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The Tale of the Lunar Locusts
Season 7 , Episode 4
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Air date April 9, 2000
Written by Michael Koegel
Directed by Jim Donovan
Episode guide
Previous
The Tale of the Silver Sight
Next
The Tale of the Stone Maiden

The Tale of the Lunar Locusts is the fourth episode of the Seventh Season of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, as well as the Eighty-second episode in total.

Cast[]

Midnight Society Cast[]

Story Cast[]

Special Guest Star[]

Intro[]

That night, Tucker is getting the campfire going, when his friends arrive. Vange is shocked that everything is soaked. Since recently, there was a serious downpour. Andy complains that everything is soaked. Quinn comes in calling out if anyone else is there. Vange mockingly tells him to just follow the muddy footprints. Quinn comes in saying it's only nice weather if one is a dolphin. Then he is about to sit down on the sofa. Tucker warns him not to sit on it because it's soak. He advises the three of them to all sit down on the ground around the fire with him. He believes it to be much dryer and the all do so.

Megan shows up in a yellow raincoat. She asks them why they're all sitting on the ground. Andy says it's because the furniture is soaking wet. She advises them to not sit on the ground either. Vange asks her why. Megan says because so many bugs and parasites live in the ground. Such as: worms, slugs and bugs. Therefore they aren't too pretty either. Tucker says that it may be so, but they still won't hurt you.

Megan says she wouldn't be too sure about that. Then she sits down on a towel on the storyteller's chair. Megan explains her story is about that very thing. The things you can't see, that are under the ground. Who knows what you're stepping on. Who knows if the very next step you take, is onto something that doesn't want to be stepped on. Something that has the power to step back onto you! Hearing this, her friends all seemed intrigued.

Megan throws in the campfire dust to make the fire more intense while she submits her story for the approval of The Midnight Society. She calls her story "The Tale of the Lunar Locusts" and begins her story.

Story[]

Megan tells the story. It takes place on a football field at nighttime. There are strange happenings. Almost like there are gophers or hedgehogs running underneath the grass. There we see a young teen couple resting together under the stars. The guy is: Jake, a dopey jock. Along with his girlfriend: Julie a fairly popular person. Julie wants them to go steady. She is jealous because so many of their friends have gone steady, but they still have not. She mentions that the other day, one of their friends gave his girlfriend his ring. Now she wants him to do the same thing for her. She them remarks about how beautiful his ring is, and how it gleams in the moonlight.

Jake reflects his ring in the sky and it lights up making a sound. Then suddenly a small object comes speeding through the sky. This takes them both by astonishment. Julie thinks it was a shooting star. She tells him he should know what she wants to wish for. He denies it being a shooting star. Then he pretends not to hear what she said to change the subject of commitment. This frustrates her and she takes off.

The next day in the school cafeteria, Jake is discussing his opinions about his relationship to his friend Pete. He says that going steady in the relationship is just such a long commitment. Pete tells him that Julie is a great girl. So he should be lucky. Because the girls in their school don't seem to just throw themselves to him.

Then just as they speak, a new girl comes to their table. She asks to sit beside Jake. The girl is a gorgeous blonde and Jake and Pete are both speechless. The girl introduces herself as Ellen. Then Jake introduces himself. Ellen explains she just transferred in. She figured out that he's the team's quarterback. So she feels that he's a good choice to be with (popularity wise). She asks Jake if he's available to show her around her new school. He's smitten and happily agrees. Then suddenly a jealous Julie comes by and tells her he's not. Then she coldly asks Ellen to leave with she does. Julie is mad that he seems so awestruck by her.

Jake is then in the computer-room. He us looking up UFO sightings to see if he can figure out what he saw the other night. When suddenly out of nowhere, Ellen pops up from the side startling him. She apologizes for scaring him. Then she asks him what he's doing. He explains to her what he saw a weird light in the sky the other night. So now he's trying to find out what it may be.

Ellen then compliments him on his ring. He thanks her explaining that he found the ring on the beach. Ellen says it's beautiful and she wants to try it on. He says yes and he's about to let her when Julie comes in. Julie madly tells them they have a next class to go to. But before Jake leaves, Ellen asks him if he can teach her how to use a computer. Jake tells her since the school will be closed at the end of the day, to come over to his house. There he'll teach her and they both happily agree.

However, in the football field something peculiar is going on. Ellen seems to be measuring and digging in a small section of the grass. She seems to be scanning it with some sort of detecting device. Julie is spying on her from nearby. Now she is freaked out by her, heading back to warn Jake. Julie tells Jake, that Ellen is strange and she observed her for an hour, monitoring and digging the grass. Jake just laughs it off. Now Julie asks him if they can hang out and talk after school. Jake happily agrees. Until remembering he's already made plans with Ellen. So he lies to her, saying that he has too much homework. Julie is stunned because he never seems to do homework. Then at the sound of the bell he leaves.

Julie is still frustrated and jealous. When she sees Ellen she follows her into the science class. Julie hears a noise in the greenhouse and looks around. The room is dark. Now she notices weird things like there is a type of gas being sprayed, snakes and dead animals specimens around, which frighten her and she runs off. Then just as she runs off, Ellen is peacefully sleeping on a shelf. Then just as Julie watches, Jake and Ellen leave school in his jeep. Julie tells her friends that she checked the registration. Apparently there is no record of any new transfers. Also that Ellen isn't even a student in their school.

Then at Jake's house, he teaches her how to use a computer. Then they both break for a snack. Jake goes to get some sandwiches while Ellen is intrigued by the aquarium filled with fish. Jake offers her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. she sneers at it and rejects it because she's allergic. Therefore he goes to the kitchen to put them away. While he's in there she grabs the newspaper and gazes at the fish again. When he comes back, she asks him to take her home because she feels tired. When they leave, all the fish from the aquarium are gone. It is almost as if Ellen may have eaten them!

Jake is confused, because it's seems that instead of driving her home, he's taken her to the middle of the woods. He asks her about it but she doesn't answer. Ellen comes on to him. Now she tells him she knows he has a steady girlfriend. But she would really like to be his girlfriend and wear his ring instead. Because she finds him so cute. Jake is flattered by this, feeling emotionally touched. Then Jake tells her that he loves Julie. Therefore he cannot cheat on his girlfriend. So he won't give her his ring because it's for Julie.

Ellen gets a little impatient now. Suddenly she causes the car doors to lock. Ellen then unleashes green tentacles to snare him and her eyes glow bright green. She stares at Jake and tries to put him into a trance, asking for his ring. Jake isn't affected, and runs away terrified. Ellen quickly trips him and tackles him to the ground. She then covers his mouth, but promises not to hurt him. She uncovers his mouth and apologizes for scaring him (stating she had no choice).

Jake then asks her who or what she is. Ellen tells him when he saw that light flickering in the nighttime sky, that was her arriving to earth. She's from another planet, and she really isn't human. She is really a parasitic alien in disguise. Jake tries to run off again. Now she trips and binds him with her tentacles. She says that she needs his help. Ellen shows him the newspaper. It reads: "Flesh eating bacteria strikes again". Ellen says it isn't a bacteria, it's parasitic aliens that travel from planet to planet. They destroy and eat everything in its path. They are almost like locusts. Ellen then explains that her planet, was recently invaded and destroyed by them. Therefore, she and her partner being the only survivors traveled to earth to stop them. They planned to try and defeat them. Therefore the earth wouldn't be destroyed next. Possibly she and her partner would even find a new home on earth.

Jake agrees to help her, but wants to know why she asked him. Ellen shows him her necklace, which has a similar gem core on it. When placed next to Jake's ring it emits off a bright light. Ellen explains his ring was her partners. Since Jake found it on the beach, that must mean her partner's spaceship crashed over the ocean, when arriving to earth. Ellen says that they need to use the both of them to destroy the locusts. Jake now feels disappointed. After realizing that she was just using him to get the ring. She apologizes and now he understands.

Julie has been spying nearby and overhearing everything she approaches them. Ellen glares her glowing green eyes at her. Julie states that she's a monster. So she runs off to report her to the police. That evening, they drive to school and Ellen leads them to spot on the football field. The place where the Mother Alien laid her eggs. She explains that tonight is the only night they can destroy them. Since there will be a full moon. Which is required for the devices to work from amplification from the moonlight from the intensity of the full moon. Therefore if not tonight, it will be too late. Julie has followed them with a policeman and another fellow cop. She instructs the police to arrest them.

The police chase them in hot pursuit. Ellen generates a claw on her fingernail. She uses it to cut through the glass, to open the doors to break into the school. Ellen retrieves her equipment that she hid in the science lab. Including two big light projectors. Sneaking out of the school, Ellen is worried that the police will grab them before they can run back to the football field. So Jake comes up with a diversion.

Jake returns to his jeep, and to his surprise Julie is in the back. He explains to her that it's very important to help Ellen fulfill her mission. Also he tells her that he loves her. Also that she's the only one for him. He promises that he means it, and they share a kiss. Julie then helps them, by playing the cars stereo full blast to distract the cops.

Jake runs back to the field, and Ellen has set up the light projectors in time. She instructs him to wait for her signal. Then to put on special sunglasses and throw his device into the projector. Ellen gratefully thanks him for all his help and they both get ready. Jake runs over to the projector to the right. Then as Ellen is running to the one on the left, she is grabbed by the cop. So she tosses her device to him. She states that he's their only hope. Jake using his athletic skills, successfully tosses the first device into the left projector. Then he tackles police officers on his way to the right one. He throws the device and it misses!

Then Julie walks by and she is told to toss it into the projector which she cluelessly does. Jake yells for Julie to cover her eyes. Then he and Ellen put on their sunglasses. Then a large circular area is engulfed in a blinding green light. This seems to render the police officers unconscious. Ellen seems delighted. Jake is happy too and rejoices. Now Julie asks him what they just did.

Jake says that they've destroyed the flesh eating alien locust eggs. He gives her the newspaper to show her. Julie is baffled saying that the article wasn't about flesh eating aliens. The article was about a bacteria in Brazil that was stopped with antibiotics. Jake is confused stating that the Mother Alien laid her eggs in the field and they zapped them. Julie is confused asking what Mother Alien? Now Ellen is seen happily dancing and spinning around.

Jake asks Ellen if they destroyed them. Ellen takes off her sunglasses and smirks at him, giving him a: "Ha Ha, Gotcha!" look. Now she starts insanely laughing. Looking down below, they can hear the eggs hatching. It turns out, that Ellen deceived and conned Jake. Ellen is the Mother Alien. Instead of destroying her eggs, he and Julie unwittingly helped her hatch them! Then from a distance it can be seen that hundreds of eggs are hatching. Soon they will invade and eradicate the earth!

Ending[]

Megan ends her story simply by saying: The end. Her friends are all pleased and most impressed. Tucker tells her it was a good story. And from what he learned from it, he says that now he knows why, she doesn't want to sit on the ground. Megan says he's right. She tells also tells that she also doesn't like to get her bottom wet. Then she says good bye and quickly leaves.

Then suddenly, the four of them all realize that she was right. They all sat on the ground and got their butts soaked. They all express discomfort and disgust. Then all at once, they all hover their soaked pant bottoms above the campfire to dry off. Quinn is most embarrassed saying that he hopes nobody else can see them. Tucker jokes as they do it. He says that it's definitely the end.

  • One of eleven episodes where the New Midnight Society didn't leave and douse the fire with the water-bucket (everybody but Megan was drying off).
  • Just two years prior, Tara Lipinski retired from her successful figure skating career, she became a gold medalist and world champion figure skater. She achieved all of this before the age of 15. At 14 years, 9 months and 10 days old, becoming the youngest person in history to ever win a World Figure Skating Championship.
  • Aaron Ashmore, who portrayed Jake, first appeared in the show many years earlier in the original series. He first appeared in the episode "The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor" as Billy.
  • Aaron is the brother of Shawn Ashmore, who also played a Jake in the Animorphs TV series around the same time. Both Jakes dealt with aliens.
  • Shawn Potter, who portrayed Pete, previously appeared in the show two times before. He first appeared in the original series' episode "The Tale of a Door Unlocked" as Ben. The second time, he appeared in the Season Six's episode "The Tale of Jake the Snake" as Duchamp.
  • Hamile Rustia (Julie) was in the Goosebumps episode Calling All Creeps as Iris, as well as Cry of the Cat as Allison.This and Calling All Creeps have aliens and end with them winning.

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