Murder at the Bottom of the Sea | Audio Drama "Water Water Everywhere"

0:00 Speaker 1: Hi, it's Crimson.

0:01 Speaker 2: If you enjoy these plays, please hit that like button.

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0:12 Speaker 3: Within your dreams, there are many keys. One of them could open the doorway to nightmare. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. How does the poem go? Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. In Samuel Taylor Coolridge's poem, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, water is around us but is often not clean or safe.

1:10 Speaker 4: But it has to be there.

1:11 Speaker 5: James, I know that you want to believe there really is an Atlantis, but no one has ever been able to find it. It's only a myth.

1:23 Speaker 4: I'm telling you, Ernest, I have found it. I'm so sure that I've already put together an expedition.

1:30 Speaker 5: But you've never dived in your life.

1:32 Speaker 4: But you have. That's why I need you.

1:39 Speaker 3: Our mystery drama, Water, Water Everywhere, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our stars include Dave Arkapov, Raven Adams, Crimson McKenzie, Will Dorman, and William Stafford. It is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One.

2:18 Speaker 3: The Lost City of Atlantis, a place that no one in our time has ever seen. Oh, it has been written about in song, in books, and in movies, and it has not stopped James Reynolds from devoting his life to finding it.

2:39 Speaker 5: Ah, James. So good to see you.

2:42 Speaker 4: It has been a long time, Ernest. Glad you could come.

2:45 Speaker 5: Well, you sounded so urgent on the telephone.

2:48 Speaker 4: That's because it is urgent.

2:50 Speaker 5: I'm all ears, James.

2:51 Speaker 4: You know the research that I've been working on, right?

2:54 Speaker 5: Oh, now, now, wait a minute. You called me all the way up here to talk about Atlantis. Come on, James. It's only a myth.

3:04 Speaker 4: And I have found it. How?

3:06 Speaker 3: How?

3:07 Speaker 5: You never leave this place, at least as far as I know. How could you have possibly found the lost city of Atlantis?

3:15 Speaker 4: You're right, Ernest. I have devoted the last 20 years of my life to finding it. I've collected every scrap I could on the subject. And now, now, I really think that I've found it.

3:29 Speaker 5: James, this... this obsession of yours... Yes!

3:35 Speaker 4: An obsession! Imagine it, Ernest. The secrets that are held there. The things we could discover for all mankind.

3:43 Speaker 5: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second, buddy. What do you mean by we?

3:48 Speaker 4: I've already put together an expedition. I need an experienced diver. Naturally, you were the first person that I thought of. Naturally.

3:57 Speaker 5: So, tell me, how many people are on this expedition to the land of Oz?

4:02 Speaker 4: Just you and me. I'm not trusting my find to anyone.

4:07 Speaker 5: But what exactly have you found?

4:12 Speaker 4: This.

4:13 Speaker 6: It's just an old book.

4:14 Speaker 4: Acquired at an estate sale by my agent. A first edition printing of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

4:23 Speaker 5: How appropriate.

4:24 Speaker 4: It was what I found inside the pages that interested me. Do you see?

4:29 Speaker 5: Looks like a map of the ocean. But I don't recognize it.

4:33 Speaker 4: I didn't either at first. But then, with a little research and fact-checking, I was able to discover the location.

4:41 Speaker 5: And you believe it to be the Lost City. James, there must be hundreds of maps like that sold to tourists every year.

4:52 Speaker 4: So you're not interested?

4:54 Speaker 5: Well, I didn't say that. Ha!

4:58 Speaker 4: Then you will come.

4:59 Speaker 5: Only to be there for you when your discovery turns out to be nothing.

5:16 Speaker 4: Here we are. Drop the anchor.

5:25 Speaker 5: We must be miles away from any shoreline.

5:28 Speaker 4: At least we have calm seas. Want to get suited up?

5:31 Speaker 5: Yeah. Now, look, James. I can only stay down there for about 20 minutes.

5:37 Speaker 4: Just long enough to take some pictures. I'll be on the comm link with you.

5:43 Speaker 3: Yeah.

5:44 Speaker 5: What would I do without your voice in my head? Uh, visibility is great. I'm taking a few pics of the sea life down here for the university.

5:58 Speaker 4: Just don't mess around. You've only got about ten minutes left.

6:02 Speaker 5: Oh, don't worry. I'm keeping an eye on it.

6:05 Speaker 4: Tyler?

6:06 Speaker 2: Tyler!

6:07 Speaker 4: What do you see?

6:08 Speaker 5: Um, there seems to be some sort of tower formation just ahead.

6:14 Speaker 4: Get pictures!

6:15 Speaker 1: I am, I am.

6:16 Speaker 5: Please. It goes down into a crevice.

6:20 Speaker 4: Can you get down there?

6:22 Speaker 5: Not with this equipment. We will need deep diving suits.

6:25 Speaker 4: Damn it. Okay, come on back up and let's see those pictures.

6:30 Speaker 5: On my way. Hey, wait a minute.

6:32 Speaker 3: What is it?

6:34 Speaker 5: It's... It's some sort of a... A light? It's coming from the tower.

6:41 Speaker 4: Tyler, get out of there!

6:43 Speaker 5: What is that? No, no, no, no, no, no.

6:47 Speaker 2: It can't be.

6:48 Speaker 4: It can't... Ernest, you okay, buddy?

7:02 Speaker 5: I'm okay, James. But how did I get on the boat?

7:08 Speaker 4: It sounded like you were choking and then your radio went dead. I was just getting ready to dive in when you came out.

7:15 Speaker 5: No, that's not what happened. There was something down there. Something down there that grabbed me.

7:24 Speaker 4: Octopus? Shark?

7:27 Speaker 5: No, nothing like any sea creature that I'm familiar with. It was metallic, with arms grabbing at me.

7:47 Speaker 3: Out of all the places that humans have explored, the sea still holds many secrets yet to be discovered. But the question remains... Were they meant to be found? We'll find out shortly with Act 2.

8:10 Speaker 7: If you're enjoying these stories, come over to our YouTube channel, Doorway.

8:16 Speaker 8: To Nightmare, where we add a few pics to color your imagination.

8:21 Speaker 1: See the faces behind the voices too. Come on, you know you want to.

8:39 Speaker 3: Someone once said that the sound and smell of the sea cleanses the soul. It is what lies.

8:49 Speaker 9: Underneath the ocean.

8:51 Speaker 3: Waves that can be terrifying.

8:59 Speaker 4: Are you sure this thing is going to work?

9:03 Speaker 5: Of course not. It was made by the Army Corps of Engineers.

9:07 Speaker 4: Just exactly what is this thing?

9:10 Speaker 5: A deep-sea diver without someone inside. Basically a remote-controlled submarine. The cameras are equipped with infrared film as well as a spectroscope.

9:21 Speaker 4: How far down will it go?

9:23 Speaker 5: Well, it's been tested, but not put to the limit.

9:27 Speaker 4: But what if that crevice is too deep?

9:29 Speaker 5: Then I guess we'll find out.

9:36 Speaker 4: Is that the tower you saw?

9:37 Speaker 6: That's it.

9:38 Speaker 4: I've never seen any markings like that.

9:41 Speaker 5: I'm going around it. I'm not sure what that light was. And I hope I don't see it again.

9:47 Speaker 4: If this is the Lost City, perhaps it was some sort of defense mechanism.

9:52 Speaker 5: The sub is right at the edge. I'm turning on the lights and heading down.

9:56 Speaker 4: Just take it slow. We need to get as many pictures as possible.

10:01 Speaker 5: Camera's on automatic. We're taking pictures every five seconds.

10:05 Speaker 4: Look at that!

10:07 Speaker 5: Yeah, I see it. I don't believe it.

10:11 Speaker 4: The lost city of Atlantis! Look at these pictures.

10:17 Speaker 5: I see them. I never would have believed it.

10:20 Speaker 4: Oh, I believe it. That entire structure is solid gold, according to all of our instruments.

10:29 Speaker 5: Just a small chunk of it would pay for the equipment and manpower to get the rest of it.

10:35 Speaker 4: Is it possible for the sub to retrieve some now?

10:39 Speaker 5: I think so. Let me maneuver it around. It's... it's beautiful.

10:48 Speaker 4: It's almost three pounds of pure gold.

10:51 Speaker 5: In today's market, that's close to, what, $ 70, 000? A couple of more dives, we could both be millionaires.

11:00 Speaker 4: Is it very hard to operate that sub?

11:04 Speaker 5: Have you ever played a video game? There's really nothing to it. My eight-year-old nephew piloted the thing last summer.

11:13 Speaker 4: So anyone could do it.

11:15 Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so.

11:19 Speaker 4: That's all I wanted to know.

11:21 Speaker 5: James, James, what are you doing? Put the gun down. I'll be missed. They will ask questions.

11:29 Speaker 4: Very tragically, you drowned while making a dive. Of course, your body will never be found.

11:37 Speaker 5: James, don't. Please don't. You won't get away with it. I'll find you.

11:46 Speaker 4: I only believed in Atlantis, not in ghosts. At least you had the decency to be standing by the railing. Saved me the trouble of throwing you overboard and mopping up all your blood.

12:09 Speaker 1: So you really found it?

12:11 Speaker 3: Yes, Gail.

12:12 Speaker 4: I really found it.

12:13 Speaker 1: What was it like?

12:14 Speaker 4: Wonderful. Everything that I could have dreamed of and more.

12:18 Speaker 1: Imagine! The lost city of Atlantis. Are you going back?

12:22 Speaker 4: Unfortunately, no. I will never go back.

12:26 Speaker 1: But why not? Seems to me you would want to explore the entire city.

12:32 Speaker 4: My best friend, Ernest Tyler, a very experienced diver, lost his life there.

12:39 Speaker 1: How dreadful.

12:40 Speaker 4: Yes, it was a terrible accident. So I vowed never to return.

12:46 Speaker 1: Is that why you live here? In the desert, I mean.

12:49 Speaker 4: Yes, it is. Even the sound of the ocean fills me with sadness. I found this place six months ago.

12:57 Speaker 1: It's a wonderful house, James.

12:59 Speaker 4: I'm very glad that you like it.

13:03 Speaker 1: What is it?

13:04 Speaker 4: Don't you hear that?

13:05 Speaker 1: Hear what?

13:07 Speaker 4: That water dripping somewhere in the house.

13:10 Speaker 1: I don't hear anything.

13:11 Speaker 5: Now, come on.

13:12 Speaker 1: You promised me a fabulous dinner tonight. What a great meal. I've never had lobster before.

13:24 Speaker 4: Yes, it was quite nice. The wine could have been a little better.

13:29 Speaker 1: Oh, stop. I'm going to fix us some coffee. And then we can discuss what to do with the rest of our evening.

13:40 Speaker 4: Gail, did you leave the water running somewhere?

13:43 Speaker 1: I don't hear anything.

13:45 Speaker 4: Sounds like it's coming from the bathroom. I'll have a look. You go ahead and make coffee. I was sure that I heard water running in here.

13:58 Speaker 5: I warned you, James.

14:03 Speaker 6: I told you that I would find you.

14:07 Speaker 4: Ernest? Is that really you?

14:10 Speaker 5: Yes. You moved away from the ocean.

14:15 Speaker 6: There is water everywhere.

14:22 Speaker 3: The author Sylvia Earle once wrote, With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you are connected to the sea, no matter where on earth you live. I'll be back shortly with our final act.

14:40 Speaker 8: If you're liking these shows, check out our other episodes on our YouTube channel, Doorway to Nightmare. There's also some previews of Swan's audiobooks on there as well. Come join us.

15:05 Speaker 3: Many people have been pulled by the sea and its wonders, both above and below. James Reynolds now has a fear of it.

15:18 Speaker 1: My God, James!

15:20 Speaker 9: You look awful!

15:22 Speaker 4: Don't you hear it?

15:23 Speaker 5: Hear what?

15:24 Speaker 4: The constant dripping of water.

15:26 Speaker 1: But I've checked the entire house. There is no water running. And just look at you. When was the last time you had a bath?

15:36 Speaker 4: I can't go near the shower. I don't dare try to take a bath.

15:41 Speaker 1: Here, drink this. It will help.

15:43 Speaker 4: A glass of water? Are you insane?

15:47 Speaker 1: No, James.

15:49 Speaker 5: But I.

15:51 Speaker 1: think that you must.

15:52 Speaker 4: Be don't you understand no i.

15:55 Speaker 1: Don't just tell me darling it's.

15:58 Speaker 4: Earnest he's come back to to are you.

16:01 Speaker 1: Talking about earnest tyler the diver who drowned yes yes tell me the truth james did he really drown he's.

16:10 Speaker 4: In the water which means he's everywhere No matter where I go.

16:17 Speaker 1: James, you're frightening me.

16:18 Speaker 4: No matter where I live, he can find me. There. Do you hear it?

16:27 Speaker 1: James, I don't hear anything.

16:28 Speaker 6: I warned you, James. And now it is time for you to join me deep below the ocean.

16:43 Speaker 4: Tyler, what are you talking about?

16:46 Speaker 6: That light that I saw, it wasn't a defense. It was them.

16:52 Speaker 5: They saved me once. They took me in.

16:57 Speaker 6: Now, they want you.

16:59 Speaker 4: Tyler, no!

17:01 Speaker 5: They want you.

17:06 Speaker 1: James, you're not well. Let me take you.

17:09 Speaker 5: No, Tyler.

17:10 Speaker 2: Get away.

17:12 Speaker 4: Get away from... James!

17:33 Speaker 9: What kind of a case did you bring me?

17:35 Speaker 7: James Reynolds. Some kind of researcher. Moved here about six months ago. His girlfriend said that he just dropped dead right.

17:45 Speaker 9: In front of her How curious. Where was the body found? In the living room.

17:50 Speaker 7: Why do you ask?

17:51 Speaker 9: Are you sure that he wasn't in a pool or perhaps the bathtub?

17:55 Speaker 7: According to the girlfriend, he was in the living room. There was no sign that he was moved.

18:01 Speaker 9: Then we have a bit of a mystery on our hands.

18:04 Speaker 4: What do you mean?

18:06 Speaker 9: The body that is lying on the slab in there drowned. His lungs were full of salt water. And I will swear that he's been underwater for at least six months.

18:31 Speaker 3: Officially, the death of James Reynolds was listed as heart failure due to shock. The unofficial version that the doctor swore by was drowning. I leave it up to you to decide which.

18:51 Speaker 1: Is more plausible.

18:54 Speaker 3: Think about it until I return shortly.

19:00 Speaker 1: Hi, it's Crimson.

19:02 Speaker 8: We hope you're enjoying these.

19:03 Speaker 1: Would you like to hear some more?

19:05 Speaker 8: Join us on our YouTube channel, Doorway to Nightmare, if you dare.

19:24 Speaker 3: For whatever we lose, like a you or a me, it is always ourself we find in the sea. A quote by E.E. Cummings, and I think appropriate to our story. The oceans hold many tales that perhaps one day will be told. In the meantime, let's the sea hold its secrets for a little while longer. Our cast included Dave Arkapov, Raven Adams, Crimson McKenzie, Will Dorman, and William Stafford. 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.

20:19 Speaker 2: And how are we feeling tonight, Mr.

20:21 Speaker 5: Carpenter?

20:22 Speaker 3: What am I doing here?

20:25 Speaker 2: Oh, you're going to be fine. I just have to take a little blood.

20:29 Speaker 3: Was I in an accident?

20:31 Speaker 2: Now, don't you worry. Everything is going to be fine. You will be out of here in no time.

20:37 Speaker 3: But where am I?

20:39 Speaker 2: Why, the hospital, of course.

20:41 Speaker 9: But why am I in the hospital?

20:44 Speaker 2: Now don't you fret over it. I'm sure that you will be well taken care of.

20:51 Speaker 3: Doorway to Nightmare was 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.

21:26 Speaker 1: Hi, it's Crimson.

21:28 Speaker 4: And Swan.

21:29 Speaker 1: You want to hear some more episodes?

21:31 Speaker 4: Join our YouTube channel at Doorway to Nightmare.

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