Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Case Study No. 0105: Mercy MacGregor

The Tale of the Quiet Librarian - 1/3
9:55
Are You Afraid of the Dark?, season 4, episode 43. Part 1 of 3.
Tags: are you afraid of the dark tale quiet librarian
Added: 3 years ago
From: ClassicSlime
Views: 27,457

[members of the Midnight Society are gathering around the campfire for the night's story, while Frank has Tucker in a headlock]
FRANK: Had enough, big guy?
TUCKER: Oh, this is real fair! You're only 200 pounds heavier than me!
KIKI: Shhh!
FRANK: I'm not hurting him!
KIKI: I know, just ... shhh.
BETTY ANN: What're you doing?
KIKI: I want everyone to be real quiet.
TUCKER: Uh, hello?
KIKI: Everyone settle, and just listen.
SAM: What're we listening to?
KIKI: Silence. Total silence.
GARY: That's impossible. Absolute silence doesn't exist.
SAM: Yeah, there's always something making noise.
KIKI: Exactly. So when grown-ups say they want it quiet, there's no way ... 'cause there's no such thing.
TUCKER: I'll remember that.
KIKI: But what if there could be total silence? What if you could stop every sound? Every buzz? Every breath?
GARY: You couldn't. Where there's life, there's sound.
KIKI: Say that another way. You take away sound, and you take away ... life! Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story "The Tale Of The Quiet Librarian."
[the story begins, as a female librarian is leading a class of students through the public library]
MRS. HURLEY: Come along, children. That's it, don't lag behind there, children. Come along, children. Pay attention, and we're off to the childrens' library, where I hope you'll spend many hours.
[one young boy falls behind the group while bouncing a rubber ball]
MRS. HURLEY: [barely audible as the group is moving farther away] Here are some of our librarians, going all the way back to 1837 ...
[the ball gets away from him and rolls down a flight of stairs, winding up near an old door hidden behind some boxes of books, with an eerie purple glow emanating from the other side]
BOY: [reaches over to grab the ball, but instead knocks it underneath the door and into the unseen room] Rats ... [he reads the sign on the door] "Quiet Reading Room."
[the door suddenly opens by itself, and the boy opens his mouth to scream but no sound comes out]

[...]

[a young girl and her little sister are in the downstairs section of the library by themselves]
NATALIE'S SISTER: [reciting the alphabet and then wanders off]
NATALIE: Don't go too far ...
[she begins looking through a book, when the door to the Quiet Reading Room opens up behind her, so she screams and drops the book but again no sound is made]
NATALIE'S SISTER: [she wanders back into the scene] Natalie? Natalie, where are you?
[she sees the book on the floor and runs off in fright]

[...]

[Jace and Laurie, two young students who have been assigned to work together on a project, are sitting in the library]
JACE: [is obviously bored, so pulls out an electronic sound maker and starts pushing the buttons]
LAURIE: Shh! We need these books from downstairs ... [hands him her notebook] If it's not too much trouble. I know how busy you are.
JACE: I'm just trying to get you to lighten up.
LAURIE: Don't bother. Get the books.
JACE: Why don't you get 'em?
LAURIE: Because I'm already doing all the work.
JACE: 'Cause you won't let me do anything.
LAURIE: Because, maybe, I don't wanna flunk!
JACE: Let's flip for it. Heads I go, tails you go.
LAURIE: [shakes her head]
JACE: Aw, come on, live dangerously, alright?
[he flips the coin]
JACE: Uh, two outta three?
LAURIE: Goodbye.
JACE: [as he's leaving] Chilly. Very chilly.
[cut to Jace in the basement level, where - once he makes sure no one is looking - he puts on a pair of glasses and starts looking for the books]
JACE: [after that same rubber ball suddenly bounces near his feet] Hello? Hello?
[right before he gets near the door, the female librarian suddenly bumps into him]
MRS. HURLEY: Oh! Goodness, you frightened me! May I help you look for something?
JACE: Uh, no thanks ... [he runs off, leaving Laurie's notebook on the shelf]
[cut to Jace meeting Laurie at the copy machine with the books she asked for]
LAURIE: It's about time. Did you find ... I didn't know you wore glasses!
JACE: [suddenly notices he's still wearing the glasses and quickly takes them off] Uh, I don't ... usually.
[Laurie gives him a look and takes the books back to their table, where Jace sits down and starts nervously fidgeting]
LAURIE: Why are you so jumpy?
JACE: I'm not jumpy ... Wadda we do now?
LAURIE: I do research. You sit there, and don't bother me.
JACE: [insulted, he takes out the noise maker and starts pushing buttons again]
LAURIE: [embarrassed that all the other patrons are staring, she grabs the noise maker out of his hands] Do you mind?
JACE: Why are you treating me like a kid?
LAURIE: Because you're acting like one!
JACE: That's it ... I'm outta here! [he gets up and leaves]
LAURIE: Hey!

[...]

[realizing that he left Laurie's notebook in the basement, the two head back to the library after hours]
LAURIE: [tries the door and finds it locked] Why didn't you check the closing time?
JACE: Hey, you said seven o'clock, not me!
LAURIE: I'm gonna flunk! I've never flunked anything in my life!
JACE: No? You didn't do too hot in the teamwork department, remember?
LAURIE: [frustrated, she tries banging on the door]
JACE: [pulls her away from the door] There's nothing else we can do, except ... [he looks around to see if anyone else is around] Maybe I can open one of those windows.
LAURIE: You-you can't be serious, that's like, illegal.
JACE: You got a better idea?
LAURIE: Jace, don't!
JACE: It's okay. I forgot the notebook, I'll get it.
LAURIE: You don't have to.
JACE: Sure I do. I don't wanna be responsible for the one and only time you ever flunked.

[...]

[one of the windows ends up opening by itself, so the two make their way into the library and down to the basement level]
JACE: Man, it's weird in here at night!
LAURIE: [drops her bookpack on the floor]
JACE: Why'd you do that?
LAURIE: [confused] What happened to the copy machine? It used to be right there.
JACE: Yeah ...
LAURIE: Where'd all the computers go? And the VCR?
JACE: Yeah.
[they hear the sound of a doorknob turning]
LAURIE: What was that?
JACE: The-the radiator, I think. Let's bolt ... [turns to leave]
LAURIE: We have to get my notebook!
JACE: Right. That's, um, in the basement.
[cut to Jace and Laurie walking down the stairs into the basement]
LAURIE: [notices that there are now kerosene lamps instead of light switches] Where'd you leave it?
JACE: Over there, I think ... but everything's different.
LAURIE: What do you mean?
JACE: It wasn't like this yesterday. There were a lot more books, and that room wasn't there.
[he points to the door marked "Quiet Reading Room", which is no longer hidden behind boxes]
LAURIE: Look at this ... [points to a calendar hanging on the wall] 1910.
JACE: It's gotta be some phony antique.
LAURIE: [she takes a key hanging on the wall and goes to open the door]
JACE: Hey, maybe we shouldn't mess with--
LAURIE: Come on ... live dangerously?
[they open the door and find a group of children covered in cobwebs and reading books; two of them are Natalie and the little boy, who open their mouths to scream but no sound comes out]
LAURIE: [screams]
[the two run out of the room]
LAURIE: What're we gonna do?
JACE: Let's get outta here!
[an elderly female librarian wearing turn-of-century clothes and carrying a glowing box appears at the end of the hall]
LAURIE: It's Mrs. Hurley ... [yelling towards the figure] Mrs. Hurley! It's me, Laurie Napier!
JACE: [grabs her]
MERCY MACGREGOR: No talking in the library ...
JACE: That's not Mrs. Hurley!
MERCY MACGREGOR: There's room for two more ...
[Laurie and Jace both scream and run away]
JACE: [turns and yells at the librarian] Who are you?
MERCY MACGREGOR: [opens the glowing box and points it at him]
JACE: Get away from me!
MERCY MACGREGOR: [laughing]
JACE: Laur-- [he suddenly can't speak]
LAURIE: Jace! [grabs him and pulls a book cart in front of them, knocking the books off to block the librarian's path]
[they run up the stairs and barricade the door down to the basement]
LAURIE: Who was that? What happened to your voice?
JACE: [gestures wildly]
LAURIE: Come on! [tries to open a window but it won't budge] Try the others!
JACE: [runs to the front desk]
LAURIE: What're you looking for?
JACE: [mimicks picking up a phone receiver]
LAURIE: The phone ... They're gone! The fire alarm, it's gone too! Everything modern is gone! Jace, what is going on?
MERCY MACGREGOR: [from behind the door] Silence is golden ...
[the door suddenly opens, and the two get on the ground and try crawling out of sight]
MERCY MACGREGOR: Heh heh heh ...
[while crawling away, Jace knocks down an old milk jug, so the librarian - with an annoyed look on her face - opens the box to "suck up" the sound of it falling]

[...]

[Laurie tries to hide in the stacks on the upper level, but the librarian can hear her heartbeat and is following her]
JACE: [one the lower level, he starts up an old hand-crank record player to draw the librarian's attention]
MERCY MACGREGOR: [suddenly appearing behind him] I'm going to teach you a lesson, just like I do to all loud children! My reading room is so peaceful and quiet ... You're going to like it, just like all the others.
[grabbing some records, Jace runs off and starts smashing them on the ground to make noise]
JACE: Heh heh heh ... [uses the box to suck up the noise]
LAURIE: [runs up behind them] No, don't! Leave him--
MERCY MACGREGOR: [turns around and sucks up her voice] Ha ha ha!
[Laurie runs off]
MERCY MACGREGOR: I think it's time you joined me downstairs, dear ...
LAURIE: [find her backpack and pulls out Jace's electronic noise maker]
MERCY MACGREGOR: [disturbed by the noise] No, stop it! Stop it! No ...
LAURIE: [she throws it to Jace, who continues making noise]
MERCY MACGREGOR: Stop that! Stop it, no! Children who make noise in the library must be punished!
[while the librarian is distracted with Jace, Laurie pushes a marble bust into her, causing her to drop her box]
MERCY MACGREGOR: [picks up the box, but suddenly she loses control of it, and all of the "noises" start shooting out of it]
[cut to a library security guard, who finds Laurie and Jace]
SECURITY GUARD: What're you kids doing in here?
[he turns on the light, as Laurie and Jace find that the library is back in "modern" times]
SECURITY GUARD: How'd you get in?
[he finds a burning pile of ash and a pair of glasses lying on the floor]
SECURITY GUARD: What the?
JACE: Uh, there was a... My voice is back!
LAURIE: Uh, mine too!
JACE: ... The reading room!
LAURIE: [to the security guard] We found the missing kids!
[they head down to the basement]
JACE: There's a door behind there!
LAURIE: Hurry!
SECURITY GUARD: This door hasn't been opened in years!
[he forces the door open, and Natalie and the little boy come out]
LAURIE: Are you guys okay?
NATALIE: Yeah, I think.
JACE: Look in here.
[they go inside, where they find the table and piles of books covered in cobwebs]
SECURITY GUARD: Oh my ... It's like a tomb in here. I gotta call this in, you kids stay put. [he leaves]
[Jace and Natalie start to leave, when they hear the sound of laughing children]
JACE: Whoever they were, I think they're free now.
[cut to Jace and Laurie in the main reading room]
LAURIE: They're never gonna believe us, are they?
JACE: I'm not sure I believe us!
LAURIE: Y'know, maybe we're not such a bad team after all ...
FEMALE POLICE OFFICER: [holds up Laurie's notebook] Is this anybody's?
LAURIE: My notebook!
FEMALE POLICE OFFICER: You kids can go now. If we need you, we'll call.
[they go to leave]
LAURIE: We still have to write that paper.
JACE: We?
LAURIE: Come on, let's live dangerously!
[as they exit the library, the camera focuses on a large portrait hanging on the wall, which reads "Mercy MacGregor (Head Librarian, 1885-1910)"]

[...]

[cut back to the members of the Midnight Society]
FRANK: Cool story!
SAM: Yeah, I never knew silence could be so creepy!
GARY: I declare this meeting of the Midnight Society closed.
KIKI: Speaking of libraries, I have some books I have to return. Does anyone wanna keep me company?
BETTY ANN: But it's way past closing.
KIKI: I was gonna drop 'em in the night slot. Who's with me?
GARY: Uh, I gotta go.
SAM: Yeah ... Oh, and look at the time!
[everybody starts running off]
BETTY ANN: Gotta roll! Uh, see you guys next time!
FRANK: Hasta la vista!
KIKI: Tucker!
TUCKER: Uh, bye!
KIKI: Come on, just leave me at the corner! You don't have to go near the building! Guys ... guys? [proud of herself that she made everyone so frightened of going to the library]

---

From tv.com:

"Are You Afraid of the Dark?" (Season 4, Episode 6) - The Tale of the Quiet Librarian

A forgotten book forces two bitter rivals to work together to avoid the clutches of a ghostly librarian who insists that "Silence is golden".

Guest Cast:
Anna MacCormack ... Quiet Librarian
Aaron A. McConnaughey ... Jace Ellman
Evan Evans ... Library Security Guard
Shannon Duff ... Laurie Napier

---

From sydlexia.com:

Jace is a cocky football-playing douchebag with shit for brains. Laurie is a quiet girl who enjoys school, but she's also rather condescending. When the two of them get paired up together on a history project, things don't go so well. While they're working on their project at the library, Laurie refuses to let Jace help because she's a bitch and she thinks he'll fuck up the paper because he's not as smart as her. Jace responds by being an asshole and playing with a loud electronic toy. Then Laurie yells at him, so he grabs some of the books for their project and leaves. Laurie chases him and gets him to agree to give her the books and do the project by herself. Later on, she realizes that Jace left some important notes she gave him at the library and asks for his help in finding them. After she begs, he reluctantly agrees to help her look for them after football practice. When they get to the library, it's closed, so Jace breaks in. Inside the library, the children are chased by the Quiet Librarian, an evil ghost who steals children's voices and traps them in her reading room. She manages to steal both Jace and Laurie's voices with her glowy purple box, but is unable to catch the children. Then they figure out her weakness is noise, so Jace takes out his stupid toy from before and keeps pressing buttons on it until the evil librarian ghost and the glowy purple box explode. Shortly thereafter, a police officer discovers the children in the library and asks them what the fuck they're doing there. They take him to the librarian's hidden reading room, where they discover some children who recently went missing. After the officer leaves with the missing children, Jace and Laurie hear the ghostly laughter of the other children they freed, the ones who were trapped in the room until they died. United by their horrible experience, Jace and Laurie become friends and work on their stupid project together.

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