Pine: Hey y’all it’s Athan here with another episode of The Grotto!
Athan: [Clears throat.] Ahem, sorry. Thank you for listening to The Grotto, welcome back this is episode six, I’m really excited as we lead up towards the finale. I would implore you, if you’re listening, please consider visiting the website TheGrottoPod.com or, consider visiting and supporting the patreon, Patreon.com/thegrottopod. We recently went through and re-did all the tiers so things are actually structured correctly. You’ll notice that there is a tier for getting early works of songs as they’re completed, as well as a behind the scenes show we just started called ‘Below The Grotto’ going into the behind the scenes in how the episodes are formed, some of the ideas for the music, and just a peek behind the- behind the curtain, if you will, and then later tiers have, obviously some of the uh- the music, early access once it’s complete, as well as uh- some goodies and giveaways. So definitely check that out if you’re interested in, um… losing… your money, uh- fuckin’- . I would like to thank all of our current and newest patrons. I’m probably dangerously close to a point where I can’t do this all in one episode anymore but [x], and that’s it. If you like what you’re listening to, join the discussion. We’re on Discord a lot talking about the show, other shows, what’s happening and everything like that. It’s uh- thegrottopod.com/discord to connect. Last but not least, I probably shouldn’t mention anything yet and I haven’t talked to anybody about mentioning it but I’m going to anyway. We’re talking about potentially doing a spin-off show about some people that go deep into the caves. A bit of a more horror-y kind of look into The Grotto. More on that to come, and uh and also we’re talking and in discussions of producing a graphic novel for the first season, that will probably come out in waves here shortly. Again more information on that to come as well in the future. If anybody asks, I did not tell you, you did not learn it from me, so. You know. Yeah.
Athan: {The Grotto is a linear progressing podcast, where each episode directly leads into the next one. If you’re starting here, I’d highly recommend pausing and going back to episode one, and continuing from there.}
Athan (distorted): Warning: This episode contains themes of Drowning, a little bit of Body Horror, little bit of Crying and Loud Noises – Timestamps in the description. Enjoy.
Lillian: So, what are you gonna tell him?
Emily: Mm… is nothing an option? Yeah. No, that’s it. That’s the answer. Uh- I’m gonna say nothing, and I’m gonna ghost him and all of our mutual friends forever! Easy as that. Obviously. How else are you supposed to deal with that?
Lillian: Oh knock it off. You’ve been best friends for years now, and everyone’s noticed there’s been some sparks flying lately.
Emily: Ugh, it is so weird to hear you say that though. I don’t- ugh, I don’t know. It feels weird. I never thought he’d ask me out Lillian. This really caught me off guard!
Lillian: Getting past your guard is no small feat. Must be love.
Emily: [Groans.] Lily, I don’t wanna… I’m freaking out here, c’mon.
Lillian: How come?
Emily: Okay! Well… I mean… alright. I… do like being around him. He’s funny, and kinda charming, and he can be sweet when he wants to be, and, I might even maybe call him kinda cute. Kinda being the operative word there. I don’t know though, he’s- you know how he is, he’s just so different from me.
Lillian (playfully): You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Emily: [Offended gasp.] Okay! First of all, I don’t much care for what you’re implying. Secondly, you know how chaotic he can be sometimes. Do you remember that road trip he took by himself? God I don’t remember when that was. He woke up one morning and he just thought ‘I wanna go see the sunrise- in the desert – might as well!’ and he just jumped into the car and went. No preparation At All. He didn’t even bring a WATER BOTTLE. Who doesn’t bring a WATER BOTTLE to the desert, Lily?!
Lillian: And yet, the man lives.
Emily: But he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. Like! What if he got lost? Or maybe his car broke down, or maybe he got into some big trouble and he couldn’t call for help because there’s no signal out there – it’s the desert after all, why would there be signal?!
Lillian: Yeah, that was dumb. Maybe if you two rubbed off on each other you’d end up with two normal humans.
Emily: Why are you roasting me like this right now?
Lillian: Emily, when was the last time you did something because it felt right and not because it looked perfect on paper? I’ve… seen the way you light up when you talk about him, and it’s pretty clear he really cares about you. I- I just don’t want you to overthink yourself out of a good thing, you know?
Emily: Yeah…
Lillian: Don’t you feel like it’s worth giving it a shot at least?
Emily: Okay..
Lillian: Don’t worry. If he breaks your heart I’ll find him, knock him over, and slit his throat.
Emily: Ugh.. okay, okay. Okay. I’m holding you to that though, you better kick his ass. I’ll call him. I’m gonna call Matt.
[Dialing noise.]
Emily: God this is so weird.
[Phone rings for less than one ring.]
Matt: Hey Emily- I mean, sup, it’s uh [clears throat] this is Matt. Who am I- Who am- Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?
Emily: Uhh, Hi, Matt. It’s me, it’s Emily. Um, I got your message and-
[Intro – Hush]
[Someone knocks on a door three times.]
Emily: Come in.
[Creak of a door opening.]
Coworker: Emily, you’re workin’ early.
Emily: Trying to get a head start with planning the renovation at the square. You know how it is.
Coworker: Diligent as always. So, did you read the city newsletter?
Emily: Ah! No actually, haven’t had a chance to. Things have been a bit uhh… busy, around here on my end. So, uh, why’d you ask? What’s up?
Coworker: There’s a bit about your community projects. Looks like your extra-curricular work didn’t go unnoticed. You got a glowing endorsement.
Emily: Really! No kidding! Wow okay. Hopefully good things?
Coworker: I’ll skip to the good stuff. [Clears throat, shuffles papers.] ‘Emily’s leadership and mentorship have been invaluable in nurturing a culture of collaboration and continuous learning within our team, elevating our collective expertise and driving us to achieve greater heights.’
Emily: Ew, gross. They’re… really laying it on thick aren’t they. I guess the people love me. That’s a joke, by the way.
Coworker (overlapping): [Laughs.] Just wait, it gets worse. because of efforts made by the city-
Distortion – Matt: I just wanna let you know that I see you, I need you, so I can move on, can you… reply? Let me know that you got this? I love you. Matt.
Emily: What?
Coworker: What’s wrong?
Emily: No. What the hell did you just say?
Coworker: I- uh… Emily’s commitment to public consultation has ensured that our projects reflect the needs of the communities we- Emily are you okay?
Emily: No- I’m-I’m sorry, that was… yeah. I uh- suddenly I’m just not feeling super great. I, uh, I-I I think I need to go. Yeah, um. Bye.
[Cut.]
Emily (crying): Something is seriously wrong Matt. I thought I was finding, I don’t know, some healthier way to move forward but, th-things are just- they keep getting worse, and worse, and nothing is getting better, and the nightmares are happening every single night now, and I-I I just, I don’t even think I can get through a workday without you showing up somehow. I- Okay. Okay, okay. [Deep breath.] Okay Emily, you need to calm down. You need to calm down. [Deep breath, sniffle.] Can’t believe I’m crying over you again. [Sniffle.] Maybe it was a mistake to start recording these messages. Carrying your wallet. Just- am I… making things worse for myself? I really thought I was… being all… mature and healthy by not forcing myself to move on but I- I think I was wrong. I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t and I’m- I’m not used to that feeling, I hate it. This feeling fucking sucks. And it’s scary. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared before, in all of my life, and that’s saying something. My life… already fell apart once, when you left, and… it’s not fair that it’s happening again, now that you’re coming back. I guess then, what I’m trying to say is that… If this is the cost of holding onto the memory of you then, [sighs.] Matt, that cost is too high. God I’m so sorry. I really thought I could do it, I thought I could handle it but I don’t think I can Matt. And that’s such a horrible thing to say too but… I think I mean it. It’s too much for me Matt. I really wanted to but-
[Abrupt splash noise, followed by tense music.]
[Emily gasping for air, choking up water, then breathing heavily to catch her breath.]
Emily (through deep breaths): What the fuck. Oh my god. It’s so cold. What the fuck- What the fuck is happening? What the fuck is happening to me?
[Song – All I Have Left]
Emily: Okay! Um, no time to feel sorry for myself. I… just need to do the thing I do best and, you know, figure out what’s going on. Mhm. Okay. So, luckily for me, the library has… a whole bunch of different occult books, so… I just need to start going through everything and… see what makes the most sense. Yeah! I think- I think- I think that checks out. Okay. Um-
Librarian: Hey! Emily, That is… quite the stack. Jesus. Did you find everything okay?
Emily: Uh yeah! This should uh- this should keep me going for a while.
Librarian: Let’s see, Hallucinations, Schizophrenia… [Caught off guard] Possessions and Exorcisms, Jesus! This looks like… quite the research project. [They chuckle.]
Emily: Oh! Yeah… This has-this one’s been a real headache, both literally and metaphorically, um… Here’s my library card.
[Loud Audio Distortion]
Librarian: Welcome back Emily! That’s… quite the stack, jeez. Did you find everything okay?
Emily: Uh… uh-I-yeah? Yeah. I did.
Librarian: Let’s see, Hallucinations, Schizophrenia? Possessions and Exorcisms! Whoof! Looks like quite the research project.
Emily: Yeah… um, you already said that?
[Loud Audio Distortion]
Librarian: Welcome back Emily! That’s quite the stack. Did you find everything okay?
Emily: What the fuck is going on?
Librarian (overlapping): Hallucinations. Schizophrenia. [Chuckling] Possessions and Exorcisms, heh, god.. Yeah well, looks like quite the research project. It’s too bad really. None of uh… this. is going to help you.
Emily: Please. Stop.
[Loud Audio Distortion]
Librarian: Welcome back Emily. That. Is quite. The stack. It’s too bad that you’re wasting your time. If you don’t stop playing around here, and actually figure this thing out, it is all going to fall apart.
Emily: Why are you doing this?
Librarian: Heh- Hallucinations. {Hallucinations-} Schizophrenia. {An experience involving the apparent perception of something not present} Possessions and Exorcisms at least that one’s fun! Face it Emily, you have no idea what you’re doing. You can’t brute force your way through this one.
[Loud Audio Distortion]
Librarian: Ha. Welcome back Emily. That is quite the stack.
Emily: No-no-no please. stop.
Librarian: No wonder no one misses you. So busy, working all the time. So hung up on your little boyfriend, have you {even stopped to wonder} where your sister is? What. A waste. Of Time.
Emily: Stop it! Let me out!
Librarian: Hallucinations. Hm. Schizophrenia, really? Possessions and Exorcisms!… Pathetic! You have absolutely no idea what’s going on. I thought you were supposed to be smart. Get out.
[Drawn out audio distortion]
Librarian (warmly): Hey! Welcome back Emily! God that’s… quite the stack. Did you find everything okay?
[Emily crying and running away.]
[Song – If I Die Young]
Emily: Okay. I am… on my way to The Grotto. I… I need somewhere quiet so I can clear my head and decide what to do. I- I somehow don’t feel like I’m crazy. Things are… normal, until they aren’t. Maybe that… doesn’t mean literally anything, but… I guess most crazy people wouldn’t think they’re crazy so… it’s a biased sample. I really, really do not want to be checking myself in to a hospital but if this doesn’t get any better, I… really don’t know what else to do. Maybe the only thing left to do is ask for help? Ugh. I just… hate the idea of- wait. What was that? Oh my god. Dude are you for real?
Ambrose: Oh. Welcome back. How do you like it?
Emily: What part of ‘this is a public property’ do you not understand? You can’t keep doing this! I- really don’t have time for your bullshit right now!
Ambrose: It looks good though right? Don’t worry, I have a feeling this’ll be the last time.
Emily: The last time? What the fuck do you mean?
Ambrose: Just needs some finishing touches.
Emily: That’s not the point. Y-You-You know what? Fuck it. I just- I don’t give a fuck anymore. I don’t care! Do what you want! Absolutely fuck me I guess.
Ambrose: Naw don’t leave. I’m glad we ran into each other. I actually wanted to thank you. After you… destroyed my work with your cleanup operation, I ended up meeting someone pretty interesting during my… do over.
Emily: Great. Cool story bro.
Ambrose: {Ambrose.}
Emily: What?
Ambrose: My name. It’s {Ambrose.}
Emily: Oh. Um… Hi? Again? My name’s Emily.
Ambrose: Good to finally meet you, Emily. You seem… distressed?
Emily: Ha! Yeah! You think so? I’m having a day, that’s for sure! Why do you even care? The first time we talked, you basically left me there to die. Well, bleed out, that’s maybe being a bit dramatic but, I coulda died!
Ambrose: You’re right. Our first meeting was my mistake. But if I had realized that we shared a common interest [Emily: Common Interest?] I think it woulda gone a lot different.
Emily: What interest? Why are you being so nice? It’s weird.
Ambrose: Well. We’re both here again. Aren’t we? You came to the right place. The Grotto, the caves, they’re the best place to get back what’s missin’. So Emily, what are you missing?
Emily: Dude. Okay, I am not trying to be an asshole, but the way you talk really makes you come across like an absolute psychopath.
Ambrose: But you’re looking for him, aren’t you? Just like he’s looking for you.
Emily: Looking for who? What are you talking about?
Ambrose: {You know who.} Matt. Of course.
Emily: You’re sick! I don’t know how you know about Matt, but you should know, I’m not looking for him, because he’s dead. And name-dropping him like this to get a rise out of me, is not. fucking. funny.
[Ambrose snaps twice at her.]
Ambrose: {You need to focus.}
Emily: Did you really just snap your fingers at me?
Ambrose: {I know you sent him the letter.} And that’s why you’re here now, Isn’t it?
Emily: How do you know about the letter?
Ambrose: Matt told me. Matt told me everything. And he’s real wound up about losing you.
Emily: Okay dude. I’ve got enough problems and I don’t need you adding to them with your sick fucking jokes. You can carry on with your spray-painting caves and other weirdo bullshit you’re doing, I’m out of here.
Ambrose: {You can’t just walk away from this. He’s in rough shape.} And if we don’t get the two of you back together soon, there is no telling what he is gonna do to himself.
Emily: Get the fuck away from me.
Ambrose: Oh. I almost forgot. Matt left this for you.
[Splatting noise.]
Emily: My boyf- Oh- Oh my god! OH MY GOD! Is that a finger?! Hey- wait-no get your ass back here! Are you insane? I’m- calling the cops!
Ambrose: Oh, go right ahead. {They aren’t going to find me.} But you will. You’re gonna know where to look. When you’re ready. But I wouldn’t take too much longer if I were you. I’m sure you’ve noticed. {This place is falling apart.}
[Cut]
Athan: Thank you for listening to another episode of The Grotto. I’d like to give a big shoutout for everybody involved, all of their links are in the description. We have Lyssa Jay as Emily, Derek as Ambrose, Natalie as Lillian, CodyVM as the city worker, and Jenah as the Librarian. Please take a moment to check out their links in the description, follow them accordingly, and listen to their works as well. We are four weeks away from the season finale of The Grotto. There will be a little break in between until we come back with Season 2. We’re going to be doing a live-listen through on Twitch of all the episodes so far, leading up to the season eight finale. (EDITORS NOTE: He means the season 1 finale.) There will be a link in the Discord to RSVP for that, although it’s not required. We’ll end up also doing some giveaways and some other fun stuff in correlation with that. If you’re not part of the Discord, please go to thegrottopod.com/discord or click the discord icon on the website. Thank you for listening. We’ll see you guys on the next one.
[Cut]
OUTTAKES:
– Natalie: Test-test-test-test-t-t-t-t-test-testesttestest. Oh-ouh- ouh naur, it’s-cli- it’s clippin’
– Lyssa: Oh god, now you want me to choke! Huergh. I’m actually really good at dying and choking on water so um- I’ve got practice with this so um, I’ll come back to that later thanks!
– Natalie: I have a- particular set of skills… Fuck. What is the quote? I don’t even know it.
– Lyssa: Do I whimper well? Am I getting an A+ in audio drama? [They laugh.] I gotta get better at screaming and crying, maybe dying. That’ll be fun. I can’t wait. Y’all should kill me off more.
– Lyssa: Beep boop boop. Bloop. Blololoop. Bololoop. That’s Emily’s phone.
– Lyssa: Hi Andy! Wanna mew for the audience? Andy: Meoow!
– Lyssa: Cat. Just gonna yeet the cat real quick.
– Natalie (Bartok from Anastasia Impression): I give ’em a hoo! And a hiiiiiya! And I- And I kick her sir!
– Natalie (Rhythmically): I Put my cat on the mic. [Yelling] MEO-
http://thegrottopod.com/discord