Midnight Burger - Chapter 8: Into the Deep Freeze!

Episode Date: June 15, 2021

Things can keep for a long time when they're frozen: Chicken, fish, broccoli, reminders of the futility of our actions. Be careful when you defrost...Cast:Gloria - Siouxsie SuarezCaspar - Joe FisherAva - Finlay StevensonZebulon Mucklewain - Neal StarbirdEffie Mucklewain - Julie Cowden-StarbirdLeif - Tom MoormanGuest Starring:Jason Lambert as VladimirWritten and Directed by Joe FisherProduced by Joe Fisher and Finlay StevensonMusic:Preguntale a las Estrellas - Emilia de GorgorzaWhere the River Shannon Flows - Columbia Stellar QuartetteRead and search Scripts with PodScripts: https://podscripts.app/For more information on our show, visit our website: https://www.weopenatsix.comSubscribe for early access, ad free episodes, additional content and more!Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/midnightburgerSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/midnight-burger/id1537653218Subscribe on Supporting Cast: https://midnightburger.supportingcast.fmHow about some merch? https://www.midnightburgermerch.comSign up for our newsletter: https://weopenatsix.beehiiv.com/Find and support our sponsors at: fableandfolly.com/partnersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Radio Rental. The scariest stories you've ever heard in your life, all told by real people. Oh, and off we go. On one side of me, I have these people whispering to each other, staring at me, and then the other side I have this distaste man gurgling. I was afraid that something was trying to trick me and lure me down there, and I had no idea what I would find if I walked down to that pond. Zach, there are people outside the room talking.

Radio Rental is available now. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. So now we can hear you guys and the song. Yes, and we can also hear it. But you're not playing this song. We are not. So this song is coming from somewhere else. It is.

And we don't know from where. We do not. And you're saying that when me from the future was here the other day, he said what to you? It's all part of the plan. And then he attached some sort of device to the radio. And then removed it, we believe. And then this song started playing, and you guys started quoting from the Egyptian Book of the Dead for no reason. That is the next thing that happened. Yes.

And then you guys proceeded to say nothing at all to us about it. For a whole day. One day went by. 24 hours. 24 hours. Not that time exists. I feel like if you guys were kindergartners, there would be a nigh, note to your parents saying

does not play well with the other children. We're very sorry, Casper. He said it's all part of the plan. What's the plan? We are unaware of any plan. I don't understand. A plan for what? I don't like this at all

guys. I don't like secret plans. I don't like weird behavior. Where's Gloria? I think I know what he did. What? I think he fine-tuned the signal. What about this seems fine-tuned to you? Gloria! Fine-tuned. Untuned isn't the right word.

Well, I don't think there's a right word for this. We're getting more information. It's like we have a satellite dish on the roof now. Great. We have pay-per-view boxing. Guys, Gleaf, what is it? The door to the deep freeze is open. What? The door to the deep freeze is open, and I can't find Gloria.

Gloria? She's not in the kitchen. She's not anywhere. Casper, the door to the deep freeze. is open. We warned her about the deep freeze, didn't we? Didn't we? We did, right?

Did we? We warn everyone about the deep freeze, don't we? Do we? Ava, think back. When you first got here, did we warn you about the deep freeze? Yes. Did we? Um, okay, honestly, until right this minute, I kind of forgot we had a deep freeze.

God damn it. I mean, you could have, but sometimes people talking. Maybe I hear it. I tune a lot out because I get bored. This is bad. Gloria! I don't understand what is the big deal about the deep freeze? Well, I would tell you, but what if you get bored?

Come on. Come have a look. Casper, don't. Leaf, I think we know where this is heading. Come on, Eva. Come look at the deep freeze. Is there a body in there? Body parts?

Just a head? Is Hitler's brain in there? Come here, God damn it. Okay. Shit. There's a pocket dimension in the deep freeze. Casper, there's a pocket dimension in the deep freeze. You really do tune things out, don't you?

There's a mountain range in the deep freeze, Casper. Also a forest and an ocean with glaciers. It's massive. There's a frozen mountain range with a forest and an ocean in the deep freeze, you guys. We know. Why have you not explored this? That's why. There's a wolf in there?

Wait for it. There are wolves in there? There's a mountain range, forest, an ocean, and packs of mad, ravenous wolves in there. Oh, no. Yeah. Gloria. Yeah.

Oh, shit. Leaf. We need... Way ahead of you. I've got a flare gun, walkie-talkies, and puffy jackets for everybody. Okay, bring it all out here. Whether we like it or not, we're going... Oh, God, what is this now?

stories start with something like, it was this date and this time and this place. But what do you do when you're talking about a place that has no place, or a place that has no time? We're speaking, of course, of the diner at the end, and somehow the beginning of the universe, Midnight Burger. Effie? Yeah, you've heard the stories. Across space and time, no matter how distant or how close, someone will be in a jam, they won't know where to go, and then suddenly, There's a diner. No one knows where Midnight Burger came from. No one knows who if anyone built it,

and no one knows why it exists. But what if I told you that inside the greatest mystery in the multiverse, there was yet another mystery. Tucked away in a corner. Inside the diner at the nexus of all things is an old dilapidated freezer. and inside that freezer a world that may hold the secrets

to the diner itself. What is this? They're doing a documentary now? No, it's worse. Join us this season as we go Into the deep freeze. It's a deep dive podcast. Come on.

We don't have time for this. No one has time for them. We've got to get in there before Gloria gets turned into dog chow. Why doesn't she do? just come back. It's possible. She doesn't know the way out.

We lost a customer in there once. What? It was a busy day. They thought it was the bathroom. They never came out. Everybody put your coats on. Look, Ava, maybe you should stay. I don't know what's going to happen in there.

Stay here and serve food to people. I'll take the wolves. Thanks. You had to wonder what they were thinking at this point. I get nervous when I defrost my freezer. They were about to leap into one. And theirs had wolves in it. At least you knew that they were always using fresh produce.

When frozen peas means you may lose an arm, it does keep the menu in season. Yeah, I'm also not hanging out and listening to this nonsense. All right. Everybody ready? Let's do this. Santa Claus, here we come. Holy shit. Hang on to each other until we get through this part.

What if it's like this the whole time? Gloria! Oh, parts. of me are getting cold that have never gotten cold before. When Ava, Leif, and Casper first went through the freezer door, they were hit with a massive windstorm. Right, it was almost like the deep freeze didn't want them to be there. How are we still hearing that?

Oh, for Christ's sake. They're coming through the walkie-talkies. How? So already they're thinking that this was a terrible mistake. One second, they're in the diner. The next second, they're surrounded by ice and mountains and forests. They're snowblind, and they have no idea where Gloria is. And this is where they find the campsite.

Oh, look, a campsite. Gloria! Who's camping here? I don't know. It's new, though. Someone's been using it. That's got to be her. Gloria!

She's been here five minutes. She didn't have time to camp. Well, who else? Could it be Mr. Tomnus? Look, we can't spend a lot of time here. We've got to find Gloria and then find a way out of here. You do know for sure that there is a way out of here, right? If there's a way into something, there's a way out of something, right?

Right. Isn't that a law of something? You guys never bought a Roach Motel. Wait, shh. Do you guys hear that? What? That? Shit.

Ruro. How did they find us so fast? We're surrounded. Did anyone bring any treats? Uh, we're the treats, dude. So this is how it ends. Eaton by wolves in space. Somebody's coming.

What? Oh my God, you guys! Gloria? Hi! What the hell? You guys, check out my wolves. Your wolves? My friends are here.

Ow! Kind of nanook of the North bullshit is this now. I knew you'd find me eventually. I kept telling my dogs here, but I don't think they believe me. Are you wearing animal skins? What do you mean eventually? We just noticed you were gone. Oh, really? Well, I've been here for, I don't know, how long?

The moon's been full twice now. How long is that? Two months? Looks like there's some weird time shit going on. I don't know. Ava can probably figure it out. Hey, Leif, help me get this. Deer carcass into the camp. Dear carcass?

Come on. I'll be right back. So, that's crazy. Gloria had been there for two months. It's wild. I mean, it shouldn't be wild because we're talking about Midnight Burger, but still, it's wild. It really makes my head spin to think about it, but luckily you were able to talk to someone who can explain this time discrepancy to us. Yeah, so, as everyone knows, Midnight Burger.

Rite Burger has its own resident theoretical physicist Dr. Ava. Luckily, I was able to sit down with her to talk about this issue of time. You were? Ava. Thanks for being with us today. What? To your average person, this is impossible to understand. How can five minutes in one place equal two months in another place?

Um, well, it's called gravitational time. dilation. And you say that like it's no big deal. To me, it's like, whoa, what is that? It's part of relativity theory. This is Einstein's relativity theory. Yes, that one. This is so annoying, Zebulon. Talk to the guy who doesn't know anything about physics. Explain it to that guy. Fine. The closer you get to the center of a gravitational well, the slower time goes. So, the core of the Earth, for example, is actually two and a half years younger than the surface of the Earth because of the additional distance to the center. That's crazy.

So crazy. So somehow the gravity is different inside the deep freeze? Could be. But it also applies to inertia. Time slows down the closer you are to a gravity well or the closer you are to the speed of light. Is that why when I'm moving faster around my house, like getting a lot of things done? that I feel like time slows down? No, that's just you feeling like a superhero for doing basic housework.

Holy shit. You guys, check out this deer. Ew, gross. Gloria, how did you kill a deer? Oh, it wasn't me. It was my wolf pals here. They take down a whole deer and then look at me like, Hey, Mom, can we have this?

Oh, yes. I'm talking about you. Oh, yes, I'm talking about you. You, you good boy. Oh, you have a good boy. Yes, you are. Oh, you've got a little but you, please. Anyway, they would nab a deer, and I would make it into Chocolomo.

And they really love it. Glory, I've got to apologize. I thought we had warned you about the deep freeze. Don't worry about it, Casper. It's not like there's a new employee orientation or something. Honestly, I was freaked out at first, but I don't know. It's kind of nice in here.

I'm from Arizona. I don't get to play in the snow. Okay, I guess. I spent a couple of weeks looking around for a way out of here, but then I remembered Smokey the Bear. Remember, kids, if you're lost in the woods, hug a tree and wait for someone to find you. So I hugged a tree.

Well, the problem with that is we don't know the way out either. I know, but we'll figure something out. I mean, we've been through some shit, y'all. Well, we always figure it out. Oh, I forgot. Leif, check out what I found when I was looking for the exit. Hang on. See, this is what I love about Gloria.

She just jumps into things, no fear. She's got the least experience out of all of them, but is always ready for action, right? Oh, God. What are they on this time? Oh, they're doing a deep dive podcast on our trip into the deep freeze. Okay, sure, whatever. See what I mean?

She just rolls with it. Like, here. I found this. It's an old portable tape recorder. Oh, wow. A Ferguson. They don't make them like this anymore. And I found this cassette tape. What the hell? Okay, I've got to hear what's on this. Can you make it work again? Maybe. I brought some spare batteries for the walkie-talkies. I'll try that.

I love this story because it checks off all my boxes. old portable tape recorders Check Wolves Check Camping Check again And a box I did not know

needed checking Chocolomo Chocolomo This is the dish That Gloria was making with the deer Right Gloria Tell us a little more

about Chocolomo Do we just Are we talking to them? I think we're adopting a Just Go With It mentality Oh Okay.

Yeah, Chocolomo, it's like beef stew, but you can do it with venison. You cut up the fatty parts and also the kidneys and liver and tongue, and you cook it for a long time over a fire. It sounds amazing, and I can't find this in any restaurant. How did you know about it? My grandmother, I guess. Okay, I think this should do it. I am putting in the mystery cassette tape.

very exciting. good at cards. Since it is all numbers and probability, I as a physicist did quite last night with a handful of Spanish currency and my government knew nothing about to do with this current. Do I report? Do I keep it secret? Then this morning my handler was still unconscious in his room. I did the most dangerous thing I have ever done. I've been shopping. intentions and document by Jantinovich. It is my intention to the

United States of America. There with them what I have found. No fucking way. Plot twist. Amazing stuff. No one saw this coming. So, at this point, everybody is scratching

their heads. Who's this Russian guy in the tape recorder, they're asking? Yeah, but one person is not scratching their heads. That's right. As this man, Vladimir Alexandrov mentioned, he's a physicist. And who do we talk to about that? And we're going back to Ava. Ava.

Tell us about this guy. What's his deal? Vladimir Alexandrov, he was a nuclear physicist. He disappeared in 1985. Didn't you guys say you lost a customer in here once? Yeah. Could it have been in Spain in 1985? I don't know.

And maybe. It was on Earth. People were speaking a lot of different languages that day. We could have been anywhere. He disappeared during an international conference. Lots of languages being spoken during an international conference. Yeah, sure. I guess it could have been Spain. Keep playing it.

Okay. Oh, shit, that's me. Heck of a memory you've got there. Do you have any idea how many shifts I've worked? And down the rabbit hole, he went. Who mistakes a freezer for a bathroom? Hopefully just him. He's got to still be here somewhere, right?

I haven't seen a sign of anyone the whole time I've been here. Keep going. Okay. I am in a storm. Actually, I vote that we move past the initial shock phase and get to the good stuff. I second that. Okay, let me fast forward. Nope.

Skipping. To my surprise, defaults are quite frequent. Not quite. A little further, and he'll start to form a plan. Camping outside North Corrot. They enjoy my fire, and they like when I cook the deer they bring me. Outside the reach of imminent death. One is outside the reach of death.

One must then look up and begin to ask questions of the world that has not killed you. Now you're talking, Vladimir. This is much like by the constellations in the constellations of Earth. Amazing discovery, and with no one to tell, one to tell and no one to tell and no one. one to come save me. Look to the vest. As the sun, I believe I can see something reflecting its light. It is miles away. It may take many days to get there, but it seems like the next logical step. My new wolf friends and I will head best. Perhaps I will find answers there. There is one more thing. The tips I am making. In an attempt to increase

the chances of my story being discovered, I will deposit these tapes along the trail in the most conspicuous place I can find. Making a trail of breadcrumbs as I go into the forest. Okay, we're heading west. No, we're not. We've got to follow the trail.

Eva, we're trapped in the deep freeze. We've got to find a way out of here. Oh, okay. Go ahead. Find it. I don't know where it is. And neither do I. How do we do we?

No, it's not at the end of Vladimir's trail. I don't. See? We should check it out. I want to be sure we're focusing on the most important thing here. Five minutes in the diner was two months down here for Gloria. We could stay here a year and it would still be 15 minutes in the diner. I don't want to spend a year down here.

We won't. We'll follow the trail and see what Vladimir was talking about. We've got to start somewhere. Okay, fine. We'll camp here tonight and then in the morning we'll hit the trail. Guys, did you hear that? Tomorrow we're going on a road trip. Oh! Because now we are Lord of the Rings again to baby.

A band of heroes crossing mountain, river and valley to find some sort of thing out west. I love it. Let's cast it. Who's who? Okay, good question. I think we'll go. with Leaf as Legolas. Oh, hell yeah.

Why? Just for alliteration's sake. I think Gloria is all of the hobbits combined. Really? Yeah, I mean, when you're making stew for friendly wolves, congratulations, you're a hobbit. Checks out. Ava.

You know the answer. You know the answer, God damn it. Yeah, Ava's definitely Gandalf. Fuck yes. And Casper's Gimley Oh, come on Gimley! Why do I have to be Gimley?

He's always at a bad mood and he never wants to be there? Shit. All right, fine. Heroes on an epic quest. I even picked out some epic quest music for the transition. Chiqu-chick-chick-it-out. I did not wear the right shoes for this.

I didn't wear the right anything for this. Hey, I think I see it. That shiny thing he was talking about. Where? If you look all the way down the mountainside, and then along the shore of that lake, all the way almost to the horizon, see it. I see it. That's really far. It seems farther than it is.

Maybe a day or two. What do you think it is? I don't know. It's big. Does there happen to be a big sign on it that says exit? So I want to get back to the topic of where the heck are they right now. Right, because like what the hell? Exactly.

You had an opportunity to sit down with Leif and talk about what this place was. That's right. Leif, thanks for sitting down with me today. My turn now? Good luck. Hey, yeah. Great to be here. You and Casper were saying that this place in the deep freeze was a pocket dimension.

Tell us about that. Well, I'm not much of a theoretical guy, but the concept is that any given universe starts off small and slowly expands. If that's the case, there will still be universes where it seems like all of existence is only, say, a few feet wide. That's the theory anyway. Well, you say it's a theory, but the first time you met Gloria, you were hiding in a pocket dimension. Isn't that right? Well, I called it that, but honestly, that could have been anything.

I'm one of those, anything can be anything, guys. But I don't talk about that a lot, because if the words principle of fecundity come out of my mouth, then Ava throws things at me. Ow! No principle of fecundity! Anyways! I don't think this is a pocket dimension. I think this is our original universe.

What makes you say that? There would be different laws of physics in other universes. Everything seems like home here. Things go up, they come down. A Russian dude's voice is stored on a tape using the powers of electromagnetism. This is our universe. We're just somewhere else in it. Ask Eva.

She'll say the same. Yeah, I think he's right. Well, Leif, you're an engineer. You make things that go whoosh, things that go boom, things like that. So what is the deep freeze then? How did it get you here? Honestly, that's the easy part. The tech to move a body from one place to the other is pretty common. Even on Earth, backwater as it is, there are theoretical designs.

They just have one really glaring problem. A power source. The amount of energy you would need to manipulate space isn't going to come from internal combustion. You need more juice than that. Why have we stopped? There's something wrong with the wolves. They're all gathered around that tree. Ooh, there's a tape up there.

How do you know? Because I'm Gandalf. Casper, you should climb up there and see if there's a tape. Why should I climb up there? Because dwarves are good at climbing? I'm not a dwarf. As Gandalf, I did my part by knowing the tape was there. You do your part.

Up the tree, shorthy. Nowhere in the Lord of the Rings does it say dwarves are good at climbing. Bro, the Hobbit, Chapter 6. Don't make me quote it. Oh, for fuck's sake. Fine. I guess, technically, since Legalis is a wood elf, I should climb the tree. Ah, you're doing your part. Your name starts with L. This doesn't look right.

Yeah. Casper, climbing a tree. Looks wrong for some reason. Found it. Nice. Who's got the tape recorder? I've got it. Give it here. Look at that.

I climbed a tree. Oh, the heroism. The mountains on either... You will not recognize when a mountain is on the brink of Evalanche. Be very quiet as you travel through trees part of the valley. Buried in snow is a terrible. Anyone in favor of me? You're ripping the batteries out of all the walkie-tuckies.

No, don't. Come on. I know they're acting crazy, but I like that they're with us. Fine. Gloria, no howling at the moon until we're through this valley. No problem. Let's go. Now, for most people, being as quiet as you can as you cross through a valley is not much of a problem. For this group, however... Whole different story. I thought it would be hilarious to take this time to interview the one person who would have the hardest time. In the Valley of the Whispers.

Casper. God damn it. Casper, thanks for being with us today. So great to be here. Go fuck yourself. I was curious about something, Casper. You said yesterday, do you have any idea how many shifts I've worked? Which begs the question, how many shifts have you worked? I really have no idea.

I know what you mean. Sometimes when we're editing. the show I look up and I think, how long have we been here? But seriously, give me a ballpark. More or less than 500. I really have no idea. How about this?

When did you first show up at the diner? Give me the walkie-talkies. No, Casper, come on. I'm not going to take out the batteries. Just give me the walkie-talkies. Do you promise? Yes. Give me the damn things.

Okay. You guys go ahead. I need to talk to our two hosts. Don't yell it. them. Let you just go. Okay, you two. I've put up with a lot of nonsense out of you

for the past few days, and I've been very patient. The mysterious songs, the random quotations, the sudden silence, not to mention the time you flew us into a supermassive black hole without any explanation. And now here we are. Stuck in the deep freeze

without any way out, and you two have decided to suddenly become WNYC's radio lap. And I've put up with that too. But I think all three of us are aware that the line of questioning you were just on now is crossing a line. So how about you guys go back to playing your fun theme music before I start screaming at the top of my lungs and bury us in 15 feet of snow? Thank you for being with us today. Hey, fire looks great.

Where were you? I was getting to know your new friends. Wolves are so fun. Aw, I love them so much. If we ever get out of here, I'm gonna miss the crap out of them. So, I think I'm starting to get to know you. Oh, really? Please explain. When we all came down here and I saw you would become Gloria the Wolf Queen,

I was like, yeah, that sounds like something she would do. That's funny. Effie and Zebulon are right. You do kind of just jump into things. You know what's weird? I wasn't always like that. I was a planner. I always had everything scheduled like I was running an army base.

What happened? Well, I lost everything. God literally laughed at my plans. I've seen some really weird shit since I've been here, but I have yet to wrap my mind around the fact that one day I was running a restaurant and then suddenly the next day, no one could even talk to each other. It all vanished. As horrible as that was, something good came along with it.

I can relate to that. Cruise around the starways enough, and you find yourself in a constant conversation with the universe. Bad shit happens. You live through it. And then you say, oh, that wasn't the end of the world? Okay. What is then?

What do you think they're talking about over there? I don't know. They're so weird. You know, in the rare moments that they're nice to each other, they literally look over their shoulders to make sure no one is watching them be nice. It's ridiculous. I have developed a new respect for the old masters. They had no institutes or computational devices.

Only their perception and candlelight in tribute to them. Today, I have used my ingenuity. Using the sunbeams through the tree branches and the straight lines they provide, I believe I have calculated the curvature of this strange nuclear. Cool. Yes, but can he climb a tree. If the size of Jupiter, I believe. Whoa.

Around its nearby star. on each other, much like a binary star system. Your planets in this... So, uh, what was his deal? His deal? Yeah, like, uh, what was he famous for? Honestly, he was famous for disappearing. But before that, nuclear winter.

What do you mean? He used physics to predict the outcome of a thermonuclear war. During the Cold War, both sides were trying to convince themselves that they could win. He was the guy who said that even if you win, you lose. Honestly, the world he predicted isn't much different from this planet. A gray sky, everything covered in snow, except in his version the snow and everything else is radioactive. Sorry, you never got to meet him. He could still be alive.

What? No, I couldn't. The way time works on this planet, it could have been hundreds of years before he first came here. Yeah, but remember what I said about time and gravity? If this really is a planet and a star in binary rotation, we don't know how gravity may shift. Time could actually speed up and slow down. That sounds like a reach to me. You sound despondent, Casper. Remember, in times such as these, it's not for us to decide our heart.

fate, we can only decide what to do with the time we have been given. You're doing Gandalf. I am. Would you like to do some Gimley quotes? I would not. I have so many feelings about the moment at the campsite. I'll move over, sister, because I have them too. You just really feel like they care about each other. They feel like a team, you know, like, they feel like a family. Of the whispers. Oh, sorry. So many epic journeys end at the sea. The 400 blows. The Warriors.

The planet of the apes. It's a lake, though. I know, but you get it. Sure. As our heroes finally arrive at the mysterious structure at the shore of the lake, the news is bittersweet, to say the least. For sure. Because there stands the mission.

mysterious structure. It's a large, glowing semicircle, two stories tall that looks like the entry to a magical kingdom. And that's the sweet part. The bitter part is first discovered by Gloria's wolves. Guy, what is it? Oh. What is it, Gloria? Sorry, guys. I think they found Vladimir. The only thing left of Vladimir was a pile of bones. I think you would want us to play this tape, guys. Eva, you're okay? I'm fine.

Play the tape leaf. Yeah. Okay. Battery is dying. This will have to be my final message. They have yet to discover the purpose of the mysterious structure on the shores of this lake. It is beautiful. Obviously built by a great...

intelligence. So far it is in intelligence beyond my own. Communication. If you are hearing this message, then together we are victor. We'll live on deposit the tape recorder there. At least we found the tapes. Yeah. That's what I would have wanted. I would have wanted to live. Yeah, just veiling that. I mean... Okay.

Guys, look, let's just try and focus on not ending up like him, okay? Yeah, I agree. We're not going to end up like him. What do you mean? I'm sorry about this. It's going to add an extra sting to finding Vladimir's remains. This structure? It's an urt door.

It's a what? Ert door? Anybody? What is it, Leif? It's a pretty common technology, actually. You power it up, walk through, and you come out the other end at the corresponding door. Simple spatial distortion. Nothing fancy. This is the way out.

Why didn't he use it? Well, it's alien technology. He didn't know how it worked. I mean, the guy was working with 1985 information. I wouldn't have been able to figure it out either. The exit was right there? Yeah. Ava, I'm sorry. Shit. Okay.

Well, fire it up, Leif. Sure. Give me a minute. I'm sorry, Ava. Would you guys stop saying that? It's fine. I didn't know him or anything. Let's get out of here.

I didn't bring my cigarettes with me. Fine. Gloria, we're going to have to go. Oh, man. Okay Guys Gather round What the hell is that music

Wee Junkuk Geman Sugar Gin R M J-Homp I want you to know that I love you all

Very much But I have my own pack and I have to go run with them now. To hear her say goodbye to the wolves. I didn't realize she named them after the members of BTS. I know that makes it so much harder. We should end the show here. I need a good cry.

Me too. Oh, folks, what an emotional journey. Thank you for joining us as we have journeyed. Into the deep breeze. Where's Leif? Making Ava a grilled tea sandwich. Did she ask for a

girl cheese sandwich? No. Anything out of Effie or Zeb? No, they've been quiet. But no matter what his plan may be, I'm sure it won't cause any more disruptions. Nothing but smooth sailing

from here on out. Don't you worry a bit, y'all? Are you fucking kidding me? I'm sorry. Did something happen? You know what? No. Everything's fine. I'm glad to hear that there won't be anything weird coming out of the radio. Us as well.

You can count on us, Casper. Sure. Zebulon, can you just play some music, please? Of course. Glad everything's normal now. Yeah. Hey, I made you a grilled cheese. Why?

Um, I don't know. Idle hands. Thanks. Hey, listen. I had a thought. Okay. Effie and Zebulon were interviewing me, and I said,

the big challenge of any technology is always the power source. Okay. And then, on the tape, Vladimir was talking about how amazing it would be to harness the power of a huge planet like that. It would be something. I think that planet we were on, I think it's the power source. For what? For the diner.

Harnessing the gravitational power of a planet three times the size of Jupiter? That's a lot of juice. It is a lot of juice. Ava, I think that entire time in the deep freeze, we were in the engine room. It's a very interesting theory, Leif. It is, right? I'll add it to all of the other theories that I have in all of these notebooks. Cool, cool.

Okay, I'll think about it some more. Do that. You want some coffee? What I want is for, everyone to get the fuck away from me. Yeah, I didn't ask about that. I asked if you wanted coffee. He died here, Casper.

Vladimir. Yes. He died here. He died here without ever figuring anything out. That's true. I don't want to die here. I know. Yes.

I will have some coffee. For what it's worth, nobody brought Vladimir coffee, or made him unsolicited grilled cheese sandwiches. You think that makes any difference? I don't know. What am I a fucking scientist? How long have you been here, Casper? I don't remember. Sit down.

Okay. More adventures in the vastness. And if time and tide roil you too harshly or diurnal courses leave you with no safe havens, just remember. We're out there somewhere looking for you. We open 86. The Fable and Falling Network, where fiction producers flourish. Welcome to Magenta Presents, a new horror anthology hosted by me, Madam Magenta.

We begin with the five-part miniseries Ghosted, starring Beth Eyre and Lucy Roslyn. Perched on a rain-battered cliff edge is a former lighthouse. It's a chance. charming, quirky, boutique hotel. Owner and sole occupant Beth has spent months renovating, absorbing its essence into her bones. It's an old building. You'll get used to it. But to Beth's horror, her first guest is a figure from a past she has tried to forget.

Kira, Beth? What the fuck? Face to face for the first time in years, a pair must reckon with old mistakes, old grievances. Beth, speak to me. Shut up, shut up, shut up! And something else. Oh, I can't bear it. What is that noise?

Because the lighthouse has a past too. Beth. He's right there. Why is there blood on your hands? We need to get out of here. Kira. Kira! I can still see him.

Subscribe to Magenta Presents wherever you listen to podcasts. See you soon, fans of the esoteric. Bye! Presents.