19 Nocturne Boulevard - From An Amber Block - Reissue
b'Adapted by Julie Hoverson, from a story by Tom Curry, as published in Astounding Stories in 1930
A new acquisition by the museum contains a dark dark secret!
Cast List
Betty Young \\xa0- Julia Carson
Professor Walter Marble - Don Parris
Professor Young - Charles Austin Miller
Andrew Leffler - Mark Olson
Rooney - Reynaud LeBeouf
Smythe - Chuck Burke
Doctor - Mitchell Carson
Fred - Marshal Latham
Guard - Reynaud LeBeouf
Music by Wynn Erickson
Editing and Sound:\\xa0\\xa0 Julie Hoverson
Cover Design:\\xa0 Charles Austin Miller
Many thanks to Project Gutenberg and Librivox for curating these classic stories.
"What kind of a place is it?
Why it\'s a special annex at the museum of natural history in 1930, can\'t you tell?"
************************************************
From an Amber Block
[From the story by Tom Curry, published in Astounding Stories, July, 1930]
Cast:
Professor Walter Marble, young scientist, 30
Professor Young, old museum curator, 55
Betty Young, daughter with a clipboard, 20
Andrew Leffler, millionaire dilettante, 48
Rooney, guard, 57
Smythe, janitor, 40
Doctor, 45
Fred, workman, 25
OLIVIA \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0Did you have any trouble finding it?\\xa0 What do you mean, what kind of a place is it?\\xa0 Why, it\'s a special annex at the museum of natural history in 1930, can\'t you tell?\\xa0
MUSIC
Scene 1.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
SOUND \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0ECHOING FOOTSTEPS
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0 \\xa0WOOD CRATES BEING DISMANTLED AND REMOVED
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 These should prove especially valuable and interesting without a doubt, Marble, old man.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Have they all been brought in and set up, professor?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Check the manifest.\\xa0 Betty dear, do you have that?\\xa0 Should be on the clipboard.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Let\'s see.\\xa0 Ah, yes - check, check - all checked off, present and accounted for.\\xa0 seventeen huge lumps of prehistoric amber.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'ve told you time and time again not to bandy such unspecific terms.\\xa0 Until we have them precisely dated, they are assumed to be common cretaceous amber.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yes, father [correcting self] Professor.\\xa0 But there\'s nothing common about the size of these pieces!\\xa0 These are quite outside ...the standard deviation.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE WALKS ON A BIT
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 When you see bits of amber worked into jewelry, especially the ones with insects preserved in them, you just can\'t even picture something on this scale!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It was tricky getting them out of the ground, too.\\xa0 The workmen seemed afraid - didn\'t want to handle them for some silly reason.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Is that ...coal in the biggest one?\\xa0 That dark center?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I am inclined to believe it will prove to be some sort of black liquid, possibly a pocket of colophony.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Which is?
MARBLE \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0[somewhat dismissive] An oil derived from amber.\\xa0 [change of tone]\\xa0 Professor Young?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yes?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Even with the dark central void, I think that big one will turn out to be the largest single piece of amber ever mined.\\xa0
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It appears to be several tons.\\xa0 It will take some maneuvering to get a proper weight on it.\\xa0 Betty?\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yes, Professor?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Take this down.\\xa0 Stone 1 - we\'ll call this large one "stone one"--
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Noted.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Make up a card when you get a chance.\\xa0 [back to describing] The amber is clear and pure in appearance, probably mixed with lignite. Yellow brown in color, irregular in shape. I think it is merely the thickness of the amber, and not any imperfections in its refractive structure, that make the central dark spot nothing more than a shadow.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It\'s like a small mountain!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Nonsense.\\xa0 Get some specific measurements.\\xa0 Height; width through, say, four axes, at three equidistant levels.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [resigned] Yes, professor.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 If you need help, Walter here is a dab hand with triangulation.\\xa0 You\'ll help, won\'t you, Marble?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Certainly.\\xa0 Whatever you need.\\xa0 Miss Betty, I think we had better begin by drawing a rough sketch of the block.
Scene 2.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR OPENS, ACROSS THE ROOM, CONFIDENT STRIDES ENTER
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [full of confidence] Well, well, well...what do you think of them?
PROFESSOR\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Ignore him.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Father!\\xa0 You have to play nice.\\xa0 He funds the research and gets to play philanthropic scientist.
PROFESSOR\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You mean pseudo-scientific philanthropist.\\xa0 Yes, yes of course.\\xa0 [up]\\xa0 Mr. Leffler!\\xa0 All present and accounted for!
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [coming on] Everybody is talking about the big one!\\xa0 Orling is coming to see, along with plenty of others. \\xa0Marble!\\xa0 Did you happen to catch any stories the workmen down there were telling?\\xa0 I\'m thinking I\'ll publish something on the expedition, and that would be a great little chapter.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I don\'t think it was actual stories.\\xa0 Just general uneasiness and rumors of bad luck.\\xa0 Something about a creature swimming in a lake of ink, but the translator says the local dialect was pretty difficult.
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Well, monster or not, let\'s hope there\\u2019s something good in there, something that will make all our effort worthwhile.\\xa0 [walking away] Maybe I can come up with a few tales, just spice, you know...
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Superstition is curious, isn\'t it?\\xa0 [chuckles] How can anyone think that a fossil of a creature, penned in such a cell for thousands and thousands of years, could do any harm?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Superstition, by definition, is unreasonable. These amber blocks were mined in the Manchurian lignite deposits by Chinese coolies under Japanese masters. They believe anything over there. I remember working once with a crew of them that thought\\u2014
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off] [scream!]
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What is it, Betty dear?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It - it - it--!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Her face is completely white!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You\\u2019d better sit down.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SCUFFLE
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What is it that has put you into such a state?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\\u2014I thought I saw something looking out, eyes that stared at me\\u2014-!\\xa0 [laughs, but forced]\\xa0 I suppose it was just Mr. Leffler\'s talk of monsters. \\xa0There\'s certainly nothing there now.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Perhaps the Manchurian devil just likes beautiful young ladies, eh, Marble?\\xa0 [chuckles] [walking off] Well, be careful, dear. If it takes a notion to jump out at you, call for me and I\'ll return presently and exorcise it.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [chuckles, but half hearted] I suppose you think I\'m being hysterical, too, Mr. Marble?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [musing] No-o-o.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [coming back in]\\xa0 Come along Betty, we must go home.\\xa0 There\'s a long, interesting day ahead of us to-morrow, [going off again] and I want some time to read Orling\'s new work on matrices before we begin chipping at block number one.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [confidential] I... I saw something, too.\\xa0 Could it have been just some refraction of the light?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [gasp]\\xa0 I\\u2014I don\'t know.\\xa0 I thought I saw two terrible eyes glaring at me from the inky heart. \\xa0But when father laughed at me, I was ashamed and thought it was just my fancy.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The center is liquid, I\'m sure of it.\\xa0 [beat] Well, we\'ll find out soon enough, once we get started.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off, commanding] Come along, Betty!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Be careful.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE WALKS OFF
Scene 3.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MUSIC
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Betty?\\xa0 Have you got the specimens we\'ve laid out on tray 15 itemized yet?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yessir!\\xa0 8 ants, 14 mosquitoes, 32 unidentified insect portions and 3 bees.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Very good.\\xa0 We\'ll make a scientist out of you, yet.\\xa0 [chuckles heartily]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'m sure I\'ve got plenty to do as it is.\\xa0 You are being careful, aren\\u2019t you?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 That\'s the dozenth or so time you\'ve inquired.\\xa0 What is it you expect to happen?\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I... I don\'t know.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [condescending] The stones are carefully anchored so they won\'t fall over, and carefully protected by their canvas covers when we\'re not working on them.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I know.\\xa0 But do be careful.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0 \\xa0You think the fabled Manchurian beast is going to break out of that stone like a - like a chick out of an egg - and run amok?\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You said you plan to work your way into position to tap that dark central core.\\xa0\\xa0
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Between our heaters and our chisels, we\'ll be through into the central mass sometime tomorrow.\\xa0 It\'s getting much softer, now the outside shell is pierced.\\xa0 Amber used to be called \\u2013 still is in some cultures \\u2013 the stone that burns.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [german name, but quiet] \\xa0Bernstein.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Since not only does it become malleable when heated, it can actually return to its original resinous state \\u2013 a state in which it is, once again, flammable!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 But, for our purposes, it is soft and permeable \\u2013 much easier to dig through than say granite or basalt.\\xa0 Pretty soon we\'ll find out whether we are right about it being liquid. We have to wait, and make some preparations for catching it, just in case.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [nervous]\\xa0 Catching - what?
MARBLE \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0The liquid, of course.\\xa0 Some sort of large drainage pan should suffice.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DISTANT BELL
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And that is time.\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 PEOPLE PUTTING THINGS AWAY, THE ROOM \\xa0QUIETING DOWN
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Mr. Leffler wants to be here when the final breach is made.\\xa0 Should I call him and issue a formal invite?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Oh, don\'t bother me with him tonight.\\xa0 [walks off] We can summon him quickly enough when we\'re nearly there - otherwise, he\'ll spend all day hovering about and getting in the way.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Here\'s your coat, miss Young.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Thanks.\\xa0 [sigh] I think it must have been my imagination.\\xa0 I certainly didn\\u2019t see anything odd today.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Nor did I, but I kept thinking I heard dull scrapings from inside the block. My brain tells me I\'m an imaginative fool, that nothing could be alive inside something that old - but just the same, I keep thinking about those eyes we thought we saw. [shaking it off] Just shows how far the imagination will take one.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [calling from off] It\'s getting dark, Betty!\\xa0 Better not stay here in the shadows or the devil will get you. I wonder if it will be Chinese or up-to-date American!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [laugh, slightly annoyed]\\xa0 Funny how such smart men can sometimes be so dense.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Oh?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Nothing.\\xa0 Good night!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE WALKS
Scene 4.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR OPENS
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Here you go, miss Young.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Night, Rooney!
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Stayin\' late this evening, are you?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [going off] No, we\'re calling it a night, Rooney.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HER FEET GO OFF
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Good night, Miss Young. Sleep happy.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [from off] Thanks, Rooney!
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [whistles something irish]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 BETTY\'S FEET COME BACK
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Is there a problem, ma\'am?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You\'ll be extra careful tonight, won\'t you?
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Well, miss, I\'m always careful. Nobody can get in to harm anything while old Rooney\'s about.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [reluctant but urgent] I don\'t mean that. I want you to be careful yourself, when you\'re anywhere near this room to-night.
ROONEY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [indulgent] Why, miss, what is there to be wary of? Nothing but some funny looking stones, far as I can see.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Of course.
Scene 5.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MUSIC
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [sleeping fitfully] oh\\u2026 looking ...at... me!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 TELEPHONE RINGS
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [comes awake with a gasp]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 GETS UP, OPENS DOOR
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off] Hello? Yes, speaking. [annoyed] Good morning, Smythe.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Smythe?\\xa0 At the Museum?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Shh-shh!\\xa0 [gasp]\\xa0 My God! I\\u2014I can\'t believe it!\\xa0 Is he dead?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Dead?\\xa0 Who?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'ll be right down, yes.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HANGS UP THE PHONE
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Dear, there\'s been a tragedy at the museum during the night. One of the guards has been killed.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Oh no!\\xa0 Not Rooney!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I don\\u2019t know them by name.\\xa0 Possibly by burglars.\\xa0 And Smythe, who found him, wants me to come down and see if anything has been stolen. I must go at once. The body is in our laboratory.\\xa0 Where did I leave my overcoat...?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [sniffled a bit]\\xa0 Give me a minute to get dressed.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 No, no. No need.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [firm]\\xa0 I\'m going with you.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You can come along later, once we have things ...tidied up a bit.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'ll be all right. I promise you I will.\\xa0 And you know I\'m the only one who can keep your notes straight.
MUSIC
Scene 6.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
AMB\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 MUSEUM
SMYTHE \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0I\'ve sent for an ambulance, Professor.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Of course, Smythe.\\xa0 Let me see the extent of the damage.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR OPENS
SMYTHE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yes, of course.\\xa0 The body is around on the left ...here?\\xa0 Sir?
PROF \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0I must check on the stones first.\\xa0 See that nothing has been damaged.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0 \\xa0[grumpy mutter] Of course. \\xa0Rooney\'s not going anywhere.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Aha.\\xa0 Nothing seems missing.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Father, they\\u2019re too large for someone to just run off with.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Why don\'t you go and check the trays in the lock room.\\xa0 Make sure nothing portable has walked away.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Very well.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Smythe?\\xa0 The body?
SMYTHE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Here.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [musing]\\xa0 No pulse.\\xa0 Cold.\\xa0 He\'s been dead some time.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [coming on] The lock on the room hasn\\u2019t been tampered with, and \\u2013 [gasp]
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 There\'s nothing we can do for him, now.\\xa0 It looks as though the poor fellow was set upon and stabbed a number of times by an assailant or assailants, whoever they were.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Poor Rooney!\\xa0 He was so jolly and red-faced, but now - his skin is like chalk!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Rather shrunken, too. Almost as if there\'s no blood left in his veins.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And that look on his face!\\xa0 He must have been terrified of whoever killed him.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 There must have been several assassins; They beat him up frightfully.\\xa0 It would take more than one man to do such damage.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [quietly] Poor man.\\xa0 Who will tell his grandchildren?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [quiet, sympathy] Yes. [up] His ribs are crushed in\\u2014see, this gash, Professor, that would be enough to cause death without any of the other wounds.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [to herself, horrible fascination] What are they looking at?\\xa0 A horrible... blistered area under his arm?\\xa0 And a gash \\u2013 oh, that must be what killed him!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Bloodless!\\xa0 As I said!\\xa0 It is as if the blood had been pumped out of the body!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And yet not much blood on the ground.\\xa0 I only see a couple of splotches, and those look like they\\u2019re from more superficial cuts.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Maybe he was dragged here from another room.\\xa0 Perhaps the thieves were here to steal something in another part of the museum.\\xa0 Seems to me that men desperate enough to commit such a murder would not leave without trying to get what they came after.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Unless, of course, the killing of the guard frightened them away before they could get to their booty.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 FEET APPROACH
SMYTHE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I brought that doctor you asked for, Professor Young.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Any idea when this happened, Smythe?
SMYTHE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Well, he punched the clock in here at two A.M. - I seen that.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And he never made it to his next punch?
SMYTHE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Nope.\\xa0 [heavy sigh] And it\'s the last time he\'ll ever do his duty, poor feller.
DOCTOR\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Curious odor.\\xa0 [sniffs] It smells like musk, but is fetid. I suppose it\'s some chemical you use in your lab here?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I noticed that, too.\\xa0 Nothing I recognize.\\xa0 Marble?\\xa0 Where did he get to?\\xa0 Marble?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off] There are wavy black lines on the tiles, leading around back of the block!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You will have to be more specific.\\xa0 Wavy lines indeed!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [moving further off] come and look, then!\\xa0 They go around the back, and \\u2013 good god!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What?\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 PEOPLE DASH TO LOOK
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 That - that dark \\u201chollow\\u201d in the stone \\u2013 it\\u2019s completely open!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Marble, get me samples of that liquid before it all evaporates, would you?\\xa0 Didn\\u2019t anyone think to check behind the block here?\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Everyone was pretty distracted by Rooney.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [dismissive] The corpse?\\xa0 I suppose, but he\\u2019s certainly in no further danger.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [quiet but intense] You\\u2019re more interested in your black liquid then a man who lost his life.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off]\\xa0 It\\u2019s not liquid at all!\\xa0 At least not any more.\\xa0 It\\u2019s nearly all dried, Professor Young. [musing] Dried into those strange wavy runnels and patterns...
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It looks like black lacquer.\\xa0 And that smell.\\xa0 I see what the doctor meant!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Our chipping and hammering and the heat of the radiator causing it to expand must have forced out the sepia, or whatever it is.\\xa0 [disappointed sigh] I had hoped that inside the liquid we would discover a fossil of value.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Yes...
MUSIC
Scene 7.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
AMB\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 CROWD TALKING, OFF
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Look here Betty, I guess it\\u2019s just you and me that might have seen this\\u2026 thing.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 That hole in the amber \\u2013 it\\u2019s awful big!\\xa0 Who knows WHAT might have been inside?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [dubious] Could have been nothing at all\\u2026
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Did that black stain look like it could have been enough to fill the entire cavity?\\xa0 I\\u2019m quite sure it was full.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\\u2019ll poke around a bit.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Be careful!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I will.\\xa0 Say, from here, does the giant block look like it\\u2019s been moved?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Hold on \\u2013 I have some sketches.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 FLIPPING PAPERS ON HER CLIPBOARD
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Gosh!\\xa0 You\\u2019re right!\\xa0 It\\u2019s shifted just a bit!\\xa0 But it \\u2013 it\\u2019s huge!\\xa0 Tons, Father said.\\xa0 [rationalizing]\\xa0 Oh! It must have been the explosion- or expulsion \\u2013 of all that liquid.\\xa0 That might very well have shifted it, mightn\\u2019t it?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [dubious] Maybe.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You\\u2019re worried about those marks in the black gunk, aren\\u2019t you?\\xa0
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 They look like claw marks, not mere natural striations.\\xa0\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Professor Marble?\\xa0 Please don\'t look any longer. Let\\u2019s leave this terrible place - for the day, anyway - until we see what happens in the next twenty-four hours.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I must make a search.\\xa0 My brain calls me a fool, but just the same, I\'m worried.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Do you really think ...?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I fear so.
MUSIC
Scene 8.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Is there any further word on the murder?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0 \\xa0Your father has dismissed it as a botched theft attempt.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I \\u2013 I can\\u2019t believe it.\\xa0 And what about the blood?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The blood?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Father may be able to disregard it, but he\\u2019s the one who pointed out that all of poor Rooney\\u2019s blood was\\u2026 missing.\\xa0 Were there any other signs of struggle?\\xa0 Anywhere?\\xa0 Or even some sign of a break-in?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 No.\\xa0 [dubious] But it might be the work of a slick professional cracksman.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And how many of those would rather randomly kill a man than hide until the guard has gone on along his rounds, tell me that?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [chuckle] I didn\\u2019t say that was MY opinion.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'m going to try to take father home, right after lunch, if he\'ll go. He\'s so stubborn. \\xa0If you must stay, would you \\u2013 please \\u2013 carry a gun?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Very well.\\xa0 Not that I think it would be of much use, if I did find\\u2014-[cuts himself off]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR SLAMS OPEN, IMPERIOUS FEET ENTER
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [from across the room]\\xa0 What\'s this I hear?\\xa0 A watchman killed in the night? Carelessness, man, carelessness!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [quiet] Betty, see if your father needs anything.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Good idea.
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The authorities here are absurd! They hold priceless treasures and yet they allow thieves to enter and wreak their will. [arrived] You, Marble! What\'s all this mean?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 We do the best we can, Mr. Leffler.\\xa0\\xa0 It is unlikely that anyone would wish to, let alone be ABLE to, steal such a thing as that block of amber.
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And why not?\\xa0 It cost ME thousands of dollars!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It took the use of several large machines and a good deal of manpower to bring it INTO this room.\\xa0 Any attempt to similarly leave \\u2013 well, it would hardly pass unnoticed.
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Hogwash!\\xa0 I understand it\\u2019s been broken into!\\xa0 There\\u2019s pieces of my beautiful stone gone missing, mark my words!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 BELL
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It\\u2019s time for lunch, Professor Marble.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You\\u2019ll excuse us?\\xa0 Good.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 THEY WALK AWAY, LEAVING
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [fading as they leave] OF all the things!\\xa0 I have contributed considerable sums to this museum, and to see my money treated as if it were no more valuable than the general run of arrowheads and pot shards!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Phew.\\xa0 Thanks for coming to my rescue.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 He\\u2019ll still be at it when we get back.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 yes, but I will have had some coffee!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR SHUTS, CUTTING OFF LEFFLER
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Poor Rooney.\\xa0 It\\u2019s been preying on me.\\xa0 Betty, I feel more or less responsible, in a way.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 No, no! How could you have foreseen such a thing?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Those eyes. I shouldn\\u2019t have discounted what we saw.\\xa0 I should have taken precautions. But I had no idea it could burst from its prison.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 You will get a revolver before you search further?\\xa0 [firm] I\'m going to, too. Smythe has one, and I know he\'ll lend it to me.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I believe Leffler has seen something, too. That\'s why he keeps talking about it being our fault. His talk about the devil inside the block was half in earnest.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 He never seemed to take it any more seriously than \\u2013 than father does!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Perhaps he put it down to imagination, or even did not think this fossil could be dangerous.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I think Rooney could show them the error of their assumptions.
MUSIC
Scene 9.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 OUTSIDE
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 There\\u2019s some kind of commotion at the museum entrance!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Figures.\\xa0 We leave the building for just long enough to eat, and something happens!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 CROWD MURMURS
GUARD\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Stay back, folks.\\xa0 The museum is closed.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Let us through!
GUARD\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The museum is closed to the public, sir!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\\u2019m not the public!\\xa0 I insist you tell me what\\u2019s going on!
GUARD\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Come inside, then both of you.\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DOOR SHUTS, CLOSING OUT CROWD
GUARD\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Somethin\'s happened up in the paleontological laboratories.\\xa0 Dunno just what, but orders come down to clear the rooms and not let anybody in but members of the staff, sir.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Blast!\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 QUICK WALKING
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Walter!\\xa0 Please wait!\\xa0 Get yourself a gun.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 All right. You!
GUARD\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Me?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [to guard] Give me your gun.\\xa0 [to her] Betty, you need to stay here, where it\\u2019s safe.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\'m going with you.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 As a senior staff member to a junior one, I order you to remain downstairs.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Hmph.\\xa0 Very well.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HIS FOOTSTEPS GO ONE WAY, THEN HER FOOTSTEPS GO OFF IN ANOTHER DIRECTION
Scene 10.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MUSIC
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 CHECKING AMMO IN A GUN
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 BETTY STRIDING PURPOSEFULLY
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [talking to herself]\\xa0 Good.\\xa0 I knew Smythe would come through for me.\\xa0 Marble may be a bright fellow, but anyone could see another gun will come in handy\\u2014
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 RUNNING FEET COMING
FRED\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [panic heavy breathing]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What is it?\\xa0 Fred!\\xa0 Look at me!\\xa0 Tell me what\\u2019s going on!
FRED\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [gasping and babbling] There was a black fog\\u2014I saw a red snake with legs\\u2014
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 A what? Oh no! You get on out of here!
FRED\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 B-but where are you going?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 To make sure the professors are all right!
Scene 11.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HER RUNNING FEET, THEY SLOW
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [coughing] What\\u2019s that [cough] in the air.\\xa0 Phew!\\xa0 It smells like\\u2014[suddenly alert] It smells like whatever came out of that stone!
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [distant horrible SCREAM]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Walter!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE RUNS, GASPING, THROUGH THE FOG
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [muttered] It just keeps getting thicker and thicker \\u2013 I can barely see!\\xa0 [up] Walter??
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 FOOTSTEPS SLOW, PATTING ALONG WITH HAND
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Ah, the door.
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [whimpering, distant]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 DRAGGING JUICY AWFUL NOISES
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [sharp whisper]\\xa0 Where are you?
LEFFLER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [whimpery scream, cut off \\u2013 urk!]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 If only the sun would come out, the skylights might cut through some of this murk!\\xa0 [up] Walter!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [quiet but urgent] Go back, Betty, go back!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HER SLOW STEPS
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [disgust and sorrow] Oh, Leffler! [groan]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [gasp]\\xa0 Here you are!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I told you to get out of here!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Is he hurt?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 He\\u2019s dead.\\xa0 Just like Rooney, far as I can tell.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 But he just twitched!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Something must have a hold on him!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Some thing?\\xa0 [screams]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE RUNS
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Get out of here, Betty!\\xa0 Get to safety!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SLITHERY NOISE
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\\u2019ll keep anything from following you.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [scream breaks off with noise of effort]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SMASH OF GLASS
Scene 12.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What are you doing?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Terrified or not, I\\u2019m not leaving you, Walter!\\xa0 [noise of effort]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 ANOTHER WINDOW BREAKS
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 But unless we get some air in here, that nasty haze will be our undoing!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [astonished]\\xa0 Good girl!\\xa0 It\\u2019s starting to clear a bit.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Where are you?\\xa0 I can see Leffler\\u2019s \\u2026 body\\u2026 now, but--\\xa0 Walter?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [loud whisper] Stay clear of the amber.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Which one?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [loud whisper]\\xa0 All of them.\\xa0 I think IT is hiding among them, somewhere.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 How can we tell?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [strange urgency] Betty, please go outside and call some of the men.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What are you looking ...at...?\\xa0 Oh.\\xa0 That black smoke \\u2013 that\\u2019s not moving because of the open window, is it?
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [strained, conversational]\\xa0 It\\u2019s coming out from under that canvas cover.\\xa0
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [shocked but trying to sound calm] That\\u2019s where it is!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The cover is too big to move all in one go by myself.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I can get\\u2014
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Don\\u2019t come any closer!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I\\u2019ll grab the rope from here \\u2013 between us, we can flip it!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SUCKING TENTACLE NOISE
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [stifled noise of horror]
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Well, it\\u2019s definitely under there.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 ANOTHER SLITHER
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 All right... now!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 FLAP OF CLOTH
Scene 13.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MONSTER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [hiss]
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [scream]
MONSTER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [shriek]
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 All red, with black patches!\\xa0 Reptilian, but some sort of secondary nostrils on the \\u2013 aha! \\xa0That\'s where the black miasma in the air comes from!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 IS coming from!\\xa0 It\\u2019s trying to blind us with its smokescreen.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Did you see where it went?
BETTY \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0Other side of the block, I think!\\xa0 Oh, that smell!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It must have been right there, under the canvas, all day.
BETTY \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0Within arm\\u2019s reach of the whole staff?\\xa0 How awful!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [disgust] It came out only when there was comparative quiet, to get its food....
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 We-we must kill it!\\xa0 [slower] We... must\\u2026
MARBLE \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0Betty!\\xa0 Its eyes \\u2013 they\\u2019re hypnotizing her Like a snake!\\xa0 Snap out of it, Betty!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SLITHERING SLURPING NOISE
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Betty!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 THUMP, SKID, AS HE KNOCKS HER OVER, GETTING HER OUT OF THE WAY
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [snapping out of it] Its mouth \\u2013 that long fanged tongue!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [noting to self]\\xa0 It has the thick body of an immense python and the clawed legs of a dinosaur.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And it\\u2019s horrible!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 But it also appears to have tentacles, like some sort of terrestrial octopus....
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Still horrible!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Betty, no one has ever had such an experience as this, seen such a sight, and lived to tell of it. It must be ravenous with hunger, shut up in its amber cell inside the black fluid. I\\u2014
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 WHISTLING HISS \\u2013 INTAKE OF AIR
BETTY \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0I have a feeling it\\u2019s about to blow!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I think it\\u2019s armored.\\xa0 I\\u2019ll have to aim for the head.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SIX SHOTS
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [screaming]\\xa0 It\\u2019s coming!\\xa0
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 WEIRD SLITHER THUMP AS IT MOVES
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Come on!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 THEY BACK AWAY
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It\\u2019s in front of the door!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 We can\\u2019t go out the window!\\xa0 We\\u2019re too high up!\\xa0 Here.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HANDS HIM GUN
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I counted and you\\u2019re just about out.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 CLICK
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Good gravy you\\u2019re right.\\xa0 [ugh, throws the empty gun]\\xa0 Thanks.\\xa0 Now you get moving while I distract it! \\xa0Hurry!\\xa0 Run for your life!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Oh, Walter!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE RUNS
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SLITHER, SNAP, GUNSHOTS
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [off] Oh, there MUST be something! Aha! [Ugn!\\xa0 Breaks glass case]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 GLASS BREAKS, GRABS FIRE AXE
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 MONSTER LUNGES AT MARBLE, MORE GUNSHOTS, CLICK
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [muttered] I won\\u2019t let you die, Walter!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 SHE RUNS, THEN
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 UGN!!!!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 CHOP OF AXE INTO FLESH
MONSTER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [HORRIBLE SCREAM!]
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 No! Over here, you beast!\\xa0 Keep looking at me!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 And again!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 THUMP, SQUISH
MONSTER\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Scream!
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 THRASHING
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Look out Betty!\\xa0 The tail!
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 What?\\xa0 Ugh! [smacked down]
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 BODY DROP
MARBLE \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0No!\\xa0 Betty!
FADE INTO BLACKNESS AND SILENCE
Scene 14.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0
MUSIC STUMBLES IN
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [waking, muttering] What??\\xa0 What happened?\\xa0 [sudden gasp, freaking out] The monster!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [manly agony] Oh, my darling!\\xa0 Are you badly hurt?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [calming down] No.\\xa0 I\'m\\u2014I\'m all right. But\\u2014but Walter\\u2014did it\\u2014?
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 He\'s fine, but the monster is hacked to pieces, and don\\u2019t think I\\u2019m simply using an unscientific term.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I \\u2013 i- when I saw you fall, I think I went a bit mad.\\xa0 And then the axe was in my hand, and \\u2013
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [stern] And he utterly mutilated a marvelous and unique specimen.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Father!\\xa0 We could have been killed!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [relenting] Well, there are still some remains to examine.\\xa0 They\\u2019re taking the rest of it away now.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 I think we will find it to be some sort of missing link between the dinosaurs and mososaurs. Thus, the tentacles.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HE WALKS AWAY
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [lecturing as he leaves] It is surely unbelievable that such a creature should be found alive; but perhaps it can be explained. It is related to the amphibians and was able to live in or out of the water.
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Hmph.\\xa0 Oh, to the devil with paleontology, Betty. You saved my life. Come out and let\'s get married. I love you.
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 [droning on in the background] Now, we have many instances of reptiles such as lizards and toads penned up in solid rock but surviving for hundreds of years.
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 At least we\\u2019re safe, Walter. And unique!
MARBLE\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 How\\u2019s that?
BETTY\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 It\'s not every woman who is helped by a living fossil to make the man she loves realize he loves her!
PROF\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Evidently this great reptile went through the same sort of experience. I would say that there has been some great upheaval of nature, that the reptile was caught in its prison of amber thousands and thousands of years ago. Through hibernation and perhaps a preservative drug it emitted in the black fluid, this creature has been able to survive its long imprisonment. Naturally, when it was released by the cutting away of part of the amber which penned it in, it burst its cell, ravenous with hunger.
SOUND\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 HE FADES OUT INTO CLOSING MUSIC
ENDING
\\xa0
'