Speaker 1: Welcome to Endo the night. I'm Narri your guide on
Speaker 1: today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
Speaker 1: get lost, be it dark or light, It's easy to
Speaker 1: lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin a
Speaker 1: loss for words. She stared out the window of her
Speaker 1: second story writing nook, watching the leaves flutter and twist
Speaker 1: in the breeze. Lately, Ellerly Langston caught herself reminiscing about
Speaker 1: days past and the winding path she'd taken to where
Speaker 1: she was today. Her third grade teacher sparked Ellery's desire
Speaker 1: to become an author. The assignment had been simple. Class today,
Speaker 1: we're going to use our imaginations. Get out your pencils
Speaker 1: and notebooks. We're going to write stories about a far
Speaker 1: off land. You can make it be whatever you'd like
Speaker 1: it to be. We'll work on our stories over the
Speaker 1: next hour or so, and the best ones I will
Speaker 1: display in the hallway for everyone to enjoy. Amanda Beardsley
Speaker 1: near the end of her tenth year of teaching third
Speaker 1: grade at Joseph B. Wellington Elementary, she realized most students
Speaker 1: would turn in bland stories that poorly mimicked the tales
Speaker 1: they'd read in the literature book. She'd taught this lesson
Speaker 1: long enough to know what usually came from it. However,
Speaker 1: every once in a while a child surprised her. Ellerie
Speaker 1: Langston exceeded all expectations. Ellerie, can I speak with you
Speaker 1: for a moment. The children lined up at the door,
Speaker 1: waiting for the bell to ring that signaled recess's arrival.
Speaker 1: Ellery stared wide eyed at her teacher and nodded. Her
Speaker 1: bottom lip trembled slightly, and the little girl fought back
Speaker 1: the urged cry or throw up. She feared she'd lose
Speaker 1: the battle to both. Slowly, she walked towards Missus Beardsley's desk.
Speaker 1: Seeing the girl's apprehension, Amanda softly spoke to her and
Speaker 1: patted the seat next to her desk. Ellerie, you're not
Speaker 1: in trouble, honey. Come have a seat by me. Only
Speaker 1: somewhat reassured, Ellery made her way to the front of
Speaker 1: the room and sat next to Missus Beardsley. Her teacher
Speaker 1: had no clue. She was the closest the girl had
Speaker 1: to a mother in this world, and Ellerie would rather
Speaker 1: die than disappoint this woman. She so admired, Ellery, you
Speaker 1: aren't in trouble. I want to talk with you about
Speaker 1: your story. The little girl's knees nervously bobbed up and down.
Speaker 1: L your story is amazing. Relief swept across her face.
Speaker 1: Tears welled once more, but this time as a release
Speaker 1: of the anxiety that ebbed away. Really, Yes, has a
Speaker 1: When anyone ever told you that you're a gifted storyteller?
Speaker 2: No, ma'am.
Speaker 1: My daddy doesn't like it when I tell stories. He says,
Speaker 1: I'm telling lies. Missus Beardsley did her best to disguise
Speaker 1: the shock and disgust she felt it. Bryce Langston, how
Speaker 1: dare he say something like that to his sweet girl, Ellerie?
Speaker 1: These aren't lies. This story shows so much imagination. When
Speaker 1: I read it, I felt like I was actually there.
Speaker 1: Don't tell the other children, I said this, but between
Speaker 1: you and me, none of their stories came close to yours. Honey,
Speaker 1: you have a real talent, and I want you to
Speaker 1: continue writing. My dad hates it when I write stories.
Speaker 1: I don't want to get in trouble. How about we
Speaker 1: keep this just to ourselves. Then, I want you to
Speaker 1: keep writing, and I want to keep reading your stories.
Speaker 1: Can we do that? Up and down? Yes, Missus Beardsley,
Speaker 1: just please don't tell Daddy. I promise I won't. This
Speaker 1: is our secret. But someday I believe people all over
Speaker 1: are going to be able to read and enjoy your writing.
Speaker 1: I really believe you have a future as a writer.
Speaker 1: The quiet little girl smiled. No one had ever noticed
Speaker 1: her in a positive way before, and while happy, she
Speaker 1: felt unsure about her newfound praise. Missus Beardsley gave her
Speaker 1: hand a squeeze. I'm happy to read your stories anytime
Speaker 1: you want to write them. I'm proud of you. Now
Speaker 1: go on outside and play. As she watched the trees
Speaker 1: through her window, Ellerie sighed, that was a long time ago.
Speaker 1: I wish Missus Beardsley could have seen my writing success.
Speaker 1: I'd love to be able to let her know what
Speaker 1: her confidence in me did here. I am a well known,
Speaker 1: my own author, with a few best sellers to my name.
Speaker 1: I owe it all to her. Missus Beardsley kept her
Speaker 1: word to her young student. She read everything the girl
Speaker 1: brought her, and she offered encouraging critiques to help her
Speaker 1: reach her full potential. When Ellery was a freshman in
Speaker 1: high school, however, that all changed. A tragic car accident
Speaker 1: out of state claimed the life of her mentor. It
Speaker 1: was a loss she'd grieve for all the years to come.
Speaker 1: In honor of Missus Beardsley, however, Ellery became determined to
Speaker 1: hone her skills and someday be the writer deserving of
Speaker 1: her teacher's praise. You saved me in more ways than one,
Speaker 1: Missus Beardsley. Your love and support helped me survive the
Speaker 1: hellish home life I was stuck in. If it wasn't
Speaker 1: for you, I may not even be here. I wish
Speaker 1: i'd been old enough, had the perspective enough to let
Speaker 1: you know that when you were still alive. She thought
Speaker 1: back to those people who tormented her, both at home
Speaker 1: and at school. Her father's abuse was untenable, and his
Speaker 1: behavior scarred Ellery for life. She wanted to believe that
Speaker 1: her mother, had she lived, would have protected her. When
Speaker 1: Ellery was only four years old, However, her mother died
Speaker 1: of a sudden aneurysm. By the time the paramedics arrived,
Speaker 1: it was too late. A tear was ripped through Ellerie's
Speaker 1: life from that moment on. Scared and vulnerable, she was
Speaker 1: an easy target for an already unstable man, Bryce Langston
Speaker 1: took his hatred of the world out on his daughter,
Speaker 1: and no one noticed. At least no one did anything
Speaker 1: about it. Plenty heard and saw the abuse she endured,
Speaker 1: but they were content to put blinders on and ignore
Speaker 1: her torment. Before Missus Beardsley entered her life, Ellery felt invisible. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: at school she was all too visible for the bullies
Speaker 1: who seemed everywhere. They made fun of her clothes, her
Speaker 1: red hair and freckles, and her toes that stuck out
Speaker 1: from holes in her sneakers. At moments like that, she
Speaker 1: wished she was invisible and disappear. How sad is it
Speaker 1: that a five year old no longer wanted to exist?
Speaker 1: When I cried, they tormented me even more. The pain
Speaker 1: felt as strong today as it did all those years ago.
Speaker 1: Her chest tightened, and she felt her heart pound a
Speaker 1: little harder. Children can be so vicious. They don't get
Speaker 1: any better as they age either. Once word leaked out
Speaker 1: in junior high and high school that Ellery fancied herself
Speaker 1: a writer, her tormentors gained another feather in the quiver
Speaker 1: of taunts. Being brazenly intelligent as a girl made her
Speaker 1: immediately a target for the popular kids who favored conformity
Speaker 1: over self expression. Now that they knew she wrote stories,
Speaker 1: there was no end to the mocking comments they made.
Speaker 1: Missus Beardsley remained her safe haven. She met after school
Speaker 1: with her beloved teacher, where she shared her hopes, fears,
Speaker 1: and writing. You saved me when no one else would.
Speaker 1: My writing career will always be in honor of you.
Speaker 1: When I was a shy, sad girl, you gave me
Speaker 1: perspective and hope. Ignore them, Ell, you are a gifted,
Speaker 1: wonderful girl, and I doubt any of them are someone
Speaker 1: you'd want to spend ten minutes with. Ellery heard the
Speaker 1: words write down to her heart and soul. No one
Speaker 1: influenced her more than Missus Beardsley, A woman who didn't
Speaker 1: have to take her under her wing, but she did
Speaker 1: love like hers would never be taken for granted by Ellery.
Speaker 1: Her high school years, marred by her classmate's abuse and ostracism,
Speaker 1: became nearly unbearable. After Amanda Beardsley's death, Ellery lost all
Speaker 1: interest in writing. I lost my words. My heart was
Speaker 1: too broken to put any writing on a page. I
Speaker 1: imploded and withdrew even further into myself. I even considered suicide.
Speaker 1: Tears formed in her eyes, and she noticed the sun
Speaker 1: sank deeper into an early afternoon horizon. At peace once
Speaker 1: again with her place in the universe, Ellery looked at
Speaker 1: her laptop, where her next manuscript remained barely begun. This
Speaker 1: one is special. She reached into her desk drawer and
Speaker 1: pulled out a precious note written years ago by her
Speaker 1: mentor at an especially difficult time in the early days
Speaker 1: of her freshman year, mere weeks before missus Beardsley's death,
Speaker 1: her confidante and biggest supporter wrote her a note that
Speaker 1: carried her through the dark times when she lost her
Speaker 1: will to write. Gingerly, unfolding the paper, Ellery re read
Speaker 1: the words written in the clean cursive writing of Amanda Beardsley. Ellie,
Speaker 1: now let anyone take your words. You have a powerful
Speaker 1: boss and get accomplished anything in Imason. As far as
Speaker 1: the people who see Arty Town, always remember that a
Speaker 1: life express revenge is made in those who have hurt
Speaker 1: them characters in our sorious nus. ELLERI held the note
Speaker 1: to her chest and took a soothing, deep breath. She
Speaker 1: sat at her desk, note in clear sight, and began typing.
Speaker 1: A smile crept into the corners of her mouth. Yes,
Speaker 1: this book is special. Welcome to My revenge. With each
Speaker 1: piece of dialogue, her wretched characters spoke, their real life
Speaker 1: counterparts experienced a distressing problem. Her character's words flowed swiftly
Speaker 1: and abundantly, but with each keystroke, their namesakes lost their
Speaker 1: own ability to speak. By the time she finished this
Speaker 1: poignantly appealing book, another bestseller, no doubt her tormentors would
Speaker 1: be truly at a loss for words. Ellery smiled and
Speaker 1: typed gleefully Late Into the Night. Thank you for joining
Speaker 1: me for this episode of the Into the Night Anthology podcast.
Speaker 1: Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated by Nari Quak. Theme music
Speaker 1: by Nico Rodriguez, all other original music, sound design and
Speaker 1: editing by Omenhawk Studios. You can find our links in
Speaker 1: the show notes. Into the Night is on your favorite podcatcher,
Speaker 1: So make sure to like, subscribe and leave a five
Speaker 1: star review to help other excursionists to join us. You
Speaker 1: next time, and remember, whether in the shadows or in
Speaker 1: the daylight, all twisted paths lead you into the night.
Speaker 1: Into the Night Anthology is a creative typo entertainment production
Speaker 1: high excursionists. It's October my favorite time of the year.
Speaker 1: With spooky season upon us, I wanted to tell you
Speaker 1: a little about our Halloween special. Usually we have some
Speaker 1: kind of spooky story, but this year we are doing
Speaker 1: something different. I have a new project that will be
Speaker 1: coming in twenty twenty five that will have a sneak
Speaker 1: preview on October thirty first. This will be a collaboration
Speaker 1: between my personal production studio, Sadie Works and my friends
Speaker 1: at Omenhawk Studios. A compelling world of research, old gods.
Speaker 2: And humans, just one power and what chaos that may bring. Hello.
Speaker 2: My name is t A Caliber and I am the
Speaker 2: creator of a new series of cosmic har stories entitled
Speaker 2: The Crown of Nails. I'll be working with Nai to
Speaker 2: bring you a new world of horror, one we think
Speaker 2: you'll enjoy very well. We hope you enjoy the first
Speaker 2: venture into this new twisted path called Magashana, the story
Speaker 2: of researchers trapped in an ancient tomb with a supernatural
Speaker 2: threat from the cradle of civilization. Join us on October
Speaker 2: thirty first for a tale you won't soon forget.