[thwacks] NARRATOR: Previously on Hardy Boys...
‐ Hey, hey, hey. We believe you about what happened on the Astghik.
Does this mean anything to you?
That symbol?
ERN: There's something inside!
It's a box!
That's what got everyone killed.
‐ I lied.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Oh... Oh. Oh, are you all right, sir?
TALL MAN: He took my bag.
PHIL: Guy got on a plane with this fake mustache,
and then jumped off at 10,000 feet.
JB: Oh, you're home. ‐ You're the guy that jumped out of that plane.
You're a fugitive. ‐ Guilty.
JOE: What'd you steal? JB: The less you know, the better.
WOMAN [on phone]: Have you retrieved the item?
The buyer is losing patience.
ERN: If what was in that box is that important,
they'll come after me again.
‐ A box of your mom's things came today.
FRANK: The Strange Tales of Bridgeport.
Joe, Mom signed this out the day that she died.
[chatter on police radio] Somebody killed Mom.
The day she died, she was talking about that boat that sank.
JOE: The Astghik.
FRANK: This is the symbol Ern found on the box.
MRS. KHAN: I believe that she was investigating...
JOE: What was she doing in Bridgeport?
‐ There's pages missing.
"Tragedy at Demon's Paw"? JOE: Frank!
FRANK: We just have to figure out how this is all connected.
JOE: Frank, are you even listening to me? [Laura laughing]
Frank! ‐ Hmm? What's up?
‐ I was asking where you think that kid Ern disappeared to.
FRANK: Uh, I don't know.
Callie said his girlfriend's missing, too.
Maybe they're in hiding, or maybe they skipped town.
‐ I would, too, if some seven‐foot‐tall maniac was after me.
[Frank chuckles]
‐ Uh, I gotta go to Wilt's. First day, new job.
JOE: You're gonna do great. [Frank chuckles]
TRUDY: Yikes. I mean, Joe, you cooked!
‐ Yep.
‐ Runny eggs. Extra runny.
Those are all yours. ‐ Thanks.
‐ Uh, we'll talk later. ‐ Yep.
TRUDY: Oh, boy. Okay, um... [door closes]
Just back in the pan for one more minute.
‐ What's wrong with 'em?
Medium rare.
[bell on door jingling]
♪ upbeat '80s‐style pop song playing over radio ♪
‐ Sorry I'm late, Wilt.
‐ What? Oh, uh, no problem.
Uh, here. Suit up.
Nice, huh?
I am going to the back to finish this chapter.
You put on a fresh pot of coffee.
‐ Oh, hey, Wilt, I don't actually‐‐ [door squeaks open]
[door closes]
♪ dramatic music plays ♪
♪
[clears throat]
[scraping]
♪ mysterious music playing ♪
♪
[tapping]
[bell on door jingles]
‐ Nice hat.
‐ [chuckles] Gee, thanks.
Either one of you know how to work a coffee machine?
‐ Why am I not surprised by this?
‐ Yeah, we got coffee in the city.
Just don't know how‐‐ You gonna help me or not?
‐ You just put the water up top, and then...
Dump it in there. Yeah.
Where's Wilt?
‐ I don't know. He's in the back, reading some romance novel.
‐ That's cute.
CHET: I guess he's‐‐ He's in charge, I guess. [Callie chuckles softly]
CALLIE: Promotion.
‐ He's the manager now. ‐ Store manager. Hmm.
What is it?
‐ If I said something about Demon's Paw, would you know what I'm talking about?
‐ Yeah. ‐ Yeah, that's the name of the hill right next to my farm.
‐ Okay, 'cause I found...
I found this book.
‐ The Strange Tales of Bridgeport. FRANK: Mm‐hmm.
There's a chapter missing.
"The Tragedy at Demon's Paw," written by Anya Kowalsky.
‐ Isn't she, like, the, the palm reader?
It's like‐‐ ‐ No, no. She's a tarot card reader.
She always has a booth set up at the carnival.
‐ Yeah, we were actually thinking about going, but you know, it's...
Cheesy rides and cheesy foods‐‐ ‐ It's cursed.
‐ The carnival is not cursed.
‐ People have died there before. It's gotta be at least a little cursed.
CHET: Okay, that's just because the rides are death traps.
‐ Okay, what's the big deal about this book, anyways?
‐ This is the last book that my mom took out...
...the day that...
...she, um...
I just want to know why she'd come to Bridgeport for this.
‐ Well, we should go to the carnival and find this Anya woman.
You can ask her what the story's about.
FRANK: Yeah. That'd be great. I'll meet you there after my shift.
‐ Cool. CHET: Cool.
‐ Sweet. Thanks, guys.
CALLIE: So, can we get that coffee now?
Cream and sugar? [laughs]
FRANK: I'll let you make it.
TRUDY: Joe, let's go! Carnival time!
Joe! [crashes, shatters]
JOE: Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no... [winces]
Aw...
♪ mysterious music playing ♪
♪
♪ theme music playing ♪
♪
[birds chirping]
TRUDY: Hey, you ready? We're gonna be late for the carnival.
‐ Aunt Trudy, I could have been naked!
‐ I think it's gonna be a good turnout this year.
‐ I think we need to talk about boundaries.
‐ What's that?
‐ What's what?
[exhales]
‐ Did you make this?
‐ Yeah. Sorta.
It's just an art project I'm working on.
♪ tense music playing ♪
‐ It's interesting.
‐ Thanks.
‐ Scary, though.
Didn't know you were so crafty.
Okay. We're leaving in five minutes.
Five minutes.
[footsteps departing]
♪
[sighs]
[window rattling]
♪
TRUDY: We're gonna have so much fun. How many carnivals have you been to?
JOE: Uh, do arcades count? TRUDY: No, they don't.
JOE: Okay, fine. ‐ Ah!
JOE: Do they have food there? I'm getting hungry.
TRUDY: Yeah. Everything. JOE: Oh, yeah, uh...
[Trudy and Joe chattering indistinctly]
[car door opens]
[indistinct chatter continues]
TRUDY: Okay that'll be our first stop.
♪
[kids screaming] ♪ rock music playing ♪
FRANK: This place is... vintage.
CHET: Bridgeport, man.
So where to first? The Zipper, or the house of oddities?
FRANK: Do you guys know where the tarot card reader is?
‐ Her tent is usually by the roller coaster.
‐ So let's go there first.
‐ Pretty desperate to see your future, huh?
‐ I'm more interested in the past.
TRUDY: Hi. Can I please get, uh, ten tickets? Thank you.
All right, so here's five for you, five for me.
Don't spend it all in one place. Hi.
‐ Hey, you. ‐ Hi.
JOE: Hi.
‐ Are you here in official capacity, or just...
looking for midway miscreants?
‐ Here with my own miscreant.
‐ Okay, what do you want to do first? We've got, um, butter sculptures,
pig races... ‐ Wow. How do you choose?
I'm gonna play some games.
‐ Me, too.
‐ Here's five bucks. Have fun. See you later.
‐ See ya.
‐ Do I get five bucks?
‐ Mm.
‐ Don't eat everything all at once!
JOE: Can't make any promises!
‐ They seem to be getting along.
‐ Yeah, it's nice to see Joe having some fun.
‐ You hungry?
‐ Yeah, I could eat.
‐ Come on. I'll buy you a corn dog.
‐ I love corn dogs.
‐ So you're gonna give up? You're gonna quit?
BOY: Yeah, I'm all out of money.
‐ Could have had it. So close. ‐ Yeah.
‐ Thanks, anyway. ‐ Whatever.
GAME MASTER: Why don't you go find your parents. Get some more money.
‐ This doesn't look that tough.
‐ Coin toss is impossible.
That's why the prizes are so big. No one ever wins.
GAME MASTER: Oh, ho, ho!
Is it rigged?
It is not rigged. Right, ladies and gentlemen?
It is not rigged.
It is easily winnable. Probably. Maybe.
It's easily winnable. Why don't you give it a go?
You don't know unless you try. You wanna try it?
‐ All right.
‐ [laughs] There you go.
[clangs]
GAME MASTER: Nice one, young fella. [bell ringing]
BOY: Oh, whoa. That's the first win all day.
‐ All right. A winner.
‐ Really? This is it?
How do I get one of these big things?
‐ Well, in order to win that, you're gonna have to win three times.
Some say that that's impossible.
But I'll be happy to take your money if you wanna play again.
‐ I have enough tickets. GAME MASTER: Okey‐dokey.
Here we go. We've got a contender here, folks.
Woo‐hoo‐hoo‐hoo!
[clangs] [game master laughs]
GAME MASTER: Ladies and gentlemen,
we have a gambler here! ‐ Whoa!
‐ [laughs] Big gambler.
Oh, he's going for three in a row, everyone!
So, good luck!
BIFF: Don't worry, Hardy. No pressure.
It's not like literally everyone here is watching you.
‐ Shut up. I'm focusing.
GAME MASTER: [laughs] Big gambler. Big gambler. Good luck.
[people clapping] Let's see if he can do it!
Go for it.
Playing for the big one!
[clangs]
A winner!
Woo! [people chattering, clapping]
Wow! Ha!
Good! I couldn't be more happy for you!
Great news!
Here you go!
Congratulations!
Okay, go. Get out.
‐ Why are you giving me your rejects? ‐ I can always win another one.
Come on. Let's bankrupt this place.
GAME MASTER: Who's next? [laughs]
[indistinct chatter outside]
[wind chimes chiming]
ANYA: Welcome.
‐ Hi. Are you Anya Kowalski?
ANYA: Five dollars for a reading.
‐ I'm just here to ask some questions.
‐ Five dollars for a reading.
‐ Just, just pay her.
[wind chimes chiming]
ANYA: Cut the deck.
‐ Ma'am, I don't actually believe in any of this.
We're just here because we want‐‐ ‐ Cut the deck.
[exhales, clears throat]
Good. Good.
The tarot tells us of our travels.
Each card represents a state of our being.
‐ I'm just here to ask a couple questions‐‐ ANYA: Draw three cards.
[clears throat]
Good. Good.
Death.
Don't be afraid.
Death is the most misunderstood card in the deck.
It does not mean a literal death.
It represents metamorphosis.
A big change has happened.
Yes?
The world, inverted.
‐ Is it good?
‐ Upright, the world means fulfillment and harmony.
Inverted, it means a lack of closure.
Something is incomplete in your life.
You seek answers.
Two of cups.
Good. Very good.
‐ What does it mean?
‐ Two of cups means a connection.
A new partnership. A new friend.
It is good that it is upright.
An inverted two of cups is very bad.
‐ Why?
‐ It means tension.
The world out of balance. Total chaos.
‐ You wrote a story in this book, right?
"The Tragedy at Demon's Paw"?
‐ I don't know what you're talking about.
‐ Your story was ripped out of this.
ANYA: If you've come here to laugh, you can leave.
‐ I just need to know what happened at Demon's Paw.
‐ The people of this town have mocked me for years.
They do so at their peril.
‐ I'm not here to mock you. We just need to know what happened.
‐ I will tell you one thing.
The ground you walk on is cursed.
Now, if you're not careful, your lives will be, too.
That is all I have to say.
‐ Okay. Thanks a lot.
[hanging beads clattering]
♪ tense music playing ♪
[grunts] [distant thud]
[grunts]
[footsteps approaching]
♪
[footsteps thudding]
[beeps]
[buzzing softly]
[beeping, buzzing softly]
♪
[footsteps departing]
[bell ringing] [indistinct chatter]
[people screaming]
‐ Hear ye! Hear ye!
Who among ye be brave enough to step inside our tent?
The tormented past of Demon's Paw awaits.
But be warned! It is not for the faint of heart!
Prepare to be amazed! Prepare to be intrigued!
Prepare to be horrified!
[distant woman screaming] Aah.
Welcome. Welcome, Bridgeport residents, to the tale of Demon's Paw.
Children, be warned.
It all began with a group of brave men.
May their memory live on.
Our story begins all the way back in 1915,
when the town of Bridgeport had yet to be founded,
and the land was nothing but fields and hills.
A group of miners saw potential in this land.
Potential for gold.
They thought if they put their backs into mining this land,
they could make their fortune.
And this famous expedition was led by me:
Jan Kowalsky.
But little did I know what would await me
on this fateful day.
As they dug deeper into the land,
they found themselves deeper than any man had dug before.
Despite the foul fumes and intense heat,
they kept on digging until they hit upon a solid wall.
One miner wound up a mighty blow and smashed the barrier.
[steam hissing] They saw into Hell,
and awoken a demon!
Oh, oh! The men ran! [growling]
They ran, but the mine caved in around them!
Oh, no! Run, men! Get out of here! Oh, no! Ow! Ow!
Oh! [grunting] Ow!
[grunting]
[coughing]
[gasps]
[groans]
[coughs weakly]
My... daughter.
[coughing]
[grunts softly]
Jan Kowalsky was fatally injured...
and died in the loving arms of his poor, poor daughter.
His final words were...
[in raspy voice]: "It was... a demon."
[weak clapping] [normal voice]: [chuckling] Thank you.
[chuckles] Thank you. Thank you.
You're too kind. You're too kind.
Thank you. [chuckles]
♪ carnival music playing ♪
[indistinct chatter, yelling] GIRL: My turn! My turn!
BALLOON GAME MASTER: Hey. Hey, you.
You feeling lucky?
Test your luck at the Balloon Bust.
‐ You know what? I am feeling lucky.
‐ You're getting cocky. ‐ So what? I'm on a streak.
‐ Get the red line, and you win the big prize.
‐ What's a red line?
‐ Behind me and pinned to this wall are three red balloons.
You get three darts.
If you burst all three, you win the big prize.
‐ Piece of cake.
‐ It's supposed to look easy. That's how they trick you.
The balloons are under‐inflated, and the darts are dull.
‐ The darts are very sharp.
‐ Forget it, Joe.
‐ You underestimate me.
Let's do it. BALLOON GAME MASTER: [chuckles] You're cocky, kid. I like that.
Good luck.
[pops] Boom! Yay!
He burst one. Will he get another, folks?
[pops] Ooh.
[balloon game master chuckles] ‐ How are you doing this?
‐ Magic. ‐ He's one balloon away from a red line, folks.
No one in the history of Bridgeport has ever won a red line before.
Can he do it?
BIFF: What are you doing?
‐ Giving the people what they want.
‐ He, he's gonna shoot blind, folks. [chuckles]
[pops] Oh!
[bell ringing] [people applauding]
Wow.
That was incredible.
You can have any prize you want.
‐ What do you want?
‐ The frog. Definitely the frog.
‐ The lady will have the frog, sir.
BALLOON GAME MASTER: The frog, it is, kid. Wow.
That was incredible. Way to go, kid.
‐ There you are. ‐ Thank you.
BALLOON GAME MASTER: Try your luck, guys. Come on.
He just won.
CURTIS: Oh, wow.
Nice toy, dweebs. ‐ What do you want, Curtis?
‐ How'd you cheat? JOE: I didn't cheat.
‐ He won fair and square.
CURTIS: No one's that lucky.
‐ Yeah, well, I guess I am.
And if you want a prize, you can win one yourself.
[indistinct chatter]
♪ carnival music playing ♪
[distant yelling]
CALLIE: Frank! CHET: Frank!
‐ There you are. Where have you been?
‐ The head miner at the tragedy at Demon's Paw was Jan Kowalsky.
That's got to be Anya's father, right?
‐ Where is this all coming from?
‐ I just...
I saw this play about it.
‐ That's why she didn't want to talk about what happened.
‐ Yeah.
We gotta go back.
‐ Let's go.
MAN: Here you go. BIFF: Thanks.
MAN: Can I help you? ‐ Could I get a corn dog, please?
MAN: Yeah, you got it.
♪ tense music playing ♪
[bell dinging]
TALL MAN: Have you seen this boy?
♪
[video game beeping]
[Skee‐Ball machine beeping]
[ball clatters] [beeping]
‐ Joe. ‐ Hang on.
I can't lose.
‐ There's a man looking for you.
‐ What do you mean? ‐ He's asking people where you are.
He has a photo of you.
[Skee‐Ball machine beeping]
‐ Who is this?
‐ We need to leave. Right now.
BIFF: Uh, okay. Do you know him?
‐ Less questions. Just run.
[people screaming]
Let's move out.
♪
[dinging]
[distant screaming]
CURTIS: Where's your luck now, kid?
[Joe yells]
‐ Anya?
ANYA: What are you doing here?
‐ I just wanted to apologize.
I didn't realize you lost your father in the accident.
‐ I told you I don't talk about that.
FRANK: No, I know, and I understand that.
I just know what it feels like.
♪ melancholy music playing ♪
♪
I recently lost my mother, too.
‐ Oh.
FRANK: It was a car accident a few weeks ago.
‐ I'm very sorry.
‐ I miss her. You know, a lot.
All the time.
I keep waiting for her to come home.
I wake up every day expecting her to be there, and she's not.
‐ Sit. Sit.
What is it you want to know?
♪ tense music playing ♪
♪
[bell ringing] [people chattering]
[people screaming]
ANYA: You probably know the old story
of the men who went on a mining expedition.
FRANK: Yeah, they were looking for gold.
‐ So some people say.
I'm not so sure.
CALLIE: What do you mean?
‐ The story goes further than that.
People don't want the truth,
because the truth is very difficult to hear.
When I was ten years old,
my father led an expedition of three men to dig the ground.
Right here, where the carnival stands today.
He was a very good man, my father.
The men who worked for him loved him.
But they found something down there.
‐ The demon. ‐ No, not a demon.
I saw the explosion.
My father emerged with three other men.
He was bleeding,
and coughing with the smoke.
He collapsed on the ground.
I broke through the other men.
I ran to him. I held him in my arms.
And with the last of the strength, he told me...
He told me...
they found a box.
And when they opened it,
the ground shook,
and the tunnel collapsed.
And then he...
The other men said my father was hallucinating with the pain.
But I knew him,
and I knew he was telling me what he truly saw.
‐ What happened to the other miners?
‐ They went on to have their families and to live their lives.
Some of them even became rich and powerful.
But I know
that my father was telling me what he truly saw.
That there was evil there.
And it cursed this town.
And it curses it still today.
[woman screaming] [camera shutter clicking]
[demonic growling]
♪ spook house music playing on speakers ♪
[woman screaming]
[girl shrieking]
[curtains whoosh]
[neon light buzzing]
[distant high‐pitched evil laughter]
[distant screaming] [mocking laughter]
[evil laughter]
[woman yelps]
[demonic growling]
[neon lights crackling]
[door clattering]
[Joe grunts]
JOE: Stop it! Stop! TALL MAN: Where is it?
JOE: I don't have it. I swear!
Get off of me!
[beeping]
Help! Help! JB: Hey!
[Joe grunts] [punching]
JB: Run!
JOE: What are you doing here? JB: I said run!
Miss me? [tall man grunts]
TALL MAN: You! JB: I missed you, too.
CALLIE: Think they really found something down there?
‐ My mom was reading that book for a reason.
There's something special about Demon's Paw.
By the way, why is it called Demon's Paw?
‐ It's because the hills look like a gnarled claw from up above.
‐ You can get a pretty good look at it from the silo at my farm.
‐ Or from the top of the Ferris wheel.
FRANK: Let's do that.
‐ Uh, how about you two go do that?
I'm gonna go get some curly fries or something.
‐ You scared of heights?
‐ Yes. [chuckles]
‐ Really?
‐ Okay, we'll see you in a bit.
♪ carnival music playing ♪
There. That's Demon's Paw. See it?
‐ Whoa.
♪ romantic music playing ♪
‐ I was thinking about what you said earlier.
About your mom.
‐ Yeah?
‐ You've never talked about it before.
‐ I guess it's not really something I like to talk about.
Not really sure what to say, or what I'm supposed to say.
♪
‐ I get it.
I don't like talking about my mom, either.
‐ Why? ‐ She's gone, too.
She, she moved away when I was little, and...
Yeah.
‐ That sucks.
[distant clattering]
[thuds]
[blows landing]
[JB grunts]
[punches] [grunts]
[JB panting]
[JB grunts]
TALL MAN: Why are you protecting him?
You don't even know what you stole.
[JB grunting]
[grunts]
[JB yells]
[thuds]
[loud sparking]
[electricity crackling] [pained yelling]
[thuds] [electricity crackles]
[lights click off]
[people screaming, yelling]
FRANK: Whoa. What just happened?
GIRL: Where are you? Can you hear me?
[people yelling, commotion] What's going on?
[shouting, chattering]
[commotion continues]
TRUDY: Joe!
JESSE: Biff!
‐ Frank!
‐ Biff!
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
♪
[JB breathing heavily]
[lights click on] [bell ringing]
[people chattering]
♪ carnival music starts up ♪
‐ That was so weird. ‐ What?
♪
[Joe grunts]
BIFF: Frank! Frank, you need to come with me.
‐ What's wrong? ‐ It's Joe.
‐ You okay?
‐ Yeah. Yeah. ‐ You sure?
Okay. Give me your hand.
[whirling] [people chattering]
[distant siren blaring]
GIRL 1: Is he okay?
GIRL 2: What's happening? GIRL 3: Is he all right?
GIRL 1: I don't know.
FRANK: Joe?
Hey, Joe. You okay?
‐ Yeah.
[siren approaching]
‐ Oh, my God.
That's the guy from the hotel.
[vehicle door closes] ‐ What's he doing here?
[vehicle door closes]
‐ I think he was looking for something.
[stretcher clattering] CHET: It's happened again.
This carnival's cursed.
TRUDY: Frank? Joe?
You okay?
‐ Yeah. ‐ Yeah.
WOMAN: Paramedics are arriving‐‐ JESSE: Okay, everyone take a step back, please.
Give 'em some room. Come on.
[stretcher clattering]
[indistinct chatter]
♪
[door opens]
[door shuts]
[panting]
‐ Oh. It's you.
‐ Didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?
‐ Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
‐ Look, at the carnival,
you told me that the tall man was looking for something.
How'd you know that?
‐ The other day, I met someone on the beach.
‐ Okay.
‐ I didn't know who they were, but I saw a parachute,
so I'm pretty sure it was that guy from the paper
that jumped out of the plane.
‐ What? ‐ I know, I know.
But he paid me to deliver a message for him.
‐ Joe‐‐ ‐ I thought that would be it,
but then he broke into the house.
He hid this in the vent in my room.
‐ He was in the house? ‐ Yes.
‐ What is it?
‐ Oh, it's nothing.
It's not even real gold, but...
this was inside.
‐ Whoa.
Looks like a piece of something bigger.
‐ I think that's what the tall man was after.
‐ Why?
‐ It has powers.
‐ [chuckles] Right. Okay. ‐ Seriously.
I had it with me during the carnival,
and I didn't lose a single game.
‐ Hold this.
The symbol Mom drew.
This was on the box that the Astghik pulled out of the water.
They're the same. It matches, right?
Whatever Mom was working on,
this has to be a part of it.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
♪
[wind chimes chiming]
ANYA: Two of cups, inverted.
The world out of balance.
Total chaos.
♪