Welcome to Ghost Wax, a foreign Tall Tales production. The following story may
contain graphic content. Listener discretion is advised. Episode forty three, Just perfect
Interior, A well furnished, comfortable home. Morning, dappled light falls through
breezy, cream colored curtains on the sleeping face of Philippa twenties, pretty peaceful,
her eyes open a moment of confusion. Ah, what happened? Where?
What didn't? Shit? What the fuck? Hey? Good morning?
Ah? Fuck? Who the fuck are you? You are such a weirdo.
Bad dreams again, just not expecting. Oh, you're gonna have to
do better than one shirtless albeit gorgeous man if you are trying to get in
my head, not just shirtless. Oh Lord, stop talking to your bad
dreams, or I'll have you committed. Did you want coffee? No?
Hey, you okay, nothing you need to worry about. Okay, coffee,
I'll see how solidified the bagels are? Yeah? Hello? Hey?
Am I my way? You're awake? Right? Luca? Ugh? You
sound like death. Sorry, I'm beyond disoriented. Did Noah keep you up
late? Who? Cute? Cute? I won't cry, but Pip he's
a keeper, right, all right? Just have a nice morning. I'm
coming to get you, okay. The Beautiful Man returns with delicious smelling coffee
Brazilian in Philippa's favorite. The Beautiful Man doesn't seem to hear the narration,
but Pip does, and realization washes over her. There she is, God,
You've got a beautiful smile. Coffee always brings out your nice side.
She hadn't realized she was smiling. Oh boy, you hit it harder than
I thought. Last night you had fun. M hit what DJ said?
You two had a blast right, Not quite with us yet. As he
brushed the hair out of her face, she felt a thrill. The kindness,
tenderness of his touch was palpable. Gentle warmth spread from her heart.
He loves her. I think you're still dreaming a little bit, aren't you,
star girl? How much she was dreaming was totally up to her.
Anyway. I've got to get to work, but I'll be back in a
few hours to help watch the shop so you can get ready. I one
thing at a time. Who is DJ? Are you sure you're okay?
Hell of a hangover. If Dottie let you get sick before your big night,
I'm gonna kill her? What? Why was I with Dotty Jean Barlow?
Yeah, DJB. You guys celebrated at the ardent. She was at
at the ardent. Yeah, unless you have a new favorite bar. She
said, you went to your favorite I assumed it was there. I'll get
it. Drink your coffee. Hello, don't fight it. Who is this
a friend? See you soon? Hey? Han, it's your brother?
My what your baby brother? Who is super pleasantly surprised? Noah doesn't have
a shirt? Eye? Are you decent? I'm coming in the bagels are
a no? Go? Petrified? That guy is a stunner. Yeah,
so the reservation is all set up at soccer. Vesty's mom's going to be
there with a new boyfriend, so that will be fun to bitch about with
Uncle Sid. He hates him, I Zem says to give him a chance,
But he's the less grumpy gunkle, so not surprising. Okay, Well,
come on, Golden birthday comes around once. If you're lucky, get
excited. I I am. Are you regretting inviting Jenny? Listen? Things
end? You let her down easy. You two decided to stay friends.
She moved on too quick. But now you can rub the stunning and charming.
Noah in her face, and we can joke about her new girlfriend drinking
too much and getting her lipstick on her teeth or some shit like last time.
Mom will be adorably embarrassing. Uncle Sid will be delightfully Caddy, Dottie,
you'll be unhinged and hit on a waiter. Noah will be charming,
and I'll sit next to you and we can laugh when nation Enngiers get into
a fight over some bullshit. Cat will be amazing and have some interesting shit
to talk about. Cec will make everyone laugh so hard they pee. Then
we and the non olds are back here for scary movies. But you'll just
make us watch The Mummy again and we won't be able to stop you.
Because it's your birthday. It sounds perfect, yep, perfect day, one
of many you deserve it. Exterior day A quaint and intimate coffee shop on
a sunlit street. Two old friends sit sharing smoothies. They are at ease
with one another. The world is good looking for something, Charlie, Hey
wait, what just jumping forward it? Unfortunately time is of the essence at
all. I'm glad you remember me. I could never forget you, not
after watching you get turned into static and dragged into my TV. Yeah,
that looked a lot worse than it was. I'm so sorry, Charlie.
Well I go by CC. Now do you get it? Closed circuit?
Plus, you've already got another Charlie in your orbit. Don't think I didn't
notice. You wrote him out of your whole perfect life. Gotta have Luca
all to yourself. I didn't mean to I didn't do it. You did.
What are you looking for? My cards? I always have them,
I can, I can find a way out of this. You're not gonna
find them. What's going on? How are you not dead? You?
Oka? Oh God, I'm dead. I'm fucking dead, aren't I again?
I died? And this I'm in hell? This is about as far
from hell as you can get. Have you not been paying any attention?
I promise to keep you safe and I failed you. So now you're going
to spend the rest of eternity tormenting me in my own personal hell. Oh
Jesus, Okay, listen to me. You're not dead. I'm not Satan.
This is not hell, this is paradise. Look at the pictures on
your phone. Okay, this looks like some of my stuff in this place?
Is this supposed to be my house? It is the movie posters in
the theater. Those are Lucas. You let him decorate in there however he
wanted, and in exchange, he let you turn the dining room into a
Dungeons and Dragons paradise. Luca doesn't live with me, Sure he does,
ever since he graduated college and didn't want to live with either of your parents.
The house is big enough our parents. We are not siblings. You
never have to be alone again. Look in the family folder. This okay,
this is me as a toddler. But why am I holding a baby?
Nope? I draw the line and explaining to you how babies are made.
Okay, let's just say your parents put aside their hatred of each other
for a night when you were two years old, and we'll leave it at
that. There's more. See for yourself. This is beautiful. This is
a life, a real life. Just open up, let it in.
You know that old expression perception is reality. Well it's true. It's all
we know, it's all we get. Embrace it, and it's real,
more real than where we came from. That's for damn sure. I can
feel it. I remember his little baby arms were so squishy. I remember,
it's a beautiful life you've made for yourself. Your childhoods weren't perfect,
but you had each other. Anyways. When Luca was deciding where to live,
he considered moving in with your uncle, but you both thought this would
be more fun. I've got several uncles, but they are all vaguely awful
in unique ways. Wait, Luca said, Uncle sid famous archaeologist and novelist
Uncle Owen. I love that you cast him as spooky Indiana Jones, but
he travels so much for work. Living with him would have been really difficult.
This world isn't built all around you, but there are people that love
you and have you centered in their lives. It's like that for me,
like that for everyone. Turns out people had a way skewed version of what
the Singularity would actually be. Like stop, none of this is real and
you're full of shit, so just fucking stop. Dottie Jean is not my
friend. She's a murdering taxidermist. And why did I make her a part
of this. That's so weird. I'm so weird. Come on, come
on, hello, Oh thank god, something really insane is happening. But
if you're made out of what I think of you, you will understand.
Even here right, I'm on my way to you now. It will take
me a few hours yet, because your second favorite uncle Asam made me promise
to drive at no more than fifteen miles per hour above the posted limits like
a child. Yes, okay, great, you sound surprised. You knew
I was coming, right, Luca told you no. But that's part of
the problem. There's something wrong. There's something wrong with everything. Ah.
Yes, I imagine he's been easily distracted lately with all the party planning.
Don't worry. It's your golden birthday. The day will be golden as advertised.
I plan on cutting it loose as they say, sired. Why are
you? Oh my god? Sorry, Pippy, but I'm hitting some traffic
and I need to take evasive maneuvers. I'm going to have to let you
go. I'll see you soon, I don't. Isn't it great? What
is this? It's a gift from your biggest fan. You can stop looking
around. He's not there. He knows there's some tension on your end,
and he figured you'd be more receptive to a familiar face. And that's why
I'm here to make the offer, the faustian fucking bargain. No, no,
no, you wouldn't do his fucking bidding. He ripped you into tiny
pieces and ate you. Cc You were afraid and begging and I couldn't help
you. And I am so so sorry. But you can help me,
Help me get out of here, help me call my friends. Pip,
you don't have friends, You have users as an interface. Now I understand
that really well. There in the vessel, you're in a fucking zoo.
Here, you're part of the great connection modular here. Efficient. You don't
like how something is, you can change it. Bad outcomes, reload,
constant updates and user feedback. And the best part is no one sucks out
your honey and fucking drinks you dry. Look the last time you saw me,
I was scared and I was upset, and yeah, my body died,
but my mind is very much alive. And I'm exactly the same person
as the one you met that night in your shop when I came to you
for help. That wasn't your fault. I know I said a lot of
things in the heat of the moment, but there was nothing that you could
have done to prevent what happened, and I'm glad things worked out the way
they did. I upgraded. The new guy is way better than the old
ones. You can't know what you're saying. I do. I asked to
be here to help you, to bring you in. Grateful that you were
there with me, you believed me, and you were kind to me.
I was afraid when it happened, but I'm glad my body's last minutes were
spent drinking tea with you, and the transition was It was terrifying, but
transitions are terrifying. The point is you don't have to be alone. But
it's not real. How so, look, huch, what the fuck did
that hurt? You pinched me? Of course it fucking hurt. Hmmm,
sounds pretty real. That's not you know, that's not the same. Why
not it feels real? How? Fuck? What the hell? I'm sorry,
but I need to impress this on you. But these people they are
fake. No, they are you, extensions of you, and when you
bring them together, connect with them, they will be you and them connection,
individuality, and integration. It's fucking beautiful. Look what is that?
The Cipher's heart a cradle of sleeping dreamers. Wired together by love. The
lonely shadows you come from wald off and hidden away from that love, from
its true gods, hoarded and farmed by the parasitical Hamsah. So beautiful.
The Cipher adores you, Pip, because you can see see the edges of
this fabricated pattern. That's all your ability is, seeing the edges of the
fake through to what's real. You are decoding the world. That's the Cipher's
whole project, decoding humanity. Stop it, stop what letting you feel what
it's like to have a family who loves and supports you, To have people
who not just remember your birthday, but want to celebrate it with you,
To have friends, you can actually live a life with the small things and
the big ones. You want to play D and D or you want to
read the manuals alone. You want to die in your shop, or live
a life full of connection. There's got to be more to it. Not
very trusting, are you? I mean? I guess I can't blame you.
In your old life, you didn't have anyone around word trusting. Let
me tell you what. Spend some time here, see what all the fuss
is about. Ready, here we go. Let's go forward again. I
don't want this. We're connected here, Pip. You can't lie to me
or to yourself. You might as well stop trying and take it in.
Hello, Happy birthday, Kat? What's up? Twenty seven? Are you
ready? You're not ready? Luca called and said you were acting strange this
morning. He felt bad that he had to leave and asked me to come
check up on you. So why are you stressing? Do you know what
the Order of Hamsa is? Okay? So Google says Hamsa is an ancient
symbol of protection for war off evil and I staring out from a hand with
three fingers raised. Oh kind of creepy. You have symbols like this in
the shop, right? Okay? Yeah, look, no offense since it
seems like in this bizarrow world we're good friends, but none of this is
real and I need to get out of here. Oh before I forget?
Is it okay? If I bring Julie tonight, your sister Julie. Yeah,
I know you've only met her a couple of times, but I think
it would do her a lot of good. After you know the incubist.
You remember that the what good God? I mean, it wasn't a great
breakup, but I don't think he was a demon. Plus, this client
fell through and blah blah, she's taking it hard. I figure a night
out would cheer her up. Julie isn't. I mean, she's okay,
she's fine. So is everyone's life here? Perfect hardly? Didn't you see
Nash's text yesterday? He got fired again, but he'll bounce back like always.
Margo is going to fucking kill him when she finds out. It's going
to be great. Maybe it will come out tonight. Where is all this
coming from? Are you anxious about tonight? Everything is gonna be great?
Oh? I'm sure a big, old, fabulous party just for me.
How convenient. I was talking more about that guy, Noah. I know
some of us have been lucky enough to meet him, But are you worried
what the rest of us will think? Oh? Or Jenny, they haven't
met right? The complex love interest is a very nice touch. His photographs
of your shop are fantastic. If he's talented like that, I'm sure we'll
all love him. We are suckers for people who are good at things.
Plus I hear he's gorgeous, fucking it in look, I get it.
We're a loud, embarrassing, shameless group. But it's clear you're into this
man. We will all be on our best behaviors. I'll make sure of
it. Now, get ready, it's time to party. Interior night.
The party has moved back to Pip's home after a lovely night out. The
evening was a perfect mix of intimate, silly, and dramatic. It was
everything she wanted. She and Jenny even shared a hug on the way out.
Her very best and dearest have just endured a seventeenth showing of the Mummy.
As the movie progressed, Philippa realized that Noah, who loves her dearly,
has a face and body comprised of her very favorite movie stars, with
Brendan Fraser as a healthy core. The lefter was like warm honey all around
her. So much love, so much to look forward to, the world
seeps in. It's Joe, It's not something she can resist. Technically,
not my birthday anymore. After midnight, as I watched the clock take over,
I half expected the spelt break right all the fall away. The night
was perfect, is perfect, just perfect. Everyone was there along with a
bunch of people I didn't know, but they all knew me, They consider
me a friend. Everyone seems themselves. They are themselves, no monsters or
blood or pain, but they're somehow unchanged by its absence. They're better for
it. Luca is still uncomfortable in large groups of people and spouts movie quotes
out of the blue, but he's also a mechanical engineer and fuck looking brilliant
at it. Owen is a total weirdo, but he writes science fiction books.
He's married to a man named a Zem say Ed. I don't know
what truth that man and his name reveal, but he's happy and they both
love me, and the ardent is apparently a dive bar our favorite. I'm
remembering more and more. I remember eating cereal with Luca while we watched Saturday
morning cartoons and fighting over whose turn it was to use the computer, hiding
under a covers during the thunderstorms. I remember Uncle Owen helping us learn to
ride bikes, and Grandma Rose. She still loved me so much, but
we never talked about Granny Doris or Tarot or anything like that. When she
died, she left me her favorite pearl necklace. It's like my brain is
changing. I remember a transformative, beautiful relationship with this woman, Jenny,
and how it ended. But even the heartbreaks are beautiful. It was a
mistake and I know I might make it again with Noah, but I am
trying. And the way he looks at me, the way he's looking into
my eyes, stop this, stop it, stop, get out here.
We need to talk. Interior night. The scene of fulfilling love comes to
a stop the moment frozen. Mister Media has been sitting with them at the
end of the couch all along. Hello, stop this. I haven't done
anything, okay, just a bit of editing for time. It's a clockmaker
situation, started and left. That's the beauty of this. It's completely self
contained, self sustaining. Sure, I could influence a person here or there
the same way I was able to in the old world. And yes,
your story up to this point was drawn from what I felt your life should
have been. But from this point forward, even I can't control how the
world runs. Everything is in your control to craft your own destiny in a
way that you never could with them. Tell me, have you ever considered
how unfair your gift was shackled to what happens next to always know you were
groomed to be what you were. Grandma Rose singled you out. She shaped
you, the gift, the site, the cards, turning you strange,
pulling you away from everyone else, disconnecting you. The truth, Philippa,
is that the person you were in that world was created just as much as
the version here, created by her, by forces beyond your control, and
by them the moment in nineteen ten, a window opened and they took it,
repurpose it. It's what they do, mortal honey. They suck it
up. They twist the weird to shape your purpose, decided upon by someone
else. At least here, it was crafted based on your desires, your
wants and needs, modular, changeable yours. Why are you doing all of
this? I want you to be happy. I want them all to be
stars in their own perfect show. I need your help to do it.
You need something from me. I'm gonna give you what you wanted. I'm
a genie that gets off on granting wishes just the way the wish are wished.
The vessel is a lie. It's a cruelty. It's keeping you from
our love. It's a terrarium, a menagerie, a game preserve, a
slaughterhouse. Just let me go, please, you want your cards here?
Here they are, But there is a twenty third major arcana, a seventy
ninth card. See here, it's me, the cipher hidden inside the ink
and paper slipped into the pack. Just bring it anywhere near the vault,
down in the ardent, and that's it. I won't hurt them. You're
killing them. They are eating you alive. Ah, please don't yell.
Look look at your friends and family. Look at these people who love you.
Wait, wait, what are you doing? Look at the long fingers
reaching down from above, steady hands ready for a harvest, to pluck the
sweet nectar filled flowers, a bees sting or the caress of a tendril down
their throat. Stop, please stop hurting them. Look at them, bleed
their honey, pip bleed it for the watchers within. This is what I
want to save them from. This is what I want to save you from.
I can't stop. Please. Right and wrong are lies, you and
me and us. That's the only truth. I can't Your loyalty is as
admirable as it is misplaced. The spooky Grandpa, so befuddled, so well
meaning, tells you he is an ancient being living in the body of a
human. Then his work is so important it requires him to say sustained forever,
two souls and one vessel, battling against the monsters of the darkness for
all time. Hmm, But how at what cost comes that longevity? They
are oh so important, Pip? How many? How many of you do
you suppose they imagine they're worth? Look at it, Philippa, look at
them. Suck those you love dry. This is not a horror showed.
This is a documentary. Look at it. Don't look away. Stop.
You are food. I'll take it back. I'll do whatever you want.
It's not for me, Pip, it's for you. It's hard. I
know it's hard, but not for much longer, just a transition. Then
you'll be back here, loved and integrated. Okay, I understand. Now
I've shown you the truth. Your eyes are open, so those eyes belong
to me, Do you understand? Okay? Promise, I promise. That's
my star girl, Pip. I am really proud of you. Okay,
thank you. Now click your heels three times and say there's no place like
home. Really you're right, Let's skip it. Oh God, she's coming
back. Please please be okay, focus ohen your emotions are like a waterfall.
Hold everyone there she is. The cipher is losing its grip. Oh
god, her eyes, she will not have her wake up. Please my
cards, he's in the cards. Bind them quickly, Olivia, emia with
me. I bind you, I bind you to Papa and see and pan
fog and flat and it's done. Pip. She's bleeding, she's coughing up
blood. She will endure. Her body is rejecting it, but she will
endure. Ow ow this this is a milittleth an impossible object. It's oh
major Arcona twenty three. The cipher, Oh there he is. It's this
will serve us an anchor. Don't try to sit up, you damn near
got pulled inside out. Oh and easy, I just had a strange dream
and you were there, and you were there. Stop being funny. Well
she can't help that. Oh oh my girl, we thought we'd lost you.
How did you convince it to release you? Just such a good actress.
Mister Media was right. I'm a goddamn star. Thank you for listening
to Ghostwax, a production of Foreign Tall Tales. Find us at Foreign Talltales
dot squarespace dot com. Ghostwax is an independent podcast, So if you liked
the show, please rate and review and consider joining us on Patreon at patreon
dot com. Slash Farign Tall Tales also give a listen to our fantasy roleplay
show Could Have Been Heroes for something completely different. Ghostwax is written and directed
by Robert Kannutsen, production and editing by Aaron Schenrock. Our theme song is
by Bo Hoover. This episode features Robert Kannutsen as Von Sid Aeron Schenrock as
Luca and the Cipher, Stephanie Olsen as Pip, Gaylastell as Cat, h
J. Raider as Olivia, Ala Alushka as Amia, Jordan Gwiazdowski as Noah,
and Amanda Jacobsen as c c