History Recap / AreYouAfraidOfTheDarkSeason3TheTaleOfTheDangerousSoup

* DoesThisRemindYouofAnything: Dr Vink describes Reed as being raised by an uncle who was "a cruel man who treated him very harshly". Not explicitly stated as this is a show aimed at kids, but it's implied that Reed was raised by an emotionally abusive man.

* OOCIsSerousBusiness: The perpetually cheery, unflappable Dr. Vink completely freaks out in genuine terror when the statute escapes.

Alone in a small, dark, sterile room, Paul sits in a metal chair. In the middle of the far wall, a square panel slides down, revealing a small, misty chamber, in which sits a small statue with the body of a bear and snarling head of a bat. From inside each armrest, two metal bars fly into place across Paul's middle, pinning him in place. Through a slat in the door, Dr Vink claims the statue to know what scares Paul. Suddenly paralysed with fear, Paul looks down at his leg - across which climbs a constrictor snake.

Reed demands explanation. Dr Vink decides to impart the secret of the Dangerous Soup. During his travels, he happened upon a tribe of savage warriors, who, instead of bladed weaponry, used a talisman: a statue enchanted with the power to reach into the mind, and recreate dreaded memories. While illusory, the more a victim believed in this recreation, the more real it would become. Once roused, the fear would be conjured in liquid form. The warriors, by drinking the liquid fear of their enemies, gained the resultant bodily stimulation and strength. After acquiring the statue, he now uses it to collect the liquid fear of his employees, which he uses to season his soup. The reason the soup is so delicious is because, to taste the Dangerous Soup is to ''literally'' taste fear.

Reed demands explanation. Dr Vink decides to impart the secret of the Dangerous Soup. During his travels, he happened upon a tribe of savage warriors, who, instead of bladed weaponry, used a talisman: a statue enchanted with the power to reach into the mind, and recreate dreaded memories. While illusory, the more a victim believed in this recreation, the more real it would become. Once roused, the fear would be conjured in liquid form. The warriors, by drinking the liquid fear of their enemies, gained the resultant bodily stimulation: to taste the Dangerous Soup is to taste fear.

Through the kitchen, Dr Vink leads the two. From a huge steaming pot of some dark green concoction, he takes a ladle, and offers Reed a taste of its content. It’s the house speciality: the Dangerous Soup.

Reed tastes, and, despite himself, is impressed. Dumbfounded to hear of the amount charged per bowl, he requests one more taste. Dr Vink, however, permits his staff only one. He warns against attempt to sneak another.

With a disdainful smile, Reed denies intimidation.

Dr Vink happily gives him the job.

Reed, narrates Frank, had no family, and badly needed this job. He kept mostly to himself, and never let anyone help him with anything. While the Wild Boar was an okay place to work, occasionally, a member of staff, for no clear reason, would quit.

Meanwhile, Reed follows Nonnie into the empty dining area, and offers sincere thanks for covering up for him. He explains his aloofness to have been honed by a life of having to do things alone.

At Dr Vink’s direction through the door’s slide-covered peephole, Jersey sits in the metal chair. In the far wall before her, the square panel slides down, revealing the Statue. From each inner armrest, a metal bar springs across Jersey’s middle, pinning her in place.

Reed demands the freezer door be opened. Dr Vink discreetly looks inside. Instantly, the blade fades from existence, and the statue’s canopy slides shut. Dr Vink airily invites them to open the door. Out stumbles Jersey, who seems not to remember the recent ordeal.

Dr Vink invites Reed on a visit to the freezer. Reed obliges.

Horrified, Nonnie rushes to open the door. Suddenly panicked, Dr Vink tries to stop her - too late. Surrounded by a brilliant blue glow, the suddenly animate statue flies like the wind out of the freezer, across the kitchen, and into the night.

He finds her somewhat disorientated, slumped across the freezer floor, whose walls are now firmly where they belong. Dazed with relief, he and Nonnie realise the spell to have been broken. Dr Vink, it seems, won’t be making any more of his famous soup.

At the peephole appears the face of Dr Vink, who announces the Statue still to be alive. Dr Vink plans to remain in business for a while yet...

While Sam and Betty Anne are impressed, Tucker has a quibble: if a victim feared nothing, the Statue wouldn’t work. Frank lifts his mystery box, whose door has a round hole, and invites Tucker to reach into the unknown. Tucker rises to the challenge, and hesitantly reaches forth. With his hand near the hole, he withdraws. Gary wonders what’s inside. Frank overturns the box, and opens its door, revealing only empty blackness.

One day, in the kitchen, Reece sneaks another taste of Dangerous Soup - and is caught in the act by Dr Vink. Nonnie hastily claims Reece to have been cleaning the stove. Jersey then protests to Dr Vink of her recent reassignment to dishwashing.

The Midnight Society each confess their respective irrational fears. Tucker, however, can only think of [[SlasherMovie slasher movies]]. Frank, carrying a mysterious wooden box, takes to the stone chair, and coolly admits his long-reputed phobia of the dark. Indifferent to Gary and Kiki’s playful high five of victory, he observes everyone to hold some sort of irrational fear: while physically harmless, some things may still overwhelm with dread. His story is about such fear, which can only be banished by confrontation. Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, he calls his story “The Tale of the Dangerous Soup.”

Alone in a small, dark, sterile room, Paul uncertainly calls outside. Through the door, [[RecurringCharacter Dr Vink]] softly asks him to sit down. In the middle of the floor, Paul finds a small metal chair, and obliges.

In the middle of the far wall, a square panel slides down, revealing a small, misty chamber, in which sits a small statue with the body of a bear and snarling head of a bat. From inside each armrest, two metal bars fly into place across Paul’s middle, pinning him in place. He laughs in nervous protest.

With a gleeful chuckle, Dr Vink claims the statue to know what scares Paul. Suddenly paralysed with dread, Paul looks down at his leg - across which climbs a constrictor snake. Dr Vink lets him squirm for a bit, and the wall panel slams back up.

To the Wild Boar, hostess and part time bookkeeper Nonnie Walker welcomes a newly arrived couple. Amidst the quiet chatter resounds praise for the house speciality. Waitress Jersey offers a seated couple tonight’s specials. Unsurprisingly, they’re just here for the soup.

In the kitchen, to Nonnie, Jersey disdainfully ponders the charging of a hundred dollars for a bowl of soup. Turning away, she bumps into a cook, who drops a tray of kitchen knives. He apologises. She rather extravagantly rebukes him, and refuses to pick up the fierce-looking blades.

As Nonnie understandingly attends to the spilled knives, Jersey takes a spoon, and discreetly reaches for a shelved bowl of the house speciality. Just in time, Nonnie stops her.

Amidst the tables, led by waiting staff, arrives restauranter and head chef Dr Vink. With calm elation, he soaks up the applause.

Alone in the dining area, Nonnie takes stock. Reed Hansen then arrives in enquiry of the advertised job of kitchen assistant. He somewhat reservedly introduces himself, and asks about the restaurant. Told of Dr Vink, he asks about the curiously titled restaurenter.

Reed is unimpressed, and makes no secret of it. With a small smile of intrigue, Dr Vink beckons Reed to the kitchens.

To Nonnie, Reed confides his suspicion of a nutbag, and they both follow.

Through the kitchen, Dr Vink leads the younger two, and enthuses of his culinary artistry. From a huge steaming pot of some dark green concoction, he takes a ladle, and offers Reed a taste of its content.

Reed peers at the steaming ladle, and asks what this stuff is. It’s the house speciality: the Dangerous Soup.

Reed tastes, and, despite himself, is keenly impressed.

Dumbfounded to hear of the amount charged per bowl, he requests one more taste. Dr Vink, however, permits his staff only one. With fierce solemnity, he warns against attempt to sneak another.

With a smile of mild disdain, Reed denies intimidation.

Dr Vink happily gives Reed the job - and warns against calling him a nutbag.

At the end of one day, Reed, seemingly alone in the kitchen, sneaks another taste of the Dangerous Soup. From behind, Dr Vink challenges him.

From behind a bench, Nonnie pops into view, and claims Reed simply to have been cleaning the stove.

Jersey then arrives in heated protest to Dr Vink of her recent reassignment to dishwashing.

Meanwhile, Reed follows Nonnie into the empty dining area, and offers sincere thanks for covering up for him. She airily dismisses the incident, but he specifies his appreciation of her overall welcome.

Back in the kitchen, Dr Vink explains Jersey to have proven too… loud for the tastes of his guests. In protest, she sets about banging on a row of ceiling-hung pans.

In the dining area, Reed explains his aloofness to have been honed by a life of having to do things alone.

To Jersey, Dr Vink explains her newly assigned kitchen role to be as his protege - namely, in the preparation of the house speciality.

At the back of the kitchen, Dr Vink leads Jersey to a seemingly empty walk-in freezer. She sceptically saunters in, and Dr Vink shuts the door behind her.

At Dr Vink’s direction through the door’s slide-covered peephole, Jersey sits in the metal chair in the middle of the room. In the far wall before her, the square panel slides down, revealing the Statue - it knows what scares her, says Dr Vink.

From each inner armrest, a metal bar springs across Jersey’s middle, pinning her in place.

Nonnie and Reed cautiously approach the kitchen.

In the freezer, amidst swirling vapour, the statue considers Jersey. Suddenly, as the seat’s backrest falls away, she drops into a horizontal position. Mere feet above her waist, a monstrous blade swings across the room. She screams for Dr Vink.

At the peephole, Dr Vink laughs maliciously. Into the phial, the funnel drips bright green liquid…

As the blade swings gradually closer, Jersey screams in abject terror.

Nonnie and Reed enter the kitchen’s backroom. Reed demands the freezer door be opened. Dr Vink discreetly looks inside. Instantly, the blade fades from existence, and the statue’s canopy slides shut.

Dr Vink airily invites them to open the door. Out stumbles Jersey, who seems not to remember the recent ordeal. Shaken, she heads off.

Reed demands explanation. Intrigued by his bravado, Dr Vink decides to impart the secret of the Dangerous Soup. During his obscure travels, he happened upon a tribe of savage warriors, who, instead of bladed weaponry, used a talisman: a statue enchanted with the power to reach into the mind, and recreate dreaded memories. While illusory, the more a victim believed in this recreation, the more real it would become. Once roused, the fear would be conjured in liquid form. The warriors, by drinking the liquid fear of their enemies, gained the resultant bodily stimulation: to taste the Dangerous Soup is to taste fear.

Impressed by Reed’s front, Dr Vink invites him on a visit to the freezer. Resolved to stand up to Dr Vink, Reed obliges.

Inside the freezer, he laughingly disdains the Statue. Through the peephole, Dr Vink happily anticipates a more powerful elixir. He closes his eyes, and seems to probe the statue’s findings: he perceives the orphaned Reed to have been raised by a stern uncle, who died.

Reed’s mouth falls open. Across the room, mounted before the statue, lies a coffin. Astounded, he asks for explanation. Dr Vink invites closer inspection.

Terrified yet transfixed, Reed opens the lid, to find the resting corpse of a middle-aged man. As Reed stares, his uncle’s eyes snap open in an accusing glare. He reaches to seize Reed’s shirt. Giddied with terror, Reed can only gasp.

In the dining area, a horrified Dr Vink explains the Statue to have grown stronger with each feeding - while he managed to contain it, it can now feed at will. He desperately resolves to somehow stop it, and hurries into the night.

As Nonnie and Reed fretfully wonder what to do, the kitchen door slams shut and the lights fade. As lightning blazes and thunder rumbles, they suspect the Statue to have returned - or that it never left. They run to the door - which flies open. Amidst a brilliant blue glow towers an enormous incarnation of the Statue. They retreat.

As Nonnie nears panic, Reed urges her to clear her mind. Above them, a window shatters, and a phantasmal constrictor snake crawls through. The two flee to the kitchen.

From the door behind them, a brilliant white glow blazes into the room, and pushes them along the floor. Nonnie stumbles into the open freezer, whose door slams shut.

Through the forcibly locked door, Reed urges calm. In the freezer, overhead, a dim light flashes on. On the floor, now bereft of its seat, Nonnie begins to sob with dread. The room itself scares her - claustrophobic, she clings to a side wall.

With a thunderous creak, the wall begins to shudder towards her - as does the wall opposite. She screams in tortured panic. Unable to open the door, Reed desperately urges her to deny her fear. On sudden realisation, he runs into the dining area...

...Where he finds the now erect coffin. Its lead creaks forth. With a deathly stare, arm outstretched, advances his uncle. Reed decries the spectre to be an illusion - but backs against the wall and onto the floor.

Meanwhile, with the freezer walls mere feet apart, Nonnie screams for help…

* DefrostingIceKing: While not mean-spiritedly, Reed is rather aloof - but, with some discomfort, earnestly thanks Nonnie for her kindness.
* EmotionEater: The Statue feeds on the fear of its victims, and secretes a liquid concentration thereof.
** And thereby, Dr Vink’s patrons, albeit unwittingly.

* FaceYourFears: Reed’s deliberate self-exposure to the fearsome phantasm of his uncle [[spoiler: proves to be the Statue’s undoing - for now]].

--> '''Frank:''' Exactly what Tucker’s afraid of - [[NothingIsScarier nothing]]

--> '''Frank:''' Exactly what Tucker’s afraid of - [[NothingIsScarier nothing]]\\

--> '''Frank:''' Exactly what Tucker’s afraid of - [[NothingIsScarier nothing]].

In the freezer, amidst swirling vapour, the statue considers Jersey. Suddenly, as the seat’s backrest falls away, she falls into a horizontal position. Mere feet above her waist, a monstrous blade swings across the room. She screams for Dr Vink.

Reed is unimpressed, and makes no secret of it. With a small smile of intrigue, he beckons Reed on, and heads for the kitchens.

...Where he finds the now erect coffin. Its lead creaks forth. With a deathly stare, arm outstretched, advances his uncle. Reed decries the spectre to be an illusion - but backs against the wall onto the floor.

Suddenly, Reed flies at his phantasmal uncle, and throws his arms around the spectre. It fades from existence. Reed laughs in relief, and rushes to free Nonny.

He finds her somewhat disorientated, slumped across the freezer floor, whose walls are now firmly where they belong. Dazed with relief, he and Nonny realise the spell to have been broken. Dr Vink, it seems, won’t be making any more of his famous soup.

* DefrostingIceKing: While not mean-spiritedly, Reed is rather aloof - but, with some discomfort, earnestly thanks Nonny for her kindness.

* TearsOfFear: Threatened with being crushed, Nonny sobs with fear.

* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: The Midnight Society share their irrational fears: for Gary, heights, for Kiki, dogs, having been bitten as a kid, for Sam, birds, for Frank, the dark, and for Tucker… seemingly, the unknown.

* EmotionEater: The Statue feeds on the fear of its victims, and produces (perhaps as excretion?) a liquid concentration thereof.