0:00

Hi there to Mumbay listeners. This is Fred Greenholsch,

0:02

the host of Undertow Realm's premiere

0:05

horror podcast, and I'm excited to let

0:07

you know that the creators of Tumumbay have a new show

0:09

out with us called The Sisters. When

0:11

the curator of a museum of medical oddities

0:14

receives a mysterious gift, she uncovers

0:16

a story of a curse that connects her present

0:18

with one family's haunted past. Terrifyingly

0:21

enough, this tale of grief and obsession was

0:23

inspired by real events, and if you are

0:25

a skeptic about ghosts and the paranormal,

0:28

while listening to The Sisters will probably

0:30

make you think again. Today you'll hear the first

0:33

full episode of The Sisters. To find

0:35

the rest, look for The Sisters, season

0:37

six of Undertow rever Podcasts

0:39

are served.

0:42

What you are about to hear is a true story. It

0:45

happened in Hexham, England in the nineteen fifties

0:47

and sixties. Names have been

0:49

changed out of respect to the victims and

0:52

to protect the innocent. The

0:54

Sisters episode one Believe

0:57

it or.

0:57

Not, it's

1:01

the third nineteen sixty five

1:03

interview number seven with.

1:09

Well why don't you introduce yourself? My lovely

1:14

tell me your name?

1:18

Where's Jackie? We

1:21

do everything together, which

1:24

I.

1:24

Know you are, Jill.

1:25

I bet you have a lot of fun, don't you.

1:29

No, But today Jill is

1:32

all about you.

1:34

Is it black going to the

1:36

dentist?

1:38

No, that's much nicer than going to

1:40

the dentist.

1:43

What have you got there, Jill? What are you playing

1:45

with my locket?

1:50

Is there anything inside it?

1:52

Yes? H

1:56

from an angel.

1:58

Well that's something that'll

2:01

keep you safe't it now?

2:04

Jill? Why don't you tell me about

2:08

My name.

2:08

Is mart.

2:10

Did you?

2:11

That doesn't mean anything?

2:12

She's heard me talk? Please let

2:15

the child speak.

2:18

My name is mort

2:21

all right, Maude,

2:25

tell me about yourself.

2:29

My name is Jill any

2:31

years old. We are

2:33

eight years old. We

2:35

live in Hexham, England.

2:38

We ride bikes.

2:42

Hell.

2:49

Hello, good afternoon. My

2:52

name is Sprinkie Bradshaw. I'm the chief

2:54

curator of the world famous Mutter Museum

2:57

here in downtown Philadelphia, and

3:00

I'll be your tour guide through hell.

3:05

Kidding, that's just a joke. Before

3:07

we get started, you should know some of the

3:09

objects on display here can be quite

3:12

triggering. I hate that word, but it's

3:14

true. This isn't a typical

3:17

museum. It's not filled with beautiful

3:19

objects. To the contrary,

3:21

it's a showcase of imperfection,

3:24

an unflinching look into the mysteries

3:26

of the human body, and that.

3:29

Yes, you have a question.

3:31

Is it true you have a piece of Einstein's brain?

3:34

Yes, we do.

3:36

We also have the fucking moor

3:38

of pickled skin. This

3:41

is the last place I ever wanted to work.

3:43

Yes.

3:44

Actually, when I was in grad school at Penn,

3:46

I thought I'd be the curator of the Philadelphia

3:49

Art Museum by now, or at

3:51

least a gallery with actual art.

3:54

Follow me.

3:57

The fact is I'm thirty four years

3:59

old and working here is

4:01

one step above Ripley's believe it or

4:03

not.

4:04

So where's the rest of Einstein's brain?

4:06

Do you keep it on a separate floor?

4:08

Like the different rings? And Lord of the Rings? It's

4:10

too powerful to have them together?

4:16

So how do I deal

4:18

with questions like these? I

4:22

sneak into the bathroom for a drink. I

4:28

really shouldn't. What I should do is

4:30

call my sponsor. But before

4:32

I get the chance, Frankie,

4:37

Yes, duncan, I'm in here.

4:39

We just got a delivery, a box. They

4:42

won't let me time for it.

4:43

Did you tell them you work here?

4:45

Yes, Frankie, of course.

4:47

Well what kind of box?

4:48

I don't know.

4:48

I haven't seen it.

4:49

I want you, Frankie, what should

4:52

I tell him?

4:55

Do you?

4:55

Frankie to diary?

4:58

Uh?

4:58

Yeah, well sort of. I'm divorced.

5:01

It's no longer.

5:02

My last name. Well, whatever your

5:04

name is.

5:04

You kept me out here fifteen minutes freezing my assigh?

5:07

Yeah, sorry, don't be gorgeous

5:11

A signy?

5:15

So where's the box back of the truck?

5:17

You got a back door or something.

5:19

I can help you load it in.

5:21

How big is it?

5:23

Oh?

5:23

It's big.

5:26

Let's take the plastic off.

5:30

Okay, let me cut it.

5:36

Shit.

5:39

I think it's some kind of animal.

5:42

Animal, Franky, it's a

5:44

bipedal. Do

5:47

you know what this is? It's

5:49

a fucking alien. Look at

5:51

the thing. It's huge.

5:53

It is huge, twice as

5:55

thick and several feet longer than

5:57

a normal human skeleton. And

5:59

there's no space between the bones.

6:02

It's like the skeletal remains

6:04

of a blob.

6:05

Jesus, where do you think he's from? Mars or

6:07

Venus?

6:09

Probably New Jersey? Oh,

6:11

come on, Duncan, don't you see it's a prank,

6:14

you think. Yeah, remember

6:17

the two headed pig man we got in the mail.

6:18

Last year, Hey, that was very convincing.

6:21

I know.

6:22

And remember how disappointed you were.

6:30

Hi Estas,

6:34

Yeah, I know.

6:35

It's my faults. Day is

6:37

my childhood friend from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

6:39

She's from an orthodox Jewish family, but

6:42

she's a devout atheist like me. I'm

6:45

proud of her. She's the best medical examiner

6:47

in Philly.

6:48

Anyway, it's been a long day.

6:49

Listen, we have something for you. Tada,

6:57

So what do you think? It just

7:00

arrived?

7:01

Duncan thinks it's an alien?

7:04

Tilt the camera, Frankie.

7:06

Frankie thinks it's a frank.

7:09

Oh, it's not a

7:11

prank. Pull

7:15

back, Frankie, scroll from head to toe.

7:21

Poor woman, it's a woman.

7:24

I think. So it's hard to tell over

7:26

FaceTime. Maybe I can come by

7:28

tomorrow and take a closer look.

7:30

Sure, that'll be great.

7:31

Just so I'm clear, there was no information,

7:34

no return address.

7:35

Nothing, no no, she

7:37

came in this box, just totally anonymous.

7:48

Shall we stop right?

7:51

Today is August the twenty

7:54

third, nineteen sixty nine, and I'm

7:56

here interviewing Francis Pollard.

7:59

Has brought hospital night and giral

8:01

wins.

8:02

It's all right.

8:02

You can call it an asylum for the criminally insane,

8:04

because that's what it is.

8:09

I'm here to help you better

8:11

understand your your

8:13

situation.

8:15

No doctor, No, you're

8:19

here to answer a question.

8:20

Well, hopefully together

8:23

we will answer many.

8:25

No, just one.

8:27

Why would a mother come to the conclusion that the world

8:29

would be a better place if her children

8:32

were dead? That's the question.

8:37

Okay, yeah, all right, Mum and dad,

8:39

if you stand on either side of.

8:41

The girls, all right, like

8:43

this yet? Yeah, just like that it

8:46

Maud, move a bit closer on the

8:48

sofa.

8:49

I'm Mary.

8:52

It's okay.

8:53

Everyone confuses.

8:54

Sorry about that, Mary, about you and

8:57

your sister have a lot of fun confusing people.

8:58

Ah, No, I'm married.

9:01

No, I'm married.

9:03

Enough.

9:05

Okay, a big smile everyone, three

9:07

two one.

9:12

We had a happy life.

9:14

We were a

9:17

happy family until.

9:22

Relax, Francis, just relax, have

9:26

another sip of water, the

9:32

better.

9:35

Yes.

9:39

Do you want to stop now? No?

9:43

No, I want to carry on all

9:45

right. It

9:51

was the summer of nineteen

9:55

fifty seven, our

9:58

last summer together. Our

10:02

twins Mary and Maude

10:04

were everything we ever wanted.

10:09

It was a good year for us, for

10:12

the whole country. In fact, the war was over, we

10:16

had a new queen on our throne,

10:18

and we just bought our first car on higher

10:21

purchase. It seemed

10:23

like it really was a new

10:25

era where everything was possible.

10:29

My husband, Thomas, was an engineer.

10:32

He worked at the local car factory. Was

10:34

a good, steady job.

10:36

We enjoyed simple pleasures, you

10:38

know, family outings, picnics

10:41

by the lake, church, social

10:43

events, we

10:45

went to Saint Luke's.

10:48

But most of all.

10:49

We enjoyed going to the pictures around

10:52

New York, especially Hollywood

10:55

movies from America.

10:57

I want to go to America in there. Why

11:00

no, you don't. You're only seen it because

11:03

I said it.

11:03

No, not yes, you are.

11:05

Girls.

11:14

We had everything we needed, and

11:17

yet Thomas.

11:21

What about Thomas Francis?

11:25

There was somehow did

11:29

I ever really know him?

11:32

What do you mean, Francis?

11:39

You're such a good girl, you

11:41

know I think Matelda needs a brother. Good

11:43

idea, Mary, Hey,

11:46

Dad, can we get a boy dog? What

11:49

we can name him Cliff?

11:51

Oh no, no, no,

11:53

no more dogs.

11:54

No, but listen, I've got

11:56

something even better for you.

11:58

Come on, come on, girls.

12:00

Following into the garage.

12:06

Is this another invention, Daddy? No,

12:09

No, it's not just another invention. It's

12:12

the invention.

12:13

This is my masterpiece.

12:18

You ready,

12:21

Tella?

12:24

Well what is

12:27

it?

12:27

This is our future, girls.

12:31

It's a refrigerator motor, my original

12:34

design, so it will allow

12:36

fridges to run longer and more

12:38

efficiently.

12:40

Do you have any other inventions?

12:44

This is my masterpiece.

12:46

So that's how it started, with a

12:48

fridge motor. He

12:51

took it around the trade show as we tried to find

12:54

investors. No one

12:56

was interested. As

12:59

far as I was concerned, it was a hobby,

13:01

something he tinkered within the garage.

13:05

I didn't realize then that.

13:10

What didn't you realize, fancis.

13:16

That it would lead to the end of everything. Fancy

13:22

a cup of tea?

13:23

Love?

13:23

Oh?

13:23

Yes?

13:25

One evening we were watching television.

13:28

The girls were upstairs asleep,

13:32

and suddenly Matilda, our dog,

13:34

began running around in circus bark.

13:37

Matilda calmed down.

13:39

Helm's got into her eight Until

13:42

they come here?

13:44

You expecting anyone?

13:48

It's probably someone collected for some of

13:50

that.

13:50

All right or right? I'm coming.

13:57

Uh yeah, hello, there

14:00

are you? Thomas pol If

14:03

not, I've got their own half.

14:12

Hi, I'm Frankie.

14:15

Hi, Hi,

14:19

I'm an alcoholic.

14:22

Yeah.

14:22

I'd been sober, well semi

14:25

sober, for you know, about three

14:28

years, but the

14:30

last six months have been, uh been

14:33

pretty rough on me. You

14:35

know, I got divorced.

14:39

Well, I mean it wasn't consensual,

14:41

you know. He he left

14:44

me, which was

14:46

probably a good decision on his part

14:48

because I'm

14:52

a complete mess.

14:56

But you know, I'm

14:59

I'm.

14:59

Also a fighter.

15:01

So here I am

15:15

Bagels.

15:16

I've got bagel, Good morning yesterday.

15:19

Here you go, duncan Oh?

15:20

I stay here?

15:21

The best?

15:22

Could you remember this extra cream cheese?

15:24

Yes, we're all going to have high cholesterol. Now

15:26

where is she.

15:28

In the back?

15:29

Come on?

15:34

So, Frankie, how was your date last night?

15:37

Oh?

15:37

Shit, you

15:40

forgot Huh?

15:41

Poor guy.

15:42

He'll be fine.

15:43

He's a straight man on tender.

15:44

He probably had another date lined up right after.

15:47

Besides, I'm preoccupied with

15:49

who Banil?

15:50

Frankie, you got to stop thinking about him.

15:52

It's over.

15:53

No, not Banil.

15:55

I was thinking about Matilda, who.

16:00

She named the skeleton Matilda?

16:02

You name the skeleton Matilda.

16:04

It's cute?

16:06

Any reason?

16:06

Why?

16:07

No?

16:08

Not really, It's just sort

16:10

of came to me. Okay,

16:14

there she is that's her in the

16:16

box.

16:19

And I still think it's an alien.

16:21

Mm hmm. This

16:29

is.

16:31

Wow.

16:33

The bones are so thick. See

16:38

here, the first seven

16:41

ribs are completely fused.

16:44

They're thick as baseball bats.

16:46

Right, I've never seen anything like

16:48

this?

16:49

Who is she?

16:51

Not she?

16:52

They?

16:53

Maybe?

16:55

Wait?

16:56

Two people?

16:57

Oh look at the neck here in

16:59

the conjoin twins

17:02

connected like this, just stacked on

17:04

top of each other, their organs would be crushed.

17:08

I mean, she's not a conjoined twin, she's

17:10

not a giant.

17:12

Who is she?

17:13

I don't there

17:18

is one other possibility? What

17:21

I have to call doctor Lee?

17:23

Who my boss?

17:24

Can you stop by?

17:28

Is there a better light back here?

17:30

Maybe turn on the overheads they're

17:33

already on.

17:34

Oh maybe

17:37

it's just my eyes. No,

17:41

that can't be possible.

17:44

No, no, no, no.

17:45

Just say it.

17:47

Say what it's FOP right?

17:50

FOP yes?

17:52

Or to use the technical name fibro

17:55

dysplasia osipicuns progressive.

17:59

My god, there's only been

18:01

a handful of cases.

18:03

Really in your whole career.

18:05

Ever, and

18:09

you have no idea where it came

18:11

from.

18:12

No, she was sent here anonymously.

18:15

Well I need to know more. Can

18:18

I take her back to my office.

18:24

No, sorry, it

18:26

might be helpful, I know, but it was sent

18:29

here ESDA to me.

18:31

Is this about credit?

18:35

Yes?

18:36

Actually, I'm the curator

18:38

of this museum.

18:41

Who else has seen it?

18:42

Just us break it down for me, Doc,

18:45

What is FOP?

18:46

I mean?

18:47

If what you're saying is true, if it's so

18:49

extremely rare, then finding

18:51

the owner of this skeleton shouldn't be too hard,

18:54

right.

18:56

Okay, let's see.

18:57

For the next week, I researched every

19:00

known case of FOP I could find

19:03

Harvard Medical Journal, July.

19:05

It turns out FOP is an extremely

19:08

rare genetic disorder that causes

19:10

the body's soft tissue to transform

19:12

permanently into bone. In

19:15

other words, a second skeleton grows

19:18

on top of the first. Early

19:20

doctors posited that it was the result of

19:22

two souls trapped in one body.

19:28

Hi, I'm calling about an old case

19:30

of a child with FOP back

19:32

in the early seventies in a village called

19:35

Mattie Carrey. Okay,

19:40

this might sound kind of strange, but basically,

19:43

in nineteen seventy two, in the small farm

19:45

town of Mahdi, Care, India, a

19:47

boy named ragu Basi Maadra

19:50

was born with FOP. Some

19:52

of the locals worshiped him as the reincarnation

19:55

of the god Vishnu. You knew the location

19:57

of that skeleton at this time. Sorry,

20:01

unusual cases, and my

20:03

apartment slowly transformed into a

20:06

science lab. I pinned

20:08

up pictures of bones on the wall, surrounded

20:11

by anatomy textbooks and medical journals.

20:14

If someone walked in on me, they'd think I

20:16

was a doctor, or a serial killer,

20:18

or just a lonely woman desperate

20:21

to connect some dots.

20:23

And that our next guest

20:25

is.

20:29

Great.

20:30

Meanwhile, my ex husband, Vanil,

20:33

a professor at Penn, was on TV

20:35

promoting his new book about ancient religion.

20:40

With you, and we'll just jump right in

20:42

with the first question.

20:44

Sure, does God exists?

20:48

It would depend largely on what you mean by God.

20:57

You know what our next move is, right, speciall

21:00

exhibit display her display

21:03

the skeleton for the public, you

21:05

think, I know, it'll

21:07

get people talking, and who knows, maybe a real

21:10

academic.

21:10

Will show up.

21:11

I'm a real academic.

21:14

Well, you're also a curator, and it's your job,

21:16

your responsibility to bring asses through

21:18

the.

21:18

Door, isn't it asses in the seats?

21:21

You know what I mean? Besides,

21:23

I'd already said, yes, you

21:26

spoke to the board. Well, I floated the

21:28

idea, Duncan. It'll be fun.

21:30

We'll have a party, red carpet, paparazzi,

21:33

like a respectable museum.

21:37

Hi, I'm Duncan. I'm the

21:39

assistant curator here at the museum.

21:40

Wow, this is quite the turnout.

21:44

Oh no, cute boys.

21:46

Well, Duncan is around here somewhere passing

21:48

out wine and cheese.

21:50

Pass although I could use a

21:52

drink. Shit, franky,

21:55

Sorry.

21:56

It's okay, I'm a I'm

21:58

back in the program.

22:00

Really.

22:02

Yeah, well, I'm

22:04

proud of you.

22:06

Come on, let's go check out the star attraction.

22:08

Okay,

22:12

Sda is right.

22:13

It is quite the turnout. More

22:15

than two hundred visitors have flooded the mutter

22:17

to see Matilda.

22:20

There she is.

22:24

The skeleton is presented, simply positioned

22:27

upright behind a thin wall

22:29

of glass.

22:30

She's kind of beautiful, don't you think like

22:33

it? A Tim Burton way.

22:35

It's true, she is beautiful.

22:45

Yeah. Hello, are

22:48

you Thomas Pollard? If

22:50

not, I've got the wrong hat.

22:52

Yes, I mean no, No, you

22:54

do have the right house.

22:55

I am Thomas Pollard, Mark Whitney.

22:58

I'm a friend of father Tim

23:01

from Saint Louis.

23:03

Well, if it's church business, perhaps it's

23:05

my wife you want to speak to.

23:07

No, no, it's you, Thomas. May

23:10

I come in. Well

23:13

you see, father Tim told me all

23:16

about your invention. Oh right,

23:18

right, I may be able to help you. Well,

23:22

yes, yes, of course, come.

23:23

On Ina,

23:27

mm hmmm, oh

23:30

Francis, this is mister mister Woodney.

23:34

Oh well, but I hope I'm not interrupting,

23:36

and I think missus Parler.

23:37

No, no, no, no, no, it's

23:41

I was just going to make a coop of tea. Can

23:44

I make you.

23:46

If it's not too much trouble. Yes, that well, that that would

23:48

be lovely.

23:50

I'm so sorry mister.

23:51

That's quite all right.

23:53

He we dog come here stopped

23:56

that.

23:57

I don't know what's gotten into her.

24:01

She doesn't like you.

24:04

What what you doing

24:06

down here?

24:07

You should be in bed, Maude?

24:11

What a lovely name. Hello,

24:14

little miss I'm

24:17

Mark Marred.

24:19

Off you go upstairs?

24:20

Now?

24:21

Can I take Matilda?

24:23

Yes?

24:23

Off you go go on, good night,

24:27

good night, maud.

24:30

Well, I'll make a cup of tea.

24:33

I didn't like mister Whitney from the start.

24:36

He was too rehearsed, and

24:39

the dog didn't like him. Either I

24:41

didn't trust him.

24:43

Mister Whitney, how can I help you?

24:45

That's the other way around to us. From

24:47

what father Tim tells me, you're

24:50

a bit of an engineering genius. Oh

24:53

well, go as far to

24:55

say that. You know, I double

24:58

don't be modest. I want

25:00

to see your refrigerator engine.

25:03

Why's that?

25:04

Because I'm a businessman.

25:08

You see, it takes barely

25:10

any time to warm up or cool down.

25:12

It's certainly more compact than I've seen

25:15

before. Some beam an electrologue

25:18

aren't marketing anything this small? Well,

25:20

hey, you've done your research well.

25:22

As I said, I am a businessman. Have

25:25

you Have you protected it? Have

25:28

you applied for a patent so no

25:31

one can copy it?

25:32

Oh?

25:32

No, no, no yet, No, there are

25:35

still few little niggles that need to be

25:37

sorted out first.

25:38

I should apply for protection.

25:41

You know.

25:41

I can't stress how important that it.

25:45

Look.

25:45

I'll tell you what. I'm going off to

25:47

London next week. If you give me the

25:49

schematics, I can pop into the patent

25:51

offers and I can just you know, get things started

25:54

for you.

25:54

Oh no, no, you don't have to do no, no, no.

25:56

You know, no expense on your end. I mean we can

25:58

sort that out later, but you really

26:01

must do this to protect yourself, you know,

26:03

and your family.

26:10

Morning, Philadelphia Today is

26:13

Friday, October eighth, and

26:15

in today's Talk of the Town segment, a strange

26:17

story from a local oddity called the

26:19

Mutter, a museum dedicated

26:21

to.

26:23

Medical abnormalities.

26:28

Their latest arrival.

26:29

Yes, I'm watching it.

26:31

It's like a human Good

26:33

morning, Philly.

26:33

Remember they're doing the segment.

26:35

On Prepare morning.

26:38

We got another box, delivery

26:42

box. I think it's got something to do

26:44

with Matilda. Really, just get out

26:46

of bed and come down to the museum. I'm dying to

26:48

open it.

26:49

Okay, Okay, well, well don't open it, just

26:51

wait for me.

26:57

What have you got there? Jill? What are you playing

26:59

with?

27:00

My locket?

27:03

Has there everything inside it?

27:08

Uh?

27:08

Humaine?

27:17

If you're safe? Wasn't it now?

27:21

Jill? Why don't you tell me about?

27:24

My name is mart?

27:27

Did you?

27:28

That doesn't mean everything?

27:29

She's heard me talk? Please let

27:31

the child speak.

27:35

My name is mart

27:37

all right, Maude,

27:42

tell me about yourself.

27:45

My name is Jill, a years

27:48

old.

27:49

We are eight years old. We

27:52

live in Hacksome, England.

27:55

We ride bikes.

28:22

The Sisters is a Goldhawk production presented

28:25

by Realm in association with Lights

28:27

Out, created by Brett Neatchen

28:29

and written by Brett Neatchen, John

28:32

Scott Dryden and Mack Rogers.

28:38

Frankie is played by May Whitman, Francis,

28:41

Helen Baxendale, Mark, David

28:43

Morrissey Duncan, Miles

28:46

Heiser, Thomas Lee, ingleby

28:49

Stay, Karen Chay and

28:52

the psychiatrist David Holt,

28:55

with sound designed by Adam Woodhams

28:58

and original music by Seymour Milton

29:00

and Sasha Putnam.

29:02

The script editor is Mike Walker for

29:05

Goldtalk Productions, the producer is Emma

29:08

Hearn, and the director and executive producer

29:10

is John Scott Dryden. For Realm,

29:12

the producers are John Brooks, Fred Greenhall

29:15

and Nicole Otto, and the executive

29:17

producers are Molly Barton, Marcy

29:19

Wiseman and Julian Yapp. Find

29:22

the full list of credits in the show copy. Realm

29:25

is Your Portal to Another World. Listen

29:28

away.