#only Micky calls him Richie

[the-lord-of-the-things]

Micky Beans- now available in two exciting flavors!

[auskultu]

Special Report: The Canyon Scene

Jerry Hopkins, Rolling Stone, 22 June 1968

[From a larger article on the Los Angeles scene.]

It is the canyons—Laurel and Topanga, especially—that house the people who make the music. Laurel Canyon is a paisley gash that runs from Schwab’s on Sunset to the suburban San Fernando Valley, and Topanga Canyon is a dusty-woodsy pass leading from Malibu Beach to the same suburban sprawl. The environments in these canyons differ, but the people do not.

Van Dyke Parks calls Laurel Canyon “the seat of the beat” in his album Song Cycle, for it is here the music-makers create and rehearse, using the canyon walls as a natural baffle—and the neighbors don’t seem to mind so much.

Stand on the wood porch outside the Canyon Country Store halfway up the hill and watch the neighborhood file in for supplies. In a few days time you will have seen members of Clear Light and the Turtles, Neil Young and Richie Furay (former Buffalo), Lee Michaels, Bryan MacLean (Love), Joe Larson (Merry-Go-Round), Micky Dolenz, Joni Mitchell, A&M’s Michael Vosse, Elektra engineer John Haney, Phil Austin and Phil Proctor of the Firesign Theatre, Andy Wickham, Electra producer Barry Friedman (who shared a home in the canyon until recently with Paul Rothchild), Carol King (Goffin and King), and a dozen others of this musical, house-hopping fraternity. It is also in Laurel Canyon that Eric Burdon has a home, and Frank Zappa just bought the old Tom Mix house.

The attraction of the small store, with a cleaners and tiny restaurant nearby, is social as much as culinary. It is here where dates are made, new homes are found (on a bulletin board or through friends), grass might be scored, and where you usually get some sort of vague answer to the question, “What’s happening?"

Billy Of Ridpath Drive “If there were more mobility in this town,” says Billy James, a personal manager and music publisher who lives just up the hill from the store, “the Canyon store would look like MacDougal Street on Saturday night.”

Billy lives on Ridpath Drive, a steep twisting road that puffs to a dead-end after dividing 50 or 60 small frame houses slammed up against the mountainside. An afternoon stroll along his block reveals the essence of canyon existence.

At 8504 Ridpath, where Billy lives with his wife Judy and son Mark, is a mailbox with a typewritten list of the legitimate addresses for 8504; there are at least 20 companies, groups and individuals on the list. Inside the house this day, the dutiful wife is preparing a 1 p.m. breakfast of hamburgers for Billy and for Jackson Browne, a singer-songwriter Billy represents. Between phone calls, in a small dark “office” cluttered with albums, photographs, collages, tapes and acetates, Billy talks about the canyon.

“I lived in Beverly Hills my first two years here,” he said, “and then I moved into the clear air of the hills. It was either the hills or the ocean; both are here and it seemed silly not to live comfortably.

“I wasn’t the first to move into Laurel, but there weren’t too many here then—musicians and so on. Arthur Lee [Love] lived nearby—and that was about it. It’s all happened in the last year or so. I don't know why, really. If creative artists need to live apart from the community at large, they also have a desire to live among their own kind and so an artistic community develops.”

The Distant Drums As Billy talks, you hear someone in the near distance rehearsing. Billy explains it is the drummer for the International Submarine band. The drumming becomes louder as you pass the house and walk another few yards to 8524, Barry Friedman’s home. There you find Barry listening to tapes he has just produced for Elektra. Outside and on a different level from the house someone is cleaning the swimming pool and in another room of the sparsely furnished but rambling house a young Canadian songwriter named Rolf Kempf is picking and singing quietly.

Barry turns up the tapes for a visitor and begins to hype the group, the Holy Modal Rounders. You can see his lips move and barely hear him as an earthslide of sound fills the room from two huge studio speakers mounted near the ceiling. When the volume is cut, Rolf returns to his picking.

The following day Billy James is not home in the afternoon, but meeting with a record company. The house of the International Submarine Band is quiet as its members sleep. And Barry Friedman’s home is asprawl with musicians listening to albums and rapping—several of those present being the members of the Buffalo Springfield, wondering what’s next

Househopping Earthworms Laurel Canyon has been described by pop writer Richard Goldstein as a place where streets appear as if laid out by earthworms. And so it is. The earth is baked dry and verdant with semi-tropical growth by turns, and the drives and trails knot incredibly—linking a community of sound.

(A footnote regarding the househopping mode of living in LA., which can only be described as incestuous: before Barry Friedman and Paul Rothchild moved into what is now Barry’s home, the tenant was disc jockey B. Mitchell Reed … who, in turn, now lives in David Crosby’s house in Beverly Glen, while Crosby commutes to his boat in Florida … and Barry’s old house, in Hollywood, is now inhabited by Doug Weston, owner of the Troubadour.)

Topanga Canyon is a stranger and somehow gentler place, removed from Hollywood and the center of the scene by almost 20 miles. (But still in L.A.) Say “Topanga” to someone in L.A. and the first-word-you-think-of response is “hippie.” But Topanga carried Goldwater in 1960, and the American Legion post there is a powerful one. Still, it is where Linda Ronstadt and Bob Kimmel of the Stone Poneys lived when the world began to spin. It is where Barry McGuire went to collect himself and began getting back to nature and where, today, in small frame homes against clay hillsides live two songwriters named Alexander (Gordon and Gary), Chris Hillman and Kevin Kelly of the Byrds, and the old Buffalo Springfield’s Steve Stills.

Laurel Canyon is the sort of canyon where you’d expect to find (and will find) a lot of motorcycles. Topanga Canyon is the sort where you’d look for horses. Both these means of transportation are popular among the music-makers who live in these canyons: bikes in Laurel, horses in Topanga. (VW campers in both.)

Immediate Medical Attention Los Angeles is a strange town, seeming at times as if it were made in Japan and shipped here in small parts, then assembled by a committee of capricious drunks. But it has a pull, an attraction that may often (if not always) be related to—but somehow a little stronger than—the record company and the money it represents.

Frank Zappa, after living for 18 months in New York, returned to Los Angeles in May. “New York is a good city to make money in,” he said, “but I can’t write there. I have to be in L. A. There’s something very creative here.”

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds says the music scene suffers some from the city’s unusually beautiful climate, its “terribly relaxed attitude,” but Derek Taylor thinks those points make L. A. valuable. “This town makes no demands on you and it offers you everything good,” he said. “There seem to be 30 hours in every day and eight days in each week. There is a leisurely pace, but a pace of getting it done. It’s all here —the best facilities, the best climate. You don’t have to leave L.A. on business, you know, unless you like to travel on business; everyone you know or like wants to come here. Even the Beatles, who never go anywhere.”

There are others who feel Los Angeles is not yet the blossom Derek says it is. Michael Vosse feels the earth in Los Angeles is “in need of immediate medical attention.” “It's sick,” he said. “The business is sick and we have to keep attacking and working to make it well.”

While John Hartmann, manager of the Canned Heat and one of the Kaleidoscope owners, says, “The L. A. music scene is almost an unborn child. It’s a whole new thing today. The industry is generating product at an incredible pace, and new groups and new record companies are appearing hourly. I believe the LA. scene started with the Buffalo Springfield and I think the Doors really kicked off this new era. Now stand back and watch out!”

So as L.A. troops from club to club by night, from studio to studio by day, or hides out in a canyon to rehearse and write, the scene begins to unfold. The many scenes haze softly at the edges and begin to overlap.

[grownups-are-the-real-monsters]

Tequila Sunrise - The Kids Are Alright

Summary: Marty’s having a party.....and who is Marty anyway???

Another one shot in the ‘Kids Are Alright’ Series

Words: 1,799

{Derry, Maine. May 20th, 1976. 2:47 P.M. } 

Richie had felt the day slipping past him since sixth period Algebra. He felt drained and tired, mind lingering with left over math formulas he should remember. The sun was hanging loosely over in the sky, threatening to make it’s touchdown early. His stomach stirred with a mixture of that minor case of homesickness that school gave him. 

Classmates pushed out from the gates while he played with the loose thread of his sweater, threading it around the top of the chain link fence. It had been a gift from Stan, a dorky looking hand-me-down sweater from Mr. Uris actually. But Stan’s father liked Richie well enough. 

He was actually starting to relax, kicking his shoe on the school pavement. That was until there was an abrupt rock on the fence and he jumped. 

Eddie smirked, his velvet shoes pushed through the holes of the fence so he’d have a taller stature. “How’s your arm?” He asked, sincerely even behind all his giggling. 

Richie knocked his cast with an amused expression. “Still broken.” He then grinned. “Bev tell you about Marty’s party?” 

Eddie hopped off the fence and shrugged. “Who’s Marty? And we’re really going to that?”

“Well, you do know the seven of us aren’t actually attached at the hip, right?-” Richie playfully pushed Eddie with his good arm “-And don’t all have to go places together....so you don’t have to go....or we don’t have to go?” Richie gestured between them and Eddie’s eyebrow raised. 

“Why would we not go if the others are going?” Eddie asked, oblivious as always to Richie’s intentions. 

Richie shrugged, giving up. “It was just a suggestion.” 

The two of them walked down the sidewalk a little ways before coming into the view of the Vista Cruiser. Eddie grinned, at the car but also at the crowd of Losers around it. Beverly tinkered with the rear-view mirror as Bill looked at his reflection. 

Eddie pulled his keys from his pocket and swirled them on his finger. “Did I actually say you guys could bum rides off of me?” 

“No but you’ll drive us anyway because you loooovee us.” Ben teased, leaning on the car. The others all hooted in agreement. 

Eddie rolled his eyes and went to the drivers side to unlock the car. Bev and Richie reached for the passengers side handle at the same time. “Shotgun!” Richie smirked but Beverly only rolled her eyes. 

“Please.” She pursed her lips. “I called Shotgun way before you got here....save yourself another broken arm, babe?” She bumped her hip and playfully knocked Richie over to the backseat door. 

He pouted but quickly laughed as he climbed inside. 

Beverly buckled up, playing with the strap to make sure it was on and turned to Eddie. “We’re going to my place to get ready for the party....well for you guys to watch me get ready, really. You idiots don’t have to change or anything.” She smiled. 

Eddie frowned, hands tightening on the wheel as he leaned back. Bill tried to get a glimpse of his face in the mirror but settled on shoving himself up and gripping the back of his seat. “Y-You can come, right?” 

Eddie tilted his chin up. “Yeah, I’m sure my mom won’t mind me going to a stoners party on a school night.” He huffed. 

“So you’re not going?” Mike asked from the backseat. 

“Oh-no, I’m going.” Eddie nodded, tapping his nails on the wheel. “You guys just gotta make sure my mom doesn’t dress me in that ridiculous suit for my funeral, ok?” 

“You got it, buddy.” Beverly grinned. 

“That is, if she for some reason decides to invite you guys.” Eddie shrugged again and the car erupted in laughter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beverly pulled her sock up and scooted her chair up to her make-shift vanity, opening her drawers to collect what she needed. Richie and Bill were flopped on her bed, Mike sat at the end. Ben, Eddie & Stan sat on nearby chairs. 

“Y’know, I’m missing Zeppelin on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert for this party.” Beverly frowned, patting her finger in her blue eye-shadow to test the pigment. 

“Isn’t that a re-run?” Mike asked and Bev’s eyes moved to look at him in the mirror. 

“Yeah but it’s still way better than this guy....Marty’s party.” She paused to recall his name.

Richie smirked, sitting up. “I dunno, this could be the party of a lifetime, Bev. Remember last year? Mike threw up on his carpet?-” He slapped Mike’s arm and everyone laughed. 

“I thought that was at Steve’s party?” She asked and Richie paused.

“No, it was Marty’s!” 

“How do we know Marty again?” She asked but Richie ignored her.

“Marty’s Party....Marty’s Party” Richie began to chant, a smirk on his face and soon they all joined. 

“Marty’s Party, Marty’s Party, Marty’s Party-” 

The group started to sway in their seats with wide grins, breaking for laughter. “Ok, ok. I gotta go walk to Patty’s. I’ll see you losers at the party.” Stan stood and waved, they all waved back until he left. 

“Remember Eds, you’re our ride so you can’t drink.” Richie reminded him and Eddie nodded.

“Yeah, but please don’t get too drunk you guys.” 

“No problem!” They agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Mike, Bill, Beverly, & Richie sat in a circle around the table in Marty’s living room. The room is filled with smoke.} 

“I’m so baked.” Richie chuckled, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I’m in like....the perfect state of mind right now.” He gestured wildly with his hands. 

Beverly burst into a fit of giggles, holding her stomach before sitting up straight again. “Shit, I forgot why I was laughing.” She frowned.

“Anybody seen B-B-Ben?” Bill asked, absentmindedly looking around. 

“Ummmm-” Mike began but was quickly cut off when a short blonde guy pulled up a chair and sat next to him. “Who are you?” 

“Marty.....remember? And your friend had 3 beers and fell coming up the stairs...he’s in the bathroom getting a Rudolph band-aid.” He said, basking in the smoke. 

“Ben.” They all nodded in agreement before Bill spoke up, standing. “I’ll get him.” he left. 

“You aren’t gonna throw up on my carpet this year, right?” The blonde, Marty apparently, asked as he turned to Mike who grinned. 

“Nah. Besides, I gave you some money to get it cleaned.” Mike patted his shoulder. 

“No you didn’t?” Marty frowned. 

“What? I gave the money to Richie to give to you-” Mike trailed off and looked to Richie. 

“Oh! I used that to buy bottle rockets.” Richie grinned. 

Mike frowned, leaning over to whisper in Marty’s ear, who then whispered in Beverly’s who then popped Richie's good arm.

“Ow! Damn! We all played with them!” Richie scowled, rubbing his arm as they all laughed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve got four high friends, one drunk friend and a perfectly sober couple to drive home?” Eddie asked Bill who grinned and nodded. 

“Yup.” 

The eight of them stood around the Vista Cruiser and waited for Eddie to unlock the doors. Stan and Patty watched with amusement as Richie and Mike playfully shoved each other for Shotgun this time. 

Ben frowned, leaning on the car looking a little sick. Beverly came up behind him and rubbed his back. “Doin’ ok, Ben?”

“Yeah I think I’m better....I don’t feel as-” Ben stopped mid-sentence and rushed over to the side of Marty’s driveway to vomit. Beverly lowered her hand and gave him a sympathetic grin. 

Eddie scowled. “Please don’t do that in my car.” He looked desperate and Ben waved him off. 

“I’d never....I’ll just swallow it?” Ben suggested with a genuine grin but then immediately turned disgusted. 

“You know what? I’ll walk Ben home. He can use the fresh air and it’s not too far...C’mon babe.” Beverly waved him over and he looked positively delighted. 

As they passed the others and waved, Eddie mouthed a thank you to her, glad to have less of a vomit threat in his car. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

For a while, Ben and Bev remained mostly silent as they started the short walk to Ben’s home. Bev’s wasn’t too far either. 

Beverly was never one for silence though. “So, I suppose you got carried  away tonight, huh?” She asked softly. Ben chuckled. 

“Yeah, I’m not usually a big drinker...usually can’t even drink one.” He laughed again. “But I dunno, tonight turned out better than I thought anyway...” He let his eyes admire Beverly in the moonlight and shivered. 

“Yeah well, I saw a guy sing on Marty’s piano....I saw him fall of the piano, Micky Larson fell over and broke a vase, you threw up, I punched Richie....so yeah, all in all this was a fun night.” Beverly chuckled, hand falling out of the listing position. 

Ben loved that sound. 

“And this is a nice way to end tonight, I think.” She punched his arm lightly as they got to Ben’s walkway. He grinned, feeling that shiver again. 

“If I hurry, I bet I can catch more rock concert re-runs...” She looked off in the distance. “Maybe Linda Ronstadt if I’m lucky...” She crossed her fingers for a few seconds before studying Ben’s face. 

They paused for a few seconds both wondering slightly different but similar things. And Beverly felt tempted to do something...only Ben started to look green again and....

He vomited....on her shoes. 

“Shit!” She hopped back. “Awww Ben, it’s fine....” She hunched over a bit and rubbed his back. “I needed an excuse to buy new shoes anyway.” She chuckled as Ben straightened and looked positively embarrassed. 

“Really, it’s fine.” She chuckled, trying not to look down at the mess or she might too empty her stomach. “Go inside, drink some water and you’ll be ok. This never happened, right?” She pointed down and laughed, hoping he’d be fine. 

“Yeah, never happened, don’t tell Richie.” He laughed and she finally felt relief. 

“Never.” 

and with that...Ben left. Beverly didn’t leave until the door shut. And then she started on her way home. Feeling deflated and sympathetic. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stan and Eddie sat in his Stan’s basement, each nursing a can of pop and watching ‘Gilligan’s Island’ while Bill laid on the floor and Mike played with the records near the player. 

“I had fun tonight.” Eddie nodded and Stan did too, holding up his can. Eddie clinked them and they both took a long sip as the laugh track from the TV poured over them. 

The room went silent again as they continued to watch and drink comfortably. 

“Wanna prank call Richie?” Stan asked. 

“Yes please.” Eddie replied quickly and both of them hopped off the couch & over Bill as they grabbed for the phone on the side table. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those who wanted to be tagged!:  @birdy-boy-uris & @iammcclame

[fridaythe13ththeseries]

Bedazzled

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Episode Recap #14: Bedazzled

Original Airdate: February 27, 1988

Starring:

John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion Louise Robey as Micki Foster Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast: Alan Jordan as Jonah Gavin Magrath as Richie David Mucci as Tom Paual Barrett as Jenny Timothy Webber as Telephone Lineman Ratch Wallace as Officer Kennedy J.J. Makaro as David Jones

Written by Paul Monette, Alfred Sole

Directed by Alexander Singer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week, we start underwater! A camera pans across the sunken wreckage of a ship. Later, a man on a ship holds a lantern beam towards the water. A diver comes up, telling the man he was right, it works. They haul up and onto their boat a treasure chest. Back at the dock, two men carry the chest while one of them tells the guy with the lantern, Jonah, that he couldn't find anything until the man shone the lantern light into the sea. Then, the treasure chest was there. The three men bring the chest inside a docked ship. Outside, Jack and Ryan are skulking about, looking for the lantern.

Jonah and one of his men use a blowtorch to try and get into the chest, sending the other man above. Jack and Ryan decide to slip into the ship, careful to avoid the man above. Jonah opens the chest, revealing gold, diamonds and more inside. Jonah then holds the lantern up to his buddy and opens it, the beam of light hitting the other man in the chest, igniting him into flames and killing him. Ryan and Jack hear the man's screams and rush in. Ryan attacks Jonah, who drops the lantern, which Jack picks up. Ryan and Jonah struggle as Jack tries to get away. The third man, Tom, comes back and struggles with Jack. Back and forth they all go until Ryan knocks Tom away from Jack and they make their escape. Before Jonah or Tom can reach them, they get in their car and drive off. Jonah makes notice of their license plate, however.

At Curious Goods, Micki hears about their shipboard adventure and says she is glad she missed it. Ryan says the lantern is locked safely in the vault. Jack reminds them of what the lantern's curse was: for every treasure the lantern found, a diver had to die. Jack mentions the storm outside getting worse. Ryan thinks they should stay home, but Jack says this is the only day the astrology convention is being held this year. Braving the storm, Jack and Ryan head out to the convention, leaving Micki home alone. Jonah and Tom watch the two of them leave from across the street.

As Micki locks the store up, Jonah calls, hears her voice and hangs up. Jonah tells Tom that it doesn't matter, he's getting the lantern back. Tom reminds Jonah that Jack mentioned something on the ship about putting the lantern in a vault. Jonah tells him that when he bought the lantern here from Louis, there was a vault in the basement.

The phone rings again and Micki answers, nervous. But it is her friend, Jenny, asking if Micki can babysit her son, Richie. Micki agrees, telling her to bring the boy over.

Outside, in the rain, Jonah and Tom wonder how to get inside. Just then, a telephone repairman pulls up to do some work.

Micki moves some breakable antiques to safety as the weatherman on the radio says the storm is getting worse, being upgraded to a hurricane. The men outside approach the telephone man, making small talk. Before long, Jonah has a phone cord around the man's neck and he strangles him, killing him.

In the shop, the phone rings again. Micki answers and hears Ryan's voice, telling her that they are stuck at the convention, the storm is too bad. She tells him to have fun and stay safe, she is fine. As she hangs up, she gets the chills. Jonah cuts the phone line outside.

Jack and Ryan, after calling Micki, debate driving back home, but decide to proceed on to the convention, since the roads are so bad.

Micki hears a knock at the door and opens it to Jonah and Tom, posing as the telephone repairmen. Micki says the phone is working, she was just on it. He asks her to check again and when she does, she finds the line dead. Jonah asks if he wants her to fix it and she agrees, letting them inside. He asks where the basement is, Micki leads the way, then hears another knock on the door. She lets them go off on their own and lets her friend Jenny and his son Richie inside. Richie isn't happy to be there. Jenny heads out, leaving Micki to babysit. He hides from Micki as soon as his mother is gone, then scares Micki with an old mask. Micki snaps at him. Richie asks to read Ryan's comics and she lets him be.

In the basement, Jonah and Tom are trying to access the vault, but cannot find a way in. Jonah decides they should use the blowtorch to break into it open. Micki gives Richie some cookies, he proceeds to pull all the chips out to just eat them. Micki goes to check the windows.

The blowtorch makes no progress on the vault. Tom knocks some stuff over and Jonah snaps at him. Richie hears the commotion and goes to investigate. He doesn't buy their story about fixing a phone with a blowtorch. He says they aren't supposed to fool with the vault. Jonah places nice, trying to keep the charade up. Jonah asks for help from Richie, who is reluctant and wary of the strange men. He says he is going to tell and attempts to run off, but Jonah grabs him.

Micki is looking for the boy upstairs when Richie yells for help. She rushes downstairs and finds the men tying the boy to a chair. Micki acts calmly when Jonah says pretending to be phone men was their only way in. A cop pulls up alongside the abandoned phone truck outside.

Jonah wants the lantern and wants Micki to open the vault. She says she doesn't know how to get in. Jonah threatens her with a match, asking her if she knows what skin smells like burning. He then burns the end of her hair and she concedes, telling him there is a secret entrance to the vault. She lies and says the instructions to get into the vault are written in the manifest, upstairs on Jack's desk. Jonah takes her upstairs to look, leaving Tom with Richie. Outside, the cop finds the cut phone wires and repair equipment, but not repairman.

Jonah snaps after being unable to find the vault instructions. Micki attempts to attack him, but he grabs her and takes her weapon away, leading her back to the basement. The cop opens the compartments of the truck and eventually finds the repairman's body. He heads toward Curious Goods.

Micki is trying the various bricks around the vault, pretending not to know which one activates the vault. The cop knocks on the door and Jonah sends Tom up to investigate, telling Micki to keep trying the bricks.

Tom calls to the cop, not wanting to open the door. The cop plays cool, saying he is just checking the neighborhood, making sure all is okay. He asks if they are having trouble with the phones and Tom says no, their phones are fine. The cop knows the man is lying. He tells Tom to have a good evening, then proceeds to surprise him by breaking the door in. He tells Tom to freeze, but the man tries to attack, so the cop shoots him.

Jonah tries a brick Micki keeps avoiding and the vault opens. He heads inside just as they hear the gunshots above. He tells Richie to be quiet then tells Micki to untie the boy and put him in the vault. He follows, grabs a weapon, then locks the two of them inside. He goes after the cop. Micki comforts the boy, telling him they will get through this.

The cop searches the store as Jonah slowly heads upstairs. The cop doesn't see Jonah with the weapon from the vault. Jonah attacks from behind, impaling the man through his back and out his chest. The cop dies. Jonah pulls the blood-soaked weapon out of the man's chest and uses it to fix the door so it cannot be opened. He checks on Tom, who is also dead, and removes the chain from around his neck. In the vault, Micki is looking for something to use to defend themselves against Jonah. She finds the lantern the man wants and picks it up.

When Jonah comes back, he opens the vault and sees the lantern places right in view. As he reaches for it, Micki attacks, stunning him. She tells Richie to run as she grabs the lantern and follows. Jonah soon regains himself and follows.

In the store, Micki and Richie find the dead cop and try to get out, but the door is jammed. She tells Richie to go to her room and hide, then grabs the lantern and follows, shutting the door and blocking it with her bureau. She then grabs her bedside lamp and strips the wire, telling Richie she is going to give the man the shock of his life. She slips the wire onto the metal of the lantern and sets it on the bed, then tells the boy not to touch the lantern after he plugs the cord into the wall. They hide, waiting for Jonah.

Slowly going up the stairs, Jonah is wary of where Micki might be hiding. He goads them from outside the room, then forces the doors open, pushing the bureau away. He spies Micki, who eggs him on toward the lantern. She says he can't have it, but he sees it sitting on the bed and reaches for it. When he grabs it, he is electrocuted and collapses to the floor. Micki tells Richie to pull the plug. She undoes the wire and they attempt to leave the room. Jonah grabs her ankle, knocking her down, and they struggle about the upstairs.

Micki eventually gets to the landing, telling Richie to toss the lantern over. He does and when Jonah goes to grab it, she grabs his foot and uses his momentum to push him over the railing and onto the floor below. They believe the man is dead and head down the stairs.

As they reach the bottom, Jonah jumps up and grabs the lantern, opening the door so he can use the cursed beam to kill them. As the light plays across the store, Micki evades it and grabs an antique mirror, using it to deflect the beam back at Jonah. He is ignited and his head burns. He is killed.

The next morning, Ryan and Jack have returned and Ryan goes on about all the trouble they had on their trip. Micki listens and when he asks what she did all night, she says nothing. Ryan says he wishes he could have a quiet evening like hers. Just then Jenny arrives, asking Micki to not tell Richie any ghost stories next time she babysits. Micki says she didn't, but Jenny tells her all the stuff Richie told him about his night at the store. When she mentions the lantern, Jack and Ryan are curious. Micki merely, smiles, heads upstairs, saying "Kids." as she goes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

An awesome episode! The show takes the premise of a babysitter being stalked in the home on a stormy night and turns it into quite a great episode. Micki is great as the babysitter, showing us just how resourceful she has become in her time at the store.

The lantern is a great antique, love how the curse works and what Jonah will do to keep this item for himself!

Love the scenes in the sea and on the water. Beautiful shots!

One thing I was curious about: If Jonah took the sword-type weapon from the vault and used it to kill the cop, wouldn't whatever curse the item had be activated? I know he doesn't have much time to figure out what the item does, but seems like something should have happened with it.

Jenny and Richie are interesting, since we have been led to believe the neighbors all avoid the store, especially after the events on Halloween. Yet Micki has a friend who is willing to let her son be babysat there. Maybe Jenny just has no idea about the store's history. Then again, we never see Jenny or Richie again, so he must have been adamant about never returning there.

Micki also was able to get all the evidence of the night's events cleared up before anyone got back. I mean, the repairman, the cop and two other people were killed in and around the store and there is no investigation on going or anything. You would think there would be police tape or something! Hah!

Anyway, it is a fun, stormy-night episode of the show, with tons of scenes set at the store, which I also love. A favorite!

Next week: "Vanity's Mirror"