A Christmas to Remember: A Recovering Addict, Organ Thieves & an Elf’s Deadly Gift

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:06.280
Christmas time is a time of giving
and receiving, a time when sacrifice makes

2
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:10.960
all the difference, whether it be
putting your personal feelings aside to spend time

3
00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:17.320
with family, or just simply giving
up a piece of yourself. But tonight

4
00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:26.079
we'll be finding out just how literal
that can be. What's that you want

5
00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:38.759
to be scared to? Come with
me. You will experience tales over opera,

6
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.359
ghosts, and death death. It
is not recommended at the foot of

7
00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:52.600
week at hart listen as in the
dark. It's more fun at that way

8
00:00:52.359 --> 00:01:06.079
way. This is Weekly speaking Hello
my Spookyes, well it's not Wednesday,

9
00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:11.319
You're not going crazy. It's Saturday. And I have a very special piece

10
00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:17.159
of spooky for your weekly. As
the holidays rev up, we're revving up

11
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:22.359
all kinds of festive content to make
sure to chill you, even if where

12
00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.879
you live it's not very wintery just
yet. And speaking of the season of

13
00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:32.359
gift giving, there's only one thing
I would love to have from each and

14
00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:37.599
every one of you, and that
is a subscribe and a rating on your

15
00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:42.599
favorite podcasting app, whether it's Apple
Podcasts or Spotify. I would love a

16
00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.840
little five star rating. It costs
you nothing, and it helps the show

17
00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:49.079
a whole lot. And if you
want to go just one step further,

18
00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:55.640
you can head over to Weeklyspooky dot
com and click on Patreon. For as

19
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:59.280
little as one dollar a month,
you keep the Spooky going and going,

20
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:06.760
and you get an exclusive biweekly strip
Field series that's only for patrons. It's

21
00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:12.840
called The Weekend and it's a kind
of nineties throwback slasher movie but in modern

22
00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:19.000
times, with a whole lot of
mystery and mayhem, written by Rob Fields,

23
00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:23.560
available only on our Patreon at Weeklyspooky
dot com. Just find Patreon,

24
00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:27.919
click on it, choose a tear
that works for you, and know you're

25
00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.840
helping us directly keep the show going. But now, my dear listener,

26
00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:38.599
it's time to get festive. This
story's by our very own splatter Joe Solmo.

27
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.319
You know it's gonna be good,
and it's gonna go places you're not

28
00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:47.280
expecting. But it's all about getting
exactly what you've always wanted for Christmas.

29
00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:54.560
And what could possibly be more wholesome
than that, Well you'll have to listen

30
00:02:55.080 --> 00:03:00.199
to find out. So get cozy, get that blank it out, find

31
00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:06.840
yourself a hot cup of coco,
because we're heading right into this story after

32
00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:22.240
these quick words from our sponsors,
A Christmas to Remember by Joe Solma,

33
00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:29.560
Donnie shifted his old Ford pickup into
gear as he left the rest stop.

34
00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:34.520
It should be the last gas stop
before he was finally home. It had

35
00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.680
been a few years, and to
be honest, for a while, he

36
00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:42.400
couldn't have made the trip even if
he wanted to. He merged with traffic

37
00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:46.879
just as the snow started to fall. It looked like it was going to

38
00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:53.319
be a white Christmas after all.
He was both excited and apprehensive if he

39
00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:58.800
was being honest, He left home
almost ten years ago and never looked back,

40
00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:03.800
heading south, running from something that
even he couldn't name, just a

41
00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:09.159
feeling. He always hated the North, and it bothered him to think he

42
00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:14.159
would die there. He headed to
Fort Lauderdale as soon as he could for

43
00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:19.519
a better life, where he almost
instantly got hooked on heroin and became homeless,

44
00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:25.040
the shame of which kept him from
calling home for help, at least

45
00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:29.639
at first. Then it got harder
and harder for him to reach out,

46
00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:34.120
playing out his family's scrutiny in his
brain over and over. He could just

47
00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:40.759
hear them calling him a junkie and
a loser. Every time someone overdosed next

48
00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:44.759
to him at night under the yellow
street lights, and he was so high

49
00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.519
and scared, all he could do
was watch another part of that kid that

50
00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:54.959
moved south left him until looking into
the puddle's reflection. Even he didn't recognize

51
00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:00.079
who he was. Florida was such
an evil, soul sucking place, he

52
00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:05.000
would think at times like that,
it destroyed who he was and replaced him

53
00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:11.000
with this junkie in his skin.
He didn't know whose eyes looked back at

54
00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:15.439
him, with the disheveled beard,
the worn and torn Nirvana T shirt,

55
00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.759
and the shorts that used to be
pants until he ripped them jumping a chain

56
00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:23.920
link fence to get away from the
cops. The first year was rough,

57
00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:28.839
but it got easier as Donnie fell
into the groove got used to it.

58
00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:32.279
An old Japanese man taught him to
steal hot dogs from the grocery store.

59
00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:38.319
He wouldn't eat them, though,
he'd walk down to the canals, cut

60
00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:44.439
a small piece off and used them
to catch fish tenkara or something he called

61
00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:47.839
it. He could catch enough fish
to keep the cluster of junkies fed.

62
00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:53.959
It was a real loss when he
died. But Donnie did find his wallet.

63
00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:59.439
He had money in there, real
money, a couple hundred. The

64
00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:02.959
few two weeks were a drug induced
blur. He made sure his family got

65
00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:08.519
his wallet back, though, even
if it had no cash. Inside.

66
00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:13.000
The Ford's engine roared on the highway. It probably needed a muffler, to

67
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.160
be honest. He could feel the
vibration coming up through the seat and steering

68
00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:21.279
wheel. The smell of exhaust was
strong. He fiddled with the radio,

69
00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:26.319
trying to remember the channels he used
to listen to back in the day,

70
00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:31.160
but everything was static. Welcome to
New York, he said, as he

71
00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.360
read the sign on the side of
Interstate two eighty seven. It was nice

72
00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:40.680
to finally pass out of New Jersey. He wondered how many people say the

73
00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:45.680
same thing when they leave the sticky
taint of the Northeast. He had always

74
00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.839
hated New Jersey. He got robbed
on his travels down to Florida. There

75
00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:55.480
while in Trenton overnight, three bikers
robbed him outside his motel room. Luckily,

76
00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:59.079
he had locked his car keys in
the car, or he would have

77
00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.639
had to end his trip right there. Now that he was thinking of it,

78
00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:08.439
that might be unluckier. Is that
a word, he wondered. The

79
00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:12.319
snow had picked up, and Donnie
slowed the truck down, trying to see

80
00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:17.040
the road through the Star Wars Hyperdrive
view between wipers. The package slipped in

81
00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:21.279
the seat next to him. He
instinctively threw a hand out to keep it

82
00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:26.920
from sliding off the worn bench seat. Stay still, he said to the

83
00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:30.399
package, and looked at his wrap
job. It wasn't bad, he thought.

84
00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.399
He looked back up at the road
as his tires caught the bumps on

85
00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:40.079
the side to wake up drivers that
fell asleep. Oh shit. The truck

86
00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:44.040
slid back and forth, but he
couldn't get it under control. Luckily,

87
00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:47.240
there wasn't another vehicle near him,
and when the ford lost traction, it

88
00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:53.519
slid off the road alone, catching
the bank and flipping down into the ditch

89
00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:58.759
about thirty feet from the pavement on
its side. Donnie undid his seat belt

90
00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:03.399
and did a quick down to make
sure he was okay. With a sigh

91
00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:07.639
of relief, he began trying to
climb out, using the steering wheel as

92
00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:13.360
a step. He flopped out onto
the frozen ground just as the headlights cut

93
00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:18.120
out, leaving him in the silence. Of the snowstorm on the side of

94
00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:22.560
the New York State Thruway. He
laid there for a moment in the shock

95
00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:28.720
of the cold. His eyes grew
heavy and he started to close them.

96
00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:33.399
A sudden gust of wind made the
truck creak, which snapped him out of

97
00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:37.120
it. He pulled himself up to
a sitting position a few feet from the

98
00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:41.240
truck. He realized his worn through
Florida hoodie wasn't going to do it.

99
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.159
He had to get up to the
highway and get help. He scrambled up

100
00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:50.840
the embankments towards the road on hands
and knees. He could see headlights coming

101
00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:56.360
towards him in the distance. A
sense of hope filled him, made him

102
00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:00.039
warm. He peeked his head over
the side of the road, seeing the

103
00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:03.840
car getting closer. The headlights were
so close together. It must be one

104
00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:09.960
of those smart cars, Donnie thought. He rose to unsteady feet and began

105
00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:13.120
to wave frantically, hoping they would
see him in the near blizzard that wrapped

106
00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:18.240
around him like a frozen blanket.
There must be an inch and a half

107
00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:22.399
on the road now, he thought. The car veered into the left lane,

108
00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:26.279
then the right, then back again. To the left. Donnie wondered

109
00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.440
if the person was drunk. The
car was getting closer and he began to

110
00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:35.960
get worried that they might hit him. He took a step back off the

111
00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:39.519
road and his foot slipped out from
under him. He smacked his face on

112
00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:45.039
the gravel shoulder and started to slide
down the embankment back to his truck.

113
00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:48.639
He started to turn as he slid
and slammed into the roof of his truck

114
00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:52.879
with his hip, sending pain up
his spine. He let out a cry.

115
00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:58.320
He was facing down with his head
facing the truck. He couldn't see

116
00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.960
what happened with the car on the
highway. He waited for the pain to

117
00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:05.919
subside before trying to move. The
pain proved too much and he knew he

118
00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:11.799
screwed something up. He couldn't even
get the strength to turn over. He

119
00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:18.039
laid there helpless for a moment.
Then he heard it, the sound of

120
00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:24.120
two car doors. Maybe they had
seen him and stopped. He listened in

121
00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:31.080
the snowstorm as the sound of footfalls
crunching the pottery snow grew louder, and

122
00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:39.120
were those voices he heard? It
sounded like a child talking. He strained

123
00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:45.559
his ears, trying to listen the
voices stopped. He wondered how much snow

124
00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:50.159
was on him now, with it
whipping around like it was, maybe they

125
00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:56.879
couldn't see him. Help. He
called out into the night weakly, then

126
00:10:56.039 --> 00:11:03.600
tried again. Hell. He heard
the voices again, but the wind was

127
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:07.399
keeping him from hearing what they were
saying. The footfalls came a little closer,

128
00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:13.279
but still seemed distant to him.
Someone there, he called out,

129
00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:20.279
this time, he heard them talking, But we must A childish voice said,

130
00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:24.840
no, we don't. We don't
have any obligation. Another high pitched

131
00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:28.879
voice replied, we can't just leave
him there, Sure we can. It's

132
00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.559
easy. We just go back up
the hill and forget this happened, came

133
00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:37.720
the response. Donnie winced in pain
and forced himself to turn over. He

134
00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:43.000
blinked the snow out of his eyes
and strained the night's storm to see who

135
00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:48.080
was there. Help me, Please, he said, Now it's talking to

136
00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:52.240
us, one of the voices said, with a sigh. Donnie heard the

137
00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:58.200
footfalls grow close, and he could
make out two diminutive shadows in the darkness.

138
00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:01.120
One of them turned on a flat
and stuck it in the snow to

139
00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:07.120
give them some light. It looks
injured, said the first voice Donnie had

140
00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:11.919
heard. It might not be in
good shape, came the reply. Donnie

141
00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:16.799
raised one hand up to block the
immediate light and see his would be rescuers.

142
00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:22.639
As his eyes adjusted, he made
out the faces of two short people.

143
00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:28.879
They both wore green pointed hats.
One was holding a black leather bag

144
00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.320
in his hand that reminded Donnie of
the type he'd seen in old movies when

145
00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:37.919
doctors made house visits. They both
had pointed soft shoes tied to some kind

146
00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:43.360
of snow shoe. I mean,
it seems like fate brought it to us,

147
00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:48.279
the one said, You swerving while
getting RoadHead is hardly fate. The

148
00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.639
other replied, while either way,
this could go quite a ways towards our

149
00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:58.279
quota. Let me get the list. Who the fuck are you guys,

150
00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.320
Donnie asked, aspirated at the conversation. The one holding the bag looked at

151
00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:07.200
the other one, who now had
a list. He turned it so his

152
00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:13.480
companion could see. The one holding
the bag nodded and squatted down next to

153
00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:18.000
Donnie's face. Ain't it obvious,
kid, He ain't your fairy godmothers.

154
00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.960
We are the dream fulfillers, the
ones working behind the scenes to make everything

155
00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:28.120
perfect every year. Now, be
quiet while I make some wishes come true,

156
00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:33.480
he said, and pulled a stainless
steel saw from the bag liver right.

157
00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:39.080
The other nodded, What the hell? Donnie called out, You gonna

158
00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:43.840
whine the whole time? The doctor
one asked. He placed one hand over

159
00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:48.519
Donnie's mouth, and Donnie tried to
shout into the night. You ever asked

160
00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:54.120
Sanna for something impossible for Christmas?
Do you have any idea how many people

161
00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:58.600
wish for the unfeasible? How the
fuck do you think they work new limbs

162
00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:03.440
and or Higgins poof into existence for
them. No, we have to go

163
00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:07.639
out and harvest the fucking things,
and that fat, jolly fuck gets all

164
00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:11.720
the credit. He ran the saw
across Donnie's chest, cutting into the flesh.

165
00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:16.840
Donnie wondered if the cold or shock
would numb the wound first, as

166
00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:22.200
he watched the steam rise from his
open wound. You see here, kid,

167
00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:26.639
we can scratch several wishes off our
list. You're doing us a favor.

168
00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:31.360
Really. I know I don't seem
appreciative, but I am, Doc

169
00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:35.519
said, with another saw across the
chest. The other one was returning from

170
00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:39.399
the car with a biohazard cooler.
Donnie responded, but the doc was still

171
00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:43.879
covering his mouth. He stopped sawing
and lifted his hand off Donnie's mouth for

172
00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:52.159
just a second. What's that kid? You guys are Sanna's elves, Donnie

173
00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:56.679
asked, and began to laugh.
That funny to you, Doc elf asked.

174
00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:01.279
Donnie couldn't help but laugh in the
freezing cold the thought of being murdered

175
00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:07.440
by one of Santa's elves. Something
not elf like about us, Doc asked.

176
00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.960
The other elf climbed onto the truck
and peered inside. Are we not

177
00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:18.080
fucking full of cheer? Uh?
Boss? Come here, the one on

178
00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.399
the truck said to his partner.
Doc Boss tossed down the saw in the

179
00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:26.080
snow and made his way over to
the truck. The other elf had to

180
00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:30.360
help him up. What do we
got here, he asked, and turned

181
00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:35.519
back to Donnie. Shit, Donnie
said, As he realized they had found

182
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:39.840
his package. He scrambled for the
saw and the snow. Every movement was

183
00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.879
a world of pain that tried to
envelop him. He managed to get his

184
00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:48.440
grip on the saw and tried to
rise to his knees at least, then

185
00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:52.159
he could look them in the eye. When he turned to face them,

186
00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:56.919
both elves looked at him in disgust
as they held his package in front of

187
00:15:56.960 --> 00:16:02.639
them. She had been so pretty, Donnie said, as a tears streaked

188
00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:07.720
down his face. I loved her. Is that why you killed her?

189
00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:14.600
Doc asked, I gave it to
her. The smack she oweded on It

190
00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:21.080
was my fault, he said,
lowering the saw. I couldn't. I

191
00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:26.120
couldn't say goodbye yet. She ain't
so fresh, kid, Doc said,

192
00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:33.120
she been dead a few days.
Yeah, three now. Donnie responded.

193
00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.120
Fuck, that's too long for us, he said, and tossed the cellophane

194
00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:41.759
wrapped body down in the snow.
He took a few steps closer to Donnie,

195
00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:45.519
then saw the saw. What are
you going to do with that?

196
00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:52.840
You're losing blood every second. There's
no way you can win this. Donnie

197
00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:57.320
rose to his feet steadily. Come
at me, and I'll kick your fucking

198
00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:03.279
head off, Donnie said, You
know that saw had reindeer ejaculate on it.

199
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.319
It's a type of anesthesia. The
only reason you're standing right now is

200
00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:11.880
pure adrenaline. But it won't last. Doc said, and shook his head.

201
00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:17.480
Donnie charged and tried to swing the
saw at Doc, but lost his

202
00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:23.240
grip midswing and the saw dropped helplessly
to the ground. He tried to ball

203
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:27.559
up his fist for a backswing,
but his legs gave out and he fell

204
00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:33.279
back to his knees in the snow. Doc looked him right in the eye.

205
00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:38.440
That would be the deer come working. Stupid move, kid, and

206
00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:42.640
punched Donnie in the face. He
fell onto his back in the snow.

207
00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:48.000
Get over here and hold him down, he called to his partner. Donnie

208
00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:53.000
watched on in horror as Doc started
to saw with a renewed vigor in his

209
00:17:53.200 --> 00:18:00.279
chest. As he lost feeling,
a peaceful smile crossed his face. At

210
00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:06.039
least he didn't have to face his
family after all these years, or worse

211
00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:15.759
yet, hers. The beeping of
the machines kept Mary awake. She wouldn't

212
00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:21.359
leave her daddy's side, even though
things look grim for him. She had

213
00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:26.279
been praying like Mommy asked her to
do for weeks and nothing had changed.

214
00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:32.000
She even wrote a letter to the
North Pole to ask Santa for help.

215
00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:37.599
Two days ago, it was Christmas
Eve, and she watched his machines kept

216
00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:44.880
her daddy alive, there would be
no joy, no cheer, nothing this

217
00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:49.119
Christmas. The doctor walked in.
He handed her a cup of ice cream,

218
00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:56.119
the kind that came with the little
wooden spoon, and smiled. Mary.

219
00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:00.599
I have some good news about your
daddy, he said, after glancing

220
00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:07.160
at her mom, Stacy in the
one chair in the room. We found

221
00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:11.599
a match. Your daddy is going
to get a new liver. It should

222
00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:17.440
be here in a few hours.
Why don't you two go get some sleep

223
00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:22.519
and we'll let you know when we're
ready to go, he said. Mary

224
00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:29.720
yawned. Daddy's going to be okay. Yes, it's a Christmas miracle,

225
00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:34.279
Stacy said, and took her daughter's
hand. Thank you, doctor, that's

226
00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:40.680
great news. Stacy kissed her husband
on the forehead and headed for the door.

227
00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:45.039
Mary let go of her mom's hand, which made her turn around.

228
00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:51.519
Come now, Mary, she said, But Mom, someone is there with

229
00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:56.480
daddy, She said, just the
doc. Her mom replied and pulled Mary

230
00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:03.240
out the door, who was looking
over her shoes. After everyone left,

231
00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:08.119
from behind the curtain, a pointed
green hat peeked out and patted the husband's

232
00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:14.039
foot on the bed. You're gonna
be okay. Fella. The small figure

233
00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:18.599
jumped down onto the floor and carried
his black bag with him out into the

234
00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:30.200
hall, unnoticed by all. Don't
you just love a happy ending? Oh

235
00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:34.720
yes, it may have taken a
lot of gruesomeness and disgusting descriptions to get

236
00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:38.359
there, but hey, that's just
the kind of Christmas present I hope to

237
00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:44.039
get from our good dear buddy Splatter
Joe Salmo. So thank you Joe,

238
00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:48.359
and a merry Christmas to you.
Well, my spookies. As you probably

239
00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:53.000
noticed, we've been publishing a lot
of Christmas content and we're not slowing down

240
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:59.119
anytime soon. Tomorrow, I understand
there'll be an unknown broadcast of sorts,

241
00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:02.079
so you may want to tune in
for that, And then, of course

242
00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:06.559
on Monday we have Terrifying and True. And then Tuesday, our good buddy

243
00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:11.720
Cameron Cheney from Library Macob is going
to be here to talk about the best

244
00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:15.359
choices for holiday horror books. You
will not want to miss it. His

245
00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:22.079
YouTube channel is a plethora of fascinating
information about paperback books and the love thereof

246
00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.960
can't wait to have him back in
the studio, and I want to say

247
00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:29.440
a huge thank you to everybody who's
joining up on Patreon. We're up to

248
00:21:29.559 --> 00:21:33.079
ninety one backers and I would love
to see one hundred this year, so

249
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:38.920
consider going to Weeklyspooky dot com and
clicking on Patreon. And speaking of Patreon,

250
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.960
I want to say an extra special
thanks to our Patreon podcast boosters.

251
00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:47.960
These are folks who pay just a
little bit more to hear their names on

252
00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:52.200
the show, and they are Johnny
Nix, John Callen, bobotopia dot Com,

253
00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:56.960
Megan Hula, Julia Kirsh, Brent
mccullus, Steve King, Karen we

254
00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:59.759
Met, Jack Kerr, and Craig
Cohen. Thank you, guys, and

255
00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:02.279
if if you want to join them
and hear your name on the show,

256
00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:07.279
just go to Weeklyspooky dot com and
choose a tier at fifteen dollars or higher

257
00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:10.400
to hear your name at the end
of every program. But now, my

258
00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:11.799
friends, it's time for me to
get out of here. I do want

259
00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:17.960
to remind you though the exclusive Strickfield
series is only available on Patreon. It's

260
00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:21.200
called The Weekend. I know you're
gonna like it. The first two episodes

261
00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.920
are already available, so make sure
you check that out. And now I'm

262
00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:29.319
going to get back to work.
Slaving away to make sure your holiday stays

263
00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:33.000
very scary, so for myself,
for my producer Dan Wilder, my executive

264
00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:36.799
producer Rob Fields, and my composer
Ray Mattis. I'll talk at you very

265
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:41.000
soon. Thank you for listening to
me. Make sure to find your way

266
00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:48.319
back next week, but for now
you are safe. Trust me,