Mary X: The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund Preview

In this upcoming Story episode...

Growing tired of their defiant daughter, Jacob and his mistress place a curse on a young Anna Ecklund, ensuring her life turns out to be a living hell. Only when a concerned priest reaches out does anyone try to help Anna. As a result, she endures a series of exorcisms and a lifetime of torment. 

Listen to the full episode Tues, April 1st, 2025!



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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This taking contains content that may not be suitable for
all audiences listeners, discretion is advised. Roughly Never in their

(00:25):
lives did Jacob Schmidt and his mistress Mina dream they'd
be up late concocting the demise of their own child.
But here they are doing just that. Jacob's daughter Emma,
hasn't done anything wrong all of the midnight plotting by
her parents. It has nothing to do with discipline or

(00:47):
come up, and it's just part of something menacing, something vile,
that's always been. It's concerning just how many times Emma's
woken up on the kitchen floor or outside in the mud,
with no short term memory, just the throbbing headache that
lasts for days. It's hard to imagine the nasty, unspeakable

(01:12):
things Jacob has whispered in Emma's ears, all while Mina
stands with idle hands in an emotionless expression. Before that,
it was Emma's mother doing just the same. While her
mother expressed remorse, she hid in the shadows of an
unlit bedroom, a pillow wrapped around her head to block

(01:36):
out the sounds of her daughter's please for mercy and
whimpers of pain. Emma's never understood her father's rage. Did
it begin when they left Germany and headed to Wisconsin,
or did it happen much before that. Sometimes Emma suspects

(01:56):
the anger comes from her mother. Something about here just
always torments her father, But now here he is acting
in the same suit, well after she's passed away. Of course,
Emma suspected herself as the colbrit many times, but she's
never been sure why. Her mother always said it had

(02:20):
to do with the booze. Her dad said it was
because there is no God. Whatever demon's lurk beneath Jacob's skin,
they've always let him down the same direction, lashing out
his frustrations a poor little Emma. Tonight, though, Jacob wants

(02:42):
something more. He wants his daughter to suffer for a
long time to truly know what pain is. Mina supports
this idea and has a hell of a suggestion. How
many times has physical retaliation fallen short? No matter what

(03:03):
Emma still speaks, her mind speaks back to her father.
How ungrateful Emma must be. See. Mina has a few secrets.
One of them isn't so well kept around Wisconsin, and
it's that she is well versed in the dark arts.

(03:23):
A Satanist to some a witch to others. Mina suggests
that they try placing one of the nastiest curses she
knows on Emma, one that will drive her mad and
propel her toward a slow, drudging death.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
By the power of the shadows that by I call
upon forces both cruel and unkind. With this curse, I
seal her fate, the suffer and torment. No light touch her,
no peace find her soul.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Ann I can imagine blood pouring out from the eyes
of her priest, moths emerging from his throat, his beaten
body strapped to the cross. The weeks following the curse
are especially difficult for Anna. Every Sunday, she squirms in
her church pew, wrestling with itchy clothing and even itchier skin,

(04:40):
resisting not only to scratch, but also the urged scream
out and curse amid every prayer, where she remembers colorful
lights dripping down from stained glass panels as only darkness.
The priest, who she adored just weeks ago, now feels

(05:01):
like an enemy. Anna can see herself dismantling and destroying
every last object in the church. Oh how she wants to.
She's able to keep her struggles inward at first, but
as time passes she can hardly make it through the
front door, and she doesn't dare dip her fingers in

(05:21):
holy water on the way inside. They must be doing
something different. Maybe the bulls just need a good cleaning.
Her skin burns as the water brushes over her finger tips.
The water has a bou smell to it too, at least,

(05:42):
Anna thinks so. The church bells ring out as Anna
slowly steps into the sanctuary. Her eyes scope out the
room as she makes her way down the pew, taking
her seat, Anna keeps studying all the decor, the religious
symbols in regalia. In a way, it's all so intimidating.

(06:08):
The priest begins a sermon, clutching a black rosary in
his hand. Anna stares at the beads and the crucifix.
Then she looks up at the much larger crucifix looming
behind him. Anna feels an overwhelming urge to scream that

(06:29):
pop out of her seat and run. Her skin burns,
a thick sweat builds on her forehead. Without further warning,
Anna bolt upright. Her movements a natural and rigid her
mouth opens wide, as though her jaw dilocates momentarily, but

(06:50):
her scream it's nothing more than a whisper. A few
people nearby and the priest rushed to Anna's side, offering
their support. Anna grabs at the edges of the pew
in front of her. There are white and red blodges
around her knucklebut it's as though Anna grips tight while

(07:13):
unseen forces try to drag her away. The priest reaches out,
feeling for her hand, trying to calm her down. The
entire congregation stares and quite frankly, he's worried about Anne's
well being.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
Her head tips back, her jaw gaped. Anna's voice finally
breaks free in a guttural, blood curdling scream escapes her,
echoing off the walls. The priest reaches out again, trying
to settle down Anna as she thrashes her body against

(07:54):
the sides of the pews, but she brushes past him.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
The priest utters a prayer on her her way out,
to which Anna growls, thank you for checking out this

(08:32):
preview of Mary X. The Exorcism of Anna Uckland, the
first story from Less Taken Season four. Hollo lands in
this episode, we hop between Wisconsin and Iowa to explore
the documented demonic possession of Anna Uckland and the long,

(08:52):
intensive series of exorcisms than zeus. If this is your
first time listening to us, Less take An explores documented
horror stories from all around the Midwest, dramatizes them with
a bit of soundscaping, and when necessary, debunks any falsehoods.
Be sure to let us know what you think of

(09:13):
this episode when you're done by leaving a fair rating
and review. Wherever you're listening, you can also leave reviews,
check out all Things Less Taken and pick up some
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(09:33):
if you truly enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe
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truly helps. A quick note on our storytelling. While we
do our best to stick to the facts, we sometimes
take creative liberties to maintain narrative cohesiveness. I'm Seem Humphries

(09:55):
and this is Less Taken real life horror stories from
the Midwest. Once again, Thanks for listening, and I hope
you joined us Tuesday, April first, twenty twenty five for
the full episode of Mary X The Exorcism of Anna Uckland.