Rich, Bored, and Haunted: "Witches Brew" (Supernatural Mystery Thriller)

0:00 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. 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. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. According to statistics, only about 1% of the population is considered wealthy. And while some will create jobs and increase industry, there are those who find that life has become boring. They, these ultra-rich, find no joy in anything and are constantly on the search for something exciting.

1:22 Speaker 1: Peter!

1:24 Speaker 2: What's happening?

1:27 Speaker 3: That.

1:28 Speaker 2: Something is coming towards me.

1:32 Speaker 3: For the love of God, Mary, send it back.

1:35 Speaker 4: Send it back to hell.

1:36 Speaker 5: I can't. I don't know how.

1:39 Speaker 6: Peter, it's got me.

1:43 Speaker 1: Help me. Our mystery drama, Witches Brew, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Crimson McKenzie, Raven Adams, Henny Mick, William Stafford, and Winslow Swan. I'll return shortly with Act 1.

2:10 Speaker 6: Mystery. Horror. Thriller.

2:14 Speaker 2: Suspense.

2:15 Speaker 6: Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan... now available from Amazon.

2:36 Speaker 1: It all began on a warm summer afternoon. Mary Ambers had been shopping, and even that had become boring. Yes, she was of the upper class of society. Young, rich, spoiled, and bored. But her find on this particular day had excited her. She raced home to her husband, Peter, so full of joy you would have thought she had found the Holy Grail.

3:10 Speaker 3: Ah, there you are.

3:16 Speaker 4: Did you find anything interesting?

3:17 Speaker 6: You bet I did, Peter. Remember that bookstore over on 7th Avenue?

3:24 Speaker 4: The one you said you wouldn't be caught dead in?

3:27 Speaker 6: Now, now. I remember what I said, but That was last week.

3:34 Speaker 4: Okay, yes, I remember it. What about it?

3:37 Speaker 6: I found the most remarkable book.

3:40 Speaker 2: Here, take a look.

3:43 Speaker 3: The Dark Side of Wiccan. A user's guide to the more practical side of... You can't be serious.

3:52 Speaker 6: Oh, come on, Peter. Why not?

3:55 Speaker 4: I didn't even think you believed in that.

3:59 Speaker 6: I never said that I believed in it. But don't you think it would be fun to try some of those spells out?

4:08 Speaker 4: Mary, I'm not so sure.

4:10 Speaker 6: Call up Jim and Winnie and invite them over.

4:15 Speaker 4: Well, all right.

4:18 Speaker 3: I suppose it would be better than sitting around and listening to someone's poetry.

4:22 Speaker 7: No, it's all right.

4:27 Speaker 5: Practical joke is Peter cooking up this time.

4:31 Speaker 2: And where is he? Come on, Mary. At least give us a hint.

4:38 Speaker 6: Now, both of you, stop it. This is going to be the best night ever.

4:43 Speaker 1: Oh, sure.

4:45 Speaker 5: Like the time we were all stuck in an elevator for three hours.

4:49 Speaker 2: I remember that.

4:51 Speaker 6: Now, now, you can't blame Peter for that one. How did he know the power was going to go out to the whole city?

4:59 Speaker 5: Oh, knowing that Joker, he probably arranged the whole thing.

5:03 Speaker 2: And we never did find out what he really had planned.

5:09 Speaker 6: He still hasn't told me. But tonight, this is completely my show.

5:18 Speaker 5: Well, I wish you would go ahead and get on with it. I did have tickets to the theater tonight.

5:24 Speaker 8: We had tickets. And it doesn't matter. We own the theater. And the show.

5:31 Speaker 6: You can go and see your silly little play tomorrow night.

5:39 Speaker 4: Hello, everyone.

5:40 Speaker 5: Well, it's about time.

5:41 Speaker 2: Now, Jim. Hello, Peter, darling.

5:46 Speaker 6: Did you get everything?

5:49 Speaker 4: I believe I did. Everything on that shopping list of yours.

5:54 Speaker 5: All right, Peter. Let's get this over with.

5:57 Speaker 4: Jim, I swear, whatever's going to happen tonight, it's all Mary's fault.

6:03 Speaker 2: A toad's tongue? Ew. What is this? Ear of a bat? Disgusting.

6:11 Speaker 4: Took me almost all day to get this stuff.

6:14 Speaker 5: All right, Mary. I think it's time you told us what this is all about.

6:19 Speaker 6: Witchcraft. My dear Jim. The casting of spells and magic incantations.

6:30 Speaker 2: Gives me the creeps, but I love it.

6:34 Speaker 5: Peter, you're actually going along with this? Of course.

6:39 Speaker 4: Come on, Jim.

6:41 Speaker 3: We're all sick of, well, everything.

6:47 Speaker 4: We've all been looking for something new, right?

6:50 Speaker 5: I suppose so. But do you think dabbling in the black arts is safe?

7:03 Speaker 6: Oh, come on, Jim. You know, hell, we all know that this is just for laughs.

7:12 Speaker 2: I mean, none of these.

7:14 Speaker 6: Spells will actually work.

7:19 Speaker 9: Oh.

7:31 Speaker 6: Okay, put it in the bat's ear.

7:36 Speaker 5: I have the hair of a dog born dead.

7:39 Speaker 6: Throw it in the pot now.

7:43 Speaker 4: Here is the wing of a bat.

7:44 Speaker 8: And I have the moss from a freshly dug grave. Peter, did you actually go to a cemetery at night?

7:55 Speaker 3: What my queen commands, I obey. Besides, it wasn't that bad.

8:02 Speaker 5: You picked the grave closest to the exit, didn't you?

8:05 Speaker 4: Of course I did.

8:06 Speaker 6: Hush up. Now, the final ingredient. A pinch of dust from a mummy's case.

8:22 Speaker 5: And just what discount store did you get that from?

8:27 Speaker 4: I know the curator of the museum. They have an Egyptian display this week.

8:33 Speaker 5: I would have given anything to see the look on his face.

8:36 Speaker 6: Enough already. It's time to read the incantation. Winnie, stir the pot while I read the words. Verto, Nietzsche, Sumatra. Tooth from a dog, tail of a cat. I summon the spirits where they're at!

8:58 Speaker 4: Are you kidding me?

8:59 Speaker 6: I added that last part.

9:09 Speaker 2: What was that?

9:10 Speaker 4: The lights went out.

9:12 Speaker 1: I knew it.

9:14 Speaker 5: Another joke, Peter.

9:20 Speaker 4: Jim, I swear, I have nothing.

9:22 Speaker 2: Jim, help me. It's taking me. It's taking me.

9:52 Speaker 1: Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov once said, As everyone knows, once you get witchcraft started... there is no stopping it. I'll return shortly with Act 2.

10:08 Speaker 7: Have you heard any good books lately? Audiobooks from Winslow Swan, now available on Spotify.

10:32 Speaker 1: Emily Dickinson once wrote, Witchcraft was hung in history. But history and I find all the witchcraft that we need around us every day.

10:48 Speaker 2: She's not in the bedroom.

10:51 Speaker 4: And she's not in the bathroom or the kitchen.

10:54 Speaker 5: She isn't anywhere. All right, Peter. You got us. Where is Mary hiding?

11:02 Speaker 2: Yes, Peter. I think the joke has gone on long enough.

11:06 Speaker 4: I swear I had nothing to do with it.

11:08 Speaker 5: You mean the spell actually worked?

11:13 Speaker 4: Yes.

11:15 Speaker 3: And now whatever that thing was has taken her. We have to call the police.

11:20 Speaker 2: And tell them what exactly? No, Peter.

11:24 Speaker 8: Black magic took her away. So we use magic to bring her back. There has to be something in this book that will call her back.

11:38 Speaker 5: Come on, Winnie. Find something. Anything.

11:45 Speaker 2: Aha. Got it. Act Thor. Xan took store. Anthem, Zeos, Trigor.

11:56 Speaker 1: The lights!

11:56 Speaker 4: They went out again!

11:57 Speaker 6: Help me!

12:03 Speaker 1: Beaver!

12:04 Speaker 2: Grab me! It's dragging me away! Jim!

12:13 Speaker 5: No!

12:16 Speaker 4: He's... He's gone.

12:24 Speaker 2: Where did he go, Peter?

12:26 Speaker 4: I don't know. Come on, Winnie. We will find him.

12:30 Speaker 2: No, Peter.

12:33 Speaker 8: Wherever Mary went, whatever that creature was, he got Jim.

12:39 Speaker 2: Please tell me it's all a joke, Peter. Please make it stop. You have to make it stop. You have to... You have to... You have.

12:53 Speaker 4: I'm sorry, but getting hysterical isn't going to help.

12:57 Speaker 2: Okay, now....

13:04 Speaker 4: What are you doing?

13:06 Speaker 2: I'm going to bring my husband back.

13:09 Speaker 4: Winnie, no!

13:15 Speaker 2: Black magic took them. Black magic will bring them back.

13:21 Speaker 1: Here.

13:22 Speaker 4: Have a drink, and let's just think about calling the police.

13:32 Speaker 1: All right.

13:34 Speaker 4: Do what you have to do.

13:37 Speaker 8: By all the forces of hell, I command you to bring my husband to me.

13:45 Speaker 1: Delights.

13:47 Speaker 2: Delights.

13:52 Speaker 5: Peter!

13:53 Speaker 2: Stop me! Help me! Winnie!

13:57 Speaker 4: No!

14:05 Speaker 2: Peter....

14:08 Speaker 6: Come to me, my love. I need you.

14:14 Speaker 9: Mary?

14:15 Speaker 1: Is that.

14:16 Speaker 5: No!

14:16 Speaker 2: No!

14:19 Speaker 4: Whatever you are, stay awake.

14:22 Speaker 5: Stay.

14:23 Speaker 7: Stay.

14:29 Speaker 1: How long will he be out?

14:30 Speaker 6: At least a couple of hours. I knew he couldn't go all night without a drink. And those pills I got from the dentist works wonders. And will you please take off that silly monster costume?

14:46 Speaker 2: At least the mask part is frightful.

14:50 Speaker 5: I happen to know a very good makeup artist. Oh, I can't wait to see the look on Peter's face.

15:04 Speaker 1: Author Sue Grafton once said, lying contains the same hostile elements as a practical joke in that the victim ends up looking foolish in his own eyes and laughable in everyone else's. I'll return shortly with Act 3.

15:24 Speaker 7: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

15:53 Speaker 1: It is now close to midnight. As our three jokesters are standing outside a funeral parlor, they are satisfied that their joke has had the correct effect on their victim.

16:24 Speaker 6: Lovely. I've always wanted to visit a funeral home at night.

16:31 Speaker 2: What are we doing here, Jim?

16:34 Speaker 5: Part of the joke, my dear.

16:36 Speaker 1: Come on. Over here. Pine coffin.

16:41 Speaker 5: Very cheaply made.

16:42 Speaker 6: Aw, you take us to the nicest of places.

16:49 Speaker 2: How horrible.

16:51 Speaker 1: Come on, you two. Help me with this... Poor soul.

16:55 Speaker 6: Do you have to be so morbid about it?

16:59 Speaker 2: Where are you going to put the body?

17:01 Speaker 5: On the trunk of my car will do nicely.

17:03 Speaker 6: And then you're putting Peter in the coffin?

17:07 Speaker 5: Of course. As the monster. I'm even going to nail the lid down. I didn't think a dead body weighed so much. Thank you both for helping.

17:25 Speaker 2: I'm going to have to take a bath for a week.

17:28 Speaker 6: Me too. Carrying a dead body and putting it in your trunk was no easy job.

17:35 Speaker 2: And just look at my fingernails.

17:37 Speaker 1: All right, you two.

17:39 Speaker 5: And Mary, when do you think the drug will wear off?

17:42 Speaker 6: Just a few minutes from now. If I've timed it right.

17:47 Speaker 1: Good.

17:49 Speaker 5: We can all have a good laugh. but this time at Peter's expense.

17:54 Speaker 2: Do we go get him out of that pine box now?

17:57 Speaker 5: Oh, give him a few more minutes. Let him sweat it out.

18:06 Speaker 4: Uh, what's going... Oh, yeah. Hey, where am I? That creature. I remember it picking me up after I fainted. Carrying me. Taking me somewhere?

18:24 Speaker 2: Oh god.

18:25 Speaker 4: He put me in a coffin?

18:33 Speaker 1: Stop.

18:34 Speaker 4: He's nailing the lid.

18:35 Speaker 1: Shots.

18:37 Speaker 4: I can't move. What's going to happen?

18:42 Speaker 6: Help.

18:43 Speaker 1: Help. Help.

18:54 Speaker 2: Well, Jim, where is he? I.

18:59 Speaker 1: I don't know. I could have sworn that.

19:02 Speaker 5: Coffin was in this room.

19:04 Speaker 6: It's not here now. Maybe in the other room.

19:09 Speaker 5: What are you people doing here? Well, I didn't think anyone was here.

19:13 Speaker 1: Normally, I wouldn't be.

19:15 Speaker 9: Now, you folks stay where you are Police are on their way.

19:20 Speaker 6: The police?

19:22 Speaker 5: Oh, I don't think we need them. What are you doing here?

19:25 Speaker 9: Why would you break into a funeral parlor?

19:28 Speaker 5: Now look, it's okay. I'm Jim Manning. I own this entire block of buildings.

19:34 Speaker 1: Oh, yes sir. I know you. Still doesn't explain.

19:39 Speaker 6: We were just looking for a friend. We thought he might be here.

19:45 Speaker 2: Yes, you know playing a practical joke on us.

19:48 Speaker 5: If you could possibly tell me where that pine coffin was. Pine coffin?

19:55 Speaker 6: Oh, yeah.

19:57 Speaker 9: Couldn't pay me enough to touch that thing.

19:59 Speaker 6: Well, you see, our friend, that is my husband, might be hiding inside. Oh.

20:10 Speaker 9: I highly doubt that. The body inside had that new virus, highly contagious, even after death. Took an entire hazmat team to bring it here.

20:22 Speaker 5: Did you say contagious?

20:28 Speaker 1: Yes, sir. And always lethal. They're trying to contain it at the hospital now.

20:37 Speaker 9: No telling how many people got infected. Death within 72 hours.

20:44 Speaker 2: But the coffin. Where is the coffin?

20:48 Speaker 1: Oh, that.

20:50 Speaker 9: You don't have to worry about that. We took it down to the crematorium about a half.

20:56 Speaker 1: An hour ago. Nothing but a pile of ashes now.

21:00 Speaker 6: That means....

21:02 Speaker 9: The body?

21:04 Speaker 6: The contagious body? The one that we carried... Is it in the trunk of the car?

21:12 Speaker 5: Nasty new virus. I'd hate to catch it.

21:16 Speaker 1: Yes, sir.

21:18 Speaker 9: Only 72 hours and then off.

21:22 Speaker 1: To the crematorium. The trio look at each other and their hands. They realize that the joke is actually on them. I'll return shortly with a final word. Mystery. Horror. Thriller. Suspense.

21:47 Speaker 6: Novels and short story collections from Winslow Swan, now available from Amazon.

22:09 Speaker 1: The 1918-1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, was caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was March of 1918 in Haskell County, Kansas, United States, with further cases recorded in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in April. Two years later, nearly a third of the global population, or an estimated 500 million people, had been infected. Estimates of deaths range from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.

23:07 Speaker 1: Our cast included Crimson McKenzie, Raven Adams, Annie Mick, William Stafford, and Winslow Swan. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

23:28 Speaker 6: It seemed like a small device, Dennis.

23:31 Speaker 4: Oh, it was.

23:32 Speaker 3: But large enough to get the job done. Wouldn't you agree, Angie?

23:37 Speaker 6: And all it took was a phone call to activate it?

23:40 Speaker 4: Exactly.

23:41 Speaker 3: And when the device went off, there was almost nothing left of the car.

23:47 Speaker 4: Or your husband, Richard.

23:50 Speaker 1: 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. The butler did it.