X Minus One - Dr. Grimshaws Sanitorium

0:00Countdown for blast off. X minus 5, 4, 3, 2, X minus 1, fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future, adventures in which you'll live in a million could be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The national broadcasting company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of astounding science fiction presents. X minus 1, 1, 1, 1, 1.

1:10The Night Story, Dr. Grimshaw's Sanitarium. What you will hear in the next half hour represents either a magnificent hoax or the true explanation of the famous Grimshaw Sanitarium scandal which made the headlines back in 1947. The manuscript upon which this account is based was removed by the New York State Police from a fountain pen cover found in the doorway to Dr. Grimshaw's study. We offer this manuscript as evidence only. Whether it is authentic or not, you must judge for yourselves. My name is John Doherty. I'm a graduate of Hamilton College, Class of 34, a member of Theta Alpha. I'm one of those fools who wanted some excitement in life so instead of going to my father's shoe business I became a private detective.

2:11These are facts you can check them if you like. The rest of what I write here is so fantastic that I don't expect it to be believed. If anyone should find this manuscript and read it, all I ask is that you notify this Millicent Armbruster of $2.99 while it's having you buffalo. That Johnny Doherty is dead. On the evening of July 1st, Miss Armbruster and I were driving to a wedding, not our own although I wish it had been. It was Sunday and in order to avoid traffic I took the old mill road, a single lane dirt affair that runs past the Goan De Cemetery. Johnny, aren't you going too fast? Not for this road. There's nothing around except some tombstones. Johnny, we'll get to the cemetery. What about it? The hearse, look out! Look out! Be skitted for about 20 feet and slammed into the back of the hearse. The two rear doors buckled and snapped open. It was a freak. A huge oak coffin with brass handles tipped up and began slowly to slide back toward us.

3:14How horrible! You stay right here baby. You okay Mack? You don't pay much attention to spadelem, let's do ya, Johnny. Now look, let's not get hung up on who was right and who was wrong. I was going too fast and you were traveling without lights after dark. Let's see your driver's license. Right here. Private eye. If you don't mind who does this joy wagon belong to. Go on the funeral service. It's been rented to Grimshaw. Who? Grimshaw from the private sanitarium. Mind if I ask what you were doing after dark coming out of a cemetery with a wooden component? We're moving when a Grimshaw's patience to a new grave. They always travel like this. Look, cockshaw. How about skipping the third degree and giving me a hand getting this box back in the wagon? A pleasure. Better screw on that cover again. It's going to slide off. Let's get it in the horse first. Okay, Junior. You get on that end. Okay. You ready? Yeah, lift. I just slide it. Oh brother, who's in there? Kim Kung? Look out for the cover.

4:17Told you that would happen. It's a guy's name, Junior. Oh, why don't you ask him Sherlock Holmes? A real wise guy. I've got half a mind to report this accident. It will go ahead. See where it gets. Now if you're parting me, I'll deliver the body. Everything all right, Johnny? I thought so until a few seconds ago. Listen, Malik, can you sit here in the car for another five minutes? Where are you going? For a stroll through the cemetery. Johnny, stop making jokes. When we lifted that coffin back on the meat wagon, I got a good look inside it. Yeah, exactly how I felt. I figured we'd knock the stuffing out of the corpse, and we didn't expect the stuffing to be sand. What? Yes, that wasn't a body that was a dummy stuffed with sand, a dummy with a wax face. Johnny! Which brings up an interesting question. Who's supposed to be in that box and just where is the dead man spending his time?

5:17Sometimes in my business, when things drop off, you have to go out and dig up. Well, dig up new clients. My next case was a gentleman named Harlan Ward Senior, a wealthy automobile manufacturer. I'd gotten his name off his son's tombstone. Are you trying to tell me, Johnny, that my son, Harlan, was never buried at Gohano Semitari? Exactly, Mr. Ward. But why? Maybe if you'll tell me the circumstances surrounding your son's death, I can help answer that. My son was a rather impetuous young man. Taw, good looking. After his graduation from Princeton, he began drinking quite heavily. After he got into a couple of scrapes, we sent him to Dr. Grimshaw's sanitarium, in the hopes that he could be cured. While my wife and I were in Europe, we received words that he died, buried at Gohano in our absence. Last week, my wife and I decided to have his body removed to the family vault here at Short Hills. How'd your son die? Suicide. You never saw the body?

6:17No. We couldn't get back from the old up in time. Now you tell me that his coffin contains a dummy. How do I know this whole thing is the plan to fleece me? You don't. But you're a rich man, Mr. Ward, and you're perfectly willing to take a chance that I'm on the level, and that your son may still be alive. You sound very sure of yourself, Mr. Dodding? My fee is a $2,000 retainer plus expenses. What sort of expenses? However much it costs to take the cure at Dr. Grimshaw's sanitarium. Dr. Grimshaw's sanitarium was just outside Gohano. Most of the cases were nervous breakdowns in alcoholics. I committed myself as a dipso in just to make it convincing I stopped at five or six bars on the way over. I was interviewed by Grimshaw himself, a small man with a friend of white hair. You understand my totality? That's not my real name, of course. Socialism. We understand. Our paid clientele is very select and our rates are very high. You'll be paying cash in advance, Dr. Grimshaw.

7:20How long's the cure usually take? That of course depends on the degree of alcoholism. This is my assistant, Dr. Boynough. How do you do? How do you do? We are accepting Mr. Dodding as a patient, but to place him in the ward with Mr. K and Mr. K. Mr. K is a long term patient, Mr. Dodding. A highly intelligent man, formerly a professor of plant pathology. Mr. K. K. suffers mild illusions. I think you'll find him rather amusing. After about three days, my roommates Arthur K and Krayke got used to me. And we even began to play three handed bridge. K was a chronic dobatic, an intelligent, sensitive man. Krayke was nothing but a clown. He kept a big black cat named the professor, which he talked to as if it were human. And so I said to her, my dear Countess, if you don't like the company of my cat, then you don't like me. She looked at me as if I were insane.

8:21But of course the joke was on her because I was a professor. Well. The professor is very sociable, excellent company. Except when he kills birds and deposits them in your bed, he's nothing but a feline murderer as far as I'm concerned. Ah! Ah, see? You have insulted him, Mr. K. Come here, professor. Let's make friends about giving me your paw. Uh-oh! Scratch me, you black devil! You insulted him. You heard this feeling? Well, just keep him away from me. It will be a pleasure. I would advise you not to insult him again. Good afternoon and evening. Is he always as nuts as I? Ever since I've been here? What's his problem? Manic depressive. A little paranoid, too. How long have you been here, author? I've been here for two years. I left for a while, but I couldn't stay away from the junk, so I committed myself again.

9:25Did you, uh, happen to know a patient here named Harlan Warden? Why do you ask that? Did you know him? No, I met him socially a few times. I understand he died here. So the newspaper said I wouldn't know. Suicide, wasn't it? Was it? You're being pretty careful, aren't you? Mr. Dirty, what would you say if I were to tell you that I don't believe Harlan Ward is dead? What? It makes you so certain. You'd share this room with us. He slept in the same bed you now use. I'd say he was an alcoholic doing quite well, too, from what I could observe. We all expected him to go home soon. And one evening he had a violent fight with Craky, a Craky accuser of snooping at something. Later that night, Grimshaw and Voiner took him out. Where? May they take all the special treatment cases to the charity clinic?

10:26It's that small building on the other side of the stone wall. Days later, we read about his death. Suicide, they said, does what makes you think he's still alive, Arthur? This? About a month ago I was in the garden next to the wall that separates us from the charity clinic. Suddenly I thought I heard a sound like a child whimpering. It stopped. And a moment later this note came over the wall, wrapped around a stone. What's it say? May I forget say Colin Ward. Arthur, how would you like to have some fun? Like what? Like sneaking out tonight and going over the wall to the charity ward? What do you say? Would break them and not near a little? I suppose there's no real harm in it. Of course not. I'd go alone but I'll need help scaling the wall. Will you do it? All right. I'll go with you.

11:29Oh, clear. Give me a hand and I'll lift you. Careful when you drop. Ready? Go ahead. There's a charity building over there. The one with the lights and the basement of the dining. Come on. Let's crawl over. Maybe we can see something. Now we... Listen. Can you make out what he's saying? No, I can barely hear. Good luck. What's that? Have a lady some patient having the details. Let's have a look. Easy it wouldn't do to get caught now. See anything? Some sort of laboratory. I can see Grimshaw and Voin and something else. What? There's a charity building over there. I think it's easy. Please, no. It will all be over soon. You won't remember anything. No, I don't want to go. Why not give it to him? Let him up.

12:30Good lord. What was it? What did they do to that child? That wasn't a child. It was a midget. A smallest midget I've ever seen. What? They told me. Trying to give it some sort of injection. When it resisted, Voin and knocked it out. Do you suppose they were doing to it? I don't know, Arthur. Well, I know as I went at Phil. It had the face of Holland Ward. All the way back to our room, my brain was working like some frantic pinball machine. Only the score somehow wouldn't add up. The pieces were there, all right? A crazy old doctor, a brutal assistant, a private sanitarium, and a midget with a dead man's face. I thought that when I got back to our room, I'd have some time to think about it. I'd forgotten about our friend, the happiness boy, Count Craky. Oh, I caught you. Find your cuttice and how about crawling back into the woodwork like a good little count?

13:34Well, you. Ming-Conding, Arthur, and I like to go Ming-Conding at night. You make me feel like I'm going to be a little bit more than you. You make fun of Count Craky? I sure report you to Dr. Voiner. It'd better not if you know what's good for you. Oh, you threatened me. Ming can't Craky. I shall scream for help. Help! Help! Did you hurt him? Just knocked him out. What do we do now? Put him to bed. Hope that when he wakes up in the morning, he's forgotten the whole thing. And if he hasn't? He's too crazy for them to take seriously anyway. Come on, let's get him back in bed. I went to sleep in my own room. And the next thing I felt was the sharp jab of the hypodermic needle in my left arm. Hold it. In LB. It was listless to study, Mr. Dirty. In a moment your motor nerves will be completely paralyzed. It's just about Crimshaw. And my dash, the same of you. My good friend, Count Craky, informs me you and Mr. K decided to do some snooping earlier tonight.

14:34He followed you and saw you climb the wall. Craky's insane. Mr. Dirty. That is a matter of opinion. Craky. What is this? Perhaps my assistant of the Crimshaw wouldn't be good enough to explain. Assistant? Yes. You see, I am the actual head of the Crimshaw sanatorium. Count Craky pains many delusions, Mr. Dirty. But in this case, he is telling the truth. Count Craky is actually Professor Ernst Hasler. Professor Hasler and I work together in the Berlin Neurological Institute before and during the last war. Unfortunately, my political affiliations with the Third Reich were under investigation by the Warcrimes Commission. However, Dr. Grimshaw managed to smuggle me into this country where I masqueray that there's a mental patient. In order that we might continue certain experiments which were interrupted by the American army. I can imagine the sort of experiments you conducted. You and your friend Mr. K will discover they are exact nature, very short things to do. It is a magnificent opportunity to serve science.

15:40The past out there. And the next thing I knew I was coming to in a different room. And hearing the voices of Voina, Grimshaw and Craky, is it from a great distance? The two at the end. The two at the end. Four CCs. Four CCs. Our measurements. Reducing rapidly. We have operated once. And Voina started in Estonia. Very well, Dr.. Come here. When I came to again, I had a blinding headache. I began to wonder of Craky and Grimshaw weren't doing something to drive me insane. Because I lost all sense of perspective. The rooms seemed to be a bit too small. But I was not able to see them. I was not able to see them. I was not able to see them. I was not able to see them. I was not able to see them. I was not able to see them. The rooms seemed to grow in size. I don't know how much time passed, but one day Craky came into the room with a bundle in his arms about the size of a newborn baby.

16:42The bundle was my friend, Arthur K. And, worse yet, I was exactly the same size that he was. Let me out of here. Let me out. Allow me to congratulate you, gentlemen. How are you feeling? You dirty monster! Disappoint the gentleman. Do you not feel privileged to be a part of an experiment that will place me at the very top rank of the world's endocrinologist? What are you doing to us, you madman? There's long been established gentlemen that dwarfism and giantism result from injury to or malfunction of the pituitary and thyroid glands. The interlock between these glands was thought to be a hormone. I have discovered that this was incorrect. It was an enzyme. An enzyme I isolated some years ago. I was well on the way to synthesis in Germany when the surrender interrupted me. The interruption also limited the number and type of subjects on whom I could experiment.

17:42I was forced to find others, such as Harlan Ward. Mr. Ward was only a control experiment. I suppose you plan the same for us. No gentlemen. For you I have reserved a special privilege. You gentlemen will be the first to test the full effects of the enzyme. In short, I intend that you, Mr. K and Mr. Toa, that when the experiment is completed, will emerge as perfectly healthy normal individuals, except of course that you will be only 5 inches tall. The days and nights have followed were living nightmare. A nightmare from which Arthur and I awoke for brief periods to find ourselves in a strange new world. A huge frightening world where everything seemed enlarged a hundred times. When we finally emerged we found ourselves imprisoned in a tiny mouse cage. Judging by the relative size of things, we could not have been more than 5 inches tall.

18:45Now we realized the experiment was at an end. And from now on it was either escape or be destroyed. How's it coming on there? Another moment. I think I'll have this lock with loose. And if we escape then what? We will worry about that after we get out of this mouse cage. Suppose we don't bake it. I place you written a story on that scrap of paper. Someone may find it and read it. Nobody will believe it. And why did your bother to write it? I don't know. I suppose I want the world to know what happened to me. That does it. Help me push the door open. Now what? The first job is getting down to the floor. I think we can make it by sliding down the telephone cord. Are you game? Go ahead. I might be behind you. Easy now. Look out. It doesn't. Now we can figure out a way to get out of the room. That's a big... Oh oh. Listen. Somebody's coming.

19:45It must be Crakey. We got to hide here. The park. The park. Your clothes are behind us. Stay quiet. Well, my friends. I'm forfeiting. I trust that you... So... You have managed to break out. It won't do you no. There is no way you could have got out of the room with the door and window locked. I know you are in here. I would advise you to save yourself's trouble and give up. Very well, my tiny friends. If you prefer to play the game of cat and mouse, then I shall be happy to fern. But cat. There is no way you can get out. What now? He's gone for the cat if that monster ever gets in here with Godness. There must be... Wait a minute. What? Do you see that thing's kind of wire running along the mooling?

20:46What about it? It's the automatic fire alarm. When the alarm is tripped by a fire or short circuit, all the locks are spun. So that the patient's going to escape in the rooms. If I can short that wire, before Crakey lets the cat into the building, let's go. There's a tiny sliver of steel from the cage on the floor. I work with that. You keep an air to the door. Go ahead. This insulation is tough as well. I... Hurry up, Arthur, for God's sake. There it is. Stand away. I'm going to short it. Ready? Okay. I need it. We're going to the door. Let's make a run for it down the hall. If we can get to the garden, we've got a chance. Let's not... We'll start at the fire. Come on, wait a minute. I have to go back. The man you saw is going to see a fool. There's no time. You go ahead. I'll catch up with you. Only a second. I got it. Come on. Let's go. Arthur, where are you? It's funny. Arthur? Arthur? Arthur, what's happened to you? Oh, no! Ah! Oh, no!

21:54This is the record found in a fountain pen cover in the Burned Out Hall way of Dr. Grimshaw's sanitarium. There's nothing to add, except that the fire which destroyed the sanitarium and killed so many of its occupants, including Dr. Grimshaw and Dr. Voina, was definitely of incendiary nature. It is believed by the fire chief that some small creature, possibly a mouse, chewed the insulation off the wire and short-circuited the system. The two patients, John Dority and Arthur K. vanished completely after the fire, and their remains were never found. What are the manuscripts which you have just heard as authentic? Are whether it was the work of one of the more demented inmates of the sanitarium, we leave to your judgment. You have just heard X minus one, presented by the National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with St. and Smith, publishers of astounding science,

22:55fiction. Your announcer, Fred Collins. X minus one was directed by Fred Way and is an NBC radio network production. X minus one.