So you've made it this far, far enough to get you through to the
end of our Yours truly series. Well, here's the capper, our final
entry, a poison pen letter we simply call Ambrose. This show is supported
by Spreaker Prime. When life and the world around us become too much to
bear, well, how many of us have fantasized about curling up in a
ball and just vanishing to that secret place that no one knows about. Oh
to have such powers, and oh for there to be such a place,
sweet sanctuary, lasting peace. But who is ever really ready to take such
a journey where there are too many unknowns and perhaps no way back. Fact,
Over one hundred years ago, the great American man of letters, Ambrose
Beers, mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. No fully satisfactory explanation
has ever been produced. All that remains is the work, perhaps the best
remembered his caustic and satiric Devil's Dictionary. Egotist noun a person of low taste
more interested in himself than me. Destiny noun a tyrant's authority for crime and
a fool's excuse for failure. Heaven a place where the wicked cease from troubling
you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good Listen with attention as
you expound upon your own immortality. Noun a toy which people cry for and
on their knees, apply for, dispute, contempt, and lie for,
and if allowed, would be right, proud, eternally to die for.
Oh I recognize who that is. Check it out. I am checking it
out, The Devil's Dictionary. Oh that's a very early edition. You've gotten
your dainty little hands. I'd say try first edition. No way, no
may I thanks? Wow, some minor foxing on these pages. But who's
complaining? Well, I guess I am shut up. Paul getting aside.
It's absolutely remarkable. What whoa whoaa? Is that what I think it?
Yep? Holy cow, he inscribed it. Ambrose Bears actually signed this copy.
This is major, Laura. In all my years, I've never seen
anything like this. Wait wait wait a minute, yes, wait, wait
a second. This is a gag of some kind of a gag. I
mean he dedicated this book to Laura. No, no, no, no,
no, Now that's too much of a coincidence. Your names are even
spelled the same l O. R A. Two, Laura with affection undefinable
weird. I wonder who this Laura is? Well? She was Beers's niece.
Oh oh, Laura Beers. So was the last person to ever hear
from Ambrose before he vanished. Wow, here read this, dear Laura.
I go away tomorrow for a long time. So this is only to say
goodbye. I think there is nothing else worth saying. Therefore you will naturally
expect a long letter. What an intolerable world this would be if we said
nothing but what is worth saying and did nothing foolish like going into Mexico and
South America. Goodbye. If you hear of my being stood up against a
Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think that a
pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age disease, or
falling down the cellar stairs to be a gringo in Mexico. Ah, that
is youth in Asia with love affectionately yours Ambrose, Very true to form.
Right, he had that saying what was it again, like his personal motto
or something? Nothing matters? That's right? Pretty cute. So that was
the last ye ever heard from him. No, No, not quite there
was one more missive postmark from Laredo, November sixth, nineteen fourteen. He
writes, I shall not be here long enough to hear from you, and
don't know where I shall be next. Guess it doesn't matter much. Audios
Ambrose, what a ray of sunshine? So tell me how much do you
pay for that book? Actually, don't tell me. Well, it was
all part of a bigger haul. I scooped up. It costs me.
Don't tell me, well, he just asks, don't, please, don't.
I don't want to know twenty dollars for and I hate you. Oh
well, that's the spirit. Now you're sounding like beers. So I not
only found this book, but I found some other items that I think will
be of great interest in the department. I have two laundry baskets full of
stuff I still have to go through. I hate to burst your bubble,
but I don't think anything in those bins is going to top that inscribed first
edition Laura, Maybe where did you find this stuff? A flea market antique
store? Nope, you won't believe it. What. Okay, my washing
machine is on the fritz, so I had to haul my dirty clothes to
the laundromatch. Oh, they're renovating the laundromat, and I'm trying to tell
you. Go on. They knocked down a wall to expand the place,
and we found this so much crap in there. It costs us enough to
have these guys come in and take those hammers to that cheer rock and all.
Now we're gonna have to figure out how we're gonna get rid of all
that crap in there. All that stuff in there? Do you mean crap?
It's more than those boys signed up for. I hope it don't cost
ter. Please, Mister Hovick was my father's name. It was a real
idiot, So you just call me Herb, all right, Her. I
mean, we're just a small business trying to expand, and this happens crap.
Well, actually, I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I took a
look in there. Now, why would you want to do that? Nothing
but crap in there? Honey? Oh, well, you're probably right,
But believe me, I took a good look, and I know crap when
I see it, it's crap, all right. I think she gets the
point loud, Oh does she know? Well, you know, I just
can't help it. It's my nature. I'm intrigued. I'm a historian,
and I can't help but notice that this happens to be quite an old building.
Hundred and fifty year old crap is still crap. Write her, So
you're a professor or something like that. Yeah, that's right, Ohio State.
Alrighty, then go buck eys. Well, here's my business card.
If you find anything else interesting, I'll just call the number there. I'll
take that. I handle all the contact stuff. Get me that herb All
right, calm down. So you still want to go in there ain't nothing
but crap in there. You know, well, you know you are probably
right, but I still wouldn't mind taking a peek. I don't know if
you fell and hurt yourself chipping over any of that crap. Last thing we
need is a lawsuit. I promise. I'll be careful. Are you sure
now, Lilaly, get the nice lady a flashlight? Oh you must mean
the one with the dead batteries inside. That's all right, I'll use my
phone flashlight. Please be careful, all right, watch your step now.
Oh I'm okay. I'll just climb over. Don't worry about me. I've
seen much worse clutter and less than this. This was a mistake. I
tell you, some people just need to learn the hard herb. Lili Lee,
what is it? Do you have a laundry bin or a basket you
could loan me? Oh my, I wonder what exactly Laura found in that
laundromat. Well, after this brief word, you shall wonder no longer.
Now back to Ambrose. Good god, Paul, please be a little gentler
with that stuff. I'm a gentle guy. Or don't you remember that was
a long time ago. We're over that, remember if you say so?
Do you think there's more in that laundromat? This is unbelievable? Maybe these
photographs of beers? Wow, absolutely amazing. I know, geez, who's
going to sort and catalog all this stuff? Well? Why do you think
I called you over? That's rich? Have you called your publisher yet?
I think there might be a book here. Will be the first to know
if you play your cards right, you want access to my literary cred and
pedigree. And that's how you threaten me. When do we get started?
Imagine if imagine if there's something revelatory here, Yeah, I mean truly revelatory.
A clue, maybe a definitive one, one that will tell us what
actually happened to beers. I saw a bottle of wine in your fridge.
Not that I like white so much. I'm gentle, but not that gentle.
But I'll trick it if you will. An early celebration of sorts and
no, not ready to celebrate yet, Paul, God, there's much to
do. Will you focus? So everything you took out of there, it's
it's all beer stuff. How why that's what I'm still trying to figure out?
Herb and Lila Lee at the laundrett won't much help. Well, you
gave him twenty dollars for all this. Well, they almost paid me for
clearing it out. What's this? Appears to be a manuscript? Duh?
But of what though it's hard to read his handwriting. If indeed this is
his handwriting, I'm confident it is. Well, it looks like one of
his short stories. Don't tell me it's a currence at owl Creek Bridge.
No, No, it's something else. I recognize it. I've seen this
in print. It's still something of an obscurity. It's called science to the
front. Science to the front. You know, it's strange. Paul Beer
disappeared all those years ago without a trace. But did you know he sort
of had a thing about unexplained disappearances, and he wrote some bits of fiction
about people vanishing into thin air. Well, at least that's how I read
them, you know, as fiction. What do you mean? Just listen
to this in connection with this subject of mysterious disappearance, of which every memory
is stored with abundant example, it is pertinent to note the belief of doctor
Hem of Leipsig, not by way of explanation, unless the reader may choose
to take it. So this is new to me. Doctor Hem believes that
in the visible world there are void places, vacua and something more, holes,
as it were, to which animate and inanimate objects may fall into the
invisible world and be seen and heard no more. I'm not sure I understand
beers may have genuinely believed that ordinary people like you or me could suddenly fall
into a vacua and land and perhaps another dimension. Laura, you sell like
you should get a fitting for a tinfoil hat. I'm not saying that I
subscribe to it. It's it's just wow, so many letters in here,
they all they all seem to be addressed to Laura. That laundro mat you
found this stuff in? Let me hazard A guess that was once Laura's residence,
wasn't it. The laundro mat happens to be on Windsor Avenue, the
same street she lived on. So so what's wrong, Laura? Oh it's
too strange? What? Oh this letter? What does it say? Dear
Laura? Everything you ever thought you understood is a sheepless illusion. Nothing truly
dies, Everything repeats. The time at long last will come when you and
I will reunite. The golden will shine, and it is there you will
find me. When the walls come down, it will it will all come
out in the wash. Okay, I think that's enough weirdness for me today.
Oh I feel hey, I feel hey, hey, hey, are
you all right? I feel so strange? Maybe you should sit down for
a moment here. No, Laura, please, I said no, But
you don't look so good. I'm all right. I don't buy it.
Oh did you ever feel like, for a brief moment your soul left your
body? What what it was like? I was somewhere else for a minute,
there with someone else, with who and it wasn't so bad? Oh
uh um, yes, yes, what hold on, I'll be right over.
Just wait for me, okay, okay, bye, uh do me
a favor. Stay here, paul um start taking some preliminary notes and I
been sorting through everything. Can you do that for me? Where are you
going? I'll be right back. Um, I'm okay now, I promise
you know you're a terrible liar. Law I'll be fine. I'm going with
you. No you're not. Just stay put, please, Laura. Life
now a spiritual pickle, preserving the body from decay. We live in daily
apprehension of its loss. Yet when lost, it is not miss Lila Lee,
Mila, Oh, it's you come here please. Life's not worth living.
And that's the truth, Mila Lee. What is happening? We were
just about to close and carelessly caroled the golden music. It's okay, it's
okay, I don't think so what happened? And man know that he still
maintained that view it's herb? What about herb? And held it more strongly
the older he grew. He went in there, that place, and he
when kicked by a jacket us at eighty three, go fetch me a surgeon
at once cried he he vanished? What just happened? Laura Ambrose? Laura,
everything you ever thought you understood is a shapeless illusion, Ambrose. Nothing
truly dies, Everything repeats, nothing matters. Yes, in the visible world
there are avoid places, vacuo holes through which animate and inanimate objects may fall
into the invisible world and be seen and heard. No more. I fell
into such a void. Yes, yes, so very long ago you found
my void at long last, here in this place. I knew someday you
would. Yes, now you and I shall for you night, come,
come to the light you see before you. Now, I'm afraid, am
Rose. Don't be afraid. I don't know if this is good or bad,
right or wrong. Neither do I. But I do know one thing.
You'll never be content not knowing. I must know. Yes, you
are a seeker like me. But am I a seeker or just a moth
drawn to a flame? What does it matter? Nothing matters, just you
and me. Take my hand. Good, what's going to happen? Don't
worry? It will all come out in the wah. Oh, oh my
god, they're gone. Fact. Laura Beers, the niece of Ambrose Bears,
received the last known letter from her uncle on November sixth, nineteen fourteen.
To this day, no one knows what happened to Ambrose Beers. It
remains one of the greatest missing persons cases of all time. It is interesting
to note that there are four known short stories Beers published between eighteen eighty eight
and nineteen o nine, all having to do with people vanishing into thin air,
the difficulty of crossing a field, an unfinished race, Charles Ashmore's Trail,
and Science to the Front, excerpts of which were featured in the story
You Just Heard and That was Ambrose. The cast featured in this episode include
James Reeser as Ambrose Beers, Eric Daviy Gislison as Paul, Alan La Forest
as Herb Povic, Casey La Forest as Lila Lee Povic, and the part
of Laura was played by me Ali Silva. Ambrose was written by Sylvan Sandovar
and directed by Casey la Forest. Casey la Forest also took the lead on
post production and sound design for this episode, with audio engineering and musical scoring
by Wayne Silva at the Ice Plant Studio in Long Island City, New York.
Fireside Mystery Theater is produced by Gustavo Rodriguez and me Ali Silva for Fireside
Mystery Productions. The intro music for this series was composed by Niko Slater,
Liz Liza Casey, Leforest, Mary Murphy and I comprise the Coven of Witches
that gets Things done, and Jason Graves composed our theme music. I don't
know if we say it enough, but we are beyond grateful for all of
our Patreon patrons who have stuck with us during what has been a pretty tumultuous
and difficult past few years. Jennifer Vecky is the latest superstar patron who deserves
all the shout outs and songs of praises sung from the highest of hilltops.
However, since I am not a singer, Jennifer, I will just give
you my most sincere thanks and the deepest of gratitude from all of our cold,
dark hearts here at Fireside Mystery Theater. Coming up next from Fireside Mystery
Theater, she foretold of a day when you would want, nay need her
to come back into your lives, and now, dear friends, that day
is drawing nigh. Our resident psychic Anita will be back in a new series
that is sure to amaze and astound. It's always nice to get mail.
Oh, I mean, unless they're bills or random offers for car loans and
you don't even have a car. But before you break the seal of that
envelope, do remember, my friends, to mind the shadows.