Pay the Ghost

- (woman cries out) - (body falls and drags)

- (woman screams) - Mother!

Mom.

Hey.

There's something outside my window.

Oh, baby, you're having a nightmare, huh?

Okay.

Let me put you back to bed.

I want Daddy to do it.

How 'bout we wait for him together, huh?

Come on in. Bring Bear.

I gotcha.

We'll keep each other safe.

Shit.

Hi.

Did you figure it out?

What?

What you're gonna be for Halloween.

Maybe.

But you're gonna have to

wait until tomorrow to find out.

I'll be a pirate.

Ah, good choice.

Mom helped me pick it out

after we got the pumpkin.

Mom said she'd carve it with me,

but I wanted to wait for you.

Oh,

Well...

We'll do it tomorrow,

just before we go trick or treating, okay?

Promise?

I promise.

Now, go back to sleep.

Oh, and Dad...

Yes?

Can you check outside my window?

I saw something.

Sure.

Nope, all clear.

I love you, Dad.

I love you too, son.

I'm sorry.

I'm getting tired of going to bed without you.

If they're on the fence, I'm going to have to

publish another article as soon as I can.

- Are they on the fence? - I don't know.

Just seems like I would've received a letter by now.

Charlie wanted to wait up for you tonight.

I think,

if you don't carve that pumpkin with him tomorrow,

he's going to disown you.

Can he do that?

I think he'd have a case, yeah.

And what about you?

Are you ready to disown me, too? Huh?

Can I take that as a no?

I don't want you to think I'm not mad at you, okay?

Mike: "My darling, my darling, I see it aright.

Tis the aged gray willows deceiving thy sight."

"I love thee!

I'm charmed by thy beauty, dear boy!

And if thou'rt unwilling, then force I'll employ."

"My father, my father, he seizes me fast,

For sorely the Erl-King has hurt me at last."

The father now gallops, with terror half wild,

He grasps in his arms the poor shuddering child,

He reaches his courtyard with toil and with dread,

The child in his arms finds he motionless, dead."

- Pretty good, huh? - (chuckling)

Kyle.

Who is this, uh, Earl Linking?

And his creepy daughters.

We don't know for sure.

They might be creatures out of northern mythology.

Or some Celtic lore.

Or they simply stepped out

of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's nightmares.

But when you go out tonight,

spare a thought for Lovecraft.

For Stoker, for Poe...

And for Goethe's Erl-King.

'Cause they were all bound by one

great, and noble objective.

To scare the living shit out of you.

Happy Halloween.

Kristen: Hello, hello, hello!

Hey, Mom.

Kristen: Where's my little pirate?

Mom, check it out.

Wow, that's a great indoor activity.

- Yeah. - You...

You look amazing.

He's on fire, huh?

He's so excited.

Kristen: The pirate looks perfect,

thank you very much.

And we'll see you tomorrow, yeah?

Rosa: Oh, yes.

Happy Halloween!

Kristen: Happy Halloween to you, too, Rosa.

- When's Dad coming home? - (door closes)

He should be on his way right now.

- Rosa take you to art class? - Yeah.

I wanna see.

Charlie, that's really scary.

You wanna tell me about that?

That's the thing I saw outside my window.

I thought you told me you couldn't see it?

I kinda saw it.

It just kinda looked like that.

Can we go, already?

Where's Dad?

- Hannah: Yeah? - Mike: Hannah...

Oh, Michael, come here, come here.

Come, look at this.

It washed ashore last week on Jones Beach.

Mike: What are those, Latin numerals?

Hannah: Exactly. It's an M and a D,

and possibly a C.

Sixteen hundred.

They used to engrave ships with the year they were built,

which means this piece of driftwood was once

part of the body of a ship that helped

settle this city 400 years ago.

That's quite something, isn't it?

And so's this.

"Dear Professor Lawford."

Congratulations, Mike!

You've come a long way from that

arrogant Yank who drank himself out of Heidelberg.

Thanks for recommending me, Hannah.

You deserve it, more than anybody.

I've gotta go,

I have a very important appointment with a pirate.

Hey.

God, it was the most incredible exhibit I've ever seen.

And they, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Easy on the candy, all of you, please.

Maybe Dad called and you missed it.

I will try him again.

Voicemail:Hi, it's Mike, leave a message,

I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Kristen: Hey.

You okay?

- Did you see it, Mom? - Did I see what?

The bird.

The bird?

No.

No, I don't.

Charlie: I think I'll be Robin Hood next year.

He steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

Kristen: Well, that is very noble, my little man.

Charlie: And I bet he keeps a little extra on the side

- just to himself. - (Kristen laughs)

Kristen: I see.

Mom, can we go to the carnival, please?

No, not this year, my man.

I'm sorry, it is late, and you have school tomorrow.

Come with me. Come on, come on my prince.

I said, Draw, partner!

Dad!

You're a cowboy!

Mike: I couldn't find my cowboy hat,

but boy, you guys look great.

You make a great pirate, Charlie.

Where were you?

Mom said you were gonna meet up with us.

I apologize, my phone died.

Come on, let's go to bed.

Mom,

can we go to the carnival,

just for a bit, please?

Oh, let me take him.

Just give us a half an hour.

- Come on, Kristen. - Okay, okay.

Okay, but would you do me a favor

and put him to bed, tonight?

He is hopped up on enough sugar

to last him until Christmas

and I have to finish some client designs tonight.

- Of course. - All right.

I got it.

You got what?

Drum roll, please.