What We Saw from the Ruined House (Original Narration and Acting Parts)

[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")] Then, on the ninth day, we saw the Martians eating. Inside the hood of their new machine, they were draining the fresh, living blood of men and women and injecting it into their own veins... [Parson Nathaniel: Charles Davis] Agh! This is the terrible day of the Lord! I shall go and spread his word, but I have been delayed too long! [Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")] No, Parson, no! [Parson Nathaniel: Charles Davis] Men shall call upon the mountains! And the rocks do- (The Journalist knocks out the Parson) [Parson Nathaniel: Charles Davis] Uh— (The Parson's body falls onto the ground) [Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")] The curious eye of a Martian appeared at the window slit, and a tentacle explored the room. I dragged the Parson down to the coal cellar. After an age of almost intolerable suspense, I heard the Martian fumbling at the latch. It understood doors! In the darkness, I could see the feeler touching things, walls, coal, wood, and then it touched my boot! I almost shouted! For a time, it was still, and then with a click, it gripped something... The Parson! With slow, deliberate movements, the unconscious body was dragged away, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it!... I buried myself under the coal, and two days passed before I dared to crawl up to the kitchen for the drink I craved. There, I found the Red Weed had polluted the water and spoiled every scrap of food. Desperately wretched, I sat about for three more days and finally resorted to drinking tainted rainwater, becoming so lightheaded, I could no longer hear the accustomed noises from the pit... As the silence lengthened, I crept to the blocked window slit and peered through the creeper. A multitude of crows hopped and fought over their refuse, but the Martians and all their machinery had gone!... Trembling, I dug my way out and clambered to the top of the mound. Not a Martian in sight! The day seemed dazzling bright after my imprisonment, and the sky a glowing blue. Red Weed covered every scrap of ground, but a gentle breeze kept it swaying and oh!... The sweetness of the air!...