NoSleep Podcast S25E07

The NoSleep Podcast

The episode features a collection of original horror stories centered on inescapable cycles and hidden dangers. Listeners are taken through tales involving forced

Key takeaways

• Author David Sharpe presents 'Supposed to play Puckball,' where children are harvested for a brutal war effort involving brain-in-suit assimilation.
• Juan Cardenas's story follows an older man repeatedly visiting a park bench to interact with his younger self, only to realize he keeps repeating the same mistakes across decades.

Main topics

• cyclical trauma and time loops
• forced assimilation and war machinery

Notable quotes

There is no easy or clean exit.

Conclusion

The episode delivers a cohesive horror experience by weaving together distinct

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:35) Voices. Speaker 3 (0:40) trigger your body's instinct. Speaker 3 (1:35) You're listening to the No Sleep Podcast. Thanks for making us part of your horror soundtrack. I'm your host, David Cummings. Well, we're now in the month of October, and you know what that means. The No Sleep Podcast can now start presenting horror stories for your Halloween... Wait, no, no, we do Horror 365 around here. For us, the month of Halloween is really the full calendar year of Halloween. Good thing we have a stock of genetically modified pumpkins that resist rot and decay. If you're like me, it feels like time moves so fast these days that it's hard to believe Halloween was almost a full year ago. There's no escaping the march of time. And it's great when a beloved holiday like Halloween makes us excited when it comes around on its yearly cycle. But time and memories and our own personal experiences can sometimes feel like they're trapped in a sort of inescapable recursive state. It's easy to feel like life is a series of repeated actions, right? Wake up, go to work or school, come home, try to enjoy some personal time, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat, as the saying goes. But on our episode this week, we'll meet people who find themselves trapped in cycles where their past, present, and future bleed together. Whether they're caught in engineered or supernatural traps. They only know one thing for sure. There is no easy or clean exit. So let's just say that a yearly visit from Mr. Jack O'Lantern can be a good thing. At least we know that nightmare doesn't last year-round. Well, that is, except for here, at the No Sleep Podcast. Speaker 3 (3:34) Now, brace yourself for the frequency of fear. Speaker 3 (3:43) In our first tale, we meet two young men. They're in a waiting room, but this isn't a doctor's office. As we'll learn in this tale, shared with us by author David Sharp, this is where young people go to join the war effort. And let's just say the two boys don't share the same level of enthusiasm about it. This tale has been produced by Jeff Clement and features performances by Graham Rowett, Jeff Clement, Ellie Hirschman, and Mary Murphy. So when you're young, stick to fun things, especially if you were supposed to play puck ball. Speaker 5 (4:37) Soft lamplight washed across the waiting room with its plush, overstuffed chairs. Framed posters hung on the walls, printed in bright colors. They proclaimed in large, loud letters, Help the war effort, and donate today, and give it your all. James gazed around the room, and his hands twitched with glee. He wasn't alone. In one large, plush chair sat a boy. Bounding across the room, James dove into the chair next to the boy. Wood under the soft stuffing creaked and Springs groaned. Speaker 2 (5:16) Hi. Speaker 5 (5:18) The boy shrunk in terror from him. Speaker 2 (5:20) I'm James. Why are you here? You can call me Jimmy if you want. Speaker 2 (5:28) I... Speaker 5 (5:30) The boy's eyes were wide, tears threatening to spill over. Speaker 2 (5:34) It's okay. You don't have to be scared. Speaker 5 (5:37) James tried to cross his arms, but it didn't work right for some reason. Speaker 2 (5:42) I know, I'm a lot. That's what Mom says. She says I'm loud, too. My dad, well, he died. But he used to say that I was like an elephant. But I won't bite. Elephants don't bite. At least, I don't think so. Speaker 5 (6:01) The boy wiped his eyes and sat a little straighter in his seat. Speaker 2 (6:05) I'm Thomas. I don't have a mom or dad, but everyone at the home calls me Tom. The man said I was here for a sim... a sim... Assimilation? Speaker 5 (6:21) James felt his eyes get big. Speaker 2 (6:24) You don't have a mom or dad? Did somebody grab you off the street and bring you here? My mom says bad guys will snatch kids off the street and sell them to be assimilated. She said it just like that. Assimilated. Speaker 5 (6:38) Tom shook his head. Speaker 2 (6:41) No, the home was too full, and the sister said it was time to do my duty. You said duty. Speaker 5 (6:49) He leaned closer, and Tom shrunk away again, but only a little bit. Speaker 2 (6:56) Assimilation is so cool though. Speaker 5 (6:59) James' voice came out low with a growl he'd never heard before. Speaker 2 (7:04) I learned about it two years ago when I was eight. I asked Mom, but she said no. She said next year I'm going to play puckball. All the big kids in school play puckball. Then why are you here? My friend used to play puckball. He said I'd get to play when I was older. Speaker 5 (7:23) Tom's face fell. Speaker 2 (7:25) Guess not anymore. Speaker 5 (7:27) I don't know. James wrinkled his brow. It didn't seem to work right either. Speaker 2 (7:35) I read all about assimilation. I've been reading since I was five, you know. The scientists made these giant metal suits for soldiers to wear, but they were too big and clunky. Sometimes the soldiers just fell over like turtles and couldn't get up. Then, battle droids. Robots to fight in the war. But they had too many wires and gears and junk. Every time they tried, pow! Speaker 2 (8:03) The bad guys shot the full of holes. Even with the biggest computer, the robots were still dumb as bricks. Speaker 5 (8:12) Tom was leaning forward now, eyes wide, not with terror, with excitement. Speaker 2 (8:18) So then, assimilation! Speaker 5 (8:22) James leaned closer. A thought flitted through his mind as he looked at the boy his own age, craning his neck to look up at him. But it was gone before he could grab it. Speaker 2 (8:33) I saw it, you know, once. I wasn't supposed to, but I peeked. Speaker 2 (8:41) What? Speaker 5 (8:43) Tom furrowed his brow and wrinkled his nose. Speaker 2 (8:47) I saw it. They figured out you needed a person inside. Not the whole person, just the brain and the gooey parts to keep it alive. Way smaller than a computer, so they could wrap it all up in armor. Bullets can't get in. right? They start with the legs, chop, then the arms, chop, then everything else they don't need. And bam! You're a battle droid! With a laser! Shooting bad guys all day! Speaker 5 (9:23) Tom collapsed in the chair and began to cry. James wondered why. He was about to become the coolest. The coolest kid in school. One of the doors in front of the boys opened and an orderly rushed in, stray hairs pulled from her bun and floating in the breeze. Speaker 2 (9:42) There you are, X-17992. Orientation drift is normal, but you gave me a fright. Speaker 5 (9:50) James looked at Tom. Speaker 5 (9:58) The orderly shook her head. Speaker 2 (10:01) You, X-17. It can take a little while for your mind to assimilate to your new form. It's okay. Now why don't you just come with me? Speaker 5 (10:11) She reached for him, and James held up his hands to stop her. Speaker 5 (10:17) hands of silver metal that glinted lamplight. She grabbed his hands and grunted as she pulled him to his feet. Speaker 2 (10:28) back to the recovery room. Speaker 5 (10:31) James allowed her to pull him toward the door, heavy metal feet clanking across the floor, his heart feeling the weight of something missing. Speaker 5 (10:44) He looked Speaker 2 (10:45) back at Tom. Bad guys. Mom said I was supposed to play Puckball. Speaker 3 (11:27) If you have a goal for a better body that doesn't include robotics, that's great. But getting there on your own can be the hard part. Weight Loss by HIMSS offers access to a range of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications, including the Wigovi pill and the Wigovi pen, plus support along the way. Wigovi is the first ever GLP-1 weight loss medication available in a pill, and it also comes as a pen, so you've got options. With Wigovi, you can lose up to 20 % of your body weight. 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To get started and learn more, including important safety information, Wagovi clinical study information, and restrictions, visit HIMSS.com. Speaker 3 (13:10) As we return to the frequency of fear. Speaker 3 (13:25) It's a thought experiment we've heard for ages now. If you could go back in time, what would you do? Many answers involve getting rich gambling on known events or killing Hitler. But would you want to meet your younger self? Well, in this tale, shared with us by author Juan Cardenas, we meet a man who has tried for years to connect with his past, and his journey has been arduous indeed. This tale has been produced by Claudius Moore and features a performance by Peter Lewis. So bundle up and stay warm out there. You don't want to catch cold if you're out in the park after dark. Speaker 6 (14:22) The grass was sparse. There was a cold wind and wet slush from a fresh snow on my leather wingtips. I could barely get a grip on the ground as I stumbled forward, now walking for over an hour. My lungs were burning, my old joints and muscles aching and crying out, but I kept on. The bench was within sight, exactly as I remembered it. The old green wood with all the chipping paint and the rusted iron bolts and legs. As I had seen in my memories and nightmares, I was here. But I hadn't done the ritual right, not just yet. It had to be near dusk, but not truly dusk. I had to be wandering without a goal in mind. And I had to be calm and clear-headed. Then and only then might I be allowed to traverse to that hidden zone where this bench resided, affixed to a location that could reach many different points in time. I'd tried it so many times before at so many points in my life, so many wasted nights and so many failures. That is, until I got the process just right. It took several attempts, patience and the mental fortitude awarded by a lifetime of meditation, desperation and experience. Dusk was fast coming on. I knew that I had to be lost. Speaker 6 (16:03) The first time I did this on purpose, I managed it by pretending to play soccer. It was before my injury, and I, feeling nostalgic for my childhood at 25, decided to visit this place. As I kicked the ball, a younger boy, maybe 14 years old, stopped it, juggled it on his ankles for a bit, and then nodded at me. We played for a while, using the bench as something of a goal. He was fast, but sloppy. I don't think he realized who I was until I started talking. I asked him how school was, and his face dropped. The realization came to him, and I nodded. We didn't hug. We didn't shake hands. Speaker 6 (16:53) I guess there was some shock to meeting your future self that, uh... I scared him. He started asking questions. I answered them to his satisfaction. We played minor league soccer. We had a girlfriend, but it was not Alice and... We lost touch immediately after high school, and Mom and Dad were doing great. It was the type of reassurance that warmed both our hearts. It felt like we were going to hug, but instead he just kicked the ball away and... disappeared into the tree line. You know, back a decade. Speaker 6 (17:33) I could remember this interaction now from both perspectives. I was really obsessed with that girl. I looked her up later on and I felt the same feelings I did back then, but... Now that door was closed, I thought. Shortly after this encounter was my injury and the subsequent depression, the too long pit of despair that I found myself in. I seemed to forget about this place. Time was running out. I was too old now to be waltzing around a cold park at night. I wouldn't make the same mistakes again. I could fix it. I could fix it all. You see, I didn't realize it, but I had done this so many times. After another bunch of years, I was 45, unmarried, chasing a ghost of a love that would never come back. I had become stuck in the cycle. By then I had even thought the time-traveling bench in the park was just a silly delusion and delusions. Well, I had several. I took this walk in the park as part of my mandated therapy and wellness recovery program to get some fresh air and exercise. Lost in my own head, I had regret after regret confront me until a little boy stood before me. I was aghast. He must have been nine years old, maybe. He was mischievous, confident, wearing a neon blue and yellow windbreaker. I sat on the bench that night, fully exhausted and mesmerized at the younger me. I didn't know what to say to him. What could I say? Hey, kid, get a good look at the loser you'll become one day. That wouldn't be helpful. Speaker 6 (19:31) Eventually he came up to me and asked what time it was. I looked down at my watch, which was spinning out of control. I told him I didn't know. He looked at me angrily, asked if I was a creep. I said no. He then asked if I knew his dad. I looked like him, to which I said that didn't mean I knew him. But it just so happened that I did. Speaker 6 (19:59) He said he was running away. His dad was too tough on him, and he wanted to get a taste of freedom. Speaker 6 (20:08) The memory came flooding back, and that translated into a horrid laugh that emanated from my gut. I nearly doubled over in laughter. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Speaker 6 (20:34) stopped myself, though. Speaker 6 (20:38) is. Speaker 6 (20:41) Fear that night. I was acting tough, but I was not. I stood up, and the younger me put his hands up like he was ready to fight. But I just shook my head, and in my gentlest tone I said, Don't worry, boy. I... Just remembered something that made me laugh. That's all. Please. Please. Go home. Speaker 6 (21:10) And tell your pop you love him, hmm? Don't forget your mom. And if she needs help around the house, you do it. You hear? One day they'll be gone. He ran off into the trees and back almost for decades. Sitting on that bench, I realized that if I