The Antiquarium of Sinister Happenings - Lot 012 : The Wicked One

Episode Date: September 21, 2023

A lonely woman gets more than she bargained for when she makes a pact with a witch.The Wicked One - Written by Lauren ShandStars Heather Tracy, Addison Peacock, Stephen Knowles, Janet Peters, Everett Shand, Lauren ShandFeaturing Stephen Knowles as the Antique DealerTheme music by The Newton BrothersAdditional music:CO.AG ([e-mail]) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Well, howdy and hi. Always so good to see you here at the shop. There's something wonderfully enchanting about this time of year. The leaves changing, a bit of a chill in the air. I want to show you a new consignment that might just chill you to the bone. They don't make them like this anymore. A solid iron chest. Beautiful design work and etchings.

does come intact with a bit of an urban myth, shall we say? Unexplained things befell on those who dare open it. Bad things. Tell you what? You come to your own conclusion after I tell you the story of the wicked one. Welcome to the antiquarium of sinister happenings and odd goings on. There is rampant chatter among the townspeople that a young woman by the name of Ashsey Young had been executed for the practice of witchcraft in the neighbouring community.

Fear is contagious and pulsing through the veins of the Holbrook inhabitants. Autumn had taken hold and the weather had become frightfully cold. Coming into focus is a small, cozy cottage in the woods. The cottage is cared for by Bertram and his eight-year-old son, Jasper. Bertram has spent almost a decade of his life trying to come to peace with his wife's tragic death. Sarah lost an excessive amount of blood during childbirth, and the arrival of her baby boy drained her last drop till there was nothing left. Bertram threw himself into his profession as a blacksmith and raising his son after Sarah's death.

His determination to his craft had gotten him the reputation for the best axehead in all of Holbrook and the the surrounding areas. Jasper helps the family business by assisting his dad in building tools, horseshoes, hammers, nails and plowshares. They kept to themselves and had always been enough for each other. Bertram loved his son so much and never resented him for what had happened when he was born. Jasper looked so much like Sarah and it was his only connection left to his beautiful wife. After her death, he was so very careful with his love for others. The townspeople had often tried to introduce Bertram to widows who had lost their husbands to war. He was a great catch, as he was a successful blacksmith and was undeniably handsome and kind.

Bertram's heart was never open, but as Jasper got older, and the need for a mother became more apparent, he became a little more open. Is it time to go to the market? Why, yes, it does appear to be time to go. Why are you so excited? I am very taken by Mrs. Williams' apple orchard. She has the most delicious ruby red apples I have ever tasted. Father, would it be okay to get some apples? I suppose that would be okay.

Now get on your shoes and coat. There's plenty of work to be done around the house when we return. Yes, father. On the walk to the outdoor market, Bertram thought about how nice. it would be if he had a wife to help him with chores and cooking. The pressure of raising Jasper on his own and providing for the family was often too much. Every time he had thoughts of another woman in the home, Sarah's face would appear and the possibility of love disappeared as fast as it appeared. They arrived at the market, which was buzzing with families buying their weekly groceries. Each vendor had their

best crops on display. Father, look, there's Mrs. Williams' scrumptious apples. Let's go get some before all the good ones are sold. All right, slow down, Jasper. Why, hello, Jasper. How's my best and cutest customer? He's quite well. Well, now that he is at your stand, Jasper,

Mrs. Williams just asked how you are doing. Don't be rude and answer her back. I'm good, Mrs. Williams. Bertram locked eyes with Jasper and gave him a disappointing look. And how are you, Mrs. Williams? I am just fine, Jasper. Just fine. And how are you, Bertram?

Very well. Jasper keeps me busy. I can see that. How much do I owe you for today? That will be two pence. As Bertram sifted through his pocket change to find the small coins, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a woman looking in his direction.

He glanced back and noticed that he had never seen her before. The town was very small and when new people showed up, people took note. The lady was tall with chestnut brown hair that had been pinned up in a beautiful bun atop her head. Her face was angular with a warm glow. Her bright green eyes were very enchanting. They locked eyes for a second. Bertram, there will be two pence. Bertram looked back at Mrs. Williams. So sorry, Eleanor. Here you go. My mind was elsewhere. Mrs. Williams knew that Agatha had caught Bertram's eye, even though he denied any interest. That's Agatha. She just moved to Holbrook. She's a widow and has taken up residency with fellow widow Mary.

Oh, I hardly noticed. Sure, you haven't. The whole town has noticed her. She is rather striking. Well, maybe I did notice her for a moment. She has an apothecary stand. Perhaps you're in need of some medicines for healing. Why, yes. Jasper on occasion, gets a son. skin irritation. Maybe she has something to treat his issue. Thank you, Eleanor. Bertram gathered his bag of apples and handed them to his son. They started walking over to the apothecary stand. Jasper had already started indulging in the bag of apples. Jasper was so happy with his apples

that it was the only thing he could focus on. Agatha was finishing up with a customer and said her goodbyes. Hi. May I help you? Bertram could barely form a sentence. He was so nervous. His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing. He hadn't felt this way since he had first spotted Sarah many years ago. Why? Why, hello. Is there anything you're looking for in particular? Do you need any synchona bark or potassium nitrate?

Actually, I need something for my son's skin irritation. I have just the thing. Use this salve on him twice a day. Great, we will take it. So you are new in town? Yes, I just arrived to her. last week. I'm a recent war widow, and I had no ties to Hills Road, so I came here for a fresh start. I am sorry to hear that. I myself am also a widower, although Sarah passed a good eight years ago.

My condolences to you and your son. Thank you. How much do I owe you for the SAV? No charge. From a widow to a widower. I insist on pay. No, I refuse. Are you sure? It's my treat. Well, thank you. Hey, how about you come over for brunch tomorrow? Since you are new to Holbrook, I can introduce you to some more townspeople. Come on, it's the least I can do for the salve. I wouldn't be intruding? Of course not. So, will you come?

I would like that. Then it's decided. We will see you tomorrow. Bertram gave Agatha directions to the cottage. He picked up a few more items for tomorrow's brunch. On the way out, a man handed him a piece of paper. The paper read in bold, Beware of witches. The document gave instructions if one suspects a witch is among us.

You could hear a young man's voice in the distance, spreading the gospel of what to do if you come across one. The next day, Agatha came over for brunch and never left. They had a fast courtship and were married in winter. Agatha wasn't excited about being a step-mom. She didn't like children and couldn't relate to them. Even as a child, Agatha didn't like being a child or being friends with any of them. She grew up in an unstable home.

Her mother, Lucia, showed an immense favoritism towards her older sister, Leanne. Leanne was beautiful from birth. That word defined her even in death. Her long blonde hair framed her tiny face in the most perfect way, eyes as blue and bright as the afternoon sky. Lucia was cold and mean to Agatha, and no matter how hard she tried to get affection from her mother, Lucia treated her like she didn't matter,

because to her, she didn't. Lucia had hoped that if she ignored Agatha enough, she would just disappear. Agatha's father was always busy working. He only had children to appease his wife, and probably would have been a better father. if he had had boys. Some might say this toxic environment shaped the person Agatha grew up to be. She spent her whole life chasing love and acceptance. That's all she ever wanted,

and would stop at nothing to find it and keep it. The clock struck midnight, and Agatha quietly snuck out of bed. She slowly peeled Bertram's arm off the side of her stomach, and gently placed it on her pillow. She grabbed the lantern off of her nightstand and tiptoed into the parlour. She grabbed her coat and headed out into the night. She walked deep into the woods with the glow of her lantern guiding her careful steps.

The damp, thick fog left little droplets on her milky skin. In the distance, a small dilapidated cottage stood surrounded by tall trees. Through the window, a small light radiated. The wind had started to pick up, and the haunting howling sent a chill through Agatha's bones. Hello? Is anyone in here? She cautiously moved through the cottage and saw a candlelight in the back room. She slowly pushed open the old splintered door.

A shadow moved in the distance and floated toward her face swiftly. An old woman in a black tattoo. cloak appeared before her. She motioned to Agatha to sit down at the round table. On the table were sticks, herbs and spices. A book bound in animal skin laid in the center, with strange symbols and writings in a red lettering. The old lady smelled of dust and decay. Agatha sat down. Did you do as I told you? Yes, I did as you said. We are married. What do I do now?

I want this to last. The old woman held out her wrinkly hand. Oh, yes. Here you go. She dropped a pile of coins in the woman's hand. Place your hands on the table right side up. Agatha does what the woman asks. The woman takes a small silver dagger out of a cloth pouch.

She wipes the dagger off with the material, makes a small incision with the pole, Point on Agatha's arm. Oh, that hurt. The old woman pulls her arm closer with no reverence for her discomfort. She squeezes a few drops of bright red blood onto a mortar. Smoke rises from the bowl, followed by a nauseating stench. The old woman starts grinding the concoction of the bones of children, herbs, and Agatha's blood with the pebble.

She starts whispering in a foreign ancient language. The candle that is on the center of the table blows out, and the woman holds Agatha's hands. She puts pressure on her wrists, and the candle is lit again. The old woman's face catches the light, and her eyes roll in the back of her head, turn right and glow. Agatha gasps with fear.

The woman whispers, The child will only get in the way of your love and happiness. You will end up old and alone. If you don't do as I say, you must get rid of the child and bring me his head. The wicked one calls upon it. I can't do that. Pertram will never forgive me. You must.

Now, leave. Agatha gathered her satchel, grabbed her coat back, and headed back into the night. Oh, hey there. Just starting to get interesting, huh? Pardon the interruption, but it appears as though I have an unhappy customer to tend to. Why don't you go on and make yourself at home, and I'll be right back. Please accept my sincere apologies. Always business that needs tending to around this place.

No matter. Now, where were we? When she got home to the cottage, the crackling fire was almost out. She sat and warmed herself up before getting back into bed. The old woman's words played over and over in her head. She didn't care much for Jasper, and the thought of him jeopardizing her happiness was reason enough to follow through with the old lady's vision.

Agatha wasn't purely evil. She arranged for a fun day with a big surprise for Jasper. Of course, in exchange for using him as a sacriac. The next morning, she and Jasper headed out for their special day. Guess what, Jasper? Mrs. Williams said it would be okay if we went to her apple orchard today to pick some fresh apples. I am so excited. I love Mrs. Williams' apples. Thank you. You're welcome. Why don't you grab that wagon over there to put the apples in? Of course. When they arrived at the orchard, Mrs. Williams met them at the front.

She gave Agatha a beautiful iron chest that had the most intricate, designs on it. She told her to fill it with as much apples as she could. This chest is gorgeous, Mrs. Williams. Why, thank you, Agatha. An old lady didn't have any money to pay for fruit and vegetables from our farm, so she offered this in trade. That's awfully nice of her. I know. I'm sure this chest is worth more than what she took home. I would love to keep it, but I haven't got the room. Well, thank you. We have the perfect spot for it. As the afternoon sun heated up the ground, round, Jasper picked his last golden apple. Wow, this is the best one I've picked all day.

Go ahead and drop it into the chest. We have so many apples. We should make apple pie and apple bread and apple everything. Agatha laughed and for a short time her hidden agenda was never thought of. On the way home, Jasper begged to eat an apple. Agatha made him wait till they got to the cottage before eating. As they pulled the wagon through the gate and into the front yard, Agatha's memories of what she had to do came rushing back.

Jasper, go wash up and you can have an apple. Yay, I know exactly which one I'm going to pick. When Jasper was finishing scrubbing the dirt from his hands and face, he was called into the kitchen. The heavy chest was sitting on the floor full of the most delicious looking apples. Bend down and grab one. Jasper bent down to inspect the apples,

his head slowly hovering back and forth over the fruit, looking for the most perfect one. He announced with excitement that he had found the most magnificent apple. Agatha stood behind the chest. Without any hesitation, she grabbed the lid and slammed the heavy iron chest down on the base of Jasper's little neck. An instant loud crack accompanied his agonizing screams. The horrific sounds even made Agatha's skin crawl.

The chest had muffled some of his screams, but you could still hear them through the holes. The screams got quieter, and Agatha slowly opened the box with one eye closed, afraid of what she would see. Jasper's body was still shaking and moving, and his head was only connected to his body by one single tendon laying on top of the apples. When she lifted up his head, his blue eyes were still moving. and his mouth was mumbling gibberish. Agatha jumped back in shock and dropped his head back in the chest. She had to step away from what she had just done. When she started walking away,

she started slipping on pools of Jasper's crimson red blood. She went into the bedroom and composed herself, only returning to the chest when she was calm and collected. She had to hurry before Bertram got home from work from work and saw what she had done. She took a deep breath in and pulled Jasper's head from his body until the tendon snapped. When his head disconnected, a splash of blood landed on her right cheek. She used her arm to wipe it off.

She put Jasper's head in a brown cloth bag and headed to the tiny cottage deep in the woods. When she got there, she frantically knocked on the old woman. door. She saw her through the window skinning some wild rabbits at the table. Agatha slowly opened the creaky door. She noticed the cottage always managed to somehow be dark, even during the day when it shouldn't. She wondered if it was the tall pine trees that surrounded the property, or some sort of dark magic. Maybe the darkness accounted for the cold dampness inside. Hello? Andora? I need to talk to you.

The old woman continued skinning her rabbits, making a large incision from the top of the chest to below the belly. She scooped out their intestines with her old dry hands, its blood and tissue getting stuck underneath the old woman's long, dirty nails. She would cycle between taking a bite of their insides and putting some in her mortar. She paid no attention to Agatha as if she wasn't there. She kept repeating the same breathy words over and over again.

In debt, dead. Abrauss, Halotatat. Agatha sat down and placed the young boy's head on the table. The old woman stopped what she was doing and stood quiet. The three candles on the table started lighting on their own, casting a shadow on the old woman's weathered face. Hello? I brought you the boy's head like you asked.

The old woman's mouth began to widen and stretch open. Her eyes glowed white with yellow pus coating the outline of the whites of her eyes. Three black snakes emerged from her dry, rutting mouth. They slithered on the table and down to the floor. The old woman stood up in a dreamlike state and pointed to the door. The wicked one will come to collect your sacrifice at nightfall. What am I supposed to do with his body? His father will be home soon.

He would never forgive me. In order to receive protection and to initiate your pact with the wicked one, you must do as follows. Chop the child's body up into little pieces. When there's nothing left, boil his flesh in blood and rind his bones. Make a tasty stew of what remains and serve the dish to the child's father. Do what? I can't do that.

You don't have a choice. If you don't obey, loneliness will bathe you in blood. You will be one with the dirt and alone for eternity. Please be hush of our meetings. Not a soul can know. They're hanging women like you. And they could hang me too. Now, leave.

Agatha got up from the chair and walked out the door. The waft of sage and decomposition tickled the hairs inside of her nose as she exited. It was an unforgettable smell. She remembered all that she had to do before Bertram came home and hurried through the woods to get there as fast as she could. When she arrived home, she had a brief moment of regret and a sense of sadness seeing Jasper's dead body on the floor. Those thoughts were quickly washed away,

with thoughts of Bertram crying and yelling and her being locked up forever. Alone. She picked up Jasper's cold body and laid it on the woodworking table in the back. She picked up an axe and started feverishly chopping. She started with his arms, followed by his legs and torso.

She had to add extra force. when she hit a bone. When he was fully dismembered, she used a sharp kitchen knife to cut his body into smaller pieces, being sure to remove all clothing. She carefully removed his tiny fingernails.

She thought those wouldn't cook down and would leave a bitter taste. Any pieces of his body she thought would be tough or wouldn't taste good. She fed to the wild dogs out back. She went into her cupboard and pulled out her

massive iron stew pot. She went out back and filled the pot with water from the well. She added potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onion, sugar peas, and finally, the boys' meat, along with spices for flavour. She stirred it and put over the fire to simmer. Quickly she grabbed a mop and cleaned up all the blood before it stained the floor. She made sure to rinse the apples before putting them back in the chest. The house looked cleaner than it ever had been.

Just in time for Bertram to come home from work. Agatha heard the door creak open. She took a deep breath in and convinced herself she could get through tonight. Hello, Aggie? Something smells delicious. Where are you? I'm in here. Dinner smells incredible.

What are you making? Oh, it's nothing, just some stew. Well, I cannot wait to eat it. Bertram looked around. This place looks unbelievable. Did you spend all day cleaning? Oh, it was nothing. Where's Jasper?

Jasper? Yes, Jasper. Where is he? Bertram called out. Jasper! Where are you, son? That's right. He went over to Jacob's house to have supper with their family. I didn't think you would mind. I don't mind. They do like to play squares and stones. Let me get you some serious.

stew. Yes, that would be lovely. May I help you? Oh no, you sit. You've worked hard all day. Bertram sat at the round circular table outside the kitchen. Agatha poured two bowls of stew and placed them on the table with a set of spoons. Bertram couldn't help, but dig right in. Wow, you have really outdone yourself with this stew. This is the best stew I have ever had. I mean, why thank you. I'm not kidding. Try some. Oh, I will.

I'm just not that hungry. I had such a large lunch. You know who would have loved this stew? Before Agatha could answer, Bertram said... Jasper. Jasper loves stew. What kind of meat is in it? I just can't place...

Oh, well, um... It's rabbit? It doesn't taste of rabbit. It must be the spices. This time I use different. different ones. Well, this was delectable. May I have another bowl? Why, of course,

eat it all. It's all yours. Agatha began to feel the ache of tears welling in her eyes. Her entire body went hot and numb. The muscles on her face twitched and contorted her pained look into a crooked grin

as she sobbed through a sadness so overwhelming. She couldn't help but mar it with laughter. Agatha, what is it, my dear? Have you the devil? Agatha! You see, what the old woman said was true.

From then on, Agatha would in fact never be alone. The wicked one was of her and her of him for a boundless infinity of forever's. She felt herself lift off the ground, her pointed toes dragging across the floor as she glided toward the table where Bertram sat. He watched in astonishment as the pupils in her eyes vanished into a creamy, milky white. It's so awesome.

Thank you for your patronage. Hope you enjoyed your new relic as much as I've enjoyed passing along its sordid history. It does come with our usual warning, however. Absolutely no refunds. exchanges and we won't be held liable for anything that may or may not occur while the object is in your possession. Oh, you think just because you're only listening to my voice that you have nothing to be concerned about?

Let me assure you that your visit to the antiquarium, whether in the flesh or in your mind's eye is most certainly not in vain. You are the architect of this place. I must say you've done a hell of a job. Even the way you have given me a face and carved out the most minute details of my person in that cerebrum of yours is quite impressive indeed. Therefore, the items you procure within these walls, even on a metaphysical level, are very, very real, and are now and forever part of your subconscious.

All part of our standard bill of sale, really? Till next time, we'll be waiting for you whenever you close your eyes in the space between sleep and dream. During regular business hours, of course, or by appointment, only for you, our best customer. You have a good night now. The Antiquarium of Sinister Happenings, Lot Zero One Two, The Wicked One, written by Lauren Chand, featuring Heather Tracy as the narrator.

Addison Peacock as Agatha. Stephen Knowles as Bertram Janet Peters as the old woman Everett Chand as Jasper Lauren Chand as Mrs. Williams Additional music by Coag Engineering Production and Sound Design by Lauren Chand. The Antiquarium of Sinister Happenings

is created and curated by Trevor and Lauren Shand. Theme music by the Newton Brothers. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at Antiquarium Pod. Call the Antiquarium at 646-481 7197