My Wife Was Taken by a Demonic Entity | Audio Drama "Something Strange On Crawford Lane"

0:00 Speaker 1: Hi, it's Crimson. If you enjoy these plays, please hit that like button. That way we know. Don't forget to subscribe and share it with all your friends.

0:23 Speaker 2: With this key, you unlock the world to your dreams. What lies beyond could be the doorway to nightmare. Welcome in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. I have always been fascinated with the ghost story. Not only the ones that were written down and published, but the legends that seem to be a part of every culture and province. The stories that are handed down throughout the years to each generation.

1:28 Speaker 3: Oh, come on, Dad. You can't be serious.

1:30 Speaker 4: Deadly serious, Mark. It's been exactly ten years since the last sighting, and the strange occurrences around here have begun again.

1:38 Speaker 2: Dr.

1:39 Speaker 1: Coleman, do you really believe that there is some sort of entity that haunts that field?

1:45 Speaker 4: My dearest Evie, I know that there really is a Shadow Man.

1:54 Speaker 2: Our mystery drama, Something Strange on Crawford Lane, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Dave Arkabov, Crimson McKenzie, and Winslow Swan. It is sponsored in part by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One. The Ghost Story, literature that has been around since the dawn of man. From the Bible to Shakespeare and beyond, the tales of a spirit coming back from the dead are prevalent in all cultures around the world.

2:54 Speaker 1: How much further, Mark?

2:56 Speaker 3: Oh, I think I missed the turnoff. There's another one up here somewhere.

3:00 Speaker 1: Is your dad okay? I mean, living out here all by himself? He must get lonely.

3:07 Speaker 3: I have never known my dad to be lonely.

3:11 Speaker 1: How long has it been since your mom and dad divorced?

3:14 Speaker 3: Oh, over 20 years.

3:15 Speaker 1: And he never remarried? Why not?

3:19 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's something you're going to have to ask him.

3:22 Speaker 4: Oh, Mark.

3:23 Speaker 1: Do you think that he'll like me?

3:26 Speaker 3: I'm sure that he will love you. Just as much as I love you, Evie.

3:31 Speaker 1: So, do you tell him, or do I?

3:34 Speaker 3: Don't worry. I will tell him we are getting married. I just have to do it in my own way. You see, he has certain ideas. Some of which that I don't particularly agree with.

3:49 Speaker 1: How much of this does he own?

3:52 Speaker 3: Oh, he owns all 7,000 acres.

3:55 Speaker 1: And he lives in the middle of it?

3:56 Speaker 2: That's right.

3:57 Speaker 1: He must have been very successful.

3:59 Speaker 2: No, not really.

4:01 Speaker 3: He was a historian at the museum. With 23 doctorates, what else would he have done?

4:07 Speaker 1: Well, so how did he acquire so much property?

4:11 Speaker 3: I think I will let him tell you about it.

4:13 Speaker 1: Mark! Watch out!

4:15 Speaker 2: Oh, damn!

4:18 Speaker 3: Almost missed the turn. It's okay. I think this is it.

4:22 Speaker 1: I saw a sign that said Crawford Lane.

4:24 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's it. Hey, did you see that?

4:31 Speaker 1: See what?

4:32 Speaker 3: I thought I saw.

4:33 Speaker 1: What is it?

4:34 Speaker 3: Over there, in that field. I swear I saw someone standing out there.

4:39 Speaker 1: I don't see anything.

4:41 Speaker 3: That's funny. He was standing there and then... nothing. Dad, it's great to see you again.

4:59 Speaker 4: Good to see you too. And you must be the lovely Evie that Mark has been telling me about.

5:05 Speaker 1: Very pleased to finally meet you, Dr. Coleman.

5:08 Speaker 4: Please call me Edward. Now I've already fixed up the guest room and you will find clean towels and sheets. I've also made a small dinner in case you're hungry.

5:19 Speaker 3: Oh, Dad, you really didn't have to.

5:21 Speaker 4: Now, now, it's okay. Get yourselves settled in, and I will meet you in the dining room.

5:33 Speaker 1: That was a wonderful dinner, Dr. I mean, Edward.

5:38 Speaker 4: Thank you, Evie.

5:39 Speaker 1: Where did you learn to cook like that?

5:42 Speaker 4: Well, after I divorced Mark's mother, it was either learn how to cook or live off of sandwiches.

5:48 Speaker 2: Oh.

5:51 Speaker 1: Well, it was marvelous.

5:53 Speaker 3: Dad, is there anyone else here on the property?

5:55 Speaker 4: There is the occasional hiker that treks across the place. Why do you ask?

6:00 Speaker 3: Well, when we were driving up here, I thought I saw someone in one of the fields.

6:05 Speaker 4: Mark, which road did you take to get here?

6:08 Speaker 3: Well, with the storm, I missed the first turnoff.

6:11 Speaker 1: We came down a strange road that was marked Crawford Lane.

6:15 Speaker 4: The person that you saw, can you describe him?

6:18 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's going to sound a little strange. I think he was very tall, thin, wearing a sort of old-fashioned hat and a cloak. I couldn't make out the features, though. It was too dark.

6:33 Speaker 4: Then he has returned.

6:35 Speaker 1: Do you know him, Edward?

6:37 Speaker 4: I wish that you would come down the other way. Yes, Evie, I know him. Well, I know of him.

6:44 Speaker 3: Well, who is he, Dad?

6:45 Speaker 4: He's only known by one name. The Shadow Man.

6:56 Speaker 2: The author Ruskin Brown said that ghosts are all around us. Look for them, and you will find them. He never suggested what to do when you see them. I'll see you when I return with Act 2. There has been a resurgence of interest in the ghost story. Tours of haunted places around the country happen all the time. Local legends of mysterious happenings are reported by people everywhere.

7:47 Speaker 1: Oh, it's so beautiful tonight.

7:50 Speaker 4: Yes, I often sit out here after dinner and simply watch the stars.

7:55 Speaker 3: Dad, you're avoiding the subject.

7:58 Speaker 4: Hmm?

7:59 Speaker 1: Mark tells me that you own over 7,000 acres. How did you manage to come by all of this land?

8:06 Speaker 3: What about this shadow man?

8:09 Speaker 4: Please, both of you. I can answer both questions if you'll just give me a chance.

8:14 Speaker 2: Fine.

8:14 Speaker 3: Evie, may I present Dr. Edward Coleman, my father.

8:19 Speaker 4: Very funny, Mark. Now, this entire section of the county was once owned by Thaddeus Crawford sometime in the late 1700s. He was a very prosperous man, also very strange. He invited people to come and build a town. He would sell or lease acreage to people to work the land. He was also a very powerful witch. Oh, my.

8:50 Speaker 1: Now, you must be joking.

8:52 Speaker 4: Believe me, I'm not. By 1810, there were almost 300 people here. And that is when the mysterious things began to happen.

9:00 Speaker 3: What sort of things?

9:03 Speaker 4: Most significantly, children began to disappear.

9:07 Speaker 1: How awful!

9:09 Speaker 3: Did they ever find any of them?

9:11 Speaker 4: Not a trace. Several drifters were caught and tried in what could only be called a kangaroo court. It wasn't until the spring of 1811 that the truth came out.

9:24 Speaker 1: What happened?

9:25 Speaker 4: A young girl by the name of Lettie LeGros had disappeared. She was found three days later out on what is now called Crawford Lane. She told of a demonic ritual held out in the field where she was to be sacrificed. She managed to run away and hide.

9:42 Speaker 3: So how does that explain the shadow man?

9:45 Speaker 4: I'm not finished. The town infuriated. by what they heard from the girl, stormed the mansion. They found Crawford at some sort of altar to the devil. They dragged him out and burned him alive with his dying breath. he cursed the town and swore vengeance.

10:03 Speaker 3: Are you saying that this man Crawford is the Shadow Man?

10:08 Speaker 2: Possibly.

10:10 Speaker 4: According to the legend, every spring the Shadow Man appeared. And every spring, someone would disappear without a trace.

10:19 Speaker 1: So, how did you actually get all of this land?

10:24 Speaker 4: Three years after Crawford died, the town simply dried up. Everyone left. For all those years, no one could do anything with the land. Many tried, and all failed. The county was willing to let it go for any price. I made a rather feeble offer, which they accepted.

10:43 Speaker 3: And this shadow man still appears.

10:46 Speaker 4: Oh, yes. I've seen him every year. But I think that you are the only other person who's witnessed his apparition.

10:56 Speaker 1: Well, Edward, that was a great, awesome, spooky story. I'm going to go take a bath and head for bed.

11:03 Speaker 3: I'll be up in a bit.

11:04 Speaker 1: Take your time, love.

11:09 Speaker 4: She is a very lovely girl, Mark.

11:11 Speaker 2: Thanks, Dad.

11:11 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so, too.

11:14 Speaker 4: Have you set a date?

11:15 Speaker 2: For what?

11:15 Speaker 4: Oh, God, now. I'm not blind. I saw the engagement ring.

11:20 Speaker 3: I could never pull one over on you, could I?

11:23 Speaker 4: Why would you try? Now, are you going to go the traditional wedding route?

11:28 Speaker 3: You mean in a church? Dad, you know my feelings about organized religion.

11:36 Speaker 4: I blame your mother for that.

11:37 Speaker 2: No, no, no.

11:38 Speaker 3: It wasn't all, Mom. How many theology books did you give me and tell me to make up my own mind?

11:45 Speaker 4: I suppose you were right. How is your mother?

11:48 Speaker 3: Oh, you know, the same, I guess.

11:51 Speaker 4: Mark, I want you to keep a close eye on Evie.

11:55 Speaker 3: Now, why do you say that?

11:57 Speaker 4: Because of the part of the legend that I left out for her bed.

12:00 Speaker 3: I don't understand.

12:01 Speaker 2: What part?

12:02 Speaker 4: And I want you to be extra careful this weekend.

12:04 Speaker 3: Dad, what are you talking about?

12:08 Speaker 4: I told you that the Shadow Man would appear each spring. What I didn't tell you was that each spring, someone has disappeared. Without a trace.

12:18 Speaker 3: Oh, come on, Dad. This is the 21st century. Everyone leaves some sort of a paper trail. You can't just simply vanish.

12:28 Speaker 4: Last year, it was one of the hikers who frequent this part of the state. She was a college student who went hiking with her boyfriend. They saw the shadow man, and the next morning, she was gone.

12:41 Speaker 3: Well, maybe she got tired of her boyfriend and.

12:43 Speaker 4: That was the general consensus of the police. They never found a trace of her.

12:49 Speaker 3: So what you're saying is you think that Evie and I may be in danger of disappearing?

12:55 Speaker 2: Dad, I'm sorry.

12:59 Speaker 3: I just don't believe it.

13:01 Speaker 4: Just watch yourself this weekend, please.

13:09 Speaker 1: What a horrid story. I know that I'm going to have nightmares tonight. Oh, it got so cold in here. Who's there? Mark?

13:27 Speaker 4: Is that....

13:29 Speaker 1: No, no, it can't be!

13:32 Speaker 2: Mark, hearing Evie screaming, rushes up the stairs. Only divine the bedroom, empty. I'll be back shortly with Act 3. Dr. Edward Coleman After searching the house with his son Mark and not finding a trace of Evie, has driven to the closest town to enlist the aid of the police. Mark awaits impatiently for the search party to arrive.

14:26 Speaker 3: Well, well, come on, what did they say?

14:28 Speaker 4: They said that they could not do anything until she's been missing for at least 72 hours.

14:33 Speaker 3: Three days? Are you serious?

14:36 Speaker 4: My boy, that is the law. She's over 21 and capable of making her own decisions.

14:41 Speaker 3: We're miles from the nearest to anything. She couldn't have just left. Not on foot.

14:47 Speaker 4: I warned you about the Shadow Man.

14:49 Speaker 3: Oh, damn you and your blasted Shadow Man. I'm going out to find her.

14:53 Speaker 2: Now!

14:54 Speaker 4: You may want to take this with you. If you're planning on walking, you may need it.

14:57 Speaker 3: A bottle of water?

14:59 Speaker 4: You need to stay hydrated. I will take the car and go toward the north end. Keep in touch with me. And let me know the minute you find her.

15:07 Speaker 3: Don't worry, Dad.

15:08 Speaker 2: I will.

15:09 Speaker 4: And, Mark, you may want to head toward Crawford's Field first thing.

15:24 Speaker 2: Evie?

15:27 Speaker 3: Evie! At least there's a full moon. Evie!

15:37 Speaker 2: Where are you?

15:41 Speaker 3: Evie! Mark!

15:44 Speaker 1: Help me!

15:45 Speaker 3: Where are you?

15:46 Speaker 2: Oh my God! What is that?

15:55 Speaker 1: Mark!

15:55 Speaker 3: Help me please! Please!

15:59 Speaker 2: I'm coming!

16:01 Speaker 3: Just hold on!

16:03 Speaker 1: The Shadow Man is real! He's trying to take me!

16:08 Speaker 4: Where are you?

16:10 Speaker 3: Those eyes! Those red glowing eyes! I can't move! No! You won't take her!

16:23 Speaker 2: No!

16:42 Speaker 4: Mark, are you alright?

16:44 Speaker 2: Where am I?

16:46 Speaker 3: Where's Evie?

16:47 Speaker 1: I'm here, babe. I'm here.

16:50 Speaker 4: Tell us what happened.

16:53 Speaker 3: I saw him. The shadow man. I saw his eyes. I heard Evie call out and.

17:05 Speaker 3: Wanted to find her, but something seemed to grip me, hold me, and I couldn't move.

17:14 Speaker 1: But you did move. You threw something at the thing. There was a large bolt of lightning and a huge burst of flames.

17:24 Speaker 3: All that much I know. The only thing I had in my hand was that water bottle that you gave me, Dad. I don't know what I was thinking, but I threw it at him. burst into flames, and then disappeared.

17:39 Speaker 4: You're not a religious man, Mark, but I am. After I stopped by the police station and was told that there was nothing they could do, I went to the church. The priest there is a friend of mine. I asked him to do me a simple favor, and he obliged.

17:56 Speaker 3: What?

17:57 Speaker 1: What did you do?

17:58 Speaker 4: He blessed the carton of water bottles that I had in the back seat. It was from there that I gave you the water to drink. What you threw at the Shadow Man was holy water.

18:22 Speaker 2: Mark Coleman looks at his future bride, Evie. She smiles at him as they embrace. Edward is only relieved and wonders if the Shadow Man has been defeated or Or will he appear again the next year? You reappear when I return shortly. I suppose our story could not be considered a ghost story in the classical sense. It was neither gothic in nature, nor was it a cautionary tale. It is the sort of story that, I hope, will give you chills in the days to come. Our cast included Dave Arkapov, Crimson McKenzie, and Winslow Swan.

19:31 Speaker 2: The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie, and the entire production was under the direction of Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

19:44 Speaker 3: That's my life. I mean, every day. For five years. I have lived with that. I'm just so tired. So what would make you happy?

20:03 Speaker 2: To sleep.

20:05 Speaker 3: Just to sleep. never worry about what might happen when I wake up.

20:12 Speaker 2: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is your host, inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. The butler did it.