design by Sarah D. Espinoza, directed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, theme music composed by Stephen Poon, Delphic hymn composed by John Szymanski and performed by Betsey Palmer, John Szymanski, Jeffrey Nils Gardner, Michael Turrentine, Mel Ruder and Sydney Penny, recording engineer Mel Ruder, associate producer TH Ponders, Theme performed by Stephen Poon, Lauren Kelly, Gunnar Jebsen, Travis Elfers, Mel Ruder, and Betsey Palmer, Unwell lead sound designer Eli Hamada McIlveen, Executive Producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Nils Gardner, by HartLife NFP.

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EXTERIOR, EVENING. A CHILL WIND.

THE SOUND OF THE WHEELS ON AN

OLDER SEDAN PULLING UP ON A GRAVEL

DRIVEWAY COVERED IN AN INCH OF

SNOW. THE CAR IDLES FOR A MOMENT

AND THEN STOPS. A DRIVER AND

PASSENGER SIDE DOOR OPEN. HAZEL

AND RUDY STEP OUT, IN THE MIDDLE

OF CONVERSATION. THE DOORS CLOSE.

HAZEL: ...I’d say three inches at most.

RUDY: You sound certain.

HAZEL: I’m only telling you what I know from

Experience. This is a flurry, that’s all.

Three inches, tops.

RUDY: Well, you keep the almanacs, so I’d say

you’re the expert. Should we go in?

HAZEL: No. No. Let’s wait for Chester. He’ll pout

if he’s not here for your first time inside.

(BEAT.) The Great Blizzard of ‘78. Dayton

got hit with a foot. Parts of Michigan got

walloped . Muskegon, I heard, got

50-something inches over two days . I was a

little girl at the time, I got so excited

when I heard how bad it was, because we’d

never had a snow day home from school

before, and surely, ha-ha, surely this was

it...! (BEAT.) Four inches. Four, Rudy. No

snow day for little Hazel. But that’s Mt.

Absalom for you! Who can complain? Just

enough summer for the swimming pool, just

enough winter for the sled.

RUDY: Great thing to put on a brochure.

HAZEL: Three inches. And it probably won’t stick.

RUDY: Wonder if that has something to do with your

sewer system.

HAZEL: What?

ANOTHER CAR PULLS UP, STOPS, TURNS

OFF. THE DOOR OPENS AND CHESTER

COMES OUT, STEPPING OVER TO RUDY

AND HAZEL.

CHESTER: Sorry, I’m late, I know, sorry. All this

snow, right? Can’t be too careful driving.

Look at it all! I bet we get eight or nine

inches tonight. Have you been here long?

HAZEL: A minute or two.

CHESTER: And you waited? You didn’t have to do that.

HAZEL: I know. I’m very generous. Shall we?

CHESTER: Oh, of course. Get out of this avalanche.

SHOES WALKING ON GRAVEL AND SNOW.

AN ODD, LOW DRONING SOUND,

MUFFLED, COMING CLOSER.

HAZEL: Rudy, allow me to--

CHESTER: --welcome to the August Hall of the Delphic

Order!

A LARGE WOODEN DOOR OPENS. THE

ODD, LOW DRONING SOUND CAN NOW BE

HEARD CLEARLY AS A CHOIR SINGING

AN EERIE SCALE OF NOTES. THIS

LASTS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THE

DOOR CLOSES. THE DRONING CHOIR

CUTS OFF.

JOANNE: Good! Wonderful, everyone. Great warmup.

Exceptional tone, solid breath control.

HAZEL: (CLAPPING HER HANDS) Absolutely agree!

JOANNE: (WARMLY) Hazel! Good evening! (TO THE ROOM)

Coats and boots, people! On the road in five

minutes.

HAZEL: The carolers sound lovely, Joanne. Great job

getting them in shape for the season.

JOANNE: Thank you. They’ve worked hard. This is...?

CHESTER: This is Dr. Rudolfus Peltham.

RUDY: Rudy, please.

CHESTER: The astronomer who’s been restoring the

observatory?

JOANNE: Oh, of course. I heard about your accident.

My husband Alden told me you were

touch-and-go for a minute there.

RUDY: Alden. Alden. He’s the one who...

HAZEL: Drove you to the ER.

RUDY: Yes. Joanne? Joanne. Please do pass along

my thanks. I don’t think I said it properly

at the time. Let him know, whatever he

needs, I owe him. (In a London accent,

briefly.) “Pint of beer or a pint of blood,”

as my friend Andrew used to say.

JOANNE: My, you’re a charmer. I like this one,

Hazel.

HAZEL: Glad to hear it. You see--

CHESTER: --Rudy is here tonight to be initiated into

the Delphic Order.

JOANNE: Is that right? What wonderful news. Hazel, I

don’t recall the last time we initiated a

new member who wasn’t already family.

HAZEL: Neither do I, come to think of it. It’s very

rare.

JOANNE: Hazel tells us you’re doing wonderful things

at the observatory.

RUDY: I do my best. Please let me say that I am

both honored and thrilled to have been

extended an invitation.

JOANNE: Such a gentleman. Don’t get many of those

around here, do we.

HAZEL: Isn’t that the God’s honest truth. Chester,

maybe you should take notes.

JOANNE: (TO THE ROOM) All right, folks! Out to the

vans! Let’s spread some holiday cheer. It’s

cold out there, so remember to keep your

lips limber.

THE SOUND OF SEVERAL PEOPLE

HUMMING AN EERIE SCALE AS THEY

SHUFFLE OUT THROUGH AN OPENING

DOOR, WHICH CLOSES BEHIND THEM.

CHESTER: (CALLING AS THEY GO) Drive carefully! Looks

like ten to twelve inches out there.

BRIEF SILENCE. A CRACKLING FIRE

CAN BE HEARD IN THE ROOM.

RUDY: Everyone here seems very friendly. And on

pitch! What do you call this building again?

CHESTER: The August Hall.

RUDY: August the month or august the adjective?

CHESTER: The...adjective. Like...distinguished.

RUDY: I didn’t want to assume. You know how

there’s an October Palace in Kyiv?

Incredible acoustics. Anyway. I like your

space. That’s all I’m saying. The central

hearth is a great touch. Makes the whole

room feel like a Viking hall. Viking in a

good way. The warmth and camaraderie, not

the raiding and pillaging.

HAZEL: Ahem. Rudy.

RUDY: Sorry. New experiences make me chatty.

HAZEL: It’s very endearing. Have a seat.

CHAIRS ARE PULLED TOGETHER AND SAT

UPON.

RUDY: Eager to learn more, is all.

HAZEL: Yes. (BEAT.) Why is that?

RUDY: Hm?

HAZEL: Now that you’re here, now that you’re seeing

our inner workings, I need you to be

forthright with me. Why do you wish to join

the Delphic Order?

CHESTER: Hazel, you’re being--

HAZEL: --shush.

CHESTER: Oh no. Don’t you shush me. We’re not in your

library. I have as much right to speak in

here as you do.

HAZEL: Dr. Peltham, I don’t know what expectations

you had when you asked to learn more about

us. Perhaps you thought we were just another

social club like others in the Midwest. Elks

or Moose or another large, dumb hooved

animal. We are not that.

RUDY: No, I’d say that was crystal clear.

HAZEL: Then you understand how much influence we

wield in Mt. Absalom.

RUDY: Sure do.

HAZEL: And how long we have wielded it.

RUDY: Not the exact timeframe, but I get that it’s

been a stretch, sure.

HAZEL: So you can understand why I’d be suspicious.

Especially knowing how fond you are of Dot

Harper.

RUDY: Because it was never the town that wanted

Fenwood House, was it. Nah, it was you

bunch. The Delphic Order. Mayor Lopez was

reading his lines, while you were pulling

his strings.

CHESTER: In a manner of--

RUDY: --wait, no, mixed my metaphors there. He

was, he was doing his dance , while you

were--

HAZEL: --so in spite of our...well, in spite of

Chester’s failed attempt to procure Fenwood.

You’d still ask to join the Order.

RUDY: I would.

HAZEL: Why.

RUDY: I see what the confusion is, here. Allow me

to clarify. When you do what I do...and I

don’t mean astronomy in general, I mean

astronomy the way I do astronomy . Sometimes

you’re being asked to set up an office at a

prestige university and deliver a few hours

of lectures per semester, but other times

you’re sneaking into a bell tower with a

penlight and a notepad so you can

chicken-scratch a star chart before the

guard comes back around. You feel me? And

then there are other times. Times when, say,

you want to do a six-month study of the sky

above Caltabellota Sicily, and the best way

to make sure nobody bothers you is to get

good and copasetic with the province mayor

to make sure he’s keeping certain criminal

elements in line.

CHESTER: I’m sorry, are you comparing the Delphic

Order to the Mafia?

RUDY: No. When did I say he was Mafia? Because

he’s from Sicily he’s automatically Mafia?

That’s racist, Chester.

CHESTER: I--I didn’t mean--wait, is it?

RUDY: He wasn’t Mafia. He was just corrupt. That’s

not what I’m calling you. And they prefer

Cosa Nostra .

HAZEL: I understand you, Rudy. You need access to

our resources and our knowledge.

RUDY: Exactly that. So no matter how upset I still

am over what you tried to do to Dot, I also

know I need you if I want to do my research.

You make peace with the local power

structure and the power structure takes care

of you. Like, say, when you need help

obtaining a custom-built telescope lens. Or

when you suffer a severe concussion in a

secluded observatory.

A LENGTHY PAUSE.

CHESTER: ...I don’t think that’s racist.

HAZEL: Rudy.

RUDY: Yes, Hazel.

HAZEL: I’m satisfied.

RUDY: That’s a relief. So I’m in, then?

HAZEL: Let’s not call it “in,” just yet. Let’s

say you get to walk through another door.

RUDY: Okay.

HAZEL: (STANDING) Follow me, please.

SOUND OF A DOOR IN A NEARBY WALL

BEING UNLOCKED.

RUDY: Oh. You meant another door literally.

CHESTER: I’m coming too.

HAZEL: I never said you couldn’t.

CHESTER: Even if you had.

HAZEL: Now’s not the time, Chester. Come if you’re

coming.

THREE SETS OF FOOTSTEPS WALK THROUGH A DOOR, DOWN A HALLWAY, AND INTO AN ELEVATOR

RUDY: (TO HIMSELF) Certainly are a lot of creepy

basements in this town.

CHESTER: I for one find a great deal of comfort and

security in our basement. It used to be a

bomb shelter, you see. When the Delphics

took it over, we built up from it to

establish the August Hall.

RUDY: Why was there a bomb shelter here?

CHESTER: A previous Mayor, he built it.

RUDY: Death Ray Mayor?

CHESTER: Yes. You...probably have a complete picture

by now.

RUDY: Hazel, where are we going?

HAZEL: The library.

RUDY: The library? Oof, I’m lost. I thought that

was miles from here. You really built a

tunnel that goes that far?

HAZEL: I don’t mean that library.

RUDY: Ah yes. Got it. The special collection.

HAZEL: How does everybody know about that?

RUDY: Abbie told me.

HAZEL: And how does Abbie know about that?

RUDY: I’m not sure they did. I think they just

went on a hunch that all libraries have a

special collection. Which is true, no?

HAZEL: Perhaps. But “special” is a very broad term,

Rudy. There’s the public collection, there’s

the special collection, and then there’s

what I keep down here.

SOUND OF ANOTHER DOOR UNLOCKING

AND OPENING.

HAZEL: You’ll find that everything about Mt.

Absalom has levels. And the Delphic Order

has the most intricate levels of all.

THE INTERIOR OF HAZEL’S CHAMBERS.

A SOUNDPROOF ROOM WITH CONCRETE

WALLS A FOOT THICK, AND THE LOW

HUM OF A HIGH-END CLIMATE CONTROL

AND VENTILATION SYSTEM.

RUDY: (LOW WHISTLE) This your office?

HAZEL: As I told you: levels. In this hall, we are

a community group. At the town hall, we

are a political group. Beneath both of

those, however, we are a spiritual group,

and we oversee the greater mysteries of Mt.

Absalom. I would not call this my office,

Rudy. This is a chamber.

RUDY: Soundproof?

HAZEL: A hundred percent.

RUDY: For telling secrets?

HAZEL: For telling some of them.

RUDY: Can I just say: This is exactly what I hoped

it would be. Soundproof underground chamber?

Dark, ominous declarations of power? Those

little, what are they, dioramas of the town?

What’s in this bottle?

HAZEL: Don’t touch that. Have a seat, Rudy.

RUDY: Please tell me you’re going to read

something from the big book over there.

HAZEL: I am, in fact.

RUDY: Then do not let me stop you.

A LARGE BOOK BEING OPENED ON A

WOODEN LECTERN. A LAMP BEING

CLICKED ON.

HAZEL: I’m going to read this to you the way it was

read to me. As all prospective initiates in

the Delphic Order have had it read to

them. Do you agree to listen to the story I

tell?

RUDY: (AFTER A MOMENT) Oh! Yes. I do.

HAZEL: Moreso than listen: Do you agree to hear the

story I tell?

RUDY: I do.

HAZEL: Moreso than hear: Do you agree to trust the

story I tell?

RUDY: Yes.

HAZEL: And moreso than listening, hearing, or

trusting: Do you agree not to repeat the

story I tell to any outside of the Order?

RUDY: I agree to that.

HAZEL: Good. Then I may share with you the story of

the Delphic Order.

CHESTER: (CLEARS HIS THROAT) Hrrmhmmm.

HAZEL: Don’t interrupt, Chester.

CHESTER: I apologize, Hazel, I do, but...are you

going to play the music?

HAZEL: Oh. Oh, no I wasn’t planning on it. I’ve

been thinking lately that it’s a bit much.

CHESTER: I don’t know that I’d say that.

HAZEL: Hm.

RUDY: I would very much like to hear this with the

music.

HAZEL: Well. All right then.

SOUND OF A DRAWER OPENING, A

CASSETTE TAPE BEING PLACED INTO A

PLAYER, AND A BUTTON BEING

PRESSED. AN AMBIENT UNDERSCORE,

NOT OVERLY EERIE BUT DOES HELP SET

A CERTAIN MOOD. PERHAPS IT IS

PLAYED IN THE STYLE OF MID-1980S

SYNTHWAVE.

HAZEL: As all citizens of Mt. Absalom know, our

settlement was established by the pioneers,

who were led to this valley by the lonesome

reverend Silas Lodge. Working hand-in-hand,

they accepted and nourished the gifts of the

rich Earth. They were rewarded with the

bounty of this hale and verdant land, and in

their satisfaction saw fit to remain and to

prosper. Even after the reverend died, we

sought to maintain his principles of

generosity, invitation, and fellowship that

had built the town in the first place, and

what was once a mere camp became a thriving

township.

But let me tell you now what the Delphic

Order knows of Mt. Absalom.

For even as the folk of Mt. Absalom sowed

the land and reaped its harvest, the keen

HAZEL (CONT): eyes of our founders observed that the land

was unique for its soil and for the position

it seemed to hold in the vastness of

creation. Mt. Absalom was not only a land of

life, you see. Mt. Absalom was a land beyond

life.

RUDY: Ghosts. You’re talking about--

HAZEL: --sh.

RUDY: Sorry.

HAZEL: The roads and structures of Mt. Absalom had

revealed themselves to be the dominion of

unquelled souls. At first the founders

were concerned what this might mean for the

souls of the living, but they soon

recognized that no valley of the damned

would also provide such plenty. Mt. Absalom

was not a settlement that strayed close to

hell, no. It was a settlement that touched

the veil of the heavens. And the founders

agreed that we could coexist, and protect

the spirits by whatever means possible.

Except for one.

For the reverend Silas Lodge did not see the

presence of the spirits as an extension of

our good fortune, but as a harbinger of

doom. Driven to madness, Lodge anointed

himself the Revelator, and rebelled against

the people to whom he had once provided

relief. Blasphemy and chaos followed,

abetted by citizens who had fallen under his

sway. To resist the violence of the formerly

right reverend, the founders created the

Delphic Order, and then, aided by ancient

HAZEL (CONT): ritual and the grace of this land, they cast

The Revelator beyond the borders of Mt.

Absalom, never to return. There in the

wilderness did he and his twisted gospel

perish.

But Mt. Absalom, as I told you, is a

dominion of unquelled souls. The anger of

Silas Lodge could not be denied by mere

death. The forests burned with his rage, and

the waters echoed with his condemnation. For

generations since, the Delphic Order alone

have reinforced the barriers that keep his

uneasy specter at bay. The Delphic Order

alone provides vigilance.

In Mt. Absalom all good things may grow in

light and warmth. Yet all things that grow

in the summer are fearful at the return of

winter. Therefore we, the Delphic Order,

commit ourselves to being the gardener at

the gate, ever watchful of the imminent

frost.

THE MUSIC IS TURNED OFF.

RUDY: The eminent frost?

HAZEL: Imminent. “Soon to arrive.”

RUDY: Can I see the book?

HAZEL: No. For now you accept that I hold the

knowledge. Consider me the well from which

you may draw that knowledge.

RUDY: So I can ask you anything?

HAZEL: You may ask. But I may not always answer.

RUDY: Fair. (BEAT) It’s a lot.

HAZEL: I know. I hope it helps you to understand,

Rudy, how much trust we have decided to

place in you, and how seriously we hold you

to your oaths. Wouldn’t you agree, Chester?

CHESTER: Hm. (BEAT) You know, Hazel, I think you were

right. The music was a bit much.

HAZEL: What?

CHESTER: Probably should’ve gone with your gut.

HAZEL: Now just you wait a minute.

CHESTER: You know what else is a bit much? You

changing the story the way you did.

HAZEL: Changing the story? I didn’t--

CHESTER: --you thought I wouldn’t notice.

HAZEL: Notice what?

CHESTER: You seem to forget that my grandfather used

to do what you’re doing right now. That

these chambers used to be his chambers.

HAZEL: I haven’t forgotten anything of the kind. I

both respect and honor the time that Arthur

Warren spent serving in this role.

CHESTER: Then perhaps you didn’t imagine that I’ve

heard this story before. Several times. From

him.

HAZEL: ...what? He...he brought you into...

CHESTER: No, not in here. But sometimes my mom would

ask him to put me to bed. And I’d ask Grampa

Art for a story. And this was the only story

he really knew. So I heard it a bunch.

RUDY: Your grandfather told you that as a bedtime

story?

CHESTER: Yeah, look, it was a different time. And he

was a...man of it.

HAZEL: That was unwise.

CHESTER: Maybe, but he figured I’d hear it

eventually. It’s a Warren family birthright,

after all. (BEAT) You said: “The anger of

Silas Lodge could not be denied by mere

death. The forests burned with his rage and

the waters echoed with his condemnation.”

HAZEL: I did...

CHESTER: That’s not what’s written there, is it,

Hazel. (BEAT) Is it. Hazel.

HAZEL: Chester...

CHESTER: “The disappointment of Silas Lodge could not

be denied by mere death. The forests burned

with his sorrow and the waters echoed with

his lamentation .” (BEAT) Is that a little

closer , Hazel? Is that, in fact, exactly

what’s written there?

HAZEL: ...yes.

RUDY: Those do mean different things.

CHESTER: So you decided to do a little revision on

it because...?

HAZEL: (DEFENSIVELY) Because it’s obviously

incorrect!

CHESTER: Incorrect. You’re calling one of our

foundational texts, a text that you are in

charge of, incorrect.

HAZEL: Just those three words! I’ve read them so

many times and they’ve never once made

sense. Sorrow? Disappointment? The forests

around Mt. Absalom burned , Chester! That’s

clearly the Revelator’s rage. I just, I just

assumed that the words in the book were

chosen because of the sensibility of the

time when the book was written! Like, like

Jane Austen or--

CHESTER: --Jane. Austen.

HAZEL: You know what I mean.

CHESTER: I really don’t, Hazel. What I do know is

that it sounds more to me like you’ve

decided you not only keep and read the words

of the Delphic Order’s sacred books, but

that you get to interpret them according to

your own agenda. (BEAT) How dare you.

HAZEL: How...dare... I?

RUDY: Hi, listen: Should I maybe step outside?

This all seems a little above my pay grade.

HAZEL: Yes, Rudy, perhaps you should--

CHESTER: --I disagree, I think Rudy needs to see

this. I think Rudy should be able to know

what he’s signed up for. Eyes wide open.

HAZEL: Rudy is a new --

CHESTER: --do you know, Rudy, when I told Hazel

that I thought you might be exactly the sort

of person we should invite into the Delphic

Order, do you know what she said to me?

RUDY: No, what?

CHESTER: “Excellent idea, Chester. In fact, I’d like

to handle him personally.”

HAZEL: Because you’re a guest in our town, and it’s

only right that the head of our Order--

CHESTER: --mislead you about the Order’s foundation

story?

HAZEL: No!

CHESTER: Can you imagine, Rudy, if I hadn’t been here

to correct the record?

RUDY: Hazel. You gotta admit. You asked me to

trust the story you were telling me and then

you didn’t tell me the story the way it was

written. Even for an group that keeps a lot

of secrets, this is pretty shady.

HAZEL: ...I apologize. This shouldn’t be how any

new member is brought into the Order.

RUDY: I forgive you. I assume it’s very stressful

that the Revelator is walking among us.

HAZEL: You...know about that?

RUDY: I’ve met him.

HAZEL: When was this?

CHESTER: He came to Fenwood for Thanksgiving.

CHESTER: Wait what. What? WHAT. He did WHAT?

RUDY: He and Dot had a tense sort of...thing. Not

the most dramatic Thanksgiving dinner I’ve

been to, but it was up there.

CHESTER: Twice then. He’s growing bolder, Hazel.

RUDY: You’ve met him too?

CHESTER: He appeared at Dot’s Halloween party.

RUDY: In costume?

CHESTER: No. Just as himself.

RUDY: I suppose that’s scary enough.

CHESTER: Yes. It was.

HAZEL: Did he say anything we should know?

RUDY: There was a lot of talk about boundaries and

rituals that I didn’t fully understand. He

did say one thing I’d never heard before:

That the One Who Blooms wanted to meet with

Dot.

HAZEL: The One Who Blooms? Are you sure you heard

that correctly?

RUDY: Positive.

CHESTER: Not “The One in the Night.”

RUDY: No. “Blooms.” Why, does it mean something to

you?

HAZEL: It doesn’t. That’s what worries me. “The One

Who Blooms.”

CHESTER: Why didn’t you tell us this before?

RUDY: I didn’t know your relationship with him

before. Now I do. You see how this works,

Chester? We learn from each other.

HAZEL: “The One Who Blooms.” (BEAT) Chester, I’m

going to need to do some more research. It’s

probably going to take up quite a bit of my

time. Would you please make sure Rudy has

what he needs to finish his orientation?

CHESTER: Happy to.

HAZEL: What time is it. Oh my goodness. We should

head back upstairs. No. Actually. The two of

you head upstairs, I’m going to look through

a few things down here first. I’ll join you

shortly.

RUDY: Is there...like, is there paperwork?

CHESTER: There’s a book upstairs. You’ll sign it.

I’ll take care of it.

HAZEL: Yes. Thank you Chester. Please do. Close the

door behind you, please.

CHAIRS BEING MOVED, AND CHESTER

EXITS WITH RUDY. HAZEL CAN BE

HEARD MUTTERING ANXIOUSLY TO

HERSELF AS THE DOOR CLOSES. THEY

WALK BACK TO THE STAIRS.

CHESTER: You’re taking this all pretty well. I’d

known I’d be joining the Order since I was

eight, and I still found it overwhelming.

RUDY: You’re forgetting I was raised in a commune.

I’m used to a lot of arbitrary rules and

complicated lore. So: At least that turned

out to be good for something.

CHESTER: I was watching you during the recitation.

You seemed...very affected by it.

RUDY: Hazel’s a good narrator. I bet she’s a hit

with the kids during story hour.

CHESTER: I’m serious, Rudy. When she spoke of the

veil between heaven and earth I saw

a shadow cross over your face.

RUDY: That. Yes. Something about the image

reminded me of my mother.

CHESTER: Your mother?

RUDY: Another time, Chester. All right?

THEY WALK IN SILENCE FOR A MOMENT,

HEADING UP THE STAIRS.

CHESTER: You know what’s under the observatory, don’t

you.

RUDY: We figured it was a church of some kind. On

account of you calling it Chapel Hill.

CHESTER: It wasn’t just a church. It was his church.

Silas’s church. After the founders cast him

out, they removed all trace they could of

him.

RUDY: So you buried the church.

CHESTER: Tearing it down or burning it seemed...

RUDY: Improper.

CHESTER: Right.

RUDY: Hazel said that Silas had followers. What

happened to them?

CHESTER: (AFTER A LONG SILENCE) The gardener’s job is

also to pluck out weeds.

THE DOOR OPENS. THE DISTANT SOUND

OF A PITCH PIPE, AND JOANNE

COUNTING OUT TO THREE. A CHOIR

BEGINS TO SING A SONG THAT’S PART

CHURCH HYMNAL AND PART COLLEGIATE

ALMA MATER AND I HAVE NOT YET

WRITTEN IT BUT IT’S GOOD THAT

WE HAVE A BUDGET FOR THIS SORT OF

THING NOW.

CHOIR: Sing of joy and sing of grace!

Welcome to our warm embrace!

We name you now our kith and kin!

And invite you to our fires within!

Should you ever tire of labor,

The Delphic Order is your neighbor!

Should your hope be at its end,

The Delphic Order is your friend!

Should you be weighed by despair,

CHOIR (CONT): The Delphic Order gives you care!

Feel no sorrow, feel no fear!

The Delphic Order is always here!

Let our hearts show true goodwill!

Let our light shine brighter still!

When you might feel cold and lost,

We’ll protect you from the frost!

DIALOGUE CONTINUES UNDER THE CHOIR

SINGING.

RUDY: So they weren’t going caroling?

CHESTER: No. I’m sorry. Hazel told me not to

tell you.

RUDY: It’s very nice of you to do this.

CHESTER: It should be. But this is the second

time she’s lied to you tonight, and now

it unsettles me that I helped her.

(BEAT) It’s important for you to

remember about Hazel. She’s a good

woman and she holds the best interests

of the Order at heart. But you should

never, ever trust her.

THE CHOIR CONCLUDES AND CHEERS IN

WELCOME.

END. CREDITS ROLL

POST CREDIT SCENE:

WES STANDS NEAR THE WITCH’S ALTAR.

A WINTER WIND BLOWS THROUGH. THERE

IS A DISTANT WOODPECKER SOUND. WES

TAPS THE STONE.

A WOLF HOWLS IN THE DISTANCE.

AFTER A MOMENT, IT IS ANSWERED BY

A YOUNG GIRL, HOWLING BACK. THE

WOLF STOPS, BUT THE WOODPECKER

CONTINUES.

WES: Hello?

JOEY: Hello there.

WES: Joey. I remember you. Spikes’ friend. Are

you supposed to be out here?

JOEY: What, does the Witch’s Altar belong to you

or something?

WES: No, I just mean--

JOEY: --I’m more of a witch than you are. If

you’re not careful I’ll turn you into a,

into a...

WES: Ghost?

JOEY: Ghost? That’s stupid. No, I was gonna say a

worm. And then I was gonna stick you on a

hook and catch a fish with you.

WES: Oh.

JOEY: We already got enough ghosts around these

parts. Right, Wes?

WES: You know who I am?

JOEY: Doy.

WES: You know...what I am?

JOEY: Doy again. I’m not just Spikes’ friend,

y’know. I was Lily’s friend, too, when she

was Spikes’ age. A few other girls before

either of them.

WES: Then you’re like me. A ghost.

JOEY: Me? Like you? You’re like a baby to me. I

should put a bottle in your mouth and sing

you a lullaby. (BEAT) I’ve seen what you do

for Dot. Thanks for doing that. I think Lily

would have died of a broken heart if

something had happened. (BEAT) Do you have

friends, Wes?

WES: I think so. I thought so.

JOEY: You’re wrong. That’s not the way the water

flows. We’re friends to others, and they get

to have us . We don’t get to have them .

WES: That’s...not true.

JOEY: (AN EXASPERATED GRUNT) UGH! Catch up, will

you? I’m not telling you anything true , I’m

just telling you how things are.

WES: That doesn’t--

JOEY: Never mind! It’s like talking to a bag of

marbles! I’m trying to have a grownup

conversation with you and you’re still just

a thirsty sapling.

WES: A conversation about what?

JOEY: About everything ! About Mt. Absalom, and

Fenwood House, and about what happens when

the doors begin to fall off their hinges.

WES: You’re not making any sense!

JOEY: (SUDDENLY VERY CLOSE TO WES) She needs you,

Wes. She still needs you. Soon. Very soon.

Go now. Go.

THE LAST ECHO OF “GO” SKIPS ACROSS THE

ALTAR. THE WOODPECKER CONTINUES.

WES: Oh no.

WES VANISHES.