Speaker 1: Calorogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Ghost Scary Stories.
This episode is titled Halloween Inheritance, Part two, Shadows from
the Past.
Speaker 2: The pale light of dawn crept through the grimy windows
of the Victorian mansion, finding Emily curled up in an
antique armchair, the Grimoire clutched tightly to her chest. She
jolted awake, her heart racing as the memories of the
previous night came flooding back. The air felt heavy, laden
with an unseen presence that made her skin crawl. For
a moment, she allowed herself to hope it had all
been a dream, the ghost of her great aunt, the
terrifying rift, the other worldly creatures. But the weight of
the book in her arms and the faint, unsettling whispers
echoing through the old house quickly dispelled that notion. Okay, Emily,
she muttered to herself, running a hand through her tangled hair,
You've got one month to learn magic and save a
bunch of trapped souls. No pressure. As if in response,
a cold breeze rustled the pages of the Grimoire. Emily
looked down to see words forming on the previously blank paper.
The letters seeming to bleed onto the page. The path
of power is paved with sacrifice. Are you willing to
pay the price? Emily slammed the book, shut, her mind
reeling what kind of sacrifice and more importantly, did she
have a choice. A loud crash from downstairs interrupted her thoughts.
Emily froze, listening intently. It could be just the house settling,
or another crash, followed by the sound of breaking glass
and an inhuman growl that made her blood run cold.
Someone or something was in the house. Heart pounding, Emily
crept down the stairs, grimoire in hand. The old wood
creaked beneath her feet, each sound seemingly amplified in the
tense silence. Shadows danced at the corners of her vision,
always disappearing when she tried to focus on them. As
she reached the bottom, a figure darted across the foyer,
disappearing into the shadows of the parlor. Hello, Emily called out,
her voice wavering, I I'm warning you, I'm armed. It
wasn't exactly a lie. She did have a book of spells.
Whether she could use any of them was another matter entirely.
A chuckle emanated from the darkness, low and gravelly, like
stones grinding together armed. Oh, my dear, you don't even
know the meaning of the word. The figure stepped into
the light, and Emily recoiled in horror. It was a man,
or what remained of one. His skin was a sickly gray,
stretched taut over protruding bones. Inky black veins pulsed beneath
the surface, as if darkness itself flowed through them. His eyes,
sunken deep into their sockets, glowed with an eerie blue
light that seemed to pierce Emily's very soul. But it
was his smile that truly terrified her. As his lips parted,
Emily saw rows of razor sharp teeth, blackened and dripping
with a viscous, dark fluid that sizzled when it hit
the floor. Who what are you? Emily stammered, fighting the
urge to scream. The creature's grin widened impossibly. I am
Thaddeus Blackwood, your great gray grandfather, and I'm here to
welcome you to the family business. His voice was like
gravel being crushed, each word sending shivers down Emily's spine.
Emily's mind raced another relative she'd never heard of and
clearly not one who had her best interests at heart.
Family business. You mean witchcraft, Thaddeus laughed, the sound like
breaking glass. Witchcraft, such a quaint term. We deal in power, girl,
raw unbridled power that bends reality to our will. Your
aunt was a fool, trying to contain it, to use
it for good. He spat the last word, like a curse,
the saliva burning a hole in the carpet. But you,
he continued, his eyes gleaming with malevolence. You have potential.
I can sense it. The question is will you embrace
your heritage or will you cower in fear like dear Agatha.
As Thaddias spoke, the shadows around him began to writhe
and twist, taking on monstrous shapes. Tendrils of darkness shot
out towards Emily, their tips forming into clawed hands that
grasped at her clothes and skin. Where they touched, Emily
felt an icy burn, as if the shadows were trying
to seep into her very being. Emily screamed frantically, flipping
through the grimoire. The shadow hands clawed at her arms,
leaving trails of frost bitten skin in their wake. In desperation.
She began to recite the first spell. Her eyes landed
on by light of day and shadows veil. I command
thee Specter to unveil. A blinding flash erupted from the book,
accompanied by a thunderous crack that shook the entire house.
The light seared Emily's eyes, and she felt a surge
of power course through her body, raw and overwhelming. For
a moment, she feared she might be torn apart by
the sheer force of the magic. When her vision cleared,
Thaddeus was gone. In his place was a scorch mark
on the hardwood floor. The wood warped and twisted into
a grotesque face, frozen in a silent scream. For a moment,
silence reigned, Then slow applause echoed through the room. Emily
whirled to see aunt Agatha's ghost materializing near the fireplace,
her form flickering like a candle in the wind. Well done, child, Agatha,
said a hint of pride in her spectral voice. You're
learning faster than I expected. But banishing Thaddeus is only
the beginning. He'll be back, and he's not the only
one who seeks to use you for their own ends.
Emily sank to the floor, her legs suddenly weak. I
don't understand any of this. Why me, why now? Agatha's
form flickered, her expression grave, Because, my dear, you are
the key. The Blackwood bloodline has always been powerful, but you,
you have the potential to tip the balance between our
world and the realms beyond, and there are forces on
both sides who would use that power for their own purposes.
What am I supposed to do? Emily asked, feeling overwhelmed
learn Agatha replied, simply study the Grimoire, master its secrets,
and above all, be careful who you trust. Not all
family as family, and not all monsters wear monstrous faces.
With those cryptic words, Agatha faded away, leaving Emily alone
once more. As Agatha disappeared, Emily felt a wave of
nausea hit her. She stumbled to a nearby mirror and
gasped at her reflection. Her eyes, normally a soft brown,
now swirled with flecks of gold, pulsing in time with
her racing heart. More disturbingly, faint black lines had begun
to spider web across her skin, where the shadow hands
had touched her. Emily watched in horror. As the lines
slowly faded, but the memory of them and the icy
burn they left behind remained. She realized with growing dread
that each use of magic might be leaving its mark
on her, changing her in ways she couldn't yet comprehend.
She looked down at the grimoire, its pages now filled
with spells and incantations that seemed to call out to her.
She took a deep breath, stealing herself for what was
to come. One's spell had been enough to banish a
powerful spirit, what else was she capable of? And more importantly,
how would she know if she was using her new
found powers for good or unwittingly playing into the hands
of those who sought to manipulate her. As the Grandfather
clock chimed nine, its sound unnaturally deep and resonant, Emily
realized she had twenty three days left until Halloween, twenty
three days to master magic, uncover her family's dark secrets,
and prepare for a confrontation with forces beyond her imagination.
With renewed purpose, Emily began to explore the mansion, searching
for clues about her family's history. In the study, she
found a collection of old photographs, one in particular, caught
her eye. A sepia toned image of a man who
looked remarkably like Thaddeus standing next to a woman who
bore a striking resemblance to Emily herself. As she touched
the photograph, a jolt of energy surged through her. The
room twisted and warped around her, reality seeming to tear
at the seams. When her vision cleared, Emily found herself
in a nightmarish version of the study. The walls oozed
a black tar like substance that whispered in voices too
faint to understand. The woman from the photograph, Amelia, stood
in the center of the room, her face contorted in anguish. Thaddeus, please,
she pleaded to an unseen figure. The power it's consuming you.
From the shadows, Thaddeus emerged, but he was different. Half
of his face was the handsome man from the photo,
the other half the monstrous creature Emily had encountered. As
he spoke, his face shifted between the two visages, a
horrifying dance of man and monster. Consume me, No, my
dear Amelia, It's liberating me. Thaddeus laughed, the sound echoing
unnaturally with the grimoire, I'll transcend humanity itself. Amelia reached
out to him, but as their hands touched her, flesh
began to wither and blacken. She screamed, the sound cutting
off abruptly as the vision shattered around Emily. Emily stumbled
back to reality. Gasping for air. She steadied herself against
a nearby desk, her mind reeling from what she'd seen.
As she leaned on the desk, her hand brushed against
a hidden lever. With a soft click, a secret compartment
sprang open. Inside was a letter, the paper yellowed with age.
Emily unfolded it with trembling hands and began to read.
My dearest Emily, if you're reading this, then the mantle
has passed to you. I'm sorry for the I've placed
upon your shoulders, but you are our last hope. The
power that runs through our bloodline is both a gift
and a curse. Thaddeus sought to use it for his
own gain, and it corrupted him, turning him into the
monster you've no doubt encountered. I've spent my life trying
to contain the damage he caused to right his wrongs,
but I fear I've only delayed the inevitable. The barrier
between worlds grows thin, and dark forces gather. You, my dear,
have the potential to either save us all or doom
us to darkness. Trust in yourself, Emily, the Grimoire will
guide you, But remember magic always comes with a price.
Choose wisely, for the fate of not just our family,
but of all realms rests in your hands. With all
my love and faith, your great aunt, Agatha, Emily clutched
the letter to her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
The weight of her inheritance suddenly felt heavier than ever.
She was no longer just Emily, the ordinary girl thrust
into extraordinary circumstances. She was the culmination of generations of magic,
the lynchpin in a cosmic battle she was only beginning
to understand. As if sensing her turmoil, the Grimoire began
to glow softly. Emily opened it, finding a page she
hadn't noticed before. It contained a spell for protection, one
that would shield the house from malevolent spirits, at least temporarily.
Taking a deep breath, Emily began to recite the incantation.
As the words left her lips, she felt power surge
through her, raw and intoxicating The air around her crackled
with energy, and for a moment she caught a glimpse
of shimmering barriers forming around the mansion's perimeter. When the
spell was complete, Emily slumped to the floor, exhausted but exhilarated.
She had done it, her first intentional complex spell. The
house was safe for now, but as her eyes drifted closed,
Emily couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.
The true test of her abilities and her character was
yet to come in the war between light and shadow.
Where would she stand and more importantly, would she be
strong enough to face the challenges that lay ahead. As
sleep claimed her, Emily's dreams were a kaleidoscope of horror.
She saw herself standing atop a mountain of bones, the
grimoire pulsing in her hands like a living heart. Waves
of darkness radiated from her, consuming everything they touched. In
the distance, a chorus of inhuman voices chanted her name,
beckoning her towards a destiny too terrifying to comprehend. In
the dark corners of the mansion, unseen by the sleeping Emily,
shadows stirred eyes blinked open in the walls, watching, waiting,
and deep within the foundations of the house, something ancient
and malevolent began to awaken, drawn by the scent of
awakening power. The clock was ticking and Halloween loomed on
the horizon, But for Emily Blackwood, the true horror was
just beginning.
Speaker 1: Ghost is a Calorogus Shark Media production, written and hosted
by Alexander Ian McIntyre, produced by Mark Francis. Executive producers
Mark Francis and John McDermott. Portions of this podcast may
have been created with the assistance of AI.
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