November 6, 2025 • 10 mins
One click, and your mind forgets how to breathe.
Beneath a forgotten hatch in a sleepy town, 19-year-old Benny follows his smug friend John into an abandoned Cold War bunker—and discovers the Memory Machine: a faded, triangular-barreled device that can erase thoughts, locations, even the instinct to breathe. What starts as a prank demo (John wiping away all memory of the flashy new Vernarben Resort) spirals into horror when John reveals the machine’s true range: hook it to wires, whisper a command, and blue beams leap from every outlet within fifteen feet, rewriting thousands of minds at once. John’s eyes gleam with godlike ambition; he’ll make the world forget war, forget laws, forget him. Terrified, Benny backs toward the ladder—only for John to aim the gun and promise to delete the one thing no one can live without. A frantic climb, a slammed hatch, a sigh of relief… then glowing wires snake from the ground, blue light racing straight for Benny’s skull. Will the town wake up tomorrow remembering nothing—including the boy who vanished? One click erases everything. A chilling sci-fi thriller about power, paranoia, and the memory you can’t afford to lose.
Thank you for enjoying my podcast! Take a listen to the other podcast at Candlelight Storyworks
Midnight Scares - Fall Asleep to Spooky Storiesl
Candlight Classics - Classic Short Stories to Help You Sleep
Candlelight Romance - Fall Asleep While Falling In Love
True Crime by Candlelight - Drift Off to Dark Mysteries
Find them all on your favorite podcast right here:
https://linktr.ee/candlelightstoryworks
If you are tired of commercials, you can always follow me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/candlelightstoryworks
I am also writing a few horror and gothic romance books. If you're intrested, please follow me on my other Patreon at
http://www.patreon.com/sarahmarshalking
**While this is my voice, sometimes I use an AI cloned version of my voice because it helps with my dyslexia.
Beneath a forgotten hatch in a sleepy town, 19-year-old Benny follows his smug friend John into an abandoned Cold War bunker—and discovers the Memory Machine: a faded, triangular-barreled device that can erase thoughts, locations, even the instinct to breathe. What starts as a prank demo (John wiping away all memory of the flashy new Vernarben Resort) spirals into horror when John reveals the machine’s true range: hook it to wires, whisper a command, and blue beams leap from every outlet within fifteen feet, rewriting thousands of minds at once. John’s eyes gleam with godlike ambition; he’ll make the world forget war, forget laws, forget him. Terrified, Benny backs toward the ladder—only for John to aim the gun and promise to delete the one thing no one can live without. A frantic climb, a slammed hatch, a sigh of relief… then glowing wires snake from the ground, blue light racing straight for Benny’s skull. Will the town wake up tomorrow remembering nothing—including the boy who vanished? One click erases everything. A chilling sci-fi thriller about power, paranoia, and the memory you can’t afford to lose.
Thank you for enjoying my podcast! Take a listen to the other podcast at Candlelight Storyworks
Midnight Scares - Fall Asleep to Spooky Storiesl
Candlight Classics - Classic Short Stories to Help You Sleep
Candlelight Romance - Fall Asleep While Falling In Love
True Crime by Candlelight - Drift Off to Dark Mysteries
Find them all on your favorite podcast right here:
https://linktr.ee/candlelightstoryworks
If you are tired of commercials, you can always follow me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/candlelightstoryworks
I am also writing a few horror and gothic romance books. If you're intrested, please follow me on my other Patreon at
http://www.patreon.com/sarahmarshalking
**While this is my voice, sometimes I use an AI cloned version of my voice because it helps with my dyslexia.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Modification by a grim Auxiliatrix one. Approaching the rusted metal door,
John Abbots looked through the hatch keyhole before smiling and
beckoning for the nineteen year old behind him to follow.
John carelessly swung the hatch door open, causing an audible
creaking noise. See, Benny, the place is completely deserted, John
(00:25):
stated in a snobbish tone as he glared at Benny.
Benny grumbled to himself about how annoying John could be,
but John ignored it as he pulled out a small torch.
Upon turning it on, he began to descend down the
metal ladder. Once John had arrived, he was glad to
see that everything seemed to be the exact same way
(00:46):
he had left it the previous time he was there.
The chair was in the same spot, the papers on
the wooden desk seemed to still be organized, and he
noticed no changes at all. All right, we're good. Care
to take a look, John abruptly yelled up from inside
the hatch as he plugged an old lamp into a
nearby electrical outlet. Benny noted the electrical wires that seemed
(01:12):
to literally just be coming out of the ground for
no reason. Benny thought that they were most likely used
to make the door open by itself. Putting that aside,
Benny shuddered as he took a slow, careful step on
to the ladder. Benny was sure that something would go
wrong and that they would be caught. John noticed this
(01:35):
fear and chuckled, Oh, come on, I haven't seen anybody
even go in the direction of this hatch. Ever, they
are much more interested in that new Vernarban resort than
this place. Peeking up from the bottom of the hatch
and seeing that Benny wasn't reassured, John continued, Honestly, I
don't think anybody even knows about this place any more.
(01:58):
Either that or this boring town made a vow not
to come down here in fear that something interesting might happen.
Benny sighed at the attempted humor as he began clumsily
climbing down to the room at the bottom of the hatch.
John had dragged him there already, so he supposed there
was no going back now. Upon reaching the bottom of
(02:22):
the long ladder, he ducked under some hanging electrical wires,
which he assumed were connected to the ones next to
the hatch and took a quick glance at his surroundings.
The floor seemed to be metallic, and there were multiple
empty bookcases against the walls, with the only object being
a rather unique and old lamp sitting on the one
(02:44):
closest to the ladder. It was incredibly dusty in the room,
except for the wood desk in the middle of the
room and the chair behind it, upon which John was
comfortably sitting and examining some papers. Benny shifted his eyes
to what John was looking at in his hands. The
object was unlike anything Benny had ever seen in his life.
(03:07):
Although it was in a rather dull and faded gray color,
the object was shaped very interestingly. At first glance, it
appeared to be a cheap fake gun that anyone could
buy at a toy store, but the actual barrel was
triangular and much bigger than the handle. John chuckled at
the way Benny viewed the object. Like what you see,
(03:30):
he said, as he continued his smirk. WHA what is that?
Benny managed to stutter out. John stood up from the
seat and squeezed the object. Well, I'll go ahead and
provide a demonstration. John caressed the gadget for a few seconds,
as though it was his most precious possession, before quickly
(03:53):
tapping multiple buttons. He then pointed the item to his
head and uttered, I'd like to forget the Vernarban Resort.
Benny stared in confusion as well as nervous fear when
he saw what appeared to be flashy blue beams of
light coming from the item directly into John's head. John
(04:14):
screamed in agony, causing Benny to nearly fall over from
being startled. The lights suddenly disappeared as John put down
the object. Benny stared at him, still confused. He then
remembered that John previously said he wanted to forget the
Vernarbon Resort. Hey, John, what do you know of the
(04:36):
Vernarbon Resort? Benny questioned, Never heard of it, John carelessly stated.
Benny stared at him, skeptical if John was actually telling
the truth. The Vernarban Resort, I said, I had never
heard of it, okay, John stated once again. Benny couldn't
(04:58):
believe what was going on. John seemed to have literally
forgotten an entire location that he had gone on about
how uninteresting it was for weeks. How could that even
be possible? Before he could ponder or question John. Further,
John asked, was this resort you speak of the thing
(05:18):
I wanted to forget? If it was, then I assumed
the example was a success. Yes, this tiny little machine
can literally make me forget anything I wish. Sometimes. It
does such a good job that I don't even remember
that I tried to forget something in the first place.
I stumbled on the hatch during my morning jog a
couple days ago and have used it ever since. I
(05:41):
call it the memory machine. Benny took a few moments
to process what he had just heard. He still had
a huge amount of questions. All right, so this machine
can make you forget things. How did you even find
out what it did? And why did you do you
even come back here? Benny asked. John decided to move
(06:05):
back to the chair and sat down once more, as
he said, well, upon entering the hatch, I noticed the
memory machine right off the bat. It was peculiar, I admit,
but there was a piece of paper right beside it
describing how to work it. I went ahead and tried
to forget something I can't quite remember what. Upon hearing this,
(06:30):
Benny muttered in a snarky tone, no, duh. John remained
unfazed as he continued, stating, anyway, I ran out of
there after that and have been using it. But I
then remembered that there were even more papers around, and
maybe those papers could help me achieve even more features
on this memory machine. Sure enough, I've found something much
(06:54):
greater than I could have ever suspected. Benny suddenly felt
a chill go down his spine. He knew this couldn't
be good. Benny, the memory machine doesn't even need to
be pointed at the target. Apparently, if I can connect
electrical wires to the back of the machine, the energy
(07:15):
of the machine can spread into every person or animal
that has some sort of electricity within a fifteen foot radius.
The blue beams can easily reach somebody from far away
and go directly to their brain. After coming out of
the nearest outlet, I press some buttons, say what needs
to be forgotten or created? Specify that my mind is
(07:39):
not to be changed, and hundreds, even thousands of people
have their mind go through a bit of modification. I'd
call it. After saying this last line, Benny began to
back away from John. The way John spoke about this
machine and the way he so carefully caressed, it gave
(08:00):
him an incredible amount of anxiety that John was no
longer a fully sane person. John noticed Benny's fear, remarking, Oh,
come on, Benny, I want you to help me. Nobody
will get in trouble. I read through these papers and
the government abandoned this project years ago. Yeah, and why
(08:21):
do you think the government did that? John got slightly
angrier as he loudly exclaimed, because they most likely knew
they wouldn't be able to control all of this power.
I can, though, I know I can, and you're going
to help me figure out even more about it. Benny
backed away right up to the room's entrance at the
(08:43):
latter before John pulled out the memory machine. John harshly threatened,
I will make you forget everything you ever loved if
you keep backing away. Benny stopped moving before John started
to chuckle to himself, putting the memory machine against his side.
His chuckle then became a complete laugh. You know, Benny,
(09:08):
I think I've changed my mind. I can't use you
even if I changed your mind to reflect my every wish.
After all, it would only be a matter of time
before you would try to use the machine yourself, or
somehow find some clumsy way to screw my plans up. Therefore,
I think I'll just make your brain forget how to
(09:29):
make you breathe, and watch as you suffocate. With that,
John quickly lifted up the memory machine to aim it
at Benny. Benny, knowing that he had to get out
of there, now, was quick enough to climb up the ladder.
John ran towards the ladder before stumbling on the floor,
falling over. By the time John went over and was
(09:50):
able to aim the gun at Benny, Benny was already
outside of the hatch. Closing the hatch, Benny sighed of relief.
Then Benny noticed something that made him freeze in his tracks.
Blue light coming from the electrical wires next to the hatch,
headed directly for his head.
Modification by a grim Auxiliatrix one. Approaching the rusted metal door,
John Abbots looked through the hatch keyhole before smiling and
beckoning for the nineteen year old behind him to follow.
John carelessly swung the hatch door open, causing an audible
creaking noise. See, Benny, the place is completely deserted, John
(00:25):
stated in a snobbish tone as he glared at Benny.
Benny grumbled to himself about how annoying John could be,
but John ignored it as he pulled out a small torch.
Upon turning it on, he began to descend down the
metal ladder. Once John had arrived, he was glad to
see that everything seemed to be the exact same way
(00:46):
he had left it the previous time he was there.
The chair was in the same spot, the papers on
the wooden desk seemed to still be organized, and he
noticed no changes at all. All right, we're good. Care
to take a look, John abruptly yelled up from inside
the hatch as he plugged an old lamp into a
nearby electrical outlet. Benny noted the electrical wires that seemed
(01:12):
to literally just be coming out of the ground for
no reason. Benny thought that they were most likely used
to make the door open by itself. Putting that aside,
Benny shuddered as he took a slow, careful step on
to the ladder. Benny was sure that something would go
wrong and that they would be caught. John noticed this
(01:35):
fear and chuckled, Oh, come on, I haven't seen anybody
even go in the direction of this hatch. Ever, they
are much more interested in that new Vernarban resort than
this place. Peeking up from the bottom of the hatch
and seeing that Benny wasn't reassured, John continued, Honestly, I
don't think anybody even knows about this place any more.
(01:58):
Either that or this boring town made a vow not
to come down here in fear that something interesting might happen.
Benny sighed at the attempted humor as he began clumsily
climbing down to the room at the bottom of the hatch.
John had dragged him there already, so he supposed there
was no going back now. Upon reaching the bottom of
(02:22):
the long ladder, he ducked under some hanging electrical wires,
which he assumed were connected to the ones next to
the hatch and took a quick glance at his surroundings.
The floor seemed to be metallic, and there were multiple
empty bookcases against the walls, with the only object being
a rather unique and old lamp sitting on the one
(02:44):
closest to the ladder. It was incredibly dusty in the room,
except for the wood desk in the middle of the
room and the chair behind it, upon which John was
comfortably sitting and examining some papers. Benny shifted his eyes
to what John was looking at in his hands. The
object was unlike anything Benny had ever seen in his life.
(03:07):
Although it was in a rather dull and faded gray color,
the object was shaped very interestingly. At first glance, it
appeared to be a cheap fake gun that anyone could
buy at a toy store, but the actual barrel was
triangular and much bigger than the handle. John chuckled at
the way Benny viewed the object. Like what you see,
(03:30):
he said, as he continued his smirk. WHA what is that?
Benny managed to stutter out. John stood up from the
seat and squeezed the object. Well, I'll go ahead and
provide a demonstration. John caressed the gadget for a few seconds,
as though it was his most precious possession, before quickly
(03:53):
tapping multiple buttons. He then pointed the item to his
head and uttered, I'd like to forget the Vernarban Resort.
Benny stared in confusion as well as nervous fear when
he saw what appeared to be flashy blue beams of
light coming from the item directly into John's head. John
(04:14):
screamed in agony, causing Benny to nearly fall over from
being startled. The lights suddenly disappeared as John put down
the object. Benny stared at him, still confused. He then
remembered that John previously said he wanted to forget the
Vernarbon Resort. Hey, John, what do you know of the
(04:36):
Vernarbon Resort? Benny questioned, Never heard of it, John carelessly stated.
Benny stared at him, skeptical if John was actually telling
the truth. The Vernarban Resort, I said, I had never
heard of it, okay, John stated once again. Benny couldn't
(04:58):
believe what was going on. John seemed to have literally
forgotten an entire location that he had gone on about
how uninteresting it was for weeks. How could that even
be possible? Before he could ponder or question John. Further,
John asked, was this resort you speak of the thing
(05:18):
I wanted to forget? If it was, then I assumed
the example was a success. Yes, this tiny little machine
can literally make me forget anything I wish. Sometimes. It
does such a good job that I don't even remember
that I tried to forget something in the first place.
I stumbled on the hatch during my morning jog a
couple days ago and have used it ever since. I
(05:41):
call it the memory machine. Benny took a few moments
to process what he had just heard. He still had
a huge amount of questions. All right, so this machine
can make you forget things. How did you even find
out what it did? And why did you do you
even come back here? Benny asked. John decided to move
(06:05):
back to the chair and sat down once more, as
he said, well, upon entering the hatch, I noticed the
memory machine right off the bat. It was peculiar, I admit,
but there was a piece of paper right beside it
describing how to work it. I went ahead and tried
to forget something I can't quite remember what. Upon hearing this,
(06:30):
Benny muttered in a snarky tone, no, duh. John remained
unfazed as he continued, stating, anyway, I ran out of
there after that and have been using it. But I
then remembered that there were even more papers around, and
maybe those papers could help me achieve even more features
on this memory machine. Sure enough, I've found something much
(06:54):
greater than I could have ever suspected. Benny suddenly felt
a chill go down his spine. He knew this couldn't
be good. Benny, the memory machine doesn't even need to
be pointed at the target. Apparently, if I can connect
electrical wires to the back of the machine, the energy
(07:15):
of the machine can spread into every person or animal
that has some sort of electricity within a fifteen foot radius.
The blue beams can easily reach somebody from far away
and go directly to their brain. After coming out of
the nearest outlet, I press some buttons, say what needs
to be forgotten or created? Specify that my mind is
(07:39):
not to be changed, and hundreds, even thousands of people
have their mind go through a bit of modification. I'd
call it. After saying this last line, Benny began to
back away from John. The way John spoke about this
machine and the way he so carefully caressed, it gave
(08:00):
him an incredible amount of anxiety that John was no
longer a fully sane person. John noticed Benny's fear, remarking, Oh,
come on, Benny, I want you to help me. Nobody
will get in trouble. I read through these papers and
the government abandoned this project years ago. Yeah, and why
(08:21):
do you think the government did that? John got slightly
angrier as he loudly exclaimed, because they most likely knew
they wouldn't be able to control all of this power.
I can, though, I know I can, and you're going
to help me figure out even more about it. Benny
backed away right up to the room's entrance at the
(08:43):
latter before John pulled out the memory machine. John harshly threatened,
I will make you forget everything you ever loved if
you keep backing away. Benny stopped moving before John started
to chuckle to himself, putting the memory machine against his side.
His chuckle then became a complete laugh. You know, Benny,
(09:08):
I think I've changed my mind. I can't use you
even if I changed your mind to reflect my every wish.
After all, it would only be a matter of time
before you would try to use the machine yourself, or
somehow find some clumsy way to screw my plans up. Therefore,
I think I'll just make your brain forget how to
(09:29):
make you breathe, and watch as you suffocate. With that,
John quickly lifted up the memory machine to aim it
at Benny. Benny, knowing that he had to get out
of there, now, was quick enough to climb up the ladder.
John ran towards the ladder before stumbling on the floor,
falling over. By the time John went over and was
(09:50):
able to aim the gun at Benny, Benny was already
outside of the hatch. Closing the hatch, Benny sighed of relief.
Then Benny noticed something that made him freeze in his tracks.
Blue light coming from the electrical wires next to the hatch,
headed directly for his head.
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