-[Boyd] Previously on From... -[groaning, bones cracking]
We need to figure out
where you're gonna live from now on.
I don't think she's a bad person.
If it's all right, she would like to live here.
-With you. -Okay. Sure.
-[gun firing] -[screaming]
-Abby! Stop! No, no! -[gasps]
Hey, Abbs. I could really use some help.
No! Hey! Hey! [straining]
[gasps]
Elgin, I don't want to hate you.
This place took advantage of both of us.
There's something I need your help with.
I think we're gonna need a little bit more.
So, you just... walk inside?
Then I find my dad. Ethan called it Storywalking.
He learned about it from one of his books,
and all his books are under the house now.
Shit!
I see the bag.
What are the titles?
"Grand Gooligog," "The Cromenockle."
Jade, tell me you got something.
The best thing I can do is just find a way
to unlock whatever's locked in here.
Henry said Miranda started seeing this place
after an acid trip they took.
If it worked for her, it stands to reason it could work for me.
The night we arrived here, you had a dream.
-Lake of Tears? -It's here.
And I need you to find it.
-Maybe Jade can help. -Jade?
The lake of what?
[Ethan] Why were you meditating?
Trying to remember something that I used to know.
Hey, Victor, we got a lake to find.
[urine trickling]
-[gasps] -[Ethan] Victor!
Hey, talk to me, Son.
I told myself it wasn't real. I told myself it wasn't real.
My wife, Miranda,
she painted things she saw here.
One of those paintings was of a man in a yellow suit.
You're telling me this could be the same suit?
You don't see a lot of people walking around here
in a canary yellow suit.
Well, Victor obviously recognized it.
He didn't just recognize it.
I watched a grown man wet his pants.
My question is, if the suit's here,
then where's the guy who wore it?
Long gone, maybe.
For all we know, the suit might have been
laying out there in the forest for years.
This close to town?
It's not like it's easy to miss.
Then, maybe those things that come out at night
left it there to mess with our heads.
-Come on. -The point is, we don't know.
The best thing we can do right now is talk to Victor.
I'll-- I'll do it. I'll talk to him.
No, maybe we should all--
I...I will talk to my son.
Alone.
Okay.
If there's nothing else, I'll...
-[Boyd] Yeah, no. -Okay.
The young boy, the one dressed in white,
he said to us that we're running out of time.
For 40 years,
that boy was nothing but a painting in my basement.
That suit, this place,
all just paintings in the basement. And now...
I think there was a part of me
that was still trying to pretend any of this was normal.
[door closes]
Does he know? About his wife?
About you?
We don't even know if it's real.
It's real.
[Boyd] No. No, Tabitha's right.
We need to be pretty goddamn sure.
Have you said anything to Fatima?
Nah, she's dealing with enough as is.
All right, then everyone who knows is standing in this room.
Let's keep it that way for now. Understood?
Yeah.
The man in the yellow suit,
if Miranda was able to paint him,
that means, somewhere in your mind,
there might be an answer to who he is.
If this is about your fucking mushrooms...
Boyd, are you seriously okay with him taking magic mushrooms
that he found in a haunted forest?
No, Donna, I'm not.
I'm also not okay with waking up every morning
and counting how many new bodies there are.
Are you okay with that? We're losing. Okay?
I'm not gonna say that out there,
but in here, whatever game this is,
we are losing.
And then that freaky little kid in white pops up
and tells Tabitha that we're running out of time
and we still don't know the goddamn rules.
If there are answers in his head, any answers,
we need to get them out. Okay?
I'll be there with him.
Anything goes wrong, I'm right there.
Well, good luck with that.
Ellis, there are people waiting
to go up to the settlement to gather food.
People still need to eat.
And you, you do this,
you go on this little trip,
you know you may not come back, right?
Yeah.
Come on. Let's go.
Yeah.
[door opens]
Boyd, would you mind giving us a minute, please?
What? Yeah. Yes, of course.
Of course. Yeah.
[knocking]
Come in.
I hope I didn't wake you.
I didn't sleep much.
Neither did I, at first.
I, um...
I was... hoping we could talk.
Okay.
I assume...Kenny told you about me?
About what I did?
Yeah.
So, why would you want you live here?
Because when I met you, I knew you were kind.
I know what you did was terrible,
but my father used to always say
that only good people are tortured
by the bad things that they've done.
Plus, I figured here I'd get my own room.
[chuckles]
I'll go make us breakfast.
I'll be right down.
[ominous music playing]
[muttering indistinctly]
[muttering continues]
Ow.
Ow. [cries out]
Ow! No, no, no, no, no! No! Please!
[screaming] No!
-Sara? -No!
No, no, no, please! [screaming]
What's happened?
[cries out]
["Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" plays]
♪ When I was just a little boy ♪
♪ I asked my father ♪
♪ "What will I be?" ♪
♪ "Will I be handsome?" ♪
♪ "Will I be rich?" ♪
♪ Here's what he said to me ♪
♪ Que sera sera ♪
♪ Whatever will be will be ♪
♪ The future's not ours to see ♪
♪ Que sera sera ♪
♪ What will be will be ♪
♪ Now I have children of my own ♪
♪ They ask their father ♪
♪ "What will I be?" ♪
♪ "Will I be pretty?" ♪
♪ "Will I be rich?" ♪
♪ I tell them tenderly ♪
♪ Que sera sera ♪
♪ Whatever will be will be ♪
♪ The future's not ours to see ♪
♪ Que sera sera ♪
♪ What will be will be ♪
♪ Que sera sera ♪
Why were you in the woods with Ethan?
You should really ask Ethan about that.
-I'm asking you. -[sighs]
Did he tell you he saw Jim in the forest?
Yeah.
Well, apparently, Jim told him
that he had to find the Lake of Tears.
Does that sound familiar?
That's not-- that's not real.
No, it's not. But it is to him.
I'm not exactly the best person
to be giving advice about...
well, anything really,
but I do know...
some kids just feel more comfortable
living in their imagination. Right?
It's where they go when the world gets scary.
'Cause, sometimes, believing in impossible things,
it... helps with the, um...
It just helps.
I'm sorry about what I said in the barn.
Don't be.
You weren't wrong.
Be careful with those.
[exhales heavily]
Everything all right?
If you can tell me the last time everything was all right,
you win a cookie.
Are you ready for this?
Fuck no.
Ethan?
Dad?
Can you hear me?
Please, answer me.
Dad.
[knocking]
Yeah?
Why didn't you tell me about the Lake of Tears?
Why did you go to Jade and Victor and not come to me?
Ethan.
I need you to talk to me, please.
I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't believe me.
He told me I need to find it.
He told me.
And when I find it, that'll prove it was real.
He's not gone. He's still here.
Okay, then.
I need you to pack a bag.
Why?
We're going on a trip.
[sighing]
You find anything?
No, they're kids' books, Julie.
If you don't wanna help me, I can do this on my own.
I'm not saying that.
I just...
-Hmm. -What?
Storywalker Fred.
Who?
Who's that?
Uh, he's the distant cousin of the Grand Gooligog.
Uh, here we are.
"Storywalker Fred was an elevator repairman
who spent his weekends Storywalking as he pleased
through all the wondrous tales
and greatest adventures of our time."
[Tabitha] Julie?
Hide the books.
Ah, yeah. We're in here!
I need you to pack your bag.
We're going out to the settlement.
Why?
Ethan's convinced he needs to find that Lake of Tears.
The magic lake he used to talk about?
Yeah.
He said he saw your father,
and then your dad asked him to find it.
He-- He saw him?
-What does that mean? -I don't know.
I think he's grieving.
What I do know is that, if I try to stop him,
then he'll sneak out and look for it by himself.
This way, I can keep him safe.
Okay.
So, what do you need me for?
Well, you're not staying here alone.
I'm not gonna be alone. I'll be with Randall.
-Randall. -Mom, it's not like that.
It's really not.
I'll stay at the clinic. Kristi and Marielle are there.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
-Mom! -It's okay.
Look, first of all, I just wanna say sorry--
No, no, no. Stop talking. Just listen.
Okay.
I don't know you, Randall.
I don't know who you are or what you want.
Julie trusts you.
She feels safe around you, and she needs that right now.
So, I need you to look me in the eye and tell me
you understand what I will do to you
if you ever do anything to break that trust.
I understand.
Okay, good.
Mom.
Honey.
[Julie] What?
-[Tabitha] I love you. -And I love you, too.
-Promise me you'll be okay. -I promise.
Yeah.
I'll be back tomorrow.
Yeah.
This is your water.
Look, I don't need to go.
[sighs] Ellis, it's your turn.
Yeah, but I'm sure Donna can find someone to take my place.
I'm fine.
And Donna needs people out there
that she knows she can rely on.
Honey, I'm okay, I promise.
Yeah.
Okay.
Tommy is responsible for the cans on the door,
Ella and Jordan will check the windows,
and then about 20 minutes or so before sundown--
Do a headcount, I know. I got it.
Just, uh, keep an eye on Fatima,
with Ellis gone.
Yeah, I got it.
Yup.
-[Tabitha] Donna? -Okay.
Do you have room for two more?
More the merrier.
Okay, let's, uh, move it out.
Come on.
Let's go!
[pensive music playing]
How's this?
This is, uh, perfect. Thank you, Elgin.
I can help you with the rest, if you tell me what this is for.
The rest I have to do myself.
You should go now.
Okay.
[pensive music playing]
Victor. Hey.
Three, four...
[Henry] What are you doing?
I have to see if the trees have moved.
Why-- why would the trees be moving?
Because everything is changing,
and first it was snowing, and now everything's green,
and everything is just moving too fast.
And I-I used to measure all the time, and--
and then I haven't been paying attention,
and I should have been paying attention.
I should have been paying attention.
Measure...
Can I help?
See if the trees are moving?
Okay.
Okay, uh, what do I do?
You start with this leg like this.
-One. -One.
Two.
-[indistinct chatter] -[guitar tuning]
[dripping]
[guitar strumming]
[dripping continues]
[Kenny] What the fuck?
Hi.
[humming]
[pensive music playing]
[Boyd] You know what they used to call me in the army, right?
-Mr. Fish and Loaves! -That's right!
[pensive music playing]
[shot firing]
[humming]
Oh.
Hi.
Boyd!
What's going on?
Is Kenny in this room right now?
Wha--?
Yes.
Never mind then.
Is he on--?
Mushrooms he found in the woods.
[Kenny] Right.
You need something?
Uh, it's Fatima.
I think maybe you should come up to the Colony House.
I should go.
No. Stay?
Please.
Okay.
You remember this is the first place I met you.
It's funny how things change.
Do you still see her?
The woman in the kimono?
No.
Do you think it's because you did what she asked,
so, now, she leaves you alone?
Sara, is something going on?
[exhaling shakily]
I thought for a while
that the voices were leaving me alone.
I thought they were done with me,
but turns out... they're not.
And what do they want you to do?
It doesn't make any sense.
They said they want me to go to the diner,
pour a glass of water from the pitcher...
take a sip, and then pour it back in.
And then what?
That's it.
So, how's-- how's that gonna hurt anyone?
I don't know.
But there's always a consequence.
Sara, it's just water.
-But I'll have drank from it. -So?
Whatever is wrong with me,
what if it's like an infection?
What if I pass it on to someone else
and then the voices start torturing them?
I don't want anyone to have to live like this.
Okay.
What if you just don't do it?
They said, if I don't do it by midday,
then something bad will happen to someone that I care about,
and it will keep happening until I do it.
[ominous music playing]
How many steps?
Uh, 23?
Victor, I want to talk to you about what happened yesterday.
Nothing happened yesterday.
Victor, can we--
No, Dad, you can't-- you can't just stop in the middle,
'cause you'll-- you'll mess everything up.
I'm sorry, but I need you to talk to me.
Whatever it was,
whatever you're afraid of, you can tell me.
Well, it's-- I think the tree--
I think they moved a little.
You said that you told yourself it wasn't real.
Did you mean the yellow suit?
C-Can you tell me about the man who wore it?
Did-- Was he someone that hurt-- hurt you?
[murmurs]
Look, Victor, please,
whatever it is,
we'll face it together. You can tell me.
Victor, what-- Victor!
Come. Come with me and I'll show you.
[indistinct chatter]
Hey. Just sit down and don't go anywhere.
Come on.
-[knocking] -Come in.
[water trickling]
I told Kenny not to bother you.
Yeah.
Well, he, uh...
It's a lotta dirt.
Yeah.
You wanna tell me what's going on?
I'm making a monster.
Here we go. "The Grand Gooligog
asks Fred about Storywalking.
'How do you choose a point in the story you wish to see?'"
[Randall] And?
"Fred replied, 'You have to create a bookmark.'
Fred discovered that by leaving a bookmark
somewhere in the story, he could choose
whatever chapter he wished to visit."
We have to make a bookmark.
Julie, that doesn't make any sense.
I know what you're gonna say.
This is a kid's book and it's crazy.
That's 'cause it is.
What if that's not the right way to look at this?
What if Storywalking existed here first?
The fuck you talking about?
Everything here is impossible. Okay?
But it's also real.
We're here, right now, in this impossible place.
What if all of the crazy shit that happens here,
has been... like,
seeping out into...
My mom. My mom had nightmares about this place
when she was a little girl. She didn't realize
that she was dreaming about it then, but she was. Okay?
Who knows how many other kids or adults
or fucking children's book authors
have had dreams about this place without knowing it?
And what if this author had a dream
about someone like me doing what I can do,
he woke up, wrote it down and called it Storywalking?
But there's literally thousands of books
that have stories and rules about traveling through time.
No, no!
Why would this book,
the one with fucking Fred the Storywalker,
why would this book be the one that explains anything?
Because, out of all those books,
this is the one my brother had with him when we came here.
Okay? And maybe that means something.
Mm-hmm.
Maybe it's fate. I...
Fate.
Randall, if I'm right,
this could actually be an instruction manual
on how to save my dad,
and it's all I have.
So, I'm gonna try, whether you help me or not.
So, what kind of bookmark do we need?
[Boyd] When you say 'monster'...?
Boyd, I know you're worried about me,
but you don't have to be.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you saying that.
The problem is, Fatima, this says something else.
Have you told Ellis what you're doing in here?
I wasn't trying to hide it from him.
He-- He has been so worried lately.
I figured once he was back from the food run,
once he could see what I was doing,
it would be easier to explain.
Okay, great.
Explain it to me?
Where I grew up, beliefs were very rigid.
They defined you.
But my dad told stories of all the different faiths.
It used to drive my mother crazy
because she understood how dangerous it was.
But he would just smile.
He'd say, "Fatima, they have it wrong.
They all think their road is the only way.
Don't they understand that all roads lead to the Divine?
They simply take different paths to get there."
Fatima...
Of all the stories my father would tell,
all the fables and myths... [sighs]
...there's one story I've been thinking a lot about lately.
Do you know what a golem is, Boyd?
[clears throat]
Well?
She's, um...
She's making a golem.
A what?
It's a part of a religious folklore.
It's a giant made of clay.
It protects people. It's a champion.
She said it's a symbol of hope.
Maybe, for now, we just give her some space.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's your solution, is...
give her some space?
She's not hurting anybody.
That's not the point.
We have both seen this place turn people,
change them little by little,
until, one day,
we turn around and...
and the person that...
we knew is-- is gone.
Boyd, that person up there is not the Fatima that I know.
And I think if you're being honest with yourself,
that's not the Fatima you know either.
Hmm.
[Donna] Can I ask you something?
[Tabitha] Yeah.
What the hell are you doing out here?
I don't know.
I don't know what I'm doing.
I just keep walking around with this knot of terror inside me
that feels like it's going to explode.
And the whole time,
there's this question and it keeps ringing in my mind.
What am I supposed to do now?
Jim's gone,
and I keep looking for him, but he's gone.
I have memories in my head that belong to other people.
Memories that might have answers, but I'm terrified
of what it'll cost if--
if I go too far or if I remember too much.
But if I don't...
I know I'm failing.
What's gonna happen when Ethan learns
that the Lake of Tears is not real?
How am I gonna deal with that?
[Donna] Hey, everyone?
Let's just take a little break, okay?
You good?
Yeah, we're fine. Just, uh,
need a little breather.
Okay.
Let's sit down.
I don't know how to do this alone.
You are not alone.
People keep saying that.
Well, maybe you should fucking listen.
I don't want to find another one of those notes
like the one on my nightstand.
You are not going to put me in the position
of having to explain to your kids
why I'm still alive and you're not.
-Donna, I'm-- -No.
You and those kids
are as much my family as any family I have ever had.
So, from now on,
if anyone is going to risk their lives
to do something stupid...
that person is gonna be me and not you.
We clear on that?
I am asking, are we clear on that?
-We're clear. -Okay.
[Ethan] Mom! Come look at this!
Come on.
[squeaking]
Looks like a broken wing.
[screeching softly]
Must have fallen from a nest or something.
We never see anything here but crows.
We have to take him with us.
Ethan...
Mom, this is a sign.
If the lake at the settlement
really is the Lake of Tears, it'll fix him.
That's how we'll know.
We have to take him with us.
I can't imagine what this is like for her.
At least when I got here, I found you, you know?
I mean, she lost the only person she had here.
Yeah.
I can't tell if she's handling it well
or just hasn't accepted it yet.
-She prays a lot. -Yes.
I don't know. Maybe it helps?
[chuckles] Yeah, that's...
That was always the one thing about NA
that I just couldn't stand,
the whole giving yourself up to a higher power.
Mm.
If there were ever proof that no one's looking out for us,
it's here.
[ominous music playing]
-[sighing] -[Bakta] Hey.
We don't see a lot of you in here.
I-I-I won't be long.
Well, Sara, you can stay as long as you like.
I-I think it's really nice that you reopened the diner.
Hm. Well, I thought it'd be a good way to keep busy.
You used to work here, right?
Feels like a long time ago now.
Well, if you ever want to come back,
I could use the help.
Look, I wasn't here when you... did what you did.
But who you've become while I've known you?
That girl deserves a place.
Think about it.
Bakta?
Yeah?
Do you mind dumping that out for me?
Oh. Sure.
-[Sophia screams] -[Marielle] Oh, shit.
Wait, Marielle, wait up! Wait!
What's happening?
[Kristi] I don't-- I don't know.
I'm coming!
Don't move, okay?
[gasping]
Stay right where you are. Stay right where you are.
Where does it hurt?
-My-- My arm. -Okay.
Let me see. Okay, look at me.
Take a deep breath. What happened?
I was standing by the edge
and then it felt like something pushed me.
[gasping]
Okay, is there anywhere else?
[Sophia] No. [breathing shakily]
[ominous music playing]
[door opens]
Hey. We done here?
No.
No, not quite.
Because Fatima's making a mud monster?
Sorry. I was eavesdropping.
I don't know if I should be up there stopping her
or if I should be up there helping her.
Mm.
You know, if it wasn't for what happened to me and Tabitha,
everything we remembered...
I never would've even considered
taking those mushrooms.
What's your point?
My point...
is something changed.
Made me realize I had to do something drastic
before it was too late,
even if everyone around me thought I was insane.
So maybe the question you need to ask Fatima
isn't why she's making that thing.
[sighs]
Maybe the question you need to ask is why she's making it now.
Jesus.
These things are even creepier in person.
Jade said they're to ward off evil spirits.
Heh. Well, that's, uh....
comforting, I suppose.
Okay, the more food we collect before dark,
the earlier we leave in the morning.
So, drop your bags. Let's go.
Mom, we need to get him to the lake.
Come on. Let's go.
Julie?
[Julie] I'm up here!
Got what you asked for.
Got the...
What are you doing?
Last time I tried this,
one of those things grabbed me by the hair.
That's not gonna happen again.
[Julie exhales heavily]
Okay.
Ready?
Mm-hmm.
Okay, so, to create a bookmark,
fold up a piece of paper,
and I bring it with me when I Storywalk.
Wherever I end up in the past, whatever "chapter" I'm in,
I just draw the symbol on the paper
and leave it there.
If this works, when you pull me out,
the symbol that I drew in the past
will also be here on the paper in the present.
You've been waiting to do that
since we left town, haven't you?
I have, yeah.
Mm.
Okay.
Let's say this thing works,
let's say you make it out of this thing
with a functioning bookmark, how does that help us?
Because, from that point forward,
whatever point in the story I want to visit,
like the chapter right before my father was killed...
I write it here in the folds,
fold it back up, cross the threshold,
and that's where the bookmark'll take me.
You're asking me to watch you have another seizure.
I'm asking you for five seconds.
I draw the symbol, you pull me out.
Randall, if this works, this changes everything.
Please.
Five seconds.
Come on.
Be careful.
Yeah.
[ominous music playing]
[gasping]
[breathing unsteadily]
[indistinct squelching]
[squelching]
Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey, hey. It's me.
It's me. It's me. You're okay.
You're okay. You're okay.
[breathing unsteadily]
[gasping] No!
[breathing shakily]
Fuck!
It didn't work! It didn't fucking work!
[breathing heavily]
[shovel rasping, dirt rustling]
Victor, come on.
[shovel clanking]
[panting]
They're in there.
He came in a car just like the rest of us.
I thought his yellow suit was funny.
And we thought he was just like us. We...
We brought him in, and we made him our friend.
But he wasn't like us.
When everyone died,
when I found mom out by the bottle tree, I saw him.
[gasping]
He was eating her.
Oh, God. Oh...
[gasps]
[winces]
[exhaling sharply]
[Kristi] So, it's definitely broken.
But we're gonna wait for the swelling to go down
before we reset the bone.
-Okay. -Okay?
I know all of this is a little scary.
It's just another test. It's why we're here.
God is testing us and allowing us to prove our faith in Him.
Yeah.
I know this all sounds silly to you.
No. No, it doesn't.
Do you know the story of Abraham?
Uh, no. No, I don't.
Oh.
He was a simple man,
with an unshakeable faith and obedience to God.
One day, God tested Abraham,
ordering him to kill his only son,
as a way to prove his faith.
But at the last moment, God intervened
and offered a ram to be sacrificed instead.
You see,
God never intended for Abraham to kill his son.
He simply needed to know if he would.
[knocking]
Hey.
Okay if Kenny joins us?
Look, I know how strange this must seem, guys, but...
Fatima, I need to know why you're doing this.
I told you why I'm doing this.
Why are you doing it now?
Whatever it is, I need you to tell me. Please.
Don't let this place make you afraid to talk to me.
I still feel it.
That thing I carried inside me, I still feel it.
-Okay. -Uh, feel it how?
Like we're connected.
Part of me feels what he feels.
Okay. And this thing that you're making, it's gonna...
what? Break the connection?
It goes both ways.
Right.
He feels what I'm feeling, too.
He feels how afraid I am. He likes it.
But making this,
it makes me feel strong.
It makes me feel less afraid.
Okay.
It's the only way I know to fight back.
Right.
Jesus.
Making that thing,
you think it could actually help?
I don't know.
But, you know, all things considered,
having a champion in our corner -
not the worst thing in the world right now.
I'll, uh, spread the word...
Good.
...to give her some space.
Keep everyone out of that room.
-Yeah. -Okay.
[clattering]
[pensive music playing]
Hm.
[pensive music playing]
Boyd?
We gotta go.
Now.
Boyd, what's wrong?
Just gimme a minute.
[tense music playing]
[pensive music playing]
What?
No, it's...
[ominous music playing]
All right, new category:
Saturday morning cartoons. Okay, I'll go first.
The Jetsons.
Ooh!
The Flintstones.
Nice.
[Donna] Okay?
[sighs]
[Ethan] Ready?
Okay. Let's do it.
[chirps]
[Ellis] Roger, you good?
What the fuck?
Mom?
[ominous music playing]
Oh, fuck.
[ominous music playing]
[theme music plays]