The Curse of the Cat People Page #4

This is Virginia.

She's hardly ever good.

These are all from me.

- Oh.

- Why, Amy.

Let's see what we have here.

"To Mother from Amy. "

- Thank you, darling.

- You can't open them yet.

You have to put them

under the tree until morning.

- All right, dear.

- I guess if you can wait, so can we.

Let's see. "To Daddy from Amy. "

Here's one for Ms. Callahan, and...

- ... "To Edward from Amy. "

- Good heavens.

- What could you be giving me, little miss?

- You just wait.

- This one's for Mrs. Farren.

- She gave me a ring...

...so I'm giving her a ring.

I paid 25 cents for it too.

This one hasn't got a name on it.

Why, Amy. Who gets this one?

Who's it for, Amy?

Do we have to guess?

Come on, tell us who it's for.

Ollie, ask them in.

- Merry Christmas. Come on in.

- Thank you.

Put them down someplace.

- Your carols were beautiful.

- Oh, well, thank you.

It's so cold out there, you've no idea.

I could nearly die.

Can I help you?

- Thank you.

- There's a big fire in the living room.

Edward's fixing hot drinks for all.

So bounteous of you. I always said

you were a most bounteous young man.

- The sentiment is mutual, Miss Plumett.

- Thank you.

Right in there.

Oh, my dear, Mrs. Reed.

Of all the houses we've been in tonight,

I swear that yours...

...has the truest dyed-in-tradition

Christmas spirit.

Plumett ought to have

a record of that.

She says the same thing

at every house we go to.

- What did you get for Christmas?

- I don't know yet.

My goodness.

Don't you open your presents

until Christmas morning?

- No.

- We open ours on Christmas Eve.

That's considered proper.

Well, I guess we're not

a very proper family.

Couldn't we have another carol?

Of course you may have another carol.

What shall it be, good friends?

I know one.

"Shepherd, Shake Off

Your Drowsy Sleep. "

Oh, we know that one.

Come on, everybody.

Come on. Come on.

Now, remember,

we start con vivace, you know.

Merry Christmas, Amy.

Merry Christmas, Irena.

I brought you a present.

Oh, thank you, Amy.

You can open it now, I guess.

Lois Huggins says that's proper.

How beautiful.

It reminded me of you...

...so I bought it.

It cost me more than all the others.

I shall wear it on my cape.

That is more beautiful

than I ever imagined.

I wish I could show you

to Mommy and Daddy.

I wish you could enjoy

Christmas with us.

You and I shall enjoy

Christmas together.

Shall I show you

my Christmas gift to you?

Oh, please.

Look.

Amy.

Amy, where are you?

Amy.

Better go in now.

Run along, darling.

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas to you, Amy.

Come in, my child.

Sit over there.

You sit there.

I brought you a present.

- Merry Christmas.

- Christmas present.

It's been so long

since I've had a Christmas present.

There's a present

you haven't opened yet.

That's from her. That woman.

Well, let's see what we have here.

In my time, I've had

a great many presents.

Christmas and otherwise.

The king of Spain gave me that ring.

Oh, a ring.

A beautiful ring.

See how it shines.

What would I do

with the king of Spain's ring...

...when I have this to put in its place.

For this...

This is a ring given me

out of friendship and love.

Thank you, my child.

It's getting late.

We'd better be going on.

The family will be waiting.

Such a brief visit.

But, dear child...

...you've made my Christmas

a very happy one.

Merry Christmas.

You didn't even open my present.

And I'm your daughter.

My daughter died...

...long ago.

Dismantling a Christmas tree

always makes me a little sad.

Cheer up. It'll be on us again

before you know it. Amy...

...here, take these

and put them on the fire.

- Isn't it fun to hear them crackle, Amy?

- I like it.

I love the smell of pine.

It's one of my clearest memories.

Twelfth night...

...burning pine and mummer's plays.

Been ages since I've even thought

of a mummer's play.

We used to do them every year in college.

St. George and the dragon.

All kinds of crazy sword dances.

I even have pictures of myself.

All done up in tattered green, waving

a wooden sword. They're in here.

- Here we go again.

- Quiet.

- What did I lose?

- I'll get it, Mommy.

Daddy.

Yes, Amy.

Why, Daddy, you know my friend too.

You couldn't know this woman.

She died before you were born.

Why did you call her your friend?

Answer me, Amy.

Why did you call her your friend?

Because she is my friend.

Ollie, please. Let's not go on with this.

The child's trembling.

We've got to go on.

Amy, all this time, you've let

your mother and father think...

...that you've forgotten

that old dream life of yours.

- Now we find you've only kept it secret.

- It isn't a secret.

She plays with me.

She plays with me

in the garden all the time.

Right out there in the garden. She does.

In the garden?

Would she be there now?

She's there whenever I call her.

Now, Amy...

...I want you to look all around

very carefully.

Then I want you to tell me

if your friend is in the garden now.

Do you understand, Amy?

- She's there.

- Where, Amy?

Right there, under the tree.

Amy, there's nothing there.

There's no one at all in the garden.

But she is there.

Listen, darling,

I want you to look once more.

Take as long as you want.

Look very carefully.

Then I want you to tell me

there's no one there.

- But she is there.

- I tell you, there's no one there.

If you deny that,

if you insist that this...

...woman you call your friend

is in the garden...

...I'm afraid I shall have

to punish you.

- Do you understand?

- Yes.

All right, Amy.

Now...

...tell me what you see.

I see Irena.

Amy's never been punished before.

- Not that way.

- It's best for you not to interfere.

I suppose so.

- I'm sorry to make such a fool of myself.

- After all, a first spanking...

...it's an important occasion.

I'll be all right in a minute.

I'll duck into the kitchen and see what's

happened to Edward and the coffee.

When children are playing

Alone on the green

In comes the playmate

That never was seen.

- What did you say?

- I was starting a poem.

Stevenson's "Unseen Playmate. "

You probably know it.

When children are playing

Alone on the green

In comes the playmate

That never was seen

When children are happy

And lonely and good

The Friend of the Children

Comes out of the wood

- I know it.

- You liked it, didn't you?

I like it now.

Don't you see it's the same thing?

Amy isn't lying to you.

It's an unseen companion.

- Children love to dream things up.

- This is different.

This is worse.

It isn't just a childish fancy.

It couldn't be anything else.

You see, I've lived through

something like this before.

I was married to the very woman

that Amy claims as a friend...

- ... whose picture she identified.

- That's so easy to understand.

She'd seen the picture,

had liked the face...

...and made it a part

of this companion she imagined.

You don't know about this woman.

My first wife, Irena.

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