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WRITTEN BY JEREMY ENFINGER
PERFORMANCES BY JEREMY ENFINGER (JEREMY), NATHAN LUNSFORD (MALCOLM FOYE), W. KEITH TIMS (DR. MALDONADO), RYAN BOSTER (RON HAMMOND)
I spent the last week and a half powering through these books, making notes, and trying to catch up on all of the details and differences between the translations. And while I’m still hard at work on that, I can’t help but think I’ve overlooked something in the papers. There must be more current information about what’s going on here than what’s in these books.
I’ve taken some time off work to research all of this. It’s easy to do since I’ve got this brain tumor diagnosis, plus everyone knows I’ve been puking in the office bathroom every couple of hours on a normal work day, even with my limited schedule. In fact, the radiation and the chemotherapy have made me lose a lot of my hair, and I look about 10 years older than I did a month ago. This morning, when I looked in the mirror, my mind played some tricks on me. For a brief moment, I thought the Grinner was looking back at me, which startled me until I realized there was no grin. Just my own regular-sized mouth agape, in shock at my own appearance. I’ll spare you the details about what it does to my stomach.
Before I get into some of the things I learned about while going through the books, I should let you know that Malcolm was true to his word. He gave me one week to consider helping him out and then he called me. He uses a different phone number each time, which is why I never really know it’s him until I pick up. This tells me he’s likely somewhere near downtown and/or the airport. You don’t tend to see pay phones in the suburbs of San Diego County anymore, and still, it’s pretty rare in the city. I’ve gotten in the habit of recording all of my calls, at least until I know they’re not related to the Storage Papers, before I stop recording.
SOUND:
(phone ringing)
JEREMY:
Hello?
MALCOLM:
So, have you given any thought to my offer?
JEREMY:
Yeah.
MALCOLM:
And?
JEREMY:
I’m thinking it’s a very bad idea to attempt to summon what ancient texts are referring to as “the god of corruption”.
MALCOLM:
Well, well… Someone’s been doing some homework.
JEREMY:
Unfortunately, I have. Your plan has all kinds of flaws, and I’m not convinced you really know what you’re doing.
MALCOLM:
I know exactly what I’m doing. A favor for a favor, essentially.
JEREMY:
A favor for a favor? You’re communicating with it… but how?
MALCOLM:
I’ll fill you in on the whole plan… That is, once you agree to help.
JEREMY:
Malcolm, I don’t know what your plan is, but have you considered that speaking with an entity referred to as “the god of corruption” may not be 100% honest with you?
MALCOLM:
I’ve considered it, but that doesn’t matter. We’ve come to somewhat of an understanding. (insistent and impatient) Now, will you help?
JEREMY:
You can’t possibly trust this thing whose motives you can’t possibly understand!
MALCOLM:
It’s the only way.
JEREMY:
Count me out. You’re fucking crazy.
MALCOLM:
Crazy? Me? I’m not the one carving ancient symbols into peoples’ skin.
JEREMY:
Malcolm, you can’t do this! I’m assuming you’ve read the books? Or at least the one by Dr. Maldonado?
MALCOLM:
Oh, I can recite it for you if you’d like.
JEREMY:
Doesn’t it bother you that the book mentions nothing about the people who performed the ritual once it was completed?
MALCOLM:
Why would it need to?
JEREMY:
Think, Malcolm! If what you say is true, and people have all sorts of other abilities unknown or undocumented by Hydra, why not just search for someone who can help you bring Tabitha back? Why try to summon this thing to do it for you when you have no guarantees, and everything to lose?
MALCOLM:
First off, I have nothing to lose. Second, I’ve been searching for years, and the problem with that plan is the people with abilities seem to disappear… or they end up with Hydra, where unfortunate accidents eventually happen. Unless you know how or where to find them, I’m in a kind of bind when it comes to available help.
JEREMY (interrupts):
…But Malcolm,
MALCOLM (interrupts):
And third, you’ve got it backwards. I’ll be summoning Tabitha, not this “god” you keep referring to.
(pause)
JEREMY:
Malcolm, you’re being used.
MALCOLM:
Nonsense! You have no idea what you’re talking about.
(pause)
JEREMY:
What if I were to try to help you?
MALCOLM:
That’s why I reached out to you initially.
JEREMY:
No, I’m not offering to help you summon a god. I’m offering to see what I can do to help you bring Tabitha back with whatever abilities I have. I can even see if Brianne will help. Just don’t go through with this!
MALCOLM:
Sounds tempting, but you can’t promise results. No one can. Though I do appreciate the gesture, I think it’s going to have to be my way or nothing. I’m done wasting time.
JEREMY:
Look, if that’s your only option, then you’re not going to get any help from me.
MALCOLM:
I guess this conversation is over, then.
SOUND: (hangs up phone – dial tone heard)
Some of you may be wondering if I was sincere in my offer. I’m absolutely sincere in wanting to help him. There’s a part of me that, no matter how twisted his logic may be or harmful his methods, he’s just looking to right a wrong that he committed a long time ago. I can’t think of any harm that would come by trying to help him in the way I offered, and you never know; he just might stop resorting to extreme plans in his desperate search to fix his mistakes.
Still though, this loophole he’s talking about. I think he’s been communicating with this thing, and it seems like they’ve struck some kind of deal to bring Tabitha back, but he’s still in the process of trying to perform the ritual. I think he’s getting played. I doubt he knows what he’s doing.
In any case, I thought it was important to share that call before diving into what I learned from the books. While I haven’t read them in their entirety, I focused on the sections that involved this deity and how to bring it into the world. There’s a series of rituals that can be performed involving three distinct phases. The old text contains drawings, similar to hieroglyphics, with accompanying text for each ritual phase.
The first phase refers to a calling. There are copies of the images with enhanced contrast in Dr. Maldonado’s book from 1995. According to the translation, the Pyramidion must be present during each phase of the ritual. It’s unclear how or when it appears, but the language seems to indicate something about it choosing a location to appear, as if it has a consciousness.
It says that once the Pyramidion appears, it creates a window of opportunity for the god to assume a spiritual form on earth, and this allows it to communicate with the “chosen” people. It doesn’t say anything about a specific number of people being required, but only that someone who is “chosen” must be present with the pyramid on the night of a new moon.
Holy crap! Malcolm has already completed the first phase. He must have already done this since he’s spoken to it. It has communicated with a chosen person: Malcolm! Dr. Maldonado’s book goes into some speculation about what the word “chosen” implies. He believes it refers to either a specific bloodline or the presence of some kind of unique genetic trait. It has to be people with abilities!
I think this is what the drawings I spoke about last time depict. Phase 1 is where the faceless people (the chosen, I presume) are standing around the pyramid with the cloud above it. That must be why he was abducting people… why he needed access to Hydra’s medical documents; to locate these people and force them into carrying out his plans.
The book talks about the second phase needing to occur before the next new moon, or the first ritual must be repeated. It doesn’t say anything about the pyramidion being present there, but it does mention the summoner’s requirement, or “commitment” (whatever that means), and that it needs to be performed on sacred ground.
Dr. Maldonado’s text didn’t offer much speculation regarding what the summoner’s “commitment” means. He does mention that it could just be an agreement between the summoner and the deity, like a bond, but no references were made in the original text to base that off of. That would seem to fit Malcolm’s situation. He has some kind of agreement with it to bring back Tabitha if Malcolm, in turn, helps to summon it, or so I’m guessing. I’m assuming the second picture with the people who were originally standing are lying down is applied to this portion of the ritual.
The only other problem with this is that the requirement of phase 2 being performed on “sacred ground” seems very vague. What does “sacred ground” refer to? Dr. Maldonado points out this problem in his text but doesn’t even offer speculation as to where that might be. I’m guessing that Malcolm has been successful with the first ritual, but I’m not sure if he’s managed to complete the second. If he hasn’t, he’d have to start all over again.
The third and final ritual aligns with the last image where the people who were lying on the ground are now standing again, and the large circle with the smile is freely floating above the cloud and the pyramidion. It says it must be performed during a very specific time.
SOUND:
(phone rings)
Sorry, I’ll be right back.
(pause)
Well, you’ll never guess who that was. Right before the release of the last episode, I emailed Dr. Maldonado to see if he would be willing to speak with me regarding his book. I told him I had some questions, referencing the specific chapter on this deity, and I told him that time was of the essence. I honestly wasn’t expecting a phone call back from him, but he’s agreed to meet with me today on Zoom. I’ll make sure to keep you posted on that. Hopefully, he’ll allow me to record it.
Where was I? Oh, the third ritual. It has to be performed during a very specific time and/or place. Unfortunately, this is where the translations vary between the accompanying academic books. One possible translation indicates it should be performed “in hiding” and another suggests, “when the skies hide”. One final translation mentions “heaven’s concealment”.
And wouldn’t you know it, there are variations involving the final step. While the older book from the 70’s states the last ritual involves human sacrifice. Not just any human, but someone of a royal bloodline. Dr. Maldonado’s book from ‘95 indicates the translation simply says, “chosen blood must be spilled”, but doesn’t mention whether or not an actual death is required. I wonder how Malcolm interprets this.
There’s something else that I’m just now seeing for the first time in the book. It’s not in either of the translations or images included in those, and it only exists in the original manuscript. I would have missed it had I not been comparing the original drawings in Dr. Maldonado’s book to the ones in the original. Below the third drawing, there appears to be an untranslated portion, accompanied by a symbol I’ve seen before. It’s a 16-pointed star. The same star I carved into Malcolm’s chest!
Hold on a second.
The image of that star that I used as a reference was from a book that Ron had when we were in the chapel. It wasn’t this book, but it was similar in age, and much smaller. That would imply that Ron had knowledge about this book, and potentially the ritual for summoning this god back then!
I need a translation of the text written here. Is it possible that this symbol may be involved in the ritual somehow? Or maybe it could be used to stop it. Ron told me to carve it into Malcolm so that the Grinner couldn’t assume control over his body again. But of course, it didn’t do anything because the Grinner wasn’t actually this deity – this supports the idea that it must have been a creation of Malcolm’s using his Maker abilities that resembled the deity based on what he knew from the book. That’s why he had a huge smile, why it behaved the way it did, and why Ron chose the church as a meeting place – he must have thought it was the sacred ground that my book mentions. Maybe this deity can be defeated on the very sacred ground it requires its summoning to be.
I need to call Ron!
SOUND:
(phone dials – “we’re sorry” message plays)
Fuck! I can never seem to get a hold of him when I need to!
I’m going to stop recording for the moment so I can compile a list of questions for Dr. Maldonado.
SOUND:
(mouse click – one for ending the recording and one for starting a new one)
Okay, I’m back, and as luck would have it, the good doctor did allow me to record our conversation, which I’ll play for you now:
JEREMY:
Hello, and thanks for being willing to speak with me today.
MALDONADO:
No problem. It’s not every day someone wants to interview me about a book I wrote over 25 years ago. Most people aren’t into this kind of thing.
JEREMY:
To be honest, I haven’t really been interested in this kind of thing ever, but I’m sort of in the middle of something and I could use your help.
MALDONADO:
How can I be of service?
JEREMY:
Well, first I’d like your permission to record this for my podcast. Do you mind?
MALDONADO:
Not at all… although I see you’re already recording, but yes, you have my permission.
JEREMY:
Great, thanks (laughs)… I’m looking at this specific chapter that involves the summoning of (static noise).
MALDONADO:
Oh god, please don’t tell me you were messing around with a Ouija Board and got some ideas.
JEREMY:
Well, no. You see, I’m aware of someone who is intending to carry through with the three-phase ritual involving the pyramidion and the “chosen people”.
(awkward silence)
JEREMY:
And there’s a section of translation that looks like you may have left out of your book. I’m looking at a section with an image of a 16-pointed star, and I can’t find any reference to your book or the other one I have from the 1970’s.
MALDONADO:
Who do you work for… or with, I should ask?
JEREMY:
Nobody. This is all strictly research to learn about what kind of situation I may be getting myself into.
MALDONADO:
You’re not one of those Hydra people are you? Or SCIC?
JEREMY:
How do you…
MALDONADO:
(interrupting) I’ve told you time and time again I’m not interested!
JEREMY:
I’m not with either of them, I promise! I know of them and highly disapprove of their methods. You might even say I’m part of the fallout.
MALDONADO:
You’re one of the kids. One with… abilities?
JEREMY:
Well yes, but I don’t remember much of that. The point is I need help and I fear that others like me are being used to help summon this “god of corruption” that the book talks about.
MALDONADO:
Yes, the book. You said, “the untranslated portion with the 16-pointed star.” (pause, then mumbles) You must have his notes, or a copy of the pre-edited version. You can’t have the original manuscript!
JEREMY:
Yes, I’m looking at it right now.
MALDONADO:
You’re not supposed to… How do you even have that?
JEREMY:
That’s kind of a long story. I have a podcast called The Storage Papers if you want to get caught up, but I’m afraid I can’t offer much detail regarding the source.
MALDONADO:
I’ve heard about your podcast. One of my students suggested it to me. That’s you?
JEREMY:
Yes, that’s me.
MALDONADO:
Well, I suppose I’ll have to listen.
JEREMY:
Um… that would be great. Thanks! But how are you aware of Hydra and SCIC? They’ve come up quite frequently in my research. Of course, I explain in the podcast.
MALDONADO:
Of course. Well, representatives from Hydra have attempted to recruit me for their research division for several years. In fact, they started to show an interest in me in 1995.
JEREMY:
The year your book was published.
MALDONADO:
Exactly. Well, they were asking me to leave academia, and I had just secured a tenured position, so that was a huge ask. The only way I’d leave would be to do funded field research. I wanted to go to Egypt, and they offered several times. They were nearly successful under the guise of SCIC as well, but I do my own research into these organizations. Their projects are always secretive and lawsuits usually ensue, however, they continue to manage to get government funding to keep going, often settling in court. I try my best to remain ethical, and they just had that familiar stench like the MK Ultra stuff did – if you’re old enough to remember that.
JEREMY:
I think you have a few years on me, but not many. I’ve seen some documentaries.
MALDONADO:
They always claim to represent the betterment of humanity, but their actions and consequences always seem to show otherwise.
JEREMY:
I’ve been very cautious about them, but I can assure you, I am not with them.
MALDONADO:
Let’s get to the book!
JEREMY:
Ok. Well, I read the translations between your book and the older one, and there are several variations in places. Why is that?
MALDONADO:
Well, over time, we learn more about dialects used during the times these old texts are written. Sometimes research indicates different meanings as our understanding of them improves.
JEREMY:
Seems reasonable. What about that section with the 16-pointed star?
MALDONADO:
What does that symbol mean to you?
JEREMY:
It’s unclear to me, but someone I know once instructed me to use the symbol to prevent something specific from happening.
MALDONADO:
It’s in the podcast?
JEREMY:
Well, yeah. It’s not my finest moment, either.
MALDONADO:
Okay, the book from the 1970’s as you refer to it, was written by an unofficial mentor of mine. At the time, he published it anonymously, and I’ve upheld his wish to remain anonymous, even after his death. His draft version of the translation speculates that the 16-pointed star must somehow be presented during the summoning ritual to prevent the god from fully materializing.
JEREMY:
A fail-safe? But why?
MALDONADO:
Exactly… Why? That was the question I always asked him, and it never made sense to me. He believed that, based on his translation, the symbol was the only way to reverse the ritual during the third phase, which was the only phase he believed could be reversed since the previous two would simply need to be repeated if not done during the appropriate time.
JEREMY:
But you don’t believe this is accurate?
MALDONADO:
No, I don’t. And I argued with him about this until his death, but I didn’t have much proof then… only speculation until after he died, when we learned about variations in dialect. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities with the translation.
JEREMY:
Which is why you did a revision of the translation.
MALDONADO:
Do you want to tell this story, or do you want me to?
JEREMY:
Sorry, please continue.
MALDONADO:
Don’t worry. I’m just busting your chops. The truth of it was I didn’t want to publicly disagree with him before he died. Though his book was published under a pseudonym, everyone in the academic community knew he was the author. He did so much for me and my career, plus he was a well-respected academic, and to publicly publish in opposition at the time would have been career suicide. There was no greater authority on the translations before his death.
JEREMY:
So the new information about the different dialects became known, and how did that change the translation?
MALDONADO:
Well, I believe it confirmed my speculation from before that information was available. Both translations speak about the summoner being present. The former was believed to state the star would prevent the ritual from being completed.
JEREMY:
And your new translation?
MALDONADO:
I always believed that the structure of the language in his translation was different than anything I’d ever seen, therefore, his translation may have been incomplete, or even in opposition of the true meaning. I believe it was intended to be prophetic, saying the summoner would be someone bearing the mark of a 16-pointed star.
(pause)
JEREMY (narration):
Suddenly I wondered where Ron received the translation he was using that night in the church. He appeared as if he intended to stop the Grinner, believing it was the actual deity mentioned in the old text.
JEREMY:
But wait… you said that neither of you published the part about the star in either book?
MALDONADO:
Correct. We left out the translations. I had a few chances to speak with him before he died and asked him why he ultimately didn’t include it. You know what he said to me?
JEREMY:
What?
MALDONADO:
He said there were unexplainable things in the universe, and with knowledge of those things lies great power. He believed that the summoning of this ancient god might actually be a good thing. He left it out of his book to prevent a way to reverse the ritual.
JEREMY:
And you?
MALDONADO:
Well, I disagreed with him of course. I believed the star had to be presented for the ritual to be successful. I left it out of my book to prevent the ritual from being performed. I’m glad I turned out to be right, you know? And due to our disagreement, neither version of the translation was shared in either of our translations out of respect for one another.
JEREMY (narrating):
While I admit, I was touched by the intent behind their gestures to avoid public disagreement, my heart sunk at this realization. If he only knew what I had done. Ron and I both had the best intentions when he told me to carve that star into Malcolm, and I did it. We thought we were preventing something, but instead, we were an active part in bringing forth this prophecy… assuming Maldonado was correct. And now… Now there’s a summoner with abilities who bears the mark of the 16-pointed star… Malcolm.
MALDONADO:
Are you okay? You look a little green around the gills.
JEREMY:
Yeah, I’m good. I uh…
MALDONADO:
I think you’re overlooking something very obvious here, Jeremy.
JEREMY:
What’s that?
MALDONADO:
You say that someone instructed you to use the star symbol?
JEREMY:
Yes.
MALDONADO:
If neither my predecessor nor myself published the translation regarding the ritual, how did that person know about its usage?
JEREMY:
(narration) I don’t know why this hadn’t occurred to me until he said this.
JEREMY:
Um… that’s a great question.
MALDONADO:
This would indicate that either someone has an unpublished draft copy of the original book, or the original manuscript… And…
(pause)
JEREMY:
And?
MALDONADO:
Isn’t it clear? They intended to influence the ritual.
(pause)
JEREMY:
I don’t follow.
MALDONADO:
Earlier you said, “Someone I know once instructed me to use the symbol to prevent something specific from happening.”
JEREMY:
Yes, that’s what I said.
MALDONADO:
How well do you know that “someone”?
JEREMY:
Not very well, I suppose. Why?
MALDONADO:
Because that someone, having instructed you to use it, would either be attempting to prevent the ritual if they had my predecessor’s translation… or they could be attempting to incite the ritual if they had my updated translation. Do you know which version they had?
(phone rings)
JEREMY:
(narration) Speak of the Devil
JEREMY:
I hate to ask you to hold for a second, but I think it might be important that I take this.
MALDONADO:
It’s no problem. Go ahead.
JEREMY:
Hello?
RON:
Where are you?
JEREMY:
At home. I really need to speak with…
RON:
(interrupting) Stay there! We’ll be there in 20 minutes to pick you up!
JEREMY:
Pick me up?
SOUND:
(dial tone)
JEREMY:
Sorry, Dr. Maldonado. Let me ask you this: is there any chance your translation could be wrong?
MALDONADO:
Wrong? I’d be incorrect to assume my translation is 100% accurate. There’s always going to be a degree of uncertainty in these kinds of things. But with the knowledge we have today, it’s as accurate as it can be, with peer reviews even. But that doesn’t mean additional dialects won’t be discovered in the future, which could alter the translation.
JEREMY:
You mentioned being unsure about the part requiring chosen blood to be spilled versus an actual death of someone being required in the third ritual.
MALDONADO:
That part is trickier. I left some of that out of the book as well because I wasn’t sure. Despite what the 1970’s translation indicated about a death being required for the ritual, I couldn’t make enough of a case for my own translation through peer review, so it was cut out. But the potential options for translation that were available included a death occurring during the third ritual may be required, a royal or chosen death may prevent it, or it’s possible that it might just be some kind of a prophetic event. I just know that the current knowledge of the text is not academically agreed-upon, so we left it out.
JEREMY:
Oh shit. Ben…
MALDONADO:
Did you say, Ben?
JEREMY:
(narrating) I didn’t realize I had been thinking out loud.
JEREMY:
Sorry, yeah I was just thinking of someone I knew.
MALDONADO:
That wouldn’t be Ben Scanlon, would it?
JEREMY:
How the hell did you guess that?!
MALDONADO:
Just a hunch, really. I haven’t had anyone want to talk about that book for at least 10 years until around late 2018 or so when a young man named Benjamin Scanlon wrote to me asking a bunch of questions. They were very similar to the questions you’re asking me now, although you’ve come a bit more prepared than he was. You say you know him?
JEREMY:
Knew him. He passed away recently.
MALDONADO:
Oh no, I’m terribly sorry. I wasn’t aware. I seem to recall he had a sister, and he mentioned something about a local news story. Some kind of cult that was brewing up locally.
JEREMY:
The Order of the Divine Acolytes.
MALDONADO:
Yes, that’s it! You really did come prepared. Mind if I ask you a few questions?
JEREMY:
Actually, I don’t mean to be rude, but I think I need to get going right now, but if you’d like, we can schedule another call soon. I may have some additional questions for you as well.
MALDONADO:
Right then… I’ll make a list and bring it with me then. In the meantime, you need to find out which translation the person who instructed you to use the star has – the older one intended to prevent the ritual, or my translation which implies they were trying to carry it out.
JEREMY:
Thank you so much for your time. You’ve been a big help, and you have my word that we can have that follow-up conversation.
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