0:00

Set your radios to spooky, then

0:02

crank the dial all the way past that

0:04

into full-on bloods out screaming horror. Welcome

0:07

to Sudapod. Sudapod,

0:10

Episode 900 for January 5th, 2024. The

0:17

Red Lodge by H.R. Wakefield,

0:19

narrated by Ann Bacon, hosted

0:22

by Sean Garrett, with audio

0:24

by Chelsea Davis. Hello

0:28

everyone, I hope you're all

0:30

having a good start to the new

0:32

year. I'm Sean Garrett, co-editor of Sudapod,

0:34

your host this week, which is not

0:36

just our first story of 2024, not

0:38

just our show's 900th episode, and

0:43

thus reserved for an author of

0:45

historical note, but also the beginning

0:47

of this year's month-long public domain

0:49

showcase, in which we feature stories

0:51

that have entered that hallowed state.

0:55

We have a few milestones to note before we

0:57

get started. From last year, it

0:59

has been 15 years since I

1:01

started with Sudapod, 15 years

1:03

since Graham Dunlop started with Sudapod,

1:06

10 years since Alex Hoeflicht moved up to

1:09

assist an editor, 5

1:11

years since Kitty Sarkozy started as an

1:13

associate editor, 5 years

1:15

since M.M. Schill, who presented me

1:17

with a wonderful painting for my

1:19

15-year anniversary, started as an associate

1:21

editor. In 2024,

1:23

it will be 5 years since

1:25

Cat Day, and Ash Becker started

1:27

with Sudapod. And

1:29

now, for episode 900, we

1:31

have The Red Lodge by H.R.

1:34

Wakefield, which was previously available

1:36

only to Sudapod subscribers. This

1:39

story first appeared in Wakefield's collection They Return

1:41

It Evening in 1928. Herbert

1:44

Russell Wakefield, 1888-1964, was

1:46

an English short story

1:49

writer, novelist, publisher, and

1:51

civil servant, chiefly remembered

1:53

today for his ghost

1:55

stories. He produced several

1:57

short story collections during his lifetime, Such

2:00

as the aforementioned The Returned Evening, 1928,

2:02

The Ghostly Company, 1935, The Clock Strikes

2:06

12, 1939, and Stirrs from Shull, 1961. He

2:12

was an avowed believer in psychic phenomenon

2:14

ghosts, although he stated skeptic. I will

2:16

have more to say about him following

2:18

this story. Your

2:21

narrator this week is Aunt Bacon.

2:24

Aunt is based in Manchester in the UK

2:26

with his husband Neil. He

2:28

is a screen and voice performer, as

2:30

well as a digital content creator,

2:32

editor, and occasional writer. In

2:35

short, he is a control freak who wants to

2:37

do all the creative projects. When

2:39

he isn't creating, he can be found

2:41

walking his dog Hugo, watching indie films,

2:44

or playing water polo. And

2:47

now, check your lease, watch your child,

2:49

and mind the river, because we have

2:51

a story for you, and we promise

2:54

you, it's true. The

2:59

Red Lodge by H.R.

3:02

Wakefield I

3:05

am writing this from an imperative sense of

3:08

duty, for I consider The Red Lodge is

3:10

a foul death trap, and utterly unfit to

3:12

be a human habitation. It

3:14

has its own proper denizens, and

3:17

because I know its owner to be

3:19

an unspeakable blaggard to allow it to

3:21

be used for his financial advantage. I

3:25

know the perils of the place perfectly

3:27

well. I wrote him of our experiences,

3:29

and he didn't even acknowledge the letter.

3:32

Two days ago, I saw the ghastly

3:34

pest-house advertised in Country Life. So,

3:38

anyone who rents The Red Lodge in future

3:40

will receive a copy of this document, as

3:43

well as some uncomfortable words from Sir William.

3:46

And that Scoundrel Wilkes can take what

3:48

action he pleases. I

3:52

certainly didn't carry any prejudice against the

3:54

place down to it with me. I'd

3:57

been too busy to look over it myself, but... My

4:00

wife reported extremely favourably. I

4:03

take her word for most things. I

4:05

could tell by the photograph that it was

4:08

a magnificent specimen of the medium-sized Queen Anne

4:10

house, just the ideal thing

4:12

for me. Mary

4:14

said that the garden was perfect and

4:16

there was the river for Tim at the bottom of it. I

4:20

had been longing for a holiday and

4:22

I was in the highest of spirits as I travelled down.

4:26

I was not in the highest spirits for long.

4:29

My first vague, faint uncertainty came to

4:32

me as soon as I had crossed

4:34

the threshold. I

4:36

am a painter by profession, and therefore

4:38

sharply responsive to colour tone. Well,

4:42

it was a brilliantly fine day, the

4:44

hall of the red lodge was fully lighted,

4:47

yet it seemed a shade off the key as

4:49

it were, as

4:52

though I were regarding it through a

4:54

pair of slightly darkened glasses. Only

4:57

a painter would have noticed it, I fancy. When

5:01

Mary came out to greet me, she

5:03

was not looking as well as I had hoped, or

5:06

as well as a week in the country should have

5:08

made her look. Everything

5:11

all right, I asked. Oh,

5:14

yes, she replied, but

5:17

I thought she found it difficult to say so. And

5:21

then my eye detected a curious little

5:23

spot of green on the maroon rug

5:25

in front of the fireplace. I

5:28

picked it up. It

5:30

seemed like a patch of river slime. I

5:34

suppose Tim brings those in, said Mary.

5:37

I found several—of course he

5:40

promises he doesn't—and then for a

5:42

moment we were silent, and

5:44

a very unusual sense of constraint seemed

5:46

to set a barrier between us. I

5:50

went out to the garden to smoke a cigarette before lunch,

5:53

and sat myself down under a very fine

5:55

mulberry tree. I wondered if, after

5:57

all, I had been wise to have left it all to Mary.

6:01

There was nothing wrong with the house, of course, but

6:04

I am a bit psychic and I always

6:06

know the mood or character of a

6:08

house. One

6:12

welcomes you with the tail-riding

6:14

enthusiasm of a really nice

6:16

dog, makes you at home, and

6:20

at your ease at once. Others

6:24

are sullen, watchful, hostile,

6:26

with things to hide. They

6:29

make you feel that you have

6:31

obtruded yourself in some curious affairs,

6:34

which are none of your business. I

6:38

have never encountered so

6:40

hostile, aloof, and

6:42

secretive a living place as the red lodge

6:44

seemed when I first entered it. Well,

6:49

it couldn't be helped, though it

6:51

was disappointing, and there

6:53

was Tim coming back from his walk and

6:56

the lunch and gone. My

6:59

son seemed a little subdued and thoughtful, though

7:01

he looked pretty well, and

7:03

soon we were all chatting away with those

7:05

quick changes of key which occur when the

7:07

respective ages of the conversations of

7:09

forty, thirty-three, and six and a

7:12

half. And after half

7:14

a bottle of myrseol and a glass of port,

7:16

I began to think I had been a morbid

7:18

ass. I was

7:20

still so thinking when I began my

7:23

holiday in the best possible way by

7:25

going to sleep in an exquisitely comfortable

7:27

chair under the mulberry tree. But

7:31

I had slept better. I

7:34

dozed off. But

7:36

I had the silly impression of being watched,

7:40

so that I kept waking up in case there might

7:42

be someone with his eye on me. I

7:46

was laying back and could just see a window

7:48

on the second floor framed by a gap in

7:50

the leaves, and

7:52

on one occasion when I worked rather sharply

7:55

from one of these dozes. I

7:57

thought I saw for a moment a face

8:00

peering down at me, and

8:03

this face seemed curiously flattened against the

8:05

pain. Just

8:07

a carryover from a dream, I concluded.

8:11

However, I didn't feel like sleeping any

8:13

more, and began to explore the garden.

8:18

It was completely walled in, I found, except

8:21

at the far end, where

8:23

there was a door leading through to

8:25

a path which, running parallel to the

8:27

right-hand wall, led to the river

8:29

a few yards away. I

8:33

noticed, on this door, several of

8:35

those patches of green slime, for

8:38

which Tim was supposedly responsible. It

8:42

was a dark little corner, cut off

8:44

from the rest of the garden by two

8:46

Roman trees. A

8:48

cool, silent little place, I thought it.

8:52

And then it was time for Tim's cricket lesson, which

8:55

was interrupted by some infernal callers.

8:58

But they were pleasant people, as a matter of fact.

9:01

The local canoots I gathered, who

9:03

owned the manor-house, Sir William

9:05

Prowse, and his lady and his daughter.

9:09

I went for a walk with him after tea. Who

9:13

had this house before us, I asked. People

9:16

called Hawker, he replied. But

9:18

that was two years ago. I

9:21

wonder the owner doesn't live in it, I said. It

9:24

isn't an expensive place to keep up. Sir

9:27

William paused, as if considering his

9:29

reply. I

9:32

think he dislikes being near the river. I'm

9:35

not sorry for I detest the fellow. By

9:38

the way, how long have you taken it for? Three

9:42

months, I replied, till the end of October.

9:45

Well, if I can do anything for you, I

9:48

shall be delighted. If

9:50

you are in any trouble, come

9:53

straight to me. He

9:56

slightly emphasised the last sentence. How

12:00

could a patch of green slime! Dropped

12:05

from something? From

12:07

what? I'm

12:09

very fond of my wife. She

12:12

slaved for me when I was poor, and

12:14

always kept me happy, comfortable, and

12:16

faithful, and she gave me

12:19

my small son, Timothy. I

12:21

must stand between her and patches

12:23

of green slime. What

12:27

in hell's name was I talking about? And

12:31

it was a flamingly fine day,

12:33

yet all during my breakfast my

12:35

mind was trying to find some

12:37

sufficient reason for these funny little

12:39

patches of green slime, and not

12:42

finding it. After

12:45

breakfast, I told him I would

12:47

take him out in a boat on the river. Must

12:52

I, Daddy? he asked, looking

12:55

anxiously at me. No,

12:58

of course not, I replied, a

13:01

trifle irritably. But

13:03

I believe you'll enjoy it. Should

13:07

I be a funk if I don't come? No,

13:10

Tim, but I think you

13:12

should try it once, anyway. All

13:16

right, he said. He's

13:19

a plucky little chap, and it

13:21

is very best to pretend to be enjoying himself,

13:24

but I saw it was a failure from the start. Perplexed

13:28

and upset, I asked his

13:31

nurse if she knew of any reason why

13:34

he may have this sudden fear of water.

13:37

No, sir, she said. The

13:40

first day he ran down to the river just

13:42

as he used to run down to the sea,

13:45

but all of a sudden he started crying and

13:47

ran back to the house. It

13:50

seemed to me he'd seen something in the water which

13:52

frightened him. We

13:55

spent the afternoon motoring around the neighbourhood, and

13:58

already I found a faint this taste at the

14:01

idea of returning to the house. And

14:04

again I had the impression

14:06

we were intruding, and

14:09

that something had been going on

14:11

during our absence which our return

14:13

had interrupted. Mary,

14:15

pleading a headache, went to bed soon after

14:17

dinner, and I went to the study to

14:20

read. Directly

14:22

I had shut the door, I

14:24

had again that very unpleasant sensation

14:26

of being watched. It

14:29

made the reading of Sidgwick's The Use of

14:31

Words in Reasoning, an old favourite

14:33

of mine which requires concentration, a difficult

14:36

business. Time

14:39

after time I found

14:41

myself peeping into dark corners

14:44

and shifting my position, and

14:46

there were little sharp sounds, just

14:48

the oak panel crackling I suppose.

14:52

After a time I became more absorbed

14:54

in the book and less fidgety, and

14:57

then I heard a very soft

15:00

cough just behind me. I

15:04

felt little icy rays pour down

15:06

and through me, but I would

15:09

not look round. I

15:11

would go on reading. I had

15:14

just read the following passage. However

15:19

many things may be said about Socrates,

15:22

or about any fact observed. There

15:25

remains still more that might be

15:27

said if the need arose. The

15:29

need is the determining factor.

15:33

Hence the distinction between complete

15:35

and incomplete description, though

15:37

perfectly sharp and clear in the abstract,

15:40

can only have a meaning, can

15:42

only be applied to actual cases, if

15:46

it be taken as equivalent to

15:48

sufficient description. The

15:51

sufficiency being relative to some

15:53

purpose. Evidently

15:56

the description of Socrates as a

15:58

man, scanty though it is, may

16:01

be fully sufficient for the purpose

16:03

of the modest inquiry whether

16:06

he is mortal or not. When

16:10

my eye was caught by

16:12

a green patch which suddenly

16:14

appeared on the floor beside me,

16:18

and then another, and another,

16:21

following a straight line towards

16:23

the door, I

16:26

picked up the nearest one, and

16:28

it was a bit of soaking

16:30

slime. I

16:33

called on all my will power

16:35

for I feared something worse to

16:38

come, and it should

16:40

not materialize, and

16:43

then no more patches appeared. I

16:47

got up and walked

16:49

deliberately, slowly to the door,

16:53

turned on the light in the middle of the room, then

16:56

came back and turned out the reading lamp

16:59

and went to my dressing room. I

17:03

sat down and thought things over.

17:05

There was something very wrong with

17:08

this house. I

17:10

had passed the stage of pretending

17:12

otherwise, and my inclination was to

17:14

take my family away, away from

17:16

it the next day. But

17:19

that meant sacrificing £168, and we had nowhere else to go.

17:27

It was conceivable that

17:29

these phenomena were perceptible only to me

17:31

being half a Highlander. I

17:35

might be able to stick it out if I were careful

17:37

and kept my tail up, for

17:39

apparitions of this sort are partially

17:41

subjective. One brings

17:43

something of oneself to their materialization.

17:47

That is a hard saying, but I believe it to

17:49

be true. If

17:52

Mary and Tim and the servants were

17:54

immune, it was up to me to

17:56

face and fight this nastiness. undressed

18:00

I came to the decision that I

18:02

would decide nothing then and there and

18:05

I would see what happened. I

18:08

made this decision against my better

18:10

judgement I think. In

18:13

bed I tried to thrust all

18:15

this away from me by

18:17

a conscious effort to change

18:19

the subject as it were.

18:21

The easiest subject for me to switch over

18:24

to is the myriad sided

18:26

useless consistently abused business

18:29

of creating things. Stories

18:32

out of pens and ink and

18:34

paper, representations of things and moods

18:36

out of paints, brushes and canvas,

18:39

and our own miseries perhaps,

18:42

as with wine, women and song. With

18:46

a considerable effort therefore, and

18:49

with the edges of my brain anxious to

18:51

be busy with bits of green slime, I

18:55

recalled an article I had read that day

18:57

on a glorious word. Jugendbewigung,

19:01

the youth movement, that pregnant

19:04

or merely wind-swollen Teutenism,

19:07

how ponderously it attempted

19:09

to canonise with its polysyllabric

19:12

sonority that inverted boy-scoutishness

19:14

of said youths and maidens.

19:18

One bad, mad deed, sonnet,

19:22

scribble of some kind, lousy

19:24

dorb, a day, bunk

19:29

without spunk, source

19:31

without force, futurism

19:33

without a past, merely

19:37

a transition from one

19:39

yelping pose to another. And

19:43

then I suddenly

19:45

found myself at the end of the garden,

19:49

attempting desperately to

19:52

hide myself behind a rowan tree while

19:54

my eyes were held relentlessly

19:56

to face the door. And

20:01

then it began to slowly open, and

20:05

something which was horridly

20:07

unlike anything I had seen

20:09

before began passing through

20:11

it, and I

20:13

knew it knew I was there. And

20:18

then my head seemed

20:20

to burst and flame

20:22

the thunder, splintered and destroyed,

20:26

and I awoke trembling to

20:28

feel that something in the

20:31

darkness was poised

20:33

an inch or two above me.

20:37

And then, drip,

20:41

drip, drip,

20:44

something began falling onto

20:46

my face. Mary

20:49

was asleep in the bed next to mine, and

20:52

I would not scream, but I flung the

20:54

clothes over my head, my eyes

20:56

streaming with the tears of terror,

20:58

and so I remained cowering

21:00

until I heard the clock

21:03

strike five and dawn the

21:05

ally I had longed for

21:07

came. And

21:11

the birds began to sing, and

21:14

then I slept. I

21:19

awoke a wreck, and

21:22

after breakfast, feeling the need to

21:24

be alone, I pretended I wanted to

21:27

sketch, and went out into

21:29

the garden. Suddenly

21:32

I recalled Sir William's remark about coming

21:34

to see him if there was any

21:36

trouble, not

21:38

much difficulty in guessing what he had meant. I'd

21:42

go and see him at once. I

21:45

wish I knew whether Mary was troubled

21:47

too. I hesitated to ask her

21:49

for, if she was not, she

21:51

was certain to become suspicious and uneasy if

21:53

I questioned her. And

21:57

then I discovered that While

22:00

my brain had been busy with its thoughts,

22:03

my hand had also not been

22:05

idle. It

22:07

had been occupied in drawing a very

22:11

singular design on

22:13

the sketching block. I

22:16

watched it as it went automatically

22:18

on. Was

22:20

it a design or a figure of some sort?

22:25

When had I seen something like it before? My

22:30

God! In

22:33

my dream last night! I

22:38

tore it to pieces and got up

22:40

in agitation and made my way to

22:42

the manor house, along a path through

22:44

tall, bowing, stippled grasses hissing

22:46

lightly in the breeze. My

22:51

inclination was to run

22:53

to the station and take

22:55

the next train to anywhere, pure,

22:58

unkind, undiluted panic,

23:03

an insufficiently analysed word, that

23:07

which causes men to trample

23:09

on women and children when

23:11

death is making his choice.

23:16

Of course I had Mary and Tim and the

23:18

servants to keep me from it, but supposing they

23:20

had no claim on me, should

23:22

I desert them? No,

23:24

I should not. Why? Such

23:28

things aren't done by

23:30

respectable inhabitants of Great Britain.

23:34

A people despised and respected by

23:36

all other tribes, despised

23:38

as Philistines, but it took the jawbone of

23:40

an ass to subdue that hardy race. Respected

23:45

for what? Birkenhead stuff?

23:50

No. Not the noble lord, for

23:52

there were no glittering prizes for those

23:54

who went down to the bottom of

23:56

the sea in ships. My

24:01

mind deliberately restricting itself

24:03

to such highly debatable

24:05

jingoism, I reached

24:07

the manor house to be

24:09

told that Sir William was up in London for

24:11

the day and would return

24:14

that evening. Would

24:16

he ring me upon his return? Yes,

24:19

sir. And

24:21

then, with lagging steps, back

24:25

to the red lodge. I

24:29

took Mary for a drive in the car after

24:31

lunch. Anything to get

24:33

out of that beastly place. Tim

24:36

didn't come, as he preferred to play in the

24:38

garden. In

24:41

the light of what happened, I

24:43

suppose I shall be criticised for leaving Tim alone

24:45

with a nurse. But

24:47

at that time I held the

24:49

theory that these appearances were in

24:51

no way malignant, and that it

24:53

was more plausible that even if

24:55

Tim did see anything he wouldn't

24:57

be frightened, not realising it was

24:59

out of the ordinary in any

25:01

way. After all,

25:03

nothing that I had seen or heard, at

25:06

any rate during the daytime, would strike

25:08

him as unusual. Mary

25:13

was very silent, and

25:16

I was beginning to feel sure

25:18

from a certain depression and oppression

25:20

in her manner and appearance that

25:22

my trouble was hers. It

25:26

was on the tip of my tongue to say

25:28

something, but I resolved

25:31

to wait until I had heard what

25:33

Sir William had to say. It

25:37

was a dark, somber and

25:39

brooding afternoon, and my spirits

25:41

fell as we turned for home.

25:45

What a home! We

25:47

got back at six. I

25:50

had just stopped the engine and

25:52

helped Mary out when I heard

25:54

a scream from the garden. I

25:57

rushed around to see Tim. hands

26:01

to his eyes, staggering across the

26:03

lawn, the nurse running behind him,

26:05

and then he screamed again and

26:08

fell. I carried

26:10

him into the house and lay him down on

26:12

the sofa in the drawing-room, and Mary went to

26:14

him. I took the

26:16

nurse by the arm and out of the room,

26:19

and she was panting and crying down a face

26:21

of chalk. "'What happened?

26:23

What happened?' I asked. "'I

26:27

don't know what it was, sir. We'd been walking in

26:29

the lane and had left the door open. Master

26:31

Tim was a bit ahead of me and went through the

26:33

door first, and then he screamed like that.'

26:36

"'Did you see anything that could have frightened

26:39

him?' "'No,

26:41

sir, nothing.' I

26:44

went back to them. It was

26:46

no good questioning Tim. There was nothing coherent

26:48

to be learnt from his hysterical sobbing. He

26:52

grew calmer presently and was taken up to

26:54

bed. Suddenly

26:58

he turned to Mary and

27:00

looked at her with eyes of terror. "'The

27:03

green monkey won't get me. Will it, mummy?'

27:07

"'No, no, it's all right now,'

27:10

said Mary, and soon

27:12

after he went to sleep, and

27:14

then she and I went down to the drawing-room.

27:17

She was on the border of hysteria herself. "'Tom,

27:23

what is the matter with this awful

27:25

house? I'm

27:27

terrified. Ever since I've

27:29

been here I've been terrified. Do

27:32

you see things?' "'Yes,'

27:35

I replied. "'Oh,

27:37

I wish I'd known. I didn't want to worry

27:39

you if you hadn't. Let

27:42

me tell you what it's been like. On

27:44

the day we arrived I saw a man

27:46

pass ahead of me into my bedroom. Of

27:50

course I only thought I had. And

27:52

then I've heard beastly whisperings. And

27:55

every time I pass that turn

27:57

in the corridor I know.' there's

28:00

someone just around the corner. And

28:03

then the day before you arrived I

28:05

woke suddenly, and something seemed

28:07

to force me to go to the

28:09

window, and I crawled

28:12

there on my hands and knees and

28:14

peeped through the blind. It

28:16

was just light enough to see. And

28:19

suddenly I saw someone running down

28:21

the lawn, his or her hands

28:24

outstretched, and there was something ghastly

28:27

just beside him, and

28:29

they disappeared behind the trees at the end.

28:34

I'm terrified every minute.

28:38

What about the servants? Nurse

28:41

hasn't seen anything, but the others have,

28:43

I'm certain. And

28:45

then there are those slimy patches. I

28:48

think they're the finest of all. I

28:51

don't think Tim has been troubled

28:53

until now, but I'm sure he's

28:55

been puzzled and uncertain several times.

28:59

Well, I said, it's

29:01

pretty obvious we must clear out.

29:05

I'm seeing Sir William about it tomorrow, I hope,

29:08

and I'm certain enough of what he'll advise.

29:11

Meanwhile we must think over where to go.

29:13

It is

29:15

a nasty jar, though. I don't mean merely the

29:18

money, though that's bad enough, but

29:20

the fuss. Just

29:22

when I hoped we were going to be happy

29:24

and settled. However,

29:27

it's got to be done. We

29:30

should be mad after a week of this filth-drenched

29:32

hole. Just

29:35

then the telephone bell rang. It

29:38

was a message to say Sir William would be

29:40

pleased to see me at half past ten tomorrow.

29:44

With the dusk came that sense of

29:46

being watched, waited for,

29:49

followed about, plotted against

29:51

an atmosphere of quiet, hunting

29:54

malignancy. A

29:57

thick mist came up from the river,

29:59

and as I saw it, I was I was changing for dinner, I

30:01

noticed the lights from the windows seem

30:03

to project a series of swiftly

30:06

changing pictures on its grey crawling

30:08

screen. The

30:11

one opposite my window, for example, was

30:14

unpleasantly suggestive of three figures

30:17

staring in and seeming

30:19

to grow nearer and larger. The

30:22

effect must have been slightly

30:25

hypnotic, for suddenly

30:27

I started back. Whether

30:30

it was as if they were about to close on me,

30:33

I pulled down the blind and hurried downstairs.

30:37

During dinner we decided that unless Sir

30:40

William had something very reassuring to say,

30:42

we would go back to London

30:44

two days later and stay at a hotel

30:46

till we could find somewhere to spend the

30:48

next six weeks. Just

30:51

before going to bed, we went up to

30:53

the night nursery to see if Tim was all right. His

30:57

room was at the top of a short flight of

30:59

stairs. As these

31:01

stairs were covered with green slime and

31:04

there was a pool of the muck

31:06

just outside the door, we

31:08

took him down to sleep with us. The

31:12

permanent occupants of the red lodge

31:15

waited till the light was out, but

31:17

then I felt them come

31:19

thronging, slipping in one

31:22

by one, their weapon,

31:25

fear. It

31:27

seemed to me they were masked for an attack.

31:31

A yard away my wife was lying

31:33

with my son in her arms, so

31:36

I must fight. I

31:38

lay back, gripped the

31:40

sides of the bed and stoved with

31:43

all my might to hold my assailants

31:45

back. As

31:48

the hours went by, I felt myself beginning

31:50

to get the upper hand and a sense

31:52

of exaltation came to me. But

31:56

an hour before dawn they made

31:58

their greatest effort. I

32:01

knew that they were willing me to

32:03

creep on my hands and knees to

32:06

the window and peep through the blind,

32:08

and that if I did so, we

32:11

were doomed. As

32:14

I set my teeth and tightened

32:17

my grip till I felt

32:19

wracked with agony and sweat

32:21

poured from me, I

32:24

felt them come crowding round the

32:26

bed and thrusting their faces into

32:28

mine. And

32:30

a voice in my head

32:33

kept saying, insistently,

32:39

you must crawl to the

32:41

window and look through

32:43

the blind. In

32:47

my mind's eye I could see

32:49

myself crawling stealthily across the floor

32:51

and pulling the blind aside, but

32:55

who would be staring back at me? Just

32:58

when I felt my resistance

33:00

breaking, I heard a sweet

33:02

sleepy twitter from a tree

33:04

outside and saw the blind

33:07

touched by a faint suggestion

33:09

of light. And

33:12

at once those

33:14

with whom I'd been struggling

33:17

left me and went

33:19

their way and utterly exhausted.

33:23

I slept. In

33:26

the morning I found, somewhat ironically, that Mary

33:28

had slept better than on any other night

33:30

since she came down. Half

33:33

past ten found me entering the manor house,

33:36

a delightful nondescript old place which

33:39

started wagging its tail as soon as I entered

33:41

it. Sir William was awaiting

33:43

me in the library. I

33:46

expected this would happen, he said gravely. And

33:50

now tell me. I

33:52

gave him a short outline of our experiences. Yes,

33:56

he said, it's always been

33:58

much the same story. Every

34:01

time that horrible place has been led

34:03

I have felt a sense of personal

34:05

responsibility, and yet

34:07

I cannot give a proper warning for the

34:10

letting of haunted houses is not yet a

34:12

criminal offence, though it ought to be, and

34:14

I couldn't afford a libel action. And,

34:16

as a matter of fact, one

34:19

old couple had the house for

34:21

fifteen years and were perfectly

34:23

delighted with it, being troubled in no way. But

34:28

now, let me tell you what I know

34:30

of the Red Lodge. I

34:33

have studied it for forty years,

34:35

and I regard it as my personal enemy.

34:39

The local tradition is

34:41

that the second owner, early in the

34:43

eighteenth century, wished to get rid of his wife,

34:47

and bribed his servants to frighten her

34:49

to death, just the

34:52

sort of ancestor I can imagine that

34:54

blaggard Wilkes being descended from. What

34:57

devilry's they perpetrated, I don't

34:59

know. But she

35:02

is supposed to have rushed from the

35:04

house just before dawn one day and

35:06

drowned herself, whereupon

35:08

her husband installed a small harem in the

35:10

house. But it was

35:12

a failure for each of these charmers, one

35:15

by one, rushed down to the river

35:18

just before dawn, and

35:20

finally the husband himself

35:23

did the same. Of

35:26

the period between then and forty

35:28

years ago I have no record,

35:32

but the local tradition has it that

35:34

it was the scene of tragedy

35:36

upon tragedy, and then

35:38

was shut for a long time. When

35:42

I first began to study it, it

35:44

was occupied by two bachelor brothers. One

35:48

shot himself in the room,

35:50

which I imagine you use as your bedroom,

35:53

and the other drowned himself in the usual way. I

35:57

may tell you that the worst room in the house, the worst room in

35:59

the house, one the unfortunate lady is

36:01

supposed to have occupied is locked

36:03

up." You know. The

36:06

one on the second floor. I

36:09

imagine Wilkes mentioned it to you. Yes,

36:12

he did, I replied. Said

36:14

he kept important papers there. Yes,

36:18

well, he was forced

36:20

in self-defence to do so ten years

36:22

ago, and since then the death rate

36:24

has been lower, but in those 40

36:27

years, 20 people

36:29

had taken their lives in the

36:31

river or in the house, and

36:34

six children had been

36:36

drowned accidentally. The

36:39

last case was Lord Passover's butler in 1924. He

36:41

was seen to run down to the

36:44

river and

36:46

leap in. He was pulled

36:48

out but died of shock. The

36:51

people who took the house two years ago

36:53

left in a week and threatened to bring

36:55

an action against Wilkes, but they

36:57

were warned they had no legal case. And

37:00

I strongly advise you, more

37:02

than that, implore you to follow their

37:05

example. Now I can imagine the financial

37:07

loss and the great inconvenience. That

37:10

house is a death

37:12

trap. I

37:15

will, I replied. I

37:18

forgot to mention one thing. When

37:21

my little boy was so badly

37:23

frightened, he said something

37:25

about a green monkey. He

37:29

did, said William, said sharply. Well

37:33

then, it is

37:35

absolutely imperative that you should

37:37

leave at once. You

37:39

remember I mentioned the death of certain children? Well,

37:42

in each case, they had

37:45

been found drowned in the reeds just

37:47

at the end of that lane. And

37:49

the people about here have a firm

37:51

belief that the green thing

37:53

or the green death is

37:55

sometimes referred to as the first, and

37:58

sometimes as the other is connected. with

38:01

danger to children. "'Have

38:03

you ever seen anything yourself?' I

38:05

asked. "'I

38:08

go to the infernal place as

38:10

little as possible,' replied Sir William.

38:13

"'But when I called on your

38:15

predecessors, I most distinctly saw someone

38:17

leave the drawing room as we

38:19

entered it. Otherwise

38:22

all I have noted is

38:24

a certain dream which recurs

38:26

with curious regularity. I

38:29

find myself at the

38:31

end of the lane and watching the river, always

38:34

in a sort of brassy half-light, and

38:38

presently something comes floating down the stream.

38:41

I can see it jerking up and

38:43

down, and I

38:46

always feel passionately anxious to

38:48

see what it may be.

38:52

At first I think that it's a log,

38:55

but when it gets exactly opposite me,

38:57

it changes its course and comes towards

39:00

me. And then I

39:03

see it

39:05

is a dead body, very

39:08

decomposed, and

39:10

when it reaches the bank, it

39:13

begins to climb towards me. And

39:17

then I am thankful to

39:19

say I always awake. Sometimes

39:23

I have thought that one day I shall

39:26

not wake just then, and

39:28

that on this occasion something will happen to me.

39:32

But that is probably merely

39:34

a silly fancy of an old gentleman who has

39:37

concerned himself with these singular events

39:39

rather more than is good for his nerves. That

39:43

is obviously the explanation,' I said, and

39:47

I am extremely grateful to you. We

39:50

will leave tomorrow. be

40:00

prevented from letting the house again. I

40:03

certainly do so, and

40:05

we will discuss it further on some other

40:07

occasion. Now, go

40:10

and pack." A

40:12

very great and charming gentleman, Sir

40:14

William, I reflected, as I walked

40:16

back to the red lodge. Tim

40:20

seemed to have recovered excellently well,

40:23

but I thought it wise to keep him out

40:25

of the house as much as possible, so

40:27

while Mary and the maids packed after lunch,

40:30

I went with him for a walk through the

40:32

fields. We

40:34

took our time, and it

40:37

was only when the sky grew black and

40:39

there was a distant rumble of thunder and

40:41

a menacing little breeze came from the west

40:44

that we turned to come back. We

40:47

had to hurry. As

40:49

we reached the meadow next to the house, there

40:52

came a ripping flash and

40:54

a storm broke. We

40:57

started to run for the door to the garden when

40:59

I tripped over my bootlegs, which had come undone

41:02

and fell. Tim ran on.

41:05

I had just tied the lace and was

41:07

on my feet again when something slipped

41:10

through the door. It

41:13

was green, thin, tall.

41:18

It seemed to glance back at me, and

41:22

what should have been its face

41:24

was a patch of tsozzled slime.

41:27

At that moment Tim

41:29

saw it, screamed, and

41:32

ran for the river. The

41:34

figure turned and followed him, and

41:36

before I could reach him, hover

41:38

over him. Tim screamed

41:41

again and threw himself in, and

41:43

a moment later I passed through

41:45

a green and stench of film

41:47

and dived after him. I found

41:50

him, writhing in the reed and brought him back

41:52

to the bank. I ran with him, in my

41:54

arms, into the house, and I shall not forget

41:57

Mary's face as she saw us

41:59

through the bedfills. from window. By

42:02

nine o'clock we were all in a

42:05

hotel in London, and

42:08

the red lodge was an evil

42:11

fading memory. I

42:15

shut the front door when I had packed them

42:18

all into the car. As

42:21

I took hold of the doorknob I

42:24

felt a quick and powerful pressure from

42:26

the other side, and

42:28

it shot with a crash. The

42:32

permanent occupants of the red lodge were

42:35

in sole possession once

42:38

more. Welcome

42:44

back. Through a variety

42:46

of factors, I had reason to read

42:48

about 60 plus stories by H.R. Wakefield

42:50

over the last few years. Wakefield

42:53

is an interesting figure in the history

42:55

of weird fiction. He was a yeoman

42:57

supernatural fiction author, equivalent to the American

43:00

pulp writers, in that he turned out

43:02

quite a lot of stories, some formulaic

43:04

and some not, but he was writing

43:07

as a career, not as a hobby.

43:09

In that sense he has more in

43:12

common with E.F. Benson, who slightly preceded

43:14

him, than M.R. James. But Benson had

43:16

the success of his map and

43:18

Lucia books to fall back on, while

43:21

Wakefield had only adaptations of his work

43:23

and a clutch of mystery and crime novels.

43:26

His excellent 1948 story

43:28

Ghost Hunt, which is

43:30

the closest thing in supernatural fiction to

43:32

a predecessor of the Blair Witch Project

43:34

and found footage of horror in

43:37

general, was adapted in 1949

43:39

on the popular American radio show

43:41

Suspense, while his story The Triumph

43:44

of Death was adapted on the

43:46

now lost BBC TV series Late

43:48

Night Horror in 1968. Wakefield

43:53

is best understood as a modernizer of

43:55

the classic M.R. James approach, bringing in

43:58

details from the current culture. culture, crime,

44:01

and technology while discarding

44:03

stuffy antiquarianism. He

44:05

was also an avid believer in

44:07

psychofenomena ghosts, as noted, although his

44:10

final feelings about these abilities are

44:12

conflicted. He ultimately decided

44:14

that psychic sensitivity was a

44:16

debilitating activism that caused one

44:18

to suffer impressions of an

44:20

unseen world for no logical

44:22

reason, while also stating,

44:24

regarding his chances and the like,

44:27

that, quote, the dead have nothing

44:29

of importance to tell us. We

44:34

rely on you to pay our authors, our

44:36

narrators, and our crew, and to cover our

44:38

costs. One-time donations are

44:40

fantastic and gratefully received, but what

44:42

really makes a difference is subscribing.

44:46

Subscriptions get us stability and a reliable

44:48

income we can use to bring free

44:50

and accessible audio fiction to the world.

44:52

You can subscribe for a monthly

44:55

or annual donation through PayPal or

44:57

Patreon. Sudapod

44:59

is part of the

45:01

Escape Artist Foundation, a

45:03

501c3 nonprofit, and this

45:05

episode is distributed under

45:07

the Creative Commons Attribution

45:09

Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0

45:12

international license. Download

45:15

and listen to the episode on any device

45:17

you like, but don't change it or sell

45:19

it. Queen music is

45:21

by permission of Anders Manga. Please

45:26

join us next week for The

45:28

Shadowy Escort by A.M. Burridge as

45:30

we continue our public

45:32

domain showcase, and

45:34

would like to leave you with a closing

45:36

quote from Mr. Wakefield himself talking

45:39

about the superficially charming and harmonious

45:41

Queen Anne House about a mile

45:44

and a half from Richmond Bridge

45:46

that he visited in 1917. The

45:50

sight of many drownings and other

45:52

troubles experienced when staying there. Quote,

45:56

my own particular bother consisted

45:58

of a petrified inside. I

46:01

lay awake till dawn, oppressed by a

46:03

fear without a name. Call

46:05

it just ghostly fear if you like. I

46:08

felt a craven and a worm, but I

46:10

was utterly unable to snap out of it.

46:13

Only those who have experienced something

46:15

like it will sympathize. I

46:18

had only one visual bother. I

46:20

was sitting in the garden one afternoon under

46:22

the mulberry tree and happened to glance up

46:24

at the first floor windows. There

46:27

was a blurred face at one of them. It

46:29

was a man's face, but there was no man in

46:31

the house. I wrote my

46:34

first story about that house and its

46:36

permanent residence and called it the Red

46:38

Lodge. This is why I disagree

46:40

with MR. James. Before

46:43

you can scare others, you must be scared

46:45

yourself. Ghostly fear

46:47

is transmitted, not concocted.

46:51

Good night and have a happy 2024 to all of you. Stay

46:55

safe. An

47:00

arm appeared from nowhere on

47:02

the shape, seemingly projected like

47:05

the pseudopod of a protozoan.

47:07

It's a pseudopod, it's a

47:09

bigfoot. It's all about podcasts

47:11

these days.