Silvia's Blood and Moon Graffiti

you Where are you taking me? You'll see. The truth. Oh, are you okay? I'd never met anyone else like Sylvia. See how I'm like kind of pulling the vein taut like that? Yeah. So you need to just hold on to one end. This is already grossing me out. I know it's just a needle, but I don't even like the thought of you hurting yourself. I'm totally fine. She was beautiful, and she had this weird fascination with blood. How long have you been doing this? Since I was a little kid.

It's not too much further. All right. One night, she took a vial of her blood, and she said I had to come with her to the woods. What's going to happen? Can you tell me what I'm going to see tonight? Have you ever read the Odyssey? Homer's Odyssey? Yeah, Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses digs trenches and then fills it with blood to attract spirits. Right.

I'm just trying to put this together. We'll be rid of the Valkyries and how they would hover over battlefields. Valkyries? Is this some Viking thing? You'll see. You'll just... You'll see. And you have to draw blood for this. They need my blood. They need your blood. They're like attracted to it. They're attracted to me. Who are they? They're angels. Angels? Like God's angels from the Bible?

I mean, kind of, maybe. So you didn't bring any metal, right? What happens if I have metal? You just can't have it. I had it one time. You just can't. What? You just can't have metal. Okay, so something's really gonna happen tonight with your blood. It feels really good and I feel like I belong. Don't I make you feel like you belong? That's why I want you to know about this. I want you to see it.

called Sylvia's Blood. We'll hear the rest of the story after the break. It's based on a short story written by Philip K. Dick in 1954 called Upon the Dull Earth.

This is The Truth. I'm Jonathan Mitchell. We've been on hiatus for the past two years, and now we're raising money to bring our show back in October. And right now, until June 30th, we're taking pre-orders for a special limited edition vinyl pressing of this story. We're also selling all kinds of merch and taking donations. And if you'd like to help...

go to certifiedcrucial.com slash truthshop. And later in the show, we'll play the B-side of the vinyl record, Moon Graffiti. It's an alternate history of the Apollo 11 moon landing based on a real speech by William Sapphire. But first, after the break, it's Sylvia's blood. We'll be right back. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing.

Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless. I bet you get 30, 30, bet you get 30, bet you get 20, 20, 20, bet you get 20, 20, bet you get 15, 15, 15, 15, just 15 bucks a month. Sold! Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. This episode is brought to you by Polestar. There's only one true way to experience the all-electric luxury SUV Polestar 3.

and that's to take a test drive. It can go from 0 to 60 in as little as 4.8 seconds with the dynamic handling of a sports car. But to truly understand how it commands the road, you need to be behind the wheel. Up to 350 miles of range? The 3D surround sound system by Bowers and Wilkins? It's all something you have to experience to believe. So book your test drive for Polestar 3 today at polestar.com. And now back to Sylvia's Blood.

Okay, stay back. It's gonna happen really fast. Are you ready? Okay. And she opens the vial of blood and pours her blood onto the ground.

It came so fast. There were thousands. Oh, it's so wonderful. Glowing ripe white. Couldn't even see her. It felt like standing next to a furnace. They were feeding off of her blood. They're hungry. What are they? They're perfect. They're spotless. One of them flew in close. Hovered right over Sylvia. It had a human face. And I swear to God, it's saying her name. Oh my God. By the time they were gone, Sylvia's body was a burned out husk. Sylvia! I reached down to touch her face. Sylvia was ash.

Something really bad just happened. Where's Sylvia? Can I please just come inside? What were you doing? We were in the woods. It was winter. She was seven. I guess I was about nine. And we were walking to school, and she slipped on the ice. She cut her arm open. And our mitten was just soaked in blood. They just came out of nowhere. There were thousands of them. Yeah. As far as I know, that was the first time it happened.

We knew something bad was going to happen. Don't talk to him. Daddy, they took her. You should go home. What if they can bring her back? I saw one up close. It had a human face, okay? And it's probably intelligent. They're just dangerous. There's nothing we can do.

I know for a fact that she kept vials of her blood in a fridge downstairs. And if you could just give me... Look, you're not getting the blood. Why? Forget the blood. Why? Forget it. Listen, you have no idea what you're dealing with. My daughter's dead. You understand?

The best thing to do is just leave it alone. All I wanted was Sylvia back. The only way I could think to do that was to get those creatures back. But how could I do that without Sylvia's blood? I'd use my own blood. So the next night, I go back to her secret place in the woods. And I poured my blood on that patch of scorched earth. Nothing happened. They wanted Sylvia's blood, not mine. And now they had it.

Then I felt something strange. There was something there, something watching me, but it was enormous, like it was bigger than the trees. And it was indifferent. A vague flicker of light drifted past the blood. Sylvia? Wait! I don't know if there's anybody that can hear me right now, but if you can, you just took a woman and... You seem very powerful. I don't know if you can... I think you can bring her back if you really, really wanted to. So please just...

Please if you're there and if you can hear me I loved her I loved her very much So if there's anything Sylvia Where are you? We have been punished. But you're here. I can hear your voice. Come back. My body's destroyed. There isn't a body to go back to. They have to fix it, okay? It's their fault. They can fix it. They're very powerful. They say it's dangerous. Unstable. If something goes wrong, I'll be lost. Okay, so they said there's a chance. Yes. But that's great. It's up to me.

They say if I want to take the chance, they'll try. If there's a chance, we have to do it. I'm afraid too. If there's just a slim possibility, please... Come back! Is that what you want? Yes. I do. More than anything. Yes.

And I look up, and I swear to God, Sylvia is right there. And she's surrounded by light, and she's reaching out to me. Help me! I did it, okay? She is coming back. What did you do? I used my own blood. Why would you do that? What were you thinking? Why don't you want her back? We can't get her back! No, I spoke to them. What did they say? I heard her voice. She sang to me. Rick, listen to me. Rick. At first... Rick. It looked like a seizure. Rick, I... She fell down at my feet.

When she looked up... Rick! It was... Sylvia? What happened? I'm back, aren't I? Yes, you're back. Vic, there's something wrong. Where's Betty? Betty had become Sylvia. Betty was there one second, and then her body melted. into Sylvia. She's gone. She's gone? Yeah, she's... This is a mistake. It's not a mistake. No, no, this is a mistake. This is a mistake. It's fine. It's fine. You're okay. This is wrong. Sylvia? Dad! Where's Betty? Dad, I'm so sorry.

Did you go back to the woods? Look, I had to try, okay? What's going on here, Rick? Don't be angry. No, you tell me now. What the? No, don't be angry. Rick, listen. Rick, what's happening? He fell to the floor.

No, this isn't supposed to happen. And he looked up at me. Rick! Dad! No! And he turned into... I'm back, aren't I? What the hell is going on? Where's my dad? I don't know what to do. Why is she here? Rick, tell me what's going on! off to find help. Could I go to the police? I mean, what are they going to do? Could I call a priest? Maybe a hospital. What if I'm hallucinating? I saw a car.

I had to check. So I look in the passenger side window and there's Sylvia. And then I look at the driver. Sylvia. Am I the only one seeing this? By the time I got home, Sylvia was everywhere. Sylvia, I can't help you. Please just go home. Please. No, no, no, it's not. Go home, please. All of you, just please go home. Stumble into the bathroom. Splash my face. I look up into the mirror. Rick? The face looks back. I'm back, aren't I?

I thought everything was alright. Where did he go? Rick? Rick? Where are you? Rick, can you hear me? Rick, where did you go?

Sylvia's Blood was performed by Andy Moskowitz and Rebecca Robles, with Diana McCrory as Betty, Ben Jones as Dad, and Al King as the radio announcer. It was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick called Upon the Dull Earth, written in 1954, and adapted for the truth by me, Jonathan Mitchell. I also brought all the music.

And until June 30th, we are taking pre-orders for a limited edition vinyl pressing of this story. Go to certifiedcrucial.com slash truthshop. And after the break, we'll hear the B-side. It's a story called Moon Graffiti. an alternate history of the first moon landing. But first, a few messages from some folks who helped make this show possible. It can be overwhelming to manage a business, especially when you're first starting out.

Your to-do list just keeps growing every day with new tasks and that list can easily begin to overrun your life. Finding the right tool not only helps you out, but can simplify problems you haven't even encountered yet. And for millions of businesses, That tool is Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world, and 10% of all e-commerce in the US, from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started.

With hundreds of ready-to-use templates, Shopify can help you easily build a beautiful online store to match your brand style. And best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world-class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into with Shopify on your side. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash realm.

go to shopify.com slash realm shopify.com slash realm When you hear Lululemon, you probably think of Align yoga pants, weightlessly soft, like you're wearing next to nothing. That's why you see them in class, at the grocery store, and in the park. But did you know about skirts? With built-in liner shorts so you can still jump for the frisbee?

and tanks and bodysuits with the lines iconic stretch you won't want to take it off and with endless style options you don't have to shop in store or online at lululemon.com With a Venmo debit card, you can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything. You can Venmo this. How about snacks? You can Venmo that. Your favorite band's merch? You can Venmo this. Or their next show? You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo.me slash debit to learn more.

The Venmo Mastercard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. Pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Card may be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply. And now, Moon Graffiti.

Now you're a go for PDI, over. July 20th, 1969. You're looking great, Douglas Eagle. Program alarm, 1202. Give us a reading on the 1202 program alarm. Roger, 1202, we copy it. What's a 1202? I don't know. Roger, we got you. We're going on that alarm. Roger, understand. Go for landing. 400 feet down at 9. It's looking pretty rocky down there. Switch the manual. We're uh...

Got pegged on horizontal velocity, 300 feet down, three and a half. And Eagle, Houston, we got data dropout. You're still looking good. 200 feet, four and a half down, five and a half down, 160, 160. Program alarm. Well, 1201. 9 forward, that's good. 120 feet, 100 feet. There's craters everywhere. Looks like we're getting low on fuel, Neil.

30 seconds. Okay, lights on. Down two and a half. Forward. I'm going to keep on going. Forward. Kicking up some dust. I still can't see. Can't see the ground. We're going to tap at light. I'm going to... What was it? What was it? What was it? What was it? Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice. The words you just heard were the first few lines of a real speech. It was written for Richard Nixon in 1969 by William Sapphire, and it was called An Event of Moon Disaster.

That speech was part of a contingency plan in case Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were stranded on the moon. Now, the first moon landing seems almost preordained. But back then, they didn't know what was going to happen. As their crewmate Michael Collins orbited the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin dropped to the surface on their ship's maiden voyage into a rocky landscape littered with craters, with gravity that was unfamiliar.

And untested. What if they crashed? Buzz, you okay? Yeah. You okay? I'm fine. Houston, this is Eagle. Do you copy? What's our orientation? Appears that we are horizontal. Yeah, feels like that. Houston, this is Eagle. Do you copy? I don't hear anything. I can't tell if we're transmitting or not. What about Mike? Try him. Columbia, this is Eagle. Do you copy?

It's not like computers, just reading gibberish. Are you there, Mike? Can you give me a fuel reading? Ascent 1 fuel and oxidizers are reading 0 psi. Wait, now it's 8 psi, now it's 4. It's going all over the place. Air pressure's dropping rapidly. Do we have a meter reading on that? Looks like seven or eight minutes until there's no air left in this thing. Okay, verify LM suit circuit 36 to 43. That's verified. Let's get these helmets on. You hear me okay, Doc?

Uh, a little weak, Neil. We got antennas down and... Okay. Okay, how do you read now? Okay. You read me all right? Yes. Okay. That sounds pretty good. Getting anything from them now? Houston, this is Eagle. Do you copy? That's still nothing. Felt like we hit a crater and just spun around. Yeah, it was a really rough crater. Went into Outland Long Island.

I was busy worrying about those program alarms. Right. That was a 1202, right? They said we were going, and that was fine. Roger. How's the cabin pressure? It looks like we're clear. You go first, Buzz. Yeah. Yeah, you're in a better position at this point. All right. The frame's intact. Okay. Latch is open. Okay. Here Buzz, take my camera. Good thinking. I want to make sure we get pictures of the crash.

On my right side, it looks like we're, uh, well, we look like we're perched right up on the edge of a crater. Looks to me about 110, 120 feet in diameter. Here, come on. Yeah. Okay, there you go. What a sight. It's just magnificent desolation. Hard to know where to go. Looks like the ladder's gone. So if I'm gonna come down.

We're on the moon. Surface appears to be very fine-grained. Just like a fine-powdered, sandy fin. I can pick it up loosely with my toe. It's actually no trouble to walk around. I agree. Hey, Neil, look at this. Do you notice what the dust is doing? Like when I kick the dust. Look at that. It's like a ripple. It just radiates out there. Look at that. It does exactly what my foot does. It's incredible.

Assess the damage on the lander. Roger. It looks like we kicked up a lot of dust coming in. There's some scorching on what looks like hard rock. The ejecta kept us from rolling into that crater. I'm going to take a photo of this. I count three legs of the eagle missing. Radar and S bands are both heavily damaged. I don't even see the VHF. Ascent stage looks intact. Yeah, but there's no way to launch properly in this position. We'd crash into those boulders. Yeah, or worse.

I'm gonna move a little slower here. Just watch me so I don't slip on the... Neil? You gotta see this. What? fuel cell. Exhausted air fuel supply. Exhausted's one word for it. Guess we're grounded. We've still got two hours of air left. Let's initiate the geological survey. Great idea, Neil. It's part of the mission, Buzz. I suggest we get the radio working. The radio's dead, Buzz. We could describe the crash and tell them what happened and say goodbye. The radio's dead. We just have one.

Final goodbye to the wife and kids. That's all I want to do. You saw how it scorched the casing. God, yes, okay. You know, we have the flag, Buzz. We should plant that. I'll help you plant the flag. Yeah, this is a good spot. Turning it in there a little more. There's not much give there. You know what it keeps coming? Yeah, the problem is I can't. It's so solid. There we go. There we go.

And there's a little telescoping rod that comes out at the top here to hold the flag out. Doesn't go all the way out. Look at that. Sort of droops at the end of there. Looks good from here. Certainly something I would salute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay. There it goes. Pick that up there. You ready? I can see my reflection in your visor. Here we go. Thought I'd capture the spirit of the American astronaut. Stuck on the moon, two hours to live. It gives a big thumbs up.

I don't think it's going to be developed anytime soon. Apollo 12 is going to go up. Yeah, after this I'd be surprised if there's any space program at all. I bet by the year 2000 I'll have a base up here. Maybe they'll build some memorial up here for us. It reminds me. Oh, right. I forgot we had a memorial. Yeah. Here. Here it is. Here lies a memorial to Ed White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chafee.

Yeah, Ed was. He was my neighbor. Yeah, Ed was a good guy. Yeah, he was. Here, I got a couple of medallions here for those cosmonauts. Yuri Gagarin, here you go. Here's your spot on the moon. Vladimir Komarov, you now have a place on the moon. Rest in peace. How many people do you think they'll bury up here by the time they're through? However many it is, it's a drop in the bucket when you consider the entirety of mankind.

If you walk back to the LM, they'll find our bodies more easily. Well, our footprints will be here for the next 10 million years, so I think they'll find us. Yeah. It's a shame to just leave footprints behind. Why don't you... Why should our legacy just be footprints? Let's write something. Let's write something in the dust here. You know, it's like I recently helped my friend pour some concrete into his backyard for a porch.

Had his kids write a little message there. It's very... It's gonna be there forever. What do you think we should leave? What's the message? I don't know, Buzz. I mean, look around. The scorched rock. The LM's all over the place. We'll be here. The crash light speaks for itself. Nothing more I can say about it. Yeah, well, I'm feeling kind of winded anyway, so...

so many times. Yeah, I've always managed to squeak by, but when I graduated from flight school at 220 feet, 13 forward and 11 forward, and it was... Five and a half down, nine, four. That's good right there. 120 feet, 100 down. Three and a half down, nine, four. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! What? I'm fine. I'm fine. Oh, I'm barely down here. Yeah, good idea. Sit down. this all mean.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice. These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal the search for truth and understanding They will be mourned by their families and friends

They will be mourned by their nation. They will be mourned by the people of the world. They will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown. In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one. In their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same. But our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood. Others will follow. and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied, but these men were the first and they will remain the foremost in our hearts. For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

Moon Graffiti was performed by Matt Evans as Neil Armstrong, Ed Herbstman as Buzz Aldrin, and John Adovino as Richard Nixon. It was based on a real speech by William Sapphire and written by me, Jonathan Mitchell. with editorial guidance from Hilary Frank. I also read all the music. Our show has been on hiatus for the past two years, and we are currently raising money to bring it back in October. And to do that, we are taking pre-orders for a special vinyl pressing.

of Sylvia's Blood and Moon Graffiti. You can order your copy at certifiedcrucial.com slash truthshop. We're also selling t-shirts, buttons and stickers and taking donations. Thank you so much to everyone who has already pre-ordered our vinyl and purchased t-shirts and stickers and buttons and made generous donations. This fundraising campaign has been so encouraging. We can't wait to make new stories for you.

If you'd like to hear any of our past episodes, you can find them all on our website, thetruthpodcast.com. You can also follow us on Threads, Blue Sky, and Instagram. Our handle is thetruthfiction. I'm Jonathan Mitchell. And you have been hearing. The truth.