Episode 1369

Aired: Thursday September 24, 1971

After a replay of Wednesday's close, Stokes tells Barnabas that he's being "far too unrealistic" in thinking they could duplicate Petofi's spell and somehow bring Sarah back to life. Barnabas says he's hopeful, and that they "should at least try." Stokes reminds Barnabas that "Daphne's spirit was unstable" and that "her fading into the past could be an inevitable consequence of such a spell." Barnabas counters that the original Daphne "must have aged, yet the Daphne we knew was young and beautiful. Perhaps Petofi borrowed a spirit that rightly belonged in the past. Sarah is a different case. She died young. It would be more like a continuation of her life." Stokes says "Anything may be possible when dealing with powers like these, but there is always the possibility that her spirit, too, may belong to the past." Barnabas, saddened by this, answers "Unfortunately Professor, my spirit seems as much a prisoner of the past too." Stokes says that he will "research more" into Petofi's methods, but warns "while I may understand such powers, I assure you I am no sorcerer." Barnabas nods. Meanwhile, Quentin is searching the woods for Willie, gun drawn. He hears some brush moving and some breathing. As Quentin steps from behind a tree, he sees an exhausted Willie laying on the ground, breathing heavily. "Loomis!" he says. "Can you stand up?" Willie opens his eyes and looks at Quentin, and pants "Kill me..... kill me, please. You've got to....got to shut it off....make him stop....." before collapsing. Quentin shouts "Willie!"

Quentin tries to get Willie to his feet, and Willie is still exhausted. "What happened to you Loomis?" Quentin asks. "Did Blair have anything to do with it? Willie gets scared at the mention of Blair, and Quentin nods "That's enough to make me think he did. What did Blair do to you? Tell me!" Willie shakes his head and pulls away, but can't get far before leaning against a tree. "I can't make it stop....it keeps talking to me....." he says. "What keeps talking to you?" Quentin says. "It' him.... that thing Blair brought back.....it's always starin' at me...tellin' me what to do! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Willie starts to get more energy and lunges at Quentin, who clocks him one and sends him to the ground, knocking him out. Quentin looks at the gun at his hand and hmphs before picking Willie up and taking him away. Back at Collinwood, Julia is having some tea in the drawing room when Quentin comes in, carrying Willie. Julia asks Quentin where he found him, and Quentin says "babbling in the woods. He's completely out of his mind." Quentin lays him on the sofa and Julia says she'd better get her bag to sedate him in case he gets violent again. Quentin tells Julia "Nicholas Blair did something to him. I don't know why, but I intend to find out." Willie stirs at the mention of Blair's name, and then sees where he is. "You gotta get me out of here!" he says. Julia tells him to calm down, and Willie looks at her and begins to tear up. "Julia....I tried to hurt you....I don't know why, I'm sorry, I'm sorry....I can't help it...he keeps tellin' me to do things and I don't wanna!" Julia asks "Who does? Nicholas Blair?" Willie answers "Those eyes....starin' at me.....he wants to get Barnabas! Destroy him! He won't stop tellin' me! I can't shut it off, I tell ya, I can't shut it off!" Willie starts to convulse, and Quentin holds him down as Julia sticks a needle in him, knocking him out. Julia says she'd better arrange to have Willie sent to Windcliff "for an extended observation." Quentin replies "We'd better put Blair under observation as well. If we can believe any of those rants, Blair is out to get Barnabas and destroy him somehow." Julia and Quentin look at each other.

In the foyer, two attendants in white suits have Willie in a straight jacket. He has been sedated, but he still babbles about voices in his head, and when he turns to see Barnabas' portrait, he starts to get more excited, saying "you were the one....you! He will have his revenge, don't you see? Don't you see?" Julia signs some papers and tells the attendants to put Willie in the high security area once they get him to Windcliff. She tells Willie she'll be there "soon" to check on his progress. He mixes laughing and crying as they take him away. Quentin, standing on the stairs, comments "Poor devil. Blair must have seen him as an avenue to hurt Barnabas somehow." Julia answers "I'm not sure about that. I think Nicholas may have been planning something else, and somehow Willie interrupted things. I think Nicholas is too smart to trust using someone as unstable as Willie Loomis in his plans." Quentin ponders that one as we dissolve to the old house. Stokes is leaving as Barnabas paces and thinks. "Sarah...." we hear him think. "If only you would appear to me. I could tell you how I've struggled to keep the promise I made to you so long ago.... and perhaps I can restore what was once taken from you so cruelly...." He holds in his hand the picture Sarah drew for Stokes and looks at it sadly when there is a knock at the door. He thinks a moment, and goes to the door quickly, saying "Sarah, is that you? Did you hear me?" But when he opens the door, it's Julia. Julia asks "Did I hear you call for Sarah just now?" Barnabas escorts her in and answers "Yes. Stokes was just here. She appeared to him tonight." Julia wonders why Sarah would appear to Stokes, and Barnabas tells her that Stokes encouraged Sarah not to be afraid "of her brother Barnabas." Julia asks if he thinks it will work, and Barnabas answers "Perhaps. But there may be another way." Julia asks what, and Barnabas explains his ideas on using Petofi's method of bringing back long dead spirits. Julia is both surprised and skeptical, pointing out that "none of us have Petofi's power, Barnabas. And even with Petofi, Daphne faded back into her own time. Wouldn't that happen with Sarah?" Barnabas answers "I don't think so, at least I refuse to believe that! She would cling to her new life, to her second chance." Julia says "Well, that's not why I came here. I came to tell you that I've had to commit Willie Loomis." Barnabas replies "So, Harrison and Quentin found him, I take it." Julia says yes, and that "Quentin managed to get some information out of Willie before I had to sedate him." Barnabas asks what, and Julia answers "Whatever happened to Willie, Nicholas Blair seems to be at the bottom of it." Barnabas frowns knowingly.

Barnabas asks Julia if she could "decipher" any of Willie's ramblings, and Julia answers that "very little of what he said made sense. Except that Nicholas was plotting against you, and that he was hearing voices in his head." Barnabas asks "Voices?" Julia continues "He mentioned eyes...eyes that were staring at him! What could it mean?" Barnabas answers "I don't know. And with Blair, it could mean anything." Julia agrees, and says she fears for Barnabas' safety. Barnabas tells her not to worry since he's "faced Blair before. But tell me, I understand Harrison saved you from Willie. Is that true?" Julia says yes, and comments that Harrison seemed "very gallant" in defending her, and "certainly doesn't like Nicholas at all. Perhaps your suspicions about him are unfounded, Barnabas." Barnabas says "Perhaps. But the man is still hiding secrets and a secret agenda. And something tells me it has to do with me." Julia thinks about this a moment, and then we dissolve to Julia returning to her room at Collinwood. She looks in the mirror a moment and thinks "Once again, Barnabas needs me....will he ever realize how much I need...." but before she can finish the thought, a thunderclap blows the window open. She shuts it and starts to get ready for bed. We dissolve to her sleeping, and she begins to toss and turn. As we zoom in on her face, the picture swirls and we are in Julia's dream. Barnabas enters a foggy Collinwood, and he's scared. He closes the door behind him and looks around frantically. He calls for Quentin, but no one comes. There is a pounding at the front door, and a terrified Barnabas flees to the drawing room, closing the doors behind him. Julia is inside the room, and Barnabas is relieved to see her. He says "Julia! Thank God! He's after me! You must help me!" Julia stares at him coldly and says nothing. He says "Julia, what's wrong?" Julia slowly raises a gun in her hand and begins to tremble a bit. Trembling, we hear her think "Barnabas.....I can't help myself....I can't stop myself....." Barnabas backs away and yells "Julia, no! You can't do this!" We hear Julia crying and saying "No...I can't do this! What is making me do this?" as we see her face frozen in a scowl. "Why can't I speak? Oh no...dear God....I feel my finger squeezing the trigger and I can't stop it....why can't I stop it?" Barnabas tries to open the foyer doors, and as he does, Julia suddenly sees a pair of red bloodshot eyes staring at her as she fires the gun at Barnabas. He yells and falls as Julia manages to scream "Nooooooo!" She wakes up screaming "Nooooo.....I killed him! I killed him!" and crying.