1 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: You're listening to Unexplained, Season seven, episode twenty three, The Box, 2 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: Part two of three. It's June two thousand and four 3 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: in Kirksville, Missouri, about two thousand miles from Kevin Manis's 4 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: home in Portland. Twenty year olds Brian and Joseph are 5 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: browsing the aisles of their local grocery store when Joseph 6 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 1: mentions a curious item he's seen for sale on eBay. 7 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: The pair are students of Truman State University and share 8 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: an apartment close to their campus along with four other 9 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: students who are currently away for the holidays. Less than 10 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: an hour later, the young men are in front of 11 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: a laptop pouring over a listing titled de Book Box 12 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: put up by a user called w net Trade. It begins, 13 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: all of the events that I'm about to set forth 14 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: in this listing are accurate. It was, of course, the 15 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: peculiar wine box that Kevin Mannis claimed to have bought 16 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: from a car boot sale. The young men read through 17 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: the entire listing that details all the terrifying events Kevin 18 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: has supposedly experienced since purchasing the item. He's convinced it's haunted, 19 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: he says, Joseph thinks they should buy it. Brian doesn't agree. 20 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: He's not convinced it really is haunted, but why risk it, 21 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: he thinks. Without Brian's help, Joseph isn't sure he can 22 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: justify the one hundred dollars asking price, but the more 23 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: he tries to forget about it, the more he can't 24 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: seem to let it go. Just what if it really 25 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: is haunted? How cool would that be? A few days later, 26 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: alone in his room, Joseph pulls up the listing again 27 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: and finds an update from Kevin June fourteenth, at five 28 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: twenty one. For those of you wanting to know if 29 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: I'm still experiencing anything out of the ordinary. I thought 30 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: everything was okay until I got home on Friday, the 31 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: thirteenth of June and found that the fish in my aquarium, 32 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: all ten, were dead. For Joseph, it's just too good 33 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 1: to resist. He selects the bidding box, types in a number, 34 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: and clicks the mouse. It's a week later when Brian 35 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: returns home to find the apartment reeking of urine. He 36 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: follows the scent into the living room, where, much to 37 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: his alarm, he finds the bizarre box. He and Joseph 38 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: had been looking at online, now sitting for real right 39 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: in front of him. When Joseph returns home a few 40 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: hours later, he takes it to his bedroom and jokes 41 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: with Brian that he should listen out in case anything 42 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: strange happens. That first night passes without incident. Brian works 43 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: a part time job at Truman State University's Museum of 44 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: Osteopathic Medicine. Every Monday, the department, led by director Jason Haxton, 45 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: holds a team meeting to set their goals for the 46 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: week and give the team the chance to catch up 47 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: after the weekend. Usually, Brian stays silent, preferring just to 48 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: listen to the contributions of others. But at the first 49 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: Monday meeting, after Joseph bought the box, he just can't 50 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: keep it to himself. With everyone settled in and taking 51 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: a seat, Jason asks if anyone has anything interesting to 52 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: share from their weekends. We bought a haunted wine box, 53 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: says Brian, before anyone else can talk. The words seem 54 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: to hang there for a moment as the rest of 55 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: the team try to process what he just said exactly. 56 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: There are a few raised eyebrows and nervous smiles, but Jason, 57 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: whose special area of interest is the spiritual context of 58 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: ancient art pieces, is genuinely intrigued. Brian fills the team 59 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: in on the details, well aware how ludicrous it all sounds. 60 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: Jason offers to examine the box for them to see 61 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: if he can shed any light on its origins. Brian 62 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: is unsure, but he says he'll let him know if 63 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: there's any peculiar activity. He doesn't have long to wait. 64 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: It starts with the lights, just like Kevin said they 65 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: had in his shop. Bulbs suddenly pop or blow entirely, 66 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: even when newly replaced. A urine like smell seems to 67 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: emanate from various places throughout the apartment. Then Brian's laptop 68 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: crashes inexplicably due to a critical failure of the hard drive. 69 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: Despite attempts to fix it, a source for the failure 70 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: could not be found. It's then that Joseph decides to 71 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: do some research into just what exactly it is that 72 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:39,479 Speaker 1: he's bought. What he discovers terrifies him. Although spelt with 73 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: an eye instead of a y by Kevin in his 74 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: eBay listing ad book as a demon from Jewish folklore 75 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: often used in stories to scare little children. Only it 76 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: isn't just an old bedtime story, as Joseph finds out, 77 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: but something that some believe to be very real. According 78 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: to one description, a dibuk is a misplaced spirit that 79 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: can neither rise to heaven nor descend into Hell, an 80 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: evil spirit that will attach itself to an unsuspecting victim 81 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: like a parasite, causing mental illness, rage, and changes of personality. 82 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 1: Joseph can feel his pulse quicken as he reads it. 83 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: Turning back to the box, he notices some Hebraic text 84 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: carved into the back of it. It's a Jewish prayer 85 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: that translates to here o Israel, the Lord is our God, 86 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: the Lord is one. Blessed is the name of his 87 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: honored kingdom for ever. It's a common and well known prayer, 88 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: the sort of prayer perhaps that one might say when 89 00:06:52,240 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: fearful for their life or just before they die. In August, 90 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: after six weeks of peculiar events, Joseph and Brian's four 91 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: other flatmates return from their summer break. When term time 92 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: starts up, words soon gets around about the apparently haunted 93 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: item in their apartment. For a short time, the place 94 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: becomes a popular hangout for the brave and curious, until 95 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: events take an even more ominous turn. Two of the 96 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: flatmates begin to suffer from itchy and irritated eyes, another 97 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: contracts bronchitis, and Yosef breaks a finger. Most of them 98 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: feel they've become unusually listless, as if something is draining 99 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: them of energy. When one flatmate's car breaks down, a 100 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: check under the bonnet reveals the bodies of numerous dead mice. 101 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: This has followed a few day days later by the 102 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: discovery of a biblical infestation of gnats in the room 103 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: the box is being kept in. At first, Joseph is 104 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: determined not to give in to superstition. It's merely coincidental, 105 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: he says to himself, just a series of completely unexceptional 106 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: events given an illusory supernatural context through the presence of 107 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: the box. But outwardly, the cracks are beginning to show 108 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: as its behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Brian and the other 109 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: flatmates start noticing it, and slowly Joseph's certainty weakens. After Thanksgiving, 110 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: Joseph's flatmates return to the apartment relieved but a little 111 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: perplexed to find that Joseph has left, and the box 112 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: has gone too. Like a turning of the tide, the 113 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: strange events appear to immediately stop. The smell of urine 114 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: clears up. There are no more inexplicable electrical shortages, and 115 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: the bugs have gone. Since first mentioning the box to 116 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: his colleagues at the museum, Brian frequently updated them on 117 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:18,439 Speaker 1: the strange occurrences. His boss, Jason, had become especially fascinated 118 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: by it all, hanging on every word until Brian left 119 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: his job at the end of the summer to concentrate 120 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: on his studies. It's a few months later when Jason 121 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,079 Speaker 1: spots him in the audience at a lecture he's presenting. 122 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: When it's finished, he approaches Brian, hoping to hear more 123 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: about the cabinet, but is dismayed to find that Joseph 124 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: is no longer living with him. As Brian explains he 125 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: hasn't seen Joseph or the box since, Jason is gripped 126 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: by an eerie and profound sense of loss, as if 127 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: the ring from Rivendell has just slipped from his grasp. 128 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: A month or so later, Jason receives word from Bryan 129 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: that Joseph has been back in touch, and he's decided 130 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: to sell the box. Reluctant to tell his wife Laurie 131 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 1: for fear that she won't want anything to do with it, 132 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: Jason turns to his colleague Michael for some advice. Michael 133 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: is a friend but also a keen magician in his 134 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,559 Speaker 1: spare time. He's intrigued at the thought of building an 135 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: act around a haunted artifact and offers to go halves 136 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: if Jason wants to buy it, and so in early 137 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,559 Speaker 1: February two thousand and five, Jason logs into eBay under 138 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: his handle age Tron and finds item number three seven 139 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: zero one three four seven six four eight, otherwise known 140 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: as the Dibbuk Box. As Jason reads the listing, he 141 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: feels a surge of excitement. Everything Brian had described, including 142 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 1: Kevin's story from the original listing, is here, but there 143 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: is more. Joseph writes, around October sixth I started feeling 144 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: bad with trouble sleeping. This problem has persisted through today. 145 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: I've started seeing things in my peripheral vision. Most disturbingly, 146 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:29,199 Speaker 1: last Tuesday, my hair began to fall out. Now it's 147 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: about half gone. I'm in my early twenties and I 148 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 1: just got a clean blood test back from the doctors. 149 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: Maybe it's stress related, I don't know. The description reads 150 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: more like a distress beacon than an auction listing, and 151 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: it's clear that the last few months for Joseph, who 152 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: for unknown reasons, decided to move back in with its parents, 153 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: have been increasingly dark and bizarre. Jason scrolls back to 154 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: the top of the page to the text from the 155 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: original listing. He reads those fateful words again from the 156 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: original seller to Kevin, you bought it, we don't want it. 157 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: Jason hesitates for a moment, then types an opening offer 158 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 1: of ninety nine cents. He takes a deep breath, then 159 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: clicks bid, knowing that whatever happens next, you will forever 160 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: be a part of the box's mythology. For the next 161 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:33,079 Speaker 1: few minutes, Jason sits transfixed, his face lit up by 162 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 1: the dim glow of the computer screen as he stealthily 163 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: ups his bid while the auction clock ticks steadily down 164 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: to zero. Jason leans back from the screen and puffs 165 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 1: out his cheeks. Approaching footsteps from outside his door are 166 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: followed by the arrival of a very tense looking Michael. 167 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: He'd been watching the whole thing unfold on another computer. 168 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: Please tell me your age, tron, says Jason smiles, I am. 169 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: They were now the new owners of the box. Joseph 170 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: originally bought it for one hundred and forty dollars, Jason 171 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: paid two hundred and eighty. But there's a snag. When 172 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:23,319 Speaker 1: Jason emails Joseph to arrange delivery, Joseph doesn't reply. After 173 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: several unanswered emails, Jason tries contacting the young man's parents, 174 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: but neither have any knowledge of their son's association with 175 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:37,559 Speaker 1: the box. Jason eventually receives a call from Brian, who's 176 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: now in charge of completing the sale because Joseph, in 177 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: a fit of desperation, begged him to take the box away. 178 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: The following Tuesday, a bleary eyed and distracted looking Brian 179 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: arrives at Jason's office with a large cardboard container. Any 180 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: other day, Jason might have noticed the death inspiration on 181 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: Bryan's face, or maybe wondered why he was so eager 182 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: to leave the building immediately after dropping the package off, 183 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: without even pausing to say goodbye. But today Jason only 184 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,199 Speaker 1: has eyes for the box. As he peels the cardboard 185 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: back to reveal the bubble wrapped curio inside, he feels 186 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: almost euphoric. It's a piece well suited to its new environment, 187 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: he thinks, looking round at the various displays in the museum, 188 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: the gruesome tools for primitive brain surgery, the dissected human 189 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: nervous systems, and wallets made from human skin. Having agreed 190 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: not to open the package until Michael is free, Jason 191 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: has to resist until eight pm before his friend is 192 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: able to join him. In the eerie silence of his 193 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: deserted and dimly lit office, they ease the box from 194 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: its container. Jason slips on a pair of white examination 195 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: gloves and runs his hand over the top before taking 196 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: the drawer handle and pulling it. As the drawer opens, 197 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: the two front doors follow suit, swinging open to reveal 198 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: the hidden treasures inside and releasing a pungent scent into 199 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: the air. Michael lays down a cloth of blue velvet 200 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: next to the box, which he's brought especially for the occasion, 201 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: and one by one Jason carefully places the various items 202 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: onto it. He takes a black light, the kind you 203 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: might use to examine a bloody crime scene, and sweeps 204 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: it over the box, but finds nothing. Unusual. Then Michael 205 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: notices something interesting, the letter N written on the inside 206 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: right Edgeson wonders if it has a ritual purpose, an 207 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: instruction to angle that side of the box to point 208 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: north perhaps, or maybe it isn't an N at all. 209 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: But the Hebrew character Aleph, the very first letter of existence, 210 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: the first point of the alpha, and the omega its 211 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: numerical value of one hundred and eleven, symbolizing the divine, spiritual, 212 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: and physical. They find the same symbol again marked on 213 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: the gold cup, only it isn't gold, as Kevin Mannis 214 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: had assumed, but brass with a silver plating that is 215 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: all but worn away. Going by the box's fairly modern 216 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: design and the style of the hinges, Jason estimates that 217 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: it was built in the fifties or sixties. But looking 218 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: at the pieces spread out before him on the cloth, 219 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: the two pennies, the strange candlestick, the two locks of hair, 220 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: and the strange granite statue, he's unable to say quite 221 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: what it was used for. None of the items have 222 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: any traditional, supernatural or occult connections. Whatever this is, thinks Jason, 223 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: it's not like anything he's ever seen before. While Michael 224 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: takes a closer look at the pieces. Jason slowly removes 225 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: one of the gloves and places his bare hand on 226 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: top of the box, then hurriedly pulls it back. That's weird, 227 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: he thinks. He closes his eyes and puts his hand 228 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 1: on top of the box again and again he gets 229 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: the strange, bizarre sensation. It's as though he can feel 230 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: the wood moving, rippling like water, vibrating, even as if 231 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: it were alive. Jason recoils suddenly, letting out a stifled 232 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 1: cry as a sharp and searing pain grips him from 233 00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: inside and moves into his stomach. Michael was too distracted 234 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: to notice, and Jason keeps it to himself. They finish 235 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: by taking some pictures, then return the items to the 236 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 1: box and pack it away. That night, back at home, 237 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: Jason is in bed, his eyelids flicker and pulsate with 238 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: therim twitch of deep sleep. In his subconscious a dark 239 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: and disturbing set of images are playing out, faces morphing 240 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:44,400 Speaker 1: from one into another, hideously disfigured, bleeding and wounded, and 241 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 1: through it all the recurring image of a ghoulish, elderly 242 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: woman with dark, sunken eyes. Jason wakes with a start 243 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 1: in the dark, sweating and short of breath. His wife, Lorrie, 244 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: is sound asleep signed him. He closes his eyes again 245 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: and soon drifts back to sleep. Moments later, he finds 246 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: himself in a small department store, this time with a 247 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: different benign, elderly woman. She seems to be pleading with 248 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:20,479 Speaker 1: him in anguish, pointing toward an empty box about the 249 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:25,640 Speaker 1: same size as the dibook box. The following morning, Jason 250 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 1: is rinsing his face in the sink when he notices 251 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 1: with shock that both of his eyes are red, raw 252 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:37,679 Speaker 1: and bloodshot. A few days later, the irritation still hasn't 253 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: cleared up, and he is now plagued by a dull, 254 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: metallic taste in his mouth, dominating everything he eats. He 255 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: chokes on the smallest SIPs of water, but worst of all, 256 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:55,160 Speaker 1: can't fight the continual feeling that something is lodged inside 257 00:19:55,160 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: his throat. Jason's doctor suggests he might be suffering from dyscusia, 258 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: a distortion of taste that can be caused by any 259 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: number of illnesses, but Jason isn't convinced. It might explain 260 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: the strange taste in its mouth, but it doesn't account 261 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: for his irritated eyes or his difficulty swallowing not to 262 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: mention the mysterious stomach cramps. The cause of it all 263 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: seems clear to Jason his body has been poisoned. After 264 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: testing a variety of substances the methodical, Jason theorizes that 265 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: it's most likely ammonia. Apart from all the issues he 266 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 1: is suffering from. An exposure to ammonia can result in 267 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: hallucinations as well as sensing the smell of urine. Finally, 268 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: he thinks all the stories from the previous owners begin 269 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: to make sense. Jason runs a series of tests on 270 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: the box and its contents, but it all comes back 271 00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: completely clean. Meanwhile, strange things have started occurring at the museum. 272 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: Light bulbs are blowing, popping, and exploding all over the office. 273 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:14,680 Speaker 1: Jason's deteriorating health hasn't gone unnoticed either. Brian, now back 274 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: working at the museum, approaches him first. It's clear to 275 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 1: him that whatever had lashed onto Joseph has now focused 276 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 1: its attention on its boss. The other staff, irrevocably spooked, 277 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: plead with their colleague to take his box home. Jason 278 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: eventually agrees to take the box. The only problem is 279 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: his wife, Laurie, having heard all about the cabinet from 280 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: Michael's partner Erin, she makes it abundantly clear that her 281 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: husband is not to bring it anywhere near the family. 282 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 1: Since Michael is unwilling to take it off his hands, 283 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,680 Speaker 1: Jason has left with only one option, has to bring 284 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 1: it home in secret. It's a decision he'll soon come 285 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: to regret. It starts with unusual fluctuations in temperature. Entire 286 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: parts of the house become so cold that the family 287 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: can see their own breath even in the height of summer. 288 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: Jason's nightmares intensify, becoming even more terrifying, and soon it 289 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: isn't only when he's asleep that he sees things. One evening, 290 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: he and his thirteen year old son are watching television 291 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: together in the lounge when they witness a strange, billowing 292 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: mass like a black fire, crawling up the wall. The 293 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: following day, an agitated Jason makes a phone call. It's 294 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: to Steve Mass, president of the Long Island Paranormal Research Group. 295 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 1: When Jason first bought the box, he hadn't accounted for 296 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: the vast interest it would online tens of thousands of 297 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 1: people across the world had watched as he won his bid, 298 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: and many had contacted him later on, eager to hear 299 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: of any strange happenings. Steve had been one of the 300 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: first enthusiasts to get in touch and had impressed Jason 301 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: with his sincerity and extensive knowledge of similar artifacts. Steve 302 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: listens patiently as Jason details what occurred in just the 303 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: last few weeks before giving his chilling verdict. One way 304 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: or another, Jason must have unleashed something when he opened 305 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 1: the box, and now it's in the house with his family. 306 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: Steve's suggestion is that Jason carry out the appeasement ritual 307 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 1: from chapter twenty two of a fifteenth century book of 308 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: spells known as The Key of Solomon. The ritual asks 309 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: for a sacrifice to be made to the demonic spirit 310 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: that evening. In secret, Jason, an ordinarily rational, unflappable midwesterner, 311 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,399 Speaker 1: heads into his garage where he stashed the box. He 312 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,160 Speaker 1: stands there alone in the pitch dark, holding the two 313 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: cuttings of hair from the inside drawer, hoping they will 314 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 1: make a sufficient offering. He writes a promise to make 315 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:26,880 Speaker 1: better gifts in future on a strip of paper, as 316 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:30,679 Speaker 1: per the ritual and ties it all together around a 317 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: pine twig. He lights a match and holds it underneath 318 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: until the bundle catches fire. As it burns, he repeats 319 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: its promise. Better gifts shall come from me. Better gifts 320 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: shall come from me. Better gifts shall come from me, 321 00:24:50,760 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: Better gifts shall come from me. The flames finally die out, 322 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: Jason steps from the dark of the garage into the 323 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:11,880 Speaker 1: clear night air. It feels like surfacing from underwater. That night, 324 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: no grotesque old ladies haunt his dreams, and over the 325 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:21,639 Speaker 1: next few weeks his ailments all but vanish. With the 326 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:26,360 Speaker 1: appeasement ritual appearing to have worked, Jason returns his focus 327 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: to finding out more about the supposedly haunted artifact. Afraid 328 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: that it might still be active, He needs to know 329 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: what exactly he might be dealing with. However, despite consulting 330 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: a number of experts, from rabbis to historians, Jason discovers 331 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 1: little more than what he already knows. The man he 332 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 1: needs is Kevin Manis. Jason manages to trace Kevin to 333 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 1: Portland through the original eBay listing. By chance, he is 334 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: due to travel there for a word trip in the 335 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: coming months, and so he doubles his efforts. He discovers 336 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,959 Speaker 1: one mannis listed in the phone book and calls the number. 337 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: It turns out to be Kevin's sister. However, she is 338 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:17,479 Speaker 1: unwilling to give out her brother's details and wants nothing 339 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: to do with Jason's quest to find him. Under tret 340 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: Jason turns to the Internet and through a genealogy site, 341 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 1: discovers that Kevin had a grandmother called Ethel, who died 342 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 1: some years previously. Then Jason finds a contact for another 343 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: relative of Ethel's who reveals some intriguing information. Kevin's grandmother 344 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,360 Speaker 1: was a Russian Jewish immigrant who arrived in the United 345 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: States sometime at the beginning of the nineteen hundreds and 346 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: died around the age of one hundred and three. Similar 347 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: to the alleged original owner of the box, who Kevin 348 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: claimed was a Jewish emigray from Europe, Ethel also had 349 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: a fascination with Jewish mysticism and kisheff a form of 350 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: Judaic magic. Then the relative drops a bombshell. It's their 351 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: belief that the wine box never was haunted and that 352 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 1: Kevin has made the whole thing up, using Ethel as inspiration. 353 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:26,880 Speaker 1: Jason is stunned. It can't be. He thinks, for a start, 354 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: if it wasn't true, then what on earth had been 355 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: happening to him and even Joseph before that neither had 356 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:38,439 Speaker 1: ever met Kevin, and yet both had been clearly affected 357 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: by the Dibbuck Box, and in identical ways to what 358 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: Kevin himself said he'd suffered. Then something weird happens. Confused 359 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:52,879 Speaker 1: by the prospect that nothing about the box is true, 360 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,920 Speaker 1: Jason asks if the relative can at least email him 361 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: a photograph of Ethel. When he recive leaves it and 362 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: opens it up, staring back at him on his screen, 363 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:09,120 Speaker 1: he is absolutely certain is the same elderly woman he's 364 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: seen in his dreams, the one standing in a department store, 365 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: pointing with great anguish toward an empty box. Ethel, it 366 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 1: turns out, had also owned a department store. When Jason 367 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: finally travels to Portland in June, he's almost given up 368 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:32,560 Speaker 1: on speaking to Kevin entirely. When he makes one final 369 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 1: effort to locate him, looking through local courthouse records, he 370 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 1: finds a phone number. Later that night, he makes the 371 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: call from his hotel room, and a woman answers the 372 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: phone She assures him that nobody by the name of 373 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: Kevin lives there, but Jason isn't convinced tell him. He says, 374 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,960 Speaker 1: I've got one hundred and fifty dollars if he can 375 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: just call me at the hotel. On the other end, 376 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: says she'll see what she can do before hanging up. 377 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: It's nearly midnight when the phone rings in Jason's hotel room. 378 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: It's Kevin. Finally, now he can get some answers. You've 379 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:25,719 Speaker 1: been listening to Unexplained Season seven, episode twenty three The Box, 380 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: Part two of three, the third and final part, will 381 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: be released next Friday, June fourteenth. This episode was written 382 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:41,000 Speaker 1: by Richard McClain smith. Unexplained as an AV Club Productions 383 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: podcast created by Richard McClain Smith. All other elements of 384 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: the podcast, including the music, are also produced by me 385 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: Richard mcclin smith. Unexplained. The book and audiobook, with stories 386 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 1: never before featured on the show, is now available to 387 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, 388 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 1: and other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show 389 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts, and feel free to get 390 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories 391 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 1: you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation 392 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: of your own you'd like to share. You can find 393 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: out more at Unexplained podcast dot com and reach us 394 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: online through Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook 395 00:30:27,240 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast six