"NARRATOR:" "Tales of Tomorrow, science fiction dramas that explore the unknown." "Presented by Jacques Kreisler, the name that means quality in watchbands." "Tonight, our Tale of Tomorrow is The Crystal Egg by H.G. Wells." "And starring Thomas Mitchell." "What would you do if you thought someone from another world was watching you?" "Tonight we present The Crystal Egg, starring Thomas Mitchell." "VANECK:" "My name is Vaneck." "I'm a man of science, and I've been chairman of the physics department at Cambridge these past 10 years." "I am, I believe, well respected by my colleagues, and I've published several important papers, as well as three books." "My contribution as a scientist is a matter of record, but this will not help the case I plead, for already some of my colleagues are hinting that I'm acting strangely." "Vaneck is having hallucinations." "But this affects only me." "And there is something else involved." "There is involved the welfare of this country-- perhaps the world." "If something happens to me, this will be the only record of the strange events that started that evening in Cave's shop in the West End." "[RINGING]" "Oh, yes, sir?" "Something I can show you, sir?" "Yes." "The crystal egg in the window." "I should like to buy it." "The crystal egg." "Yes, sir." "An interesting piece, sir." "Now, here we are, sir." "A good looking piece, what?" "Fine." "If you will wrap it, please?" "Yes." "Excuse me just a minute, sir." "It doesn't seem to be marked." "Well, why don't you look in the book?" "Ah." "It's part of that junk we bought from Barton." "Can't be worth more than 10 bob." "We only paid 2 quid for the lot." "Yeah." "At least" "Are you wrapping it?" "Seems in a powerful hurry, that one." "And the customer seems anxious to buy." "I haven't much time." "Yes." "Ah, we haven't discussed the price." "That'll be 5 pounds." "5 pounds?" "For a piece of crystal?" "Oh, but sir, this is" "I'll, uh, give you a pound." "A pound!" "Oh, deary." "Oh, you-- you've shocked my wife." "Oh, a pound, indeed." "No, sir, the price is 5 pounds, and a steal at that, sir." "2 pounds 10." "That's all I have." "I'll hold it, sir, for you." "But I was told to" " Very well." "I'll return with the money." "Of course, sir, if someone should come in" "Hold it for me." "The name, please?" "I said I'd be back." "You'll recognize me." "Ha!" "Idiot!" "5 pounds for a bit of junk like that." "He'll never be back." "He'll be back." "And when he comes next time, I'll tell him I made an error." "I should have asked 10 pounds." "What?" "Yes." "He seemed very anxious to buy the crystal egg." "Might it not be possible, deary, that this is a particularly valuable kind of crystal?" "I always wondered about this." "It's a strange piece." "You're the strange one." "Perhaps." "I think I'll call Professor Vaneck." "I'd like the good professor to take a look at this crystal egg." "Oh, you're crazy." "I'm crazy." "Heh." "(SINGING) Where was I when-- Ah, Professor, Vaneck." "Yes." "This is Cave." "Yes." "Cave of the curio shop, sir." "Yes, I have a favor to ask of you, professor." "VANECK:" "I came so close." "So terribly close to telling him I was too busy." "I'd purchased several items at his shop, and paid well for them, so I owed him no favors." "Perhaps I too wondered why anybody would pay 5 pounds for a piece of crystal." "So I said I'd see him." "That man comes over, we'll never get to the flicks." "Did you really have your heart set on it?" "Well, not that important." "But perhaps we could tomorrow night?" "That I most definitely promise." "Do I disturb you?" "I mean, can you get to work with me hanging around here, and all?" "I'd say you were a slight disturbance." "I could go." "Oh, no, no." "Stay." "You know what I wonder?" "What?" "I wonder how an educated man like you finds a girl like me interesting." "Nonsense." "We compliment each other." "Oh?" "We go together, like tea and crumpets." "Like Georgette and the professor." "Oh." "But I would like to see my visitor alone." "Oh, of course." "Oh, now, Georgette, I'm not sending you away." "Darling, you know how much you mean to me." "But in this case, well, this man lives in the neighborhood, and he's a talkative little buzzard." "And people do like to talk about old bachelor professors." "Run along now, darling." "And go out the back way." "All right." "But don't forget, the cinema tomorrow night." "I won't." "Good night." "Good night, dear." "Come in!" "Good evening, professor." "Good evening." "Good evening." "Good of you to see me, sir." "Not at all." "Oh, my." "Oh, this is nice." "Oh, and here's a piece of mine." "One item of mine." "How well it looks in the room, sir." "Thank you, thank you." "I'm sorry I can't ask you to sit down, but I'm pressed for time." "Examination papers, you know?" "Yes, yes, of course." "I understand." "Well, this won't take more than a moment of your time, professor." "Now, I would like to ask you, what is this?" "Huh?" "It's a crystal." "A very ordinary crystal." "Ordinary crystal?" "Are you sure, sir?" "Is there no way of testing it?" "Well, if you want to leave it here, when I get time," "I'll examine it." "Under your glass, the spectroscope?" "Yes." "Oh, that would be fine." "That would show it up, wouldn't it?" "So could you do it now?" "Oh, no, I can't." "No, no, of course not." "Well, in that case, I'll leave it here, and I won't take up anymore of your time, professor, if you'll do it." "Thank you very much, sir." "You're welcome." "Good evening, sir." "Good night." "I worked all night." "I couldn't stop." "In all my years of research, I'd never seen anything like this." "Nor did any of my books and charts help." "Of only one thing was I certain-- this landscape was not of this Earth." "[PHONE RINGING]" "Yes?" "MAN ON PHONE:" "Is this professor Vaneck?" "Hope I didn't wake you, sir." "Wake me?" "Oh, what time is it?" "It's 9:00, sir." "Have you any news for me, sir?" "News?" "Oh, Cave, yes." "I haven't had time to take a look at your crystal." "Oh, but sir, the customer's coming this morning." "Well, stall him off." "Maybe I'll get a chance to look at it this morning." "Call me later." "That crystal became my life." "I didn't even go to my classes." "I worked feverishly, and I began to make progress." "Slowly but certainly, the strange landscape in the crystal became clearer and clearer." "I was able to distinguish certain features of the terrain." "Landmarks became visible." "The spectroscope readings indicated that the atmosphere of this landscape was different from ours." "The mineral content of the mountain ranges were of no Earthly origin." "There was only one possible conclusion." "I was looking at another planet." "[KNOCKING]" "Yes?" "It's me." "Georgette." "What do you want?" "What do I want?" "Have you forgotten our date to the cinema tonight?" "I'm sorry, darling." "Awfully sorry." "I've been terribly busy." "I" "Have you, now?" "Well, look, if you're shoving me out, just say so." "I can take a hint." "I know when shop closes." "Nobody has sent me over theres." "Oh, now, please, Georgette." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I know you're frightfully busy, and I've no right to make demands." "So whenever you're free." "No, no." "You make demands all you want." "You're entitled to them." "I'll let myself out." "Thank you, Georgette, for being so thoughtful." "My brain was reeling." "I was exhausted." "Feverish." "But there was no stopping." "Finally, the landscape came into focus." "Sharp, clear." "There, close to the horizon, was Saturn, in ascending aspect to Neptune." "This was the answer." "Through the crystal egg, I was looking at a landscape on Mars." "And then" "[RINGING]" "Hey." "Sorry, professor, but I had to see you." "I have to have the egg back." "You have to have it now?" "Yeah, yes." "The young man keeps returning every few hours, and now he'll pay me 10 pounds." "And that's a lot of money." "No, no, no, no." "Not for that crystal." "Hey, you let me keep it a few days more." "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, professor." "No, no." "Hold on, here." "Now, you listen to me for just a minute, Mr. Cave." "Look, now listen carefully." "That crystal, it has a world inside of it." "Here, let me show you something, Cave." "Come in here to my white room." "Here." "Now, watch." "Watch carefully." "Watch." "The room has to be completely dark." "Now, you watch care" "Cave!" "Cave!" "Cave, come back here!" "Don't-- don't sell it, Cave!" "I'll better any-- any offer you get." "Mr. Cave." "Mr. Cave?" "[INAUDIBLE] to be lost." "We're closed, can't you see?" "Oh." "Oh, it's you, professor." "Oh, he was a good man, Charles, he was a good man." "He had his [INAUDIBLE]." "What happened?" "Haven't you read it?" "It was a blast all over the morning papers, it was." "Oh, it's horrible, horrible." "It's that old [INAUDIBLE]." "What has happened?" "Where?" "In any alley." "They left him to die in an alley." "Beat." "Beaten." "It must have been" "They?" "The police said it must have been at least two of them, as Charles lay dying." "OK." "Please, please, Mrs. Cave." "Did the police find it?" "Did they find the egg?" "I meant to ask you about that." "Where is it?" "Why, Mr. Cave took it last night." "What?" "I don't believe." "Didn't the police mention it?" "Say anything about it?" "No." "Oh." "The man who wanted to buy it-- what did he look like?" "Look like?" "Well, he looked like a man, of course." "What do you suppose?" "Uh-huh." "Oh, yes, yeah." "He looked like a man-- yeah, yes, I know." "He looked like a man." "He's a queer one, he is." "Wouldn't be surprised if he'd stolen it himself." "Professor." "Probably thinks I killed old Cave." "If I told the police I saw Cave last night, they wouldn't believe me without that egg." "The egg-- where is it?" "Who took it?" "Without the egg, nobody will believe me." "My story means nothing without the egg." "Even my colleagues wouldn't believe me." "Would the dean?" "Yes, Vaneck." "Mars in a crystal egg." "Well, Vaneck, there's no need of me telling you, I suppose, that your story has been making the rounds of the faculty room." "No, no." "I don't care to discuss the matter." "But if it should be brought to my attention again," "I'm afraid I shall have to resort to some course or other." "Poor man." "Poor man." "He's insane, that's what he is." "He believes it." "He must be insane." "Nice old Vaneck." "Mars." "Imagine, he says he's seen Mars in an egg." "The fools." "Can't they understand me?" "Can't they hear me?" "It's eating you up." "Why don't you let it out?" "It's that egg, isn't it?" "That thing." "Look at me, Georgette." "They only know me as a scholar." "You know me as a man." "You know me better than any one of them." "Tell me something." "Am I mad?" "Tell me." "Have I gone mad?" "Oh, no, Frederick." "If what you say is true, if the egg is dangerous, if it must be found, then I'll believe it." "I'll believe anything you say is true." "It is true." "It must be true." "It has to be true." "I" " I'll see my friend Walker." "He'll publish my story." "Well, then they'll have to believe it." "They'll have to believe it." "[KNOCKING]" "Open it and state your case." "Vaneck." "Vaneck, Vaneck." "Is there, uh, more than one of me?" "Well, look at you." "You're fat enough to be triplets." "Sit down, sit down." "What brings you into this jungle, anyhow?" "An article, I hope." "As a matter of fact, yes." "An article." "Do I have to preview, or do you know the comic details?" "I'm an old friend, Vaneck." "An old friend overhears things." "Sometimes they listen, but they never turn their back." "If you hadn't sought me out, I should have come to see you." "Thank you, Walker." "I believe that." "What can I do for you?" "Anything in my power." "Publish my article." "You publish it, and then they believe me." "I should have to read it first." "I am a friend, yes." "But I'm an editor, too." "Then you'll reject it." "That's what you're saying." "Vaneck, may I be frank?" "Please." "Let's suppose that what I've heard is substantially the truth." "That Vaneck, a professor at Cambridge University has discovered a crystal which reveals Mars." "Now, we assume that." "Yes." "And I publish this information in my magazine, read by scientists throughout the world." "Vaneck, where does that leave me?" "Oh, with Leeuwenhoek and Galileo." "Yes, yes." "With Leeuwenhoek when he peered through his microscope and and saw a mass of light, and they laughed at him." "But Galileo, when he pointed his telescope and saw something so bright that it shook the Earth." "Impossible, they said." "Galileo is mad, Leeuwenhoek is mad." "All who see first are mad." "Then the world sees, and the mad men become heroes." "Now, you listen to me, Walker." "I do know what I have seen, and I'll scream it to the world." "I saw Mars through a crystal egg!" "But Vaneck, Leeuwenhoek had his microscope." "Galileo had his telescope." "Ultimately, others could see." "But you-- where is your crystal egg?" "Ha!" "Where is my crystal egg?" "I-- I couldn't publish." "I'm not thinking of myself, I'm thinking of you." "Your reputation." "Your life as a scientist is at stake." "I know, I know all that." "And you're willing to risk that?" "But I must." "Don't you understand?" "I saw him." "I saw him watching us." "I don't understand that, Vaneck." "I don't understand that at all." "But that crystal must have been put there on purpose." "Don't you understand, too?" "That crystal, they're seeing us." "Night and day." "They're watching us in unguarded hours." "Why are they watching us, Walker?" "Tell me that." "Why are they watching us?" "Now, Vaneck." "Oh." "Oh, yes." "I've seen that look in the eyes of all the others." "Poor Vaneck has gone mad." "No, Vaneck!" "Not like this." "Don't go!" "VANECK:" "So this is my story." "Here's the record." "Listen to it well, for if I'm to meet the same fate as poor old Cave, and something tells me this is so, then perhaps what I've recorded here may impress my esteemed colleagues." "Somewhere in our world the crystal exists." "Find it!" "Find the crystal, for through it they're watching us." "Watching our every move." "They are" "[GUNSHOTS]" "[GROAN]"