"Erm... excuse me." "Is it still possible for me to get through please?" "Not really." "The road is closed due to the damming." "Erm..." "What does that mean?" "The river... is being dammed here to make a lake." "The valley will be completely flooded." "The water has already reached the road, you can't get through there any more." "Erm..." "I don't want... to get into the valley." "I want to get to the village here." "Ah, yes... you have to take the diversion... over there then." "Calling it a road would be..." "exaggerating... it is... more of a trail." "And that is now the only way to this village?" "At the moment, yes." "Another road might be built, but..." "I doubt it." "No one wants to live down there, everyone is moving away..." "Only the elderly are left." "Ok." "Well... thanks..." "I mean..."danke'." "No problem... and drive carefully!" "Slow." "Ok?" "What, another stupid American?" "'I not understanding.'" "Excuse me." "Yes?" "Have you seen this man before?" "No." "No, I'm sorry." "Thanks." "Excuse me." "I'm looking for this man." "Never seen him before." "Perhaps you?" "I don't know him." "Thanks." "Sorry!" "Don't mention it." "Have you seen this man before?" "No." "But..." "I remember this one here." "Your father was here... with other soldiers, I think it was three months after the end of the war." "I met him in the valley... the day I came back from the front." "What do you want?" "This is my farm!" "What's your name?" "Pierske." "Armin Pierske." "Okay." "Herr Pierske?" "Good, Herr Pieske..." "Your farm is big enough to take in Displaced Persons... on the way to Stuttgart or Heidenheim." "We will make a note of that... and send it on." "W-Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait." "No!" "You won't get any morphium from me." "I don't need any morphium." "Where are you going?" "Is there... another farm back there?" "Don't go down there!" "I don't think it is over yet..." "You're coming with us." "I went back, shortly after they began working on the dam." "To say goodbye." "The water had already reached the barn." "A heartening sight." "I'll be pleased when it is all washed away." "How come?" "So, he didn't tell you." "Good..." "I'm looking for him!" "He came here two weeks ago." "No one... no one forgets it." "The colour." "It all began with the meteorite." "It hit near a neighbouring farm." "The fire... burned all night long." "It was the next day, early morning... before we could get to the crater." "It is not as large as you described it on the telephone, Herr Gärtener." "It shrunk." "Last night it reached to here." "Stones do not shrink." "During the night, it glowed very brightly." "What is it?" "!" "It is still damn hot." "The stone is soft!" "Almost like... plastic." "We need water to cool it down!" "Strange, isn't it?" "Well, we will see what the results of the analysis are." "The material certainly shows a very high capacity for heat retention." "Look!" "It's stopped!" "That probably explains the elasticity as well." "It is burning a hole through." "Bring us an iron pot!" "And potholders!" "Wasn't the piece bigger before?" "We must get that straight to the lab and begin the analysis." "They came back the next day." "To get to the Gärteners place, they had to pass us." "I saw them and, curious as I was..." "I tagged along." "They came to get another sample." "'Cause, the first had vanished." "Simply disappeared!" "Herr Professor!" "Herr Professor!" "Interesting... it seems to react with silicon." "Where was the impact site again?" "Amongst others..." "Widmanstätten structures, Professor." "Wonderful!" "So, all that we could definitely determine today... is that it was definitely a meteor." "It is definitely a metal." "It is magnetic." "And we have Widmanstätten." "But otherwise..." "Neither nitric acid nor aqua regia corrode it... just cool it down a bit." "Heating it does not cause a gas to form... nor any other signs of decomposition." "It permanently radiates heat without cooling." "It glows in the dark." "And it transforms completely into air... without any... outside assistance!" "It's late." "Come on, tomorrow we will carry out further analysis on the remaining samples." "And if we still cannot classify it... you should start thinking about what you are going to name it." "The meteorite has also gotten smaller." "And it is still very hot." "We haven't touched anything and haven't let anyone into the field." "Like you said." "It definitely reacts with silicon." "Unequivocally." "Get a second sample!" "Herr Professor!" "There is... something inside." "A spherical structure..." "Get the camera!" "What colour is that?" "I've never seen anything like it." "It seems to be hollow." "Where did it go?" "Inge?" "The capsule, or whatever they found there... was gone." "Only a round space was left." "Gone?" "From one second to another?" "I saw how they drilled around in the stone... but they didn't find anything... and left with their second sample." "They came again the next day." "They didn't reach any conclusions with the second sample... and wanted to take the whole thing." "However, the night before... there was a storm." "The stone attracted the lightning." "Like light attracts moths." "They tried to conserve the remaining samples in the laboratory." "But they were unsuccessful." "A few days later, everything was gone... and they were left empty-handed." "No one believed their measurements and observations." "Soon it was forgotten." "That was fine by the Gärteners." "They had peace again." "Na?" "Nahum?" "From the Nägeles?" "Have some of yours kicked the bucket?" "The way it looks, we are going to need them." "Have you planted a new grove... that I know nothing about?" "Come on... and I'll show you." " They are gigantic!" " Yes!" "Congratulations!" "Pluck one, they have to be ripe." "How can I refuse?" "One for me too..." "I've held myself back long enough." "Very strange, this aftertaste." "All the plants and fruits were the same." "All the apples, tomatoes, potatoes..." "Everything that grew in the valley was spoilt." "Luckily the fields up on the slope are fine." "That is enough for us." "Was it the star that fell from heaven?" "Perhaps God doesn't love us any more?" "Cut it out." "Both of you." "It will pass." "To bed with you both!" "The Winter came early... and it was a very cold one." "The Gärteners were seen less and less." "They barely came to the village at all... not even for the festivities." "I was worried." "But they all said... they were alright." "They just felt tired and empty from time to time." "In the light of their misfortune, the village considered them to be suffering from melancholy." "Today, it would be called depression." "Due to the... misfortune." "But... but more and more... strange stories piled up." "I live here." "I drive past the crossing once a week, where it goes down to the valley." "My horses try to bolt there every time." "They smell something there." "But something is definitely strange about the snow." "There's something wrong down by the Gärteners." "It is just gradually melting at Heinrich's now... and usually he is the first." "Oh..." "Look." "Hey, Thaddäus!" "Come here a minute lad!" "Come, join us!" "God, you're completely white." "Here, have a sip, it 'll warm you up." "Yeah, that's right." "Just the thing, hey?" "So, tell us, how are your family?" "Everyone alright?" "Yes... but... mother is just always very tired." "Oh, don't worry about that!" "That's just the winter blues." "It will pass..." "It is getting warmer again." "Go ahead, take another sip." "And otherwise?" "Have you noticed anything... strange?" "Well... the trees..." "I've seen the branches move." "And that although there was no wind." "And at the night, we listen." "Because Marwin is always hearing something." "It's alright Thaddäus, give your parents our regards... and be careful on the way home." "I will." "Then the Spring came." "And the plants in the valley grew." "And how they grew!" "The buds had... a very strange..." "colour..." "Indescribable." "Sinister." "The people here in the village began to avoid the road to the valley." "And they began to avoid the Gärteners." "The boys soon noticed it at school." "The father tried to take it with dignity, as his quiet temperament dictated." "The father tried to take it with dignity, as his quiet temperament dictated." "But the mother..." "Good day." "Frau Gärtener?" "Is everything alright?" "Careful, don't move." "Armin." "Come in." "What is wrong with her?" "She has been like this since yesterday." "Recently, she has often had episodes like this." "Normally, it is passed when she wakes up the next day." "But this time..." "It is nice of you to visit us." "These are difficult times for us." "Can I do anything to help?" "The things that I occasionally have to do in town..." "I can do that for you." "Just come round and..." "I know that you also have a lot to do, since you father..." "It's nothing, it's nothing really." "Really." "Marwin!" "Is Samuel finished with the rabbits?" "And did you help Thaddäus with the potato salad?" "Armin wouldn't want to stay for dinner." "So that's more for you." "Papa?" "What is wrong with mama?" "Mama is sick." "But that won't last." "And... and what about the trees?" "When a doctor called, and found that Frau" "Gärtener had become incurably mad... no one wanted anything more to do with the family." "It was as if they had already been given up." "I took care of the necessary things for them in the village." "When the school started again, the three sons stayed at home." "Then Autumn arrived." "With him... the changes." "They cut down their orchard." "They had hoped that the trees would recover." "But they were passed... all hope of saving." "The disturbed growth, that the Spring brought in such abundance... was taken from the valley by the Autumn." "And the life with it." "So, I will go to the well this time and get water." "You keep an eye on her." "And when I get back..." "You can wash her." "Thaddäus?" " Thaddäus?" " Thaddäus!" "Thaddäus!" "What's wrong with him?" " I'll explain later." "Go!" "Stop it, stop it!" "Lights, everywhere!" "I can see them everywhere." "Can't you see them?" "Come on, Samuel." "Up into the chamber." "I can see them everywhere." "Go in, go in there." "From now on, you will sleep with me." "Hold him!" "Rain is good." "Rain is precious." "I didn't know then where little Marwin vanished to." "And I couldn't explain the lantern." "However, it became clear to me that there must be something in the water." "The Gärteners didn't eat the spoilt fruit... but they all drank the water." "They drank the water from the well." "I wanted to tell him the next time he came by." "But he didn't come." "After two weeks, I couldn't bare it any longer." "And I went down there." "Nahum?" "Nahum?" "Oh, it's dear Armin." "My old friend." "Come in." "Come in and warm yourself." "Listen to me." "It is the water down here." "Something is wrong with it." "Marwin!" "More wood!" "It is too cold here." "Where is he?" "Where is Samuel?" "Samuel?" "Samuel..." "lives below." "Below in the well." "And Thaddäus?" "And your wife?" "They are sitting over there." "Why do you ask?" "Nahum?" "Nahum?" "Frau Gärtener?" "The Colour... it burns." "Lives in the well." "In the stone." "Reads your thoughts." "Keeps you." "Can't get away." "Shortly afterward, the war began and I was able to leave." "I wanted to get away." "As far away as possible." "I'm sorry, but I..." "You don't believe me?" "I have to get on." "But it happened!" "I swear it!" "The Colour killed the Gärteners!" "It was the Colour!" "I have to find my father." "He saw it too!" "He and his men came here after the war." "Goodbye, Herr Pierske." "No!" "Is it over?" "Is it over?" "Is it over?" "It is not as big as you described on the telephone, Herr Pierske." "They are gigantic." "Can I do anything to help?" "It's nothing, really." "Help!" "It is the water down here." "Something is wrong with it." "Did you go astray?" "Did you go astray?" "SUBTITLES:" "Stella Johnston-Morris" "OCR corrected by jcdr"