The Devil and Mr. O 71-10-15 05 Mr. Freak

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “The Devil and Mr. O” – Mr. Freak

Podcast: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Episode Air Date: September 19, 2025
Main Story Originally Aired: October 15, 1971 (Episode 05)
Host/Announcer: Mr. O (Arch Oboler)
Key Characters: Mr. Freak (Paul), Unnamed Young Woman

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Episode Overview

This episode features Mr. Freak, a haunting psychological drama from the series “The Devil and Mr. O,” dramatizing the inner life of a man marked by physical deformity and isolation. Through poetic narration, the story explores loneliness, the search for acceptance and love, and the blurring boundary between inner worth and outward appearance. Rooted in the classic tradition of old-time radio horror and the supernormal, it delivers a powerful meditation on beauty, ugliness, and redemption.

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Key Discussion Points & Dramatic Beats

1. Introduction: The Nature of Beauty and Ugliness

• Host Mr. O (Arch Oboler) challenges listeners to reflect on subjective views of ugliness and beauty, with examples ranging from a newborn baby to a mushroom cloud (01:36).
  • Quote (Mr. O):
    “What is ugly? What is beauty? Think about it as you listen to Mr. Freak.” (01:36)

2. Mr. Freak’s Despair and Psychological Torment

• The story begins with Mr. Freak alone, contemplating suicide as he ruminates over his lifelong suffering due to his grotesque appearance (04:10–05:39).

  • He describes the physical coldness of the gun as he weighs ending his pain.

  • Quote (Mr. Freak):
    “Gun in my hand … Cold is death, but life is colder. Rhythm to that. Poet dies with final rhythm. Poet dies. Who never wrote a poem.” (04:10)

  • Recurring refrain: “Ugliest man in the world.”

3. Childhood Trauma & Maternal Protection

• Flashbacks to childhood reveal how his mother protected him by isolating him from other children, only for him to face ridicule when sent to school for the first time (05:39–08:34).

  • The full horror of his reflection is described after his mother’s death, when he first sees his face in a mirror.

  • Quote (Mr. Freak):
    “What did I see? What is my face? … My eyes. Oh, my eyes. Mother of God, my eyes.” (08:34)

4. Exploitation in the Sideshow

• As an adult, Mr. Freak becomes a carnival “sideshow” curiosity, embracing his public identity as the “ugliest man in the world.” He describes his ability to mentally escape during the gawking and laughter (10:00–12:54).
  • He meets a woman from another carnival act, who feigns interest for money, leading to further humiliation and heartbreak.

5. Exploration of Love and Worth

• A brief meta-dialogue on the meaning of love is inserted (15:09–16:13), contrasting childlike simplicity (“Caring about people”) with adult despair.
  • Quote (Paul):
    “When a person knows somebody cares about him, they just feel great… That’s the same thing as love.” (15:28–15:39)

6. Escape, Loneliness, and Longing

• Mr. Freak moves to the countryside, hiding in a life of hard labor to escape people’s judgment (16:23–18:10).

• He is repeatedly observed by a young woman on horseback who cheerfully waves at him as she passes by, sparking a dangerous hope—that perhaps, if she were blind, she could love him for who he is.

  • Quote (Mr. Freak): “If she couldn’t see my face. Yes, if she were blind. I read a book like that somewhere. … If she couldn’t see. Only know me as I am. My voice, my thoughts, my dreams…” (18:10–21:31)

7. Fateful Accident and Unexpected Connection

• The young woman is blinded in a roadside accident, and Mr. Freak helps her. She can no longer see his appearance, allowing their friendship to grow on emotional and intellectual grounds (21:31–23:52).

  • They discuss books, emotions, and build a deep bond. The woman asks Mr. Freak to read from “Cyrano de Bergerac.”

  • Quote (Woman):
    “I know you now better than I could if my eyes were open, and twice as wise as they ever could have been.” (23:54)

8. Literary Parallels to Cyrano de Bergerac

• The pair read together from “Cyrano de Bergerac”—a tale with profound resonance for Mr. Freak. Both Cyrano and Mr. Freak are men whose outward appearance conceals inner worth, and both fear that love will not survive revelation of the truth (25:33–28:17).
  • Quote (Mr. Freak, as Cyrano):
    “Poor he was ugly. … But see, I finish as I was begun.” (27:10–27:31)

9. The Crisis: Approaching Truth and Self-Rejection

• News arrives that the woman may regain her sight, which terrifies Mr. Freak. He resolves she should never see his real face, and contemplates suicide again (28:17–29:25).
  • Quote (Mr. Freak):
    “Never will I, so long as I am master. Let beauty so divine meet such disaster.” (28:39)

10. Redemption: Love Overcomes Ugliness

• The woman returns, seeking him out after regaining her sight. She has known of his deformity, and confesses her love is undiminished by physical appearance (29:25–30:34).

  • Quote (Woman):
    “I want to know you in the light. Your ugliness, yes, Paul, I’ve known. First when you cried with Cyrano…” (29:49–29:59)

  • Quote (Woman):
    “A thing will part, as my blindness was a part of me. I love you.” (30:02–30:13)

  • Quote (Mr. Freak): “In fairy tales long since the princess said that. And the ugly prince lost all his plainness in that sudden sun.” (30:34–30:56)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• "What is ugly? What is beauty?"
  —Narrator (Mr. O), (01:36)

• “Gun in my hand … Cold is death, but life is colder.”
  —Mr. Freak, (04:10)

• “Ugliest man in the world. That’s why you kept me away from children, Mother.”
  —Mr. Freak, (06:22)

• “If she couldn’t see my face. Yes, if she were blind. I read a book like that somewhere.”
  —Mr. Freak, (18:10–21:31)

• “When a person knows somebody cares about him, they just feel great… That’s the same thing as love.”
  —Paul (child), (15:28–15:39)

• “I know you now better than I could if my eyes were open.”
  —Woman, (23:54)

• “A thing will part, as my blindness was a part of me. I love you.”
  —Woman, (30:02–30:13)

• “In fairy tales long since the princess said that. And the ugly prince lost all his plainness in that sudden sun.”
  —Mr. Freak, (30:34–30:56)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:36 — Host’s introduction, meditation on beauty and ugliness
• 04:10 — Mr. Freak’s suicide contemplation begins
• 05:39–08:34 — Childhood memories, first encounter with his own reflection
• 10:00–12:54 — Sideshow life, exploitation, and first contact with a woman
• 16:23–18:10 — Escape to rural life, longing for the unattainable
• 21:31–23:52 — The woman’s accident and start of their friendship
• 25:33–28:17 — Dramatic reading from Cyrano de Bergerac
• 28:39–29:25 — Mr. Freak’s crisis, contemplation of death
• 29:25–30:34 — Love redeemed: the woman’s acceptance
• 30:34–31:18 — Poetic conclusion

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Overall Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is brooding, atmospheric, and intensely personal, immersing listeners in Mr. Freak’s tortured psyche through poetic prose and stark dramatic monologue. The old-time radio style accentuates a sense of haunting isolation, paradoxically offset by moments of redemptive hope and profound human connection. The language is literary, bordering on the existential.

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Memorable Moments

• The chilling accuracy with which Mr. Freak describes the cold physicality of suicide versus the “coldness” of life. (04:10)
• His first experience seeing his own face after his mother’s death—raw and deeply affecting. (08:34)
• The meta-reflection between child and narrator on the universal need for caring and love. (15:10–16:13)
• The joy Mr. Freak feels in intellectual and emotional intimacy with the blind woman, culminating in the shared reading of “Cyrano de Bergerac.” (25:33–28:17)
• The final acceptance of love, regardless of appearance—the resolution every fairy tale promises, delivered with sincerity and grace. (30:02–30:34)

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Conclusion

Mr. Freak is not merely a supernatural tale but a meditation on the pain of difference and the transformative power of unconditional love. It asks listeners to reconsider the value we place on appearance, and ends with the hopeful message that true connection is found in spirit and understanding, not in looks. Arch Oboler’s “The Devil and Mr. O” here channels the era’s best radio storytelling—moody, literary, and ultimately compassionate.

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Transcript

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[Radio Show Host]

Devil and Mr. O.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

It is.

[Radio Show Host]

Later.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Than you think.

[Radio Show Host]

Turn out your lights now. We bring you stories of the supernatural and the supernormal, dramatizing the fantasies and the mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this frankly so that if you wish to avoid the excitement and tension of these imaginative plays, we urge you calmly but sincerely to turn off your radio now. This is Mr. O. Arch ovler. What's ugly? What's beautiful? A red, wrinkled newborn child to its mother is the most beautiful object in the world. Take a mushroom cloud raining down invisible death to the victim, its ugliness beyond statement. Yet to the scientist, that bright flash of atomic fission might represent ultimate beauty. What is ugly? What is beauty? Think about it as you listen to Mr. Freak after a message from your station.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Inner Sanctum Mystery.

[Radio Show Host]

Hello. This is your host welcoming you through the squeaking door, not for a half hour of terror, but to tell you about Radio Nostalgia Magazine. Radio Nostalgia Magazine is a must for Old Time Radio fans. It's the magazine with many photos and stories of Old Time Radio and its stars. Our current issue features a 16 page article on the Shadow. All subscribers will get a free Captain Midnight Decoder badge, a Captain Midnight Flight Patrol membership and a Flight Commander certificate from the Secret Squadron. To get your copy, send $1.50 in check or money order to radio nostalgia box 8007R, Union City, NJ 07087. That's radio nostalgia box 8007R, union city, new jersey. Zip 07087. Send now and get a free 8 by 10 photo of the Lone Ranger in Tono. Boys and girl and now, if you haven't already done so, turn off your lights now and listen to Mr. Freak.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Gun in my hand. Gun in my hand. In all my life I've never had a gun in my hand. Smooth gun, hard gun cold. Gun cold in my hand. Bullet won't be cold. Warm bullet, hot bullet. Burning hot. Hot as the blood. No, can't think of that. Turn the muzzle up and press the trigger. Trigger cold against my finger. Cold is death, but life is colder. Rhythm to that. Poet dies with final rhythm. Poet dies. Who never wrote a poem. Headline for the tabloids. Poet dies with final rhythm. Ugliest man in the world. A suicide. Poet dies with final rhythm. Ugliest man in the world. A suicide. Suicide. Poet dies in final rhythm. Obvious man in the world of suicide. Poet dies in final rhythm. Obvious man in the world of suicide. Poet dies in final rhythm. No, no. Stop. Stop. Ugliest man in the world. All right. I'll think the things of the last time. Tear the words around on my head over and over the way they've torn for 30 years. Ugliest man in the world. Ugliest man in the world. Ugliest man in the world. Press the trigger and stop it. Press the trigger. No, no, I can't. I got to wait. Think it all out clearly for the first time in my life. How it started. Why it's ending this way. Think it all out clearly from the very start. Then press the trigger.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

School today, Paul.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

There's a start. First day of school. How old was I? Nine or ten? She kept me home, away from others. I didn't know why until that day. She said, school today, Paul. I said, all right, Mother. Row on row of children looking up at me, staring up at me, gaping up at me. And then one of them started laughing. Another laughing. Another and another laughing, laughing. I stood there, little boy, looking down at their twisting mouths. My ears filled with the sound of them making fun of me on you. But why? Why?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Ugliest boy in the world.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Ugliest boy in the world. That's why you kept me away from children, Mother. Kept me away until you didn't dare to any longer own Mother. Mother. Before you let others see me, why didn't you close your hands around my neck? Put a knife in my heart, Drown me, bury me, put me away where eyes couldn't see me, laughter couldn't reach me. But you didn't. So this was my boyhood. Tears. Tears without end. A boyhood of tears. A boyhood of tears. Took me out of school, Kept me away from all the others. What good was it? I knew. I knew there wasn't a mirror in the house. Not a mirror. I didn't dare. You didn't dare? Not a mirror. Until that day you died. Alone. So quiet in the house. I sat down. So quiet. And then suddenly. As if the clock were talking to me. Yes, I remember. Look at yourself. Look at yourself. Look. Look at myself. A mirror. I had to find a mirror. Surely mother kept one mirror somewhere. Drawer after drawer. A mirror. Surely there was a mirror. A mirror. Yes, there was one. Wrapped and hidden where she thought I'd never find it. Tore the paper off. I kept my eyes shut until the glass was clear. And then I looked. White face. Can I bear the memory of my face? Can I think of it even now, gun in my hand? Yes, I will. I will. What did I see? What is my face? A brow. No brow. A thing that sloped away sharply, quickly, like a peaked roof. Half fallen in nose. A thick wad of ugly flesh protruding out between two close set eyes. My eyes. Oh, my eyes. Mother of God, my eyes.

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[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Tiny red rimmed green flecked globes that stood far out beyond. The lids twinkled like a fat round pig's. My eyes. That was why they laughed at me. My eyes. Ugliest man in the world. Yes, I was that no longer boy. Ugliest man in the world. Not even tears could help me now. The world outside at last. I had to go out into it. Make a living, get a job, get out. Sick of sideshow. Sick of sideshow.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Get out.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Sideshow. Sideshow. Sideshow. Sideshow. Ladies and gentlemen, step up. The one and only ladies and gentlemen. Wasn't bad. The ugliest man. That's what I said. Come on. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what I said. The ugliest man in the world. And only a dime. A very small part of a dollar. That step. Closer, closer, closer. I didn't mind. After a while. Faces looking up at me again. Staring, whistling, Getting their dimes worth spieler. Talking faces, staring whispers, snickers. I didn't mind. Why should I? I could get away from them. Yes. Stand there in the noise and laughter and leave them far behind. Leave the smell of them and the noise of them and the twisting faces of them. Shut my eyes and leave them quickly. Quickly. I'd be in a field, sun drenched, face to the sky. The warm sun touching me. Soft dress cushioning me. My arms outstretched all around me. Such peace and loveliness. I'd lie there, so happy. And then a breeze touching my face and a small white cloud in the sky. Then another. And all at once the clouds were like a woman's face looking down at me. A woman. There was a woman. Hello, big fella. Oh, hello. Hell of a day, huh? Yes. She'll give you a big play. I mean, the yokels, don't they? Yes. Me, I'm with Sammy Morton. You know, the grind church. I'm not one of the strippers, you understand. I do a high class number, you know, semi classical. Sure. Been a long, hot day. Yes. Nice walking out in the dark. I mean, the air is kind of different than I'm in the midway. Yeah, Nice in the dark. Awful night. Do you like the moon?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Moon?

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Oh, sure, sure. You been working in tenchos long, big fella? So complete, the moon. Boy, you sure pack them in. I heard tell you sell more pictures than anybody in the show damn sure add up, don't they? Your face. Did you ever look down from the clouds? You mean, have I ever been high? Boy, I'm high now. I like the dark. There was a woman talking. They were talking. Yeah, yeah, sure, Sam. What do you take me for, a chump? Well, what do you think? His face makes me sick just to look at him. But he's got a pocket full of dough. So last week I got a telegram from mama. Poor Mama Morgan. And yesterday, while he was looking at the me up in the clouds, I got another handful of bucks. And maybe in a couple of weeks I can. You all right? So you heard. So what? What are you staring at? I don't like your face. You heard me. I don't like your face. I gave you. You gave me a couple of laughs. Love. Love. Do you hear that?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Love.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Do you think any woman could love a mug like yours? It ain't a face, it's a mug. A puss, a pan. Go on, beat it. Get out of here. No more walks with me, big fella. I've had a belly full of laughs, and I'm too. Hey, hey, hey. What do you. No, stay away from me. Don't. Go on, beat it. Get out. You know, get out. As far as I could get. Any place, anywhere. Any place. Any place, anywhere. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away. Get away.

[Radio Show Host]

Now we leave our the devil and Mr. O. Story of Mr. Freak for just a moment.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Mr. President.

[Radio Show Host]

What does it mean to say love makes all things new again?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Love makes all things new again. Well, you see, if somebody's down in the dumps, that means they're very sad. I'd say I care about you. And then they go peow.

[Radio Show Host]

Why is that?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Well, when a person knows somebody cares about him, they just feel great because.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Oh, I see.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

No, that's the same thing as love.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

What's the same thing as love?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Caring about people.

[Radio Show Host]

Well, Suppose There were two people down.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

In the dumps, Mr. President.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Oh, I just say I care about you. I care about you, and go, pew, pew.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Suppose 200 million Americans were down in the dumps, Mr. President.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

I'd say I care about you. I care about you. I care about you. I care about you. I care about you. I care about you.

[Radio Show Host]

Love makes all things new again.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Hey, what was that?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Another sound of love from the Franciscans.

[Radio Show Host]

We return to our the devil and Mr. O. Story of Mr. Freak.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Yard got away. Good and far away. Fields, grain, a farm. They didn't care what kind of a face Just work hard work, work Hour after hour sweat salt on my lips Work, keep working and I couldn't think I couldn't think it was good I couldn't think But I'm thinking now Gun in my hand stop that thinking Gun in my hand no Got to think up my life think it out clearly Think of that day she waved at me was working bent over sun hot on my back Grain thick around me Filling the world covering hiding me I.

[Radio Show Host]

Straightened up Want to make a difference.

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[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Moving through the grain in the road Climbing the hill so far away could hardly tell what it was Shaded my eyes from the sun I saw a woman on horseback no so small must be a girl I saw her arm wave at me I dropped in the grain I said leave me alone leave me alone leave me alone the next day again standing in the grain a tiny figure on Horseback waved at me. I dropped in the grain again. No, no more. Just the sky and the grain and the work was all I wanted. The next day and the next. A girl on horse was riding far off there in the road. Waving at me in the grain. Waving at me day after day. And one day I didn't drop in the grain. I stood. I waved back at her. Waving at me because she couldn't see me. See my. In spite of myself. One day I was hiding in the grain at the edge of the road, waiting for her. Wanted to run, yet I stayed. Wanted to cover my eyes, yet I looked. Looked with eyes as big as all my loneliness. Horse knew I was there. She didn't. She started singing a little song as she passed. A song without meaning, but warm as the sun. And I saw. I saw her. Young lovely, young lovely. The words tumbled over and over in my head as I watched her go by. Young lovely, young lovely, young love. I began to see her face everywhere. In the green, in the sky. And at night in the dark. Ugliest man in the world. Thinking of the loveliest face in the world. I tried to stop, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't. The loneliness in me was a pain I couldn't endure anymore. Again and again I hid in the grain and watched her go by me. Just a quick moment and then she was gone. And I was left in loneliness again. If she couldn't see my face. Yes, if she were blind. I read a book like that somewhere. Woman never saw the man she loved if she couldn't see me. Only know me as I am. My voice, my thoughts, my dreams. Ambitions. If she couldn't see. Dangerous daydreams that brought me to a gun in my hand. But I was lonely. I had nothing. So I had dreams of her. Blind, not knowing my face. Mother in heaven. If she were only blind. If she were only blind. Wish Father to the deed. That day, working in the grain. Looked up. She was riding by so early. Why so early? Her little hand waving at me. Then the rush of a novel. I ran, the grain tearing at me, holding me back. In a moment, she was in my arm.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Help me. Please help me. I can't see. I can't see.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Can't see. I dreamed it. Prayed it.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

And now I can't see.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

What have I done? What have I done? Concussion. Nerve block. No. No, I had nothing to do with it. Just a thought. I'd only thought. But now she couldn't see me as I was. Couldn't see me. Couldn't see me.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

You've been very kind to me, Mr. Martin.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Paul. Music. Everlasting music in my ears.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Come here every day, won't you? It's so good having you to talk to. You've made these wonderful days, Paul.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Music. Everlasting music. Her voice. Being with her, knowing her and she knowing only that of me, which had not no ugliness.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

You've such a good mind, Paul. The best I've ever known. I needed a mind like yours. I'm laughing, Paul, because you made me happy again. You, Paul. And I bless you for it.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Happy days. Endless days. Quicksilver days. Then the day.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Paul. I've been waiting for you.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

I wanted to be here sooner. The grain.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

The grain. Is it very tall and bold now, Paul? Remember how the grain used to keep us apart? Before I even knew you, I'd wave and the grain was between us. And I never knew you.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Is knowing me important, Paul? Do you know me now?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

You're the only one I've wanted to be with.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Do you know me now, Paul?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Paul, listen to me. I know you now better than I could if my eyes were open. And twice as wise as they ever could have been.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You're lovely.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

And so are you.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You never. You've never seen.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Oh, when people have talked together as much as you and I, every little hope and hurt dream plan, don't they know more than if they looked at faces? And what do you look like, Paul? No, let me guess. I've sat here in the dark and seen your face so many times before.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Me, right face?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Yes. Let me tell you. It's a large, virile face. A face that matches up with all the strength of you. Strong, straight mouth, a firm chin. Skin brown yet soft. Straight nose that's not too small, yet not too large. And then your eyes. Oh, yes, your eyes, the largest. And dark. And gentle. Gentle is the way of you, Paul. Well, how close was I to knowing you?

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Give me your hand.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

No, no, I. I don't want to touch your face. Later, yes? Not now. Po. I want you to read me something.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Read?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Yes. So strange we were talking about faces when. I have this book for you to read to me. Look. Do you know the book, Paul?

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Cyrano?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Yes. Brave Cyrano de Bergerac. You've read the play? Of course.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

I. I never have.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Then I envy you. I wish I'd never read it. So that I could read hear it all over again. Please, read it for me. He'll start any place. Read.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Paul. Thou lovest her. Tell her. For I do surmise thou art a Hero in her eyes.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

That was Le Brae, Cyrano's friend. Now go on, read Cyrano's speech.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Nay. Shall I woo the loveliest maid in France? Look at me, friend, with my poor big devil of a nose. I dream even I of walking n sat beam. Loving beloved.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

You read it with your heart. Paul.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

He was ugly.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Oh, the rest of him was beauty. Just his nose. Read Cyrano's lines and I'll try to remember. Roxanne. She was a woman he loved. And he never dared tell her of his love. Because of his ugliness. Reedpo. The top of the page. Roxanne calls sister. Oh, sister. Reedpo.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

No. Call no one here. You come back. I should have gone away. I long for harmony to end my day.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

I love. You live.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

In fairy tales long since the Princess said that. And the ugly prince lost all his plainness in that sudden sun. But see, I finish as I was begun.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

I made your grief. I. I.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You made my blessings. I lacked all woman's kindness, even this. My mother found me ugly. And I had no sister lest they mark an ugly lad. I shunned all women. You became my friend. One soft gown brushed my face before the end.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Paul. Paul, you cry.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Crying? What is there to cry about?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

It's true. There's no reason to cry. It's just a play in life. No man could be such a fool.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Goodbye.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Goodbye. No, Paul, don't. I. I haven't had a chance to tell you. My eyes. An operation of. I'll see again. That's why I didn't want to see your face with my hands. I'll see you with my eyes. Paul. See you with my eyes. See you with my eyes.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

See again. See again. See what? A face to laugh at. Ugliest man in the world. A face to jeer at. And the mug. A face to shout at. But not to love. Not to love. Never will I so long as I am master. Let beauty so depend divine Meet such disaster. Ugliness mark affection. Cyril. No. Read you a thousand times because she read you. The author gave you a paper nose. But my ugliness is flesh and blood. Flesh and blood. To see, to hate. She'll never see me. Never. Never. Lift the muzzle. Press the trigger. Trigger. Cold against my finger. Cold as death. But life is colder. Thoughts in my mind like a whirling circle. Press the trigger. Press the trigger. Press the trigger.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Paul.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Who is it?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Paul. Paul. Paul. Where's the light?

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You see?

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

It's been weeks I've been searching. Where's the light? Paul.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Forget me.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

So dark in your hand.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Oh, Paul, I wasted too much time thinking.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Oh, my dear.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Forget me, I tell you. You knew me in the dark. Well, now it's light for you. And I'm not meant for the light. Forget me.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

I want to know you in the light. Your ugliness. Yes, Paul, I've known. First when you cried with Cyrano. Then I asked the others and they told me.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

But you don't know my face a thing.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

A thing apart as my blindness was apart from me. I love you.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You love, Love you.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Yes, I love you.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

You don't know, but I will know.

[Paul / Supporting Actor]

Turn on the light, Paul. I'm not afraid. Turn on the light. I love you. Live for me.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

In fairy tales long since the princess said that. And the ugly prince lost all his plainness in that sudden sun.

[Radio Show Host]

The play has ended. The players, Raymond Edward Johnson and Ann Sheppard. Speaking of stories, I've written novel titled House on Fire. You can get it, I hope, at your local bookstore. Its publisher is Bartholomew House. But now let's talk about our next the Devil and Mr. O story after this word.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

Hello, this is Greg Morris. You know, some of the cases we solve on Mission Impossible are like rolling off a log compared to the way things really are. Our courts are full of kids caught in the trap of the judicial system. Lack of understanding among ourselves has caused racial and cultural problems. And some say the traditional family structure is crumbling. But the YMCA is doing something about these issues. The Y has recently adopted five national goals dealing with the 1970s and the years beyond. These are goals dealing with eliminating personal and institutional racism, changing the conditions that foster alienation, delinquency and crime, reducing health problems, strengthening family structures, and joining people from other countries in building international understanding. Learn about these projects for a Better America and a Better World at your local ymca. Remember, you can't do it all, and neither can the Y. But together you can help build a bridge to a better tomorrow.

[Radio Show Host]

This is Mr. O again. Has there ever been a poltergeist in your life? I sincerely hope not. You see, Poltergeist is supposedly a restless ghost who tears and throws sometimes right at your own head. That's our play next time. Its title simply Gravestone. But that's next time we meet.

[Narrator/Actor (Mr. Freak)]

It is later than you think.