Episode Transcript
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Alabaster Catz (00:01):
Good evening,
I'm Alabaster Catz. And it's
time for another tale to tell inthe dark.
Welcome to the show. Have youever heard of the seven deadly
sins? I'll bet you have.
(00:25):
But did you know that there'salso seven virtues, one of which
is patience.
And that brings us to tonight'sstory. The notion that not all
good things come to those whowait. For let it be known that
not all who wait are virtuous.
So join me as we stroll throughthe creepy and the quaint and
(00:46):
learn about a little girl'swarning regarding a patient
witch. Once again, it's time tograb a drink, dim the lights and
listen to voices. The show'sabout to begin.
(01:27):
The Waiting Witch.
By Alabaster CatzWaiting. That's what I was doing
when I sat at my window watchingthe sun sink closer to the
(01:49):
horizon. It was almost 8pm andeven though it was technically
nighttime, the summer seasonensured that the sky would
remain a fiery orange foranother hour. I looked around my
room to see if there wasanything I could do to rescue
myself from boredom. I looked atthe TV. I looked at my game
(02:10):
console. I looked at my cellphone laying neglected on the
bed. I even eyed the book reportI hadn't finished yet. Still,
nothing. It had only been a weeksince my friends and I raced
down to the cul de sac on ourbikes. But now they were all out
on family vacations, leaving meto be the only kid still around.
(02:32):
Heaving a sigh, I turned myattention back to the window,
and that's when I saw her. Alittle girl sitting alone on the
sidewalk at the other end of thestreet. I found it a bit strange
that she was by herself. Notthat the neighborhood wasn't
safe. But she didn't look quiteold enough to be outside without
(02:55):
an adult. She also didn't lookfamiliar, which told me she
wasn't from this neighborhood.
However, what made thingsparticularly odd was that she
wasn't doing anything. She wasjust sitting there, waiting.
Seeing this as an excellentopportunity to do something
(03:17):
interesting. I went to the frontdoor, put on my shoes and called
out to my mother.
Eben (03:24):
"Mom, I'm going outside."
Eben's Mother (03:26):
"Okay, Honey.
Don't stay out too late. Dinnerwill be ready soon."
Alabaster Catz (03:31):
I ran down to
the cul de sac where the girl
was sitting. When I got there.
She was clutching her scooterand scanning the treetops for
something that wasn't there.
Then she looked at me with astart.
Madeleine (03:43):
"Are you the Waiting
Witch?"
Eben (03:45):
"No, I chuckled. I live
down the street. My name is
Evan. What's your name?"
Madeleine (03:51):
"Madeleine."
Alabaster Catz (03:52):
She answered.
Eben (03:54):
"Hi, Madeleine. Are you
lost?"
Alabaster Catz (03:57):
She nodded and
her eyes welled with tears.
Eben (04:00):
"It's okay. Which
direction did you come from?
Alabaster Catz (04:03):
She pointed to a
street leading to a different
neighborhood.
Eben (04:07):
"Do you think you could
find your way home if I walked
you over there?"
Madeleine (04:11):
"I think so."
Alabaster Catz (04:12):
She said
Eben (04:14):
"Okay, come on. We'll go
together. Just let me know if
you see something familiar."
Alabaster Catz (04:19):
Nodding she
stood up and rubbed the tears
out of her eyes. Then she pickedup her scooter and followed me
down the street. The walk wasn'tfar, but it took longer than
expected. This was partlybecause I was trying to give
Madeleine time to study thearea. But mostly because I
needed to match her pace. By nowthe sky had begun to turn a soft
(04:41):
violet.
Eben (04:43):
"So,"
Alabaster Catz (04:44):
I said breaking
the silence.
Eben (04:46):
"Who's the Waiting Witch?"
Alabaster Catz (04:48):
Madeleine drew
closer and glanced at the trees.
Madeleine (04:52):
"She's a witch who
takes kids that are out after
dark and waits until they'reripe to eat them."
Eben (04:58):
"Well, I wouldn't worry
about."
Alabaster Catz (05:00):
I smiled.
Eben (05:02):
"There's no such thing as
witches."
Alabaster Catz (05:04):
Madeleine glared
at me.
Madeleine (05:06):
"She's real. At
night, she flies through the air
on a broom and follows youthrough the trees."
Eben (05:12):
"And during the day?"
Madeleine (05:14):
"She turns into a
normal person. That's how she
hides. She could be anyone. Astranger, someone close to you,
even someone you just met."
Eben (05:23):
"Well, if no one's ever
seen her, then how do you know
she's real?"
Madeleine (05:27):
"Because whenever
she's close, you'll hear the
whisper of the last kid sheate."
Alabaster Catz (05:32):
Smiling, I
steered the conversation to the
task at hand.
Eben (05:36):
"Okay, this is the end of
the street. It was anything look
familiar?"
Madeleine (05:40):
"That yellow car."
Alabaster Catz (05:41):
She said
pointing in another direction.
Madeleine (05:44):
"I remember passing
that."
Eben (05:45):
"All right, let's go check
it out."
Alabaster Catz (05:48):
Madeleine smiled
and continued to follow me.
Several more minutes past and bythe time we reached the yellow
car, the sky had turned purpleand a breeze began to blow
through the trees. There wasstill plenty of sunlight, but it
wasn't as bright as it wasbefore.
Eben (06:06):
"So who told you about the
Waiting Witch?"
Alabaster Catz (06:09):
Madeline glanced
back up at the trees.
Madeleine (06:11):
"My mommy did."
Eben (06:13):
"She probably made it up
just to scare you. You know, to
make sure you didn't stay outtoo late. Besides, there's
nothing to worry about. I'llkeep you safe."
Alabaster Catz (06:23):
Madeleine shook
her head.
Madeleine (06:26):
"No."
Alabaster Catz (06:26):
She said.
Madeleine (06:28):
"No one is safe from
the Waiting Witch."
Alabaster Catz (06:31):
Moments later we
reached the yellow car and
stopped.
Eben (06:34):
"Okay, which way now?"
Madeleine (06:37):
"That way."
Alabaster Catz (06:38):
She said
pointing to the park.
Eben (06:40):
"The jogging path?"
Alabaster Catz (06:41):
She nodded. We
followed the path which was
lined with lush trees and metallamps. I was beginning to grow a
little nervous about the time,but I figured I could make it
back quickly enough if I ran.
Besides, I wasn't going to leaveMadeleine here by herself in the
middle of a park. This sky hadjust turned dark blue when the
metal lamps flickered on.
(07:05):
Hearing the breeze rustlingthrough the leaves, I rubbed the
chill out of my arms and lookedat Madeleine who was now leading
the way.
Eben (07:12):
"Hey, do you know where
you're going?"
Madeleine (07:15):
"Yeah."
Alabaster Catz (07:16):
She said
excited.
Madeleine (07:17):
"It's just through
here."
Eben (07:18):
"How much further is it?"
Madeleine (07:21):
"This much."
Alabaster Catz (07:21):
She said
indicating the distance with her
fingers.
Madeleine (07:24):
"Come on. We're
almost there."
Alabaster Catz (07:27):
Then she hopped
on her scooter, and sped off
ahead of me. I jogged after heruntil the trail dumped us onto a
street I didn't recognize. Thestreet was much older and filled
with tall houses with largewindows, sloped roof tops and
iron fences. My friends and Ihad heard rumors about a spooky
neighborhood hidden somewhere intown. A neighborhood that no one
(07:50):
could ever seem to find. Undernormal circumstances, I would
have been excited. But all Icould think about now was how
badly I wanted to get home. Ifollowed Madeleine to a dark
house with a cone roof and atall iron gate. Pushing her way
through, she walked up to thefront door and knocked.
Eben (08:12):
"Is this where you live?"
Madeleine (08:14):
"Yeah."
Alabaster Catz (08:14):
She said.
Madeleine (08:15):
"This is my house."
Alabaster Catz (08:18):
Anxious, I stood
next to her and waited for the
door to open. But when no onecame, I began to worry.
Eben (08:25):
"Madeline, are you sure
this is your house?
Alabaster Catz (08:28):
She nodded.
Eben (08:30):
"Is your mommy home?"
Madeleine (08:32):
"Yeah, she's home. We
just need to wait."
Alabaster Catz (08:35):
Then her stomach
growled and she placed her hand
on her belly.
Madeleine (08:39):
"Did you hear that?"
Alabaster Catz (08:40):
She said
giggling.
Madeleine (08:42):
"My tummy is
rumbling."
Alabaster Catz (08:44):
A tingle crept
down my spine as I began to feel
like something wasn't right. Itold myself that it was just the
creepy houses, or perhaps allthat talk of the Waiting Witch.
Whatever the case, no matter howmuch I tried to convince myself,
I couldn't quiet the naggingvoice that told me I was in
danger. Looking up at the sky,the sun had finally set and now
(09:09):
the only source of light waswhatever the neighborhood chose
to provide. Once again, I heardthe breeze rustling through the
leaves and started to rub myarms, but then stopped after
realizing I wasn't cold. That'swhen it occurred to me that
despite all the times I heardthe breeze on my way here. I
never actually felt it. 'Sheflies on a broom and follows you
(09:33):
through the trees.' That's whatMadeleine said. And when she's
close, you'll hear the whisperof the last kid she ate. I held
my breath and listened, hopingwith all hope that I wouldn't
hear anything. And after a longmoment of silence, I didn't.
Then a branch snapped overheadand the voice of a child echoed
(09:55):
in the street. It whispered oneword.
Ghost (09:58):
"Run."
Alabaster Catz (10:01):
Not wasting any
more time, I scrambled back to
the trail and raced through thepark. The leaves in the trees
behind me shook as somethingleaped from one to the next. The
metal lamps along the path beganto flicker and die, forcing me
to run faster to stay in thelight. My lungs screamed for air
and my muscles burned like fire,but I didn't stop. The rustling
(10:24):
of the leaves was getting tooclose. Bursting out of the park.
I ran past the yellow car anddown the sidewalk, screaming
through an empty neighborhood. Icould sense the presence of a
hand reaching out to grab me asI rounded the corner to my
street. I was almost home.
Suddenly, an icy chill seized mylungs. My breathing stopped, my
legs slowed and my visiondarkened. Then I saw nothing.
(10:54):
The sky had just turned brightorange when Evan's mother came
across a little girl sittingalone in the cul de sac. It was
8pm and even though it wastechnically nighttime, the
summer season ensured that thesky would remain a fiery orange
for another hour. Approachingthe little girl, Evan's mother
(11:14):
smiled.
Eben's Mother (11:16):
"Hi, sweetie. Are
you lost?"
Madeleine (11:20):
"No."
Alabaster Catz (11:20):
She said,
clutching her scooter.
Madeleine (11:22):
"I'm just waiting for
someone."
Alabaster Catz (11:24):
Evan's mother
frowned, her eyes heavy from a
sleepless night.
Eben's Mother (11:28):
"I've been
waiting too."
Alabaster Catz (11:30):
She said.
Madeleine (11:31):
"Do you want to wait
together?"
Alabaster Catz (11:34):
Evan's mother
looked up at the sky, which was
turning a soft violet.
Eben's Mother (11:39):
"That's very nice
of you. But shouldn't you be
getting home? It'll be darksoon."
Madeleine (11:44):
The little girl
smiled.
"It's okay. I don't live far."
Alabaster Catz (11:49):
Suddenly a
breeze rustled through the
leaves and a boy's whisperechoed in the street. The little
girl jumped and clung to Evan'smother's leg.
Madeleine (11:58):
"Did you hear that?"
Alabaster Catz (11:59):
She breathed.
Eben's Mother (12:01):
"Yes, I did."
Alabaster Catz (12:03):
Answered Evan's
mother.
Eben's Mother (12:05):
"It's the Waiting
Witch."
Alabaster Catz (12:07):
A chill washed
over Madeleine's body like cold
water. Then her face went paleand she began to tremble.
Madeleine (12:15):
"Please."
Alabaster Catz (12:15):
She begged.
Madeleine (12:16):
"Don't eat me. I'm
only little."
Alabaster Catz (12:19):
Eben's mother
looked at her and grinned.
Madeleine (12:22):
"Don't worry, my
sweet. I can wait."
Alabaster Catz (12:49):
That concludes
our show for the evening. Thank
you for joining us, and I hopeyou enjoyed my presence in the
room. Next time, per the requestof one of our listeners, we'll
cuddle with the cute and themccobb as we learn about the
unending devotion of a witch'sfamiliar. If you liked what you
heard tonight, consider leavinga review. Also, if there's
(13:13):
something you'd like to hear,send me a message from the
beyond at alabastercatz.com.
Once again, thank you forjoining us. I'm Alabaster Catz.
And remember, the best storiesare the ones we tell in the
dark. Special thanks totonight's voice talent, Kat
Jones as Madeleine and SammyPrice as Evan's Mother.