Episode 2 The Secret of Crickley Hall

I love you, Mummy.

I don't want Mum to be here for the anniversary.

How would you feel about moving?

Just out of London, for a couple of months.

I used to work here.

Percy Judd at your service.

This one's the worst.

HE SCREAMS

I was told Mr Cribben was fully recovered.

Am I to have no peace in any corner of this house?

SCREAM He hit me!

There was a man here?

You're fired.

Your Mum should be in prison.

-I'm not dead, Mummy.

-Just tell me where you are.

We've got ghosts!

He's not just dead, he's a ghost?

He isn't dead! He's alive and trying to reach me.

You better not do anything bad or else he'll come and get you.

Hands up who wants to move out of here.

Hands up who wants to know where Cameron is.

She's still sleeping it off.

She's worn out.

-I'm worn out.

-What time are you going in?

Working from home today.

In case I try and fit in a quick seance while you're out?

It's amazing how ghosts never appear

when there's more than one person in the room, isn't it?

You ever noticed that? It's spooky.

-They appeared to me and Cally.

-They did, Daddy.

OK, well, when there's someone who doesn't believe in them then.

Great, look, you can take the girls for the day.

Be nice and quiet for your sister.

I'm going to check and see if anyone's seen Clyde.

He saw the ghosts! That's why he ran away!

That's probably what happened. I'll put a note in the newsagent's.

Give my regards to Percy.

You think me and Cally and Loren are all hallucinating.

Oh, don't forget the dog. Yeah, I do, sorry.

I don't think you should be getting wound up at the moment.

I think that's exactly what I need.

I've been in a coma for the last year.

This is the first time that I've felt positive in a year.

I told you I feel closer to him here.

You know whatever is going on here, or went on here,

it's going to help us find Cam.

I can't expect you to believe it if you haven't seen it.

FOOTSTEPS

Hi, Percy, it's Eve Caleigh, again.

I don't know if you got my last two messages,

maybe you're out and about, but I'm in town now

and I know you said I could call

if I had any questions about the house.

I think you may know what they are.

DOG WHINES AND SCRATCHES ON DOOR

Some background history I'd love to ask you about.

I'll keep trying. Hope you're well.

Daddy!

Yes, you can have another one, just keep the noise down.

It's doing it again!

RATTLING

What do you think?

I think it's a mouse.

-You afraid of mice?

-Yes.

-What else could it be?

-The water?

Good girl, yeah.

My money would be on the pipes if the boiler wasn't turned off.

RATTLING

-Shall we take a look?

-What if it's a ghost?

Do you want to leave it, or do you want to find out?

We could ask what it wants.

Yeah, good idea, cos then he might stop annoying us.

And that's all ghosts are, aren't they,

just people who want to annoy us? They can't hurt us.

Oh.

Is it a ghost?

No, poppet, I think it's just a draught.

That's where the smell's coming from. It's stinky!

What?

You've got a better nose than I have.

Sorry to hear about your dog.

That was fast.

I'm sure he'll show up. I'll spread the word.

Percy told us everything.

I just wanted to know how much of it was true.

I asked him to let you enjoy your stay in peace.

Well, it's true. They drowned in the house.

They drowned in the house?

The orphans, yes.

Crickley Hall was built on top of an underground river.

After the tragedy, they built a storm drain

so it could never happen today. You're totally safe.

Orphans drowned inside Crickley Hall?

What exactly did Percy tell you?

-So, it was an orphanage?

-Sorry, that's all I've got.

I'm sure Percy's not the only one who knows the story,

-and he was there.

-So was my grandfather.

He was Reverend at this church.

And whatever Percy may have told you,

Augustus Cribben was not a monster.

Discipline was harsh in those days. It's not for us to judge.

Do you know about the ghosts?

These are dead children.

Can you appreciate what a terrible thing it is to trivialise

the loss of a child?

OK. Just shine the light there, poppet, that's it.

RATTLING

Just pass me the torch.

Here's Johnny.

I'll put my hand in.

HE YELLS

HE LAUGHS

I'm sorry, I'm joking. Ow!

Who's there? Who's there?

What happened, Daddy?

Um, nothing, baby.

It's just...

It's just something fell against my hand.

I found it too!

I know baby, I know. Come here.

Get off.

I think you were very wise, Augustus.

This will put a lot of minds at rest.

The children are impeccably behaved and quite clearly in good health.

Yes, I called this occasion to celebrate our soldiers,

not to advertise my orphanage.

You have nothing to prove to me.

No-one can doubt your devotion to those children and to God.

You extend your compassion to the children of the enemy.

I know the Reverend warned you off but I've seen the ghosts.

So you may as well tell me why they're here.

All I wanted to tell you was

that it's no place for your girls to stay.

This is a private tragedy.

My son Cameron went missing a year ago. He's six now.

I heard him for the first time in a year inside Crickley Hall.

I'm sorry.

He's not dead. I heard him before.

We used to have... We have a very strong connection.

I used to hear him all the time before he went missing

and then nothing for a year. Until we came here.

And then I heard his voice inside my head like I used to.

How do you know he's not dead?

I just know.

How long you think it'll take you to kick them out of Italy?

We'll be home by Christmas.

If some Latin beauty doesn't bag you.

You know Ma says you can stay here as long as you like.

I can fix you up with a baker's in Horsley.

You could use my bike.

Why are you being so nice to me, Mr Judd?

You care about them orphans.

I want you to care about our kids like that.

By the time I got back, she'd left.

I couldn't track her down. Lots of folks lost contact back then.

Homes got bombed. People got evacuated.

She knew where you lived.

That's the only reason I'm still here.

I've had my share of people telling me I'm mad to keep hoping.

I don't think you'll get any answers out of Crickley Hall.

This is a very important day in the lives of these young men.

It may be their last night on home soil.

Speak when spoken to. Do not talk among yourselves.

And anyone, anyone who steals what is on these plates

will pay for it dearly.

Go downstairs and serve.

If there were 11 orphans, why are there only 9 gravestones?

They said that two were washed down the well.

They found some clothes but they never found the bodies.

If I'm not the only person to have seen them,

hasn't anyone tried to help them?

I tried. I asked someone to try and contact them.

She nearly died.

Who?

Lili Peel. She's in the book but she won't talk about it.

I've told you everything I can. I hope you find your boy.

Cameron said the children know where he is.

Cribben won't let them speak to you.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

-You have to come down.

-It's been noticed.

I should never have agreed to this.

That girl has raised questions and we have to answer them.

Come on, Gus. You can do it.

You are the bravest man here.

No-one sees your suffering.

Hey, hey, Stefan. Stefan. Stef. Come, come here.

Wann kommt Nancy zuruck? Wir vermissen sie alle so sehr.

Right, er, I've only got bits and pieces.

I'll take this. Go to the kitchen and get some more.

I'll be joining you in a couple of years

if it's still going on by then.

That's a cheery thought. Let's hope not?

I was sorry to hear about Nancy.

Weren't you glad to see the back of her?

She meant well but it's not the way to deal with the Cribbens.

Well, you'd know, I suppose. You've got it down to a fine art.

-If you were me so would you.

-And what if you were Stefan?

I'd speak English.

I think I just got him in more trouble.

There must be some evidence of what he's doing to them.

They're too well drilled. They seemed fed enough.

Yeah, they are now! Wait till everyone goes home.

No-one's going to take a kid's word against Cribben.

What you need is a grown-up to speak against them.

Someone they can't ignore.

I mean, if he's hurting those kids, he's done it before.

You're brilliant. I love you.

Now, how about a bit of compassion for me.

I could be dead in a week.

Don't you dare.

Oh, I'll be sorry to see that one go.

It's supposed to be a sign of psychic gifts.

My son has it too. He's six now.

Do you have children?

I've got three. I've got two with me.

I've got three.

My son is missing.

Someone in town told me you might be able to help me.

Who in town? No-one here would have told you that.

-Where are you staying?

-Hollow Bay.

-Where?

Crickley Hall.

Percy had no business telling you that I can help anyone any more.

I'll pay you anything you want. Please.

I never accepted money.

No amount of money would make me go back there.

-Maybe if I could just explain...

-No, I know all about Crickley Hall.

I'm not going back there again.

This isn't about Crickley Hall,

this is about my son.

He's missing and I heard him in that house.

I'm really sorry. I wouldn't wish that upon anybody.

But I can't go back there again.

Why are you so afraid of him, he's dead?

The dead, they can't hurt the living!

People like us, he can.

Whatever Cribben did to you, it can't be as bad

as what he's doing to those children. What about them?

I was pregnant when I went in there.

And when I came out I wasn't.

And now I can't have children.

Will that do for you?

They know where my son is.

Could you, could you at least recommend someone?

You better leave before he finds a way to really hurt you.

But I can't leave my baby.

Why do you assume these children must be lying?

Do children always lie?

They've all had an absence of love

and they have every right to be angry about that.

It's most natural for them to attack the one figure in their life

that imposes authority and discipline.

Oh, did you know Mr Cribben before he came here?

I don't think it's your place to review his credentials

-or his character.

-Is it impossible for you to conceive the idea

that children may be mistreated?

As you were?

It seems your unfortunate experience has coloured your outlook.

You see injustice everywhere

and what everyone else sees is an orphanage correctly run

for the benefit of those children's moral education.

This is not about me.

You should look to your own moral failings

before you impugn Mr Cribben's.

My moral failings?

It's understandable that your deformity has made you

enthusiastic for any male attention.

But you should consider yourself fortunate

that Mr Judd has been removed.

Perhaps you can take this opportunity

and reflect on how a Christian woman conducts herself.

This is how a Christian woman conducts herself.

If any of those children come to harm, I'm coming after you.

Get that beam secured!

I went to Gus's previous orphanage before they moved out of London

and they told me he'd had an accident.

They refused to talk to me about it. Do you recognise him?

Yes. Yes, he sustained a head injury during a raid.

He made a full recovery as far as I know.

Could that injury have changed him?

We're just worried it may have made him more short-tempered.

Less suitable for working with children.

Can I have a look at your brother again?

He came in for a few weeks after we treated him.

Concussion, as you'd expect. Tinnitus. Ringing in the ears.

I can't tell you much about his humour.

If I was worried about his peace of mind

and thought he might be a danger to children,

how would I go about confirming that?

Well, if you're his next of kin, you can have him sectioned,

if a doctor agrees.

But you need evidence, you can't just do it on a whim.

Did you treat anyone else from the orphanage?

-Any children with injuries?

-All sorts of injuries.

Consistent with being at war, or with being children?

How about staff, were there any other...?

Miss Cribben, I've got people with their arms and legs blown off.

I don't have time to cry about kids who get clipped round the ear.

Does he still have that little German boy?

He blamed that boy for his injury.

He was out on the streets looking for him,

after he ran away one time, and that's when the bomb hit him.

Did you ever see any signs of injury on the children?

Could never say for sure.

Kids are always full of bumps and scratches.

He's an expert at this.

I don't know how I'll ever expose him without any physical evidence.

One of the children told me he keeps a ledger.

He used to write down all the punishments.

He used to terrify them with it.

Why didn't you tell the authorities about it?

I did. You've seen what they're like.

But maybe if it came from someone who worked there.

-If you could find it.

-I'll find it.

I'll get it published in the local newspaper if I have to.

He didn't just beat the kids on a nightly basis, he kept a logbook.

Look at the amount of strokes he's dishing out.

By the end, he was giving, like, 40 lashes for crying in their sleep.

There's one poor kid who gets the brunt of it.

What's he supposed to have done?

I think the clue's in the name.

What are you looking for?

Two of them were never found.

Their bodies were washed out to sea through the well.

-Stefan Rosenbaum and Maurice Stafford.

-Bodies?

Crickley Hall was an orphanage in World War Two for evacuees.

The orphans drowned in the 1943 flood, in this house.

Maurice...he's not here.

Cribben never laid a finger on him, took everything out on Stefan.

What's this got to do with Cameron?

Do you think that I want to be here talking to drowned children!

I can't let him down again, Gabe! Don't make me...

OK. OK. OK. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I don't know about ghosts, love, but this house is pretty sick.

I mean, the more we look into it, the worse it gets.

Are you sure that it's Cameron you're feeling?

I mean, how old was Stefan?

He was six.

Well then, maybe it's him you're feeling. Maybe you read something.

What did he say?

Mummy, I'm not dead.

OK, um, what... what do you want to do?

No, I don't want to,

but I think I should sleep down here where I heard him.

Maybe he'd try again.

Can you not just allow yourself to believe this, even for a minute?

I don't know what's worse.

The idea that he's dead or the idea that he's alive somewhere

and he can speak to you but we can't, we can't reach him.

It doesn't get worse than dead.

So nothing weird happened while I was out?

Weird for here, no.

-KNOCKING

-Enter.

I wonder how many beatings will it take?

It seems your heart is made of stone.

I wonder, what will it take to correct you?

Well, let us pray.

You to your God

and me to mine.

BOY CRIES OUT

THE BOY'S CRIES RING OUT DUE TO THE INCESSANT CANING

BOY SHRIEKS

(I'm here, baby.)

What if he comes to get Mum?

Hey, the man's not real, remember.

-Yes, he is.

-OK, look. He can't touch us.

-Because he's a ghost, right?

-He can still touch you.

CREAKING

RATTLING

SHE SCREAMS

I can't help you!

That doctor you saw in London called up Mr Cribben.

If I were you, I'd get the next train back

cos they could prosecute you for impersonating his sister.

Do you want them to get sent back to London?

You'd rather those little ones got blown to smithereens?

Do you want to stop everybody in London

from evacuating their children?

My old man gave me the strap every night and I'm thankful of it!

Are there any letters for me?

I said that you'd left and you didn't leave no address.

He can do better than you. He wrote me what he's been up to.

He's practically engaged.

Believe it or don't. I'm not the post office.

You go your own way now, Miss.

"Darling Percy,

"you'd better not send any more letters to me at your mother's.

"I've got a very nice room at Horsey now

"and you should write me at the post office there.

"I've had an idea how I can get the children out of Crickley Hall

"but I won't put it into writing. I don't want to get you into trouble.

"One day this will all be over.

"We'll look back and wonder

"how people could ever have been so cruel to each other.

"We'll have our own children and we'll smother them with love.

"You'll make the most wonderful father.

"Every time I think of you it keeps me strong."

PHONE RINGS

'Lili. It's Percy. I know it's late.

'I'm sorry to disturb you after so long.'

You're delighted.

You found someone else to wallow in the past with you.

I've met her. The answer's no.

She lost her son, Lili.

Yeah. Well, we've all got a sob story.

I've moved on with my life, I suggest you do the same.

'The orphans can't move on'

unless someone helps them.

BUS HORN BEEPS

DOORBELL RINGS

No promises.

I'm here in case what you heard can help the orphans.

Thank you.

Are you ready to face the possibility

that your son might be dead?

Yes.

No.

That sounds about right.

Gabe, this is Lili.

She's come to take a look at the house.

I'm guessing not in a structural engineer sort of way.

No, she's a medium. She's been here before.

Oh, yeah, past life?

I tried to find some answers once before.

Better luck this time. Maybe start by looking for the dog.

I'm sorry.

She went through a lot to come back here.

Oh, yeah, I bet. How much?

She doesn't charge. The proper ones never do.

The proper ones? That'd be industry certified ones, yeah(?)

Take Cally, drive Loren to school.

You know I can't take Cally to work with me.

Don't go to work.

-I don't want them in the house when we do this.

-Do what?

Actually, do you know what, I don't want to know.

Don't you want to hear him? Don't you want me to hear him?

-No. Not like this.

-We want him to be alive.

But he's dead, Eve! When you're dead you're gone!

And no matter how much you dream about him

or you smell him or you hear him...

When you're dead you're gone.

You should go.

Lili says I'm tired all the time because of the ghosts.

They feed off energies of girls my age, she's seen it loads of times.

Move into a haunted house and you wake them up.

You lost your son in this house. What changed your mind?

Don't say lost. My son was killed in this house.

Cribben killed my son and that was the last time I talked to the dead.

You've stirred things up.

But your husband isn't going to be much use.

We're both doing our best.

I'm going to need something of your son's to work with.

He's not dead, it's the children that you need to reach.

Let me be the judge of that. Have you got something?

I'll be careful with it.

Cameron?

Cam.

"Verily, I say unto you, except he be converted

"and become as little children,

"ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,

"the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

"And who so shall receive one such little child in my name

"receiveth me, but who so shall offend

"one of these little ones which believe me,

"it would better for him that a millstone were hanged

"about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Would you wait there for one moment, please? Sit quietly.

Miss Cribben, I wanted to offer my apologies for my behaviour

when I was in your service.

I hope you can find it in your heart to accept.

-I can.

-I wanted to explain how it happened.

That's not necessary. I accept your apology.

I was badly treated in my own orphanage and it caused me

to overreact, shamefully, and to blame innocent people.

Are you sure you were badly treated?

Are you sure you didn't richly deserve it?

It's fair you should ask that.

You're right. I should apologise to them also.

I will do on my return to London.

I just came back to collect my things.

I don't think you came back to apologise.

I don't believe you're sorry in the slightest.

I can't fathom this new strategy, but I can assure you it will fail.

I just wanted to say goodbye to the children

and to impress upon them the wisdom of your method.

-Goodbye, Miss Linnet.

-Please.

No spite of yours will ever reach their ears.

If I see you near them, I will inform the police.

Maurice, would you lead them out?

I do hope everything's all right, Miss Cribben?

I believe so. You made a beautiful choice today.

Do pass on my fondest wishes to your brother.

I do hope he's well enough to attend next Sunday.

God willing.

If we're going to be here for a couple of months,

I suppose I'd better say sorry.

Yeah, might not be a bad idea. It's a small town.

Her nan does the cleaning at Crickley Hall,

that's how she knew about us. You don't have to mean it.

-What are you talking about?

-Nothing.

-Are we going to work?

-Kind of.

Well, he's not answering.

That doesn't mean he's alive.

You need to ask the orphans.

Stefan.

There's someone.

They're in darkness.

They're lost.

Is it my son?

It is a boy.

He's weak.

Ask him.

His thoughts are so fragile.

I can't tell if it's his spirit or his mind.

He's afraid.

You tell him we love him.

Tell him we'll find him.

What's your name?

Why can't you?

BANGING

Please.

Don't cry.

Cam?

Don't cry.

I won't tell him. I promise.

CANE SWISHING AND BOY CRYING OUT IN GERMAN

Who's hurting him? Tell him to stop.

What are you doing here?

What do you know about Cameron?

Tell me where he is.

Lili!

FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING

FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING

-IN BOY'S VOICE:

-'Please, sir. I'll put it back.'

-MAN'S VOICE:

-'He's mine!'

CANE SWISHING AND BOY SCREAMING

THUNDER RUMBLES

I'm so sorry she's latched on to you.

I thought maybe she'd read about us in the papers.

I'm not saying she's a fraud.

She had some kind of epileptic fit in there for sure,

but not because of ghosts.

Whether or not she believes in what she's pushing,

she's doing real damage now.

Tell your wife whatever Lili Peel says, there are no ghosts there.

Yeah, I have tried that.

No, it's been proven.

He was an expert on parapsychology.

He stayed a week inside that house

and did every kind of measurement you can think of.

It's official. There are no ghosts in Crickley Hall.

Fantastic. What's his name?

-Lili.

-What happened?

One of the orphans was speaking through you.

And then Cribben came in.

They were terrified of him.

They still are.

Can you think of any reason why they're connected with Cameron?

Only the obvious one. I'm sorry.

How can we help them?

Cribben's spirit is still really strong.

Whatever drove him in life, it's even stronger in death.

-Was he insane?

-If he wasn't before he died, he is now.

But we can't talk to the children until we get rid of him.

He's not interested in what I've got to say.

I'm so sorry to ask you this.

I wouldn't be. You know I'd ask anything to save my child.

Ask away.

You said we were going to find out about the ghosts.

Yeah, we are, babe. We're nearly there.

-I'm hungry.

-No, you're not.

-When are we going home?

-Er, right after this.

HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

Hi. I'm Gabe.

I'm very sorry. To lose a child...

Thank you, yeah. This is my little girl, this is Cally.

You're the one seeing all the ghosts?

I haven't seen them all.

Scientific mind, like her father.

Do you believe in ghosts?

That's an excellent question

to which the only quick answer I can give you is yes and no.

Dad, he's silly.

-Oi, you, behave yourself.

-It's a rubbish answer.

I'll give you a better one on the road.

We already know there are ghosts.

Would you like to hear some of mine?

Oh, it's nothing too hard-core. Whispering mostly, some laughter.

How's that not ghosts?

They're just echoes of past events.

They're not trying to contact us.

There is something then? We're not going mad.

But there's no intelligence behind it, that's the point. No agenda.

No, it's when you bring vulnerable people, bereaved people,

into a place like that, it's like pouring petrol over embers.

Is that what happened ten years ago?

Crickley Hall already had a reputation by then.

I was desperate for a look

but I just got lumped in with every other weirdo.

Then your friend Percy persuaded a psychic to go in.

The worst possible idea.

Of course, she acted as an amplifier

and the whole lot blew up in her face.

Finally they called me.

But you couldn't get rid of the...

Not ghosts, what do you call it then?

History.

Mami...

IN TRANSLATION OF GERMAN:

SWISH OF CANE

SWISH OF CANE

SWISH OF CANE

SWISH OF CANE

SWISH OF CANE

SHE SCREAMS

She'll tell my brother.

SHE SCREAMS

Imagine what he'll do to you.

Maurice, you don't have to do this.

-Maurice.

-Don't let her do this to you.

Before he hears her!

She gave us no choice.

God will forgive us.

What happened?

I'm sorry. Please tell him I won't do it again.

I'll be good. Please tell him.

She saw a man with a cane.

Mum, I don't want to stay here.

This is the last night, I promise.

We'll stay together no matter what happens.

I'm going to try and reach the children.

I want some time alone with them.

What if Cribben comes?

What if he does? What are you going to do about it?

Is she the one you punched?

She was telling lies about us.

You can't smack everyone who takes a pop at my mothering skills.

-It's my fault this happened.

-Well, by the looks of it,

it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

-Good morning, Miss Linnet.

-Good morning.

Just give me a moment, yeah?

Eve, this is Gordon Pyke.

He's an expert on Crickley Hall.

My son spoke to me.

He isn't a memory, or an echo.

Eve, I have information about your son.

WHACKING AND SCREAMING

Nancy died trying to protect those children.

They still need rescuing.

Can you hear me?

I'm taking over where she left off.

If you care about your children, you'll take them home.

If anything happens now, it'll be on your head.

Don't go to sleep.

I promise.

Do you have sedatives?

Just one more child...

Go!

..and he'll be at peace.

-SHE SCREAMS

-Loren!

SHE SCREAMS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd