(85) Escape - Three Skeleton Key - (William Conrad)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode 85: Escape – “Three Skeleton Key” (William Conrad)
Date: August 11, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

In this absorbing episode, Harold’s Old Time Radio revisits “Three Skeleton Key,” one of the most celebrated episodes of the radio drama Escape, adapted from the original tale by George Toudouze. The episode plunges listeners into a claustrophobic, suspense-filled ordeal on a remote lighthouse off the coast of French Guiana, where three lighthouse keepers are besieged by a relentless horde of ferocious rats. This is a classic of Golden Age radio horror, filled with vivid narration, powerful character dynamics, and mounting psychological tension.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Setting & Trio of Lighthouse Keepers (01:25–05:41)

• Atmospheric Introduction:
  The episode masterfully sets the isolated, menacing atmosphere of the lighthouse, describing the natural dangers—sharks, poisonous winds, and the enveloping, oppressive ocean.

  • Jean, the narrator, brings the setting to life:

    “A gray tapering cylinder welded by iron rods and concrete to the key itself... At high tide, just the light rising 110 feet straight up out of the ocean…” (01:53)

• Character Introductions:
  Three keepers of varied backgrounds and clashing personalities:

  • Jean – The narrator, reflective and observant.
  • Louis – The silent, physically imposing head man, avoids people and values quiet.

    “I took up this profession because I don’t like people. They talk too much. It’s quiet work, light tending. Let’s keep it that way.” (05:03, Louis)

  • Auguste – A chatty, eccentric ex-actor, a source of comic relief and pathos.

The Derelict Ship & The Swarm Approaches (06:10–13:28)

• Rising Tension:
  During a nighttime watch, Jean spots a mysterious, seemingly abandoned three-masted ship approaching their perilous reef.

  • Augmented by Auguste’s penchant for dramatic tales, building suspense about the vessel potentially being the infamous “Flying Dutchman.” (07:41–07:55)

• The Horror Unveiled:
  As dawn reveals the ship’s closer approach, the men are horrified to realize its decks and rigging are crawling with “an inestimable number of tremendous rats.”

  “The decks were swarming with a dark brown carpet that looked like a gigantic fungus, but undulating... hundreds, no, thousands, no, an inestimable number of tremendous rats.” (09:19–10:00, Jean)

The Siege Begins (13:28–16:29)

• Rats Invade the Rock:
  The rats abandon the derelict and swim en masse toward the lighthouse.

  • The men race to fortify windows and doors, barely closing off entry points in time.
  • Intense, frenetic descriptions evoke rising panic:

    “We fought him—fought that one rat all over the room… Oh, believe me, I don’t exaggerate. It was like fighting a panther.” (11:58–12:08, Jean)

• Encircled:
  The rats cover every surface of the lighthouse, peering in with “thousands of points of blank red light, blinking and twinkling like the stars of hell.” (15:09–16:29, Jean)

Psychological Breakdown & Absurd Survival (18:05–20:41)

• Sanity Unravels:
  Trapped in the glass-encased gallery, starvation, thirst, and terror press the men to their limits. Auguste succumbs to madness, believing the rats are a theatrical audience.

  “Dear audience, I am going to play once again that magnificent role which made me the toast of the Paris theater...” (18:05, Auguste)

• Desperate Amusement and Grim Creativity:
  The men (and eventually the deranged Auguste) taunt and tempt the rats with food, press up to the glass, and watch the predatory sharks feeding on rats fallen to the sea—revealing both their desperation and how trauma warps their sense of normalcy.

Breach and Final Ordeal (21:12–27:02)

• Rats Break In:
  The rats find a way through the wooden window frames, then through the trapdoor. The men scramble upwards, narrowly evading a mass breach, but Louis is badly bitten, and Auguste’s grip on reality slips further.

  “I slammed the trap there, but it too was wood.” (23:16, Jean)

• Starvation, Oxygen Running Out, Hopelessness:

  • Sealed off in the metal-capped top of the tower, food and water are lost, and oxygen slips away as the lamp consumes it.
  • Auguste tries to let the rats in with a wrench, only to be physically restrained by Jean.
  • Louis, weakening from infection, is now helpless.

• Despair and Anticipation of Death:
  With the light out, all hope seems lost.

  “From time to time, I’d strike a match to see the clock. When I did, it lit up the million red eyes about us, all about watching, waiting.” (26:29–27:02, Jean)

Resolution and Aftermath (27:02–29:44)

• Sudden Silence & Salvation:
  Abruptly, the rats depart, drawn to another ship that grounds nearby. Jean watches in horrified amazement as the rats abandon the lighthouse to infest a new vessel.

  “The rats, quite suddenly, were silent… Out there on the water, a small freighter, a banana boat… And there wasn’t a rat on the whole key. Every last one of that terrible army had left us.” (27:03–28:30, Jean)

• Postscript – The Toll:

  • Auguste never recovers, institutionalized due to insanity.
  • Louis dies of blood poisoning from his wounds.
  • Jean resumes tending the lighthouse, forever haunted, ever wary of strange ships.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• The Horror of the Siege:

  “We three, we stood very quietly—oh, very, very quietly in the center of the glass room under our beautiful light… and we waited.” (12:57–13:28, Jean)

• Auguste’s Breakdown:

  “Dear audience, I am going to play once again that magnificent role which made me the toast of the Paris theater... August had gone mad.” (18:05–18:27, Jean & Auguste)

• Surreal Entertainment:

  “Look at the sharks… Those sharks are our friends. Here, here, I’ll get another bunch together. Here, my beauties.” (20:00–20:03, Chief & Jean)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Establishing the Lighthouse & Characters: 01:25–06:10
• First Sight of the Derelict Ship: 06:10–09:16
• Discovery of Rats on Board: 09:19–10:07
• Panic as Rats Land on the Key: 11:01–13:28
• Full Siege and Psychological Unraveling: 14:09–20:41
• First Rats Break Into Lighthouse: 21:12–23:40
• Final Stand in the Gallery: 23:40–27:02
• Resolution and Epilogue: 27:02–29:44

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Conclusion: The Enduring Power of Old-Time Radio Horror

This “Escape” episode exemplifies why radio drama remains such a potent storytelling medium: tense atmospheric soundscapes, rich character voices, and relentless mounting dread. “Three Skeleton Key” is a singular radio horror experience, immortalized by its memorable script, strong performances (notably William Conrad as Louis), and production that evokes fear, claustrophobia, and existential terror—all within thirty minutes.

Listeners are left with the haunting image of the survivor, Jean, nervously eying passing ships, never fully sure when horrors may return.

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For anyone interested in classic audio drama or in need of a compact introduction to old-time radio suspense, this is a must-listen episode.

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Narrator/Chief]

Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of ro romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all?

[Jean (Main character)]

We offer you escape. Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure.

[Narrator/Chief]

Tonight we escape to a lonely lighthouse off the steaming jungle coast of French Guiana and a nightmare world of terror and violence as George Todoz describes it in his hair raising tale 3 skeleton key.

[Jean (Main character)]

Picture this place. A gray tapering cylinder welded by iron rods and concrete to the key itself. A bare black rock 150ft long, maybe 40 wide. That's at low tide. At high tide, just the light rising 110ft straight up out of the ocean. And all about it the churning water. Gray green scum, dappled, warm as soup and swarming with gigantic bat like devil fish. Great violet schools of Portuguese man o war. And yes, sharks, the big ones, the 15 footers. And as if this wasn't enough, there was a hot, dank, rotten smelling wind that came at us day and night off the jungle swamps of the mainland. A wind that smelled like death. Set in the base of the light was a watertight bronze door. And in you went. And up, yes, up and up and round and round, past the tanks of oil and the coils of rope, cases of wicks, racks of lanterns, sacks of spuds and cartons and cans, and up and up and up, round and round. Over the light storeroom was the food storeroom and over the food storeroom was the bunk room where the three of us slept. And over the bunk room was the Living and cooking room. And over the living and cooking room was the light. She was a beauty, balanced like a ballerina on the glistening steel axle of her rotary mechanism. At night you'd lie there on the stone deck of the gallery with the light revolving smoothly and quietly over your head, easing her bright white eye 360 degrees around the horizon. You'd lie there watching to see that the feeders kept working, that everything ran right. It wouldn't be bad, the other two fellows snoring in their sacks two levels down. You'd smoke your pipe to kill the stink of the wind. And it wouldn't be bad. About those other two. Louis and Auguste. What a pair. Louie he was. Head man was a big fellow from the Basque Country. Black beard, little hard black eyes, and a pair of arms. But I tell you, those arms were as big around as my legs. Yes, head man he was. And what word he let go was law. Silent fellow. And although I spent my first two weeks trying to strike up a real conversation, the most I could ever get

[Narrator/Chief]

out of him was I took up this profession because I don't like people. They talk too much. It's quiet work, light tending. Let's keep it that way. You're getting to be as bad as August. I thought maybe for once they'd send me somebody.

[Jean (Main character)]

It was Louis. And when he accused me of becoming like Auguste, I quieted down. Because Auguste was the talkingest man I'd ever met. The talkingest and the ugliest. He was hunchbacked, stood four feet high, had red hair and big blue eyes. It seems he'd been an actor in Paris.

[Auguste]

200 different productions, dear boy, at the Grand Guignot. Oh, but it was monstrous horrible the way we used to scare the audience. I was hated. Yes, yes. They used to throw things and hiss and bear their teeth at me. Finally it got too bad. I couldn't stand it any longer. I gave up the theater, my nerves, you understand. Yes, Gave it up completely. I really did. I couldn't.

[Jean (Main character)]

It all started one morning at 2:30. I was on watch, lying on the cool stone deck, pulling on my pipe, staring out at the blackness, the phosphorescent combers and the big yellow stars. When out of the corner of my eye I noticed something show up for a second. Something the light had touched far off. I waited for her to come around again. And when she did, there it was. A three master. A big one. About a half mile off and coming down out of the north northwest, coming straight for us. You must understand, our light Was where it was for a very good. Dangerous submerged reefs surrounded us and ships kept clear. But this one, this sailing vessel was coming straight on. I went over to the gallery door and yelled down,

[Auguste]

ship headed for the reefs.

[Jean (Main character)]

I had the glasses out now. I couldn't read her name, but I could see her quite plainly. All sails set, the foam creaming away under her bow. Her beautiful lives. A Dutch ship. I guessed her. Why didn't she turn every time it passed? Our light hit her with the glare of day.

[Narrator/Chief]

Ship. Where?

[Jean (Main character)]

North northwest. The light will touch her in a moment.

[Narrator/Chief]

Oh, can't you see us?

[Jean (Main character)]

Look at her. She just keeps coming on the square heads.

[Auguste]

What is it? What is it?

[Jean (Main character)]

Watch. North, northwest.

[Auguste]

Ah. I know. I know what it is. The Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman. We did a play about our. What? Oh, what a performance. You ghastly galleon hag. Ridden, curse driven. Must.

[Narrator/Chief]

Shut up, will you? Yeah. She's laughing. Yes, it's a sloppy way to come about. She's derelict. That's it. Derelict. Abandoned. Crew left her for some reason or another. But instead of sinking, she's gone on running before every wind.

[Auguste]

She'll not run long, not with these reefs to break her up.

[Narrator/Chief]

A beautiful ship. Now, why would men leave a beautiful ship like that?

[Jean (Main character)]

She didn't ram us, although we all expected it. But as we waited for the crash, she luffed again, caught some odd gust and went about. We watched her the rest of those black hours, healing and rocking, pushed and pulled by every stray wind, every freak. Watched her until the dawn came. Till the sea turned from black to pearly gray. And on she came again, heading for us. We all had our glasses trained on her. Now.

[Narrator/Chief]

August, you can kill the light.

[Auguste]

Right, chief.

[Jean (Main character)]

She doesn't look so good by daylight. Think she'll ground this time? I say, do you think she'll ground this time?

[Narrator/Chief]

This is impossible. Absolutely impossible.

[Auguste]

What?

[Narrator/Chief]

Here, take my glasses. They're better than yours.

[Jean (Main character)]

All right. What is it you're. I had to focus, and then my breath froze in my throat. The decks were swarming with a dark brown carpet that looked like a gigantic fungus, but undulating. And on the masts and yards, the guys and all were hundreds. No, thousands, no min. I don't know. An inestimable number of tremendous rats.

[Narrator/Chief]

See them?

[Jean (Main character)]

Yes, I see them.

[Narrator/Chief]

Now we know why she's derelict.

[Jean (Main character)]

Yes, now we know.

[Auguste]

What are you two doing here? Give me a look.

[Narrator/Chief]

Yes, give him the glasses. Take a good look, chatterbox. Give you something to talk about.

[Jean (Main character)]

She's still heading for Us?

[Narrator/Chief]

Yes.

[Jean (Main character)]

If she's going to turn, she'd better turn soon.

[Narrator/Chief]

Suppose she doesn't?

[Jean (Main character)]

You mean, suppose she piles up on the quay? It's low tide. Yes. Yes, it is.

[Narrator/Chief]

Well, where's all the conversation, August? I'll tell you.

[Auguste]

Here.

[Narrator/Chief]

You want the glasses again? You want another look?

[Jean (Main character)]

No, no, she's still coming on.

[Auguste]

Go away. Go away. Helen. Wait till you turn, I say.

[Narrator/Chief]

I pray you turn. Cracked up.

[Auguste]

The rats. Look on the water like a carpet.

[Jean (Main character)]

They're swimming.

[Narrator/Chief]

Sure they're swimming. Those are ship threats.

[Jean (Main character)]

But they're swimming from the rocks.

[Auguste]

The door below. It's open. Well, come on.

[Jean (Main character)]

And down we went, racing down the stone stairs, taking them three and four at a time. Scared? You bet we were scared.

[Narrator/Chief]

August, you get the windows. Maybe they can climb. We don't know.

[Auguste]

Right, chief. But hurry, hurry.

[Narrator/Chief]

Look. You see them?

[Auguste]

No.

[Jean (Main character)]

Oh, yes, I do. Up at the other end of the rock.

[Narrator/Chief]

Look it.

[Jean (Main character)]

Millions.

[Narrator/Chief]

They smell us. Here they come.

[Auguste]

Or close the door. I can't. It's not. Here, let me. Yes.

[Narrator/Chief]

Made it. Holy, that was close.

[Jean (Main character)]

One got him.

[Auguste]

Look there. Well, get him. Watch it. Catch him. What a brute death.

[Jean (Main character)]

He was as big as a tom cat.

[Auguste]

Bigger.

[Jean (Main character)]

And his eyes were wild and red. His teeth long and sharp and yellow. He went for us. Starving, ravenous. And we fought him. Fought that one rat all over the room.

[Auguste]

It was.

[Jean (Main character)]

Oh, believe me, I don't exaggerate. It was like fighting a panther.

[Narrator/Chief]

I got it.

[Jean (Main character)]

We better get aloft. As we ran up the winding staircase, we passed the tiny windows of the various levels. And at every one was a thick, wriggling, screaming curtain of brown fur. I was ahead of Louie, and I dreaded each successive level. Suppose they had found a way in.

[Auguste]

Look at them. Oh, will you look at them?

[Narrator/Chief]

It's a nightmare.

[Auguste]

Will you look at them?

[Jean (Main character)]

The air of the gallery was thick and fetid with a stink of them. The light was dim. Brown floated through the crawling mass that swarmed over the glass all about us. We couldn't see the sky. Nothing.

[Auguste]

Nothing but them.

[Jean (Main character)]

Their red eyes, their claws, their wriggling, hairy snouts and their teeth. The rats. They screamed and howled and threw themselves against. They were starving. And we three, we stood very quietly. Oh, very, very quietly. In the center of the glass room under our beautiful light. And we waited.

[Auguste]

What can we do? What can we do, Chief? Take it easy.

[Narrator/Chief]

Take it easy.

[Auguste]

I can't just turn.

[Jean (Main character)]

Won't do any good. It won't do any good to stand and shake. That's right.

[Auguste]

Go away. Go away. Do you hear me? Go away.

[Narrator/Chief]

They won't go away. Nothing too.

[Auguste]

Finish it, chief. Nothing too what?

[Narrator/Chief]

Not until they've been fed.

[Jean (Main character)]

You can take just so much horror and then you get used to it. And they were interesting to watch, you know. They couldn't understand the glass. They could see us and they could rush at us. But that thin invisible barrier held them off, stop them. From time to time we caught a glimpse of the rocks below. More rats down there. Swarming brown velvet in the bright tropical sunlight. And then the tide began to rise. Only it had drowned some of them ships.

[Auguste]

Rats don't drown. No, sir. You can't drown One of them. They're all climbing up the tower.

[Narrator/Chief]

This bunch around us is getting thicker.

[Jean (Main character)]

Say, what's the time?

[Auguste]

Quarter six.

[Narrator/Chief]

You've got first watch, Sean. Right. Wake me at ten. I will. Come along. I'll go.

[Jean (Main character)]

It was getting dark. One side of the room was lit. A soft filtered red sunset through the rats. Oh, very pretty. I set the wicks, checked my fuel, then lit the lamp. It caught them. Lit them in their gigantic wriggling web of pale, hairless bellies, twitching red tails, bright eyes. And then I started the rotary motor. The light drove them mad as she swung slowly and smoothly about. She blinded them in the fierce stabbing bar of light. Moving continually about, ever turning, ever touching, ever moving around and around. And they twitching and shuddering, eyes flaming when they were struck by the light. The bright light moving and behind on the dark side of the room. So close, so close I dared not turn my back. As you can't help turning your back when you're in a room made of glass. On the dark side of the room you couldn't see them, but only their eyes. Thousands of points of blank red light, blinking and twinkling like the stars of hell.

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Auguste]

And now get early access to our biggest sale of the year.

[Jean (Main character)]

Save 25% on the new Comfort Next luxe for a limited time only at a Sleep Number store or sleep number. And when I came up into the gallery early the next morning, there stood August, his back to me. He was bowing to the rats, waving his arms and making a speech.

[Auguste]

Dear audience, I am going to play once again that magnificent role which made me the toast of the Paris theater. Prelotti, the evil genius of the medieval underworld. I am he who did guide the dark soul of Marechal into the Netherlands,

[Jean (Main character)]

stood staring at him, horror struck. But he didn't notice me.

[Auguste]

The man had gone mad.

[Jean (Main character)]

He kept turning, telling his stories to all the rats, leaving no one out.

[Auguste]

August. August. Another one. A late color. Take the seat on the aisle. Yeah. Paper. Stop it. The blood stained monster was my partner in iniquity.

[Jean (Main character)]

Went on bowing and screaming to the rats, his big blue eyes rolling and winking, his wild red hair waving about him. I grabbed him by the arms and his face. He looked at me like a child. And then his face screwed up. He looked as though he were about to cry.

[Auguste]

Go below. Go on. Oh, very well then. Later, my dear audience, later. Matinee today.

[Jean (Main character)]

Sure, he was crazy, but I guess we all were. A few hours later, he came back up and caught Louie and me teasing the rats. Yes, Sounds horrible. It was fun. We would get right up against the glass and make faces at them. It drove them crazy. They would scratch away, trying to get at our eyes. Louis was even cuter about it. He'd pull a piece of bread out of his pocket and press it against the glass. The rats would scramble into a solid ball, biting each other, clustering like grapes. From time to time, a whole knot of them would slip and fall 110ft to the surf below.

[Auguste]

Look.

[Narrator/Chief]

Look at the sharks.

[Jean (Main character)]

They're eating them.

[Narrator/Chief]

Those sharks are our friends. Here, here. I'll get another bunch together. Here, my beauties.

[Auguste]

That's it. Pile up. Kill each other. There they go.

[Jean (Main character)]

Auguste joined in too. Very ingenious. Auguste, he learned that if he spread eagled himself against the glass. They'd bunch and bundle against his figure.

[Auguste]

Then he'd leap back, look my portrait in.

[Jean (Main character)]

It went on all day. And then I was lying in bed. It was about midnight. I was very tired. And I was just beginning to fall off to sleep. When I became conscious of a new sound. I couldn't figure it at first. I got up, lit the lamp and went to the window. Even as I looked out, I saw one of the panes begin to sag in. They had eaten the wood away.

[Auguste]

Louie, come quick. What is it? They found a way in.

[Jean (Main character)]

I held the glass with my hand. Now they were all going crazy. And assured of the success of this maneuver. Were all nibbling away at the wood. Louis ran below and then returned with a large sheet of tiny. We spread it against the window and hammered it into place. Even as we did so, we felt the heavy bodies thudding against the other side. As the window gave way.

[Auguste]

There.

[Narrator/Chief]

That ought to hold. If it doesn't, we're done for.

[Jean (Main character)]

Rats can't eat tin.

[Narrator/Chief]

No, they can't. But what was that?

[Jean (Main character)]

I don't know. Came from below the storeroom window.

[Narrator/Chief]

They're in. They're swarming up the stairs.

[Auguste]

Drop the trap. Hey.

[Jean (Main character)]

Two of them got in.

[Auguste]

Let's go after them.

[Jean (Main character)]

We didn't have to go after them. They came at us. I leaped to one side and grabbed a marlin spike. Swung and smashed one in midair.

[Auguste]

No.

[Jean (Main character)]

I whirled to see Louie with the other. It had ripped his hand open and the blood was pouring out. He held his hand aloft and kicked at the snarling rat. I stepped and swung and got him.

[Auguste]

Oh, my hands. He got my hands.

[Jean (Main character)]

That's both of them, Louie. I'll get you something to tie that up.

[Auguste]

Look at it. My blood. I'm bleeding.

[Jean (Main character)]

Don't worry about it. Here, I'll wind this kerchief around it. It'll be okay.

[Auguste]

There, there.

[Jean (Main character)]

That's not bad. Just the flesh. Then I became conscious of a new sound. They were gnawing their way through the wooden trapdoor. I watched the wood fascinated. And even as I did, it began to give way. And a bristling, whiskery nose showed through.

[Auguste]

Louie, you've got to go up.

[Jean (Main character)]

The next level was the living quarters and kitchen. I slammed the trap there, but it too was wood.

[Narrator/Chief]

Oh, my blood. What are we going to do?

[Jean (Main character)]

I don't know. They'll be through this one in a minute.

[Narrator/Chief]

To the gallery. The trap door in the gallery Is metal good.

[Auguste]

Come on.

[Jean (Main character)]

We made it. We lay across the trapdoor, exhausted, while below us the rats took over the entire tower. I could hear them howling and fighting over our food supply, our water, our leather, and all about us. The others screamed and glared in at us, swayed in a tangled mass, hypnotized by the ever turning light. By morning, the air in the little room was horrible. Until now, we'd been getting air from the tower below. Now that was sealed off and so was all our food and water. We lay exhausted, panting, waiting, waiting. And the hours crawled on. I was almost dozing from fatigue when I saw a sight that brought.

[Auguste]

Would you like to come in, my beauties? Would you? I hold the powers of life and death. And I can let you in, you know.

[Jean (Main character)]

August was standing by the glass and in one hand he held a big wrench. He was tapping the glass gently, not quite hard enough to break it. I eased myself to my feet and slowly, very slowly, tiptoed toward him.

[Auguste]

All I have to do is tap just a little harder.

[Jean (Main character)]

I found a coil of wire in the tool kit and I trussed him up, fastened him to a stanchion in the center of the room. Louis was of no help. He lay on his side, looking at his bloody hand, weak and sick as a baby. So there I was, a lunatic and a coward for comfort. And all about watching our little drama. The rats. The day dragged by. The supply boat wasn't due for another 12 days. I don't know what they could have done if they had come. And we had only one way of summoning them. That was to shoot off distress rockets. But the rockets were four floors below, and even if they'd been right there in the gallery, I couldn't have opened a window to fire them. That night I tended the light, but its flame was devouring our oxygen. The following day we lay thirst tormented, starving, waiting. And the following night I again tended the light. But the small supply of spare wicking we kept in the gallery had become exhausted. And quite suddenly, at about midnight, the light went out. There was nothing I could do. Wicks were stored three levels below. Nothing I could do. Nothing. From time to time, I'd strike a match to see the clock. When I did, it lit up the million red eyes about us, all about watching, waiting.

[Narrator/Chief]

Below.

[Jean (Main character)]

It had grown quiet. They'd cleaned us out. And now they too were waiting. All waiting. Then the rats, quite suddenly, were silent. And then I heard it. And then I saw the sky and the stars. The rats were gone. I went to the glass, out There on the water, a small freighter, a banana boat showing a few lights, came softly and innocently towards us. Our light was out. They didn't know I. I wanted to open the windows, to call out to them, to warn them somehow. But I was afraid. What if the rats were hiding from me, tricking me? So I waited. She grounded very softly on a wreath not 200 yards from the key. Grounded so gently that the man playing the cornet was he a passenger? Crewman off watch. Didn't even stop playing. They tried washing her back off. I could have told them to save their fuel. The tide was rising. Would have floated her free. And I waited. That's all. That's the story. The sun came up and there wasn't a rat on the whole key. Every last one of that terrible army had left us. Gone back to sea on their new ship. August Insane Asylum. He never recovered. And Louis? They took him into Cayenne, where he died of blood poisoning. From his bite. Yes, that's the whole of it. And if you'll excuse me now, I must go set my traps.

[Auguste]

No.

[Jean (Main character)]

No mouse traps. No rats in this lighthouse. I should say not. Life in the lights isn't bad. But sometimes when I see a strange vessel approaching, I get a little nervous. Sure, Somewhere on the seas there's a little banana boat without a crew, that is, without a human crew. Escape is produced and directed by William N. Robeson. Tonight we have presented Three Skeleton Key by George to Douce, adapted for radio by James Poe. Featured in the cast were Elliot Reed as Jean, Bill Conrad as Louis, and Harry Bartel as August. Special music was arranged and conducted by Adele Castillo. Next week

[Narrator/Chief]

you are standing on the deck of a ship headed on an illegal mission to Central America. Before you, holding a gun in your stomach, is a desperate man who has just given you the choice between being killed or becoming a murderer yourself.

[Jean (Main character)]

Next week we Escape with John and Gwen Bagne's exciting tale of a murderous trio of gun runners in Central America. Maracas. Goodbye, then, until the same time next week when once again we offer you Escape. Stay tuned now for Life with Luigi, which follows over most of these CBS stations. This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

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