your attention is drawn
to the residence of the brockman clan—
an ancient mansion
its panelled walls polished by darkness.
a lightless, soundless place
upon which a greater darkness has fallen.
the object of the deathwatch,
selena brockman,
grandam of the menagerie, who lies in her bed
in an inch-by-inch battle with death,
trying somehow to reach a compromise
instead of a capitulation.
what is your prognosis, doctor?
take two of these every four hours
to relieve the pain.
if it gets any worse, call me.
you'll...
come tomorrow.
yes, yes, of course.
you didn't answer my question.
how is dear aunt selena?
she's dying, ms. brockman.
she's been dying for sometime.
the only difference now
is that death begins to have clearly defined lines,
and you discover that it knows your name.
is that the answer you were looking for?
just concerned, doctor.
i was thinking
tomorrow after your visit,
maybe we could go out for a drink.
my god.
does this mean you won't be coming by tomorrow?
in case your aunt didn't tell you,
i inherited this family from my father
who got it from his.
and that carries a certain obligation,
a word you may not be familiar with.
so, yes, i'll be here tomorrow.
the question is will selena still be here.
dr. burrell.
selena won't die tonight.
she'll hold on as long as she has to.
come in.
your coach awaits, madame.
okay.
let me do one last check.
isn't it a long way to go
on the basis of a telephone conversation?
she's my aunt.
she needs me.
you never even met her.
no, but i've heard about her.
my dad talked about her
in this sort of whispery tone of voice
that he saved for anything that was unusual or exotic
or just plain different.
she sounds weird.
she's dying.
any talk of an inheritance?
susan.
well?
some,
depending on my going there
and helping out.
but i'm really just more curious
than anything else.
okay, that's it.
last chance.
suze, i spent my whole life
within walking distance of this place.
i think i'm entitled to a little adventure,
don't you?
okay.
come on.
you'll have free run of the house.
if you want to find anything, just ask.
this is orville.
he's our sort of combination handyman
and village idiot.
oh, relax.
he's quite deaf.
just turn away when you talk.
you can say anything you like.
isn't that right, orville?
who's that?
my mother.
she's harmless.
i don't even think she knows we're here.
i'm told there's a family resemblance.
just another minute.
i'm giving her something
to help her sleep.
aunt selena.
it's deborah.
deborah brockman.
you sent for me.
i'll be helping to look after you.
so if you need anything at all
day or night...
dr. i don't think she realized
how hard she was squeezing.
is she as ill as they say?
worse.
but she hangs on.
she's a strong woman.
i wouldn't call it strength.
it's more like a desperate clutching for life
as if she's waiting for something.
i'm sorry.
i didn't mean to be so morbid.
that's all right.
this place will do it to anyone.
well, good luck.
i hope you won't need it.
see you tomorrow.
i feel silly about bothering you.
it's just a spot.
still, i didn't want to mention it
in front of aunt selena.
no, that's good.
you can't be too careful.
this is curious but harmless.
it's a liver spot.
a liver spot?
it's uncommon in someone your age.
it's benign.
it's probably from too much sun.
how could it appear so suddenly?
probably the skin has been darkening
for some time
and only now it has become noticeable.
a good bleaching cream
two or three times a day will do it.
and stop hanging out on the beach.
doctor.
if you're quite finished,
your real patient would like to see you.
if her condition has progressed as i expect,
i'm surprised she can still see anyone.
good afternoon, doctor.
and isn't it a perfectly splendid day?
well?
pulse is stronger.
heartbeat seems to have stabilized a little.
you sound surprised.
frankly, i am.
when i came through the door,
i expected to find...
a corpse?
i wouldn't have put it that indelicately.
perhaps you're a better physician
than you give yourself credit for.
no.
i'm good.
i'm not that good.
aunt selena has
a very powerful will to live.
yes.
so it seems.
now i don't want you overexerting yourself.
this could be a temporary remission.
we don't want to cause a relapse.
oh, i'll be very careful, doctor.
thanks, orville.
i'll see you tomorrow.
are you feeling all right, debbie?
i think so.
i'm just a little tired.
i probably need something to eat.
why don't you go lie down?
i'll bring you something in a while.
thank you, i think i will do that.
yeah?
it's deborah brockman.
i know it's late, but can you come here?
is it selena?
no.
it's me.
please hurry.
deborah?
back here.
why are you sitting here in the dark?
i don't know.
what's happening to me?
it's okay.
everything's going to be fine.
look at me.
i know. I know.
i'll get you to the hospital
and do some tests.
come on, jack.
can't you do something?
we've run every test we've got
and we can't find anything wrong with her.
you've seen her.
looks like premature aging.
i agree.
it's a nice label
but until we know the cause...
i'll arrange a c.a.t. scan, see what radiology's got.
if i hear anything, i'll let you know.
now go home and get some sleep.
i'm sure this is quite unnecessary, doctor.
i'll decide that for the time being.
whatever's hit deborah
i have to know if it's contagious.
i've never felt better in my life.
neither has aunt selena.
and your mother?
oh, she never changes.
she just sits up there in her catbird seat
watching the world go by.
a souvenir from childhood, if you don't mind.
my niece is correct.
we don't need a doctor.
your interest is appreciated,
but as you see, we're all perfectly well.
oh, yes, i see that.
it's a curious coincidence:
deborah showing signs of premature aging...
i said that would beall, doctor.
in fact, i should think
that you'll no longer be required.
payment for your services
will be sent to your office.
what about deborah?
we'll see to it
that she gets the best care.
you needn't concern yourself
with it any further.
fine.
well, if it's all the same to you,
i'll choose what i want to concern myself with.
good day.
what is it?
a diary?
the brockmans'?
"july 17, 1940.
"our picnic was almost ruined
"by a fire when a horse kicked over a kerosene lantern.
only martha was burned."
"the physician says
"she'll be all right
"but will live with a scar
for the rest of her life."
it's in the same place as her daughter's scar.
can you get me back in there tonight?
you're not martha brockman, are you?
you're diane.
you're the daughter.
what are you doing here?
at first, i didn't believe it.
i didn'twant to believe it.
what?
i went to the hospital and checked.
diane brockman has green eyes
and no visible scars.
the woman in that chair
has green eyes.
so what color are yours?
and where did you get that scar?
how old are you really, martha?
get out.
it's a convenient deal, isn't it?
leave this house!
i'll see selena...
no!
selena?
selena!
my god!
selena, he knows.
it isn't right.
give deborah back her years.
it isn't right.
not right?
what do you know about it?
the game is longevity.
you play at it with your medicines and stethoscopes,
but we've won!
there's one rule, doctor.
it has nothing to do with morality or love.
when illness or death encroach,
the trade takes place.
that's how it's always been and how it always will be.
mommy?
no.
get away.
get away from me!
mommy?
orville.
rest his soul.
selena. Martha.
well, maybe she'll finally find some peace.
just one missing.
missing?
a neighbor saw a woman
break through a window.
her clothes were on fire.
when we got there, she was gone.
hard to figure.
that's diane.
deborah. Thank god you're all right.
what's happening?
where to begin?
i'm not sure that i understand it myself.
did anyone survive?
i don't know.
we're not sure about diane.
what do you think?
she's old, indigent,
with massive burns over most of her body and face.
i wouldn't hold out too much hope.
best we can do is make her last hours
as comfortable as possible.
did you notice her left arm
seems to be healing quite fast?
it's the strangest thing.
it doesn't hurt, but just look at it.
i didn't burn myself but there it is.
i've been wondering if it's psychosomatic.
maybe i've worked on the burn ward too long.
jane doe, age unknown.
sole survivor of a terrible fire.
soon to undergo a miraculous recovery.
a living warning to those
who fail to perceive the distinction
that there is a difference
between the fear of death and the love of life,
especially in the twilight zone.