WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:06.919
Brian vanishes beneath clear lake and returns hours later, water logged,
2
00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:12.359
silent and clutching a carved object he cannot release. Then
3
00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:15.519
he grabs his wife and drags her toward the water.
4
00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.559
Whatever waited at the bottom has taken hold of him.
5
00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:28.559
And you what's that? You want to be scared? He
6
00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:40.159
come with me. You will experience tales over our roam,
7
00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:46.000
ghosts and death. He is not recommended for the week
8
00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:53.039
at art Listeners in the dark. It's more fun at
9
00:00:53.039 --> 00:01:06.640
that way. Wait, this is Weekly Speaking. Hello, my spooks.
10
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:12.000
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means. It's time
11
00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:16.680
for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm your host
12
00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:20.480
and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and tonight we have a nice
13
00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:26.120
little trip as summer begins to shut down the beaches,
14
00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.480
so to speak. But before we get to that, I
15
00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:32.560
want to say thank you all so much for joining
16
00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:37.079
me here tonight. As summer is waning, it's still the
17
00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:42.079
time when all the true blue spookies need a little
18
00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:46.680
help keeping it scary, and I am proud and happy
19
00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:51.959
to provide. Because Halloween isn't just a date on a calendar.
20
00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:56.359
It's a way of life, you know. It and I
21
00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:59.879
know it. So make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast,
22
00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:03.159
and while you're at it, send this story to a
23
00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:09.080
spooky friend who really appreciates a good scare regardless of
24
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.639
the season. And if you love what we're doing here
25
00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:14.039
and want to support us in a very direct way,
26
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:17.960
you can head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join for
27
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.039
as little as one dollar a month. You get two
28
00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:25.360
bonus shows every single month, and of course my undying gratitude,
29
00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.080
it really makes a big difference. That's Weeklyspooky dot Com
30
00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:35.520
slash Join. But now, as for tonight. At the end
31
00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:39.080
of the summer, a quiet lake can feel like the
32
00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:44.120
perfect place to forget the world, but still water has
33
00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:49.000
a way of hiding what moves beneath it. Michelle comes
34
00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:52.439
to clear Lake looking for rest, only to watch her
35
00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:58.280
husband vanish during an afternoon swim. Hours later, Brian walks
36
00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:03.240
out of the darkness. He's soaked, silent, and holding something
37
00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:08.639
carved with cymbals no one can recognize. He looks like
38
00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:12.960
the man she loves, but whatever returned from the bottom
39
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:18.599
of the lake is stronger, colder, and determined to take
40
00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:23.599
her back into the water. Some things are lost in
41
00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:30.759
a lake others are waiting to be found. So get ready, spookies,
42
00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:36.159
We're heading on a lake trip that turns a bit dark.
43
00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:51.879
The Darkness under Clear Lake by Bruce Haney. Samantha stared
44
00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:55.759
out at the still water of the lake, but could
45
00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.840
no longer achieve the calmness that it had once given her.
46
00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:05.639
How could it and how could the lake be so calm?
47
00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:11.680
Intellectually she understood that a lake, unlike a river or ocean,
48
00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:18.079
had less flowing water into it, thus less movement. But
49
00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:21.360
what had happened in that lake had been so violent
50
00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.560
and rotten that she felt like the lake mocked her
51
00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:30.560
in its stillness. She stared at the lake until the
52
00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:36.199
sun rose and reflected off its mirror like surface. It
53
00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:40.399
was such a beautiful place. She watched as the ducks
54
00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:45.800
began their day quacking and looking for campers or day
55
00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:50.759
use lakegoers who fed them bread, despite the numerous signs
56
00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:56.120
that claimed how unhealthy it was for the waterfowl. She
57
00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.160
tried her hardest to take in all the beauty of
58
00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:04.319
the place. This had been her happy place, but she
59
00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:09.920
couldn't feel it anymore and suspected that she never would again.
60
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:15.199
All she could think of was the events that led
61
00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:25.639
to this very moment. Brian and Michelle arrived at clear
62
00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:29.920
Lake late Thursday afternoon. She had the day off, but
63
00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.839
she had to wait for Brian to get off work.
64
00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:36.000
He had to go in for a half day for
65
00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:40.160
an important meeting, which meant Michelle had the pleasure of
66
00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:44.560
doing the packing. Of course, he offered to help once
67
00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:48.040
he got home, but she planned on having their vehicle
68
00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:52.879
packed and ready to go. She was ready to get
69
00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:57.680
out of town. Work had been so stressful lately. While
70
00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:01.959
many people were getting their hours cut, she was working
71
00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:06.399
extra to keep everything moving. Hard to get everything done
72
00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:11.160
when all your staff have a twenty percent reduction in hours.
73
00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:15.639
It made her both thankful and bummed that she was
74
00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:20.879
a salaried employee. It did mean that, unlike most, she
75
00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:25.000
was getting her full paycheck, but she was also working
76
00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:30.040
so much that it was driving her mad. So she
77
00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:33.720
needed this camping trip to work its magic, as it
78
00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:40.040
always had five days without answering questions, five days of
79
00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:43.759
hanging out by the lake and reading it would help
80
00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:49.560
calm her back down. It had to. Before Brian got home,
81
00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:53.279
she had the car packed as planned and marked off
82
00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:57.879
everything on her list to bring, making sure to grab
83
00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:02.920
the things that Brian would typically forget, like his toothbrush
84
00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:07.959
and razor. He grew facial hair so rapidly, and she
85
00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:12.720
wasn't going to deal with five days of stubble after
86
00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:16.560
a long drive. All she wanted to do was relax,
87
00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:21.480
but there was work to do. She dug out their cooler,
88
00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:25.800
set up their camping table, and sink. We should set
89
00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.160
up the tent before we pull anything else out of
90
00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:36.360
the car. She said, I got it. Brian replied, yeah right. Seriously, babe,
91
00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:39.319
you did all the packing. What kind of jerk would
92
00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:41.399
I be if I didn't at least offer to set
93
00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:47.079
up the tent. You're the best, She said, one more thing.
94
00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:51.959
He grabbed his backpack. I ordered you something from your
95
00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:56.680
wishless to help you relax. From his bag, he pulled
96
00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:01.040
out a book and handed it to her. She looked
97
00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:05.839
at it for a moment, then chuckled. I do love
98
00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:10.399
my smut books, she said, and then hugged him and
99
00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:14.000
kissed him on the cheek before heading to her chair
100
00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:21.720
and cracking it open. Bases Overloaded a baseball Romance. The
101
00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:26.279
first crack in her relaxation came just after Brian set
102
00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:29.240
up the tent and was making a trip back to
103
00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:33.600
the car to grab their cots. That's when he noticed
104
00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:38.799
something about the campers in the next spot over. I
105
00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:44.200
can't believe it, he said. Michele turned to look, and
106
00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.279
when she saw it was Kristin, Haley, and Bella, her
107
00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:54.279
heart sank. It wasn't that she disliked the three women. No,
108
00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:58.879
they were her best friends a few years ago, but
109
00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:03.039
they had drifted apart when Michelle slowed down on her
110
00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:08.480
drinking and her job began to take its toll. She
111
00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:13.279
just didn't have much time or energy to hang out anymore.
112
00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.799
There was also the fact that Haley had hit on Brian,
113
00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:22.639
going as far as grabbing his crotch one drunken night,
114
00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:29.440
which made things a bit awkward. Everybody loved Hailey, so
115
00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:33.480
getting the two to hang out without her wasn't typically
116
00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:38.679
an option. She brought the party with her personality. It
117
00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:44.360
was sad they had been so close at one time, Michelle.
118
00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:48.240
Haley yelled from her campsite, I didn't think you were
119
00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:53.039
coming this year. Haley ran over to Michelle and gave
120
00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:57.159
her a big hug. She accepted it. It was hard
121
00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:01.559
not to love Haley despite all of her numerous flaws.
122
00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:07.840
Michelle Bella yelled and ran over to her. Kristin followed,
123
00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:12.840
and they all hugged so much for peace and relaxation.
124
00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:18.840
She thought, what are the odds? Michelle asked, pretty good.
125
00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:23.120
You knew we were coming up, Haley said, I did.
126
00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:27.360
It's the last week of August. We always come up
127
00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:31.679
here the last week of August. Bella said, one last
128
00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:36.000
hurrah before the kiddos go back to school. Kristin added,
129
00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:41.600
but you know, without the kids, Haley laughed, I had
130
00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:43.879
to get my brother and his wife to watch DJ.
131
00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:49.799
Kristin said, how could I have forgotten? Well, you have
132
00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:54.240
been avoiding us since work became so important to you.
133
00:10:55.240 --> 00:11:00.720
Bella quipped she was always the most straightforward. I mean,
134
00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:06.000
we get it. Money is important. Kristen said she was
135
00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:10.879
always trying to soften Bella's frankness. Within an hour, the
136
00:11:10.919 --> 00:11:16.120
girls had Hailey's signature cocktails in their hands, pineapple juice,
137
00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:21.759
club soda, lots of ice, and lots of booze. Haley
138
00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:25.639
always was a heavy poorer, a trait that got her
139
00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.879
great tips at the bar she worked at. Brian tried
140
00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:34.480
not to engage, though he had done nothing wrong that night,
141
00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:38.120
He never felt at ease in front of them after
142
00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:43.679
the Haley incident, because Michel did question him if he
143
00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:48.039
had led Haley on. He hadn't, and it hurt him
144
00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:52.480
that she didn't trust him. The hangovers across the board
145
00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.679
were rough, they all still got up and on the
146
00:11:56.759 --> 00:12:01.799
lake by noon as they had planned. Yes, five drunk
147
00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:07.320
people made plans while drinking, and they actually kept them.
148
00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:11.320
Even though they were well into their thirties, Kristin and
149
00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.919
Haley were still boy crazy and wore the kind of
150
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:20.799
bikinis that would get them the attention they craved. Haley's
151
00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:25.039
being the wildest, a tan two piece that was nearly
152
00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:30.039
the perfect tint to match her skin tone. Everyone looked
153
00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:33.200
at her as she walked down the lake, thinking for
154
00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:38.399
a moment she was naked. Bella and Michelle were a
155
00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:43.480
little heavier. Michelle wore a more conservative bathing suit because
156
00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:48.519
of that, but Bella still wore a two piece despite
157
00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:53.240
being the largest one in the group. Her fuckham attitude
158
00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:58.240
was admired by the other women. They all had relaxation
159
00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:02.720
and hanging out on their minds, and each had mixed
160
00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:07.360
drinks and sprite bottles to keep the party going. Brian
161
00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:12.039
had goals. He brought his snorkel and was looking for rocks,
162
00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:15.960
even though it was a lake, which wasn't the best
163
00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:21.360
place to rock hound, but he enjoyed the search, hoping
164
00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.879
to find a gates, but he was just as excited
165
00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:31.399
finding snagged hooks, lost, go pro cameras, or whatever it
166
00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:35.759
was about the search and the discovery. In the hour
167
00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:39.519
that Brian had been searching for rocks, Kristin and Haley
168
00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:43.600
had been checked out by six guys, ten if you
169
00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:49.840
counted the four gawking teenagers. Kristin ignored their attention, while
170
00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:53.120
Haley dropped her phone on the beach to give them
171
00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:56.919
a better look as she bent over to grab it.
172
00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:01.360
Michelle and Bella laughed at the other as they made
173
00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:08.159
poses for attention. How have you been, Bella asked Michelle.
174
00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:13.279
I've been good, just busy. Work has been a struggle lately.
175
00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:19.679
Hear that me too, Bella said, we miss you. I
176
00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:24.279
know I miss you all too, even Haley, with her
177
00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:28.919
bubbly personality. She is hard to hate, isn't she? Did
178
00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:34.679
you hear she fucked Todd Todd as in Steven Todd.
179
00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:42.240
Michelle asked, yeah, Bella answered, but he was gold star gay.
180
00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:48.399
Michelle said he had never been with a woman, not anymore.
181
00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:54.519
Haley does love a challenge. Bella laughed. How does she
182
00:14:54.639 --> 00:15:00.320
do it? I don't know. She just uses sexuality. If
183
00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.879
she were a guy, she would not get away with
184
00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:08.320
her behavior. Michelle said, I know. Poor Todd had to
185
00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:12.480
go into therapy. After the experience. They looked over to
186
00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:22.159
see that she and Kristin were talking to a younger guy. Yeah,
187
00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:27.279
so are you camping for the weekend? Kristin asked, just
188
00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:31.200
up here for the day, The boy said, while running
189
00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:38.440
his hand through his hair. Oh, Haley replied why. He asked.
190
00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:41.799
We thought you could come by our sight tonight for
191
00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:48.200
cocktails and music. Oh, I can't. My parents are leaving
192
00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:55.279
around four. How old are you, Haley asked, nineteen, he lied.
193
00:15:56.399 --> 00:16:02.919
Kristin and Haley shared a glance that said too young. Okay, Well,
194
00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:09.960
it was nice meeting you, Haley said, Oh. He replied, yeah,
195
00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:16.240
bye bye, Kristen added. The boy walked away, thinking to himself,
196
00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:21.240
I should have said twenty one. He was only sixteen.
197
00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:25.799
Brian at this time was down on the bottom of
198
00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.600
the lake where he had picked up and discarded many
199
00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:35.200
rocks that weren't cool enough. He also found a quarter
200
00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:39.559
saw a crawdad, and was now entering an area of
201
00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:43.360
the lake that wasn't used as much because it was
202
00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:47.120
full of tall grass. He was about to turn back
203
00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:51.240
because the water was too dark, which made the likelihood
204
00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:57.120
of finding anything low, but then he spotted something that
205
00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:04.279
looked like petrified wood. It wasn't. He had to move
206
00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:07.880
a few bigger rocks to free the object, and once
207
00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.039
he picked it up and held it in his hand,
208
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:14.960
it's evil took hold of him, and no matter how
209
00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:19.960
hard he struggled, it held him there. He couldn't let go,
210
00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:27.039
and he couldn't swim back up. Twenty minutes later, the
211
00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:30.880
women noticed that they hadn't seen Brian for a while.
212
00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:36.240
They all yelled for him. Then they went back to camp,
213
00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.319
hoping that he had simply wandered back. The fact that
214
00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:45.640
his backpack and phone were left behind made that seem
215
00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:51.119
less likely. Not finding him there, Bella drove off to
216
00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:55.039
a spot where they got reception, while Haley went to
217
00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:59.279
the ranger station. Kristin and Michelle went back to the
218
00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:03.640
lake and took turns walking around and looking for him
219
00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:09.160
and diving into the water. The rangers search and rescue
220
00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:13.279
and the other campers even searched in the woods and water,
221
00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:19.400
but had no luck. Michelle was lost and didn't know
222
00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:24.400
what to do. Her relaxing camping trip was for sure
223
00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:30.400
over now, but did she go home or stay in
224
00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:35.519
case he was found. Kristin, Bella and Haley convinced her
225
00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:39.240
to stay and even joined her for one last look
226
00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:44.680
at eleven pm. After a while, Haley brought out a
227
00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:50.160
bottle of booze. Michelle looked at her with disdain. Laney
228
00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:53.759
understood it, but she had wanted to bring the bottle
229
00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:57.720
out hours ago. She felt good about herself that she
230
00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:01.319
was able to resist for as long as she did.
231
00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:06.279
She took a big swig of the peppermint schnapps and
232
00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.880
then handed it to Michelle, who stared at her for
233
00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:15.119
a long while before grabbing it and taking a long drink.
234
00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:20.920
Kristin and Bella drank next. Then they took turns taking
235
00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:25.079
gulps until the bottle was empty and they were all
236
00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:30.640
feeling a bit buzzed. That is when they saw the
237
00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:36.240
first bubbles, followed by something popping out to the surface.
238
00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:41.519
It wasn't until its shoulders and chest were exposed that
239
00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:46.519
they realized it was Brian. Are you all seeing this?
240
00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:52.799
Hailey said, while pointing at him. When he arrived on shore,
241
00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:59.640
he stopped and stared at the four women. Brian, Michelle
242
00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:04.759
said as she ran to him. Kristin and Bella exchanged looks.
243
00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:09.839
Bella glanced at the empty bottle of booze, questioning whether