What's his name?
-Bear. -Are you looking after him?
Make sure he doesn't get scared.
l don't know how you do it.
Night after night of this and you're still smiling.
You've got to, haven't you?
Now, don't take it off yourself again, all right?
Good morning, headmistress. Good morning, children.
Good morning, Miss Parkins.
-You're late. -Sorry. My road was bombed last night.
Shall we get on the train?
-We're waiting on Edward Lee. -l thought he was staying.
Their house was hit.
He's an orphan now.
Here he is.
-Morning. -Good morning.
-Thank you for bringing him to the station. -lt's the least we could do.
Oh, Edward, l'm so, so sorry.
You're gonna come with us now, away from all this.
He's not said a word since...
-Right, that's it. -Safe trip. -Thank you.
-The whistle's blown. Everybody on board. -Thank you, sir.
Right, come along.
Now, stop dawdling. And stop fiddling with your tag.
Thank you. Feet off the seats, Alfie.
-You must have started young. -Excuse me?
To have four children.
-They're not mine. -So you've kidnapped them, have you?
They're evacuees. Their parents can't leave London,
they have no other relatives,
so we're taking them to a house in the country.
So where are you headed?
lf l'm being interrogated, you could at least tell me your name.
l'm Flying Officer Burnstow, but you can call me Harry.
l'm Eve. But you can call me Miss Parkins.
-Well, l'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Parkins. -l'm sure you are.
-We're heading to Crythin Gifford. -Really? Me too.
Really? And what are you going to do there?
l'm a pilot.
That's what they all say.
Sorry. l didn't mean to...
lt's fine.
Thank you.
Full of character.
Mrs Hogg, Dr. Rhodes, board of education.
l do apologise for keeping you.
Don't worry, don't worry.
lt was nice to meet you, Miss Parkins.
-l'll visit when l can. -Please, call me Eve.
We've kept Dr. Rhodes waiting long enough already.
Good night.
-What was that? -Damn.
-Everybody stay close by. -Where is everybody?
-There's a spare in the back. -l'll give you a hand.
-What is that? -Why is it staring at us?
lt's stuck.
Oh, dear.
Stay by the bus. Joyce, look after everyone.
Just leave it there.
Hello?
Died on Sunday, seen on Monday. Who will be next?
Are you all right?
Died on Sunday, seen on Monday.
Who will die next? lt must be you.
Don't look. You mustn't look.
Sorry. lt's all right.
You mustn't look. Don't look.
You mustn't look.
Sorry.
The mist can roll in quickly on these marshes.
Can't you put the headlights on full?
Blackout rules still apply here.
But we could come off the road.
We could also be underneath a German bomber.
lf they haven't used all their bombs on the cities,
they drop them on the way back.
-Does anybody else live on the island? -No, it's barren.
The place has been deserted for years.
There it is, Eel Marsh House.
Children's quarters.
-Where are the others? -Others?
Yes, the others. The other school parties.
They don't arrive until next week. You're the first.
-Do you expect us to live like this? -lt's perfectly serviceable.
lt's derelict is what it is, Dr. Rhodes.
My husband is a brigadier in the army
and he wouldn't let his men stay in a place like this,
let alone a group of schoolchildren.
Granted, it hasn't been lived in for a while,
but the place will soon come back to life.
lt's not good enough, Dr. Rhodes.
lt's all we have, Mrs Hogg.
Come on, children. Let's unpack.
-Can't we look around? -Let's unpack first.
-But... -Do we really have to sleep?
Enough.
Miss Parkins, have Dr. Rhodes show you around.
-l'll sort out the children. -Yes, headmistress.
Right, chop, chop. Let's make our beds.
Through there's the kitchen. The dining room's out the back.
-What are you a doctor of? -Medicine, retired.
You work for the education board?
l'm also an air-raid warden.
We all do what we can.
Classroom's in the library on the left.
There's no lights up here yet,
but there's plenty of candles and oil lamps.
These two are your bedrooms.
Keep the rest locked till the others arrive.
That one?
lt should be locked.
Do you think it was a nursery?
lt's so cold in here.
We've put heaters downstairs, but there's no central heating.
l didn't mean that.
lt feels...
l don't know... sad.
Rooms aren't sad, Miss Parkins. People are.
Come on.
So when can you send someone round for the repairs?
Who, Miss Parkins?
-Well, we'll make the best of it. -l'd best be off.
..four corners to my bed,
four angels round my head, one to watch and one to pray
and two to bear my soul away.
Now l lay me down to sleep, l pray the Lord my soul to keep.
lf l should die before l wake,
l pray the Lord my soul to take.
-Amen. -Amen.
Everybody, into your beds.
Sleep well. Well done.
There we go. Sleep well.
Good boy.
ls that your mummy?
Very good.
Promise me you'll sleep well tonight.
No bad dreams.
Know what a nightmare is?
lt's your mind's way of letting go of all the bad thoughts.
Once you've dreamt them, they're gone.
ls it?
You just do that, then, all right?
We'll have you talking by tomorrow, won't we, Edward?
We can't have this nonsense going on too long.
lt's under your bed.
Come along, Miss Parkins.
-Edward. -lt's all right.
Let go.
There's a good boy.
He needs to learn.
Will you turn off the generator for the night
and lock up the house, please?
Yes.
-Good night. -Sleep well, children.
Where are you taking him?
Let me see him!
Hello?
To the marsh. lt's that way.
Come on, let's go to the marsh.
You look like you've had a bad night.
Coming to a new place always makes me restless. Where's Edward?
lnside, drawing.
Miss Parkins, leave him be. He'll join us again when he's ready.
l'm going to prepare the classroom.
What are you doing?
Tag, miss. James was it.
You shouldn't be running around. Where's Edward?
He's sitting on his bed.
James, l thought you were good friends with Edward.
l know things have changed, but l'd like you to include him.
At times like this he needs a friend.
Understand?
OK. OK.
Come on, Edward. Let's play a game.
Don't you want to be friends? You have to.
-Miss said. -lt's all right.
-Tom. -He can have it back. lf he wins the game.
-What game? -Hide-and-seek. Cover your eyes.
Cover them.
One,
two, three,
four, five, six...
No peeking.
Seven, eight, nine,
ten, eleven, twelve,
thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,
eighteen, nineteen, twenty.
Tricked you. Your turn to hide.
One, two, three,
four...
We're not ready to look yet.
Eleven, twelve, thirteen,
fourteen, fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.
-We're not ready to let you out yet. -What's going on?
James made me do it.
-Did you lock it? Where's the key? -We didn't.
You must have unlocked it in the first place.
lt was open.
Where is it? Edward? Edward, let me in.
Edward?
Come on, let's go downstairs.
Come on.
Would you get the door, please, Miss Parkins?
-Hello. -Just thought l'd come and check up on you,
see how you were getting on.
-l'm sorry. ls this a bad time? -No, not at all.
Sorry. Come in.
-Give it back or l'll tell. -l'll rip it.
-So how's Sergeant Battleaxe? -She'll hear.
lt's Brigadier. Well, wife of, anyway.
Well, l'm not scared. Although she does outrank me.
-How on earth are you gonna stay sane out here? -l don't know.
-Read? -Well, that sounds thrilling.
-Helps keep my mind off things. -What things?
There's something about this place. lt feels...
Well...
l see. Psychic powers, eh?
All right, then. Tell me what l'm thinking.
You want a cup of tea?
You'll have to tell me, then.
What's behind that smile?
lt's just my way, how l cope.
-With the war? -With everything.
Miss Parkins.
-l think it's time we had afternoon lessons, don't you? -Yes, of course.
Good day, Miss Parkins.
Your stories can be about whatever you'd like.
Family, your home, a memory, a faraway place.
-Yes, Joyce? -Can we write about the people that used to live in this...
No, no, not about that.
Edward, would you come with me, please?
Can you tell me what happened when the boys locked you in that room?
ls that where you found this?
You won't be in trouble. You just have to tell me where you got it.
Please, Edward.
Who? Who told you not to tell?
lt's very, very important that you tell me.
Tell me. This is important.
Did she tell you to say this to me?
-l reckon he saw a ghost. -A ghost?
-You did, didn't you, Edward? -Was it your mummy?
-l reckon so. -Leave him alone.
Why? He's not your boyfriend.
l'm telling Miss Hogg about all of you.
Leave him alone. Stop being horrible.
-Were you in the cellar? -A few minutes ago.
Not very pleasant, is it?
-You'll have some tea? -Thank you.
You've taken quite a shine to Flying Officer Burnstow.
l'll be careful. l know what everyone says about pilots.
l don't think he's like that.
No, nor do l.
Reminds me of my husband. Something about the eyes.
Was your husband called up?
We've been in the services our whole lives.
Both army families. Now our boys.
-l didn't know you had children. -Well, they're not children.
That changed the day they volunteered.
Do you have any photos?
-l know what they look like. -But you must miss them.
Will you excuse me?
l'm sorry.
lt's just we all have our ways of coping. This is mine.
Well, l'm sure they'll come back to you.
My husband teases me.
Says l'm the toughest soldier he's ever met.
That he cuts his men more slack than l do my pupils.
But our own worst enemy is ourselves.
Our fears, doubts.
Despair.
That's what'll destroy us.
Good night, Eve. l hope you sleep better tonight.
You too.
Tom!
What's happening?
-Tom? -Where are you?
Where's Tom?
l don't know. He was gone when l woke up.
Come out now. This isn't funny.
But l locked it.
Tom!
Tom. Tom?
Jean!
Oh, no.
Last night was a terrible accident, but l know how good you all are
at coping with accidents when they happen back home.
But you must understand
that even though we came here to be safe,
that out in the countryside, here, there's still danger.
Now, l want everyone to stay together today, even at playtime.
Do you understand me?
l'll write to the boy's mother.
l'm sure that l locked it. l'm sorry.
l don't think any of us could ever be sorry enough.
Doctor, l don't think we should stay here.
-l've told you, there's nowhere else. -But it isn't safe.
-lt's all of our jobs to make it safe. -Sorry, no, l didn't mean that.
Well, what's your point, then?
-Well? -Are you sure there's nobody else living here?
-What do you mean? -l think l saw someone.
Did you speak to them?
l tried, l called out, but she disappeared.
l think you should keep your visions to yourself.
Not visions. You're not listening to me.
No, you listen to me.
This is not the first body
l've pulled from barbed wire, Miss Parkins.
l remember the last war. l've seen what it can do.
You need to be better prepared for this one.
There you are, Edward. Come back into the house, please.
Wait!
Come back!
All right.
What is it?
-Sorry. -Don't be.
What happened was terrible, but it wasn't your fault.
l had the key.
A key. There must be others.
He could have just found one lying round the house.
Or someone else unlocked it.
Who?
No, what? What were you gonna say?
-l think there's somebody else on this island. -Living here?
l saw them in the cellar and then by the graveyard.
Forget it. lt's just me. l haven't been sleeping well.
l'm just seeing things.
Right, come on. Let's go and take a look.
You believe me?
Why shouldn't l?
Was that you we saw flying over last night?
No, not my turn.
l don't think l've seen one of these since l was a boy.
l'm gonna go see if this fits anything.
My name is Alice Drablow.
...lived at Eel Marsh House my whole life.
lt is the 19th of October, 18...
...never be believed, l feel the events
l am experiencing must be recorded.
Perhaps one day they will be understood.
lt all began with the death of Nathaniel.
He was no less of a son to me. She may have bore him, but l raised him.
l provided when she could not.
We were coming home across the causeway.
The horse somehow lost its footing.
The carriage was thrown into the marsh.
She saw it happen from the nursery.
He sank so fast. Before l knew it, he was lost.
Gone.
She blames me.
So that l may suffer Nathaniel's death again and again,
she makes me watch so l can see what she saw,
feel what she... See what l saw. Get away from me, Jennet.
Feel what l felt.
l'm imagining you. You're not real.
So Jennet was Nathaniel's mother, but Alice brought him up.
Until he drowned.
That's what l heard. The carriage falling into the marsh.
l must be going mad.
No. No, l believe you saw someone,
and l believe that something happened here.
But we've looked everywhere on the island.
l know where l've seen these letters before. The village.
l have to report back to base.
l'll drop you off first. Shouldn't be long.
-What's wrong? -The tide's coming in. We need to hurry.
-lt's fine. -No, it's not.
Slow down!
-Harry. -Be quiet! l need to concentrate.
We were shot down over the sea.
My crew were trapped in the fuselage as it went under.
l could hear them calling to me.
l tried to swim back down to them, but...
it was so dark.
Couldn't breathe properly.
-l'm sure it wasn't... -No, it was.
They were my crew.
l was the only survivor.
So now l don't like the water.
How did you get this?
Tom had it in his pocket the night he died. How did you get it back?
-Get out the way. -James, get off.
Hello?
Edward?
Edward. Mrs Hogg says you need to come now.
Edward? Edward, this isn't funny.
Edward, you're in so much trouble.
Edward?
Edward. Don't be such a...
Who's there? Let me out!
Whenever she's seen, and whoever by,
one thing's certain, a child shall die.
-Tell me how to stop her. -You're too late.
We tried. She killed all my friends. Now l'm the last.
Come back, please. We'll leave, then.
You brought her back. Your fault. Your fault.
You brought her back.
Never needed eyes to hunt.
No.
My friends had eyes and so l cried.
My friends had eyes and so they died.
Joyce, you're not meant to be in this room.
Joyce.
Your fault! Your fault!
Harry!
Harry! Harry!
-All right, get in. -Please, let's go.
-What's happened? -Quickly.
"Dear Nathaniel. l tried to tell you the truth,
but you were too young to understand.
l tried to take you away. but they discovered my plan.
Now they won't let me near you. They are sending me to an asylum.
So l'm leaving this letter with my solicitor, Mr Jerome.
They cannot stop him from giving it to you when you are older.
You were brought up thinking that Alice Drablow was your mother...
But she is not.
Your father, Charles Drablow, got me pregnant.
This is the truth. Please believe it. l will never let you go.
So, please, come to me as soon as you can,
for l was, am and always shall be your mother.
Jennet Humfrye."
He died two days later.
So he never knew.
Never knew she was his mother.
lt's preposterous.
Even if you don't believe me, why take the chance?
-Harry will take us to the station and we'll just leave... -Enough.
-Jean. l am telling you that we have to... -Get out.
Go on. You want to?
l don't want you here a moment longer.
No, l won't leave them here.
l found Joyce today trying to strangle herself. Don't you see?
-You're poisoning them. -That was Jennet.
Don't you see? She's been seen.
We can't leave. We need to get the children to the cellar. Now.
-That's right, Come along. Quick as you can. -Come along. Come along.
Be careful.
Stay away from the glass. Be careful.
lt's OK.
Nobody deserves to suffer like she did.
Why has this got to you?
Eve?
l had a child. A son.
l wasn't married.
l was too young, so they... they took him away from me.
Where did you... Where did you...
Let me see him, please.
l tried looking for him, but...
They wouldn't tell me where he was.
Or his name.
After a while l just gave up.
l let him go.
Eve.
We can't let the past pull us under.
There's just too much to do.
Too much to live for, right?
-She knows. -No, this has got nothing to do with her.
-She told me. You let him go. -That was for Alice.
Remember? She said she blamed her for Nathaniel's death.
Made her watch it over and over again.
-This has got nothing to do with you. -You're wrong.
Eve, you need to listen to me.
She wants to take something away from me.
What?
She wants to turn him against me.
-Everybody, stay together. -lt's only a draught.
Edward, come here. Come here. Stay close.
My lighter's out of fuel.
Miss, l've found some matches.
Good girl.
That's right.
Give it to me. Let me do it.
Good. Let's get the other ones lit.
Where's Joyce?
Joyce?
Joyce!
Oh, no. Joyce!
Joyce! No, no, no, no!
Joyce?
No. Oh, not again, no.
No!
Tide's cleared, so l can take you all back to the village
and then we'll figure out a way to get you home.
l'm not going back there. Take us to the airfield.
All right.
Ruby, that's yours.
You should leave that.
lt belongs here. Give it to me. Give to me. Edward.
Thank you, Alfie.
Come back here, Fraser.
lt's not real.
Harry.
-Harry. -lt's a dummy airfield.
So the Nazis bomb here instead of a real one.
l move lights around, make it look like planes are taking off.
And l start fire baskets, make it look like they've hit us.
-l'm a decoy. -You said you were a pilot.
l was, but after the crash... l couldn't fly anymore.
So they sent me here, demoted me.
Lack of moral fibre, they said. LMF.
Means you're a coward. Officially.
-Why didn't you tell me? -l liked the way you saw me.
See? There's that smile again.
Don't look at that. We'll get the next train out of here.
-When's that, miss? -Tomorrow morning.
But we'll be safe here till then. OK, go sit down.
ls this you?
Used to be.
-Miss. -Yes, Flora?
Tom said Edward saw a ghost. ls it true?
-Yes. -These are lies, children. There's no such thing...
Right, that's enough.
She's telling the truth.
l'm tired of secrets.
Did she give it back to you?
l'm sorry if l've upset you, but you have to tell me.
Please.
What's that?
-This isn't real. -l don't want to lose you.
-This isn't real. -You can't have him!
-He's not yours! -You're scaring the children.
She's set off the fire baskets. Damn things won't turn off.
-Everybody, stay close. -Please be quiet.
Let's hold hands. And then if anyone lets go,
-two of us will know about it. -Don't be so...
Do it!
His friends had eyes, so they died. The blind man couldn't see her.
Close your eyes, everybody.
Let's say our prayer before bedtime, all right? Come on.
There are four corners to my bed,
four angels round my head. One to watch and one to pray
and two to bear my soul away. There are four corners to my bed,
four angels round my head. One to watch and one to pray
and two to bear my soul away.
lt's all right, it's all right, it's all right. lt's fine.
lt's all right. Don't look.
Hold on. Hold on.
-lt's madness. -Jean.
-We're all going... mad. -Jean.
This is madness.
Edward? Edward.
Wait.
Edward!
Edward, it's me, it's Harry.
lt's all right. They've gone.
Edward.
You're all right. You're all right.
Take my hand.
Edward!
No! Edward!
Eve.
Nice and slow.
Come on.
Yeah, that's it.
Where's Edward?
l'm so sorry.
l tried. l really tried,
but...
One of the fire baskets. l'm so sorry.
Fraser. Fraser.
Did you see his body?
-There was nothing left. -Did you see his body?
-l'm sorry. -lt's not enough for him to die like that.
-Why would she do that? -What? -That's not enough of a punishment.
What do you mean, it's not...
Eve. What...
-No. -No, listen...
-All right, listen to me. Listen. -No!
-Eve. -No.
Eve. Eve.
Sweetheart, there's nothing you could have done.
You mustn't blame yourself.
Come on, hurry up. You've been in this godforsaken place too long.
Come on, pick your feet up.
Eve.
l should have listened to you. l'll never forgive myself.
-He's alive. -What?
-They're waiting for me. -Come on!
Then take the jeep. Now.
Eve?
Eve!
Edward?
Mummy.
Let me see him!
Show me Edward. Let me see him.
No!
Edward! No!
-See what l saw. -No!
- Edward! -Feel what l felt.
Die how l died.
Come back!
No! No! Let me out!
Edward!
Wake up, Edward!
Wake up, Edward, please.
You have to fight her.
You have to fight her, Edward.
Please, Edward.
You fight bad dreams with good thoughts.
Do you remember when your mother told you that?
No!
Harry! Harry!
l'm sorry.
She's gone.
-Ready? -Yes.
Very smart.
Happy birthday, Edward.
So you can make new drawings.
What's wrong?
Will she come back?
She's gone.
She fed on all our bad feelings.
But now Harry's watching over us, she can't come back.
-You understand? -Yes.
Now where's my smile?
-Very good. -Your turn.
Right, time to go.