Cry of Silence

"In the not-distant future, the sound of Man will invade those unknown depths of space which as yet we cannot even imagine. In his own world there are no places left beyond the reach of his voice. His neighbor is no longer just next door, but anywhere at the end of a wire. And it all began when prehistoric man discovered the art of communication..."

[edit] Plot

A city couple driving in the countryside makes a turn into a mysterious valley road where their car hits a rock and stops working. After the couple leaves their car, the wife has a slight accident in which she rolls downhill and sprains her ankle. When the husband reaches her, they realise they are being stalked...by tumbleweeds who appear to be possessed by some form of energy. At first they attempt to keep the tumbleweeds at bay with fire, but soon run out of firewood.

At this point they are saved by a slightly disturbed farmer named Lamont, who explains that things have been awkward in the valley ever since a UFO landed two weeks before, causing his farm to die out. Lamont tells them he stayed merely out of curiosity, but now the weeds won't allow him to leave either. The three make their way to Lamont's house where they spend a frightening night surrounded by tumbleweeds first and then thousands of frogs. Comes morning, they walk back to the car without trouble, only to be attacked by living rocks once they get there. One rock kills Lamont. The couple runs back to the house, where the husband finally decides that the only way they are ever to leave there is to attempt to communicate with whatever is behind all this.

[edit] Closing narration

"'And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.' The sound of Man probes the dimensionless range of space, seeking an answer. But if it comes, will he hear? Will he listen? Will he comprehend?"

[edit] Cast

Eddie Albert – as Andy Thorne
June Havoc – as Karen Thorne
Arthur Hunnicutt – as Lamont
Helen Thurston – as Stuntwoman (uncredited)

[edit] Notes

The early scenes in this episode - featuring the stranded couple menaced by sinister tumbleweeds - bear a strong resemblance to Algernon Blackwood's seminal horror story "The Willows".