
(25) Magic Island - Battleship Approach
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Narrator
On the magic island of the South Seas, time is very precious. The mad scientists who call themselves Euclideans measure time in seconds because they are too busy to use minutes. When Mrs. Gregory, Captain Bradford and Jerry hall landed the Gregory yacht at the island and found Mrs. Gregory's long lost little daughter Joan, they thought the idea of putting such value on time was ridiculous. Now time has become very precious to those on board the captive Gregory yacht. It is just after 8 o' clock at night. Captain Tex Bradford has been gone 15 minutes trying to swim out through the ring of fog and gas surrounding the island and release one of the little homing pigeons on which so much depends. A sudden electrical storm sweeps over the weird island as Mrs. Gregory, Jerry and Joan huddle in the radio cabin on the.
Joan
This is a terrible storm, Mother. Are you not glad your boat is safely moored to the pier here now?
Jerry
Oh, this storm wouldn't hurt the boat, Joan. We came through a couple of them on the way down here.
Joan
On Euclidea we hardly noticed such a storm as all the quarters are soundproof. But on this boat it seems very terrifying.
Mrs. Gregory
You will learn to love the natural things, Joan, dear. Things that are merely terrible in a natural way if we ever get off this horrible island.
Jerry
Well, I'm going back to the engineers quarters and wait for Tex there. I'll let you know the minute there's any news.
Joan
You will be careful, will you not Jerry? I would not like anything to happen to you.
Jerry
Hear that Mrs. Gregory? Joan's getting kind of stuck on me.
Joan
I am not stuck at all. You see, I am quite free to move at will.
Mrs. Gregory
You mustn't mind Jerry, my dear. His expressions are a little puzzling at times.
Joan
But Jerry, one time you say I am stuck up when I am not sticking up on anything. And now you say I am stuck on you when I am not even near you.
Jerry
Oh, I ain't got time to teach you any better now I gotta get back on duty where I belong.
Joan
Oh Jerry, the storm is bad, isn't it?
Jerry
Yeah, I can make it all right. See you as soon as Tex gets up.
Joan
Will Jerry be quite safe, Mother?
Mrs. Gregory
Yes, Joan. He has only a few feet to go along the deck to the engine room. There's not enough wind to make the footing dangerous.
Joan
I am glad of that. Jerry is a foolish boy, but he's also a nice boy, and I should not like anything to happen to him.
Mrs. Gregory
Joan, this storm, all that lightning flashing around the island. What effect does that have on all the electrical devices the Euclideans maintain?
Joan
I'm afraid I do not understand just what it is you wish to know.
Mrs. Gregory
This magnetic ring of fog around the island, will the magnetic force be maintained through this electrical storm?
Joan
Yes, Mother. Euclidea has been struck by lightning during many storms. But G47 and his assistants have developed some means of carrying the lightning off without harm to the island or instruments on it.
Mrs. Gregory
Yes, of course. They would have protected themselves then. Even in this storm, Tex will have the danger of the magnetic ring as well as the gas.
Joan
Oh, I was stupid about that. I might have told you.
Mrs. Gregory
Might have told me what? Is there something different about the magnetic ring in a storm?
Joan
Not the magnetic ring, but the gas ring. The rain will so dilute the gas, which is very soluble in water, that there will be little or no danger from the gas.
Mrs. Gregory
Oh, that's wonderful, John. I only wish Tex knew that it would save him the trouble and danger of trying to swim underwater beyond his endurance.
Joan
I think the clever captain will have figured that out for himself. I remember he said he was sure the gas would not be effective in water.
Mrs. Gregory
Then he should remember that and swim on the surface.
Joan
I think so, Mother. And with the rain, he would swim on the surface without danger of being seen.
Mrs. Gregory
And Tex can swim and float for hours. Oh, what a relief that is, my dear. The storm came up about 10 minutes ago when Tex had been gone about five minutes.
Joan
He would, of course, swim beyond the ends of the piers before he released the pigeon.
Mrs. Gregory
Yes, of course he would.
Joan
And the piers are 200ft long. Then it would take him some time to get the pigeon safely out of the celluloid swimsuit. And he would start back after discarding the oxygen tank. He has hardly had time to return, Mother.
Mrs. Gregory
You're right, dear. And he wouldn't hurry back. In fact, he would stay beyond the end of the pier as long as he was swimming easily and naturally because his return might attract attention. But did he get out safely?
Joan
Oh, I think you need not worry about that. The alarm would have sounded before this if he had not safely passed the protection rings.
Mrs. Gregory
But that storm, the lightning flashing. Look, Joan, it lights up this room as if it were day. And through that tiny port. What if lightning strikes the island while the captain's swimming through the magnetic fog? Oh, Joan, what of that?
Joan
Mother, that is a terrible thought. I know. The scientists used the magnetic ring of fog in some way to carry off the lightning and ground it into the water.
Mrs. Gregory
It's just as if Tex were swimming through the very thing that had been built to handle the discharge. Just as if you held a lightning arrester in your hand during a storm.
Joan
I'm afraid that would be it, Mother.
Mrs. Gregory
Oh, Tex. Tex, why does he hurry? I'm going to call Jerry back from the engine room again. He may have heard or seen something of the captain.
Joan
No, Mother. Jerry has his place there, waiting for the captain. And we have our places here, waiting for them both. It would not please the captain and Jerry if we did less than our duty.
Mrs. Gregory
Joan, you're the most wonderful daughter in the world. You have more courage than your mother. What is that?
Joan
The signal to submerge. Mother, this is going to be something of danger and terror, I think.
Mrs. Gregory
To submerge? You mean to submerge the island?
Joan
Yes, Mother. I told you the island could be submerged so that a boat could pass over the top of it.
Mrs. Gregory
But, Joan, do you realize what that means? This yacht is tied to the island. This boat. What will happen to us in Texas swimming out there somewhere?
Joan
Joan, What? There is the location signal. Five strokes on that gong after the signal to submerge. That means at this pier. Pier 5, where this yacht is held fast.
Mrs. Gregory
But what exactly can that mean? Is it possible to submerge only one section of the island?
Joan
No. I am not sure I understand that signal. Unless. Yes, it could be. There is an anchorage lock at this pier. I think your yacht is to be drawn inside the island and submerged.
Mrs. Gregory
This yacht? Submerged?
Joan
Yes, floated within a lock under the island floor and then submerged with the island.
Mrs. Gregory
What did that mean? John?
Joan
The submerging operation has begun. This boat is now being lowered between the piers.
Mrs. Gregory
But, Joan, we'll drown. This boat can't be submerged.
Joan
It will not be submerged as you mean it, Mother. It will be.
Jerry
Hey, Mrs. Gregory, do you know what's going on?
Joan
Why?
Mrs. Gregory
Joan says they're going to submerge this yacht.
Jerry
Yeah, the water's going down right now in the space between the piers. They're going to take the yacht into a lock under the island someplace.
Mrs. Gregory
But, Tex, he isn't back, Jerry.
Jerry
Well, no, Mrs. Gregory, he isn't oh,
Joan
Jerry, that is very bad.
Mrs. Gregory
Well, can't he get back now, Joan?
Joan
No, Mother. Unless the captain could have been within the slip formed by the two piers here, he could not get in without being seen. The ends of the piers are now joined by watertight gates to allow the space between them to be used as a lock.
Mrs. Gregory
I'm going out there and try to find Tex.
Jerry
Oh, no, you're not, Jerry. I'm sorry, Mrs. Gregory. I don't mean to be rude, but you're not going out there.
Mrs. Gregory
Yes, I am, Jerry. I can swim. And if Tex is out there in that water alone, hopelessly shut off from the island, I'm going after him. He won't know what's going on here. He'll be afraid to return for fear of giving away the escape of the pigeon.
Jerry
Now, look here, Mrs. Gregory. Captain Bradford is in command of this boat. He gave me my orders and I'm going to carry him out.
Joan
Jerry is right, Mother. The captain would want you to stay here.
Mrs. Gregory
This is my yacht I'm going off to, Jerry.
Jerry
Then you'll have to lick me to do it. Mrs. Gregory, I'm sorry to act like this, but orders are orders, and the last thing the captain told me was to keep you on board if I had to tie you in a chair. And I'm going to do it, Jerry,
Mrs. Gregory
you're doing what you think is right. But the storm is over, and I'm going to swim out there while I've still got a chance.
Joan
You have no chance now, Mother. These locks empty very rapidly, and by now the water is not even covering the locked gate at the end of the pier. You could not swim out. And if you tried to walk out to the end of the pier, you would be stopped by a guard.
Mrs. Gregory
But Teck's out there. How will he get back?
Jerry
Now, look here, Mrs. Gregory. You've got to buck up and face this thing. We don't dare let anyone see us worried about a thing. They don't suspect. Yet that Tech swam out with that pigeon. And if old G47 got wise to that, he might do something that. Well, so Tex couldn't ever come back.
Mrs. Gregory
Joan, what do you think about it? I. I don't seem to think very clearly where Tex is concerned.
Joan
Jerry is right, Mother. We must act as if nothing had happened to frighten us. We will be quite safe. Of course, when the yacht is taken inside the island, it will float in the submarine lock just as safely as it does here. But if we act nervous, it could only be for one reason. That we were worried about someone not on board?
Jerry
That's the idea, Joan. And as long as G47 thinks Texas with us, he'll find some way to get out of the water and back on the island without the Euclideans knowing what he was doing.
Mrs. Gregory
Well, at least we can go out on deck and see what's happening.
Joan
I think that would be all right. Do you not think so, Jerry?
Jerry
No, I don't. I told the skipper and the engineer to stay undercover, and I think we'd better do the same thing. If they see us on deck without tax, well, they'll know he isn't aboard.
Mrs. Gregory
I suppose you're right. But it seems so terrible to just sit here and do nothing while this boat is being taken inside the island. How will Tex get back to us? How will he know what's happened?
Jerry
I guess he'll figure that quick enough. All right. When he finds the gate closed at the end of the pier, then he'll have to swim around to one of the other piers and walk right up on the island.
Joan
Oh, that will be bad, Jerry. Then G47 will know the captain has been in the water. And it will take them only a few minutes to discover that a pigeon has been sent. That doesn't matter.
Mrs. Gregory
The pigeon's gone. And I'm willing to chance at getting to Johnson's boat if only Tex is safe.
Jerry
I'll feel a lot better when he's back on board with us. Gee, there's Tex now.
Joan
Come in. Oh, it's G47.
G47
It is I.
Jerry
What do you want here?
G47
I merely wanted to assure you there was no danger. Your yacht will be safely taken into a submarine chamber on the island and all on board will be quite safe.
Mrs. Gregory
Then what?
G47
Then the island will be submerged completely.
Joan
Oh, mother. The island. It will all be submerged.
Jerry
You mean there won't be anything left above the water?
G47
Not a thing. Nothing for a man to hold onto or walk upon, for example. But of course, as you are all on board, you have nothing to fear.
Mrs. Gregory
No, we have nothing to fear.
G47
Precisely. However, if one of your party was absent, say out swimming around the ends of the piers.
Joan
Yes.
Mrs. Gregory
Suppose what then?
G47
The unlucky person would soon drown swimming around where this island once was.
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Date: June 7, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
This episode features a dramatic installment from the Golden Age radio serial "Magic Island." The story picks up with the Gregory family and their companions caught in the midst of a storm on the mysterious Euclidea—an advanced, secretive island. As Captain Tex Bradford braves dangerous waters to deliver a crucial homing pigeon, Mrs. Gregory, her daughter Joan, and Jerry anxiously monitor his fate. Tensions rise as the island prepares for submergence to evade detection, placing the entire group—and the captain—in peril.
This suspenseful episode of "Magic Island" uses clever dialogue and high-stakes drama to highlight the ingenuity and danger of the mysterious Euclidea. The family’s loyalty to each other is tested by circumstances beyond their control, and the emerging threat of complete submersion drives the episode to a tense cliffhanger. With Tex’s fate uncertain, listeners are left eager to find out if he can survive Euclidea’s latest defense mechanism.
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