The Charmed Zone
You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another
dimension...a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of
mind. You are moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into THE TWILIGHT ZONE!
Sharp shadows marked the small courtroom. Guarding over this scene was
Judge Prudence Halliwell who sat behind an extremely tall bench dressed
in long black robes. Down came the gavel. Bang, bang. The sound echoed
off the walls.
"Has the jury reached its verdict?" the judge said flatly.
"Yes, we have your honor. We find Sarah Lee Brown guilty. Guilty of the
crime of witchcraft," said Phoebe dressed in a skirt suit and wearing white gloves and her hair in a bun. Eleven other members of the jury stood behind her dressed similarly all nodding in agreement.
"No-o-o," shouted the defendant who sat at the table on the left. She
was a sixty-ish grandmother wearing in a long dark dress with a lace
collar from the Victorian era.
"I object!" cried her lawyer, a man in a dark suit, white shirt and thin dark tie. "My client has been convicted on merely circumstantial
evidence."
"The defendant has been given a fair trial and found guilty by a jury of her peers. We only do what is right here in Greenville," said Piper the prosecutor, also dressed in a skirt suit who sat behind the table on the right next to the jury. Behind her was a railing where stood several of the townspeople of Greenville also nodding their heads in agreement.
"Over ruled!" said Judge Halliwell again banging the desk with her
gavel. The echo was deafening. "The defendant will stand and be
sentenced!" said the judge.
Sarah Lee Brown stood up looking defiant at the judge. Her lawyer stood
beside her holding her hand.
"Sarah Lee Brown. You have been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft
by the good people of Greenville. In accordance with our laws and code,
you will immediately be taken to the state penitentiary and be executed
tonight at the hour of midnight. And may God have mercy on your soul.
Court is adjured!" exclaimed Judge Halliwell.
A half smile appeared on the faces of all in the courtroom. The bailiff
came up, put his hand on Sarah Lee Brown's shoulder and led her away
through the single door on the far side of the courtroom. She
disappeared into the darkness as the entire courtroom could hear her
screaming, "No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"
The name of the town is Greenville. The place, a court of justice. The
time is now. But it could just as easily be the seventeenth century. The woman is Sarah Lee Brown and she has broken the code, the code of
Greenville. But soon the people of Greenville will have found that theyhave broken another code that exists in the darkest regions of THE
TWILIGHT ZONE.
A solitary man played the harmonica in his cell next to the cell of
Sarah Lee Brown. The tune was sad, slow and melancholy. She sat in her
cell looking through the bars at the door on the far side of the cell
block.
The man stopped playing the harmonica and called out to anyone
listening, "Anyone who goes through that door never comes back. They
only leave that room with wings on their back."
"Oh, STOP it! You're not the one going through that door in four hours!" cried Sarah Lee Brown.
"I have been here longer than anyone. I've seen them come and go. Some
walk straight in there with their head held high. Others have to be
carried in. Doesn't matter which way you go. The end is always the
same." And he went back to play the same lonesome tune.
Sarah Lee Brown could just be seen just staring, staring through the
bars as the shadows are cast across her face.
A guard came in and addressed the prisoner. "Hey, Brown! The Greenville
prosecutor is here to see you. You've got ten minutes!"
In walked Piper wearing the same suit she wore in the courtroom.
"I'm here. The only reason I came as you asked was that I hoped you
had changed your mind. Confess now and we'll move you to a cell in the
women's compound. It may be for the rest of your life, but at least you're alive. Confess now. Say that YOU'RE A WITCH!" said Piper sternly.
"I am not. I don't belong here. I just know it down in my bones. This is all wrong," said Sarah Lee Brown standing up in front of Piper
defiantly. "You learn a lot about loneliness when you're sitting here in your cell. I haven't had much in life. I never asked for much. I learned enough that what is going on here is not right and you are going to learn that, too. Yes, you and the people of Greenville are going to learn. Learn when the bell tolls ONE!" said Sarah Lee Brown holding up one bony finger inches from Piper's face. Then she turned to the window and her eyes continued to stare out through the bars at the rest of the world.
Piper pulled back from her, just for a moment. "I'm sorry. I've done all I can. Goodbye Miss Brown." said Piper as she picked up her brief case and walked out of her cell.
"You will learn, you will learn. When the bell tolls ONE!" she cried
after her as the prosecutor went through the cellblock door.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It's always the same," said the other cellmate
softly as he pick up the harmonica again to play. The view pulled back
to show the whole cell block.
A fire burned brightly in the fireplace. One man that held a drink poked the fire to help it along.
In a middle class living room full of all of the people that earlier had participated in and witnessed the trial, there they stood around talking in small groups, having a drink or standing alone. What desperately tried to be a party looked much more like a wake.
"A quarter to twelve. It will soon be over now. Justice will be served," said one of the male jurors.
"You're right, Roy. We did what was right. We always do what is right,
here in Greenville." said one of the spectators.
"Thank God, it will soon all be over!" said another man mixing up
another pitcher of drinks. As he added the ice to the martinis, the
bailiff came over and helped himself to his fourth drink.
"The jury did one heck of a job. The judge acted swift and proper, too," said the bailiff.
"But is swift justice, always the best justice?" said the man with the
pitcher. He lit up a cigarette puffing nervously reconsidering the town's actions.
"We did what was the right thing to do. We always do! The court has
spoken and the sentence must be carried out!" said another member of the jury.
"Right? How do you know what is right?. You people are always saying
what we do is right! How do we know she was a witch? That woman used to
baby-sit MY CHILDREN! They loved Sarah Lee Brown," said another female
spectator who had been drinking all night.
"Shut up, Hazel. You've had enough to drink! She was a witch. Everyone
knew it. Remember how our son got so sick after she sat for us. That
just wasn't natural," said her husband, one of the jurors.
"Huh. No one saw her FLYING on her BROOM! I just don't think there was
any good reasons for calling her a witch. Just our old great moral code
of Greenville. WHATEVER WE do is RIGHT. RIGHT! RIGHT! RIGHT! RIGHT! RIGHT!" she chanted dancing around.
"That's enough. We're leaving. You aren't going to embarrass me again!"
said her husband. "You don't want us in trouble with the town DO you?"
he whispered in her. "GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE! GREAT PARTY! EVERYONE DID A
GREAT JOB!'" he called out as he ushered his wife to the door. She was
grumbling quietly and gave him a disgusted look.
As they went out the door, Piper came in the door looking very grim.
"Well, did you she her?" asked one of the jurors.
"Yes. She wouldn't confess a thing. She will leave at twelve on
Schedule," said Piper. "But she also said something strange. She said that we would be learning something when the bell tolls ONE!"
"What is SHE going to teach US? We're the ones who taught her!" he said
proudly.
"I don't know, I just wonder what she meant," said Piper quietly to
herself.
"They were just ravings. They all do it that close to the end," he said
as he looked at the clock. It said a quarter to twelve.
Piper looking worried picked up drink and went over to Prue and Phoebe.
"Only fifteen more minutes!" said Pheebs who was hearing a printed party dress, several petticoats, dark high heels and string of white pearls.
Piper said, "Prue, does this situation, life, whatever, feel right to
you? It doesn't to me. There's such an unnatural quality about our
surroundings. I just don't think we've ever done anything like this
before. For example, when did you and I go to law school? I thought you
wanted to take up photography. And here is everyone from the courtroom
having a cocktail hour waiting for that woman to die. This party is SO
much fun. The grim reaper must have arranged it!" exclaimed Piper.
"Everyone in Greenville just wants to see that what is right is finished properly. I made sure of that!" said Prue in her official legal voice.
"And a good job you did, too, Your Honor. Justice delayed is justice
denied!" said one of the spectators who had had too many drinks.
"Thank you." said Prue looking a little perplexed at Piper. Something
WAS bothering her.
"Also, things are just moving too fast here. I don't remember driving
from the prison. I just walked out of Sarah Lee Brown's cell block and
walked into this PARTY!" said Piper.
"It is a day to celebrate! Here's to Greenville and what is right!" said Pheebs holding up her drink.
"Phoebe, let me ask you a question. What state is Greenville in? I
thought we lived in California!" said Piper getting very frustrated.
"We live in..um..the state of ..the state.. I don't remember. How about
You, Prue?" asked Pheebs raising her eyebrows in a lost expression.
"That's easy. The same state I got my law degree in. I went to the
University of..of...of..Oh my gosh! I can't remember!" said Prue
looking left and right not knowing where to turn.
"And who sentences prisoners and executes them on the same day? And why
would the foreman of the jury be drinking MARTINIS with the judge and
prosecutor waiting for the execution? NOTHING adds up here!" said Piper.
"It's not right!" asked Phoebe.
"Didn't we do what was right? Isn't everything we do always correct?"
said one man as he nervously stirred his drink.
"Of course, we're right. We're always right!" said another woman as she
puffed away on a cigarette.
"Why? Why? Can we really truly be sure? Can we really know? Who gave us
the power and knowledge over life and death. What are we, gods on Mt.
Olympus dispensing justice because we know the black and white of right
and wrong!" said one of the men who stood underneath the clock. "Who
really knows the truth? Do you? Or you? Or you? Oh, dear Lord, it's
twelve o'clock." he said as he froze with fear.
The clock started to chime.
Bong. One man took a long drink.
Bong. One woman looked at her watch.
Bong. Piper grabbed Phoebe's hand real tight.
Bong. The fire burned brightly.
Bong. Another woman held her husbands' hand tight.
Bong. One juror added ice to a new pitcher of martinis.
Bong. Another woman closed her eyes and appears to pray.
Bong. Prue looked down very uncomfortable about her decision.
Bong. The clock pendulum swung back and forth.
Bong. Another man's smile turned grim.
Bong. Prue now approached her sisters as they all held onto each other.
Bong. The clock chimed its twelfth time and went silent.
The lights dimmed and got brighter again.
"Well, it's all over," said the last man to take a martini. "And I'm
glad it's over. We did the right thing! Greenville always does the right thing." He drank down the last of it.
"Did we, did we do the right thing?" asked a woman next to him. "Someone just died. Is that right? Do you feel better now?" she asked looking straight into his eyes.
He avoided her eyes and said, "Yes! Yes, I do. Good night everyone!' he
said, putting out his cigarette, picking up his hat and heading out the
door.
"I can't stand it anymore. All you people make me sick!" said the man
who made the speech under the clock. "I'm leaving!" he said as he rushed out the door.
The three Halliwell sisters were still huddled together.
"Maybe he's correct. Did we do the right thing?" asked Phoebe.
"What's this we? I'm the one that sentenced her. I'm the one everything
falls on the shoulders of," said Prue.
"Everything has always fallen on your shoulders, Prue, since we were kids." said Piper.
"Since we were kids in San Francisco We didn't grow up here in Greenville or with that blankety-blank code. You're Judge Prue Halliwell. I'm Phoebe Halliwell," said Pheebs starting to remember.
"And I'm Piper Halliwell, and I don't know a habeas from a corpus. How
come now I'm chief prosecutor in this little nightmarish drama?" said Piper.
"That's it! This is more of a drama than real life. It's just like a
play. Everything takes place quickly to keep the plot moving along." said Prue.
Bong. The clock strikes 12:15.
"What happened? It has not been fifteen minutes since midnight," said
Pheebs.
"Which proves my point. We are in something. Something that is not
real." said Prue.
"Something that is strange, but something that is reality to us and everyone else. It is related to us since we're all ..." said Piper.
Pheebs put her hand over her sister's mouth. "I wouldn't say that here
and now, my little prosecutor," said Pheebs.
Bong. The clock strikes 12:30.
"Whoa. There goes the clock again. Time is moving faster. We have got to get out of here. Remember the threat that Sarah Lee Brown made against the town. We have got to leave or to wake up or SOMETHING!" said Piper.
"Maybe we can cast a spell to get out of here. Any thoughts?" asked
Pheebs.
Bong. He clock strikes 12:45.
"Yes, run!" cries Piper.
As they reached the door they heard, "Bong."
"When the bell tolls ONE!" said an ominous voice that everyone heard,
but appeared coming from nowhere.
Prue opened the door and outside were the same people that were at the
party. Now they were an unruly mob carrying guns, rakes, hoes and one
rope with a large noose in it.
Inside the building had changed to a shack from before the days of
electricity. There stood Prue, Piper and Phoebe wearing long black dresses, not unlike the kind that Halloween witches wear.
"I have got a bad feeling about this!" said Piper making the
understatement of the year.
"There they are! There are the WITCHES!" cried one of the mob.
"KILL THEM!" cried another.
"HANG THEM!" cried the man with the rope.
"NO, BURN THEM!" cried a woman. "They made my children sick!"
"They made me loose my job!" cried another.
"They killed my father!"" cried another.
"They caused the crops to fail!" cried another.
"BURN THEM! BURN THEM! BURN THEM!" the crowd started to chant.
"I don't think this is the Welcome Wagon! Piper, do it!" said Pheebs.
Piper tried to freeze them, but nothing happened. Prue couldn't move
them either.
"Oh, we're really blankety-blanked," said Pheebs.
They tried to run out the back, but the little cabin only had one door.
The crowd poured in as the Halliwell's were backed up to the wall.
"BURN THEM! BURN THEM! BURN THEM!" the crowd continued to chant.
Then some official ran through the crowd and stood in front of them.
"Whew, the cavalry!" quipped Piper.
"Friends of Greenville. This is not right. We only do what is right here in Greenville. Remember the code," he pleaded.
"The code. Yes. Remember the code," said one man.
Then a woman said, "We must do what is right."
Quickly all the crowd nodded in agreement.
Prue still looked very worried.
"They must have trial. A FAIR trial!" said the official.
"I was afraid about that," said Prue.
"Oh, my lord!" said Piper as the crowd led them through the cabin door.
Sharp shadows marked the small courtroom. Guarding over this scene was
Judge Hawthorne who sat behind an extremely tall bench dressed in long
black robes. Down came the gavel. Bang, bang. The sound echoed off the
walls.
"Has the jury reached its verdict?" the judge said flatly.
"Yes, we have your honor. We find Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell
guilty. Guilty of the crime of witchcraft," said the jury foreman.
Eleven other members of the jury stood behind the foreman nodding in
agreement.
"No-o-o," shouted the defendants who sat at the table on the left.
Prue, Piper and Phoebe were now dressed in dark prison clothing with numbers on each of their backs.
"I object." said their lawyer, a man in a dark suit, white shirt and
thin dark tie. "My clients have been convicted on merely circumstantial
evidence."
"The defendants has been given a fair trial and found guilty by a jury
of their peers. We only do what is right in Greenville," said the
prosecutor who sat behind the table on the right next to the jury.
Behind him was a railing where several of the townspeople of Greenville
stood also nodding their heads in agreement.
"Over ruled!" said Judge Hawthorne again banging the desk with his
gavel. The echo sound was deafening. "The defendants will stand and be
sentenced." said the judge.
Prue, Piper and Phoebe stood up looking defiant at the judge. Their
lawyer stood beside them.
"Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell. You have been found guilty of the
crime of witchcraft by the good people of Greenville. In accordance with our laws and code, you will immediately be taken to the state
penitentiary and be executed tonight at the hour of midnight. And may
God have mercy on your souls." said Judge Hawthorne.
A half smile appeared on the faces of all in n the courtroom and the
bailiff came up, put his hand on Prue's shoulder and lend all of them
away through the single door on the far side of the courtroom. They
disappeared through the door as the entire courtroom could hear them
screaming, "No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"
A solitary man played the harmonica in his cell next to the cells of
Prue, Piper and Phoebe. The tune is sad, slow and melancholy. Piper sat
in her cell looking through the bars at the door on the far side of the
cell block. Phoebe was trying to see how strong the bars are. Prue was
trying to get her telekinesis power to work.
The man stops playing the harmonica and calls out to anyone listening,
"Anyone who goes through that door never comes back. They only leave
that room with wings on their back."
"Oh, stop it!" cried Piper. "You're sounding like an old gangster
movie.".
"Maybe that's the point." said Phoebe.
"I have been here longer than anyone. I've seen them come and go. Some
walk straight in there with their heads held high. Others have to be
carried in. Doesn't matter which way you go. The end is always the
same." And he went back to play the same lonesome tune.
"How do we get out of this? We just can't seem to change the plot of the story. How did we get in here anyway?" asked Pheebs.
"Now I guess, the prosecutor will come walking through that door." said
Piper.
The door opens and in walks two prison guards, the warden and a priest.
"Wrong, there," said Prue. "I think they've come for us!"
"Aren't you going to ask us to confess?" asked Piper hopefully.
"It's time," said the warden.
The priest kept saying a prayer, very softly, continuously giving the
sign of the cross.
"I want to give my confession!" chimes in Pheebs.
"You're not Catholic," said Piper.
"No time like when I have no time. Over here, Father!" she said jumping
up and down.
Each of the cells was opened and hand and leg irons were put on each of the women. Each of them started to sniffle, just a bit. They were led over the far door and inside they found three identical electric chairs.
"Have you ever seen a movie with three of these things?" aid Pheebs
trying to smile. "This isn't real."
Each of them were strapped in, a cap was put on each of their heads, electrodes attached to their arms and legs and a leather mask put over each of their faces.
"Do you have any last words?" asked the warden.
Prue said, "This is not right. This is not justice. This is wrong!"
Piper said, "This sob IS NOT REAL! sob This can't be real!"
Pheebs said, "Remember the Maine?"
"By the power invested by me by the governor of this state and having
been found guilty by the court of Greenville, I hereby carry out the sentence of death. And may God have mercy on your souls! Proceed with the execution!" said the warden.
A large switch was thrown and the sound of electricity crackled through
the air.
Outside there was an unruly mob carrying guns, rakes, hoes and one rope
with a large noose in it. Prue, Piper and Phoebe are part of the mob this time. Inside stands Sarah Lee Brown dressed in a long old-fashioned peasant dress and white shawl.
"There she is. She's a WITCH!" cries one of the mob.
"KILL HER!" cries another.
"HANG HER!" cries the man with the rope.
"NO, BURN HER!" cries a woman. "She made my children sick!"
"She made me loose my job!" cried another.
"She killed my father!"" cried another.
"She caused the crops to fail!"" cried another.
"BURN HER! BURN HER! BURN HER!" the crowd started to chant.
She tried to escape them, but the little cabin only had one door. The
crowd poured in as Sarah Lee Brown was backed up to the wall.
"BURN HER, BURN HER! BURN HER!" the crowd continued to chant.
Prue came running through the crow and stood in front of her.
"There goes the cavalry. Again!" quipped Piper.
"Friends of Greenville. This is not right. You should be ashamed of
yourselves. This woman has done you know harm. Go back to your homes.
Forget what has been done here tonight. This woman is no more that cause of your troubles then yourselves. How would you feel if it had been you? Yes, think of that. Anyone of you could as easily been blamed. So the next time something bad happens to you; fix it, make it right, and chalk it up to your experience. There aren't witches trying to do things to you. Think about it. Or as God is my witness, you will be the next one on trial here!" Prue cried to the crowd.
Everyone had his or her head down thinking of what the judge had said. And the judge had the power to back herself up, too!
"Now GO. Go home and leave this woman in peace." Prue ordered.
Then the crowd dispersed leaving the cabin and headed home. The
Halliwell's looked quickly at the poor Sarah Lee Brown in the corner of
her cabin. And they walked out, too. The view pulled back as the final
scene ended.
Picture of the town of Greenville. The lesson it learned was hard, as hard as the cell floor that Sarah Lee Brown had to spend her final night on. The final night that never came. The people of this town learned a valuable lesson. A lesson filed under P for prejudice in the Twilight Zone.
Do-do, do-do. Do-do, do-do
"AHHH!" said Phoebe as she woke up screaming. "That was no nightmare!" She stumbled out into the hall. It was still late at night. Prue was
standing by her door and Piper was wandering around her room.
"Hey, guys! Did you just have a nightmare? Were we just electrocuted?"
asked Phoebe.
"Yes. I think. That was some nightmare! It was as if it was scripted by..." said Prue.
"ROD SERLING!" they said simultaneously.
"Phoebe! Weren't you just watching the Twilight Zone marathon last night on TV?" asked Prue.
"Well, yes!" she said playing with her hair.
"That explains it. You got so wound up in the show that you dreamed
about it and pulled us right into your dream." said Prue.
"Can she do that?" asked Piper skeptically.
"It happened, didn't it? Besides Phoebe is the one with all the psychic
powers. Maybe this "thing" is a new power for her. But she's going to
need to LEARN to CONTROL it." said Prue.
"I don't know! I don't feel like I have a new power! What's good about
putting people into my dreams? It just seems to give us all nightmares!" said Pheebs.
"This is one power the Charmed Ones can do without! Just let me SLEEP in PEACE!" said Piper very angry with Pheebs.
"Why is everyone picking on me? I didn't cast some spell. I didn't
disturb your sleep. On purpose, I mean." said Pheebs.
"That's just it. We BOTH have important and busy days tomorrow. YOU have a day off! I'm sorry if we're coming down hard, Pheebs, but that was the scariest nightmare I've had since..since..I was a child!" said Prue.
"The same goes for me. Good night Pheebs. And if you wish me pleasant
dreams..." said Piper.
"I'm REALLY sorry. Good night, guys." said Pheebs left alone in the hallway. "Hopefully in the Halliwell Zone! Get it? Can you hear me? OH they went back to sleep witch is where I should be. Good night Rod!" she called out as she wet n back to bed.
Sweeter dreams Pheebs!