1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: Twelve Ghosts is a production of I Heeart three D 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: audio and grim and mild from Aaron Banky headphones recommended 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: listener discretion advised. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind may 4 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: moan earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. 5 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: Snow had fallen, Snow on snow, snow on snow in 6 00:00:39,000 --> 00:01:24,839 Speaker 1: the bleak midwinter long ago. Uh right, you look quite surprised, Annabelle. 7 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: But you don't know how you ended up in these 8 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: woods so very far from home. I was confused. I 9 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: could have been hit on the head and wandered into 10 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,639 Speaker 1: the night. I could be dreaming. It could be the wine. 11 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: The wine does not exist except in our heads. And 12 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: to be quite frank, our heads don't exist, at least 13 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: not in the way you're accustomed to them existing. Though 14 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean they aren't real. But I expect you're 15 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: not up for a metaphysical debate at this late hour, 16 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: especially since suddenly learning that you're in fact very much 17 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: not corporeal in the classical sense. I don't believe it. 18 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: There's very little of existence that we haven't hung our 19 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: metaphors over. Frank consense and mer used for worship and 20 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: funerary practices going as far back as written history. Given 21 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: as gifts in the Nativity story precious and rare. Yes, 22 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: a good gift on its own. But of course we 23 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: add our layers of allegory to the action. Gold for 24 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: a king, frank consense symbolized worship, may're to symbolize the 25 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: sacred act of dying for another. We offer the sense 26 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: up to the gods and hope that they will be 27 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: pleased and have mercy on us. I just like the smell, 28 00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: of course people attach meaning to it. It's deep, heavy, mystical. 29 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 1: All that to say, there are more things in heaven 30 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: and earth ratio than are dreamt of in your philosophy. 31 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:23,399 Speaker 1: We should be expecting our next guest at any moment. Oh, 32 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: who will it be? Welcome, my dear, coming from the cold. 33 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: My goodness, you're freezing. Come. We poured wine for you. 34 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: That would be very nice. Thank you. Where am I 35 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: at the end of things? Now you're safe in a 36 00:03:53,240 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: place of rest. Sit. I'm dead right. Nothing gets post you, 37 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: does it. I'm not surprised. I thought i'd come in 38 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 1: them all away. Did you tell me what happened? So 39 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: this is the original story or at least the way 40 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: they told us when we were kids. And the thing 41 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: you have to understand is Mexican ship changes. It's different, 42 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: like a whole different story, depending on where you lived 43 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: or who told it to you. There's no one version 44 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: of anything. And what I learned after everything that happened 45 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: is it doesn't matter ghost monsters, whatever you were told, 46 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: whatever you believe, they will find you. So the version 47 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: I was told growing up and West they has in 48 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: the late eighties, the version of my grandma told us 49 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: leading up to Christmas Eve. She say, be careful on 50 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: Christmas morning, Mi huh, because Santa Claus and your mother 51 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: and father will give you all the presents they can, 52 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: but you might not get everything you want. And if 53 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: you grow boss, if you complain la brue Halo, she'll 54 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: snatch you up and drag you away to the desert 55 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: and she'll fill your mouth with sand so no one 56 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: will hear you gry no more. And then she just 57 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: kiss us and put us to bed, just like that. 58 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: It's messed up, but it worked because my family was poor, 59 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 1: so our presents every year were scraps, total shit. But 60 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: did I say one word about it? Get La Bruja 61 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: into the house to take me away. You better believe 62 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: I sat there with a big, fake gass grin on 63 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: my face and said thank you loud and fled looking 64 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: over my shoulder, playing with some dollar store barbie knuckle 65 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: called Pretty Patty or whatever. Oh you bet, I pretended 66 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: to love that ship. As I got older, it became 67 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: clear La the Desert, which was just our version of 68 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: the Boogeyman, something to scare kids into behaving, and we 69 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: already had so many of those, a random spirits and saints. 70 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: Between Bruhia and and being Catholic, we spent like half 71 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: of our childhood lighting candles and cracking eggs under the bed, 72 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: dealing with my Lojo, inviting the priest over to bless 73 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: the corners of the house. Ghost everywhere, and who cares. 74 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: It's all make believe, right, but it's not. It shows 75 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: up smelling of roses and rips, lives to pieces after 76 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: what happened. I've tried to learn about her, but it's 77 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: hard with all the different stories out there, the version 78 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,679 Speaker 1: of my brother Joaquin and I. The one most kids 79 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: heard is that her son pitched a fit on Christmas 80 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: morning because he didn't get what he'd wanted, and he 81 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: ran away, and she ran off into the desert to 82 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: find him and died out there. In some versions, she 83 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: learns to cast spells. Some kids heard she asked the 84 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: Blue for help, and the magic turns on her. Sometimes 85 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: she gets you because she thinks you're her son. Sometimes 86 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: she's doing it as revenged for all mothers everywhere. Whichever 87 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: story you believe, the one can instant is in the end, 88 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: when you break your mother's heart, La Bruja is there 89 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: to take you away. I'll be real. The story of 90 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: La brue how was always hard for me because I 91 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: didn't have the best relationship with my mom. We got 92 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: on okay, but it was cold. I always felt like 93 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: she was stuck in between, Like she grew up with 94 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: this idea of what a good little Mexicana girl was 95 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: supposed to be, how we were supposed to act, but 96 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: by the time I came up, it wasn't a thing anymore. 97 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: I didn't want it anyway. She even straight up asked 98 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: me when I was a little girl if I wanted 99 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: a quintana, and I told her, Nah, I wanted a 100 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: car instead. She tried and share my little brother were unit, 101 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: but that wasn't us. I know now that that's on 102 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: me that I should have been there for my mom. 103 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: After my dad died, I was just mad all the time. 104 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: I wanted him back. It was hard enough before he 105 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: died because we were dirt poor, I mean a literal 106 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: dirt middle of nowhere West. They has just all we 107 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: knew was these tiny little houses with window a C 108 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: units fighting for their lives in a highway and desert 109 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: and nothing's fucking brown everywhere you look, nowhere to go. 110 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: But my dad made the most of it. My dad 111 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: was the best, and he wasn't even showy about it 112 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: or anything. He didn't need to show out, spill a 113 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 1: million words to you, talk over you. He just kept 114 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: to himself. So when he did something small like put 115 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: a hand on your shoulder, it felt like you were 116 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,439 Speaker 1: getting approval straight from God and the Holy Ghost themselves. 117 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: Mm hmm. My mom and I just didn't get each other. 118 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:13,959 Speaker 1: But my dad, that ship was locked down. I was 119 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: Daddy's girl. He loved us so much. Traveled all the 120 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: way to Fort winn to work in some unaired conditioned 121 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: factory six days a week just to put food on 122 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:29,959 Speaker 1: the table. And by the time he got home. He 123 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: was so tired. He just sit in his good chair 124 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: and smiled when we came running to him. I think 125 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: he might have been embarrassed about not speaking English too good, 126 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: but they decided not to speak Spanish in the house 127 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: so we could grow upo aut Real Americans or whatever, 128 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: so he stuck to it. He'd use little Spanglish words 129 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: that felt okay, like me, hed I told you to 130 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: leave until your mother and ship like that. But that 131 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: was it. I remember everything. Joaquin didn't. He was too young, 132 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: but I was almost eleven when it happened. I remember 133 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: everybody all panicked after the phone rang, my mother rushing 134 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: out to the hospital. They never told me exactly what 135 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: the machine did to him, but the casket was closed, 136 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: and for years, anytime his name came up, my aunts 137 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: would cross themselves and say, Santiago. That was my dad's name, Santiago, Boba, Santiago, 138 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: and then they shake their head. After that, my grandma 139 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,199 Speaker 1: moved in with us to take care of my brother 140 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: and I, while my mom started pulling morning and lunch shifts. 141 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: At this dinner off, I tend closer to the base. 142 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: My mom never dated, as far as I knew, I 143 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: could tell she was lonely all the time. The family 144 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: martyr just go into work and being with us, talking 145 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: to the pictures on my dad she kept on the table. 146 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: So all these years passed, and now I'm fourteen, and 147 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: that's when my mom comes home with ed I never 148 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: met anybody like Edgar before. Tall and clean and skinny. 149 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:25,439 Speaker 1: Everybody I knew lived rough, but Edgar looked like he'd 150 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 1: never been outside. I thought maybe he was Spanish at first. 151 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: When he came around, she was always calling him my 152 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: friend Edgar. But I knew better, and he seemed real nice. 153 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: But I couldn't help but give him a hard time. 154 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: Mostly it was small stuff. He'd take his shoes off 155 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,199 Speaker 1: when he came over, so I'd filled them with bugs 156 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: and rocks and stuff. He tried to play catch with us, 157 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: but I just throw the football as hard as I 158 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: could at his head. And he never made a joke 159 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: about me not throwing like a girl. But I kept 160 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: wishing he would so I can go off on him 161 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 1: like I did when he sat in my dad's chair. 162 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: Weird thing was every time I did something like that, 163 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: I catched the smell of roses on the wind. Here, 164 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: this pleasant little rattle like castanets or shells clicking against 165 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: each other. It felt like a reward. Maybe want to 166 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: keep doing it. Joaquin wasn't about that. He loved his 167 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: new buddy, Edgar, loved having somebody to play with, loved 168 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: getting taken to do stuff because my mom had always 169 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: been too tired and my grandma had too much to 170 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 1: do around the house. I don't think he understood what 171 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: Edgar was doing there, but he liked having somebody new. 172 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: So about a year has gone by since we met Edgar, 173 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: and I'm getting used to him being around. And now 174 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: it's Christmas Eve, which was usually when Mayawata would be 175 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: telling thing us about La Blue Jab But we're too 176 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: old for all that now, and Edgar's there, which feels 177 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: a little weird. But we do dinner and we play 178 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: Notteia with beans on the cards and all that. And 179 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: later Edgar takes me outside and he tells me, Amiliana, 180 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: I know this is your house and I care about 181 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: your mother, but I could never replace your father, and 182 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: I would never try. I know what he meant to you, 183 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: and I promise you I will honor his memory no 184 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: matter what happens. And we shook hands and just like 185 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: that we were cool. So now it's Christmas Day. We 186 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: wake up early and it's just like every year, pretty patty, 187 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: thank you, socks and pencils, thank you. And then Edgar 188 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:54,119 Speaker 1: rose up and all of us, even my mom, looked surprised. 189 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: We didn't think we were going to see Edgar today, 190 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: but here he comes, stressed on nice and he gave 191 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 1: is my Boilah a big hug, and he's all excited 192 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: to see everybody and gives me and my brother these 193 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: huge gifts. And mine, I told him a few weeks 194 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: earlier how I wanted to learn skateboard. So mine is 195 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: this sweet deck with the trucks all high and everything 196 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: pink helmet, but I'm not mad about it. And my 197 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: brother he gets this big hot wheels track with Ramsey ol, 198 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: so he immediately starts opening it. And then Edgar goes 199 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: one more present and he moves in front of my 200 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: mom and he gets down on one knee and he 201 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: starts in. I know it's only been a year, but 202 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: ever since the day I met you at the dinner, 203 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: I've blah blah blah blah, and at this point I 204 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: don't hear nothing, just ringing in my ear, just just noise, 205 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 1: and I can feel my heart and my adrenaline and 206 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: starts to go, looking at my mom smiling. She's starting 207 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: to cry, while Edgar pulls out this tiny box and 208 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 1: starts to open it, and and just as I'm about 209 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: to say something, there's this big crash, and we all 210 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 1: turned to look because Joaquin has thrown his present against 211 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: the wall as hard as he can, before anybody can 212 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 1: do anything. He's screaming, no, no, no, you're not my father, 213 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: You're not my father, and and we're stunned. I've never 214 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: seen this kid yelled once in his life, but he's 215 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 1: hollering and stomping his foot and trying to grab the 216 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,280 Speaker 1: ring away, and Edgar's up now keeping the box out 217 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: of rage, trying to laugh it off. But but now 218 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: Hawkin is crying, and he runs to my grandma, while 219 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: Edgar says, I told you, I told you this was 220 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: a bad idea, and he goes to leave, and my 221 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: mom chases him outside, all this yelling, my brother hauling 222 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: with my grandma trying to console him, and I could 223 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: smell his roses, and I feel like I'm gonna pa 224 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: us out. We hear Edgar drive off, and and my 225 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: mom comes in, guns blazing, yelling at Joaquin, what got 226 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: into you? What are you thinking? Those cassinettes? The clicking 227 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: growing louder, and my head And she spins around to 228 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: where I am and points her finger in my face 229 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: and say, you you're the one who did this. You 230 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:28,640 Speaker 1: poison his mind. And she goes running into her room 231 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: and crying, with my grandma chasing after her. I'm left 232 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: there with Joaquin, and I'm like, why did you do that? 233 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: And guy's a good guy. He's crying and saying I 234 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: don't know, I don't know, and and we're both crying 235 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:50,640 Speaker 1: at this point, and I'm so worked up I don't 236 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: even notice. The ground underneath us is shaking. Now there's 237 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: a rumbling, this huge sound all around us, and all 238 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: the light bulbs and how's explode all at once. Then 239 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: the wall, the one facing away from the street into 240 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,959 Speaker 1: the desert, rips away. It's it's ten o'clock in the morning, 241 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 1: but the sun it's completely gone, clouded over, this sandstorm 242 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 1: whirling all around us. Walking yells for me. I don't 243 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: know what's happening. I don't have time to pray, I 244 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: don't have time to cry. I just think about my 245 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: mother and how I wish she would come back and 246 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: save us. She doesn't save us. Instead, something I can't say, 247 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:38,680 Speaker 1: snatches up walking and drags him into the desert. I 248 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: go chasing after them. It's not hard. All I can 249 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: hear is the sound of my baby brother screaming like 250 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 1: he'd never scream in his life. After a while, I 251 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 1: can hear they've gone up over this ridge. And when 252 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: I'm finally able to climb down and I find them 253 00:18:55,880 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: in the clearing, there she is and all her glory. 254 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: She's more horrible than I could have possibly imagined when 255 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 1: we were told the stories. I've always pictured like an 256 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 1: old lady, gray hair, long fingernails, and she is that. 257 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 1: But then there's a smell, the roses putred, rotting, overwhelming everything, 258 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: making me gag. Ears filled with the rattling the cassinets 259 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: chattering NonStop, piercing into my bones. And she's floating, commanding 260 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: everything around her, her big white eyes glowing with no pupils. 261 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: And then I saw him floating there in the circle 262 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: near Joaquin. It was my father, but it wasn't him. 263 00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 1: It wasn't a ghost, like the way they look so 264 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: nice and clean in the movies. He looked like my father, 265 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 1: but he wasn't complete, all these pieces of him missing 266 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: his head. I knew it was him, but his head. 267 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:22,360 Speaker 1: I heard his voice loud for the first time, feeling 268 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 1: the whole night sky walking me hole. I told you, 269 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:38,160 Speaker 1: always be a good boy, always mine your mother. It's 270 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: a goody. You did what you could, and now you 271 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: can leave with us over here in the sun forever. 272 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: The ground began to rumble again, and the earth underneath 273 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: Labruja opened up for them to descend. I cried out, no, 274 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: take me, it was me, It was me. La Bruja 275 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: in an instant, was face to face with me, still 276 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 1: holding my brother up. She bared her teeth and his back, 277 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,119 Speaker 1: and these were the only words she spoke the whole time. 278 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: And just like that, Walking and my father and La 279 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: Bruja disappeared into the earth, and the sand washed over 280 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: everything like it had never happened, Like it was just 281 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: as God had left it. I ended up in Virginia, 282 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: lots of mountains, trees, about as far away you can 283 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: get from the desert without falling off into the ocean. 284 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,959 Speaker 1: You get used to the cold, he told everybody. Walking 285 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: ran away from home and they believed us. The police 286 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,400 Speaker 1: barely looked for him. Then we left, and as far 287 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: as I could tell, nobody missed us when we were gone. 288 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 1: My grandma died shortly after that. Then we lost my 289 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: mom a few years. Hugo. Cancer sucks. I've got kids 290 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: of my own, now, boy and a girl. She's starting 291 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: fourth grade this year. It's crazy. I haven't told anybody 292 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 1: would happened, not even my husband. I just hold it in, 293 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:51,399 Speaker 1: you know, keep it here. Nobody else needs it. I 294 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: feel like if I started talking about it, I never stopped. 295 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: I just keep screaming. She can't do that. They take 296 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: you away, and I can't let them take me away. 297 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: My mom has been dead for years, and I'm still 298 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: afraid to cross her, still afraid I might break her heart. 299 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: Wherever she is. I'm afraid of whoever is watching from 300 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: whatever distance, those white hot eyes. So I'm I'm good 301 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: to everybody. I'm afraid not to be, because I've got 302 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: to protect the people around me. I light my candles, 303 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: I look over my shoulder. I'm so tired. It's too much, 304 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: it's too much to bear. But then I suppose that 305 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. Now, now that I'm here. I'm so tired 306 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: of the worry. La brush can't get you anymore. Would 307 00:23:53,320 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: you like to sleep? Yes, very much. This key belongs 308 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 1: to a door up those stairs, fourth on the left. 309 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:14,639 Speaker 1: You'll find everything you need there. Rest now, Thank you. 310 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: I saw something in your face as you listen to 311 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:31,199 Speaker 1: her story. Just now, What do you mean? What do 312 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:35,200 Speaker 1: you think you saw? I'm not sure. If I were 313 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: to guess, I would call it a recognition, Something struck 314 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: a chord. There was something that felt familiar to me. Well, 315 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 1: perhaps you'll get it out of you before the night end. Yeah, 316 00:24:54,920 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: everything eventually comes to light here here at the end 317 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:21,199 Speaker 1: of things. Twelve Ghosts starring Malcolm McDowell as the Innkeeper 318 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 1: and Gina Rikiki as Annabelle. Episode four, La Bruja del 319 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 1: Dasierto written by Chris Alonso with additional writing by Nicholas Takowski, 320 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 1: Editing by Chris Childs and Stephen Perez. Featuring Laura Lorreina 321 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: Morales as Ameliana. Directed by Nicolas Takowski, Original score and 322 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 1: sound design by Chris Childs. Executive producers Aaron Mankey, Matt Frederick, 323 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: Alexander Williams, and Nicholas Takowski. Supervising producer Josh Stain, Producers 324 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: Chris Childs and Stephen Perez. Casting by Sunday Bowling c 325 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: s A and Meg Mormon c s A. Per aduction 326 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:04,880 Speaker 1: coordinator Wayna Calderon. Recorded at Lantern Audio in Atlanta, Georgia, 327 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:10,400 Speaker 1: engineered by Chris Gardner Aeros Sound and Recording in Ojai, California, 328 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 1: engineered by Ken Arrows. Twelve Ghosts was created by Nicholas 329 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 1: Takowski and is a production of I Heeart three D 330 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: Audio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Learn more 331 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: about the show at Grim and Mild dot com and 332 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: find more podcasts from my heart Radio by visiting the 333 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 1: i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 334 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.