Cat’s Cradle by The Price Of Fear

Summary

Summary of "Cat’s Cradle" by The Price Of Fear

Podcast Title: The Horror!
Host/Author: RelicRadio.com
Episode: Cat’s Cradle
Release Date: February 1, 2025
Original Air Date: September 15, 1973

Introduction

In this chilling episode of The Horror! presented by RelicRadio.com, listeners are transported to the eerie landscapes of Bavaria, where Malcolm Rivers finds himself ensnared in a tale of suspense, supernatural elements, and unexpected terror. Narrated with the quintessential Vincent Price charm, "Cat’s Cradle" weaves a narrative that delves deep into the dark secrets of an old castle and the unsettling interactions between its inhabitants and visitors.

Setting the Scene

The story unfolds in Sonderberg, a medieval market town in Franconia near the Württemberg border. Unlike its more frequented counterparts, Sonderberg remains relatively untouched by mainstream tourism, preserving its historical essence and the haunting ambiance of its ancient castles. Malcolm Rivers, an actor sidelined by a film production holdup, seeks solace and inspiration by exploring these castles.

Key Characters

• Malcolm Rivers: The protagonist, an actor seeking respite and inspiration during a filming delay.
• Vincent Price: A charismatic yet unsettling figure who draws Malcolm into sinister undertakings.
• Jack and Beth: A young honeymooning couple whose strained relationship adds tension to the narrative.
• Custodian: The enigmatic keeper of the castle’s dark secrets.
• Narrator: Provides insightful commentary and bridges dialogues, enhancing the storytelling.

Plot Overview

Arrival in Sonderberg

Malcolm Rivers arrives in Sonderberg, checking into a local hotel. While waiting for his room, he overhears an argument between Jack and Beth, a newlywed couple grappling with marital tensions. Their confrontation over Jack’s alleged infidelity sets an uneasy tone for the evening.

Vincent Price (00:06): "Oh, stories. We. Stories and murders do. Turn out your legs. Turn them out."

Despite the initial discomfort, Malcolm remains intrigued by the town’s charm, inviting Jack and Beth to join him on a tour of the historic castle the following day.

The Sinister Tour Begins

The next morning, as the trio prepares to tour Sonderberg Castle, Vincent Price unexpectedly appears, eager to involve Malcolm in his latest horror film project set within the castle’s ominous walls.

Vincent Price (07:35): "Scouting locations, old son. You see that castle up there? That's just right for a new horror picture we've got."

Reluctantly, Malcolm agrees, and they proceed to explore the castle. The atmosphere is thick with history and the remnants of past atrocities, particularly those linked to the Inquisition.

The Deadly Encounter

As they delve deeper into the castle, they encounter a mother cat and her kitten in the castle’s garden. Vincent Price, ever the attention-seeker, attempts to incorporate the animals into his cinematic vision, leading to a tragic accident when he accidentally kills the kitten.

Malcolm Rivers (12:11): "Oh, no. God, man, look what you've done."

The mother cat exhibits unnerving behavior, her eyes glowing with a menacing intensity as she interacts with Vincent Price, hinting at supernatural undercurrents beneath the castle's dark facade.

Descent into Horror

Despite warnings from Beth, tensions escalate as Vincent Price insists on continuing their exploration of the castle's torture chambers. The custodian of the castle guides them through a gruesome display of historical torture instruments, further intensifying the ominous atmosphere.

Custodian (20:32): "Now over heels, sirs and madam, is a famous instrument of the Inquisition."

Vincent Price's fascination with realism leads him to tamper with the Iron Virgin, a notorious torture device. His reckless actions awaken the malevolent forces within the castle, culminating in a horrifying attack by the vengeful mother cat.

Malcolm Rivers (16:14): "Mr. Rivers, I know this may sound silly, but I think that cat means to do you harm."

The Climactic Confrontation

In a heart-pounding climax, the custodian falls victim to the cat’s ferocity as Vincent Price's true malevolent nature is revealed. The cat, now fully possessed by dark forces, attacks the custodian, leading to his gruesome demise. Malcolm, witnessing the horror unfold, takes decisive action by slashing the cat with an executioner's sword, restoring a semblance of safety.

Malcolm Rivers (26:21): "Get your wife out of here. She needs air. I'll attend to the old man."

The episode concludes with Malcolm reflecting on the unpredictable nature of cats, underscoring the theme that not all is as it seems within the haunted walls of Sonderberg Castle.

Notable Quotes

• Vincent Price on Storytelling (00:25): "We are meant to call from out of the past. Stories strange, weird tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the macabre."

• Beth’s Suspicion (16:05): "Mr. Rivers, I know this may sound silly, but I think that cat means to do you harm."

• Malcolm’s Realization (14:13): "Although my outburst was a relief, I felt slightly ashamed. I realized how painfully vulnerable the man really was."

• Climactic Plea (26:25): "For God's sake, don't look."

Themes and Insights

"Cat’s Cradle" delves into several enduring themes:

• The Supernatural vs. Reality: The episode blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, especially through the cat’s disturbing behavior and the resurrection of ancient torture devices.

• Human Vulnerability: Malcolm’s journey highlights personal vulnerabilities when faced with uncontrollable and malevolent forces.

• Ambition and Obsession: Vincent Price embodies the dangers of obsession, as his fixation on realism and immersion into horror filmmaking leads to catastrophic consequences.

• The Unpredictability of Nature: The cat, a seemingly ordinary creature, becomes a vessel for vengeance and terror, emphasizing the unpredictability and hidden depths within nature.

Conclusion

"Cat’s Cradle" stands out as a masterful blend of suspense, horror, and psychological tension. Through its intricate plot and well-developed characters, the episode effectively immerses listeners in a world where ancient horrors lurk beneath historical grandeur. Vincent Price’s performance as both a charming yet sinister figure adds a layer of complexity, making this episode a memorable installment in The Price Of Fear series.

For those seeking a gripping narrative filled with unexpected twists and eerie atmospheres, "Cat’s Cradle" is a quintessential listen that encapsulates the essence of old-time radio horror storytelling.

Transcript

[Vincent Price]

Oh, stories. We. Stories and murders do. Turn out your legs. Turn them out.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Good evening. Come in, won't you? What's the matter? Surely you're not nervous.

[Vincent Price]

Perhaps you.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Can't I tell you a story?

[Vincent Price]

We are meant to call from out of the past. Stories strange, weird tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the macabre. Stories of the supernatural, the supernormal dramatized fantasy, the mystery, the unknown. We tell you this, Franklin, so if you wish to avoid the excitement catching.

[Malcolm Rivers]

A beat magnet play, we urge you.

[Vincent Price]

Our.

[Narrator]

Welcome back to the horror. Thanks for joining me. This Saturday we're going to hear Vincent Price in the Price of Fear this week series that was first heard from September to November in 1973. Ten episodes in that first series. It returned in April and May of 1974 with an additional six stories and six more in 1983 from May to July. Our story this week comes from September 15, 1973. It's titled Cat's Cradle.

[Malcolm Rivers]

The Price of Fear, brought to you by Vincent Price. Hello there. Do you own a cat? Or rather, I should say, does a cat own you? Doesn't it strike you as strange that despite centuries of domestication, cats have never really lost their independence, their ruthlessness? To cats, life is still the lore of the jungle. Just try taking liberties with your cat, be he never so tame, and you'll soon be put in your place. I've always had a healthy respect for cats, despite that one time when I was forced to. Oh, but let me tell you about it. I think I'll call the story Cat's Cradle. Several years ago I was making a movie in Germany and there was some sort of holdup during shooting. A tiresome and boring state of affairs that happens all too often. And I found myself with some days on my hands. So I decided to visit some of the beautiful old castles of Bavaria. High on my itinerary was Sonderberg in Franconia, near the Wurttemberg border. Sonderberg tends to get overlooked by the main tourist trade. Yet it is one of the most complete examples I know of a medieval market town which has survived comparatively intact. I checked in at one of the local hotels late one afternoon, and while they were getting my room ready, I sat down at one of the little tables near the door and ordered a drink. A large tankard of their local beer. Actually, at the next table sat a young couple whispering intently. But their voices were angry and out of control. And as I sat enjoying my beer, it was impossible not to overhear that they were deep in some Childish tip.

[Jack]

Beth, for God's sake, stop talking nonsense.

[Beth]

How dare you say it's nonsense.

[Jack]

It is nonsense, and you know it. I never even looked at the damn woman.

[Beth]

I don't know how you can be so callous. Did you see how disgustingly fat she was?

[Jack]

I tell you, I didn't notice her at all.

[Beth]

Liar.

[Jack]

Oh, shut up.

[Beth]

Oh, God, what a start to married life.

[Jack]

Oh, look, Beth, you're tired, I'm tired. It's all been a strain. Let's not say things we'll be sorry for. Let's have an early night.

[Beth]

The next best thing to your German housewife.

[Jack]

For the last time, I didn't fancy her. If you're going to carry on like this every time I look at another woman, you'd better tear my ruddy eyes off.

[Beth]

Ah, so now you admit you looked at her.

[Jack]

Oh, for heaven's sake.

[Malcolm Rivers]

The young man glanced uneasily in my direction, obviously wondering if I'd become an involuntary eavesdropper. Of course I had. And I certainly had no intention of making myself scarce. Isn't this a charming town?

[Jack]

Yes, charming.

[Beth]

Delightful.

[Malcolm Rivers]

You on vacation?

[Jack]

Yes. That is, we.

[Beth]

We're on our honeymoon.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, are you? Are you indeed? Well, what an ideal place to spend it.

[Beth]

We haven't exactly succumbed to its charms yet.

[Jack]

We've only just arrived.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Well, give it time. Sonderberg is a step back into the past. It takes a while before its. Its charm begins to work.

[Beth]

It's certainly quiet enough.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Mmm. I was here once, years ago, and I always promised myself a return visit. Then it seemed like an oasis in a desert of insanity.

[Jack]

Yes, I suppose so.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Except, of course, that Sonderberg has had its own fair share of horrors, you know.

[Vincent Price]

Whoa.

[Malcolm Rivers]

That's good. What delightful beer. This is so refreshing.

[Beth]

Do go on, please.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Well, the castle. Do you see it up on that rock? Look through the window there. See? Well, that was taken over as a headquarters for the Inquisition. Oh. The poor wretches who were incarcerated and tortured up there.

[Beth]

I saw the castle as we drove in. It was beautiful, but it made me shudder.

[Malcolm Rivers]

It's not surprising. The Inquisition left several pleasant little mementos. All in as good a state of preservation as Sonderberg itself. You must visit the place while you're here. Well, that is, if you're not squeamish.

[Beth]

Squeamish?

[Jack]

Look, I've got an idea. Why don't we join up and go round the castle together tomorrow?

[Malcolm Rivers]

Well, please do.

[Jack]

Unless, that is, you're already busy.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Well, no, but we'd love it Wouldn't we, Beth?

[Beth]

Yes. Yes, of course we would.

[Malcolm Rivers]

At first, I couldn't understand the young man's enthusiasm. I mean, after all, a honeymoon is a honeymoon. Then it struck me that he needed a defense mechanism and I would be there to guard him from the kind of row that I'd stumbled upon just now. Well, at any rate, we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at 10 o'clock in the morning. As events turned out, I needn't have worried about breaking the idyllic atmosphere, because as we were about to set off.

[Vincent Price]

Good God. It can't be Bryce. It's you. It really is.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Hello, Malcolm.

[Vincent Price]

Now what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Don't tell me they forced you out of the rat race.

[Malcolm Rivers]

At last, Malcolm Rivers was one of the world's prize bores. If the first prize in a competition were a part in one of Malcolm's movies, the second prize would have been a part in two of Malcolm's movies.

[Vincent Price]

Scouting locations, old son. You see that castle up there? That's just right for a new horror picture we've got. I'd love you to read it. It's a great script.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Malcolm, I'm on vacation. Can't we discuss this later? Or better still, see my agent, huh?

[Vincent Price]

Yeah, yeah, but look, just let me tell you.

[Malcolm Rivers]

At this point, our taxi arrived. It was as battered as its driver, but we had all agreed to leave our own transport behind. Trouble was, when Malcolm heard the driver announce that he had come for the castle party, he insisted on coming with us.

[Vincent Price]

Castle? You don't mean to say you're actually going there?

[Jack]

Yes.

[Vincent Price]

That's great. I can actually show you where it all takes place. While I'm telling you about it.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Malcolm, I. Oh, come on.

[Vincent Price]

Don't be so coy. You're worse than a virgin on a wedding night.

[Malcolm Rivers]

I just couldn't shake him off. You never could with Malcolm. That's how he'd hustled his way to the top. Now he attached himself to us like an incubus.

[Vincent Price]

The film's all about the Sonderbergs, you know, the family. A sort of pageant of atrocity. I want to step back and look objectively at what each one did. Take Elisa, for instance.

[Malcolm Rivers]

While I can't speak for the others, I was doing my best not to listen. The castle, for those who don't know it, is built on an immensely steep rock dominating the town, and on its northern side is surrounded by a moat which has long since been filled in. At the foot of the wall is A very pleasant garden with little sheltered seats. Sitting there is a good way of recovering from the rather overpowering tour round the castle. The girl was right. There still was a sinister aura clinging to the place, which even a hot and cheerful summer's morning couldn't entirely dissipate.

[Vincent Price]

They broke in and found the girl strung up by the wrists over the hot coals. Incredible story. Of course, we can't actually put all that into the picture, but we can imply a hell of a lot. You've got to admit, it's a damn good commercial plotline. Now, that's why it's so important to get the feel of the place where it happened. We want to get right away from the studio. Look. Well, they can go out and shoot a police picture in real locations, or why not a horror picture? Now, the Seventh Count was a real character. This. This you've got to hear. They say.

[Jack]

Mr. Rivers, do you mind if we change the subject? My wife is feeling a bit faint.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, that's too bad, Mrs. And we haven't even seen the Torture tower yet. Now, sir, would your lady wife like to wait for us out here? She could sit down there in the garden.

[Beth]

Oh, no, I. I don't want to miss anything. I'm quite all right. I think it was probably just that steep hill and the heat.

[Malcolm Rivers]

You go on, Malcolm. We'll catch up with you later.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it. Stick together through thick and thin, that's my motto. Oh, I know. Look at that.

[Beth]

Isn't it sweet? It can't be more than six weeks old.

[Malcolm Rivers]

It was a tiny black kitten which was playing with its mother near one of the seats in the garden just below us. The cat, a great sleek creature whose coat shone in the sun, lay stretched on the grass, and the kitten romped around nearer. The mother would wave her tail for the kitten to try to clutch with its paw or raise her feet to push the little one away as an encouragement to further efforts. It was a charming sight.

[Jack]

Beth has been on to me to buy her a cat as soon as we were married. Now I'll get no piece.

[Beth]

Oh, Jack, I'd like to take them both. I wonder who they belong to.

[Jack]

They're not strays, and that's for sure. Look at the condition of the mother's coat. They probably belong to the castle.

[Vincent Price]

It'd be great for the picture, add a touch of atmosphere. Here, here, here, Puss.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Come on, Puss. Malcolm, leave them alone. They can't get up the wall anyway. It's far too Stupid. Yes.

[Vincent Price]

Yes, you're right. Oh, look at the size of the mother. We don't grow cats like that in England. Wait just a minute. Ah, here we are.

[Beth]

What are you doing?

[Vincent Price]

Well, I'll just throw this stone to attract their attention.

[Malcolm Rivers]

No, don't do that. Don't do that. You might hit the kitten.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, not a chance. What do you take me for? I may produce movies, but I'm not all that bad. I'll just aim it so it lands near them, make them look up. You ever seen the expression on a cat's face when it's startled? Well. Well, watch.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, no. God, man, look what you've done.

[Vincent Price]

I never meant. Never meant to do that.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Maybe the wall wasn't as sheer as it looked. Maybe there was a concealed angle at its base which we couldn't see. Whatever the reason, Malcolm's aim wasn't as true as he thought. I truly believe that he only intended to startle those cats. But when he leaned over the wall and threw the stone, it landed with a sickening thud right on the kitten's head and shattered out its little brains there and then. Oh, poor little things. The mother cast a swift upward glance, and I saw her eyes flash like green fire as she stared for an instant at Malcolm Rivers. Then her attention was given to the kitten. After one quiver, it lay still while a thin red trickle oozed from a gaping wound.

[Beth]

Oh, the poor, poor thing.

[Vincent Price]

I wouldn't have had this happen for the world. I can't understand it.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Beth, darling. The cat was assiduously licking the kitten's wound. And then suddenly she stopped. She must have realized that it was dead and that her ministrations were useless. For all at once she appeared to lose all interest in the pathetic little body. Instead, she looked again at Rivers, and in that look was all the concentration of primitive hate. Her green eyes blazed, and the blood which dabbled her mouth and whiskers, made her look for all the world like an avenging fury. There, Malcolm. I hope you're satisfied. That's something for your horror film. And you have the consolation of knowing it's real blood and not vegetable dye.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, don't rub it in. I feel bad enough as it is.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Of course you do.

[Vincent Price]

I love cats. I really do.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Although my outburst was a relief, I. I felt slightly ashamed. I. I realized how painfully vulnerable the man really was. I turned my attention to the cat. She was now attempting to claw her way up the wall. When this failed, she tried to launch herself into the air, eyes blazing, claws distended. And then she fell back.

[Beth]

Let's go on. I can't bear anymore.

[Jack]

Do you want to go home? We can come back tomorrow.

[Malcolm Rivers]

I think a brandy would do you good. I think a brandy would do you. Do us all good.

[Beth]

No, I don't want to go back to the hotel. I want to see the castle. Let's go on.

[Malcolm Rivers]

In face of her obvious determination, there was nothing else we could do. At least the tour would divert her mind, or so we hoped. And we also hoped that Malcolm would be deterred from prattling on about his inane script. But no.

[Vincent Price]

I really expect to pick up some great vibrations in the torture tower. It's just over there. You see? You see, you can't expect to involve your audience unless you involve yourself. Now, that's. That's the basic rule. You've got to be convinced. That's why so many movies are just laughable. Nobody is convinced, least of all the makers. I remember one crazy scene. This will kill you.

[Malcolm Rivers]

As Malcolm laughed, I looked back at the cat she too, had heard, and her whole demeanor seemed to change. She no longer tried to jump or run up the wall, but instead began to lick and fondle the dead kitten as if it were alive. Then she took it in her mouth and began to follow us until we reached the limit of the wall's boundary. I thought I was the only one who noticed, but I was wrong.

[Beth]

Mr. Rivers, I know this may sound silly, but I think that cat means to do you harm.

[Vincent Price]

Now, that I like. All right, let's keep a sense of proportion about this. I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but I refuse to avoid dark alleys over a damned cat. Besides, she probably has a litter of others under some bush.

[Jack]

Yes, Beth, I think you're being melomatic.

[Beth]

Do you?

[Jack]

Look, Betha, are you sure you wouldn't rather call it a day?

[Beth]

Oh, for heaven's sake, stop fussing. I said I was all right, didn't I? Or are you trying to get rid of me?

[Jack]

Now, don't start that again.

[Beth]

All I was trying to do was to give Mr. Rivers a perfectly reasonable warning.

[Malcolm Rivers]

I think all our tempers are a little frayed. Well, here's the tower entrance. Shall we go in? I tried to sound unconcerned, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I had a sneaking feeling that the girl was probably right. At first we could see nothing. The darkness seemed incarnate, surrounding, stifling us like a blanket. The four of us just stood there, waiting for the Use of our eyes to return. We were in the lower chamber. The thin sunlight filtering in through a tiny window seemed to lose itself in the thickness of the walls, which were coated with the dust of centuries. Here and there were patches of dark stain. Only rivers naturally remained comparatively unmoved.

[Vincent Price]

Not much room for cameras down here. Still, I suppose we could manage.

[Custodian]

Excuse me, but you are English, Yes?

[Vincent Price]

Well, three of us are.

[Custodian]

I think your English are interested in tortures.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Yes.

[Custodian]

You would like to see our collection?

[Vincent Price]

Yes, the best in Germany.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Thank you very much. Perhaps you could show us around.

[Custodian]

You will follow me, please. You are my first party of the day. The main collection is on the floor above. I think you will find them interesting.

[Malcolm Rivers]

I remembered the wealth of stories about the legendary cruelty of the Counts of Sonderberg and of course their ladies. It was said that they had found a legitimate outlet for their bloodlust by channeling them into the service of the officers of the Inquisition.

[Vincent Price]

None of your half measures here. Wow. Look at all that.

[Beth]

Oh, child.

[Malcolm Rivers]

We found ourselves in a room full of torture instruments. Chairs full of spikes which gave instant and excruciating pain. Steel cages in which the head could slowly be crushed into a pulp. Racks, belts, boots, gloves, collars. And all around the walls, great headsmen, swords, evil, keen edged weapons that would decapitate with one slash. And nearby blocks where the victims necks had lain with deep notches where the steel had bitten through the guard of flesh and shored into the wood. We all found ourselves speechless in the face of this bestial evidence of man's inhumanity to man. All that is, except Malcolm Rivers, believable.

[Vincent Price]

Guess what we need? It's too good to be true. It really is. Do you see? It's perfect for a setup just here. It's a question of getting permission to use this stuff. But I wonder what the formalities are. Hey, let me just sit in that chair a moment. Wow.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Rivers was behaving with his usual insensitivity. But there was something more. I think the others shared the feeling with me that it was sacrilegious. An odd word to use, I know, but there was something sacred about the place. It was a temple, but a temple to evil.

[Custodian]

Now over heels, sirs and madam, is a famous instrument of the Inquisition. One might almost say the most famous. And still in perfect working order.

[Malcolm Rivers]

The old man pointed to the main object in this chamber of horrors. The Iron Virgin. A copy of the famous one at Nuremberg. The contraption was covered in rust and dust except for the face, which was oddly fresh looking. As if the custodian had scrubbed it. While the figure was curved in the shape of a woman, it was just broad enough for a man to fit inside. As we could see when the door was opened, the door itself was enormously thick and was worked open and shut by a thick chain running through a pulley attached to a heavy beam in the roof. When the weight was released, the door would slam shut. The devilish nature of the iron virgin was truly revealed when you examined the inside of the door. A number of iron spikes were fixed there. And when the victim was placed inside it and the door closed, the upper spikes would pierce his eyes and the lower ones, his heart and vitals.

[Jack]

What a charming toy.

[Beth]

Oh, God, look at the blood stains.

[Custodian]

It's hard to wash out blood completely, man. And there are some who say it comes back.

[Beth]

Anyway, I think I can believe this place is haunted.

[Jack]

And on that happy note, I vote that we make a hurried exit.

[Beth]

That suits me.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Let's go and have that drink we promised ourselves, shall we? Right now.

[Vincent Price]

No, no, no, wait.

[Jack]

What's up this time? But God's sake.

[Vincent Price]

Hey, you, old man. Now, how big is that space?

[Custodian]

What?

[Vincent Price]

The space inside. I want to see if I can get in. Oh, well, I told you I like sampling your experiences.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Now, Malcolm, realism is one thing.

[Vincent Price]

Nonsense. Courage of your convictions and all that. Now, come on, squire, I need your help on this.

[Custodian]

Very good, sir. If you insist.

[Jack]

You're not serious.

[Vincent Price]

Well, sure, I. That's a tight fit. You have grown some since those days, but I'll manage.

[Custodian]

Yeah, see, you are not really allowed to lose it. If anyone found out, I might get into trouble.

[Vincent Price]

Why should anyone find out?

[Custodian]

I might even lose my job.

[Vincent Price]

Okay, okay, I get you. Price. Give him something, will you?

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, well, I'll settle with you later.

[Beth]

I think this is all very silly.

[Jack]

All in the cause of art.

[Beth]

Well, I, for one, won't go and see his beastly film.

[Malcolm Rivers]

That, my dear, makes two of us.

[Vincent Price]

Hey, what's all the whispering about?

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, here you are. 2, 4, 6.

[Custodian]

Thank you, sir. Oh, thank you, sir.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Do you think that will square your conscience?

[Custodian]

Oh, yes, sir. I think it squares it very nicely.

[Jack]

Now that you've had your little game, can we all go?

[Vincent Price]

Go if you like. I'm not stopping you.

[Malcolm Rivers]

I'm.

[Vincent Price]

I'm staying here.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh, come on. Malcolm.

[Vincent Price]

Malcolm, Nothing. I'm really enjoying this. Live dangerously, that's my motto. Charlie. Now, unfasten the door.

[Beth]

But, sir, can't somebody stop Malcolm.

[Malcolm Rivers]

You've had your little joke, but enough is enough.

[Vincent Price]

Enough. Help you, Charlie. Do as I tell you. Now start letting that door down. But slowly. Very, very slowly.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Despite his reluctance, the old man did as he was told. He worked the machine with a deliberate and excruciating slowness in which the outer edge of the door hadn't moved half five inches in as many minutes. The whole ridiculous charade had a kind of macabre thrill. About was a scene from Malcolm's horror film played exclusively for our benefit. And then I saw her. The cat. I don't think the others noticed at first. They were too intent on watching the progress of that door. Even rivers had ceased to chatter. In the far corner of the chamber, dark, untamable forces were gathering. Her green, baleful eyes shone like danger lamps, and as I peered at her, I could see that their color was heightened by the blood, which still smeared her coat and reddened her mouth. And still slowly, inexorably, with the precision of an expert, the old man went on working that door. Even then, I wasn't sure what the animal intended to do or even if she intended to do anything, until sudden. The cat. Look out for the cat. The cat launched herself not at Malcolm, but at the luckless custodian. Her eyes blazed with ferocity. Her hair bristled till she seemed twice her normal size. Her tail lashed out like a tiger's when the quarry is before it. The cat's claws found one of his eyes, and I actually saw her tear through it and down his cheek, leaving wide bands of red where the blood seemed to spurt from every vein. Oh, Jack.

[Jack]

Oh, God, look out. He can't hold it.

[Malcolm Rivers]

With a yell of agony and terror, the man leapt back, dropping the chain which held back the door. It ran like a lightning through the pulley block and the massive doors slammed shut. In the instant before the door had closed, I saw Malcolm's face. His eyes stared as if dazed, and for once in his life, he was speechless. Jack. Help me get the door open. For God's sake, help me.

[Jack]

I'm coming, Beth. Stay where you are. For God's sake, don't look.

[Malcolm Rivers]

The end must have been quick, for when we managed to wrench the door open, the spikes had done their work. They had pierced right through the skull, so that as the door opened, the body came with it and he fell to the floo, face turned upwards. Get your wife out of here. She needs air. I'll attend to the old man.

[Jack]

Right.

[Malcolm Rivers]

Oh. The old custodian was leaning against the wooden pillar, holding his reddening handkerchief to his eyes. While on the face of poor rivers, there sat the cat, purring loudly as she licked the blood which trickled through the gashed sockets of his eyes. I pushed her away from her ghoulish meal and, well, I hope no one will call me cruel, because I seized one of the old executioner's swords from its rack on the wall and with one slash shore her in two on the spot. Poor Malcolm. He'd had his total experience, a good deal more total than he'd bargained for. Cozy, wasn't it? You see what I mean about cats? You never can tell. That was Vincent Price bringing you the price of Fear. Also starring in this story, Cat's Cradle were Kenneth J. Warren and Frederick Schrecker with John Sampson and Bonnie Harron. Cat's Cradle was first recounted as the score by Bram Stoker, dramatized by Richard Davis and produced by John Dyers.

[Narrator]

That's the horror for this week. There's more from the Price of fear@ RelicRadio.com More from the horror and all of the other Relic Radio shows as well. There's a Shout Cast stream with even more Old Time Radio lots to listen to there, all made possible by your support. If you'd like to help out, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the links on the website. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week. Be back tomorrow with Strange Tales and next Saturday with our next episode of the Horror.