Speaker 1: It's how to Kill Piano. My name is George Tait.
Speaker 1: Welcome back, Welcome back. It's been about a week. Last
Speaker 1: we left our story. Screwtius was in his mausoleum, put
Speaker 1: in the final touches on the puppet for the evening's seance.
Speaker 1: He was visited by Cordiva. Some arguments ensued, some threats.
Speaker 1: If you don't remember, go back and listen to the episode.
Speaker 1: It's the one right before this. Without further ado, here's
Speaker 1: chapter twenty six the seance. As approached the cemetery, I
Speaker 1: could see nothing but candle it tombstones, hear the subtle
Speaker 1: sound of an accordion floating through the mists of the gate.
Speaker 1: As I made my way down the winding path to
Speaker 1: where everyone had started to gather, it seemed like my
Speaker 1: whole world was present. Sarah was there, Sharon, even mister
Speaker 1: Saprophecus enter Fry made an appearance in fish bowls meticulously
Speaker 1: balanced atop various stone slabs. The candlelight amplified through each
Speaker 1: water tank, lighting the cemetery grounds. As I looked around
Speaker 1: the unexpectedly crowded cemetery, there were many faces I hadn't
Speaker 1: seen before. I wasn't sure if they were demons, Athenasians, humans,
Speaker 1: or something else. Entirely, I did know that most of
Speaker 1: us knew that a seance couldn't really contact the dead,
Speaker 1: and that we were all still here for Charlie, even
Speaker 1: if we were a group of mostly non believers. None
Speaker 1: of us expected to see Charlie tonight. Funerals were for
Speaker 1: the living, after all, and this one didn't have a
Speaker 1: body to mourn, so Scrutinous's seance seemed fitting. Huxley began
Speaker 1: hitting the keys of the piano, and soon the other
Speaker 1: intervals joined in with a full orchestral arrangement of dark
Speaker 1: carnival melodies. The circus had come to town on all
Speaker 1: hollows eve, and I was here to chase them out.
Speaker 1: Scruteous emerged suddenly from the doors of the mausoleum, sporting
Speaker 1: a faded, red striped suit and a straw hat, looking
Speaker 1: like a Victorian carnival barker. The intervals cheered him on
Speaker 1: from the sidelines. He held a bamboo cane in his
Speaker 1: left hand high above his head, jabbing it into the
Speaker 1: air as he barked loudly, summoning us to come closer.
Speaker 1: Step right up, Ladies and gentlemen, Others and others, Sisters
Speaker 1: and sisters, ghouls and fools. Gather round, Gather round for
Speaker 1: a spectacle like no other. Tonight, under the shimmering darkness
Speaker 1: of the new moon, we're about to embark on a
Speaker 1: journey beyond the veil of the living, into the mysterious
Speaker 1: realm of the unknown. That's right, folks, were summoning none
Speaker 1: other than the infamous Charlie Sopheric for the great beyond.
Speaker 1: The crowds seemed hung on Scrutinous's every word. He leaned
Speaker 1: in closer, and, while speaking with a quieter voice, forced
Speaker 1: us to lean in closer as he continued, Now, my friends,
Speaker 1: I must remind you all that what you're about to
Speaker 1: witness is not for the faint of heart. No, no, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: Scruteous cackled. Tonight, we're delving into the supernatural, the mystical,
Speaker 1: the unexplained. But fear not, for you are in the
Speaker 1: most capable hands of yours, truly, the one, the only,
Speaker 1: Evangeline Eloise Scrutious, your master of ceremonies. I heard absent
Speaker 1: snicker through the darkness, but I didn't see him amongst
Speaker 1: those present, Scrutius tipped his hat, and the crowd erupted
Speaker 1: in applause. They had all known each other for so long,
Speaker 1: it was as if they all momentarily forgot what an
Speaker 1: evil piece of shit Scrutious was. But before we begin,
Speaker 1: Scrutius continued tapping his fingers of his palm hands together.
Speaker 1: Let us create an aura of mysticism. I know there
Speaker 1: are many among you who don't believe in this hogwatch,
Speaker 1: rightfully so, but I urge you to close your eyes,
Speaker 1: take a deep breath, and let the energy of this
Speaker 1: very carnival of delight course through your veins. Feel the
Speaker 1: pulsating rhythm of the music, the enchanting aroma of the
Speaker 1: cemetery's treats, and the electric buzz of excitement in the air.
Speaker 1: We are almost ready to make contact with the Great
Speaker 1: Charlie Severic, So take your seats. Take your seats. As
Speaker 1: the last attendee found their chair, as if on cue,
Speaker 1: the candle lights around us dimmed as a suddenlight rain
Speaker 1: came down from above that extinguished nearly every single candle,
Speaker 1: with the exception of one. It sat front and center
Speaker 1: on an unusually sized ornate hexagonal table, that was filled
Speaker 1: with various artifacts, next to a large spherical object that
Speaker 1: remained concealed under a decorative cloth. The flame cast eerie
Speaker 1: shadows in Scrutius's face as it began to grow and
Speaker 1: shrink and sink with the baseline of the interval's tuba.
Speaker 1: I ask all of you to join hands now and
Speaker 1: create a circle of energy with me, Scrutious commanded. He
Speaker 1: was the master of the arcane, a maestro of the mysterious.
Speaker 1: He willingly gave up eternal everything and chose to forget
Speaker 1: all of us. So tonight we may aim to connect
Speaker 1: with his very essence, or whatever's left of it, survived
Speaker 1: by his nephew George, his long lost love Sarah Swathy,
Speaker 1: his smattering of friends and conquests, his nays, and thems.
Speaker 1: Look around you, the list is long. You get the idea.
Speaker 1: Scrutius uncovered a large crystal ball the size of a
Speaker 1: watermelon and gazed deeply into it. To be honest, it
Speaker 1: resembled more of an overturned fish bowl than a crystal ball,
Speaker 1: much like those the Soprophagus family occupied throughout the audience.
Speaker 1: Alongside the ball were a couple of slate blackboards that
Speaker 1: had been washed clean, a stick of chalk, a crystal
Speaker 1: goblet attached to the stick by way of a long string,
Speaker 1: A long, slendered, horn shaped tube of thin metal covered
Speaker 1: in ornate engravings that Screwtius called trumpet. To me, it
Speaker 1: looked more like a megaphone sitting amongst other various tools
Speaker 1: of the trade. Scrutius's voice continued to grate through the
Speaker 1: darkness as he picked up the slate blackboards. He carefully
Speaker 1: wiped them clean and placed the blank surfaces together. I
Speaker 1: call upon the spirits of the beyond, those who dwell
Speaker 1: in the ethereal realm, to guide us in our quest
Speaker 1: to communicate with Charlie Sepharic. He lifted the stick tied
Speaker 1: to the glass and let the crystal goblet dangle. Sperrits,
Speaker 1: if you're here and willing to commune with us tonight,
Speaker 1: show us a sign. Tap the side of the crystal
Speaker 1: goblet and make it sing. Scrape the chalk across the slates,
Speaker 1: whisper your wisdom through our trumpet of triumph. Reveal your presence. Now.
Speaker 1: A soft breeze rustled through the attendees. Do you feel that,
Speaker 1: my friends, the spirits are restless tonight. In that moment,
Speaker 1: the crystal glass began to sway gently, almost imperceptibly, on
Speaker 1: the end of the stick. It seemed as though an
Speaker 1: invisible hand was caressing it, urging it to move. The
Speaker 1: participant's eyes widened and a collective gasp escaped their lips
Speaker 1: as the glass slowly began to circle, first swinging back
Speaker 1: and forth, then left and right, until it started to
Speaker 1: circle on the end of the string. The circles were
Speaker 1: small at first, then grew larger and larger. It appears
Speaker 1: as if we've made contact with the other side. Let
Speaker 1: us focus our minds on the one we seek. Let
Speaker 1: us raise our voices and call him together. Repeat after me,
Speaker 1: Charlie Sepharic, we summon THEE. The crowd began to chant,
Speaker 1: over and over, Charlie Sepheric, We summoned THEE. Charlie Sepheric,
Speaker 1: We summoned THEE. Charlie Sepharic, We summon THEE. Our collective
Speaker 1: voices grew louder and louder with each chant, the glass
Speaker 1: circling at the end of the string, building momentum alongside
Speaker 1: our voices. The pendulum like motion of the crystal glass
Speaker 1: grew more pronounced, each swing, becoming more and more deliberate
Speaker 1: and purposeful. It danced gracefully in the air. It was
Speaker 1: as if an unseen force had taken hold of it,
Speaker 1: guiding its movements. Missus soprophagus and re Fright at her best,
Speaker 1: but could barely muster out a sound through their watery sarcophagus.
Speaker 1: Suddenly the glass lost all momentum and stood still. In
Speaker 1: the moment, the crowd fell silent, the intervals stopped playing.
Speaker 1: All focus was on the crystal goblet that caught the
Speaker 1: light of the candle as it stayed suspended by a
Speaker 1: single thread at the end of Scrudius's Wand as moments passed,
Speaker 1: the tension on the cemetery grounds grew palpal. Scrudious, in
Speaker 1: deep concentration, began to chant in a low, melodious voice,
Speaker 1: calling upon the spirits of beyond to make their presence known.
Speaker 1: His words were like a haunting melody, a siren's, called
Speaker 1: the otherworldly. I bind the shadows with the serpent's embrace,
Speaker 1: unravel the ties of life and death, open the gate
Speaker 1: between the stars and the earth. I invoke the spirit
Speaker 1: of Charlie Sepharic Here my plea, here, my plea. Then,
Speaker 1: as if in response to Scrutius's command, the glass rang
Speaker 1: out like a bell. Its melodious tone cut through the silence.
Speaker 1: The participants sat in awe, their eyes fixed on the
Speaker 1: crystal glass as it sang. It was a moment of
Speaker 1: profound connection with the spirit realm, one that seemed to
Speaker 1: confirm that a portal was opened to the beyond Excreteus
Speaker 1: closed his eyes and spoke softly. His voice carried a
Speaker 1: note of reverence. We made contact, my friends. The spirits
Speaker 1: are here with us tonight, and they have answered our call.
Speaker 1: Part of me wanted to believe it was Charlie ringing
Speaker 1: that glass. Part of me wanted to believe that Charlie
Speaker 1: wasn't gone. But a larger part of me knew that
Speaker 1: communication between the living and dead was impossible. Charlie taught
Speaker 1: me that these were likely simple magician's tricks. Once we're gone,
Speaker 1: truly all the way gone, the dead are lost to time,
Speaker 1: and that all that remains are her stories. I started
Speaker 1: to become restless in my chair. Sarah placed a hand
Speaker 1: on my shoulder from behind to comfort me. She leaned
Speaker 1: forward and whispered, George, stay seated. This will all be
Speaker 1: over soon. Behind the scenes, absence sat beneath the seands table.
Speaker 1: A faint glow began to surround the crystal ball as
Speaker 1: it filled with smoke. The spirit trumpet began to lift
Speaker 1: and vibrate from the table as the glass continued to sway.
Speaker 1: E Scrurteous didn't misbeat his voice shook. Ah, it's working,
Speaker 1: my friends. The veil between all our world and the
Speaker 1: afterlife is thinning, and the connection grows stronger. Charlie Sepharic,
Speaker 1: we beseech you grace us with your presence now, Scutious commanded.
Speaker 1: A spectral figure began to appear to materialize within the globe. Ah,
Speaker 1: the old ladies and gentlemen, the Great Charlie Sepharic emerges
Speaker 1: from the great beyond. Screutious commanded. At the darkness. Entire
Speaker 1: table wobbled as if there was something or some one's
Speaker 1: underneath it. As the smoke began to dissipate, the clear
Speaker 1: image of a face emerged beneath the fog. It certainly
Speaker 1: resembled Uncle Charley, with half oval framed glasses and a
Speaker 1: long face, but his eyes were off. They were black
Speaker 1: instead of gray. His skin wasn't as pale as I
Speaker 1: usually found it, and his hair was longer. It was
Speaker 1: a strange length. It spoke like Charlie, but it couldn't
Speaker 1: be my uncle Charley. Scutious continued, Charlie, can you hear us?
Speaker 1: Can you see us? Speak to us from the realm
Speaker 1: of the unknown. The ghostly figure in the globe opened
Speaker 1: its mouth and Uncle Charley's voice came through. I hear
Speaker 1: your call, dear friends. I have journeyed from the beyond
Speaker 1: to commune with the living. What do you seek, mortal souls?
Speaker 1: What do you seek? Friends? I mumbled under my breath.
Speaker 1: Scurtious continued, Friends, I mumbled under my breath. Scutious continued.
Speaker 1: We seek your wisdom, Charlie, with us, your arkane knowledge,
Speaker 1: your secrets of the supernatural, and guide us on this
Speaker 1: mystical night. The form inside the ball began to move.
Speaker 1: The sound was muffled by the walls of the fishbowl,
Speaker 1: and all of the speech was indecipherable. Scrutinous glanced nervously
Speaker 1: down at the table. With quick thinking absinthe reached up
Speaker 1: into the form from beneath the table and broke the
Speaker 1: seal of the mouth of the glass, witching a thin
Speaker 1: stick between it and the table's surface, allowing the sound
Speaker 1: to break the barrier. Charlie's voice came through loud and clear.
Speaker 1: Uncle Charlie's voice came through loud and clear. Hey, Hey, everyone,
Speaker 1: where the fortunate one's destined? For morality? For our departure
Speaker 1: is a testament to having a living today. Consider this,
Speaker 1: Countless potential lives will never experience the gift of existence. Therefore,
Speaker 1: regardless of my circumstances or your current circumstances, whether whether
Speaker 1: you're facing illness, grappling diversity, or enduring challenges, remember we
Speaker 1: are all alive. Sees every opportunity to enhale the fragrance
Speaker 1: of the flowers, savor the hues of sunsets and sunrises,
Speaker 1: and marvel at the majestic sky. Celebrate this extraordinary thing
Speaker 1: called life flight or in essence, we've all won the lottery.
Speaker 1: I know not where I am or where I'm going
Speaker 1: going when I miss you all. Thank you, Thank you
Speaker 1: for allowing me into your lives while protecting me while
Speaker 1: I was a part of it. I'm sorry, I believe
Speaker 1: you so. See the sport, Sometimes the choices aren't our own.
Speaker 1: Sometimes the choices aren't our own, and well, we can
Speaker 1: battle and delay the inevitable. It's our choices that will
Speaker 1: cost us ultimately and eventually the bill that becomes due.
Speaker 1: I know it may be difficult to understand, but I
Speaker 1: love you and love you. I'm protecting you, and eventually
Speaker 1: we'll be together again and we'll get to say goodbye
Speaker 1: and bye. Now, now it's not that time, and time
Speaker 1: the ball began to swirl again, with smoke obscuring the
Speaker 1: form inside the ball. The spirit trumpet once again started
Speaker 1: to float up from the table and hovered right in
Speaker 1: front of my face so only I could hear. It
Speaker 1: was Charlie's voice speaking directly to me. I love you,
Speaker 1: Smart sport more