CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio - "It's not always the house that's haunted" Crepypasta

Starting point is 00:00:01 Hold his tongue tonight, the nail has to go in clean, you understand? Some people think that a ghost is the spirit of someone who has died. Others think it's an echo of some past life or powerful event. And there are plenty, of course, who think they are nothing at all. I don't know that any of this is exactly right, or odd as it may seem, exactly wrong. Ghosts are more than just echoes. They can actually think and feel and act according to some internal. drive I don't claim to understand.

Starting point is 00:00:36 Those drives, and much of their overall nature, is so alien that I often feel like I'm trying to grab smoke or estimate a void when I turn my mind to trying to guess why they do what they do. And what do ghosts do? Well, often they seem much like an echo, a mindless repeating sound wave that slowly fades as it travels to the rigours of time and space. They frequently seem bound into actions or messages or other loophers. but, given the inconsistency of this trait and the lack of comprehension to their true goals in nature,

Starting point is 00:01:09 who can really say for sure? What is easier to say is that every ghost is bound. I can't speak as to other kinds of spirits or whatever else might lurk in the darker corners of the world, but every ghost is tied to something by an ethereal leash that prescribes the limits of their travels, and, consequently, the sphere of their influence. The common cliche, of course, is a haunted house. And, as with many things, a cliche is a cliche for a reason. Houses are very common tether for a ghost.

Starting point is 00:01:44 You could get two dozen people to tell you BS about why that is the case. Psychic energy, past trauma, unfinished business. None of them know, but it's easier to sell you something if they speak with confidence, right? The key is that ghosts, all ghosts in my experience are tethered to something and part of a house a piece of land a key or a toy or a bag of chips

Starting point is 00:02:08 they always have an anchor in the real world or maybe just the ones we can notice to maybe there are billions of ghosts floating around that we can't perceive at all all of them just wishing to be imprisoned so someone can see them watching or hear them scream one other thing that I can say with some confidence after doing this for over 20 years

Starting point is 00:02:29 is this. Ghosts cannot haunt or inhabit the living. Forget what you may have seen on cheesy movies or bad documentaries. There is some kind of natural spiritual resistance, perhaps, or ghosts just like the ability to do it. And note that I'm saying ghosts. I make no claim as to what other entities can or cannot do.

Starting point is 00:02:52 But wait, you may be thinking, what about all those stories of ghosts following a family when they move away. My response is this. Most likely, they inadvertently carried the tether with them when they moved. Ghosts can be strangely clever, or at least, it is easy to perceive their actions as such. In either case, it is not uncommon for the tether to be an object that is either intrinsic to the location or highly prized by an individual. This occurs to a degree that is grossly statistically significant, suggesting that the tether is selected rather than,

Starting point is 00:03:27 than randomly assigned or happened upon, and that the choice is based, at least on part, in maintaining the potency of and the audience for the haunting itself. I've never seen a roll of toilet paper become haunted, for instance, or a chip bag for that matter. That was my attempt at absurdist's humor. Instead, ghosts tend to be tethered to things that will last and be around people. I think they not only want to be seen, they need to be. based on research that was done in the early part of the last century, when tethers are removed from their natural environment

Starting point is 00:04:02 and totally isolated for an extended period of time, the ghost bound to it fades away. Whether this means it is truly gone or just likes the ability to haunt anymore, I couldn't say. But the salient point here is this. If the tether is removed, so is the ghost.

Starting point is 00:04:24 The husband was sweaty and nervous as he glanced between his wife and me. Mr. Burganton, I... This all sounds good. Great, I mean. Raking a hand through his greasy hair, he looked down at the picnic table we were sitting at. This...

Starting point is 00:04:41 This thing is going to kill us if we don't get rid of it. It was bad enough when he was moving things and making noises, but when he had attacked our little girl... He shook his head as he went on with a shutting breath. I thought she was going to die that night. that we all were. The wife broke in. Are you sure it's not a demon?

Starting point is 00:05:02 Something worse than a ghost? I gave the woman a thin smile. I'm quite sure. I do not claim expertise in any of these matters because, by their very nature, a true expert cannot exist. But I know very well what I know and what I do not.

Starting point is 00:05:19 And rest assured, your problem is a ghost haunting, nothing more or less. She swallowed and dropped together. days, but pressed on. I'm not doubting your knowledge, it's just, it has gotten so violent. It bit me when we were pulling Maddie free that last night. My eyes narrowed slightly as I waited until she ventured at Timmy Glant's back up.

Starting point is 00:05:43 Your resistance to the idea of this being just a ghost is born out of your ignorance, I'm afraid. I've seen a ghost skin a man alive, burned down a house with the family trapped inside, and far worse things that I won't burden you with. but I assure you that a powerful ghost is capable of being very, very destructive. I turn back to the husband dismissively. Now, my team has investigated your house, determined that a powerful, malignant ghost is present, and identify the tether. That is why I'm here, as my time is very limited and valuable. With your permission, my team will remove the tether, and consequently the ghost from your home this evening.

Starting point is 00:06:24 In the morning, your family can return home and won't be troubled by this again. The man was already nodding, a desperate sheen in his eyes. But again, the woman pushed away into the deal-making. Excuse me, that sounds great, it does, but how much is this going to cost? I mean, if you all are so good at this and your time is so valuable or whatever, how are we going to be able to pay for it? She withered slightly as I turned to her, but she didn't drop a gaze this time. my smile felt hard and brittle on my lips

Starting point is 00:06:57 It won't cost you a thing We provide the service for free And receive our funding through other sources The husband began to beam But the wife's brow was still furrowed with concern Okay well I mean Not that we aren't grateful for the help

Starting point is 00:07:15 Especially for free But it just all sounds too good to be true You flew all the way here You've got three guys that have been staying at the house for a week with all the equipment, and you don't want us to pay anything? I sniffed as I slid out from the bench. If you don't want my help, that is your prerogative. Thank you for your...

Starting point is 00:07:35 The husband leapt up. No, no, we do. He shot a dark look back at his wife. We've just been through a lot, but we can't afford to move, and I can't carry my family back in that place until it's gone. Please, please help us. jaw clenched, he turned to stare at the woman. Isn't that right, Bonnie?

Starting point is 00:07:58 Bunny frowned at my smirk, before given a solemn nod. Yes, please help if you can. He keeps moving around. Jasper yanked Toby back down onto the table again before glaring at Josh. I thought you dosed them an hour ago. Josh held his hands out placatingly. I did. Same dose as the last one.

Starting point is 00:08:22 He pointed at the little boy laying on the table. Look at him. He's out man, been out for half an hour. It's the occupant I'm telling you, and I can't dose them. Jasper muttered a curse as he shook his head. Fine, fine. Toby's cominto's body lurched again, and Jasper laid down his chest as he pointed orcally towards the boy's feet.

Starting point is 00:08:44 Brad, strap his legs tighter before he breaks something. Do you have control of this situation, Jasper? The man looked from Brad, to me, the anger fading from his face, only a little. We do, Bergen-Sene, we do, but this one is about full. You know how they get when we crowd them in? My honest opinion is that we pull a fresh one from the ranch and start over. I shook my head.

Starting point is 00:09:09 No, our client has asked for seven, and seven is what they will receive. You know the number affects the potency dramatically, and I am not in the habit of breaking my word. I glanced over at Josh. Where is the tether? Looking startled, he fumbled a small plastic bag out of his shirt pocket. Yes, right here. He gave a small grin. It was a framing nail between the first and second floor, right at the heart of the house.

Starting point is 00:09:38 This one's smart. Notting, I looked back at Toby. He was small for a nine-year-old, but surprisingly healthy given the circumstances. It was to be expected, of course. The children at the ranch, the fresh ones, as Jasper called them, had to be fed and cared for as one might any child. But after the second or third tether was implanted, their need for sustenance declined. By five, they did little but sleep and dream with no need for the outside world. And by seven?

Starting point is 00:10:12 The child's body was marked by his journey from boy to bomb. A coin laid sewn beneath the skin of his right thigh. A bit of glass from a bar and pole and jotted from his arm. A razor blade nestled into the flesh of his calf, while the filed off point of an old weather vein lay between the knuckles of his left hand. A wood splinter behind his knee, and another larger piece in the small of his back. Just one more left.

Starting point is 00:10:38 Do it now. Letting out and accepting grunt, Jasper waved Brad over. You heard him, bring it here. As Brad stepped forward, Jasper pride open Toby's mouth. Eager to please, Brad already had the pliers at the ready. Jasper wasn't impressed or convinced. Hold his tongue tight, the nail has to go in clean. You understand? What I offer is a service.

Starting point is 00:11:09 A weapon that cannot be easily traced or thwarted. You know my reputation, and the results speak for themselves. chaos and destruction greater than any missile or assassin's bullet, but without the risk of failure, mitigation or retaliation. The place you put this, it'll be poisoned. The people there, they were slowly rot from the inside, their minds, their hearts. In a week, they'll forever change, in a month. Well, it'll be over in a month.

Starting point is 00:11:42 And then? What if they just leave? You know, go somewhere else because they're scared. I stifle my irritation as I offered a smile. A reasonable concern, but unnecessary. What we have prepared, he doesn't manifest as a traditional haunting. These ghosts, they are trapped somewhere they don't want to be with other, similar entities they don't want to be around. They can't take out their frustration in the vessel physically.

Starting point is 00:12:10 They need him alive and able to sustain them, and their overwhelming presence shuts down the body somewhat, would possibly kill if the entities didn't sustain him in turn. The vessel is forever asleep, protected and tormented and punished by the things he now carries in his meat and bones. That's one of the reasons we predominantly use children. It's estimated the younger vessels can survive for upwards of 50 or 60 years. The ambassador seemed unconvinced.

Starting point is 00:12:40 So, I went on. The vessel comes in a container specifically designed to isolate him, and the entities from the outside world. And you plant him where he is needed. All you need to do is remove the outer container and ensure he's left in a hidden place with at least slight airflow. They do still need to breathe, if only a little. The man frowned. Yes, yes, we know well enough how to hide him. But you haven't answered my question. How is this different from a haunted house? Won't people just dismiss it or get scared and run away? I felt my smile hardening. I have a man who works with me, names Jasper.

Starting point is 00:13:22 He's been with me for years, rough around the edges, but professional, pragmatic, and not without moments of insight. I leaned across the polished desk towards the ambassador. Here's a saying, why do ghosts do what they do? Because they're damn insane. I leaned back. I call it myasma, the observable phenomenon where ghosts went forced into close progress. become more potent and, well, more insane.

Starting point is 00:13:54 If you want to apply such terms to these things, they lose individual will and personalities. They devolve into a force more akin to radiation. It eats away the minds and the souls of those within a certain radius, and it does so in a very insidious fashion. Not only were the afflicted not leave, they will not want to leave. They will keep drinking the poison until they can't take another drop Crossing my legs, my smile was more earnest now.

Starting point is 00:14:25 Parts another way, this is a bomb you don't come back from. The man was sweating now. He'd already knew the truth, or I'd have never been retained. But like so many men, he wanted to talk. Talk and be convinced and show me how intelligent and powerful he was. And now he sat here, out of stupid questions, and left with the reality of a world and was much deeper and darker than he could ever truly appreciate. I... I see, he swallowed.

Starting point is 00:15:01 And the inner container. Um, we leave that on permanently, right? I glanced at my phone when it vibrated. The final payment had just gone through. Nodding, I stood to leave. I would, yes. It offers no shielding from the things in there with him, but it does offer a great deal.

Starting point is 00:15:22 deal of acoustic buffer. The ambassador raised his eyebrow. Acoustic buffer? I started towards the door, but I stopped and looked back at him. For the screams, he may be asleep, but our little Toby never stopped screaming.

CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio - "It's not always the house that's haunted" Crepypasta

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