| The Tale of Watcher's Woods | |
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| Season 3 , Episode 3 | |
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| Air date | January 22, 1994 |
| Written by | Gregory Kennedy |
| Directed by | David Winning |
| Episode guide | |
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Next The Tale of the Phone Police |
The Tale of Watcher's Woods, is the third episode of the third season of Are You Afraid of the Dark? as well as the twenty-ninth episode in total.
Cast
Midnight Society Cast
- Joanna Garcia asSam
- Raine Pare-Coull as Betty Ann
- Jodie Resther as Kiki
- Jason Alisharan as Frank
- Ross Hull as Gary
- Daniel DeSanto as Tucker
Story Cast
- Kendall Saunders as Sarah
- Tom Rack as The Watcher
- Sheena Larkin as Boss Hag
- Victoria Barkoff as Bow Hag
- Babs Gadbois as Headband Hag
Special Guest Star
- Jewel Staite as Kelly
Intro
That evening there is a slight thunderstorm, with lightning flash every now and then. Betty Ann is seen speaking to an unidentified person sitting down wearing a potato sack as a blindfold. She tells the person as soon as the others get there, she'll take the bag off. Tucker comes in whining because of the storm. He tells the stranger that because of the storm, they might get electrocuted, so it had better be worth the risk.
Kiki, asks who the mystery guy they've been hearing so much about is. Everyone else stands around as Betty Ann pulls off the bag and presents Sam to everyone. Tucker is stunned that Sam is a girl, while Kiki is confused by her name. Sam explains her full name is Samantha and that her friends call her Sam. Frank comes up and introduces himself to her, holds her hand tells her that she is the hottest thing around the camp fire. Sam tells him that he can call her Samantha and tightly shakes and squeezes his hand. This makes him back off in pain, Tucker is impressed and says that "the babe's got bite."
Gary seems to instantly like her and proceeds to ask her if she knows the rules. Sam says she does, which is she tells a story and if they like it, she can join their group. Sam sits down next to Betty Ann who wishes her good luck.
Sam tells them she had plenty of stories she could have told them, but she picked one that seems to fit the night's setting. There are many ancient legends of the woods. Legends of spirits such as the manitou and windigo. Whatever happened, she asks, to these spirits once people showed up to destroy their world? Many moved on, she says, but some say the most evil ones never left. With twisted hearts full of revenge, for all who dare disturb their home. Betty Ann throws in the campfire dust to intensify the fire to show her how it's done and Sam submits her story for the approval of The Midnight Society, calling her story "The Tale of Watcher's Woods"
Story
Sam tells the story. The story takes place at a girls' summer camp called "Camp Grindlestone" centering on two very different girls. Sarah was an ambitious overachiever who earned every medal a trailmaker could earn, and was looking forward to the challenges awaiting her on her first time at the camp. Sarah's only problem was that she was always so busy with her activities, she never made much time for friends. Kelly, on the other hand, wasn't much for camping. She had been to the camp before and she hated it, she had lots of friends at home and certainly didn't want to be at camp.
As Kelly is pulling in her heavy trunk of clothes, she and Sarah both accidentally bump into each other. This made Kelly accidentally drop her trunk and it broke open and some of the clothes spilled out. Kelly rudely snapped at Sarah for making it happen and told her not to touch her stuff. Sarah introduced herself to Kelly and told her it was her first time at the camp. Kelly didn't bother introducing herself and wasn't too excited to hear they were going to be in the same tent together.
Later that evening, Kelly and some of her campers were mocking Sarah's trailmaker's vest. Making jokes about all the badges and the achievements. Kelly makes some very patronizing jokes about the badges and her friends laugh along with her, while another friend is busy playing the piano. Sarah comes in and tries to make friends with the girls, and asks if they know where her trailmaker's vest is. Kelly hides it, lies, and says no. Sarah then notices an intriguing shrine on the wall.
The shrine is in memory of three young girls who went missing and were never seen again. The plaque has three black and white old fashioned pictures of trailmaker girls and three golden whistles below each picture. The message on the plaque says "Never enter Watcher's Woods; ever!" Curious she asks what Watcher's Woods is. When she asks, Sylvie (the girl playing piano) suddenly stops and all is quiet. Kelly tells her since she is new, she'll tell her. Watcher's Woods is a place where people just mysteriously disappear and vanish. It is said to have been happening for centuries, Indian tribes, colonial soldiers, pioneers, all disappeared and never seen again.
Sarah asks with some disbelief where it is, she is told it keeps moving around from one forest to another like a shark looking for victims, and once you realize you are inside it's too late. Sarah with disbelief again, says it just sounds like a stupid camp story and asks why it's called Watcher's woods. She is told by another girl, because few people have ever escaped and when they do they go crazy. They tell her it's controlled by The Watcher. The evil demon who rules over the woods and picks out it's victims.
Next Kelly tells Sarah that the three girls in the plaque were said to have disappeared into Watcher's Woods in 1919, and tomorrow would be the 75th anniversary of when it happened. The trailmaker girls went on a hike and were never seen again. The only thing, that searchers ever found were their whistles.
Kelly then taunts her asking her if she wants to go for a hike in Watcher's Wood and then suddenly she sees a rat and runs off scared with Sarah teasing her about it. Then Sarah finds her Trailmakers vest on the chair, realizing Kelly did lie about taking it.
Then next day the camp counselor pairs all the girls up into teams of two. Their goal is to collect as many specimens as they can for their nature medals and to be back before dark. Against their will the counselor pairs Kelly and Sarah together. The counselor paired them together, because Kelly had been to the camp before and knows the woods and can show Sarah around them. Sarah mockingly tells her maybe they can find watcher's woods. Before they go the counselor warns them not to light any fires to avoid any accidents. Sarah is eager to start, but Kelly rudely tells her to stay out of face.
Later while walking through a trail in the woods, much to Kelly's annoyance Sarah is reviewing some trailmaker instructions such as when getting lost, to blow loudly three times on your whistle to call for help. Kelly is about to light a cigarette and smoke, Sarah takes them away and questions her about it she makes her stop cause of the warning they were given. Kelly, annoyed says she's not into the earning medals thing and suggests they just sneak back to camp. Sarah objects and wants to continue saying she likes it and it's why she is there, Kelly complains she is there because her parents want her out of the house for two weeks.
Kelly, tells Sarah she knows the woods pretty well and she can show her where a rare pheasant's nest is. Sarah excited agrees and they head off to find it. When they approach the bushes to where Kelly says it is, Sarah gives Kelly her backpack and heads on in. Kelly ditches her and walks off, soon Sarah comes back out and realizes that Kelly tricked her and heads off to find her. Soon Kelly realizes that she is lost too, she looks at her compass which seems to be spinning around like crazy. Kelly is getting nervous and freaking out a bit, suddenly her and Sarah's backpack vanish into thin air.
Kelly then heads down a path through a a tall bush thicket, a little dark on the inside. Kelly can't make heads of tails of where she is going. When she tries to turn back she can't because the bushes are in the way now, she is confused because the path that was there and now it seems to be gone.
Later on at night time, Sarah is now also lost too she calls out loud for Kelly several times but gets no answer. Eventually a deep demonic voice quietly calls out "Sarah!", Sarah turns around and follows the sound to a tree. Then a man's face instantly appears, he tells her "Welcome....to my woods!" Sarah screams in terror and runs off.
Kelly is also now lost in another part of the dark woods, she is getting very tense and nervous but she tries to stay calm and keep her cool telling herself she can get through it. Suddenly as she walks ahead she sees green light coming through some trees. Thinking it might a way out she walks over to it, walking through a short path of twisting branches. She comes up to a rotten bloody head impaled on a stick, she backs off in disgust. Then she finds a small campground light in dark green moonlight. The campground has old fashioned items such as a very old phonograph record player and bamboo furniture. She calls around several times to see if anyone is there. Then after not getting any answers and seeing no ones in the tents she is about to leave. Then suddenly she steps into a net trap and is raised into the air. Three old woman approach her and the leader tells her "Welcome to watcher's Woods deary", causing Kelly to scream in terror.
The three old woman are ghosts and witches or better known as hags. They're dirty, unkempt and are wearing worn out dirty clothes or cloaks. The leader The Boss Hag has dark brown hair, The second one has silver gray hair and wears a brown head band and looks somewhat ill. The third one seems to be wearing a dirty trailmakers coat and has a big bow on her head. The Boss Hag, ties her between two trees and paints a yellow x across her pink jacket. Kelly asks who they are but they don't answer. The Boss Hag says it took 75 years but they finally found the person who took their whistles. The Headband Hag comments about how much they waited. The Bow Hag says she isn't sure if it's her. The Boss Hag lights up a flaming arrow and threatens Kelly to tell them where their whistles are, or she'll shoot. When Kelly doesn't answer Boss Hag shoots. Kelly screams no in terror as the arrow is shot, she flinches as it's about to hit her, luckily the yellow painted x made the arrow invisibly go right through her completely unharmed.
Believing this has struck much more fear into her, The Boss Hag asks her again where their whistles are? Kelly figures out that the three of them are the missing trailmakers who have been missing since 1919. Sarah has now also stumbled upon the strange green light and has found the camp and is sneaking in very carefully spying on them. The hags unaware of how much time has gone by or due to their still childish attitudes, believe that Kelly is the one who stole their whistles and left them behind. They tell her that the Watcher captured them and promised to set their souls free when they found their whistles. However The Watcher knew it was obvious it would never happen so they've been kept prisoner ever since, and soon Kelly will be old and dead just like they are and become one of them too.
Kelly tells them she knows where the whistles are, and if she is set free she'll go get them. The trio of hags think it over together at first. Then the Headband Hag magically sets her free with Kelly promising she'll come back with the whistles. Then on her way out The Boss Hag reconsiders telling her they don't believe her and traps her in a tree branch cage. Possibly they can see right through her and just tell she is unkind, untrustworthy and dishonest. To torment her The Boss Hag can guess that she is afraid of rodents and places a bucket full of white rats beside her cage, causing Kelly to constantly back away feeling tense.
Sarah who has sneaked into the camp talks to her from behind the tree branch cage. Kelly apologizes to her for everything that has happened in for getting her into the mess. She explains that three ghost hags think she stole their whistles from them and that she would never do that. Suddenly the ghost hags appear wielding a machete causing them both to scream.
Boss Hag asks what they should do with their other visitor. The Headband Hag suggests to work on their survival medals and hunt her for food. Sarah tells them she knows where the whistles are and will run back and get them. The Boss Hag agrees on the condition they will keep Kelly prisoner and if she doesn't come back before sunrise she'll be food for the mice and the newts.
Sarah runs back to the camp at full speed. She gets a bit lost and navigates but finding the north star. Suddenly she can her that evil demon like whispering voice calling to her "Sarah". Sarah asks what it whats and The Watcher's face appears in a puddle and tells her "I'm watching you!" she continues along her way. Then The Watcher's calls out to her again, and she trips and falls down as a rotten corpse pops out from the ground. The skull on the corpse looks like a rotten bony skeleton face with eyes. Then the whole corpse pops out of the ground and morphs into The Watcher. The Watcher, tells her she fascinates him, and he needs another precious soul like hers to add to his precious woods and he asks her to join him.
With Kelly's cigarette lighter she threatens to torch his woods to the ground if he doesn't leave her alone. The Watcher, seriously backs off and vanishes into the ground. Sarah continues running at full speed, she heads back to the cabin she smashes the glass on the shrine open and retrieves the three whistles. Meanwhile back at the ghost hags camp, Boss Hag realizes it's almost sunrise and Sarah is not back yet, possibly thinking Sarah isn't keeping her word they decided to work on their cooking medals and prepare to cook Kelly and begins to sharpen their machete.
Sarah runs in with the whistles just in time, but she trips and falls down and one of the whistles fall into the bucket of rats. Sarah not realizing she lost one throws them over to the ghost hags. The Headband Hag complains that they need three whistles to break the spell not two. The Bow Hag, mad about how she got their hopes up tells her what a nasty trick it was. Sarah begs them to let her find the third one but they all say at the same time "Too late!" now Sarah is magically strapped to a board and a jagged blade is gonna drop down on her.
Sarah is begging Kelly for help, Kelly can see where the third whistle is and tells them it's over in the rat bucket. Boss Hag doesn't believe her and tells them not to listen. Just as Boss Hag is about to have the Headband Hag cut the rope to drop the blade, Sarah faces her fears and puts her hand into the bucket and gets the whistle she blows it then throws it over, just it time before the blade crashes down on Sarah. As the whistle is retrieved Sarah is magically released. The hags in shock can't believe they finally have them. Then together they blow on their whistles three times and glow and vanish. Afterwards everything from the camp is gone and nothing but three trailmakers signs are found saying "I've gone home".
Then on their way back to the camp, as their heading up the road a really old fashioned car slowly drives by. The driver politely nods to them, and in the back seat are the three trailmaker girls from 1919 and they all smile and wave to Kelly and Sarah as if to say thank you as they drive on by. What we can see is that watcher kept his word, and did release them when they found their whistles and they're either going back to their own time or are crossing over into the afterlife. Then the camp counselor and all their fellow campers show up thrilled to have found them.
Ending
As Sam, ends her story she asks them all how she did. Gary and the others all huddle together to come to their unanimous decision. Gary is about to tell her "I don't know how to tell you this.." Sam taking it well tells him that she understands and it's okay and thanks him for the chance. However what Gary means is it's gonna be hard calling someone who looks like her "Sam" and they all smile as Gary welcomes her into The Midnight Society. She shakes hands with everyone and Sam smiles in victory.
- Sam's first story.
- Jewel Staite who portrayed Kelly later reappeared in the show again. Her next appearance was in the season 4 episode "The Tale of the Unfinished Painting" as Cody.
- Tom Rack Who Portayed The Watcher had previously appeared in the season 1 episode "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard" as The Security Guard and The Sheriff he also co-wrote that episode.
- Sheena Larkin who portrayed The Boss Hag, Previously portrayed Nanny in "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost" reappear in the series several times again. The third time she reappeared as Sara Simpson in "The Tale of the Room for Rent" The fourth time she reappeared as Hermoine St. Claire in the episode "The Tale of the Walking Shadow". The final time she reappeared in the three part episode, season 7 premiere "The Tale of the Silver Sight" as Grandma Aggie, in the series revival.
- Babs Gadbois who portrayed the Headband Hag, reappeared two mores times in the show. The second time she portrayed the Old Ms. Valenti in "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror". The third and last time she portrayed Gwen in "The Tale of the Walking Shadow". in the series revival.
- Sheena Larkin & Babs Gadbois who portrayed Boss Hag and Headband Hag, later reappeared together in the series revival episode "The Tale of the Walking Shadow", as Hermione St. Claire & Gwen.
