The Horla by The Weird Circle

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: The Horla by The Weird Circle
Date: April 11, 2026
Host: RelicRadio.com

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Overview

This episode of The Horror! revisits "The Horla," a chilling tale from the classic Old Time Radio series The Weird Circle (originally aired September 2, 1943). The story follows Gabrielle Bouvet, an elderly man tormented by a sinister, supernatural presence he calls the Horla. As his fear and paranoia grow, his young cousin Renee and the pragmatic Dr. Perron journey to his isolated home, only to be drawn into a battle between reason and the supernatural. The episode explores madness, possession, and the terror of an inexplicable, invisible force that threatens not only Bouvet, but all humanity.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. The Arrival of the Horla

[01:49-03:42]

• The tale begins in Bouvet's gloomy, memory-laden house by the river.
• Bouvet sends a disturbing letter to his cousin Renee, pleading for a visit after sighting a shadowy Brazilian schooner near his home.
• The letter describes a shadow ("he has come") that now dominates Bouvet, a being that could enslave humanity.

"A shadow has crept into my home. A shadow which dominates me. ... He will dominate all of mankind, just as mankind has dominated the animal kingdom. We will become his chattel, his food and his slave, as the animals become ours."
— Gabrielle Bouvet, reading her cousin's letter ([03:24])

2. Skepticism vs. Belief

[03:42-07:01]

• Renee and Dr. Perron discuss the letter; Perron is open-minded, comparing the unseen to phenomena like hypnotism.
• Bouvet suspects the shadow is a creature from the Brazilian ship, referencing similar cases of "contagious madness" in Brazil.
• Renee is dismissive, calling possession "poppycock," but Dr. Perron argues, "Surely, Rene, I don't doubt the wind just because I can't see it." ([04:20])

3. Experiments and Manifestations

[07:01-08:14]

• Dr. Perron proposes a hypnotism experiment to test Bouvet’s claims.
• As candles are extinguished, the atmosphere thickens and Bouvet becomes agitated, feeling the presence of the Horla.
• Bouvet's paranoia grows; he insists, "Humanity is lost unless we destroy it. ... Listen, it's come for me. Come for possession of me." ([08:16])

4. Possession and Madness

[09:11-11:04]

• Bouvet is left to rest, but tormented by the Horla’s ghostly voice.
• The Horla taunts: "You're possessed. Possessed and own." ([09:51])
• Bouvet pleads for freedom: "Get away from me. I won't give in without a struggle." ([10:03])
• The Horla’s response is relentless: "I'll never leave you alone. Never, never, never." ([10:14])

5. Descent into Violence

[12:02-13:32]

• Bouvet, in a frenzied state, attacks Dr. Perron and flees back to his house, determined to confront and destroy the Horla.
• His sanity unravels; voices plague him and his obsession to fight the invisible enemy grows.

"He exists. And I'm going to him."
— Bouvet ([12:55])

6. Locking Out the Supernatural

[14:01-17:17]

• Bouvet enlists locksmith Letallier to secure his home, convinced locks will bar the entity.
• Renee is suspicious and fearful, especially upon finding blood on Bouvet's knife.

"There's blood on that knife. Gabrielle, what did you do?"
— Renee ([17:18])

• Bouvet ties Renee up "until I've killed him."

7. Final Battle: Fire Against the Horla

[19:11-24:45]

• The Horla mocks Bouvet’s attempts: "Your locks can't lock me out. ... I'm part of you."

• Bouvet decides only fire can destroy the Horla: "I'll set the entire house on fire and leave you here. ... You can't escape. You're part of this house." ([19:32])

• He pours oil over the house, intent on burning himself and the Horla together.

"Now for a match. Yes, one match. One match and the house will go up in flames. Flames. And you will be dead."
— Bouvet ([21:26])

• The flames spread, but as Bouvet tries to escape, the Horla warns: "If you die in the flames, only then will I die."
• Bouvet accepts his fate: "Yes, I must die in the flames. And then the horror will be dead." ([24:20])

8. Macabre Resolution

[24:45-25:27]

• Bouvet perishes in the conflagration. The narrator notes ominously: "All that remained of the man and the Horla were scorched bones and two odd misshapen skulls. Two odd misshapen skulls. Remember that, for there were two skulls, not one."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Madness and Possession:
  "What makes you think mankind is the final answer to life? Perhaps there is a higher form of life. ... Isn't that possible, doctor?"
  — Gabrielle Bouvet ([08:04])

• The Voice of the Horla:
  "You cannot be free of me. I’m part of you. ... If I stay here, they’ll call you mad. They’ll call you mad. But if I leave the house, you will die."
  — The Horla ([10:19])

• The Futility of Barriers:
  "Your locks can’t lock me out. ... I am with you constantly."
  — The Horla ([19:11])

• Infernal Resolution:
  "I must die in the flames. And then the horror will be dead."
  — Bouvet ([24:20])

• Ambiguous Ending:
  "All that remained of the man and the Horla were scorched bones and two odd misshapen skulls. ... for there were two skulls, not one."
  — Narrator ([24:45])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:49] Introduction to Bouvet’s house and letter of distress
• [03:24] Bouvet’s letter: the shadow that will dominate humanity
• [04:20] Dr. Perron's open-mindedness
• [07:01] Hypnotism experiment and the tension escalates
• [09:51] The Horla reveals possession
• [12:30] Bouvet’s attack on the doctor
• [14:30] Locksmith sequence; efforts to lock out the supernatural
• [19:11] Horla declares the futility of locks
• [21:26] Bouvet chooses fire as the final resort
• [24:45] Bouvet and the Horla perish; two skulls remain

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Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is steeped in classic gothic horror, with a pervasive sense of dread, isolation, and the terror of an unseen adversary. The exchanges swing between skepticism and mania, with moments of creeping madness, fear, and the futility of resisting supernatural evil.

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Conclusion

"The Horla" remains a suspenseful, atmospheric tale of psychological and supernatural horror. Through taut dialogue, evocative narration, and the haunting persistence of the Horla, it captures the existential terror of losing autonomy to an invisible force. The ambiguous ending leaves listeners with chilling questions—was the Horla ever real, or simply the manifestation of a tormented mind? Either way, as the narrator reminds us, sometimes two skulls are all that’s left when horror claims its due.

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Transcript

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Oh, stories. Real stories. And murder too.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Turn out your legs.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

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

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Perhaps you.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Can't I tell you a story?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

We are meant to call from out of the past.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Stories.

[Narrator]

Strange, weird tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the macabre. Story of the supernatural, the supernormal dramatized life. Fantasy, the mystery, the unknown. We tell you this, Franklin. So if you wish to avoid the excitement tension of these magnet refurgies, our radio theory to turn off your radio.

[Podcast Host]

Welcome back to the Horror. I'm back this week with a story from the Weird Circle. Syndicated Series produced from 1943 through 1945. 78 episodes. It aired over Mutual, NBC and ABC stations at one time or another. Story we'll hear today is from September 2, 1943. It's titled the Horla.

[Dr. Perron]

Out of the past. Phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

The Hauler.

[Narrator]

It was a dark house. Dreary too. Shadows crept down the walls like loathsome vermin. The house was old and filled with memories of better days. Like the man who lived there. He was old and gnarled and alone. He'd passed the lonely hours by sitting on the porch of his home, watching the boats sail up and down the river. He was happy living alone in that old house. Until one day a tall three rigged Brazilian schooner floated past his shores, casting a shadow on the banks of the river. A shadow over the old house, a shadow over the old man. A living shadow which crept into his mind. He wrote a letter to his young cousin, Madame Renee Sable, who was living in Paris, begging her to visit him. She read the letter over several times, then took it to a friend of hers, a doctor, Dr. Parron, to ask his advice. She was young and in Paris and she didn't believe in the old man.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Doctor Perron, because this letter worries me so. You've known my cousin, Gabrielle Bouvet for a long time and he's not the sort of man given to hallucinations.

[Dr. Perron]

He seems to be a very sound old man, but living alone the way he does.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Nonsense. Living alone has nothing to do with it.

[Dr. Perron]

I suppose you read me the letter, madam.

[Madame Renee Sable]

So, of course, it all seems like so much poppycock. Listen. Be honored by a visit from you at your earliest convenience. Isn't that like him?

[Dr. Perron]

Yes, very much.

[Madame Renee Sable]

You'll find me a changed man, my dear. Changed because he has come. You don't know what I'm talking about. And so I must explain. A shadow has crept into my home. A shadow which dominates me. You see what I mean, Doctor?

[Dr. Perron]

Well, read on, Rene.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Right. He is a creature from a land of shadows. But I tell you, he does live. He lives here with me, and I'm afraid of him. Oh, Renee, he will dominate all of mankind, just as mankind has dominated the animal kingdom. We will become his chattel, his food and his slave, as the animals become ours. You see, Doctor?

[Dr. Perron]

Yes, indeed I do. I wonder, Rene, how soon can you pack and be ready to leave?

[Madame Renee Sable]

In about two hours.

[Dr. Perron]

Well, fine. I'll have the horse and buggy hitched and call for you then. I think we'd better go down to him as soon as possible.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Doctor, surely you don't believe in this sick, invisible creature.

[Dr. Perron]

Surely, Rene, I don't doubt the wind just because I can't see it. We'll be able to judge better after

[Narrator]

we have a talk with him.

[Dr. Perron]

You better hurry home. I'm going right down to the stables now.

[Madame Renee Sable]

What a long trip, Doctor. I hope we don't frighten my cousin by coming at this hour.

[Dr. Perron]

That's his house right over there, isn't it?

[Madame Renee Sable]

Yes, right at the end of the road.

[Narrator]

Huh.

[Dr. Perron]

Gloomy looking old place.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Very gloomy. It's so dark and so very old.

[Dr. Perron]

Tell me, how long has Bouvet's wife been dead?

[Madame Renee Sable]

About six years now.

[Dr. Perron]

Did you notice any perceptible change in him after she died?

[Madame Renee Sable]

Nothing exceptional, except he became quieter and drew into himself more, if that's possible. Well, here we are.

[Dr. Perron]

Oh, that one. Oh.

[Narrator]

And so the doctor and the old man's cousin, Renee's son, entered the old house expecting to find a man weakened by illness, haggard with lack of sleep. But instead, Gabrielle Bouvet was in high spirits as he conducted his guests into the house. He made a special pot of tea, and then, as he passed, the cream. Sugar. Thank you, dear.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Renee, stop being so nervous.

[Narrator]

Fidget, fidget.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Always were. A fidgety youngster makes me nervous.

[Dr. Perron]

You are talking about the Brazilian boat, M. Bouvet. What has the boat to do with this unknown shadow?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

You don't know, then?

[Dr. Perron]

Frankly, no.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Here, look at this book. Study of the Scientific World. Open it. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, or I'd read it to you myself. Page 72.

[Madame Renee Sable]

What is this to do with the shadow which you see?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Allow your friend, the doctor, to read the second paragraph.

[Dr. Perron]

Listen to this, Renee. Sao Paulo, Brazil A contagious madness has spread throughout Sao Paulo. The victims claim they Are being possessed by creatures of darkness who feed only on milk and water. Medical servants have been rushed to their aid.

[Madame Renee Sable]

But that's in Brazil, cousin.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I know, I know. With a Brazilian boat sailed by my door. Possible for this, whatever it is that I have escaped from the boat?

[Dr. Perron]

Well, anything's possible. But this does seem a little improbable.

[Madame Renee Sable]

But possession, that's. Talking of demons. This is a modern world. No one man can possess the power of ordering another's will.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

How little you know, cousin.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Perhaps I am a fool of a girl. But anybody?

[Dr. Perron]

No, not anybody, Rame. Not me. For instance, I believe in hypnotics. That's possession of a kind.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Dr. Mesmer's nonsense. I don't believe in mesmerism.

[Dr. Perron]

Well, I can prove it to you simply enough.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

How?

[Dr. Perron]

If you're willing, we'll try a little experiment.

[Madame Renee Sable]

You hypnotize?

[Dr. Perron]

If you'll be a subject.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Why, of course I will. That sounds like fun.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Can I help it anyway, doctor?

[Dr. Perron]

Yes, just blow out the candle all but once.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Certainly. I leave the corner candle on. All right.

[Dr. Perron]

Now, Rene, if you'll close your eyes.

[Madame Renee Sable]

My eyes are closed.

[Narrator]

And try to sleep. Sleep.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Candles are out. All but one. Now, sleep, my dear. Try to sleep. Okay.

[Narrator]

Listen. Listen.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

There.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

What?

[Narrator]

What, monsieur?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

It's in the room. I know it is. It's here next to me, watching me. Can't you hear it? Crying. Crying.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

This is madness.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

You don't believe me, do you? Stop the experiment at once.

[Dr. Perron]

Listen.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Listen, cousin, please.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

What makes you think mankind is the final answer to life? Perhaps there is a higher form of life. Form of life. Which can possess us and will destroy us. Isn't that possible, doctor?

[Dr. Perron]

Well, yes. Anything is possible.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Then take my word for it. Humanity is lost unless we destroy it. Look, I always carry a knife with me, waiting for the time I can destroy him. Listen, it's come for me. Come for possession of me.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

It's come. It's the horror. The horror. Then it's come.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Doctor, won't he ever wake up? He's been unconscious for over an hour.

[Dr. Perron]

Well, it's best to let him sleep right now. My dear, this is an exhausting emotional strain for a man of his years.

[Madame Renee Sable]

But what can we do?

[Dr. Perron]

As soon as his heartbeat is normal, I'll take him back to the Paris hospital. You'll have to stay here for a few days and close the house. Just pack his belongings and bring them on to Paris as soon as you can.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Anything you say, Dr. Powell.

[Dr. Perron]

Well, come, Rene, we must let him sleep. I'll prepare the coach for the return journey.

[Narrator]

And so they left him lying on the old bed in his room. And the shadows on the walls cast purple shadows on his gnarled hands. And the hands clutched the air and thrashed the sheets as if the old man were fighting, fighting a being fighting a presence, fighting for possession of his own will. The old man's face was a mask of horror. And then the wind, that strange, unholy wind, started to sneak in the room. It oozed through the door, the keyhole and the window. It slid to the bedside.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

No. No.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

You're possessed. Possessed and own.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I know. You watch me night and day.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Night and day, night and day.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Well, get away from me. I've got to get away from you. I won't give in without a struggle.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

You'll have to give in, because nobody believes you, believes you, believes you.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Leave me alone. Leave me alone.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Watching you, watching you, watching you.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Leave me alone.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

I'll never leave you alone. Never, never, never.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

But I shall be free of you.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

You can't be free of me. I'm part of you. If I stay here, they'll call you mad. They'll call you mad. But if I leave the house, you will die.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

I'll leave you here. You can't follow me. I'll go far away, so far nobody will find me.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Oh, I've got one hand on your heart, Bouvet, and one in the room. If you leave, your heart will be torn from you, torn from your body,

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

torn from your soul. Look here, poet.

[Dr. Perron]

Is anything the matter?

[Madame Renee Sable]

I heard him scream too. Doctor, look at him.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

His face is dead white.

[Dr. Perron]

Yes, Renner, you're quite right. I'll have to risk moving him now. I don't think we ought to leave him in this house any longer.

[Madame Renee Sable]

But how can you travel alone with him?

[Dr. Perron]

Well, I'll manage somehow. I'll carry him to the buggy. He can sleep as we drive along. I can manage somehow. That is, if you don't mind staying here alone.

[Madame Renee Sable]

I don't mind, Doctor. I have no patience with superstitious nonsense.

[Dr. Perron]

Here, my dear, help me wrap him in this blanket.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Of course, Doctor.

[Narrator]

There, that's fine.

[Dr. Perron]

Now, hand me that other blanket over there.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Here you are.

[Dr. Perron]

That'll keep him warm on the journey. I'll send the coach back from Paris tomorrow evening to pick you up. You ought to be able to leave here by then.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Don't Worry about me, Dr. Perron. I'll be all right.

[Narrator]

That's what she thought then. But even as the doctor carried the old man out of the house, to the carriage. A premonition of fear, a foreboding reached out from the gathering shadows in the walls and left her trembling and weak. The doctor placed the old man in the carriage. And then that journey and the return to Paris started. They had traveled for about an hour. Bouvet awakened, sobbing out, you've taken me away.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Away from my house, you fool.

[Dr. Perron]

Bouvaise, you must not excite yourself.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Put his hands in my heart.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

He's pulling on it. Pulling on it. Doctor, take me back before I die.

[Dr. Perron]

Nonsense, Bouvet. You must get away from that place.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Take me back. Take me back. Doctor. You don't understand.

[Dr. Perron]

Uvae, sit down.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

You think I'm mad, don't you? But the hall exists. They exist. And I'll die if I don't return.

[Dr. Perron]

Will you try to rest, monsieur? We're doing everything we can.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Turn this carriage around, Doctor, and return to the house.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Uve, put those reins. Let go of the reins, you fool, before you take us off the road. Turn the carriage around.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Right.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Just plunge this knife into you. Bouvet. Put that knife down. Put that down.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Edward.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Teach you to interfere with a holodactor, Edward Beat you.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Oh.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Now get out of this carriage, Doctor, before I plunge the dagger into your heart. Bouvet. Bouvet. You can't leave me here like this. I must leave you here.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I must return to the house at

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

once to destroy him. But he doesn't exist except in your own mind, Bouvet. He exists. And I'm going to him. Bouvet.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Doctor.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Gotcha.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm coming, Master.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

I'm coming, Master.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm coming to destroy you. Just as I destroyed him.

[Dr. Perron]

It.

[Narrator]

And so Bouvet drove off in the rambling carriage, leaving the badly wounded doctor lying on the roadside more dead than alive, drove furiously through the night to a little shack about a half mile from his home. There was a sign on the shack, a sign reading, little expert Block makers and iron Workers. Bouvet pulled the carriage up in front of the door. Walk to the entrance of the shack,

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Monsieur, let alone

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

who. Who's calling at this. Oh, Monsieur Beauvais. What are you doing at this hour of the night?

[Narrator]

Doing?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Oh, yes, yes, doing. Of course. I need your help, that's what. My help? What can a poor man like me do for a wealthy man like you? If you make a lock for me, I've got to lock the doors of my house securely. The front and back doors and the windows. All the windows in my house, they must be locked and bolted. Letow. Tonight? Yes, tonight, you fool. Of course, tonight. But in heaven's name, why lock him out?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Out of my home.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Out of my life. You're doing an eternity. You're not feeling well. Come, Lettow, don't bicker with me.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Hurry, man.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm prepared to pay any price you ask. Of course she'll be as you say. If you'll only just give me time to get my instruments together. Of course. But hurry. Litter. Hurry. He's waiting for me now.

[Dr. Perron]

Lucille.

[Narrator]

Ital and the old man returned to the lonely old house by the river. In the dead of the night. They crept into the house and worked in the half darkness, near the shadows. And that strange unholy wind was quiet and didn't disturb them while they worked. Uve felt safe and free for a while, only a while. And a girl slept upstairs, slept undisturbed and quiet. The hours passed this way, passed quietly as the locksmith worked in the old man's muttering.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Hurry, Litar, hurry. It's almost morning. I'm hurrying as fast as I can. I'm almost done. Except for the windows in your cousin's room. Don't worry about her. I'll wake her up when the time comes. Finish that lock, man. Just two more nails will hold it in place. Good, good, good. Two more nails. Two more nails. There you are.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Gabriel. What are you doing here?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Good morning, youngster. Good morning, my dear.

[Madame Renee Sable]

But the doctor. The doctor was to take you away from our house.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

But he couldn't. Rene.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Where is the doctor?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

In Paris. He's going to return this evening after my work is done. Yes, a job in life.

[Madame Renee Sable]

The doctor let you return alone?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

He had to let me. But I wasn't alone.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Who is this?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm surely Tal, mademoiselle. The most famous lockmaker in the world.

[Madame Renee Sable]

I don't understand all this.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Naturally, my dear. Come along with Tal. Just finish your work. Only two more locks to fix tonight and I'll be able to lock them in and kill him.

[Narrator]

Kill him.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Hell.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

What are you staring at me for? Go ahead to my cousin's room and start to work. Of course. I'll start right away.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Gabrielle. Gabrielle. Look at me. Kevin.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm looking at you, Renee. I see you.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Are you lying to me?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Why should I lie to you?

[Madame Renee Sable]

What did you do to the doctor?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Nothing. Nothing.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Rene, that knife in your belt. What about that knife in your belt?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I always carry a knife to protect me against. Against the horror.

[Madame Renee Sable]

There's blood on that knife. Gabrielle, what did you do?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Be quiet, Renee.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Cousin, I can't Let you go. What are you going to do to me?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I have to bind you up tire to a chair until I've killed him.

[Narrator]

Don't you understand?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Yes. I'm old, but I'm strong, cousin. Stronger than you. Oh, no. Don't struggle against me.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

You heard nothing. Nothing, monsieur. Go back to work.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

All right.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

I'm almost done now.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Come along, cousin. I'll have to tie you in the kitchen where you'll be out of harm's way until he's dead.

[Narrator]

Beauvais dragged his cousin to the kitchen and then, taking a stout rope, tied her to the kitchen table by the sheer strength of a maniac, tied her securely and then threw a tablecloth over. Smiling to himself, he left the kitchen and went to the upstairs room to watch Littell finish the work of the night.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Are you finished, monsieur? Yes. Yes, of course. Yes, I'm finished. Yeah. Hey, Alata. 200 francs for one night's work. Good pay, isn't it? Very good pay, Monsieur Beauvais. Very good pay. Anything more I can do, sir? If you like. The locks. All luck secured him, sir. I'm glad. Hey, Littel. What are you waiting for? Why don't you go home? I. I thought I ought to say good night to the others. No need to. I'll say good night for you.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Listen.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Do you hear that? I hear nothing.

[Narrator]

Naturally, you hear nothing.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Good night, Monsieur Bavay. Lieutenant, may I caution you against one thing? Of course. Don't tell anybody of this work tonight. Do you understand? Don't tell anybody. Of course I understand.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Good night.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

See you in the morning.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Your locks can't lock me out.

[Dr. Perron]

You.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

You again.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

I've been watching you and your lockmaker. Watching you. And your locks are useless. Locks are useless. Useless.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

But I can lock you in when I escape.

[Narrator]

Imposs.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Impossible. Because I am with you constantly. Can I destroy you hora with a knife?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

No.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Put fire and flame. I'll set the entire house on fire and leave you here. Leave you here and I'll escape. You can't escape. You're part of this house. You said so yourself, dear.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Die now. How interesting.

[Madame Renee Sable]

How interesting.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

How very interesting.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

And he'll burn to death. He'll burn to death. And the world will be free of the horror.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Are you so sure, Bouvet? Are you so sure?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

I'll pour oil on the walls and on the rugs and on the floor.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Where's the oil?

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

In the kitchen closet.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Yes, in the kitchen closet. That's where it is.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Don't forget, I'm part of.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

He'll be destroyed by fire.

[Narrator]

And while the frantic, distraught old man poured oil on the rugs and on the walls, the tower walked slowly home, worrying about his old friend Bouvet. Worrying about the strangest actions he'd ever seen. Worrying and trying to fit together the odd pieces of the puzzle in his mind. Halfway home, he heard a voice cry out, Somebody help.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Help, before it's too late.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Who is it?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Oh, but it's the doctor.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

In heaven's name, what has happened to you?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Help me.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Badly wound it. Here, allow me to help you.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Stand on your feet.

[Dr. Perron]

I'm so weak.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

What's happened?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

The madman boomed me.

[Dr. Perron]

I was trying to take him to a hospital and he.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

He stabbed me.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Madman. I thought so. I just finished making two dozen sets of blocks for him in his house. Litto, is Madame Saab still there?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Yes.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I thought I heard her cry out, but I wasn't sure.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

No, we must get help to her immediately. That madman will do anything. Anything.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Let me carry you, Mitchell. Put your arm over my shoulder if you can. We'll get help as soon as possible.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Hurry. Hurry, Leta. Hurry.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Madam.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Yeah. Now I've poured oil over the entire house.

[Narrator]

Yes, the entire house.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

The curtains, the ceiling, even the beds and walls and the chairs. Now for a match. Yes, one match. One match in a house will go up in flames. Flames. And you will be dead.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Will I be dead? Will I?

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I need a match. I need a match. Must be a match in the kitchen. And the house will all be flames. Flames.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

And you will burn. Burn and die.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Kitchen.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Yeah. Don't be nervous, cousin. Don't be nervous. Work is almost done.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Almost done.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

He'll be dead.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

The hall will be dead. Dead. Yes.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Let's hit the wretch. I'm going to start my flames on the top floor.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Top floor.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Don't follow me. I don't want you following me.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

I like to watch you.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Up those stairs. Yes, up the stairs to the landing.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Will you enjoy watching your own funeral, Parr?

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Ah, fire and flames. Fire and flames.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'm almost to the top now. Then I'll strike my match and the flames will start.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

How do you intend to escape? Don't forget your own escape.

[Madame Renee Sable]

My escape.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

My escape.

[Madame Renee Sable]

I must escape.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I'll unlock the front door and run out just in time. And you'll be trapped. Trapped. Here we are. Now hurry.

[Madame Renee Sable]

The match. Fight the match.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

No, no. Bouvet.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Hey, Tola.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

You'll die here.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Be careful of yourself. Be careful of yourself. I don't want any harm to come to you. Bouvet.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Look, look. The pirates started. Look at the flames. Look at the walls and the shadows. Look at the flames. No, not for the downstairs.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

I'm right beside you. Where you go, I go.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

No, no. You must stay here and die. Don't you understand? Then you will die.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

You will shout for the flames. Watch out for the flames.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

I must take the match down.

[Dr. Perron]

Here.

[Madame Renee Sable]

Now light the canopy.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Like that. How do you like those flames, Ola?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

How do you like those flames?

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Be careful of yourself, Bouvet. Be careful of yourself.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Now, one last light.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Here. The job is done. And I'll wait and escape at the last minute. And you'll be left.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

They've come to rescue me. You see, Bouvet?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

They've come to rescue me. No. No, I won't. Open up. Hurry, plane. Hurry. Don't come. Beat you to the job. I'm telling the girls in the back of the house. Break the door down. Get the girl.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

Where is she?

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

She's in the back of the house. Hurry, Ben. The old fools. You're allowing to holler to live. You're allowing the holler to escape. Watch out for me. I've got the girlfriend. He would have died in here and I would have been free.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

I'll never leave you, old friend.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

I would have been free. Never fear me. Don't you see him? He's standing next to me.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Always next to you.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Always next to me. He could die in the flame.

[The Horla (the supernatural entity)]

Only if you die in the flame.

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

1/2 the hustle Hubble dying of flames. Yes, of course I must die in the flames. Yes, I must die in the flames. And then the horror will be dead.

[Narrator]

And the old wild eyed man rushed into the pile of burning timber among his old belongings and perished there. He and the Horla perished there. All that remained of the man and the Horla were scorched bones and two odd misshapen skulls. Two odd misshapen skulls. Remember that, for there were two skulls, not one.

[Gabrielle Bouvet]

From the time worn cages of the past.

[Narrator]

We have heard the famous story the

[Monsieur Beauvais (locksmith)]

Caller Bell Keeper hold the Bell.

[Podcast Host]

You can find more from the Weird Circle the Horror and all of the other Relic Radio podcasts at the website relicradio.com our shoutcast stream is there with even more Old Time Radio. And if you'd like to help support this and all of that, give that donate button a click or visit donate. Relicradio.com We've got some downloadable sets for certain donation amounts, though any amount is always appreciated and helpful. Thanks again to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week. I'll be back tomorrow with Strange Tales and next Saturday with our next episode of the Horror.