History Recap / AreYouAfraidOfTheDarkSeason5TheTaleOfTheDeadMansFloat

Before them, chest-deep in the pool, stands, shrouded in drapes of rotted cloth, a figure whose bare skull is matted with ancient wisps of hair. The entire profile, body and shroud, is bleached dark, pinkish red. Zeke and Clorice run. The eyeless face stares at Charlie, who stands paralysed with horror. Clorice and Zeke hastily return. While Clorice steers Charlie away, Zeke grabs an oar. As the red corpse reaches for him, he swings, but the oar, with a splash of water, passes seamlessly through it.

* DefrostingIceQueen: While Clorice is initially aloofly disdainful of Zeke's eccentricity, she appreciates his pool discovery, and sympathises with his hydrophobia.

* ToughRoom: Despite the story being good, even universal agreed on by fans as the scariest episode in the series, the Midnight Society don't think it's good enough to let Stig join.

* EndearinglyDorky: Greta is openly fond of Zeke's polite, naive enthusiasm. On his revelation of the secret pool; offer to tutor Clorice in chemistry, and confidence of his hydrophobia, the latter warms to him.

* EndearinglyDorky: Greta is openly fond of Zeke's polite, naive enthusiasm. On his revelation of the secret pool; offer to tutor Clorice in chemistry, and confidence of his hydrophobia, she warms to him.

* EndearinglyDorky: Greta is openly fond of Zeke's polite, naive enthusiasm. On his revelation of the secret pool, his offer to tutor Clorice in chemistry, and confidence of his hydrophobia, she warms to him.

* NothingIsScarier: Subverted. While the presence of the Corpse in the pool when it was invisible was very suspenseful, the sight of it when it becomes visible is just as terrifying.

* GiveGeeksAChance: On getting to know the somewhat awkward Zeke, Clorice keenly warms to him.

Zeke hurries into the locker room. He realises the corpse to be made of water. Charlie lies on a bench, in shock. Zeke realises him to need a doctor.

Nearby, the grill of a floor drain begins to bubble forth a dark red liquid. Since the corpse can't hide any more, Zeke realises, it's left the water to take its vengeance on dry land. Meanwhile, from the drain, dark water seeps onto the floor. Suddenly, Zeke sniffs - and the corpse is standing over them. Clorice screams, and they both run.

By the pool, they despair at having left Charlie defenceless - but how to stop the corpse? Suddenly, Clorice has an idea. She takes the bottle of manganite - as previously combined by Zeke with water for the combustive effects of his volcano. Clorice begins to unscrew the cap, but Zeke knocks it out of her hands and into the pool; if it touches the moisture on her hands, this stuff will burn them - she needs gloves.

Clorice dives into the pool after the bottle. Meanwhile, on the tiles by Zeke, red water oozes towards the pool. Clorice surfaces with the bottle. Zeke yells at her to swim, as the corpse is in the water. Sure enough, it retains its skeletal form, towers above the surface of the pool, and begins to wade towards her. Zeke yells in desperation for her to move, but she's paralysed with fear.

With a strangled yell, Zeke leaps into the pool. The corpse turns around to regard its fresh prey. Clorice, woken from her trance, carries the bottle out of the pool. The corpse slowly inches towards Zeke. Clorice, by the pool, pulls on Zeke’s rubber gloves.

She hurls a spurt of manganite. The water around the corpse, including that of which its spectral body consists, steams and froths. The corpse writhes in panic, and dissolves into white vapour. Overawed with relief, Charlie softly thanks them both.

* AdultsAreUseless: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] Charlie is at first as helpless as anyone. Paralysed with shock on sight of the corpse, he revives just in time to pull Zeke out of the pool to safety.
* AxeCrazy: The corpse, a forgotten resident of a relocated cemetery, is indiscriminately, murderously furious at intrusion into its resting place by swimmers.
* BigDamnHeroes: Zeke jumps into the pool to distract the Corpse from Clorice, Charlie lifts Zeke from the water and out of immediate danger, and Clorice gives the corpse a lethal dose of manganite.

* DemBones: The corpse's face is that of a bare skull.
* ElementalEmbodiment: The corpse's spectral body is composed of water.

* EvilSmellsBad: The corpse is heralded by a smell akin to rotten eggs, which Zeke identifies as acid.

* ImpendingDoomPOV: Unsuspecting prospective victims are often shown from the corpse's submerged perspective.
* KnightOfCerebus: While this show has a prolific share of macabre, often murderous fiends, the corpse causes the most in-story wanton death.

* {{Sadist}}: The corpse has an apparent fondness for slowly stalking towards its victims, letting them take in the horror of their impending doom.

* ThousandYardStare: On realising the corpse to be back, Charlie speaks with a distant stare of awed, despairing dread.
* WouldHurtAChild: In its blind, insatiable rage, the corpse wants to drown anyone and everyone who trespasses on its resting place - including young Billy.

* EndearinglyDorky: Greta is openly fond of Zeke's polite, naive enthusiasm. On his revelation of the secret pool, his offer to tutor her in chemistry, and confidence of his hydrophobia, Clorice keenly warms to him.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Downplayed. In the least, Tucker genuinely likes Stig and was even the one to propose he join the Midnight Society in the first place. Gary seems wary of a new member who aggravates Kiki; and Betty Anne doesn't seem to have a problem with him. But as for everyone else, they're ''very'' hesitant to let him join, even though he gives them a good story.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Downplayed. In the least, Tucker genuinely likes Stig and was even the one to propose he join the Midnight Society in the first place. But as for everyone else, they're ''very'' hesitant to let him join, even though he gives them a good story.

Zeke desperately treads water, and backs to the edge of the pool. The eyeless face stares in fiendish anticipation when from behind Zeke, Charlie lifts him out of the pool. Clorice, now wearing rubber gloves, brings forth the bottle of manganite.

* ScienceHero: Zeke's chemical knowledge provides the means to reveal the murderous spectral Corpse. Clorice later weaponises against the corpse Zeke's demonstration of the combustive properties of manganite.

* PsychoStrings: A shrill, pointed motif creates a very effective sense of dread when the corpse is on the scene.

Having recently moved home, Frank is no longer able to attend the meetings of the Midnight Society. Gary commemorates the departure, and announces tonight’s trial of a new prospective member, who, with a sack on his head, is led into the clearing by Tucker. Kiki wryly greets the new arrival. Tucker lifts the sack, revealing the face of his friend Stig.

He kisses Kiki on the cheek. Aghast, she retreats to the fire. Already acquainted with Stig, she protests Tucker’s choice of sponsorship. Gary fears unrest. Tucker demands a fair hearing for his friend. The others quietly ascent. To the tree stump by the stone chair, Tucker directs Stig - who further muddies the water by using Sam’s sweater as a cushion. Stig admits being often told to clean up his act - but argues that sometimes, things are as they are for a reason - and enforced change isn’t always for the better. Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, he calls this story “The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float.”

In 1954, at the newly opened school swimming pool, young Billy calls for permission from lifeguard Charlie to jump into the pool. Charlie airily tells him to be careful. While Billy happily leaps in, Charlie adjourns to the registration office, where he and Billy’s older sister Cindy proceed to fool around.

Charlie treads water.

''From beneath the water, something watches him''.

Billy grimaces at a sudden noxious stench. From beneath, an unseen hand grabs him, and wrenches him beneath the water. Shocked, he breaks to the surface - but is dragged under again. Suddenly terrified, he breaks to the surface, and screams for Charlie.

-->'''Billy:''' '''''There's something in the pool!'''''\

Cindy screams. Charlie grabs a life buoy, and leaps into the water…

From behind the teacher’s desk, Mr Brooks and Zeke Matthews, the volcano’s builder, emerge. Zeke apologises for his slight miscalculation.

As Zeke wipes the desk, Clorice, to her friend Greta, disdains Zeke’s tendency to such antics. Greta, rather more enamoured, compares him to a puppy in need of care. She urges Gretta to the desk, to help Zeke clean up.

Greta asks Zeke what went wrong. Mixing manganite with water, says Zeke, is always combustive - he just miscalculated the ratio.

As the class disperses, Mr Brooks tells Zeke to leave the cleaning to Charlie the caretaker. Zeke sneaks a wistful look at Clorice, and gingerly approaches her: being on the swim team, she might be interested in his recent find.

Disdainfully amused by his offer of something fun, she agrees to meet him tomorrow, 7.30, at the gym.

Zeke hesitantly leads her into the deserted boys’ changing room. He opens the outermost locker, and grasps it. Last week, his attempt to calculate the volume of the school - and made a surprising discovery. He drags the locker aside. Behind it stands a door marked “TO POOL”.

Suddenly thrilled, Clorice decides to lobby for its re-opening. Zeke isn’t sure, but she’s adamant, and thanks Zeke for his industrious revelation. Buoyed by her praise, he begins to suggest they get together sometime, but is warned not to push it.

As the two leave, Charlie, having secretly followed them, casts a wary eye at the pool. A human-shaped region of the black sheet briefly rises…

Clorice, narrates Stig, campaigns tirelessly for the pool’s re-opening. After a few weeks, the swim team have their very own pool. During a practise session, Clorice and Greta swim to the edge, and reflect happily on their new asset.

''Beneath the water, as a girl swims overhead, something, unseen, watches''...

Greta suddenly notices a strange, severely unpleasant smell.

''The unseen presence glides through the depths, turns to face the edge of the pool, and sees the water-treading legs of Clorice and Greta''.

Clorice supposes the pipes still to be dirty.

''Beneath the water, the unseen presence glides towards the two girls’ legs''.

Very fortunately, they choose precisely that moment to climb out. ''As Clorice lags marginally behind, something lunges for her ankles. As her feet leave the water, it sinks to the floor of the pool''.

In the Chemistry lab, Clorice despondently receives her test result: C -. Failure to bring up her grade will cost her place on the swim team. Zeke offers to tutor her. What’s in it for him?

...By the deserted pool, Clorice, having borrowed the key from her coach, reassures Zeke of their unlikeliness to be caught, and that yes, she had taught swimming before. Noticing his severe unease, she consents to take it slow.

Some time later, in a small dinghy, the two float across the water. Gently amused, she asks why the water scares him. Zeke coyly relates a childhood incident when, swimming in a pond, his foot became entangled in some underwater plants. Narrowly saved from drowning by his brother, Zeke henceforth lived in irrational dread of some underwater menace, waiting to reclaim him.

Touched by his confidence, she slips into the water, leans on the dinghy, reassures Zeke against any such threat in a swimming pool, and coaxes him into putting his hand into the water. He does so, and swiftly withdraws it.

With a reassuring smile, Clorice begins another suggestion - and is abruptly pulled underwater.

Zeke yells in fright, and hurries to the edge of the dinghy. Clorice emerges, spluttering. By the dinghy, Greta pops up with a yell of “boo!”, and swims ashore.

Clorice climbs back aboard the dinghy, and chides her friend’s vindictive prank. Greta mocks Clorice’s sudden change of heart towards Zeke, doubts the liaison to be in exchange for chemistry tuition, and storms off.

A tad shaken, Zeke wonders if they should go, but Clorice avows to help him, and reiterates her assurance against anything that might grab him.

''In the water beneath the dinghy, something watches''.

She directs him to put his hand in the water again. As he does so, he notices a faint, rancid smell. Clorice wonders what it is. It reminds Zeke of acid…

''In the water, something seizes his hand, and effortlessly wrenches him head first into the pool''.

Clorice yells in horror, and frantically looks around the pool for him. With a gasp, he breaks free to the surface. She seizes his hand, and pulls him onto the dinghy.

Zeke gasps for breath. Stunned with fear, he reports, in total seriousness, to have been grabbed. Clorice can only suggest it to have been some kind of manifestation of his phobia. As he begins to concede, the dinghy is violently bumped from beneath. It bucks frantically.

As they paddle for dear life, something seizes Clorice’s wrist, and violently drags her toward the water. Just in time, Zeke grabs her. The water is suddenly calm. Shaken, Clorice is now in no doubt that something is in the pool. Forcing herself to keep calm, she suggests they just stay put until someone comes.

Zeke notices the acid smell. With a lurch, the dinghy upends, tipping them into the water. Treading water, Clorice gently takes hold of Zeke, and prepares to swim to shore.

Beside them, the end of a long pole slips into the water. Charlie the caretaker yells at her to grab it.

In the changing room, draped in towels, a badly shaken Zeke and Clorice sip from mugs. Zeke asks Charlie what just tried to drown them.

Charlie stares ahead, in weary, abject horror. Having been the lifeguard when the pool first opened, his girlfriend’s little brother drowned. When Charlie tried to save him, a powerful, unseen grip pulled the boy away from him. The boy died.

-->'''Charlie:''' Nobody believed me… until three more people drowned. They closed down the pool...people forgot all about it...Until now.

The pool was built, he explains, on the site of an old cemetery, whose bodies were moved. Charlie supposes they must have missed one - it’s spirit must want revenge for being disturbed.

Clorice gravely realises history is set to repeat itself. Zeke has an idea…

He leads Clorice and Charlie to the Chemistry lab, and takes a bottle of Methyl Orange: it’s time for an experiment! As they head out, Clorice also takes the bottle of manganite used for Zeke’s volcano…

Deep in the pool, a region of water begins to darken and bubble. As the dye spreads, the water it touches blooms into a vaporous shape. A man-sized mass of dark red begins to solidify. Zeke stoops for a closer look.

''In the water, a crouching, lividly red figure launches a hand to grab Zeke’s shirt''.

Charlie hastily pulls Zeke back. Clorice screams.

Before them, chest-deep in the pool, stands, shrouded in drapes of rotted cloth, a figure whose bare skull is matted with ancient wisps of hair. The entire profile, body and shroud, is bleached dark, pinkish red.

Zeke and Clorice run. The eyeless face stares at Charlie, who stands paralysed with horror.

Clorice and Zeke hastily return. While Clorice steers Charlie away, Zeke grabs an oar. As the red Corpse reaches for him, he swings - but the oar, with a splash of water, passes seamlessly through it.

Zeke hurries into the locker room. He realises the Corpse to be made of water. Charlie lies on a bench, in shock. Zeke realises him to need a doctor.

Nearby, the grill of a floor drain begins to bubble forth a dark red liquid...

Since the Corpse can’t hide any more, Zeke realises, it’s left the water to take its vengeance on dry land. Meanwhile, from the drain, dark water seeps onto the floor. Suddenly, Zeke sniffs - and the Corpse is standing over them. Clorice screams, and they both run.

By the pool, they despair at having left Charlie defenceless - but how to stop the Corpse? Suddenly, Clorice has an idea. She takes the bottle of manganite - as previously combined by Zeke with water for the combustive effects of his volcano. Clorice begins to unscrew the cap - but Zeke knocks it out of her hands, into the pool: if it touches the moisture on her hands, this stuff will burn them - she needs gloves.

She dives into the pool after the bottle. Meanwhile, on the tiles by Zeke, red water oozes towards the pool.

Clorice surfaces with the bottle. Zeke yells at her to swim - the Corpse is in the water. Sure enough, it retains its skeletal form, towers above the surface of the pool, and begins to wade towards her.

Zeke yells in desperation for her to move - but she’s paralysed with fear.

With a strangled yell, Zeke leaps into the pool. The Corpse turns around to regard its fresh prey. Clorice, woken from her trance, carries the bottle out of the pool. The Corpse slowly inches towards Zeke.

Clorice, by the pool, pulls on Zeke’s rubber gloves.

Zeke desperately treads water, and backs to the edge of the pool. The eyeless face stares in fiendish anticipation…

From behind Zeke, Charlie lifts him out of the pool. Clorice, now wearing rubber gloves, brings forth the bottle of manganite.

She hurls a spurt of manganite. The water around the Corpse, including that of which its spectral body consists, steams and froths. The Corpse writhes in panic, and dissolves into white vapour.

Overawed with relief, Charlie softly thanks them both.

The evil spirit, closes Stig, never bothered anyone again, and Charlie was no longer tortured by his memories. While Clorice learned a newfound appreciation for chemistry, she showed Zeke there was fun to be had beyond study - although Zeke still didn’t much care for water. The Midnight Society huddle for a vote. Stig, curious about the Midnight Dust, tastes a sample.

With mutual groans of distaste, they resume their vote. They turn with their decision. Sam affirms the story to be great, but the vote has to be unanimous - but it wasn’t. Stig graciously thanks them for the shot. However, add Betty Anne and Gary, they’ve decided to invite him to a few more meetings, with an eventual second chance. If by then Kiki can abide his company, then he’s in. With the bag back on Stig’s head, Tucker leads him home.

* {{Adorkable}}: Greta is openly fond of Zeke’s polite, naive enthusiasm. On his revelation of the secret pool, his offer to tutor her in chemistry, and confidence of his hydrophobia, Clorice keenly warms to him.
* AdultsAreUseless: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Charlie is at first as helpless as anyone. Paralysed with shock on sight of the Corpse, he [[spoiler: revives just in time to pull Zeke out of the pool to safety]].
* AxeCrazy: The Corpse, a forgotten resident of a relocated cemetery, is indiscriminately, murderously furious at intrusion into its resting place by swimmers.
* BigDamnHeroes: Zeke [[spoiler: jumps into the pool to distract the Corpse from Clorice]], Charlie [[spoiler: lifts Zeke from the water and out of immediate danger]], and Clorice [[spoiler: gives the Corpse a lethal dose of manganite]].

* DeadpanSnarker: Clorice sometimes wryly relieves Zeke’s inordinate worries.
* DefrostingIceQueen: While Clorice is initially aloofly disdainful of Zeke's eccentricity, she appreciates his pool discovery, and sympathises with his hydrophobia.

* DemBones: The Corpse’s face is that of a bare skull.
* ElementalEmbodiment: The Corpse’s spectral body is composed of water.
* EvilSmellsBad: The Corpse is heralded by a smell akin to rotten eggs - which Zeke identifies as acid.

* ImpendingDoomPOV: Unsuspecting prospective victims are often shown from the Corpse’s submerged perspective.
* KnightOfCerebus: While this show has a prolific share of macabre, often murderous fiends, the Corpse causes the most in-story wanton death.
* NoNameGiven: While Clorice addresses it as “Red,” the credits refer to the evil spirit as the “Corpse.”
* PsychoStrings: A shrill, pointed motif creates a very effective sense of dread when the Corpse is on the scene.
* {{Sadist}}: The Corpse has an apparent fondness for slowly stalking towards its victims, letting them take in the horror of their impending doom.
* ScienceHero: Zeke’s chemical knowledge provides the means to reveal the murderous spectral Corpse. Clorice later [[spoiler: weaponises against the Corpse Zeke’s demonstration of the combustive properties of manganite]].
* ThousandYardStare: On realising the Corpse to be back, Charlie speaks with a distant stare of awed, despairing dread.
* WouldHurtAChild: In its blind, insatiable rage, the Corpse wants to drown anyone and everyone who trespasses on its resting place - including young Billy.

Zeke notices the acid smell. With a lurch, the dinghy upends, pitching them into the water. Treading water, Clorice gently takes hold of Zeke, and prepares to swim to shore.

Nearby, the grill of a drain begins to bubble forth a dark red liquid...

* KnightOfCerebus: While this show has a prolific share of macabre, often murderous fiends, the Corpse causes the most in-story wanton death - a brutal psychopath who, on-screen, drowned a young boy, and went on a successful killing spree.

* AdultsAreUseless: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Charlie is at first as helpless as anyone, and is paralysed with shock on sight of the Corpse, [[spoiler: but he revives just in time to pull Zeke out of the pool to safety]].

* DefrostingIceQueen: While initially aloofly disdainful of Zeke's eccentricity, his pool discovery impresses her, and she sympathises with his hydrophobia.

* NoNameGiven: While Clorise addresses it as “Red,” the credits refer to the evil spirit as the “Corpse.”

* AdultsAreUseless: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Charlie is at first as helpless as anyone, and is paralysed with shock on sight of the Corpse, [[spoiler: he revives just in time to pull Zeke out of the pool to safety]].

-->'''Billy:''' '''There's something in the pool!'''\

Very fortunately, they choose precisely that moment to climb out. ‘’As Clorice lags marginally behind, something lunges for her ankles. As her feet leave the water, it sinks to the floor of the pool’’.

* KnightOfCerebus: While this show has a prolific share of macabre, often murderous fiends, the Corpse causes the most in-story destruction - a brutal psychopath who, on-screen, drowned a young boy, and went on a successful killing spree.

-->'''Billy:''' ''''There's something in the pool!''''\

-->'''Clorice:''' Yo, Red! Catch!

-->'''Gary:''' Hey!\

* ImpendingDoomPointOfView: Unsuspecting prospective victims are often shown from the Corpse’s submerged perspective.