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Leanne:

Wasting Company Time presents Tell No Tales, season two. Episode Three: Father Figure

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[SFX: Calming classical music playing, interrupted by a loud clattering as Leo throws their tools down]

LEO

Jesus fff… effing Christ! (GRUNTS)

[SFX: Loud thump]

Ow!

FRANK

Leonardo?

LEO

(ANGRILY) Are you just everywhere at once, Frank? Ready to pop up at the least opportune moment? Is that a ghost thing?

FRANK

No, I’m afraid it’s more of a ‘I was walking down the corridor when I heard you loudly attempting not to shout profanities’ thing. And kicking my walls, it seems. How is your toe?

LEO

Fine. (HISSES) It’ll be able to take my weight in a minute, I’m sure.

FRANK

Did that particular stretch of wall do something to provoke your ire?

LEO

Collateral damage. If I’d known you were nearby, I’d have switched targets.

FRANK

And what, pray tell, did I do to provoke your ire?

LEO

Just… literally… everything. Your whole… you-ness. You’ve just dangled Noah’s stasis capsule in front of me like a carrot and gone oh, but there’s no way to let him out until you figure out a revolutionary scientific breakthrough of massive proportions, good luck with that!

FRANK

Ahh. I see. So that’s what you’ve been working on this past week? I was under the impression that we were going to continue working through my notes on the spirit plane.

LEO

Can’t say I’ve been in the mood to read through notes about your twisted experiments on suffering spirits, actually.

FRANK

(WARNING TONE) Leonardo…

LEO

Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m frustrated, you know? This modified recorder it’s… it’s brilliant. The kind of conversation it facilitates. The last spirit I spoke to had never once been able to properly communicate with their housemate, but five seconds into turning the recorder on they were bickering like siblings. It’s just… it’s so sweet. And it’s selfish as hell but I want that.

FRANK

Leo, it is not selfish to want to experience the same joy that you have been working hard to offer to others.

LEO

Thanks, but I’m not sure you’re in a position to be giving advice on what is and isn’t selfish.

FRANK

Perhaps. Or perhaps I am an expert in it, due to my, as you have previously described it, monstrous selfishness. Perhaps I see many similarities between the two of us, but a glaring opposition in one aspect – your clear and unwavering selflessness.

LEO

Nothing about what I’ve been doing is selfless. You called me out on that back in your office when all of this kicked off. It was always about Noah, wasn’t it?

FRANK

I said exactly what was needed to convince you to work for me. I spoke to your insecurity, not any true moral failing. Your work may have been about Noah, yes, but you took your pain, and understood that it was a pain many others had felt. So you set out to help those others.

LEO

I suppose. Not sure it was as noble as you make it sound. I was in a bit of a grief-riddled haze at the time. Nobody warns you about the second wave that comes when your loved one’s spirit manifests and then your mum immediately demands that you get your boss to remove it. Really throws off the whole five stages thing.

FRANK

It was exactly as noble as I make it sound. Even in your grief, you worked to help others.

LEO

(SUSPICIOUSLY) Why are you being so nice to me?

FRANK

(WITH GENUINE EMOTION) I have never been otherwise. You have always regarded me as some kind of villain, even long before you learned of my true nature, and I truly do not understand why. I was kind to you.

LEO

Except for when you blackmailed me into working in your lab by threatening all the spirits I care about?

FRANK

Well, yes. Except for that.

LEO

Yeah. And say what you want about me being noble and all that, but literally just by association with you, I’m crossing pretty much every ethical boundary.

FRANK

How so?

LEO

Your experiments. I’m essentially tacitly condoning them just by working with you. Which is, y’know, objectively [bad].

FRANK

(OVERLAPPING) I ceased my experiments the moment you agreed to work with me.

LEO

Oh. Really?

FRANK

You have explored every inch of these labs over these last two months. You hadn’t noticed?

LEO

Honestly I just thought you’d gotten better at hiding it.

FRANK

Leonardo, you practically live here. I am good, but even I could not hide anything from you in these labs.

LEO

Oh. Well, that’s good.

FRANK

Do not read too much into it. It is mostly because the spirit plane problem has taken such precedence.

LEO

Right. And suddenly the world makes a little more sense again.

FRANK

Perhaps… would it help if I shared some of the burden? I was, before you joined me, making reasonable progress on stabilising untethered spirits. I could continue that work, without – forgive me – the emotions that are likely clouding your judgement. And you, free of this additional concern, could continue your work on the spirit plane with fresh eyes.

LEO

How do I know you’re not just… pretending to work on the tether problem to keep my mind off it? What motivation would you have to act-

FRANK

(OVERLAPPING) (FRUSTRATED) What must I do or say to make you understand that I- (LONG PAUSE, THEN MORE COMPOSED) The… arrangement is mutually beneficial. A happy employee is a productive employee, after all.

LEO

I suppose. I… I can’t keep working on the spirit plane problem tonight, though. I’m tired, and… well, to be honest, a bit pissed off at you.

FRANK

Then go home. I will need to review the work you have conducted on the tether problem tonight anyway.

LEO

Fine by me.

[SFX: Recording begins]

LEO

Audio diary of Leo Quinn… researcher uh, alongside? Frank Williamson, Director of Better Place? Nope. That’s much worse. I’ll get it next time. Anyway, I’m home. In time for dinner, for once. But I’m wired as hell, and I can’t stop thinking about Frank going through my notes and working on the one thing that is supposed to be keeping me sane right now. So, I grabbed a case file on my way out. Keep helping people, keep distracting myself. At least one of those things might actually help me sleep tonight.

Case AH#1958, category two, case status: unresolved.

Okay, so this was initially reported by a Viola Powell in Greenwich when she suspected there might be a spirit in the home she shares with her daughter Maisie. There was apparently a mysterious fault with the boiler, which began with loud thunking and groaning whenever the heating was being used, and this progressed to the heating seemingly turning itself off without warning. The landlord sent a number of people out to look into it and found no fault, but the case was low-priority, so after spending some time on the back-burner in research, Mrs. Powell sent a follow-up email informing us that the manifestations had expanded to include cupboard doors opening, the contents occasionally spilling out like there had been some kind of force behind them. It got moved up the priority queue then, but within a few days, the customer called and cancelled the case. She didn’t give much explanation, except something about her daughter convincing her not to remove him. So, I guess, I’ll have to call and find out.

I… might be wrong, but I have a suspicion this one might be quite a difficult call for Mrs. Powell to receive, so I’m going to stop recording notes for this bit. More later, I hope.

[SFX: Recording ends]

[SFX: Recording begins]

LEO

Alright. So, I was right, I definitely opened up some old wounds when I called. But, after some convincing, I’m now in Mrs Powell’s flat. Mrs Powell, though, has decided to take her daughter out for a milkshake. Which is insanely trusting of her to leave me alone here. Either that or she’s putting some serious trust in the spirit to prevent me from just going wild and burgling them.

Viola told me that they suspect the spirit belongs to her late husband, Maisie’s dad. It was the change in manifestations that clued them in. The cupboards that had been opening were ones that contained jumpers and blankets. And the contents almost always spilled out when somebody tried to turn the heating on.

They’d joked about it at first, that it was just like Mr. Powell to dedicate his afterlife to guarding the thermostat, but then Maisie became convinced it really was him, and Viola couldn’t bring herself to break her daughter’s heart by following through with the removal. Which, I mean, I’m definitely biased by personal experience, but I’ve got to say, I really admire that. But Viola did not want Maisie here for this. She said if there’s any chance the spirit doesn’t actually belong to her dad, she doesn’t want to get her hopes up only to watch them shatter. So I’m here to conduct the interview alone, and I’ll pass it on if it’s really him. So here goes.

[SFX: Recorder turns on with a click, the usual whooshy ghost noise runs quietly in the background throughout]

Hi, my name’s Leo Quinn. Viola may have already explained, but I’m a researcher developing a method of communication with spirits. Can you tell me if I’m speaking to a Mr. Harry Powell? And, if you don’t mind, can you provide some details just to confirm?

HARRY

Hello Leo! Yep, that’s me, Harold Thomas Powell, though Harry’s just fine. Date of birth 30th September 1977. It was mine and Viola’s 20th wedding anniversary this past March, if you count the years I’ve been dead – which, if she asks, I do – and our beautiful Maisie was born in 2008. I died shortly after her sixth birthday. I got her a very expensive bike by the way, which I have not seen her use once. My final gift to her! Just gathering dust!

LEO

I’m not sure that’s true about the bike being your final gift. Your wife and daughter are going to be incredibly happy to hear that it’s been you sharing their home.

HARRY

I should hope so! Took ’em long enough to figure it out. I don’t hang around making a racket in the boiler for my health, you know.

LEO

Yeah, odd manifestation. Mind me asking why?

HARRY

Well, they kept turning the heating on! In October mind you, it wasn’t even cold.

LEO

Do you even feel the cold, as a spirit?

HARRY

Well that’s beside the point! The polar ice caps are melting, and we’re not made of money. There are perfectly good blankets in the cupboard. But I will admit, part of it was mostly to remind them that I’m here. That I’m keeping an eye out for them, in my own way. Now if only I could figure out how to spiritually turn Maisie’s music down when she’s having one of her teenage tantrums.

LEO

You know, I think she’d be the only teenager in the world who’d actually appreciate that, if she knows it’s you doing it.

HARRY

Oh yeah? Give it time. The novelty’d soon wear off.

LEO

Can I ask, what has it been like for you, your spirit manifesting here?

HARRY

Well, both very easy and very difficult. Easy because it’s natural as breathing, coming home to my family. But difficult because… I see their grief. And I want to tell them I’m here. Maisie figured it out, a few years ago, bless her. But I see Viola’s doubt. She’s spoken to me a few times, after Maisie goes to bed. But she always stops, shakes her head like she’s being an idiot. I just wish I could shake her and say you’re not, you’re not an idiot. Except maybe when I see you upend the entire living room because you saw a spider, but even then you’re my idiot. But I can’t, I just have to watch her go to bed alone, not knowing I’m here for her and our daughter. It’s hard, but it’s much harder to imagine not being here at all. Suppose I wouldn’t know the difference, if I’m gone I’m gone, but I don’t like the idea. I’d rather be here for them, whether they know it or not.

LEO

I… so this is normally the point where I’d ask if you had anyone you want me to pass a message on to, but I think it’s clear you just want to talk to your family, so. Oh god… okay, I’m stupid as hell for doing this [but-]

HARRY

(OVERLAPPING) Hi stupid as hell, I’m dad.

LEO

Jesus Christ.

HARRY

What? I only got to be a dad for six years, then the last decade or so there’s been no-one to hear my dad jokes. What did you expect me to do?

LEO

(OBVIOUSLY AMUSED) No, I’m sorry, that was inexcusably bad.

HARRY

Well, inexcusably dad was my nickname at daycare.

LEO

Alright, well I’m going to let Maisie deal with that in her own time. What I was going to say is that… this might be totally idiotic of me, but I’m going to leave my recorder here overnight. Give you a chance to talk to your family alone.

HARRY

Oh. Well that is… incredibly kind of you. I do actually feel a bit sorry for cracking out the terrible jokes now. Thank you.

LEO

It’s no problem. I mean, if anything happens to this recorder… please know this is my life’s work. But I… understand what it’s like to lose a relative, then not be able to communicate with their spirit. I really do. I still have to pick the recorder up first thing tomorrow, but I’m going to call Viola and let her know what’s happening. I imagine one night together is better than nothing.

HARRY

It’s everything, Leo. Thank you.

LEO

It’s… It’s fine, really. I’m glad I could help.

[SFX: Recording ends]

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Leanne:

This episode of Tell No Tales was written and produced by Leanne Egan. In it, you heard the voices of Leanne Egan as Leo, Asher Amor-Train as Frank, and Liam Chessell as Harry. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you let someone know. It doesn’t have to be us, but it would be a nice ego-boost if it was. You can find us on Twitter or Tumblr @tellnotalespod and as always, links and information about transcripts can be found in the show notes. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our season two crowdfund, but with special thanks this episode to Percy for your incredibly generous support this season. Tell No Tales is distributed by Wasting Company Time Productions, under a Creative Commons attribution non-commercial share-alike 4.0 international license. Thank you for listening, and remember: the dead don’t bite.

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