Final Rest: When a Cursed Inheritance Turns Deadly "The Bed" | Horror Story

0:05 Speaker 1: It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway to nightmare. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. Are you a browser? You know, someone that can walk into a store without the intent of buying anything, but only to look? If you are, then our story tonight may be of interest if you happen to discover something that you just cannot live without.

1:08 Speaker 2: Mr. Anderson, if you ask me, the best thing would be to take that bed and destroy it.

1:15 Speaker 3: Destroy a fine piece of craftsmanship like this? You're insane!

1:19 Speaker 2: It should have been done a long time ago.

1:22 Speaker 3: Mahogany wood, an intricate design, hand-carved into the headboard and four posts. You could never hope for a better find than this.

1:32 Speaker 2: The whole town knows about your find, Mr.

1:36 Speaker 1: Anderson.

1:37 Speaker 2: They also know what might happen should you keep it.

1:45 Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, The Bed, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Darren Mahler, Patience Adams, Dave Arkopov, and William Stafford. I'll return shortly with Act One. Have you ever had one of those days? You're fired. Where everything goes completely wrong.

2:17 Speaker 2: Don't you lay a finger on me!

2:18 Speaker 3: I can't stand on you!

2:20 Speaker 1: And the day keeps getting worse and worse. Hey!

2:26 Speaker 3: Hey!

2:31 Speaker 1: And if just one more thing goes wrong... It could possibly send you toppling over the edge.

2:40 Speaker 2: Toppling over.

2:48 Speaker 1: The edge. A suspense thriller from Winslow Swan. Now available in paperback from Amazon.com. Sometimes you should take a step back. Then there are those times when even you could go toppling over the edge. Hang on to your sanity. Comedian and author Groucho Marx once said about his book, Beds, quote, the most important things in life happen in bed. You're born in bed. You die in bed. Almost a third of your life is spent in bed.

4:00 Speaker 4: How long has the place been closed?

4:01 Speaker 3: I think it's been almost a year now.

4:04 Speaker 4: I can tell. It's going to take a lot to clean up.

4:08 Speaker 3: Who cares, Evelyn? I mean, think about it. We both wanted to get away from the city, right? Your job wasn't going anywhere. No upward mobility for you. And, well, I haven't had as much as a single article published in at least six months.

4:23 Speaker 4: I know, Harold, but... You never told me about an Aunt Gladys.

4:27 Speaker 3: That's not my fault. I didn't know I even had an Aunt Gladys until the lawyer called us up last week.

4:32 Speaker 4: And she ran this antique store for how long?

4:36 Speaker 3: Fifty years, according to him. No telling what sort of things we might find in here.

4:42 Speaker 4: Well, the house she left you is magnificent.

4:45 Speaker 3: Yeah, in a nice, quiet neighborhood just outside of town. You could practically walk to the antique store.

4:52 Speaker 4: At least we have a place to live.

4:54 Speaker 3: And a business, if you want it. Or we could sell the whole thing and.

4:59 Speaker 4: Are you kidding? I love old antiques. And having our very own store?

5:04 Speaker 3: Okay, okay. We'll keep the antique store.

5:13 Speaker 2: Hello? Anyone mind in the store?

5:16 Speaker 3: Well, now... Welcome to our first customer. I'm Harold Anderson. This here is my wife, Evelyn.

5:23 Speaker 4: Honey, we haven't even opened yet.

5:25 Speaker 2: No need to worry, Mrs.

5:27 Speaker 1: Anderson.

5:28 Speaker 2: I'm Cyril Baker, the town sheriff.

5:31 Speaker 3: Oh, well, Sheriff, we weren't breaking in or trying to.

5:35 Speaker 2: Now, don't start sweating, Mr.

5:37 Speaker 1: Anderson.

5:38 Speaker 2: The whole town knows you two have moved into the old Marshall place. Believe me. Not much happens around here the folks don't know about.

5:47 Speaker 4: No secrets in a small town, hey, Sheriff?

5:49 Speaker 2: Well, maybe a few, but not many. So you folks gonna open the store before the tourist season?

5:57 Speaker 3: That's the plan, anyway. First, we have to take an inventory. We have no idea what's in here.

6:03 Speaker 2: Well, I'll get out of your hair. Good luck to both of you.

6:09 Speaker 4: Harold? Harold, come back here for a sec.

6:12 Speaker 3: Well, what's going on? Sounds like you found the Holy Grail.

6:16 Speaker 4: Look what I did find.

6:18 Speaker 3: Look at that. That has got to be over a hundred years old.

6:24 Speaker 4: But what do you think?

6:26 Speaker 3: Well, it is a great piece, but that's going to take a lot of cleaning up. I mean, there's no telling how long it's been back here.

6:33 Speaker 4: A beautiful, handcrafted, four-post bed. It would be perfect for our bedroom.

6:39 Speaker 3: That sure would beat sleeping on the sofa bed.

6:43 Speaker 4: How long do you think it would take to clean up?

6:45 Speaker 3: I don't know. Maybe a couple of days.

6:48 Speaker 4: Then you like it?

6:50 Speaker 3: Of course I do. Man, a lot of work went into this bed, too. Naturally, we're going to need to grab a new mattress for it.

6:58 Speaker 4: Are you positive?

7:00 Speaker 3: What do you mean, am I positive? It's an old bed. Of course we need a new mattress.

7:04 Speaker 4: Sit down on it.

7:08 Speaker 3: That is weird. I mean... It almost feels like it's brand new.

7:13 Speaker 4: Maybe it is. Maybe old Aunt Agatha bought a new mattress in hopes of selling it.

7:19 Speaker 3: Well then, thank you, Aunt Agatha, and Mrs. Anderson, it looks like you found a nice, comfortable bed. Shall I wrap it up and have it delivered?

7:33 Speaker 2: Afternoon, Mr.

7:35 Speaker 3: Anderson. Oh, hi there, Sheriff.

7:37 Speaker 2: Now, you can just call me Cyril. Everybody does. I see you're working on that bed you found.

7:44 Speaker 3: Well, there was a lot of dust on it. And, well, there's quite a few worn marks. But you know what? I think I can get the wood looking quite a bit better.

7:52 Speaker 2: And you say you're going to use it in your house?

7:55 Speaker 1: Uh-huh.

7:56 Speaker 3: That's what Evelyn wants, at least.

7:59 Speaker 2: Mr. Anderson, I'll give you $ 100 right now. Cash on the barrel head. If you'll give me that bed.

8:06 Speaker 3: A hundred? Are you serious?

8:09 Speaker 2: Deadly serious. That bed has been nothing but trouble in this town. Everybody knows about it. We don't generally talk about what happens when....

8:22 Speaker 1: When.

8:23 Speaker 3: What are you talking about, Cyril?

8:26 Speaker 2: Death, Mr.

8:27 Speaker 1: Anderson.

8:29 Speaker 2: Death surrounds that bed.

8:31 Speaker 4: Oh, bed.

8:42 Speaker 1: Oh bed, delicious bed, that heaven upon earth to the weary head, wrote the poet Thomas Hood. And while most of our time here on earth is spent in bed, there are times when one has to rise and face reality. I'll return shortly with Act Two.

9:12 Speaker 3: It is in all of us. Waiting. Watching.

9:17 Speaker 5: Growing.

9:19 Speaker 4: Evil Within by Winslow Swan.

9:22 Speaker 6: Now available on Amazon.

9:37 Speaker 1: The actor Sidney Poitier once commented that his greatest wish... was to simply wake up every morning a better person than when he went to bed.

9:49 Speaker 4: Hi, Sheriff. Would you like something to drink?

9:55 Speaker 3: You're just in time, Evelyn. Sheriff Cyril here was just about to regale me with a story. about our bed.

10:02 Speaker 2: It's not a laughing matter. You should know the history of that bed before you put it in your house.

10:18 Speaker 2: That bed... was hand-carved by a sea captain for his wife in the late 1800s. After coming home, he found her with another man in that very bed. Stabbed them both to death before plunging his own knife into his heart.

10:37 Speaker 4: But that was hundreds of years ago.

10:40 Speaker 3: Oh, come on. I don't believe in curses. You shouldn't either.

10:43 Speaker 2: I didn't say anything about a curse, just that, um, well, bad luck. Seems to follow that bed.

10:50 Speaker 4: We don't believe in bad luck. We try to make our own luck.

10:55 Speaker 2: Laugh all you want, but the facts bear me out.

10:59 Speaker 3: Ah, and pre-tell, what facts are these?

11:03 Speaker 2: That bed was put in storage for a long time before being bought at an auction around 1970. I'm sure you both saw the old Mayfield place on the other side of town.

11:15 Speaker 3: Yeah, place is a wreck. Why hasn't anybody torn it down yet?

11:18 Speaker 2: No one can find the owners, that's why. Oh, land taxes are paid every year, but only through a bank account.

11:26 Speaker 4: What happened there?

11:27 Speaker 2: That's where the bed ended up. That's where on the first night of sleeping in that bed, Janice Mayfield was killed.

11:36 Speaker 3: How did it happen?

11:37 Speaker 2: Hanging on the wall behind the bed was an old broadsword. And sometime during the night, it fell, cutting off Janice Mayfield's head clean as a whistle.

11:48 Speaker 4: That's horrible, but it was just an accident, right?

11:53 Speaker 2: Officially, yeah, but 20 years later, a group of high school kids broke in to prove their bravery. One of them, Randy Graham, jumped on the bed in front of his friends who were all laughing.

12:07 Speaker 3: Let me guess, and he died too.

12:09 Speaker 2: A piece of the ceiling broke away and impaled him right through the heart.

12:14 Speaker 4: Again, just another accident.

12:17 Speaker 3: Are you so sure? Well, took some doing, but I finally got the bed together. What do you think?

12:30 Speaker 4: It looks nice, I suppose.

12:33 Speaker 3: Come on, Evelyn. You were the one who wanted it so badly. Well, ta-da! Now you have it. And it's all cleaned up.

12:41 Speaker 4: I was just thinking about... about... Whoa, whoa, whoa!

12:45 Speaker 3: Stop right there. I know where you're going with that. You said it yourself, only accidents.

12:50 Speaker 1: Remember?

12:51 Speaker 3: Nothing more, just accidents.

12:54 Speaker 4: And that mattress, being almost brand new. Don't you find that strange?

13:00 Speaker 3: The only thing I find strange around here is your sudden reluctance to have the bed. Come on, I'm dead tired.

13:17 Speaker 4: Who are you?

13:19 Speaker 1: What do you.

13:23 Speaker 2: Want?

13:24 Speaker 3: No!

13:27 Speaker 4: Where am I?

13:28 Speaker 3: Harold?

13:29 Speaker 4: Harold, are you there?

13:33 Speaker 3: Harlot!

13:35 Speaker 1: You, you slut!

13:38 Speaker 4: Harold, put down those scissors.

13:40 Speaker 1: Harold?

13:41 Speaker 4: Harold?

13:44 Speaker 3: You thought I didn't know?

13:46 Speaker 1: Strumpet! Please! Tramp!

13:49 Speaker 3: Harold, no!

13:50 Speaker 1: You tramp!

13:52 Speaker 3: Harlot!

13:53 Speaker 1: You, you slut!

13:56 Speaker 2: You, you slut! Tramp!

14:01 Speaker 3: Strumpet! Tramp!

14:03 Speaker 1: You tramp! How does the old saying go? When you make your bed, so you must lie in it. I'll return shortly with Act 3. The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now. Click A Tale of Revenge by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

15:00 Speaker 4: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com.

15:11 Speaker 5: Today.

15:26 Speaker 1: Charles Bukowski once remarked, I don't remember going to bed, but in the morning, there I was.

15:47 Speaker 2: Why, Mr. Anderson, why did you do it?

15:50 Speaker 3: Cyril, I'm telling you the truth. I don't know why. All I remember is seeing the bloody shears in my hand and Evelyn.

16:04 Speaker 1: Evelyn.

16:05 Speaker 2: Now, now, it's going to be okay, but why did you not plead temporary insanity?

16:12 Speaker 3: I wanted the death penalty, Cyril. I can't live without Evelyn.

16:19 Speaker 2: What exactly did happen, Mr. Anderson?

16:23 Speaker 3: I told you. I don't know. I was sound asleep. I found myself getting out of bed and reaching for the scissors. I was standing over Evelyn when I.

16:38 Speaker 2: It's okay, Mr.

16:40 Speaker 1: Anderson.

16:40 Speaker 2: The judge gave you life without parole. You just lie here quietly and I'll make sure the diner gives you a good meal before you leave.

16:51 Speaker 3: When will they take me to the state prison?

16:53 Speaker 2: First thing in the morning. Now, you try to get some sleep.

17:06 Speaker 5: I don't understand, Cyril.

17:07 Speaker 1: What are we.

17:08 Speaker 5: Doing out here anyway?

17:09 Speaker 2: Something that should have been done a long time ago.

17:24 Speaker 5: Isn't this considered breaking and entering?

17:26 Speaker 2: You can add theft to that as well. Do you think anyone in this town is going to give a damn?

17:32 Speaker 5: No, I guess not. Everybody knows about that thing.

17:37 Speaker 2: And after tonight, there won't be any more stories to tell about. Are you sure you got it all?

18:02 Speaker 5: Right down to the nails Mr. Anderson put in to hold it together.

18:07 Speaker 1: Good.

18:08 Speaker 2: Bring all of it over to this pit. It's almost 1130. I want to be out of here as soon as possible.

18:15 Speaker 5: You got the gasoline?

18:18 Speaker 2: Right here.

18:24 Speaker 5: Threw you back kind of deep, didn't you?

18:27 Speaker 2: At least eight feet. By the time we get through, there won't be anything left of that bed. Evening, Sheriff. Thought you weren't going to be back until morning. I had a few things to do. How's Mr.

18:54 Speaker 1: Anderson?

18:55 Speaker 5: I suppose he's okay.

18:56 Speaker 2: What do you mean by that?

18:58 Speaker 5: Well, he ate his dinner and then laid down. I was about 10, I suppose.

19:05 Speaker 2: Didn't hear a word out of him until about 11.30. What happened? Oh, he started screaming. You know, like when you have a nightmare. And you didn't bother to check on him? There was no need to, Sheriff.

19:21 Speaker 1: After a minute.

19:22 Speaker 4: He was all quiet again.

19:26 Speaker 2: Come on! Now look, Sheriff, I told you there's no need to... Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?

19:33 Speaker 1: Well, no. I was just.

19:35 Speaker 2: Then come on.

19:36 Speaker 1: Mr.

19:37 Speaker 2: Anderson!

19:38 Speaker 3: Mr.

19:38 Speaker 2: Anderson, you okay back there? What is that smell?

19:45 Speaker 3: Mr.

19:46 Speaker 2: Anderson, answer me!

19:50 Speaker 1: Oh.

19:52 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. He's been burned.

19:58 Speaker 1: Alive. Alive. The official verdict was immolation by fire, although nothing could be found that would have set Harold Anderson ablaze. And the fact that it happened at the same time that Cyril burned up the bed was not lost on the sheriff. It seems that the town had one last story to tell about the bed. I'll return in a moment.

20:50 Speaker 2: Watch Circle of Mystery, Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on the Doorway to Nightmare YouTube channel.

20:58 Speaker 4: If you're liking these shows, check out our other episodes on our YouTube channel. There's also some previews of Swan's audiobooks on there as well.

21:07 Speaker 3: Come join us.

21:23 Speaker 1: In 1970, a Raggedy Ann doll was reputed to be cursed, and the spirit of a child named Annabelle possessed it. The doll, according to the owner, exhibited malicious and frightening behavior. It was taken and sealed in a glass box, complete with a warning not to open at Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum. As the famous quote goes, believe it or not. Our cast included Darren Marler, Patience Adams, Dave Arkapov, and William Stafford. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swann.

22:12 Speaker 1: And now, a preview of our next tale.

22:17 Speaker 2: What did the boy say?

22:18 Speaker 6: Something about seeing a figure from one of the hotel bedroom windows waving at him.

22:24 Speaker 3: What's so odd about that?

22:25 Speaker 6: He said it was a strange white figure, the face hidden by some sort of rag.

22:32 Speaker 3: I haven't run into anyone like that in this hotel.

22:35 Speaker 6: No, neither have I. But from the boy's description, I believe that it was my room he was talking about.

22:44 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press.

22:49 Speaker 4: Hey guys, this is Crimson.

22:51 Speaker 2: And this is Swan. And we'd love to know what you think of the stories. Even if it's bad. So leave us a comment.

22:57 Speaker 3: Or give us a thumbs up.

22:59 Speaker 1: Thank you! This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue.

23:22 Speaker 4: The butler did it.