WEBVTT

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This episode may contain content that is
not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion

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is advised, especially for those under
the age of thirteen. Welcome to Endo

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the Night. I'm Narri your guide
on today's excursion down a twisted path.

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Be careful not to get lost.
Be it dark or light, it's easy

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to lose your way. Are you
ready? Then let's begin an ounce of

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prevention Part one. I've been called
a lot of things, but I've never

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been called a liar, and I
don't plan on breaking that streak now.

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I've seen a lot, been to
many places, and met some strange people

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in my time. One of them
sticks out, though, and I catch

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myself mulling this over in my mind
even when I'm not trying to think about

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it. My grandmother used to say, ted, the last thing you want

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to know is a secret, because
it will whittle await you and leave you

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worse off than you were before.
Grandma Rose was a wise woman, and

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I sure could use her advice right
about now, I guess, truth be

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told, I'm not keeping any secrets
at this point, because I'm talking about

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it now. The big question is
where to start. As good a place

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as any is when I was about
twenty five. I started a new job

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at the Orchard Street Community Hospital downtown
after years of not knowing what I wanted

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to do for a living. I
studied hard for my Certified Nurse's Assistant test,

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and I was rewarded with a job
in the worst hospital in five counties.

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I didn't mind. I had a
job for a fellow like me who

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wasn't interested in much. I was
happy to find one doing something I thought

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could help people. I started working
the night shift once my orientation ended.

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I liked the and I didn't have
to deal with as many people that way,

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just patience, but they weren't a
problem. It's the general public I

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have a hard time putting up with. That's kind of beside the point,

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but it does explain why I enjoyed
working at a time when some folks would

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be spooked to be where people could
die in the dark. On some slow

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nights, I sat with patients.
Many felt lonely or abandoned. Others needed

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watchful eyes over them to keep them
from harming themselves during times of mental or

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emotional distress. I talked to them, soothed frayed nerves, and gave them

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a hand to hold. For some, I think I was the first person

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in a long time who listened to
them, especially the elderly. Many hovered

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near death and knew it. I
tried to make their last hours or days

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a little less sad. I'm not
saying I succeeded, but I tried,

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and that's probably the best anyone can
do for someone who's feeling scared and alone.

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It was good for me too.
A few patients I became attached to.

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Missus Moseley was one of those people. Her blue eyes came alive as

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she told me of adventures she had
as a young girl. Her two sisters

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and three brothers grew up during a
time when parents didn't feel compelled to watch

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them every second. Yes, they
had a few close calls, but she

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said those added excitement. Most adventures
were wholesome and safe. However, trips

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to the creek, camping in the
woods, and riding bikes from miles occupied

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much of their young lives. At
ninety three, she outlived her brothers and

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sisters. She longed to see them, her parents, and long ago friends

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who passed. We had hours of
wonderful conversations until she died in the wee

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hours of the morning. In late
July, Kyle Waverley left a mark on

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me too. A young man who
seemed to have everything to live for,

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suffered terrible injuries in a motorcycle accident. Still keen mentally, his paralysis threw

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him into a deep depression. After
we saved him once, during which time

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he and I had many lengthy talks
in the dark of night. He returned

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to us a few weeks after his
release. He couldn't overcome the drastic change

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in his abilities, and he used
a pistol to end his life. He

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lingered for a while, but when
I was called to help a nurse down

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the hall, he slipped away from
the life his family still held so precious.

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An athletic, good looking kid,
his wounds hit him more deeply mentally

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than physically. His injuries and death
bother me to this day. I hate

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to see potential lost. Henry Garrison, Myra Leonard, and Adel Lundrum also

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hold special places in my heart.
Myra couldn't speak by the time I met

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her, but the fear eased out
of her eyes, and she smiled weakly

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at me when I'd hold her hand
and gently brush her hair. It's the

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little things we do at big moments
that sometimes mean the most. Henry was

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a car officionado and Adele once won
a regional beauty pageant. They enjoyed sharing

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their memories with me, I think
because they knew soon they'd be no more

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than memories themselves. The patient's left
impressions on me, that's true. But

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the person I'll never forget was Marine
Willhite. She began as a CNA about

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the same time I did, and
she requested the night shift, so we

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spent a lot of time together.
A gorgeous brunette with a girlish figure and

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a quick wit, spending time with
her was a joy. I confess that

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sometimes I requested working extra days just
so I could spend more time around her.

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I'm not much to look at,
and I don't have much to offer,

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but at times Maureene or Mo as
she liked to be called, made

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me forget those facts. She kept
me laughing and was kind enough to chuckle

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at my jokes. When we weren't
with patients, we took every opportunity we

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could to visit as we stocked supplies
and worked on other errands. I don't

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know how I looked out with this
job. Why do you say that,

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Ted, this place is lucky to
have you. You do a great job,

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and the patients love you. Thanks. But I never thought i'd have

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a job like this one. I
floundered for a long time before I became

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a CNA. I get to work
with friends like you most mild I feel

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the same way. I've always been
a night owl, so this shift works

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great for me, but it's hard
to make friends on this schedule. I'm

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lucky to have you as a friend
and a coworker too. I blushed,

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and she had to have noticed,
because she made an excuse to go down

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the hall right after that, saving
me from further embarrassment. Our bond grew

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day by day, or maybe I
should say night by night. We shared

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a common concern for our patients.
You're so good with them, Ted.

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Mister Connery told me about how nice
you are, and that you know almost

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as much about baseball as he does. Almost He's a hoot. He's right

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though. He always has some piece
of trivia that he pulls out of his

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memory that amazes me. Well,
he has more years to draw from.

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When you're in your nineties, you'll
know more than you know now too.

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I hadn't thought of it that way. I enjoy talking to old people.

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They lived the history that we only
read about, and they've developed a lot

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of wisdom. More people like me
should take time to talk with them.

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Maybe then they wouldn't do so many
stupid things. Young people like you do

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make stupid mistakes. She paused,
I can't relate to most people out there.

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They're not very interesting, in my
opinion. I guess that's what brings

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us to this place. To ringing
bell on the opposite end of the hall

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ended our conversation, and we hurried
away to assist nurses and patients. A

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few nights later, I drew up
enough courage to ask her a question that

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demanded to be asked. I was
wondering if you'd like to go out sometime

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on a date. Yeah, she
winced, it was a stupid question.

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I'm sorry. I turned to walk
away. Moe grabbed my arm. Wait,

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it's not what you think. I'd
like to go on a date with

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you. I really would, I
believed the sincerity in her eyes. Then

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why won't you I can't tell you, but just know that if I could,

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I would not. Completely satisfied with
her answer, I shrugged and walked

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away. At that moment, I
felt better sitting next to an unconscious patient

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than I did facing the girl I
thought I was the most comfortable. We

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had a few awkward evenings at work
until I swallowed my pride enough to accept

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that she just wanted to be friends. No more. My friend's list was

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short, just one, and that
was Mo. I didn't want to risk

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losing her friendship, and I realized
it wasn't her fault that I wanted more

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than she did. After a while
we were back to normal. We had

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a rash of deaths on our floor, and many of our conversations revolved around

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those. Some of these deaths weren't
even expected. I feel relieved. I

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guess MO that so far I haven't
been in the room when someone dies.

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It's special and traumatic at the same
time. Special, What do you mean?

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It's kind of an honor to know
I was there during this natural part

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of life and that they weren't alone. That's true. I know I wouldn't

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want to be alone when I die. I found out accidentally that the deaths

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were the talk of the nurses station
too. One night, I carried a

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box of supplies to the storage room
across from the station. Three nurses huddled

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together talking and I caught snippets of
their conversations. One stopped me cold,

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and I listened from inside the storage
room. I think there's something weird going

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on. She's always with them when
they die. Yeah, it's more than

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a coincidence that it's always her with
a patient when it happens. It's never

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us or one of the other SNAs, it's always Mareen. I thought my

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heart would stop beating, not because
of what they said, as unsettling as

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that was. No, it was
because, deep in the back of my

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mind, I too was troubled by
Moe's tendency to be in the room when

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a death occurred. Something didn't seem
right. I hope she isn't doing anything

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to them, you mean, like
killing them. Thank you for joining me

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for this episode of the Into the
Night anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco,

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narrated by Nari Quak, Theme music
by Nico Rodriguez, all other original

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music, sound design and editing by
Omenhawk Studios. You can find our links

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in the show notes. Into the
Night is on your favorite podcatcher, so

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make sure to like, subscribe and
leave a five star review to help other

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excursionists to join us. I'll see
you next time, and remember, whether

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in the shadows or in the daylight, all twisted paths lead you into the

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night. Into the Night Anthology is
a creative typo entertainment production