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[0:00] Jonathan Cook: Hi, listeners.

[0:02] Jonathan Cook: This show is an immersive audio experience intended for adult audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

[0:17] Jonathan Cook: All right, welcome back to Gather by the Ghost Light. I'm Jonathan Cook, your host, producer, and sometimes voice actor on this thing.

[0:25] Devon McSherry: And I'm Devon McSherry, or also known as Lame O'Devin, according to this guy. This is what he says about me behind your back.

[0:30] Jonathan Cook: Alright, so today you're gonna hear a new audio play. This one is called SHE LIKES to Look at the Stars. It's written by Scott Mullen and performed by Candace McAfee, Joseph Caradonna, and Sarah Smithton.

[0:44] Jonathan Cook: And we also want to tell you about a wonderful opportunity coming up, our submission call for the next live event STAGE FRIGHTS.

[0:50] Jonathan Cook: But before we get into that, you are about to meet Kurt and Anna. And they're a loving couple enjoying their time together. But Kurt, well, he has a dark secret.

[1:02] Jonathan Cook: And all is about to be revealed when a psychic medium shows up at their residence. Now, gather around the ghost light. Sit back and enjoy. This is SHE LIKES to Look at the Stars.

[1:13] Jonathan Cook: Written by Scott Mullen. And be sure to stick around after to find out about STAGE FRIGHTS.

[1:25] ♪ Musical number: "That's All I'm Dreaming Of" — performed by Candace McAfee and Joseph Caradonna ♪

[1:39] Candace McAfee: Did you have a good day at the office?

[1:42] Joseph Caradonna: I'm just happy to be home with you. I missed you so much.

[1:48] Candace McAfee: You hungry? For dinner, we're having roast lamb with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

[1:54] Joseph Caradonna: Ooh, my favorite. How about a quick dance?

[1:57] Candace McAfee: Perfect. Come here.

[2:02] Joseph Caradonna: Oh, look at you. The stars look so beautiful tonight.

[2:11] Candace McAfee: Oh, I hadn't noticed. I have all the beauty I need right here in my arms.

[2:18] Joseph Caradonna: Oh what a call in love. Let me get back to the kitchen. I love you.

[2:27] Candace McAfee: I love you. How did I get so lucky?

[2:34] Joseph Caradonna: Well, this is interesting. Whoa. Who are you? What are you doing in my house?

[2:40] Unknown speaker: I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't this. I'm calling the police.

[2:46] Unknown speaker: Are you? Where's the phone, Kurt? Get out of my house.

[2:50] Unknown speaker: No phone? No carpet? Not much furniture. Where's that music coming from?

[2:58] Unknown speaker: It's not even much of a house. No TV.

[3:02] Joseph Caradonna: Anna and I don't need that.

[3:04] Unknown speaker: You don't even have a ceiling.

[3:06] Unknown speaker: She likes to look at the stars.

[3:11] Joseph Caradonna: Anna?

[3:11] Unknown speaker: Your wife?

[3:13] Joseph Caradonna: Yes.

[3:13] Unknown speaker: Hmm. She was right. These stars are beautiful.

[3:19] Unknown speaker: Who are you? What do you remember?

[3:22] Joseph Caradonna: Remember about what?

[3:24] Unknown speaker: You were in a really bad car accident.

[3:29] Joseph Caradonna: What?

[3:29] Unknown speaker: You. Right now, are in the hospital. In a coma. This is all just a dream.

[3:37] Joseph Caradonna: This is my life. This place isn't real. I mean, look at it.

[3:42] Unknown speaker: Anna? Anna's not real. Not this version of her, anyway.

[3:47] Candace McAfee: She is.

[3:49] Unknown speaker: Let's see. Yes, darling.

[3:51] Joseph Caradonna: Oh. And who is this?

[3:54] Unknown speaker: Anna, what was the name of your dog when you were little?

[3:57] Candace McAfee: I'm not sure.

[4:00] Unknown speaker: Who are you? Send her back to the kitchen. Go check on the food, sweetie.

[4:04] Candace McAfee: Okay, love.

[4:07] Unknown speaker: She doesn't know. She doesn't know. Because you don't know.

[4:13] Joseph Caradonna: Okay, well, if this is a dream, that means I'm just dreaming you, right? You're not real.

[4:20] Unknown speaker: I have a gift, Kurt. I can reach out to a sleeping person and just touch them and enter their dreams.

[4:28] Joseph Caradonna: Which sounds cool, but really not so much. You think people telling you about their dreams is boring?

[4:35] Unknown speaker: Visiting their dreams is worse. Like this place. All that matters is Anna and me. This is a dream. All of it. And I want to talk to the real you. The man who is dreaming.

[4:51] Joseph Caradonna: I only remember here. Me and Anna.

[4:55] Unknown speaker: Really? Why are you here?

[4:58] Joseph Caradonna: Anna. She's missing in the real world for 48 hours now. We know you took her.

[5:04] Unknown speaker: I wouldn't do that.

[5:06] Joseph Caradonna: Someone saw you. They heard her screams, took down your license plate, but when the police found you later, you drove off. Hit a tree. The police were afraid she was in the car, but she wasn't.

[5:20] Unknown speaker: Where is she, Kurt?

[5:21] Joseph Caradonna: She's in the kitchen. The real Anna.

[5:24] Unknown speaker: That is the real Anna. My wife.

[5:27] Joseph Caradonna: The real Anna is not your wife. Just a woman you stalked. Kidnapped.

[5:32] Unknown speaker: I would you kill her, Kurt?

[5:34] Joseph Caradonna: I wouldn't hurt her!

[5:35] Unknown speaker: Then where is she?

[5:36] Joseph Caradonna: I don't know. The detective in charge of the case is a friend of mine. She knows what I can do, but we don't tell anyone. Too crazy, right? But she brought me in to find out if Anna is still alive. In case you stashed her somewhere.

[5:54] Unknown speaker: Do you love her?

[5:57] Joseph Caradonna: Yes.

[5:57] Unknown speaker: Assume I'm telling the truth. Say the real Anna is missing. Maybe alive. Chained up somewhere, starving, dying of thirst.

[6:08] Joseph Caradonna: Don't say that. You think you're a good guy? That's great. Be a good guy. Because the real you, the awake you, isn't a good guy.

[6:21] Unknown speaker: He's done bad things. And he deserves to be punished. Think.

[6:27] Joseph Caradonna: I don't remember any other life.

[6:31] Unknown speaker: I don't believe you.

[6:33] Joseph Caradonna: Okay. Wait, wait. So if this is all true, and there is another me, and I do dig that information out of my head, and you find her, then that me, the me I can't even remember, is going to go to jail, right?

[6:53] Unknown speaker: For a long time. Why would I want that?

[6:58] Kurt: Because you love the Anna who is in the kitchen now.

[7:01] Molly: I do.

[7:02] Kurt: And because that tree really messed you up.

[7:06] Kurt: Doctors think it's more than likely you'll be in a coma for the rest of your life.

[7:11] Molly: What?

[7:11] Kurt: Yeah.

[7:13] Kurt: You may be dreaming forever.

[7:16] Kurt: But maybe this is a win for you.

[7:18] Kurt: This world right here, married to Anna.

[7:22] Molly: Does she actually bring out lamb and mashed potatoes?

[7:24] Kurt: Well, they're delicious.

[7:27] Molly: What happens if I don't come out of the coma?

[7:32] Kurt: They put you in an institution somewhere.

[7:34] Kurt: Wipe your ass, keep you alive.

[7:37] Kurt: Be in dreamland for as long as I live.

[7:41] Molly: If you tell me where the real Anna is.

[7:44] Kurt: Dead or alive.

[7:46] Molly: I don't know where she is. But if you don't tell me, then I'll haunt you.

[7:51] Kurt: This peaceful life you have here? Gone. Just me making you miserable. Unless you help me out. You'd really do that, wouldn't you? Tell me. You have nothing to lose. You know, I don't think you really have much power in here. If you did, I'm guessing this would be more of an interrogation. Chokehold, waterboarding. But let me guess. You can't even touch me. Oh, look at that. My hand passes right through you. You're just like a ghost. Harmless. I know you remember everything. Anna wouldn't be here if you didn't. Just a pretty face in my head. And you know she loves stars more than anything. She had a telescope on her balcony, but you know that. I couldn't believe it when the cops showed up. Unless I ran them, too.

I thought I was gonna make that turn. Why'd you take her? You ever meet someone and it just clicks? That was me and Anna. She didn't think so. We would have been perfect together. We are perfect together. But she turned me down there. Again and again and again. But here? Well, you see how well it worked out.

[9:25] Molly: Anna.

[9:27] Kurt: Yes, dear.

[9:28] Molly: How long on that lamb?

[9:30] Kurt: Just a few minutes. Is your friend staying?

[9:32] Molly: No, no, she has to go. I love you.

[9:35] Kurt: I love you. The American dream. I figured you'd try to tell her the truth. Wouldn't work. She's not real. Just a girl you made up.

[9:45] Kurt: She's real enough for me. Is she still alive? The real one? Who's to say? Tell me. Because you won't like what happens if you don't. Really? If you don't tell me where she is, when I pull myself out of your dream, I'm going to take a pillow. The one that's under your head at the hospital right now. And I'm gonna put it over your face. And I'm gonna hold it there until you die. Then all of this goes black.

[10:15] Molly: You wouldn't dare.

[10:18] Kurt: Watch me. They'd stop you. I'm all alone with you in the room. Part of my uh process. So her location. That's the only power I have.

[10:31] Kurt: I know. So I'll make it clear. You tell me now, or you die. Wild goose chase, you die. You decide. Clock's ticking. Tick. Tick. Tick. Could be your last chance at redemption.

[10:52] Molly: Okay. I hope that lamb is ready soon. You won't have long.

[10:58] Kurt: Wait, wait, wait. I do this. You leave me alone? In my dream.

[11:06] Molly: You really love this life, don't you? Promise me.

[11:10] Kurt: On my mother's grave. There's a cave. In the woods by Taylor Lane. Near the old fire tower. She's in there. Chained. Alive?

[11:23] Molly: Yes. Why there?

[11:25] Kurt: Because she can't see the stars from in there. That would have broken her. Eventually. She would have been mine. I guess Destiny had other plans.

[11:37] Molly: You'd better not be lying.

[11:39] Kurt: I'm not.

[11:40] Molly: Good.

[11:46] Anna: I'm ready for dinner now.

[11:49] Kurt: Oh, Kurt. One more thing.

[11:51] Anna: Yes.

[11:53] Kurt: My mother. She's still alive.

[11:57] Anna: What? No. No, no, no, no. Don't do it.

[12:01] Kurt: You promised.

[12:02] Anna: Don't do it. Please.

[12:05] Kurt: No, what's happening? I told you where she was!

[12:09] Molly: Dinner's ready.

[12:13] Kurt: Please don't take her away. Anna! Tell about a dance. I can't see you, Anna. Anna, honey, I can't see you. Please, please just call out to me. Say my name! Something! Anna?

[12:28] Kurt: Anna. That was SHE LIKES to Look at the Stars. Written by Scott Mullen. It was performed by Candace McAfee as Molly, Joseph Caradonna as Kurt, and Sarah Smithton as Anna.

[12:43] Jonathan Cook: We hope you enjoyed that thrilling tale. And now we want to tell you about our latest submission call for stage frights.

[12:51] Devon McSherry: The sequel-ish. That's right. We want you to send us your horror-themed audio plays, and we'll be selecting the top six and producing them at a live event October 11th at Le Chat Noir Theater in Augusta, Georgia.

[13:03] Jonathan Cook: And following the live event, we are going to release the audio plays on the podcast for all the world to hear.

[13:03] Devon McSherry: For all the world to hear all the world, Isaac! Oh my gosh, the deadline is August 10th, and you could find more detailed information at gatherbytheghostlight.com.

[13:19] Jonathan Cook: However, before that event even happens, we have another live event happening.

[13:24] Devon McSherry: Live events. What is this one?

[13:25] Jonathan Cook: Le Chat Noir, and it is called In the Slush.

[13:28] Devon McSherry: Oh, yes, that's right. We are producing the world premiere of In the Slush. A stage play written by Daniel Prileman. Now that name sounds familiar, it's because we produced one of his plays last year on this podcast. It's called For a Limited Time Only, also known as The Bread Play.

[13:45] Jonathan Cook: So if you wanna go check that out if you haven't, if you want to get used to Daniel's writing style, but also if you are in the area of Augusta, or if you're near Augusta, then come check out the world premiere of the cosmic car play in the slush.

[13:59] Devon McSherry: Yes, In the Slush will be performed July 18th through July 26th. So come check it out.

[14:05] Jonathan Cook: All right. Now it is time for our fabulous credits roll. Are you ready?

[14:11] Devon McSherry: Yeah, let's do this.

[14:12] Jonathan Cook: All right, roll on, roll on.

[14:14] Devon McSherry: Oh, bye.

[14:16] Jonathan Cook: That's Valley Girl.

[14:18] Devon McSherry: Valley Girl. Okay, let's do this. Oh my god. This has been like a Gather by the Ghost Light production, produced by Devon McSherry and Jonathan Cook. Today's play, SHE LIKES to Look at the Stars, was written by Scott Mullen.

[14:30] Devon McSherry: Oh, and it was totally performed by like Candace McAfee and Joseph Caradonna and uh and like Sarah Smithton, you know. Directed, mixed, and mastered by Jonathan Cook. Title music by like JK47. With additional featured music by Josh Tarp.

[14:47] Jonathan Cook: Oh, you know, this program is totally funded in part by like the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from like the National Endowment for the Arts. As always, stay safe. And we'll see you like next time we gather by the ghost lights. Let's do it!

[15:03] ♪ Musical number ♪