[Against the light of the full moon, a woman walks past with a shovel and a sack. There is the sound of an owl hooting and a wolf howling. The woman stops.]
Lucy: "And on the fifth night, in the light of the moon, Amelia Rose buried the wretched creature..." [Amelia digs a hole in the ground and holds up the silhouette of a dead crow, and buries it.] "...sure she'd never see it again. But she was gravely mistaken." [After Amelia walks away, the crow's foot reaches out of the ground with an ominous screech, and the scene cuts to the Loud house living room, where Lucy is reading a book to her family, who all scream in fright. Lucy continues to read her book.] "That night, when Amelia went to bed..." [The scene fades to Amelia in her bed, looking frightened. As Lucy continues the story, Amelia cowers under her blanket in fear.] "...she heard the dreadful scratch, scratch, scratch of black talons at her window and the call of the corpse bird."
[The screen is shredded, and the bird's cawing is heard as it cuts back to the Louds.]
Lynn Sr.: [frightened] "Ahh!" [He jumps into Rita's arms, then he calms down.] "Luce, that was your scariest story yet! I'm so proud, and terrified. But mostly proud."
Lynn: [shivers] "Oh, yeah! It gave me major heebie-jeebies!"
Rita: [turns on the light] "So guys, I have an announcement to make. I have been so impressed with Lucy's stories that I sent a few to my boss Jesse at the Gazette..." [Lucy is intrigued.] "...and she loved them so much, she wants you to write..." [imitates Jesse] "'...a brand-new, shiny humdinger of an original story for the newspaper's Sunday magazine!'" [normal voice] "That was my Jesse impression."
Lucy: "You mean, I'd be a published writer?"
Lynn: "Dude, you'd be famous! Everyone in Royal Woods reads the Sunday magazine!"
Rita: "Now, their feature stories are a little longer than what you're used to, and you'd have to work on a deadline. But, if you're up for it, it would be a huge opportunity."
[Lucy glances at her poetry book, but Lynn Sr. is confused.]
Lynn Sr.: [whispers] "Is she excited? I can never tell."
Lucy: "I'm beaming with joy."
[The next day, Lucy is sitting on her bed with a typewriter. Fangs brings her a piece of paper and puts it in, and Lucy cracks her fingers, preparing to write.]
Lucy: "Okay..." [But she is stumped and slouches.] "Ohh..." [She gets an idea, but then frowns.] "No, that's not right. Oh, what about--groan." [Fangs screeches, and Lucy smiles.] "Fangs, I think I've got it." [But before Lucy can begin...]
Lincoln: [offscreen] "Hi-yah!" [In the hallway, Lincoln is practicing his David Steele moves.] "Ha! Ha! Huh! Huh!"
Lucy: [opens the door] "Lincoln, can you practice your David Steele moves somewhere else? I'm trying to get into the zone."
Lincoln: "Oh, sure. Sorry, Luce." [As Lucy closes the door, Lincoln speaks into his watch.] "Agents, we're moving out." [He reveals a harpoon and shoots it at the ceiling, then he leaps down the stairs, but it comes loose and he screams as he falls. He hits the ground with a crash.] "Agent down!"
Lucy: "Okay Fangs, let's try this again." [But just then...]
Leni: [offscreen] "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Lucy: "Sigh."
[In the bathroom, Leni is plucking her eyebrows.]
Leni: "Ow! Ow!"
Lucy: "Hey Leni, could you endure your painful beauty routine in silence? I'm trying to write."
Leni: "Totes!" [She continues plucking her eyebrow hairs, and she whispers in pain.] "Ow. Ow."
[Lucy sits on her bed and grabs her typewriter, but then she hears another noise. Her ear twitches as she hears the noise, which is revealed to be Lisa clicking a pen. As Lisa continues clicking the pen, Lucy's ears twitch. Then she is distracted by her dad whistling as he cooks in the kitchen, Lynn dribbling a basketball in the driveway, and Lily playing meowing noises on her toy remote. Lucy covers her ears in annoyance, but the noises keep coming, until finally...]
Lucy: [snaps] "Silence!" [All the noises stop, and Lucy smiles.] "Finally, some peace and quiet." [But then her ears twitch again.] "Ugh, seriously?" [This time, it's Luan, miming in the hallway. And even though she's not making a sound, Lucy is still distracted by her, so Lucy comes out of her room.] "Luan, must you mime so loudly?" [Luan is annoyed at that ironic statement, so she mimes getting onto an imaginary bicycle and pedals away, actually floating in midair as she does so. Fangs flies onto Lucy's head and squeaks.] "I agree, Fangs. This house will be the death of my writing career. I'll have to find someplace where I can actually focus."
[At the Burnt Bean, two women are shown typing and writing, and Lucy is there as well, with Fangs drinking a cup of coffee.]
Lucy: "This is a little better. Maybe now I can concentrate." [Fangs squeaks in agreement. But before Lucy can begin, she is distracted by the sound of a woman slurping a drink.] "I just have to tune out that wretched slurping."
Luan: [offscreen] "Order up!" [The screen pans to her behind the counter.] "I got one half-caf jopuccino, and a bean kahuna!"
Lucy: [annoyed] "And that."
Paraag: [approaches] "Hey, Lucy! Luan tells me you're being published in the Sunday magazine. That is so cool! Everybody reads that. I even send it to my family back in Mumbai. I can't wait to tell them I served tea to a soon-to-be famous author!" [glances at the typewriter] "Can I get a sneak peek?" [But he is surprised to realize the paper is still blank.] "Oh, ideas still percolating." [chuckles and elbows her] "Get it, 'cause we're in a coffee shop and you have nothing." [Lucy groans and walks away with her typewriter.] "Remember, Lucy: The best brews take time."
[Next, Lucy goes to the library, and Fangs is reading a book.]
Lucy: "Why didn't I think of the library before? It's quiet, and doesn't smell like burnt coffee." [Fangs squeaks in agreement. Lucy puts her paper into her typewriter, but as she loads it...]
Man: [approaches] "Shhh!" [As he walks away, Lucy begins typing, but...]
Woman: [approaches] "Shhh!" [Lucy types quietly, but the typewriter dings, and more people approach her.]
People: "Shhh!"
[Realizing the library is no better, Lucy sighs.]
[Next, Lucy is outside in the park.]
Lucy: "Ahh, my creative spirits will go unshushed here."
Lynn: [offscreen] "Heads up!" [A soccer ball hits Lucy's head, and Lynn approaches.] "Careful, Margo! That's my sister, the genius writer! You almost ruined her flow!" [gets inspired] "Hey! I should get you her autograph before she's famous!" [But as she grabs her soccer ball, Lucy has gone.] "Don't take it personally. Writers are notoriously temperamental." [heads back]
[That evening at home, Rita enters Lucy's room, but it's dark.]
Rita: "Hey, sweetie, heard you come in. How'd the writing go?"
[Lucy lies in her coffin in despair.]
Lucy: "Groan." [sits up] "This town is a torture chamber of distractions. I'm worried I won't make my deadline. What if I never get another opportunity like this again?"
Rita: "Hmm... You know, whenever I need to focus, I like to get away to someplace remote for a nice, calming writer's retreat."
Lucy: "Ahh, yes, perhaps at the morgue. Good call, Mom." [Rita is stunned]
Rita: [stammers] "Uh, actually, Aunt Ruth is on that singles cruise. Why don't we go to her lake house for the rest of the weekend?"
Lucy: "A remote cabin in the woods where no one can hear you scream? Sweet."
[The next day, Lucy and Rita have reached Aunt Ruth's lake house, and Lucy sets her typewriter on a table near a lantern.]
Lucy: "Dim lighting, cobwebs. This is perfect for writing a spooky story."
Rita: "Okay, great. Let the creative juices flow. I'm gonna go see if Aunt Ruth has any good movies."
[Rita leaves, and Fangs flies after her. Lucy sits on the stool at the table, then she breathes in and exhales. But as she stares at the typewriter, she suddenly quivers, unable to think of any ideas. Meanwhile, Rita holds up two VHS tapes.]
Rita: "Huh, nothing but cat home videos. Fluffy at the Lake, Mittens on a Road Trip, Friskie's Quinceañera?" [places them on the TV] "Hmm, that one actually sounds fun." [But as she turns around, Lucy appears out of nowhere, and she is scared by it.] "Lucy, everything okay?"
Lucy: "Everything's perfect, yet my fount of good ideas has run dry."
Rita: [thinks] "Hmm, I see. Well, why don't we go on a nice nature walk? That always inspires me."
[Outside in the woods, the two are walking along.]
Rita: "Isn't this nice? Enjoying the trees, the fresh air, the--"
Lucy: "Abandoned well." [The screen pans to an abandoned well in the middle of the woods.] "It's so beautiful. You know, some believe wells are gateways to the spirit world."
Rita: [chuckles nervously] "Do they? Interesting."
Lucy: "That gives me an idea." [She takes out her poetry book and a quill.] "An origin story for Amelia." [begins writing] "Maybe, years ago..." [The screen double-splits to a group of angry villagers and Amelia as Lucy narrates.] "The villagers, thinking Amelia was a witch, threw her into the watery depths." [The villagers throw Amelia into a well, and she screams as she falls. As the scene cuts back to the abandoned well, its wall glows orange...] "And now she haunts the well, cursing anyone who dares make a wish." [The glow forms the shape of a ghost in the shape of Amelia. It rises into the sky and roars, then it fades away in a flash. The scene cuts to Rita, biting her fingernails in fear.]
Rita: [chuckles frightfully] "Hah..." [She notices the canoe near the dock.] "H-hey, look! Maybe a boat ride will give you some more ideas." [ushers Lucy away] "Let's go, shall we?"
[On the lake, Rita is rowing.]
Rita: [sighs] "This is nice. It's so quiet and peaceful out here."
Lucy: "Yes, it's almost as if there's been a zombie apocalypse." [Her mom gets nervous.] "Oh, that's good." [She begins writing it down as Rita gulps. The scene cuts back to Amelia, being chased by a horde of zombies.] "Amelia becomes the only living soul left in the world." [She jumps into a canoe and rows away.] "On the run from the brain-eaters, she takes to the water for safety. But it turns out, these zombies can swim." [The zombies are swimming after Amelia, and Rita is frightened and yelps.]
Rita: [nervously] "Better get back to the cabin before we're eaten by zombies!" [notices] "I-I mean, mosquitos!" [She rows back quickly.]
Lucy: "Whoa!"
[Back on shore, the two are walking back to the cabin. Rita is panting, but then Lucy stops suddenly, and Rita notices something.]
Rita: "I remember this old cider mill. Huh, looks like it's abandoned."
Lucy: [excited] "Abandoned?" [begins writing] "Or haunted by a malevolent ghost..." [Amelia is in front of a cider mill, and a spirit circles her, entering her body and taking control of her mind.] "It disorients its victims, luring them into the mill..." [The cider mill is glowing, with crates of apples and a barrel levitating around it.] "...then crushes them into cider. Under the ghost's spell, Amelia reaches for the door." [She opens it, walks into the glowing light, and Rita is frightened.]
Rita: "NO! Don't go in the mill!"
Lucy: "Well, I think I finally have enough ideas to get started. Thanks, Mom."
Rita: [Lucy leaves as she isn't looking.] "Oh, of course, sweetie. Us writers have to stick together." [She notices Lucy's gone.] "Ahh! Hey!" [runs after her daughter]
[The next day, the sound of the typewriter's buttons is heard as Rita enters Lucy's room with Fangs.]
Rita: "Sounds like someone's really in the writer's zone." [But the typewriter hits the wall beside her, and she yelps. Fangs flies in fright.] "Lucy, what is going on?"
Lucy: "My writing career is deceased. Time of death: 6:02 Eastern Time."
Rita: [confused] "Wait, what? You have been typing away for an hour."
Lucy: "I wasn't writing. One of the keys got stuck after I banged by head into it." [She parts the hair on her forehead to reveal a large, red F.] "It was the F key, for failure." [She covers her forehead and sits down, clearly upset.] "I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought I had so many good ideas, but nothing is working. I'm not a real writer."
Rita: [comforts her] "Aww, honey..."
Lucy: "Can you please call Jesse and tell her the story is off?"
Rita: "Are you sure?" [Lucy nods] "Of course, she'll understand."
Lucy: "Thanks. I think I'll head to bed. All of this literary defeat has been draining." [She heads off to bed, and Fangs squeaks in sadness.]
[That night, while Lucy is lying in bed, she is thinking about Amelia's well ghost, the zombies, and the haunted cider mill. She suddenly sits upright.]
Lucy: "Gasp."
[Lucy smiles and jumps out of bed, heading to her typewriter. She turns on the lantern and finally begins writing. She writes all night, and the next morning, Rita has made coffee and smells it.]
Rita: "Ahh." [But as she walks off, Lucy pops up, scaring her. She drops her coffee.] "You have got to start wearing a bell. How'd you sleep, honey?"
Lucy: "I didn't. I was up all night writing." [She holds up her completed story.]
Rita: "Lucy, you finished it! What changed?"
Lucy: "Once I knew no one was going to read it, the story just poured out of me. I think I was freaked out by the idea of everyone in town--and Mumbai--not liking my story."
Rita: "Oh, I totally get it. It's scary to put yourself out there. But you can't worry about what other people think. As a writer, you have to be fearless. So, now that you've written your story, what do you want to do?"
Lucy: [thinks] "I like my story, but I don't know if anyone else will. But I think I'd like to publish it, if Jesse's willing to give me another chance?"
[In Lucy's story, on the night of a full moon...]
Lucy: "Amelia was trapped..." [Amelia screams] "Zombies on one side, the haunted mill on the other. All seemed lost until..." [The zombies gasp.]
Zombie: "Honeycrisp? Yum!"
Lucy: "...She realized zombies can't resist a juicy honeycrisp apple." [The screen pans to one, and Amelia grabs it.]
Amelia: "You want it? Go get it!" [She tosses it into the haunted cider mill, and the zombies chase it.]
Zombies: "HONEYCRISP!"
[Amelia bravely runs up to the door and slams it shut. The mill shakes as the zombies are crushed inside, and their juiced remains pour out of the walls. A closeup of one eye is shown, and it blinks. Amelia nervously backs away.]
Lucy: "As Amelia walked away, the last sound she heard..." [Amelia grins in triumph, and the scene cuts back to the Louds' living room, as Lucy reads her story in the Sunday magazine.] "...was the groans of the zombies as they were crushed into cider."
[Lynn Sr. screams, causing Lincoln to flinch. Lana laughs, and the rest of her family--except Lisa--clap for Lucy's story.]
Lincoln: "Best story yet!"
[The screen pans to Paraag, sitting in the chair by the fireplace. He is holding a computer, and his parents are shown via video chat.]
Paraag: "Fresh squeezed zombies? I did not see that coming! Neither did my parents!" [The camera zooms in on Paraag's parents, who each give Lucy a thumbs-up.]
Paraag's dad: "Two thumbs up from Mumbai!"
[The episode ends.]
