The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary...

while I pondered, weak and weary...

over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore...

while I nodded, nearly napping...

suddenly there came a tapping...

as of someone gently rapping...

rapping at my chamber door.

"'Tis some visitor," I muttered...

"Tapping at my chamber door...

"only this, and nothing more."

Distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December...

and each separate dying ember...

wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow...

vainly I had sought to borrow...

from my books surcease of sorrow...

sorrow for the lost Lenore...

for the rare and radiant maiden...

whom the angels name Lenore.

Nameless here forevermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling...

of each purple curtain thrilled me...

filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before.

So that now, to still the beating of my heart...

I stood repeating...

"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.

"Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.

"This it is...

"and nothing more."

Lenore.

Come back to me, Lenore. Come back to me.

I brought you your goblet of warm milk, father.

Yes, thank you, my dear.

She's been dead for over two years now, father.

You're young, Estelle.

The young do not understand grief.

To you she was only a stepmother.

But to me, she was...

My life.

I'm sorry.

- Good night. - Good night, my dear.

Come in.

Enter!

Upon my soul.

Do you want to come in?

I believe it does.

Then come on.

Who sent you to me?

Are you some dark, winged messenger from beyond?

Answer me, monster. Tell me truly...

shall I ever hold again that radiant maiden...

whom the angels call Lenore?

How the hell should I know? What am I, a fortune-teller?

I'm chilled to the bones.

Why don't you give me some wine?

Don't just stand there gaping at me.

That voice, l...

Will you give me some wine?

Yes.

Here's some nice hot milk.

Milk! How vomitable.

Surely this is a dream.

Hurry up, will you?

There you are.

What do you expect me to do... hold it?

With what?

Never mind.

I like that.

Upon my soul.

Never mind your soul.

Start concentrating on getting me back to my rightful form.

Your rightful form?

What do you think... I was born this way?

I have it. You are under an enchantment.

Took you long enough to find that out.

Let's get to work.

Go ahead. Do something.

But what?

Restore me to my rightful form.

I just don't know how.

You got some dried blood of a bat in the house?

I beg your pardon.

Bat's blood.

Dried or evaporated bat's blood.

No.

How about some chain links from a gallows bird?

Jellied spiders? Rabbits' lard?

Dead-man's hair?

No. We don't keep those things in this house.

We're vegetarian.

And that calls himself a magician.

Honestly, this is too much.

- Just a moment. - Yes?

Perhaps there are some of those staples...

down in my father's old laboratory.

Don't you know?

No. I haven't been down there...

since he died, over twenty years ago.

Let's go and see.

I don't care to remain like this...

for the rest of my life.

These feathers itch!

Do you mean to say that these things you requested...

are going to turn you back into...

- What were you? - Never mind.

Come on. Let's go.

Strange to be down here again, after all these years.

- How much further is it? - Just a little way.

What is it you need?

Dried bat's blood.

Chain links from a gallows bird.

Rabbits' lard. Essense of...

Slowly, slowly. One thing at a time, please.

Now what is it?

Nothing.

What's that?

Entrails of troubled horse.

No, put it back.

- What's that? - I can't read it.

Look inside then.

What is it?

I'd rather not discuss it, if you don't mind.

You did say dead-man's hair?

Yes. That's one of the prime ingredients.

All right, let's get on with it.

All right, that's enough stirring.

Now the tongue of a vulture.

Come on.

You're the slowest magician I've ever seen.

It's a very difficult recipe.

Is that all there is of it?

You've got the jellied spiders in there?

Yes.

The eye of a white weasel?

Yes.

You didn't forget the dead-man's hair?

No.

That should do it, then. Hand it over.

You're not going to drink it?

What did you think I was going to do?

Take a bath in it?

That's not so bad.

Dr. Craven?

Dr. Raven...

Dr. Bedlo.

Don't you remember me? We met...

at a sorcerer's convention lunch several years ago.

Yes, of course.

In any case, everything seems to have gone all right.

Yes.

Look what you did to me.

What you did to me...

What I did to you?

Who else?

You made the potion, didn't you?

Yes, but it was your recipe.

My recipe was right.

There just wasn't enough of it.

Then all I can do is to make some more of it.

Then go make some more!

All right.

Let me see, now.

Jellied spiders... yes.

Here we are.

Evaporated bat's blood.

Or do you prefer dehydrated?

- I don't care. - OK.

What a night. What a night!

- Oh, dear. - What is it now?

- Dead-man's hair. - What about it?

- We're out of it. - Go get some more then.

- More? Where? - Where?

In a graveyard. Where else?

Enter a graveyard at this time of night?

Despoil the dead?

You would rather see me go through life like this?

No, of course not.

I am sorry.

Let's go to the graveyard.

That won't be necessary.

My father is in the family crypt...

and I don't think papa would mind...

if I took just a snip or two... in a good cause.

Why should he mind?

Yes, you're right.

Let's be on our way.

How did you...

come to find yourself in this awkward state?

It's a little embarrassing, but...

You've heard of Dr. Scarabus, of course?

Scarabus? Heaven help us.

Was he the one who did this to you?

Who else?

How did it come about?

I invited myself to his castle for dinner.

Of course, as a member of the brotherhood...

of magicians and sorcerers...

and Scarabus is the grand master.

You have heard of the brotherhood?

Yes.