Hermit's Cave xxxxxx xxx The House of Purple Shadows

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Hermit's Cave – "The House of Purple Shadows"
Air Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Story Narrator: The Hermit

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Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio features a chilling tale from "The Hermit's Cave" called "The House of Purple Shadows." Set in a time when families gathered around the radio for ghost stories, listeners are drawn into the mystery of a haunted house filled with unexplainable phenomena, spectral presences, and a curse connected to tragedy and lost souls.

The drama unfolds through the experiences of Mr. Lamont, Mr. Benson, and the spirit of Jim Davison, as they and new inheritors Dan and Loretta Hathaway encounter supernatural phenomena within Davison's deserted mansion. Layered with eerie narration and atmospheric sound cues, the story explores themes of guilt, entrapment, and the search for release from a world between life and death.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disappearance of Mr. Davison

• Initial Investigation
  Mr. Benson and Mr. Lamont search the cold, abandoned house of their missing employer, Jim Davison. The house is described as oppressively cold and filled with an inexplicable gloom, creating a foreboding atmosphere.
• Supernatural Occurrences
  • Mr. Benson feels a phantom touch when opening a bedroom door ([02:53]).
  • Objects in the house move on their own, notably a book moving across a dusty table ([05:13]).
  • Curtains and drapes stir mysteriously as if manipulated by unseen hands ([05:54]).

2. Davison’s Ghostly Perspective

• Realization of Death
  The narrative shifts to the disembodied perspective of Jim Davison, who, unseen and unheard by the living, grows desperate to communicate.
  • “You people who are of the world and know it. You who can step to the mirror, look in it and see your face and body reflected there. Oh, how thankful you should be.” – Jim Davison ([06:26])
  • He recounts the events leading to his disappearance: feeling compelled by a supernatural voice to return to his home, where he is overtaken by a freezing force and loses his physical form ([08:03]–[09:36]).

3. The Curse of the House

• Family Tragedies
  Loretta Hathaway and her husband Dan inherit the house, yet both feel unsettled by its oppressive cold and sense of dread. Loretta reflects on the series of tragedies that befell the family: the accidental death of Aunt Mary, the subsequent death of her mother, and finally Uncle Jim's disappearance ([13:36]–[13:52]).
• Unanswered Questions
  Debate over whether Jim Davison committed suicide, vanished, or was the victim of foul play ([12:50]–[13:01]).
• Supernatural Evidence
  • Loretta discovers a sheet with strange, cold purple marks ([14:09]).
  • Both she and Dan witness the window blind moving on its own ([14:53]), heightening the sense of haunting.

4. The Fate of Loretta and Dan

• The Purple Shadows Consume
  At midnight, during a crescendo of cold and wind, Loretta and Dan are rendered immobile and begin to undergo the same transformation as Jim, slipping into the world of the purple shadows ([20:17]–[21:10]).
  • “I can see my hand anymore. I can't see my arms or my legs. … It's Uncle Jim.” – Jim Davison & Loretta Hathaway ([20:53]–[21:05])
• Hope and Release
  As the room catches fire, Jim sees this as their only hope of freedom from their spectral prison ([21:40]).

5. Aftermath and Reflection

• No Bodies Found
  Though the house burns down, there are no bodies discovered in the ruins ([22:34]). Mr. Lamont and Mr. Benson, recalling their own brushes with the supernatural, are left to ponder the reality of what happened.
• Release from Torture
  The Hermit’s final words indicate that their spirits are finally free after the destruction of the cursed house ([24:17]).

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• The horror of unseen existence:
  “Just a few moments ago, I managed to propel myself to the mirror in the hall. I looked into it ... there was nothing there. I have no face, no body, no arms, no hands.”
  — Jim Davison (Ghost) ([06:03])

• The chilling family legacy:
  “It was three years ago that Aunt Mary died ... then six months after that, Mother died, then Uncle Jim disappeared. A lot of tragedy in one family in a few years, isn't it?”
  — Loretta Hathaway ([13:37])

• On the oppressive haunting cold:
  “This house is like an ice box and we've had the windows open all day.”
  — Dan Hathaway ([13:11])

• Unseen and helpless:
  “I'm powerless ... Loretta, what's happening to us?”
  — Dan Hathaway ([20:36]–[20:47])

• Release at last:
  “Let it burn. May burn down the house and give us the freedom of death. It's our only hope. ... Have mercy. Save us. Have mercy.”
  — Jim Davison (Ghost) ([21:40])

• Ultimate ambiguity:
  “There was nothing there but Benson as we were going through it ... a huge purple flame sprung up and seemed to lose itself in the atmosphere. It startled me.”
  — Mr. Lamont ([23:04])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:32] – Mr. Benson and Mr. Lamont begin their search of the house
• [03:02] – The room’s supernatural cold is first noted
• [05:13] – First clear supernatural activity: book moves by itself
• [06:03]–[09:36] – Jim Davison’s ghostly narration, his last memories, and loss of form
• [12:50] – Loretta and Dan discuss family tragedies and the legacy of the house
• [14:09] – Discovery of the cryptic, cold, purple-marked paper
• [15:04] – Window curtain moves by an unseen force
• [16:19] – Return to The Hermit’s narration: transition from evening to midnight
• [19:47]–[21:10] – Loretta and Dan are trapped by the purple shadows, transformed
• [22:34] – Aftermath: the house burns, no remains found
• [24:17] – The Hermit concludes with the fate of the spirits

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Tone and Language

Throughout, the episode maintains a classic, melodramatic American radio drama style, with a heavy use of mood, dread, and paranormal suspense. The language is evocative and atmospheric, using physical coldness, spectral descriptions, and haunted house tropes to immerse listeners. Speeches are often punctuated by desperate, helpless pleas and existential dread, highlighted by Jim Davison's haunting monologues.

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Conclusion

The House of Purple Shadows is a quintessential ghost story from the golden age of radio, blending mystery, gothic horror, and the agony of spectral existence. Its tale of inherited tragedy, supernatural imprisonment, and final liberation serves both as a cautionary yarn and a showcase for the era’s evocative audio storytelling. The episode is a gripping listen for fans of vintage radio, horror, and supernatural dramas.

Transcript

[Mr. Benson]

Gaines Super Flings are here to take your laundry to the next level.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Talking about Gain Super Flings. Super Size Laundry Packs. These things are huge. Super Fresh, Super Clean. Gain Super Flings.

[Mr. Benson]

Gain Super Flings Laundry Packs have four times the Oxy cleaning power and three times the Febreze. Freshness versus Gain Original Liquid.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Super Fresh, Super Clean. Gain Super Flings. Gain Super Flings for Next Level Laundry.

[Mr. Lamont]

The mummers in the Little Theater of the Air.

[The Hermit (Narrator)]

Ghost stories. Weird stories. And murders too. The Hermit knows of them all. Turn out your lights. Turn them out.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Ah.

[The Hermit (Narrator)]

Have you heard the story? The House of Purple Shadows. Then listen while the Hermit tells you the story.

[Mr. Benson]

Yesterday we weren't so alarmed when he didn't come to the office this morning. By then we concluded something must be wrong.

[Mr. Lamont]

He's here in the house? We'll find out in a minute, Benson.

[Mr. Benson]

It's dark in this hallway, Mr. Lamont.

[Mr. Lamont]

Must be a light switch here somewhere. Here it is.

[Mr. Benson]

Oh, there.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

That's better.

[Mr. Lamont]

Hasn't been sleeping here at his house for over a year.

[Mr. Benson]

No, but they said at the club that he wasn't there yesterday. Hadn't slept in his room there last night.

[Mr. Lamont]

In that case, he may be here.

[Mr. Benson]

That's what I'm afraid of. Maybe he had a stroke or something and wasn't able to get to a phone.

[Mr. Lamont]

We look upstairs first.

[Mr. Benson]

Yes, I think we better.

[Mr. Lamont]

Here's the stairway. It's queer, isn't it? If he came here in the evening, wouldn't he have left some lights on?

[Mr. Benson]

That's what I was thinking.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

It's gloomy in this house.

[Mr. Benson]

No wonder he shut it all up and went to live at the club after his wife died.

[Mr. Lamont]

Mr. Davison has always been a peculiar man. I haven't been his attorney as long as I have without realizing that.

[Mr. Benson]

Do you know which bedroom is his?

[Mr. Lamont]

Yes, I think this one. At least we'll try this room first.

[Mr. Benson]

Is it locked?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

No, it just seems to stick.

[Mr. Lamont]

Must be the door as swell.

[Mr. Benson]

Let me try it, Mr. Lamont.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I'm getting it now.

[Mr. Lamont]

Here it comes.

[Mr. Benson]

Gee whiz.

[Mr. Lamont]

What's the matter, Benson?

[Mr. Benson]

I don't know. But when you opened the door, it was as if something grabbed a hold of my hand.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

What?

[Mr. Benson]

Well, I know it sounds queer, but it was if an icicle touched me.

[Mr. Lamont]

It's just the cold air rushing out of this room. It's as black as night in here. Curtains and drapes are heavily drawn. If I can find a light in here.

[Mr. Benson]

Oh, here it is.

[Mr. Lamont]

Mr. Lamont. He's not in Here?

[Mr. Benson]

No, not here. Maybe this isn't his room.

[Mr. Lamont]

If he's going to stay in the house, he'd sleep in here.

[Mr. Benson]

This room hasn't been touched for a long time, has it?

[Mr. Lamont]

Well, I guess not.

[Mr. Benson]

Mr. Lamont. Isn't it queer that this room should be so cold?

[Mr. Lamont]

No, there's nothing strange about that. A room that's all closed up gets damp and cold.

[Mr. Benson]

I have a feeling that it's going to start snowing in here any minute. This cold air seems to freeze your very blood.

[Mr. Lamont]

Mr. Benson, I don't think your employer stayed in this house night before last. I don't think anyone's been in this house for a long time.

[Mr. Benson]

Well, then where is he?

[Mr. Lamont]

I don't know. We look in the other rooms up here. Turn off his light.

[Mr. Benson]

Shall we close the door?

[Mr. Lamont]

Yes. Leave everything just as we found it. If he finds out that we've been snooping around up here, he may not like it.

[Mr. Benson]

He's very peculiar, I know, but certainly he'd want us to hunt for him if he thought we were worried. If we thought he was lying up here dead.

[Mr. Lamont]

He doesn't like people prying into his affairs.

[Mr. Benson]

That's true.

[Mr. Lamont]

We'll look in this upstairs library. He's not in there. Well, then. Means he's not here in the house.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes.

[Mr. Benson]

What was that?

[Mr. Lamont]

Sounded like a moan.

[Mr. Benson]

Yes, it did. Mr. Davison, where are you? Mr. Davison.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Mr. Davison, where Are you?

[Mr. Lamont]

He's not here. In the library?

[Mr. Benson]

No. It sounds as if it came from downstairs.

[Mr. Lamont]

Yes, I guess it did. Hurry. Let's get down there.

[Mr. Benson]

Yes, Mr. Davison, where are you?

[Mr. Lamont]

And it's not here in the living room.

[Mr. Benson]

No. But we heard a moan from somewhere.

[Mr. Lamont]

Sounded like it.

[Mr. Benson]

Mr. Lamont. Look. Look. Do you see? See what I'm pointing at?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Where?

[Mr. Benson]

That book on the table.

[Loretta Hathaway]

It moved.

[Mr. Benson]

Moved all by itself.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

What?

[Loretta Hathaway]

It did.

[Mr. Benson]

I saw it. I saw it. It moved from one side of the table to the other.

[Mr. Lamont]

Nonsense. That's impossible.

[Mr. Benson]

My eyes aren't playing me tricks that badly. I saw it move. Come over here.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Look.

[Mr. Benson]

You see where it's been lying?

[Mr. Lamont]

Imprint in the dust?

[Mr. Benson]

Yes. No. It's over here.

[Mr. Lamont]

Wait a minute. This is getting a little too deep for me. Benson. What's the matter now?

[Mr. Benson]

I felt that touch on my hand again. I did.

[Mr. Lamont]

There is something queer going on in here.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Look.

[Mr. Lamont]

Look over there at the window.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

You see that?

[Mr. Benson]

Yeah.

[Mr. Lamont]

It's like someone was touching those drapes.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

And making the move.

[Mr. Benson]

Yes, Mr. Lamont. Let's get out of here. Let's get out.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Hurry. Right. They couldn't see me. They couldn't hear my voice. Isn't there anyone who can hear me speak? Oh, if you know how badly I needed help. How hard I tried to make them hear me. You people who are of the world and know it. You who can step to the mirror, look in it and see your face and body reflected there. Oh, how thankful you should be. Just a few moments ago, I managed to propel myself to the mirror in the hall. I looked into it. I stood directly in front of it. There was nothing there. I have no face, no body, no arms, no hands. And yet. Yet a sound came from whatever it is that I am. Like a moan. My lawyer, Mr. Lamont, my bookkeeper, Mr. Benson, came rushing down the stairs. I could see them, but great heaven, they couldn't see me. I called out, help me. Help me. But they went out the door, slammed it shut, left me here alone. Oh, doomed to what? Isn't there anyone who can tell me what's happened to me? Two days ago. Yes, I can still reckon days. I left the office and went to the club. It was about an hour before dinner. I sat reading the paper. Suddenly, all the letters began to jump and dance before my eyes. I distinctly heard something whispering in my ears.

[Mr. Benson]

Go to your house. Go to your house.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I threw down the paper. No one seemed to be watching me. I was so frightened. I felt I must be ill. But I couldn't tell anyone. In the club there was a buzzing in my ears. And I could hear that voice saying.

[Mr. Benson]

Go to your house. Go to your house.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I walked out the door. Down the street, some power seemed to be forcing me to go. I walked fast. I approached my house. I haven't lived in it since my wife died. I looked up at seemed to be weaving back and forth. Black clouds hung over it. I walked up the steps. I reached the outside door mechanically. I took the key from my pocket, inserted it in the lock, opened the door. I stood inside. Now, why was I here? Why had I come to the house? I didn't know. I walked into the living room. Suddenly I felt a great rush of cold wind. It engulfed me. World around me seemed to be wrapping itself about me. Help. Help. What is it? Help. My body. It's freezing. My blood is tender. I. Help. Help. Help. I can't move.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I can't move.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I couldn't move. The room seemed to be bathed in a purple twilight. It was then that I realized that I no longer had a physical body. I seem to see everything in the room. But myself look down at your hand and arm. Realize what it would mean to have the feeling of it but not be able to see it. Can you imagine such torture? I can make things move, but I can't see the hand that moves them. Oh, horrible. Terrible calamity that has befallen me. How long am I going to go on like this? What sort of a world am I living in in the purple shadows between.

[Mr. Benson]

This and the next?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Someone have mercy on me. Help me. Great heaven. Someone help me.

[Mr. Lamont]

Mr. Benson?

[Mr. Benson]

Yes, Mr. Lamont?

[Mr. Lamont]

Before we go into the next room to talk to Mr. Davison's niece, I. I think there are a few things we should settle between us.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes, sir.

[Mr. Lamont]

Yesterday ended a year since the disappearance of Mr. Davison. There's no doubt about it. He's dead.

[Mr. Benson]

He must be, sir.

[Mr. Lamont]

He was kidnapped, which I'm inclined to think happened. Kidnappers must have gotten frightened and killed him.

[Mr. Benson]

There were no ransom notes received?

[Mr. Lamont]

No, because they became frightened after they killed him.

[Mr. Benson]

But his body.

[Mr. Lamont]

Don't know what they did with it. It's possible that though we dragged the river, it's still there. We've gone all over that before. That isn't what I want to talk to you about.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

It's.

[Mr. Lamont]

It's his house.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes.

[Mr. Lamont]

Police have been through it dozens of times since the day last year when you and I went through it. I know they have they saw or heard anything peculiar? They failed to mention it. As far as you and I are.

[Mr. Benson]

Concerned, I have never mentioned what happened to a soul.

[Mr. Lamont]

Nor I Been so long now. I. I wonder if it could have been true.

[Mr. Benson]

I often think the same thing.

[Mr. Lamont]

According to Mr. Davison's will, the house and part of his estate is to be deeded to his niece, Loretta Hathaway. She and her husband are in the next room. I think it best, Mr. Benson, that we never tell her what occurred to us that day.

[Mr. Benson]

I agree.

[Mr. Lamont]

She and her husband are not wealthy. Money in the house will be very welcome to them. We shouldn't spoil it for him.

[Mr. Benson]

No.

[Mr. Lamont]

All right. We'll go inside now and read the will to them. Mr. Hathaway will take over Mr. Davidson's business. Think you'll find him a nice man to work for? Come, let's go inside.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Dan, you think you're going to like it here in this house?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

It almost seems to be too grand for us.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I know it. Weren't you surprised to find out that Uncle Jim had Wilder? So much business, half his money and this house.

[Mr. Lamont]

Well, rather.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

But then, of course, there was no.

[Mr. Lamont]

One Else for him to leave it to.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I know. Dan, have you ever thought he might have committed suicide?

[Mr. Lamont]

No, I never thought that.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Mother said he wasn't always as peculiar as he was during his last years.

[Mr. Benson]

What do you mean?

[Loretta Hathaway]

Well, I remember her saying that was after he built this house and he and Aunt Mary moved into it. That he began to change.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

You know, there's something about this place that would make anybody change. Now.

[Loretta Hathaway]

What do you mean?

[Mr. Lamont]

What I mean, Loretta, is that why.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

It'S so blame cold in here?

[Loretta Hathaway]

The house has been shut up for over three years, Dan.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I know, but it's warm outside. This house is like an ice box and we've had the windows open all day.

[Loretta Hathaway]

It'll get thawed out in a few days.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I hope so.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I suppose we better retire. You take charge of the office tomorrow, don't you?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Poor Uncle Jim. I still keep thinking that he may have committed suicide. I've often wondered if they went through his desk and things to see if he left any notes.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Oh, yes, They've gone through his things dozens of times.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Dan.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes?

[Loretta Hathaway]

It was three years ago that Aunt Mary died, wasn't it about that? She took an overdose of sleeping powder by mistake. Then six months after that, Mother died, then Uncle Jim disappeared. A lot of tragedy in one family in a few years, isn't it?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I wouldn't dwell on that.

[Mr. Benson]

Loretta.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

What are you doing?

[Loretta Hathaway]

I just thought I'd go through this desk to see if I could find anything that no one else is discovering.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I wouldn't look through those things tonight. Let's go upstairs.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I will in a minute. Dan. Dan, come here.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

What is it?

[Loretta Hathaway]

Look at this. Look at this writing.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Well, what is it?

[Loretta Hathaway]

That's what I'm asking you.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Just purple marks on a piece of paper.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I know, but what peculiar marks. Like they were made with a fingernail and written in some foreign language. What do you suppose it is?

[Mr. Lamont]

I haven't any idea.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

It's probably been there for ages. If it had any significance, the police would have used it.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I know, but it's lying right here on top of all these papers as if it had been dropped here just recently. Dan, feel of that paper. It's ice cold.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes, it's like everything else in this house. Oh, come on. You can rummage through that desk tomorrow. I'm going upstairs. Do you realize it's nearly midnight?

[Loretta Hathaway]

Dan.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Dan, for heaven's sakes, what is it? Look.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Look. See that window blind. Look at it.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Why? Why, it's moving. Look.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Look. Levit, it's moving up and down all by itself.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Oh, I. I see what it is. Loretta. There's something the matter with the roller. You've seen that happen to window curtains before. They fly way up to the top or way down to the bottom of the window when the roller's broken.

[Loretta Hathaway]

But Dan was just. As if some unseen hand moved that window curtain. That's what it was like. Some unseen hand moved that curtain.

[The Hermit (Narrator)]

Loretta and Dan see strange things too. Can it be that Davison is still trying to make himself known to the people in his house? The hermit will tell you before the night is done.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Now the hermit again.

[The Hermit (Narrator)]

Midnight in the house. Loretta and Dan are sleeping, but not well.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Listen. No, I am not sleeping. I never sleep. You know that. I've been wandering in this, my house, for over a year, living in hideous torture. Oh, I've tried to make someone understand, but it's useless. They only grow frightened, as Loretta did earlier this evening. But she didn't get frightened enough. No. I'll tell you why. What I've discovered in these long, endless hours that I've spent here. There's something strange about this place. Something horrible. You hear the wind? It's beginning again. About midnight every night, it springs up. There's a queer purple glow over everything. The cold sears me all through again, penetrating to my very marrow. I know I have no form that you can see or I can see. But I can feel pain just the same. Such pain as you never dreamed of in your normal world. Loretta and Dan will suffer the same transformation as I have if they don't get out of this house. I've been convinced for a long time now that it must have been true that my wife, Mary, realized there was something wrong in this house. That's why she took the sleeping potters that night. She took her own life through fear. But why didn't she warn me so that I could die? For as it is now, I may go on suffering like this for ages and centuries. There may be thousands of houses all over the world that are under a spell like this one is. There must be other people living in this strange world like I am. Here it comes again, this wind that lives in this world of purple shadows. I've got to warn Loretta and Dan. I've got to get them out of the house. I must propel myself up the stairs and open the door to their room. I'm climbing the stairs now. I can see in the night and see everything but myself. I think my hand is touching the banister now. I'm at the top of the Stairs. Just open the door to the room. Oh, that wind. It's making me suffer. Such pain.

[Mr. Benson]

Fame.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I must warn them. Loretta.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Loretta.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

She doesn't hear me. Loretta, you must get out of here. Loretta.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Oh.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Oh. She's turning in her sleep.

[Loretta Hathaway]

What is it? Dan? Dan, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Dan.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

What you say?

[Loretta Hathaway]

Wake up. Look, there's a strange light in this room. And where's the wind coming from?

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Loretta. Get out. Get out of this house. It's going to be too late. There is a strange light in here. Turn up the night lamp.

[Loretta Hathaway]

It doesn't seem to make any difference. The light is getting stronger and stronger. And the wind, it's freezing me. Freezing my blood.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Loretta. I feel it too. Let's get out of this room.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Help. I can't move. I can't go.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Floretta. I can't move either. I'm powerless.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Help. Someone help us.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Help.

[Loretta Hathaway]

I can feel my whole body changing.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Loretta, what's happening to us?

[Loretta Hathaway]

Jen, Help me.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I reached out for you and knocked over the lamp. Loretta. I can't see my hand anymore. I can't see my arms or my legs. Look. Look.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Standing in this room. It's Uncle Jim.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Jim Davison? Yes. You see me now for your change. The same as I am. What's happened to us? We've entered a strange world. This house, it's under some horrible spell. I've been in the shadows since the day I disappeared.

[Loretta Hathaway]

Uncle Jimmy, is there nothing we can do? Nothing.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

There's our only hope. See, you knocked over that lamp. Then this room will soon be all afire.

[Mr. Benson]

Yes.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Let it burn. May burn down the house and give us the freedom of death. It's our only hope. Our only salvation. Death. Give us freedom. Let us get out of this torture. Have mercy. Save us. Have mercy.

[Mr. Benson]

What's the news, Mr. Lamont? Did they find the bodies?

[Mr. Lamont]

They've gone through the charred wreck of that house for hours. There's no trace of a body there.

[Mr. Benson]

Well, you think they got out before the house burned?

[Mr. Lamont]

Then where are they, Benson? I don't think they got out.

[Mr. Benson]

But they didn't find their bodies, Mr. Lamont.

[Mr. Lamont]

They didn't find them. But no one will ever hear of them again.

[Mr. Benson]

What do you mean?

[Mr. Lamont]

It's difficult to explain to anyone but you. Because you and I know there was something strange about that place.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Yes.

[Mr. Lamont]

I was with the firemen when we went through the wreckage. It was their bedroom. There was nothing there but Benson as we were going through it. Smoke, of course, was smoldering there. But a huge purple flame sprung up and seemed to lose itself in the atmosphere. It startled me.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

I stepped back.

[Mr. Lamont]

Firemen thought I'd found something. Of course, I. I couldn't explain to them. I don't know that I can explain to you. But it was as if.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

Well, as if.

[Mr. Lamont]

Something registered in my mind and a voice said to me, you will never find their bodies. They're gone. Gone forever.

[The Hermit (Narrator)]

With their house burned down. They who lived in the world of purple shadows are liberated forever. They're free. No longer tortured. Turn on your lights. Turn them on. I'll be back. Pleasant dreams.

[Jim Davison (Ghost)]

All characters, places and occurrences mentioned in the Hermit's cave are fictitious, and similarity to persons, places, or occurrences is purely accidental.