Day of The Triffids 68-06-27 02 A Light In The Night

Summary

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio - "Day of The Triffids 68-06-27 02 A Light In The Night"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Host/Author: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Episode: Day of The Triffids 68-06-27 02 A Light In The Night
• Release Date: June 3, 2025
• Description: Reliving the Golden Age of Radio, this episode dramatizes John Wyndham's renowned science fiction tale, "The Day of the Triffids," bringing to life the suspense and drama of a world plunged into chaos by catastrophic events.

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Introduction

In this episode of Harold's Old Time Radio, listeners are transported into the tumultuous aftermath of a global catastrophe that blinds the majority of the Earth's population. The episode, titled "A Light In The Night," is the second installment in Giles Cooper's dramatization of John Wyndham's classic science fiction novel, The Day of the Triffids. Set against the backdrop of a London engulfed in darkness and chaos, the story delves into the lives of survivors navigating a world where sight is a rare and valuable asset.

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Plot Overview

Meeting in the Shadows

The episode opens with Bill Mason navigating a blind London after a comet shower has rendered most of the population sightless. His journey from a near-pub encounter reveals a city teeming with blind individuals struggling to find their way. At [04:47], Bill meets Gisela Playton, another sighted survivor, initiating a pivotal partnership in their quest for safety.

Escape from London

Together, Bill and Gisela decide to flee the city to avoid the dangers posed by others who have lost their sight. Their conversation explores the immediate threats, including violent encounters and the collapse of societal norms. By [10:00], they reach a factory in Clerkenwell, where Bill equips them with triffid guns—specialized weapons designed to defend against the carnivorous plants known as triffids.

Establishing Safety

The duo secures a flat, depicted with detailed interactions around securing food and shelter. Their dialogue reveals personal histories and gradually deepens their relationship, providing a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos. By [15:14], they share a meal that symbolizes their attempt to maintain humanity and hope.

Hope on the Horizon

As night falls, Gisela becomes increasingly anxious, haunted by the sounds and sights of the deteriorating city. At [25:50], a pivotal moment occurs when they spot a searchlight, interpreted by Bill as a possible rescue signal or a gathering point for other sighted individuals. This discovery ignites a mix of fear and hope, culminating in their decision to mark a building for potential rendezvous.

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Character Development

Bill Mason ([01:49] – [23:00]): Bill is portrayed as resourceful and pragmatic, having narrowly escaped blindness himself. His interactions reveal a man burdened by responsibility yet willing to nurture a connection with Gisela. His leadership qualities emerge as he strategizes their survival, emphasizing preparation and caution.

Gisela Playton ([04:44] – [25:44]): Gisela is depicted as resilient yet vulnerable, carrying the emotional weight of losing her father and escaping a violent abduction. Her background as an author who wrote "Sex Is My Adventure" adds depth to her character, showcasing her independence and the societal misinterpretations she faced. Her partnership with Bill evolves from cautious to cooperative, highlighting her adaptability in crisis.

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Key Conversations and Interactions

• Surviving the Aftermath ([05:06] – [10:40]): Gisela recounts her escape from an abductor who exploited her sight, emphasizing the immediate dangers faced by sighted individuals. Bill discusses the widespread impact of the comet event and theorizes its cause, touching on themes of human vulnerability and the unintended consequences of technological advancements.

• Building Trust and Connection ([16:12] – [20:12]): Over dinner, Bill and Gisela share personal histories, revealing their strengths and vulnerabilities. Notable moments include Gisela's revelation about her book and financial independence, fostering mutual respect and understanding.

• Planning for the Future ([21:07] – [23:24]): The duo outlines their escape plan to the Lake District or South Downs, underscoring the necessity of supplies and strategic thinking. Their discussion reflects the broader theme of human resilience and the instinct to seek community and safety in the face of adversity.

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Themes Explored

• Survival and Adaptation: The primary focus revolves around the strategies and decisions individuals must make to survive in a drastically altered world.

• Isolation vs. Community: Bill and Gisela's partnership symbolizes the human need for connection, even amidst widespread isolation.

• Hope and Despair: The discovery of the searchlight introduces a beacon of hope, juxtaposed against the backdrop of pervasive despair and chaos.

• Human Nature: The episode delves into how people react under extreme pressure, highlighting both altruism and selfishness.

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Notable Quotes

1. Bill Mason on Realizing London's Blindness ([01:49]):

   "It took me quite a time to realize that London was a city of the blind. The capital of a blind country in a blind world."

2. Gisela Playton on Her Abduction ([05:12]):

   "I went to a party on Monday. I don't know what was in the drinks, but I felt like death yesterday."

3. Bill Mason on Taking Responsibility ([13:08]):

   "If we're gonna keep our sanity, we've gotta learn to be tough. There's nothing we can do about it. Nothing at all."

4. Gisela Playton on Human Impact ([23:18]):

   "You know, if all this is true, we brought it on ourselves."

5. Bill Mason on Shared Survival ([25:37]):

   "As long as we're together, we'll survive."

6. Final Reflection on Community ([27:24]):

   "We never were, Bill, were we?"

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Conclusion

"A Light In The Night" masterfully captures the essence of The Day of the Triffids, weaving a narrative of survival, human connection, and the enduring struggle between hope and despair. Through the characters of Bill Mason and Gisela Playton, listeners experience the profound challenges and emotional turmoil faced in a world where sight is both a gift and a curse. The episode culminates in a tantalizing hint of potential rescue or community, setting the stage for further exploration in subsequent episodes.

Listeners unfamiliar with the original novel will find this dramatization both engaging and enthralling, offering a glimpse into a world where resilience and camaraderie are the keys to enduring the darkest of nights.

Transcript

[Nicole Byer]

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[Gisela Playton]

Wayfair Every style.

[American Express]

Every home.

[Giles Cooper]

From London, we present the Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham's famous science fiction story dramatized by Giles Cooper.

[Narrator]

And there's another tremendous flash. I expect you can hear the crowd. It's believed that the earth is passing through the debris of a comet. And there's another so brilliant it almost hurts. I do urge anyone who possibly can to go out and watch.

[Giles Cooper]

The Day of the triffids. Episode 2 A Light in the Night.

[Bill Mason]

It took me quite a time to realize that London was a city of the blind. The capital of a blind country in a blind world. But by the time I'd walked from the pub near the hospital to Piccadilly, I knew that it was so. In no direction was there any traffic, nor any sound of it. The only signs of life were a few people here and there cautiously groping their ways along the shop fronts.

[Unknown Character]

Someone's there. I can hear you. All right, don't answer. Just stay where you are and don't bump into me. I've had enough of that this morning.

[Bill Mason]

I'm sorry. You're blind.

[Unknown Character]

Of course I'm blind. You think I carry this white stick for fun?

[Bill Mason]

Then you don't know what's happened.

[Unknown Character]

I know everyone's damned clumsy this morning. And no hall porter on duty.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, they're all blind, too.

[Unknown Character]

They're blind?

[Bill Mason]

Yes, since they watched the comet last night. It was pure chance that I didn't.

[Unknown Character]

Ho, ho, ho. Now they'll know what it's been like for me. Now they'll need that damn patronage for themselves. You might see me across the road.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, of course.

[Unknown Character]

One gets lost away from the cab.

[Bill Mason]

Come on. That's it.

[Unknown Character]

What's that?

[Bill Mason]

And it sounds as though some of them have broken into a pub around the corner. Here's the curve. Thank you very much.

[Unknown Character]

Good luck to you. Good day.

[Bill Mason]

Don't you forget it. Where I go, you go. Stop it. Let her go.

[Gisela Playton]

Don't.

[Bill Mason]

Get away from me. All right, come on. Get up.

[Gisela Playton]

To him.

[Bill Mason]

Just a minute. Right, I've cut the cord up you get there.

[Gisela Playton]

That's better.

[Bill Mason]

Now let's get away from the crowd. There's an empty pub over there. You can see. I certainly can.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, thank God. Oh, thank God. I thought I was the only one. Come on.

[Bill Mason]

Come on.

[Gisela Playton]

You can be.

[Bill Mason]

Feeling better.

[Gisela Playton]

Yes, yes, thank you. I must look an awful sight. Where's a mirror? Oh, good Lord.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, sir, I do have another drink.

[Gisela Playton]

I'm sorry I haven't told you anything about myself. Thanks. I'm Gisela Playton.

[Bill Mason]

And my name's Bill Mason. Gisela Platon. Haven't I heard of you?

[Gisela Playton]

I shouldn't think so. How did you escape seeing the comet?

[Bill Mason]

I was in hospital with my eyes bandaged about you.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, well, I went to a party on. What's today? Wednesday.

[Bill Mason]

Right.

[Gisela Playton]

On Monday. Yes. I don't know what was in the drinks, but I felt like death yesterday. Well, about 4 o' clock I gave up. Took a couple of sleeping pills and went to bed. If the sky had fallen in, I wouldn't have noticed. But when I did wake up, my father was standing beside my bed. He'd gone blind.

[Bill Mason]

Where do you live?

[Gisela Playton]

Dean Road, St. John's Wood. Well, the telephone wouldn't work, so I started to drive down this way to fetch our doctor. And I ran out of petrol. Right in the middle of Regent Street. Then that man found out I could see.

[Bill Mason]

He.

[Gisela Playton]

He knocked me down and tied my hands. He made me lead him about from.

[Bill Mason]

Bar to bar, I imagine.

[Gisela Playton]

Yes. I should have been able to get away from him, but he was too clever. Desperate, I suppose. Well, I was sorry for him in a way.

[Bill Mason]

Oh, yes, One's sorry for them all. But they'll kill us if they can. We're rich and they're poor. Why did he start beating you?

[Gisela Playton]

Because I wouldn't go into his house with him. Well, thank heavens you came along.

[Bill Mason]

Well, what do we do now?

[Gisela Playton]

I must get back to my father. There's no point in trying to find the doctor, even if he's been one of the lucky ones.

[Bill Mason]

Do you mind if I come too?

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, I never asked you any. I. I thought perhaps you had someone you wanted to look for.

[Bill Mason]

No. No, there's no one.

[Gisela Playton]

Then I'd be very glad. It's so awful.

[Bill Mason]

I know, I know. I think it'd be safer if we stayed together anyhow. Drink up. Shall we go?

[Gisela Playton]

Yes. Oh, where can I get petrol?

[Bill Mason]

No need. There are plenty of other cars.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, it's strange being able to take anything we want. It's like a dream.

[Bill Mason]

More like A nightmare. Come on.

[Gisela Playton]

Turn left here. It'll lead us round into Dean Road.

[Bill Mason]

What on earth is that?

[Gisela Playton]

The zoo. We can hear the animals at night.

[Bill Mason]

They must be hungry. Fast feeding time.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, they'll starve. Poor things, being locked up like that.

[Bill Mason]

It's just as well for us. They are.

[Gisela Playton]

Are they blind, you think?

[Bill Mason]

I know some, perhaps. Not the cats, though. They'd have avoided the light.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, look over there in the park. Triffids.

[Bill Mason]

Yep. There's an enclosure of them by the zoo.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, should they be loose like that?

[Bill Mason]

No, but if you don't keep an eye on them, they tend to root themselves in a cluster against the fencing. Eventually it falls down.

[Gisela Playton]

Horrid things.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, but if it wasn't for a trifid sting, I wouldn't be here now.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, here we are. On the left. There.

[Bill Mason]

Good.

[Gisela Playton]

That's funny.

[Bill Mason]

What?

[Gisela Playton]

The door's open. Oh, it's in the hole. And he's there too.

[Bill Mason]

Your father?

[Gisela Playton]

Yes. Lying on the floor. Things standing over him. What can we do?

[Bill Mason]

Nothing.

[Gisela Playton]

He's dead.

[Bill Mason]

Wait. I, I, I. Look.

[Gisela Playton]

Careful.

[Bill Mason]

I saw the mark on his face.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, no.

[Bill Mason]

I'm sorry. Just.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, no, no.

[Bill Mason]

It's a very quick death.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, no.

[Bill Mason]

Look out. Coming through the bushes. Run for the car. Wind up the window.

[Gisela Playton]

Drive on, drive on before it gets to us.

[Bill Mason]

No, wait. It can't hurt us now. I want to see what it does.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, it's going away.

[Bill Mason]

There's another one standing in the laurels.

[Gisela Playton]

Let's get away. Well, there's nothing we can do.

[Bill Mason]

Right. Come on. Bill. Yeah?

[Gisela Playton]

Where can we go?

[Bill Mason]

For a start, we make for a factory in Clerkenwell.

[Gisela Playton]

There. We're in. What is this place?

[Bill Mason]

Wentworth's. They make the best triffid guns in the world.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, I didn't know there were such things.

[Bill Mason]

Huh. Fine. Here's the export stock. All ready for packing now. One for you, one for me, one for spare.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, very heavy.

[Bill Mason]

I used to use them a good bit in the tropics. It'll cut the stem off a trivet at 25 yards. Now, we'll have two masks, those gauntlets and a couple of cases of ammunition.

[Gisela Playton]

Can we get it all in the car?

[Bill Mason]

Well, I saw a station wagon outside. We'll. We'll take that and go back up west. Clothes first, then somewhere to sleep before it gets stock. A flat, I should think. Or two flats, if you prefer. Oh, one.

[Gisela Playton]

I. I'd rather not be on my own.

[Bill Mason]

Good. I feel like company too. Let's try this block. It looks a Bit grand and nothing to pay.

[Gisela Playton]

Can we really walk into someone's flat and take it over?

[Bill Mason]

Why not? People who won't do that sort of thing are going to have a pretty thin time. Come on.

[Gisela Playton]

Let'S try the top floor.

[Bill Mason]

It's a long way to carry those cases.

[Gisela Playton]

There's bound to be a lift.

[Bill Mason]

And no power.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, no. Well, all the same, I prefer to be high up, away from the stairs.

[Bill Mason]

Street. All right, let's make for the penthouse.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, what about the trifid guns?

[Bill Mason]

Oh, they're okay. Nobody's going to steal them.

[Gisela Playton]

What's in here?

[Bill Mason]

A panin cooker. We're going to need it. Come on, up we go.

[American Express]

Dinner time. It's where little moments are cherished. With blue cash preferred. Get 6% cash back at US supermarkets and bring everyone together. I did say everyone. Learn [e-mail] Explore BCP terms and cash back cap. Apply with blue cash preferred.

[Gisela Playton]

What a climb.

[Bill Mason]

Actually, this is the first time this falls. We reached on foot. Two flats. Which do you prefer, madam?

[Gisela Playton]

Well, the one facing south, of course.

[Bill Mason]

That's the matter of wishes. That's the moment.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh. What's wrong?

[Bill Mason]

It's not well furnished. Let's try the other.

[Gisela Playton]

No. What was it?

[Bill Mason]

Here we are.

[Gisela Playton]

Was someone in there? Was someone in there?

[Bill Mason]

Two people dead. Suicide. There's a lot of it about. Come on.

[Gisela Playton]

No, no, we can't sleep here. Not. Not with them across the passage and you making a joke. Come back. I can't.

[Bill Mason]

I'm not joking. Come here. Look, if we're gonna keep our sanity, we've gotta learn to be tough. There's nothing we can do about it. Nothing at all. You understand?

[Gisela Playton]

Yes. Yes, I do. I'm sorry.

[Bill Mason]

That's all right. Now, come on. Let's see what this place has to offer. Good Lord.

[Gisela Playton]

It's got everything. Plus a cocktail bar. Oh, is this a bedroom? Look, it's got a round bed with.

[Bill Mason]

A mirror over it.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, I'm going to sleep here anyway.

[Bill Mason]

I'll see if I can find something a bit more sober.

[Gisela Playton]

There's a mirror over the bath as well.

[Bill Mason]

Is there? Anyway, we can't have baths. No hot water.

[Gisela Playton]

Don't sound so pleased. Are you going to change?

[Bill Mason]

Only my shirt.

[Gisela Playton]

Lucky it's summer. Lucky it's summer. Well, cold weather wouldn't have helped.

[Bill Mason]

Some ways it would.

[Gisela Playton]

How?

[Bill Mason]

Most of the fresh food will be going bad tomorrow. This fridge is like an oven.

[Gisela Playton]

You in the kitchen?

[Bill Mason]

Yeah.

[Gisela Playton]

What's it like?

[Bill Mason]

Housewives dream. I'm setting up the oil cooker.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, you said it would be more like a nightmare.

[Bill Mason]

Can you cook?

[Gisela Playton]

Not very well. There are a lot of perfumes in here I've never even heard of. Bill. Bill?

[Bill Mason]

Yeah?

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, sorry. I thought perhaps you'd gone out. You. You didn't answer. What are you doing?

[Bill Mason]

Preparing a simple meal.

[Gisela Playton]

I ought to do that.

[Bill Mason]

I'm enjoying myself. Shall we sit at a table?

[Unknown Character]

Yes.

[Gisela Playton]

Let's do things properly.

[Bill Mason]

That's how I feel.

[Gisela Playton]

What are we having?

[Bill Mason]

Avocados, scampi, cold chicken and salad, asparagus tips, peaches and coffee.

[Gisela Playton]

What, no caviar?

[Bill Mason]

It's in a pot. It'll keep. Will a white burgundy suit your madam, or would you prefer champagne?

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, champagne.

[Bill Mason]

What are you doing, anyway?

[Gisela Playton]

You'll see.

[Bill Mason]

What?

[Gisela Playton]

Well, how do I look?

[Bill Mason]

You look beautiful.

[Gisela Playton]

Thank you.

[Bill Mason]

Where'd you get the dress?

[Gisela Playton]

I found it in there and I tried it and it fits.

[Bill Mason]

It certainly does. The emerald suit you?

[Gisela Playton]

Do they? I know it seems a funny time to dress up, but I feel that perhaps.

[Bill Mason]

My father told me that just before 1939, when everyone knew there was going to be a war, he used to go round London looking at everything as though it was for the last time. Now it really is.

[Gisela Playton]

Thank you for understanding. Thank you for everything. If you hadn't helped me, I don't.

[Bill Mason]

Know where I'd be now I know where I'd be. If I hadn't met you lying drunk in some bar. What about a drink? There's some sherry.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, I thought you said champagne.

[Bill Mason]

Of course. Of course.

[Gisela Playton]

Goodness, I'm hungry.

[Bill Mason]

So am I. Let's eat. You're there.

[Gisela Playton]

Thank you. Oh, it's getting dark. Oh, candlelight as well. That's nice.

[Bill Mason]

Now, tell me about it.

[Gisela Playton]

Tell you about what?

[Bill Mason]

Everything. Childhood memories, love affairs. Why? You aren't married. Where are you?

[Gisela Playton]

No, I'm not. Are you? I nearly was when I was 19. There was an awful row.

[Bill Mason]

What with your family?

[Gisela Playton]

With my father. Mother was dead. I ran away from home and went to stay with a girlfriend. My father stopped my allowance, so I had to do something and I wrote the book.

[Bill Mason]

You did what?

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, that's what they all say. I must look very dumb. I wrote the book.

[Bill Mason]

What book?

[Gisela Playton]

Sex Is My Adventure.

[Bill Mason]

Of course. Josela Blayton. Did you really write that thing?

[Gisela Playton]

Yes, I really did. You read it?

[Bill Mason]

No.

[Gisela Playton]

It was very mild. But silly. Well, just the title was shocking. But it sold. And the film rights? I made a lot of money. Then I went home again.

[Bill Mason]

Having shown your independence?

[Gisela Playton]

Yes, but more to get Away from the people who thought I meant the whole thing literally.

[Bill Mason]

Which you did not.

[Gisela Playton]

Which I did not.

[Bill Mason]

Still, you can hardly blame people.

[Gisela Playton]

No. That's why I was writing another book.

[Bill Mason]

To balance things up with an equally alarming title.

[Gisela Playton]

I was calling it here, the Forsaken Quotation. Don Grieve. Here, the Forsaken Virgin Rests from Love.

[Bill Mason]

Oh, I see. More champagne? Brandy? Port or liqueur?

[Gisela Playton]

Brandy, please. Shall we wash up?

[Bill Mason]

Lord, not likely. We're not staying, you know.

[Gisela Playton]

Huh?

[Bill Mason]

Well, we'll have to leave tomorrow.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, yes, but don't. Don't let's think about it yet. I know. Let's have some music. Is that a record player?

[Bill Mason]

Yes, but there's no power.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, no. Pity.

[Bill Mason]

There's a transistor radio in the kitchen.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, let's try that.

[Bill Mason]

All right. I don't know what you expect to hear. It must be late night music, though.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, you never know. Oh, careful. Knock my brandy over it. It's much too good to waste.

[Bill Mason]

There you are. Nothing. Nothing at all. And listen. Listen. Must be an S.O.S.

[Gisela Playton]

Where do you think he is?

[Bill Mason]

I don't know. Some ship drifting off the coast with all the crew blind. My God, think what it must be like at sea.

[Gisela Playton]

And in prisons.

[Bill Mason]

Aircraft.

[Gisela Playton]

But, well, their troubles are over.

[Bill Mason]

Not like ours. Which brings us back to where we started.

[Gisela Playton]

Okay, I'm right down out of the clouds now. What are we going to do?

[Bill Mason]

Get out of London, for a start. And keep away from towns as much as we can.

[Gisela Playton]

Supplies will be difficult in the country.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, but you see what's going to happen here, don't you? At present, there's still water in the tank. Soon there won't be. The whole city will begin to stink like a great sewer. There are bodies lying about already. Every day there'll be more.

[Gisela Playton]

No, don't. Don't.

[Bill Mason]

Soon there'll be diseases beginning to spread. Cholera, typhus, Lord knows what. No, we've got to get away before that starts. Have you any ideas?

[Gisela Playton]

Well, somewhere out of the way with a good water supply and as high up as we can get, so there'll be a nice clean wind.

[Bill Mason]

Yeah, that's a thought. What about the Lake District?

[Gisela Playton]

Too far.

[Bill Mason]

Maybe. Same goes for Cornwall.

[Gisela Playton]

What about the South Downs? Some friends of mine have a house on the north side looking across to Pulbara. It's fairly high, and there's a wind pump for water and. Oh, and they make their own electricity.

[Bill Mason]

That sounds promising.

[Gisela Playton]

How long will it be before the towns are safe again?

[Bill Mason]

I don't know. Perhaps a year or so. And ought to be long enough.

[Gisela Playton]

Then we're going to need a lot of supplies.

[Bill Mason]

Yes, well, that's the first thing to do. Tomorrow we. We load up a lorry with stores. Two lorries, if you could manage one. Me?

[Gisela Playton]

Well, I could try. What do we put in them?

[Bill Mason]

We'll make a list. We'll try to get a couple of 10 tires. Load half of each with food and the other half clothes. First we've got to get some. We'll need winter things. Blankets, a tent.

[Gisela Playton]

A tent?

[Bill Mason]

Well, we may need it.

[Gisela Playton]

Frying pans, saucepans, kettles.

[Bill Mason]

About three of everything. Paraffin. Plenty in the garages. Matches. Thousands of them. We don't want to have to rub sticks together before we need.

[Gisela Playton]

We're going to have to learn a lot.

[Bill Mason]

Yeah, we've learnt a lot already. Such as how to accept the fact that sooner or later we may be the only survivors.

[Gisela Playton]

There must be others like us somewhere.

[Bill Mason]

Well, I met nobody in London except a child. He was too young to stay up and watch the. The comet, if that's what it was.

[Gisela Playton]

Well, what else could it have been?

[Bill Mason]

Well, all the great powers have had satellites orbiting for the last few years. They aren't all for research, you know. Some of them are weapons ready to be used when needed. Supposing one of them went wrong. Collided with a meteorite, perhaps. And instead of doing what it was supposed to do and bursting low down over just one country, it burst up in its orbit, affected the whole world.

[Gisela Playton]

A weapon that would make people blind. Yeah, but who would think of a thought like that?

[Bill Mason]

Any nation on Earth that was rich enough and frightened enough. And that means all of us.

[Gisela Playton]

You know, if all this is true, we brought it on ourselves.

[Bill Mason]

Yep. And here we are. Let's get on with the list.

[Gisela Playton]

No, no, let's leave it till the morning. I'm very tired.

[Bill Mason]

All right. We. We have all the time in the world in one sense.

[Gisela Playton]

Bill. It was a nice dinner. Thank you. Well, good night.

[Bill Mason]

Just a moment. I just want to look at you.

[Gisela Playton]

Good night, Bill.

[Bill Mason]

Good night. Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Is anyone there?

[Gisela Playton]

Help me.

[Bill Mason]

Help me. Help me. No.

[Gisela Playton]

No. No. Bill. Bill.

[Bill Mason]

Oh, Bill. What is it? What is it?

[Gisela Playton]

Bill? Did you hear them? All those people. Those poor people.

[Bill Mason]

Oh, Jo. Oh, don't.

[Gisela Playton]

Tried to go to sleep. I tried. I tried. I was so tired, I. And I. I began to hear them. I'd be like.

[Bill Mason]

Calm down, darling. Listen, there's nothing we can do. Not yet.

[Gisela Playton]

If you weren't here, I. I'D come out.

[Bill Mason]

As long as we're together, we'll survive.

[Gisela Playton]

There's so many of them and there's only two of us.

[Bill Mason]

Hey, look.

[Gisela Playton]

No, no, I don't want to look out there.

[Bill Mason]

You must. You. Sala. There's a light.

[Gisela Playton]

Houses on fire. I've seen them. Don't make me look again.

[Bill Mason]

No, this is different. It's a searchlight.

[Gisela Playton]

A what?

[Bill Mason]

Look over there to the north.

[Gisela Playton]

Where? Oh, yes, yes, I see.

[Bill Mason]

It must be a signal.

[Gisela Playton]

What does it mean?

[Bill Mason]

Perhaps that someone's trying to get all the sighted people together.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh. Oh.

[Bill Mason]

Quickly. Let's go then. No, no, no, not yet. Wait till morning.

[Gisela Playton]

But we won't be able to see it in daylight. Bill, we must go now.

[Bill Mason]

Look, do you really want to drive through those streets now?

[Gisela Playton]

No, but what if we miss them?

[Bill Mason]

They won't go away tonight. Look, look, look. Well, make a mark on the window ledge. Where's something? Yeah, and they'll file. It'll do. Now, look, I'll scratch your point. So now we'll be able to pick out the building in the morning. You can see it's a tall one from the position of the light. Right.

[Gisela Playton]

Oh, yes. Sorry. I panicked again.

[Bill Mason]

Of course, you'd be inhuman not to. Well, now at least we know we're not alone.

[Gisela Playton]

We never were, Bill, were we?

[Giles Cooper]

That was the second episode of Giles Cooper's dramatization of the Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. Listen to the next episode of John Powell's production of the Day of the Triffids Conference and confusion.