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The Tale of Apartment 214
Season 3 , Episode 2
Eplogo28
Air date January 15, 1994
Written by Scott Peters
Directed by Scott Peters
Episode guide
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The Tale of the Midnight Ride
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The Tale of Watcher's Woods

The Tale of Apartment 214 is the Second episode of the Third season of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, as well as the Twenty-Eighth episode in total.

Cast[]

Midnight Society Cast[]

Story Cast[]

Intro[]

That evening, it begins with the viewers seeing Tucker sitting down on the storyteller's chair. He is snooping through things including the pouch of campfire dust which is used to intensify the campfire as a person announces their story. As Tucker is about to open it, Betty Ann tries to grab it from him, telling him if he spills it his brother will freak out. Tucker wants to know what it is, but he is not told. 

Gary comes in from the other side, and very coldly and seriously takes the pouch away from him and tells him not to touch it, Tucker backs away saying he is sorry. Gary asks Betty Ann where Sam is? Because he thought they were getting a new member tonight. Betty Ann says she is coming next week. Tonight Kiki is telling the story.

Frank comes in looking exhausted, stating that he is dead (meaning dead tired). Tucker jokes with him saying yeah dead from the neck up. Frank looks to him annoyed and threatens him asking him if he wants to be dead from the neck down. Tucker then gets serious and backs off as frank signals for him to leave him alone. Frank sits down tired. The reason he is tired was because he spent the whole day helping his brother move out. Gary says he hates moving, Betty Ann says that moving is the worst. Kiki however says she loves it Gary and Frank respond to her in shock with Frank asking her how could she possibly like it?

Kiki says that yes moving things around is never any fun, but moving into a new place is like a mystery. You always wondered who lived there before you did. Wondering what the people were like, and why they left. Gary tells here sounds like it'll be good and she assures him it will be. Kiki says her story is about moving, and about promises. A promise is a pledge, something to rely on and you should NEVER break a promise. Because if you do, it might come back... to haunt you.

Kiki is about to submit her approval for The Midnight's Society, when all of sudden she can't find the dust from the dust pouch. Tucker is smiling and lightly laughing it's obvious he took it. Gary snaps at him to give it back, and Tucker hands Kiki's the zip lock bag that contains the dust. Finally Kiki throws in the campfire dust to intensify the fire and submits her story, calling it "The Tale of Apartment 214".

Story[]

Kiki tells the story. The story takes place outside an apartment building named "Corteen Apartments" A girl named Stacy Cooper and her mom Bonnie Cooper just rented Apartment 213. She was going through a rough time, her parents had just broke up and separated and she and her mom had to move into a very small apartment across town. Stacy complains that the place is just too small and her mom tells her it's all she can afford at the time being.

When she and her mom, are on there way to go outside to get more stuff from the car. Stacy notices that the door to apartment 214 slowly opens but nothing can be heard coming from inside. When they get outside, they are about to get more items from the trunk of the car. Suddenly a middle aged man with a slight Russian accent shouts to them saying hey!. This startles them so much Stacy's mom dropped the jar of pennies and when it falls on the ground it smashes and spills everywhere. Her mom a bit out of breath tells the man that he startled her. The man snaps at her to not park where they're parked. She tells him she doesn't think the manager would mind. He tells her he is the manager Tibold Holstrom and snaps at them to move the car right away.

Then Stacy goes back to the apartment to find the broom and dust pan to sweep up the broken glass and pennies that fell on the ground. As she passes on her way back to her apartment, the door to 214 opens slightly again with the sound of no one and nothing coming from inside. When she goes inside her apartment, the door to 214 closes too.

Later that night, Stacy is sitting on the deck reading some paper. Then she can hear the ruckus of some noise or wind rustling rattling and she looks over to see that the window from Apartment 214 has dimly lit light coming through it, then suddenly the blinds twist close. A bit puzzled she goes back inside her apartment and she pulls a blanket over her mom who is resting on the couch. Then suddenly someone is knocking on their apartment's door.

She opens the door, but no one is there. However she can hear the sound of a person humming, and she slowly follows the sound of it down the hallway, the leads up to Apartment 214 and once again the door is slightly open. Then suddenly a hand taps her from behind, startled she looks around and it's just her mom. She tells her mom she scared her and that she thought she heard something. Her mom tells her that she doesn't want her to be wandering around at nighttime and to get back inside. When they go back inside, once again the door to 214 suddenly closes.

The next day on her way out to somewhere, Stacy curiously walks over to the door of apartment 214 and looks into the peephole. After she can see no one is there, Looking around to see if no one is around, she puts her ear against the door to hear anything. Then suddenly a voice calls out to her "What are you doing?" She looks around and can see it's a pretty young girl around her age standing there. Stacy asks her who she is, and the girl introduces herself as Angela who lives in apartment 212. Stacy asks Angela if she knows who lives in 214. Angela tells her she didn't think anyone did, also tells her that she seen her around and has figured that she is the one who just moved into 213 with her mom and not many kids live in the building. Stacy asks her if she wants to hang out sometime. Angela tells her maybe, and she says bye to her as she leaves. Stacy now seems a bit happier now she knows someone her age lives in the building.

Then another day or so later, Stacy comes home late as she is speaking to her mom who was cleaning and beating a carpet on the deck. When she is about to go inside she can see an elderly woman quickly exiting the door from the deck of apartment 214 Stacy seems very surprised to see her. When she goes inside the building, she goes over to apartment 214 and she knocks on the door several times. Then after no response she begins to walk off and leave, when suddenly the door opens. She enters the open door and she sees the elderly woman setting down a white tea set.

The elderly woman cordially invites her in for tea, a bit nervous she walks in very slowly. As Stacy comes inside she notices all the beautiful paintings on the wall. The elderly woman introduces herself as Madeline Koegel and says they're all her original works of art which she made long ago. Stacy notices a painting of a family and ask Madeline if it's of her family. Madeline tells her that it's a painting of her nephew frank and his family and she never had her own children. Frank promised her,  she could always live with them but as time grew on he got tired of taking care of a very old woman and asked her to leave.

Stacy is shocked to her that he broke his promise to her. Madeline afterwards moved into the apartment building away from all of her friends and her family. Stacy seems to know how she feels. Because since she has recently moved she has lost all her friends since they still live in her old neighborhood. Madeline thinks that they should visit each other every now and then. Therefore they won't miss their old friends as much.

As days went by Stacy and Madeline started spending lot's of time together and they both seemed very happy. Stacy helped Madeline with her tough and hard to do household chores. Madeline would serve them tea and tell stories about the interesting long live she's lead. Things were going perfect because Madeline wasn't lonely anymore and Stacy made her first new friend. One day Madeline asked Stacy to visit her the next day, because the day was just a certain special day in which she just preferred not to be alone. Stacy said she would and she makes a promise with Madeline. Also Madeline has a surprise for Stacy which she would give to her the next day.

The next day just as Stacy is about to make good on her promise to visit Madeline, Angela passes by and she has free concert tickets to see a battle of the bands concert. Since they've considered hanging out and becoming friends Angela invites her to go with her. Stacy at first says she isn't sure because she promised she would visit someone. Angela talks her into going with her because Angela wants them to be friends and Stacy desperately wants to make friends and decides to go.

Madeline sadly watches from the door from her deck as Stacy gets into Angela's mother's car and takes off. Later that night when they get home Stacy had a great time and thanks Angela, on her way back to her apartment she can hear the sound of Madeline crying coming from apartment 214. Stacy enters Madeline's apartment and it's dark. She can still hear Madeline crying and she walks over to speak to her. The lightning from outside flashes into the apartment and for a moment she is shown and she shouts to Stacy "WHY DID YOU BREAK YOUR PROMISE?", Stacy backs away in shock.

Suddenly the next moment the lights all go on in the apartment. As Stacy looks around suddenly Madeline's apartment is completely empty. All the furniture is gone and all the paints are gone leaving cleaner imprints on the walls showing where they once were. Stacy tries to leave but she can't the door is stuck and it won't open. Stacy begins to panic frantically knocking on the door and calling for help. The building manager opens the door asking her what she was doing in there, but Stacy doesn't answer she just runs back home in a panic. She very upsettingly and panicky tells her mom that She broke her promise to visit Madeline and when she went to apologize to her,  The apartment was empty, and that everything is now gone. Her mom thinks she must of have moved and tells her that she couldn't have been there one second and not the next  and gives her a supportive caring hug. The next day Stacy and her mom go over to speak to the Building Manager to ask if Madeline in 214 moved out. Mr. Holstrom tells them that nobody has lived in 214 for years. Stacy just thought Madeline left and now she would have to live with the guilt of breaking her promise. As days went by she realized that Madeline was not gonna come back and when never have a chance to say she was sorry. In the meantime she and Angela became really good friends now.

Then one night Stacy is left home alone while her mom goes out to a restaurant have dinner with her father to try and talk things out and settle their relationship problems. A while later as Stacy is relaxing reading something, suddenly someone comes knocking at her door. She asks who it is but gets no answer, she looks into the peephole is very surprised to see it's Madeline. She opens the door to ask her where she has been and to say she is sorry but suddenly no one is there. Stacy slowly walks down the dark hallway, then knocks on Madeline's door asking if she is there. After no response she let's herself into the dark and empty apartment and calls her by name again but still no answer.

She turns on the light and finds a painting on the floor in the middle of the room. The painting is a sort of creepy painting of Stacy and Madeline having tea together. Slowly after looking at it suddenly Madeline's apartment is completely refurnished again as it once was before. Stacy lowers the painting down and is startled to see Madeline standing right in front of her. She asks her what's going on? Madeline tells her very sadly "You promised to visit me! I didn't want to be alone on that day. That day is the worst day and you didn't come! It was a very lonely day for me Stacy do you know why?" Stacy shakes her head no backing away "It was my anniversary, ten years ago on that day is the day I DIED!" Stacy now terrified drops the painting closes the door and runs home. Locking her door behind her in terrified panic, suddenly a note is slipped to her under her door. The note says "Why did you break your promise?" Nervously backing away she bumps into the window, then as the lightning flashes there is Madeline as she runs away from the window screaming.

Stacy scared straight and terrified runs over to Angela's apartment and knocks on her door begging and begging for her to open up, but there is no answer. Then suddenly all the lights in the hallway go out. Stacy is terrified and is backing away against the wall as someone seems to be approaching. At the person gets close enough she screams. The person is just the building manager he wants to know what she is so scared and tells her to go back to her apartment. Stacy says she can't cause Madeline the old woman from 214 is there. Mr. Holstrom doesn't know who she is talking about and again claims no one lives in apartment 214, and he can't rent it. Every time he tries to show the apartment, something horrible happens and the people get scared and leave. Then he tells her to go home while he fixes the power fuse box.

Suddenly Stacy's dog Bugsy runs down the hallway right into Madeline's apartment. She goes in to get him out and she finds him trapped in a closet. Then suddenly she is approached again by Madeline who cries to her very seriously "You broke your promise, you're just like my nephew!" Stacy backs away frightened and terrified. Madeline continues telling her "I waited for you all day, you didn't come! Stacy then tells her she is sorry. Madeline then says "How could you do this to me?" Stacy then tells her she wasn't trying to be mean she just wanted to make a new friend.

Madeline pauses for a moment hearing this, then asks her if she did and Stacy nods yes and tells her she didn't mean to break her promise and she came over afterwards but she was already gone. Madeline then sits down on her chair. She now has a more understanding look on her face and tells her how important it is to make friends and that she shouldn't have to be alone. Then she says she won't bother her anymore. Stacy asks her if she is really dead. Madeline tells her she is afraid so.

Stacy asks her why she hasn't moved on. Madeline says because she is too old and settled in her way and it's her home and she is not going anywhere, and she won't have strangers living in her home and scares off anyone who tries to rent her apartment. She tells Stacy she has nowhere else to go and begins to cry. Stacy then comforts her and tells her that maybe she won't have to.

Soon Stacy talks her mom into renting apartment 214 which is much bigger and which Mr. Holstrom charges a much cheaper price because he believes it has a ghost, which has given him trouble renting it out for so long. The mom doesn't seem to believe it and whether or not Madeline will reveal herself to Stacy's mom is unknown.

Ending[]

As the story ends, Kiki says that when Stacy and her Mom moved into apartment 214, Stacy made up for her broken promise because Madeline wasn't going to be alone anymore. Tucker smiles and tells with enthusiasm good story! Gary can't find the pouch again and questions where it is. Tucker reveals he hid it again and gives it back. Gary tells Tucker that he is really beginning to get on his nerves. Then Gary declares the meeting of The Midnight Society closed and that next week not to miss out on Betty Ann's friend Sam who is up for initiation. Then as everyone is ready to leave Gary now can't find the water bucket to put out the fire and he is frustrated demanding Tucker to tell him where the bucket is.

  • This was the third episode where the portrayals didn't appear in any more episodes. The first one was "The Tale of Locker 22". the second episode was "The Tale of the Frozen Ghost", the fourth one was "The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter" and the Fifth one was "The Tale of the Virtual Pets".
  • As stated by her official Collector Photo Card, this story is Kiki's favorite.
  • The episode begins with Tucker being curious about what is inside the contents of the pouch. Ross Hull and MacHale reveal many years later that the dust was non dairy creamer.
  • Lea-Helen Weir (Stacey) was in the Goosebumps episode Don't Wake Mummy as Shawna.

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