Episode 32: Bur

Narrator: Welcome to Ghost Wax, a Far and Tall Tales Production. The following story may contain graphic content. Listener discretion is advised. 

Intro Music

Episode 32, Bur

Recorder clicks on

Pip: -was going to make a stupid decision no matter what I said. I was at a loss, and he’s just staring at me, plus he’s on my protection detail sometimes, so obviously I wanna keep him happy and healthy, so I told him to keep trying, but avoid bridges. It’s not ideal, but hopefully at least this way he won’t- Are you starting the recording already?

Luca: Yeah, the machine’s been sticking lately, so I wanted to make sure it was good to go before Cid got here. I guess I need to oil it or something..? I’ve been thinking it might be time for an upgrade actually.

Pip: Hmm. So everything we say gets preserved for all time? Hey, how did your date go yesterday? You said that the guy was actually able to carry on a conversation?

Luca: Yeah, he- he was great.

Pip: Was?

Luca: Yeah, he’s not taking my calls.  He was great; I don’t think I was.

Pip: Oh come on.

Luca: I just couldn’t-  It was all so… I mean he’d say something interesting, about science or art, or like… the weather, and I just...  sigh He said something about how it looked like it might rain and all I could think of was that patch of carnivorous precipitation they still haven’t been able to deal with…

Pip: Oh shit… 

Luca: Yeah so I’m just stuck in my head thinking about how it’s good it moved into the upper atmosphere, but now bird skeletons just rain down on the eastern seaboard sometimes and by then he’s just staring at me like I’m a lunatic because, you know, I’ve just been staring off into the distance thinking about bird skeletons falling on a little girl’s birthday party… so yeah.  He’s not going to be calling me back.

Pip: Does it make you wonder if we are doomed to a shallow pool of spooky people?

Luca: Yep.

Pip: Well, what about that?

Luca: About what?

Pip: A couple of the silver knife guys on my defense detail are really great looking… in a murdery kind of way.

Luca: Oh, no, Pip that’s…

Pip: And I know there’s that really cute young guy, with the dimples?  The one hiding out here from the giant eyeballs or whatever?

Luca: Charles Baybridge?  

Pip: Yeah, Charlie, right.

Luca: Yeah, the swarm of Peekers at Trinity college. He was being targeted but we got to him first.

Pip: Educated, cute, grateful, dimples?  What’s not to like?

Luca: If you think so highly of him, why don’t you go for it?

Pip: Eh. He’s a bit too pretty for me. I like my men to look like they could handle a punch to the face. You know?

Luca: Not really. Why are you so obsessed with this?

Pip: ..Because I need to know that… things can be normal in some way.  That we can have something nice, EVER. That you can find a nice guy, and I can find a nice…someone, and we can be happy. I guess, I need to know that someone who has monsters following them is at least, like, fuckable? Datable? At least to other spooky monster people!

Luca: Oh.

Pip: sigh Yeah… so?

recorder stops

recorder starts

Pip: giggles Technical difficulties my ass! You’re just going to leave whoever transcribes these things hanging like that?

door opens

Luca: muttering Oh thank god.

Voncid: Good evening, thank you for- Phillipa what on earth are you wearing?

Pip: A t-shirt?

Luca: He means the necklace.

Pip: Oh. Yeah. I got tired of people always staring at the scar on my neck. You know, from that time I died. And a scarf or a ribbon sounded boring, so I found this beauty at a shop that specializes in outrageous costume jewelry.  

Voncid: confused And this is to stop people from staring at you?

Pip: No, but at least now it’s for a much better reason.

Voncid: I see. Well it is.. quite a statement piece.

Pip: Thank you. Anyway, as you’ve requested, I have been visiting the city morgue on occasion-

Voncid: An act which accounting tells me you are billing triple your normal rates for…

Pip: Because it fucking sucks. It’s hard enough, being able to feel spirits? Now imagine the emotions of someone who’s recently deceased. The confusion and sadness in that place is soul crushing. Also, it’s so cold!  I get it, you’re worried about cases slipping through the cracks. Well, here you go. There’s something here. 

Luca: Shit, I think I left the ME’s report in the other room. I’ll go grab it. Be right back. steps fading

Pip: Hey, um, are you doing okay? 

Voncid: Why do you ask?

Pip: It looks like one of your spirit-squiggles is…fading.

Voncid: I am fine. It’s nothing to worry about.

Pip: If you say so.

Luca: Heard out in the hall  Oh, hi, um, can I help you?

Charlie: Heard out in the hall Voncid said he could use a hand, is this the right place? 

Voncid: Ah, sounds like Charles found his way down to the labs ok.

Pip: Surprise that Voncid and she seemed to have had the same matchmaker ideas I- I’m sorry, who!?

Voncid: Oh, I. I asked that young man, Charles Baybridge, if he would come give us a hand.  Poor boy is quite cooped up you know, plus, and don’t make a big deal of this, Luca is intensely shy, but I thought perhaps they might, well, you know, hit it off.

Pip: Hm. Nuff said. quiet and to herself, amused and pleased …Scary Grandpa is alright.

Voncid: happy sound Hmm.

Luca - steps returning Here I, uh, I found the.. ME report and well..

Charlie: He also found me.  I got a bit turned around, this place is a lot bigger than it seems like it should be.

Voncid: Yes, the closer to The Vault you get in the Ardent the less typical the geometry becomes.  Have you seen The Vault yet?

Charlie: Yeah I was down there once.  That um, Cosa I think their name was?  They did some procedure with a really terrifying metal hat.

Luca: Oh, yeah, that’s a memory extractor.

Charlie: Yeah, they were apparently trying to draw a picture of the Mike Wazowski’s following me from my memory.  The sketch turned out really accurate.

Pip: Mike whats?

Luca: Mike Wazowski. The little eyeball guy from Monsters Inc?

Voncid: disgruntled sigh According to the coroner’s report, this man is Andrew Dennison, age 29. He died three days ago in his home of…heart failure? 

Charlie: Heart failure?  Mr. Voncid, you said that if I was going to join you for a reclaiming I should, how did you put it, “gird my constitution?”  I was up all night thinking of the gross David Cronenburg situations I might be walking into.

Luca: It is like that sometimes.

Voncid: So, aside from that admittedly strange fact, there doesn’t appear to be anything awry. No drugs, no alcohol, no markings of violence.

Pip: There will be something.

Voncid: No one is going to be upset if this is a false positive, Phillipa. You are under tremendous stress, it happens.

Charlie: Wait, Pip is short for Phillipa?

Pip: Owen, I am not cracking under the pressure, as that look seems to imply.

Voncid: Ahem, Mr. Dennings worked at a law firm, and his coworkers said he seemed tired and distracted for several days before his death, but the police don’t suspect any foul play. It appears he simply died in his sleep. Nijal, Charlie that’s one of the orders mages, performed a review when the body arrived and noted there is no sign of possession, hexes, or parasitic entities. 

Pip: God, this job is weird.

Voncid: By all accounts, Mr. Dennison was an upstanding young man who suffered a tragic, though completely natural, death.

Pip: Well, there is something attached to this man, and it is responsible for his death.

Voncid: accepting sigh Very well. Charles, for your first experience with necromancy, make sure to just follow along with Luca. The way this sigil circle is drawn, what each part is drawn with, where to place the reagents.. It’s all very specific.

Charlie: Got it, I’ll just carry the jars… This diagram is so complex, it looks like something a crazy person would draw.

Voncid: You do have to be a little mad to ply at death as we do.

We hear a jar full of bones shake

Charlie: Yikes, what are in here?

Luca: You do not want to know.

Charlie: I totally do.

Pip: giggle

recorder stops

recorder starts

necromancy!!!!

Drew: grunting, then What…where am I? Who are you?

Voncid:  My name is Voncid. I’m a Reclaimer, and I’ve brought you back so you can tell us how you died. 

Drew: Died? I…*pauses to listen* oh. Oh shit.

Voncid: Erm. You died of heart failure. But I can assure you, you are safe now.

heavy pause

Drew: filled with despair Why won’t you let me sleep? Why can’t you just leave me alone?

Voncid: somewhat confused Erm, I apologize for disturbing you, but we have some questions.

Drew: focusing on Cid, it’s very hard  Yes. Sorry. I think I’m a bit confused. 

Voncid: That is normal. Please, tell me what you remember.

heavy pause

Drew: Uh, what I remember. Um, okay. There isn’t much to tell. I- um- I wasn’t sleeping well, but there was a-a-a big case at work. It was- It was on my mind a lot. There was a promotion waiting for me if I did well. Uh, why do you want to know all of this?

Voncid: A colleague of mine has some suspicions about your death. That there was something otherworldly involved. Is that true?

heavy pause

Drew: forced No. No, there’s nothing. 

Voncid: Tell me, what happened in the days leading up to your death? heavy pause Mr. Dennison?

Drew: Hmm? What was that?

Voncid: You mentioned a “big case” at your work. Perhaps there was something connected with that, could someone have had ill intent towards you? Someone with something to lose- 

Drew: snapping It was an accident! Okay!! Just leave me alone!

Voncid: startled I- I’m not trying to upset you, Mr. Dennison. I simply want to understand what happened.

Drew: Ughhhhh, I’m so.. tired. I- I don’t know.. what else to tell you. 

Voncid: I understand, but please try to bear with us. .. Mm, let me try to focus, perhaps I can draw him closer. .. He seems distracted, but that is not unprecedented. This process can be very confusing.

Drew: I just…I had my whole life ahead of me! I’d worked so hard and my future was on track to be everything I wanted. I couldn’t mess that up!

Voncid: Andrew, I’m going to need you to try to focus, please.

heavy pause

Voncid: Andrew? Andrew are you still with us?

Drew: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry..

Voncid: That’s alright, you don’t have to apologize. I’m not sensing anything unnatural here.

Drew: starts to cry, can barely speak through gasping tears Please. Please leave me alone. Gaaa… Let me sleep. Death is supposed to be peaceful. Why are you making it hurt?

Voncid: taken aback I…very well. You can rest now. We are sorry to have disturbed you for no reason.. Safe journey as you travel afar.

Drew crying fades out as his spirit leaves.

Voncid: I… I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

Pip: complete disbelief, maybe even a little whiny What?  No energy vampire? Alien body-snatcher?? Oh, please tell me there was at least a little hex from a blood cult.

Voncid: I’m afraid there’s nothing. Mr. Dennison was quite distraught, but adamant that nothing strange was happening leading up to his death, and I could not sense anything to lead me not to concur.

Pip: N-No.. There has to be something.

Voncid: It’s not your fault. These things happen.

Pip: I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.  This feeling I have has only been getting stronger.

Voncid: Ahem… I suppose there are a few other outside chance explanations…

Pip: This doesn’t feel right. There’s something here.

Luca: Cid, he did seem confused and almost…distracted? It was all very strange.

Charlie: It seems like dead people you drag up from hell or hades, or whatever, would be kind of a mess.

Luca: Oh, uh, we don’t use any of those H words, they make Voncid really uncomfortable.

Charlie: genuine Oh, sorry..

Voncid: Enough. I have been more than patient.  Second sight, precognition, the functions of a seer are all functions of the deep mind.  If the masters at Delphi weren’t immune to their emotional state altering their prognostications, you certainly won’t be.  We have many other cases that require our attention.

Pip: I…fine. Whatever.

recording ends

recording starts

Luca: And you know she’s going to be unbearably smug about this whole thing, right?

Voncid: Considering the circumstances, I’m perfectly fine with that.

short beat

Pip: Hey, you wanted to see me? What’s with the recorders..?

Voncid: I asked you here to give you an update on the Andrew Dennison case. I’m recording this conversation for posterity. 

Pip: Dennison? You said that was nothing?

Voncid: I was wrong.

Pip: eager You were what now? Are you even allowed to say that?

Voncid: After our attempt, Luca took it upon himself to develop an improved version of the ghost wax recorder. He stayed up all night it seems.

Luca: The old version had buttons that were sticking anyway.

Voncid: So a few improved versions of the instrument have gone into service, and Charles here, in transcribing the recording, discovered a discrepancy between the recording and my entry report. He brought it to me and becoming more warm and pleased I thought you might like to hear it as well. 

Pip: overly pleased Go on…

Voncid: It seems that, while the initial recording only picked up the voices of Mr. Dennison and myself, the more sensitive new instrument detected a third voice. I believe that the speaker was, in fact, there during my interview, but was so faint, and had wrapped itself so fully inside the energy body of Mr. Dennison, it was not visible to your sight or my senses. But Mr. Dennison was well aware of her.

Charlie: Which explains why he was so all over the place..

Voncid: I’ve brought this second recorder, so you can listen now.

another recorder starts

Drew: grunting, then What…where am I? Who are you?

Voncid:  My name is Voncid. I’m a Reclaimer, and I’ve brought you back so you can tell us how you died. 

Drew: Died? I…

Natalie: Her voice is full of emphasized, layered words, and echoey, almost in the background. That’s right. Welcome back, asshole.

Drew: oh. Oh shit.

Voncid: You died of heart failure. But I can assure you, you are safe now.

Natalie: You'll never be safe. I’m with you wherever you go. Even in death.

Drew: filled with despair Why won’t you let me sleep? Why can’t you just leave me alone?

Natalie: Overlapping with Voncid You brought this on yourself, and you know it!

Voncid: somewhat confused I apologize for disturbing you. But we have some questions.

Drew: focusing on Voncid, with effort  Yes. Sorry. I-I think I’m a bit confused. 

Voncid: That is normal. Please tell me what you remember.

Natalie: Yeah, Drew. Tell him what you remember.

Drew: What I remember. Um, okay. There isn’t much to tell. I- um, I wasn’t sleeping well, but there was a-a-a big case at work. It was- It was on my mind a lot. There was a promotion waiting for me if I did well. Um, why do you want to know all this?

Voncid: A colleague of mine has some suspicions about your death. That there was something otherworldly involved. Is that true?

Natalie: This is your chance for redemption! Tell him what happened, and I’ll let you go.

Drew: No. No, there’s nothing. 

Natalie: overlapping Voncid Unbelievable. Even in death, you’re unwilling to admit what you did. 

Voncid: Tell me what happened in the days leading up to your death? (pause) Mr. Dennison?

Drew: Hmm? What was that?

Natalie: Selfish prick.

Natalie: overlapping Voncid You left me there to die! You could have helped me, but you didn’t! You chose not to! 

Voncid: You mentioned a “big case” at your work. Perhaps there was something connected with that.  Could someone have had ill intent towards you?  Someone with something to lose-?  

Drew: snapping It was an accident! Okay!! Just leave me alone!

Voncid: startled I’m not trying to upset you, Mr. Dennison. I simply want to understand what happened.

Drew: Ughhhhh, I’m so tired. I- I don’t know what else to tell you. 

Natalie- overlapping Voncid, but in the foreground this time Tell him you’re a coward. Tell him you were so busy looking at your phone that you didn’t even see me until it was too late. Tell him you drove away without a backwards glance and tried to pretend it never happened!   

Voncid: I understand, but please try to bear with us. .. Mm, let me try to focus, perhaps I can draw him closer. .. He seems distracted, but that is not unprecedented. This process can be very confusing.

Drew: I just…I had my whole life ahead of me! I’d worked so hard and my future was on track to be everything I wanted. I couldn’t mess that up!

Natalie: overlapping Voncid Your life? Your future?! What about me, Drew?! Would you have ever even thought about me again if I hadn’t come back to haunt you??

Voncid: Andrew, I’m going to need you to try to focus, please. heavy pause Andrew? Andrew are you still with us?

Drew: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry..

Natalie: Overlapping No, you’re not. Not really. Not yet. But you will be.

Voncid: That’s alright, you don’t have to apologize. I’m not sensing anything unnatural here.

Drew: starts to cry, can barely speak through gasping tears Please. Please leave me alone. Gaaa… Let me sleep. Death is supposed to be peaceful. Why are you making it hurt?

Voncid: I…very well. You can rest now. 

Natalie: Overlapping There is no peace for you. No rest. I’ll make sure of that. Your death doesn’t fix what you did, and your punishment is only beginning. 

Voncid: We are sorry to have disturbed you for no reason.. Safe journey as you travel afar.

Drew crying fades out as his spirit leaves.

Second recorder stops

Pip: Holy shit!

Voncid: Indeed. We did some additional research, and two months prior to Mr. Dennison’s death, a young woman named Natalie Sanders was found dead on the side of the road. She was a med student at a nearby university, and according to her friends, she often went out jogging to clear her mind after a stressful day. It appeared to be a hit-and-run, and no suspects were ever named. 

We’ve learned this road was the same route Mr. Dennison was known to take to and from work. He also took his car to a repair shop out of state the day after Natalie’s death, claiming he hit a deer.

Luca: Eugh. I can’t believe he killed her and just…went on with his life. For two whole months.

Charlie: Humans are fucking trash, you knew that.

Voncid: Now, let us not be too uncharitable of the entire species for the failings of one.

It does seem some fragment of the girl’s spirit clung to his vehicle… clawed into her killer… then over the months the piece gestated, germinated into something hateful… a bur of resentment and rage, like a queen anne’s lace stuck in his sweater… growing sharper, and sharper, moving deeper in, closer and closer to his heart…

We hear a small item shaking in a glass bottle

Charlie: Holy shit what is that?

Voncid: The bur in question.  I opened up Mr. Dennison and was able to manifest and then extract this tiny little shard… made of pure hate from within his heart.

Charlie: irreverently Yikes.

Voncid:  I apologize, Phillipa, Luca, Charles… I’m sorry I did not listen closely enough.

Pip: genuinely grateful and surprised Thank you, and it’s good to know we got answers for Natalie’s family. 

Charlie: Ghosts that haunt ghosts, what is the world coming to.

Luca: Just consider yourself lucky it was ghosts… Ghosts are complicated but not usually too disgusting.

Charlie: I was honestly ready for something disgusting.  

Reacting to their disapproving stares

What?  I’ve been trapped in this sterile art deco prison for months.

Voncid: Thank you all for your excellent work, you are dismissed for the rest of the day. Go try and enjoy yourselves. I’ll take care of the rest of this.

Luca: Um, If you want disgusting, uh.. I have some movies I could recommend?

Charlie: Sounds good.  At this point I’d rather be dead than bored.

Pip:  Careful what you wish for.

A beat as they leave

Voncid: It’s good to see them grow. Phillipa’s second-sight is advancing beyond what even I had thought possible in this era… And Luca’s ability with these devices opens up a world of possibilities for the Order’s work… and more than that, his willingness to challenge my decisions and conclusions… It is good to see his confidence grow.

They may need to rely on each other one day.. without my guidance. I am clearly weakening again.

I should have known Andrew Dennison was hiding things from me. Was lying to me. I should have felt his guilt and pressed, forced him to reveal his secrets. If Natalie’s rage hadn’t seeped into the wax, we never would have known the truth of what happened. 

My focus is slipping. It takes so much concentration to keep myself in check. It is starting to affect my work. What other mistakes have I made? What deaths have not been avenged, because of my inability to let go?

I started these recordings as a way to.. keep me grounded. My mind is so filled with the words and sights of the dead. I simply needed somewhere to put it all, to keep my memories separate from those of the dead. But it may not be enough anymore.

getting more and more emotional as he soliloquizes I wonder… I wonder, will this deeper reaching wax let me hear you?  Hear your voice again?  Could I bear to hear what I know you will say?  And if I know what you will be saying to me… why do I cling so jealously?  Am I no better than this bur of hatred pulled from within a dead man’s heart?  Is that what I am?  Do I sit within your veins and bones like a cancer?

If I cut myself free… No one remembers you but me, no one… I can’t let you die the second death.

I died it for you.

You have no idea… I died too, when you left.

I died your second death for you… why shouldn’t I… why shouldn’t I get to keep you?

Knocking

Voncid: composing himself, sniffles Yes, hello?

Charlie: Sorry, I um, I forgot the ME’s report, needs to go down with the files.

Voncid: Oh, yes, of course.

Charlie: not knowing quite what to say  … It’s um… it’s going to be ok.

Voncid: odd garble as he actively decides not to say the first thing that comes to mind Yes, well, I’m sure you’re right.

Charlie: No, really, it will be.

Voncid: Yes.  Thank you, Charles.

Charlie: Charlie.  You saved me, you can be familiar.

Voncid:  Very well, um, yes, um, Charlie.

Charlie: You know… I- I probably shouldn’t say anything, but, I mean, do whatever you want.

Voncid: I’m sorry?

Charlie: I mean, I don’t know what’s bothering you, or what you’re heartbroken over, but, I hear how the other masters talk about you and, it’s just not right, you are amazing.  You control life and death, and… I don’t know, I just don’t think you get enough respect… You have to make all these decisions, bear the heaviest burden of any of them and I just… do whatever you think is right, and the others should respect it.

Voncid: Thank you.  Charlie.

Charlie: Sure.

Charlie leaves

Voncid:  thinks for a moment  What I think is right? sighing If. Only.

Narrator: Thank you for listening to Ghost Wax, a production of Far and Tall Tales. Find us at farandtalltales.squarespace.com. Ghost Wax is an independent podcast so if you liked this show, please rate and review, and consider joining us on Patreon at Patreon.com/farandtalltales

Also give a listen to our fantasy role play show Could've Been Heroes for something completely different. 

Ghost Wax is written and directed by Robert Knutson 

Production and editing by Aaron Schoenrock

Our theme song is by Beau Hoover.

This episode was written by Stephanie Olsen, and features Robert Knutson as Voncid, Aaron Shoenrock as Luca, Stephanie Olsen as Pip, Mitchell Brooks as Charlie, Mark Garkusha as Andrew Dennison, and Gale Estelle and HJ Raider as Natalie.