Lore Alive 5: In the Next Room

Welcome to Lore Alive, a special Halloween bonus series that brings dark tales from history to life with immersive sound design and voice actors. For today's final Halloween bonus of the year, we have the sort of story that captured my heart as a kid. On the surface, it's the story of a woman grieving the departure of a dear friend. But there's something much more frightening beneath the surface. Lore Alive was created by Aaron Mahnke, with writing and direction by Nicolas Tecosky, audio production and sound design by Brandon Grugle. This week's episode starred Amanda Cucher as Marion Bargrave, and Sarah Palmm as Lavinia Veal and Helen. ——————————————————————————— Series Sponsor: Warby Parker: Right now, buy one pair and get additional pairs for 20%. Go to WarbyParker.com/LORE https://www.warbyparker.com/lore to try on any pair virtually! Lore Resources: Get Ad-Free Lore: lorepodcast.com/support https://www.lorepodcast.com/support Official Lore Merchandise: lorepodcast.com/shop https://www.lorepodcast.com/shop ©2026 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Aaron Mahnke?

  Every Friday this October, we brought a story from history to life with immersive sound design and talented actors. Our goal as a team has been to create an atmosphere that fits the power of the tale in the style you already know and love from other shows I've made, like Thirteen Days of Halloween, just applied to true tales from history's darkest corners. This is Lore Alive. Our special Halloween bonus series wraps up today with one final chilling tale. But while the fun is nearly over, I have to confess that I've really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, and my expectations were already high. So I wouldn't be surprised if this bonus series returns next year, just in time for another spooky October.

• 0:45Aaron Mahnke?

  As usual, this entire Halloween bonus series was made possible by the generous support of Warby Parker, my absolute favorite maker of prescription glasses. I've been a loyal customer of theirs for over a decade, and it means so much to have their support. More on that after the show. For today's spooky tale, we're going old school, back to the sort of story that captured my heart as a kid and stirred my imagination. On the surface, it's nothing more than the tale of a woman grieving the impending loss of a dear friend, something that many of us can relate to, I'm sure. As the story unfolds, though, something more frightening reveals itself beneath the surface. And when it finally breaks through, you'll come face to face with an ending that will

• 1:29Aaron Mahnke?

  be on your mind for days. So if you're ready, let's begin.

• 1:40Speaker 01

  It is in the afternoons that the loneliness becomes unbearable. The mornings are filled with all of the maintenance of daily life, with the planning and execution of a thousand small actions that hold our lives together. All of the tedious buttoning and unbuttoning, the cleaning of household items that will be dirtied again within the day, the correspondence that must be kept up for reasons passing understanding. But these things, despite their clawing insistence, only take up so much of the day. When I've eaten lunch, I sit in the parlor and read.

• 2:24Speaker 01

  I've read a bit of everything. Jonathan and I are both enamored with the written word, and over the course of our marriage, we've acquired quite the library. Its contents are wild and varied. A passing interest in human anatomy means a shelf dedicated to medical texts. A conversation at a party 20 years ago started an interest in Continental War histories, which in turn led to stacks upon stacks of novels that explore such themes.

• 3:00Speaker 01

  I am quite well-versed in a little bit of everything, and it has been a point of pride for me. I made excellent conversations at the parties and salons that we used to attend. Sometimes in the afternoon, my mind will wander back to those gatherings. I miss the meeting of minds, the mixing and melding of ideas, the wit and humor. I even miss the minor disagreements, as they would inevitably lead to great debate. In those days, it was easy to make friends. We were surrounded by them.

• 3:43Speaker 01

  But time and distance tend to make strangers of us all, even those we have held most dear. I have long since accepted that once people are gone, they are gone. I enjoy my solitude, to a certain extent. I do well alone, though I can get dreadfully lonely. And then one morning, as I was preparing for my husband's birthday celebration that evening, there was a knock at the door. It isn't unusual. We've regular deliveries.

• 4:24Speaker 01

  So I was quite surprised when I opened the door to find, to my great delight, Mrs. Veale standing on my doorstep. Well, Lavinia Veale, my goodness!

• 4:35Speaker 02

  Hello, Marian.

• 4:37Speaker 01

  But what are you doing here?

• 4:40Speaker 02

  I'm here for a visit. I know I should have sent ahead to let you know that I was coming, but even I didn't know that I'd be coming.

• 4:47Speaker 01

  Well, don't stand on the doorstep. Come in. Lavinia Veale. In all of those good years, the salon years, she was my nearest and dearest friend in the world. As a matter of fact, I had come to think of her as a sister. It had been a decade since she'd left Dover. We at first had written weekly, keeping the other apprised of all the goings-on of our families and neighbors. But weeks became months, and then once or twice a year, until it had dwindled down to a card at Christmas. "Thinking of you. Best wishes.

• 5:30Speaker 01

  A Happy New Year." You expect these things to happen, so seldom do you recognize that a friendship is fading away until it is long gone. I thought of her just the hour before and had felt a small ache deep in my heart. I missed her. I wondered how she was, what her life was like. And then she was here. I'm afraid you've caught me before the shopping has been done. I've little to serve in the way of refreshments.

• 6:06Speaker 02

  Oh, darling, don't trouble yourself. I've appeared out of the depths of time unexpectedly. You look well, Marian. The years have been kind to you.

• 6:17Speaker 01

  Oh, nonsense. Everything about me has aged horribly.

• 6:21Speaker 02

  Come now, a touch of silver in your hair, that is to be expected.

• 6:26Speaker 01

  Well, you've barely aged a day. You look just as I remembered. How is William? How are the boys?

• 6:36Speaker 02

  William took ill a year ago.

• 6:39Speaker 01

  Oh, no. Did he recover?

• 6:42Speaker 02

  He did not.

• 6:44Speaker 01

  Oh, Lavinia, I am so, so sorry. Goodness, I wish that I had known I'd have come straight away.

• 6:52Speaker 02

  I know you would have. It was horrible. He struggled so at the end. But he is at peace. The boys are fine. They weathered their father's passing quite well. They're made of stronger stuff than I.

• 7:12Speaker 01

  What are they doing now?

• 7:14Speaker 02

  Miller has taken a position at William's firm, and with a bit more experience, is well set to fill his father's shoes. Oliver is at Oxford.

• 7:23Speaker 01

  Goodness. Jonathan will be excited to hear this. Those Oxford men. I am thoroughly unsurprised about Oliver. That boy was always whip-smart. Got that from his mother.

• 7:37Speaker 02

  Well, he's certainly got my pig-headedness, but that is good. Intellect without action is meaningless. He's driven. My boys will both do well in this world. With that, at least, I am at peace. And how is Jonathan?

• 7:54Speaker 01

  The same as ever. Scattered and sweet.

• 7:58Speaker 02

  A good man.

• 7:59Speaker 01

  A good man. Excuse me, Lavinia, but I am enamored with the material of your dress.

• 8:08Speaker 02

  Oh, thank you. My sister-in-law helped me to sew it.

• 8:12Speaker 01

  May I touch?

• 8:13Speaker 02

  Of course.

• 8:15Speaker 01

  My goodness, what a lovely texture. Silk, yes?

• 8:20Speaker 02

  It is.

• 8:21Speaker 01

  How did you get it to feel like this?

• 8:24Speaker 02

  Isn't it fantastic? The secret is in heavily washing the silk. It gives it that scoured texture.

• 8:32Speaker 01

  It's lovely. The conversation went on like this for an hour, though it did veer back into the territory of the intellectual. We had bonded all those years over the great philosophers, the pillars of literature, the politics of the day. And then the clock struck the hour. And her mood changed suddenly.

• 8:58Speaker 02

  Marian, do you remember when we last visited?

• 9:01Speaker 01

  Goodness, it must be...

• 9:03Speaker 02

  Twelve years.

• 9:05Speaker 01

  It can't have been.

• 9:06Speaker 02

  It was.

• 9:10Speaker 01

  I believe I've missed you the entirety of that time.

• 9:13Speaker 02

  And are you. I've thought of you often. We've always been kindred spirits.

• 9:20Speaker 01

  Yes. It has been so lonely these past few years. This big, empty house. The library is wonderful to have, of course, but books don't...

• 9:37Speaker 02

  Smile back at you.

• 9:40Speaker 01

  They do not.

• 9:46Speaker 02

  I came by today because I'm going on a long voyage and do not know that I shall return.

• 9:55Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 9:57Speaker 02

  It was of the utmost importance for me to see you before I left. I've always wanted to revive our friendship. But life has a way of making our decisions for us, doesn't it?

• 10:10Speaker 01

  Indeed, it does.

• 10:12Speaker 02

  I just wish for you to know, though we have been parted,

• 10:19Speaker 02

  my love for you has never diminished.

• 10:23Speaker 02

  Oh, dear, I hope I haven't upset you.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Oh, no. No. It is just wonderful to hear that.

• 10:35Speaker 01

  I feel the same. I will always feel the same, I believe.

• 10:44Speaker 02

  I'm afraid that I must depart.

• 10:46Speaker 01

  So soon?

• 10:48Speaker 02

  Alas, I must make my destination.

• 10:52Speaker 01

  Of course, dear.

• 10:55Speaker 01

  And so we stood, so that I could walk her out. My mind was swimming with a million different things I wished to impart, but I could not seem to make more than the normal pleasantries. Love to the boys, be safe, all the likewise.

• 11:16Speaker 01

  It wasn't until she stood on my front step once more that I was able to find words with any meaning.

• 11:24Speaker 02

  It was so lovely to see you, Marion.

• 11:28Speaker 01

  Yes. Yes, it was a wonderful surprise.

• 11:32Speaker 02

  Wish Jonathan well. I am sorry that I could not stay to see him.

• 11:37Speaker 01

  I will, of course. He'll be sad to have missed your visit.

• 11:43Speaker 02

  Well, dear, I suppose...

• 11:45Speaker 01

  Wait. I...

• 11:49Speaker 02

  What is it?

• 11:51Speaker 01

  I just... It's important to me that you know. You've taken up so much space in my heart these many years. I've always felt that our bond was...

• 12:05Speaker 02

  Unbreakable.

• 12:06Speaker 01

  Yes! Though we fell out of touch, I always seemed to feel you close, as if you were only in the next room, just about to call my name.

• 12:21Speaker 01

  Is that silly?

• 12:22Speaker 02

  No.

• 12:25Speaker 02

  I want for you to always feel that way. Because I will be in the next room, in spirit. I will carry you with me on my travels.

• 12:38Speaker 02

  And who knows? Maybe we will meet again. Until then, remember that I love you.

• 12:47Speaker 01

  And I love you.

• 12:52Speaker 01

  She leaned in then and kissed my cheek so softly that it could have been the remnants of a dream brushing against my skin.

• 13:02Speaker 01

  And without another word, she took her leave.

• 13:08Speaker 01

  And life went back to normal, except that I couldn't be satisfied with that anymore. Lavinia Veal's appearance had shaken something in me, had made me suddenly yearn once more for life. After all of the quiet years, I suddenly needed music, laughter, company.

• 13:32Speaker 01

  And so I began to once more make house calls to dear old friends. Everyone was so kind and accepted me back into our circles without question. Within weeks, I felt the heaviness of my solitude shaken off. I came alive.

• 13:52Speaker 01

  And true to her word, Lavinia seemed to always be just on the edge of every gathering or right in the next room on quiet mornings.

• 14:04Speaker 01

  It was nearly a year later when I ran across her sister-in-law at a salon. She smiled broadly when she saw me. We'd never been particularly close, but I believe each had always found the other's company pleasant, and we quickly fell into conversation.

• 14:24Speaker 01

  Naturally, the conversation turned to people we knew in common.

• 14:29Speaker 01

  That reminds me, how is Lavinia doing? The last time I saw her, she mentioned going on a voyage, but never did tell me where she was going.

• 14:40Speaker 02

  Oh, dear.

• 14:42Speaker 01

  What is it?

• 14:44Speaker 02

  Well, I truly hate to be the one to tell you this.

• 14:49Speaker 01

  What?

• 14:53Speaker 02

  Lavinia died very suddenly, stumbled down the staircase.

• 15:01Speaker 01

  But when?

• 15:04Speaker 02

  It was last spring, May the 1st. We held the funeral days later.

• 15:12Speaker 01

  Wait!

• 15:13Speaker 02

  What is it, dear?

• 15:16Speaker 01

  She...

• 15:18Speaker 01

  I saw her on May 3rd of last year. It was my husband's birthday, and I was getting ready for his dinner when she knocked on my door.

• 15:27Speaker 02

  I'm afraid you must be mistaken. That is the day we buried her. I assure you, she did not make any visits on that day.

• 15:36Speaker 01

  No.

• 15:39Speaker 02

  Are you quite all right? You look pale.

• 15:43Speaker 01

  She stood on my doorstep. She came into my house.

• 15:51Speaker 02

  I'm sorry, Marion, but it's impossible.

• 15:54Speaker 01

  She sat across from me. We spoke of the boys, and she was wearing this beautiful dress. She looked radiant.

• 16:04Speaker 02

  Oh, dear.

• 16:06Speaker 01

  She said she made it with you. The silk had been treated somehow.

• 16:10Speaker 02

  You're talking about the white dress?

• 16:13Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 16:14Speaker 02

  Yes. I just learned a secret trick about that. Heavily washing the silk gives it a scoured texture. She loved that dress, though she didn't have a chance to wear it in life.

• 16:29Speaker 02

  We buried her in it.

• 16:32Speaker 02

  Oh, goodness. Marion, are you...

• 16:36Speaker 01

  But I couldn't continue the conversation. Without being fully aware of it, I'd already started out the door. The room was stifling. I couldn't breathe. I made it to the street where I broke into a run, foregoing the carriage.

• 16:53Speaker 01

  I ran until I could run no further. And then I walked, aimlessly through the town.

• 17:01Speaker 01

  It was hours before I reached my own doorstep. My dress muddied and my face streaked with the shock of grief.

• 17:12Speaker 01

  William was not home. I walked in the door and collapsed in the parlor. I did not care if I dirtied the fine fabric of the chair. I did not care if I lived or died.

• 17:27Speaker 01

  My breathing slowed. My heart finally quit pounding, but I was reeling at the ache.

• 17:37Speaker 01

  Finally, I settled. The quiet of the house was almost a relief, a quiet place to grieve.

• 17:47Speaker 01

  Solitude.

• 17:50Speaker 01

  Except that it wasn't.

• 17:55Speaker 01

  Here, in this room, I felt less alone than I had in a long, long time.

• 18:04Speaker 01

  I was overcome suddenly with an urge to call out, to speak plainly of my love.

• 18:11Speaker 01

  I could hear the sound of her silk gown. I could feel once again that last kiss on my cheek.

• 18:21Speaker 01

  I knew that all I needed to do was to call her name, and she would join me from her place... in the next room.

• 18:38Aaron Mahnke?

  Lore Alive was made possible by Warby Parker. Before Warby Parker, I had to do that thing that all of us hate doing: standing in front of a wall of frames to find the needle in the haystack. Just buying a pair of glasses shouldn't require a spreadsheet, right? Which is why I'm obsessed with Warby Parker. Nothing else comes close on quality, price, selection, and customer service. Once you buy from Warby Parker, you'll realize how much easier they've made the entire process. Their virtual try-on has made it possible for me to skip those eye doctor showrooms entirely, since I can literally try on glasses from my phone before I buy them. And I've tried other virtual try-ons that feel pretty janky, but with Warby Parker, you can genuinely tell how the frames are going to look and fit.

• 19:21Aaron Mahnke?

  Warby Parker glasses start at $95 and include prescription lenses with anti-reflective, scratch-resistant coatings. They use premium materials in each frame, design every frame in-house, and have a collection of silhouettes, colors, and fits for every face. Me? Well, I'm old, so I wear progressive lenses, which are more complicated to get just right. But Warby Parker nailed it, and these glasses are absolutely amazing. They look and fit so great. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at warbyparker.com/lor. That's 20% off any additional pairs when you purchase one pair at W-A-R-B-Y-parker.com/lor. Lore Alive was created by me, Aaron Manke,

• 20:05Aaron Mahnke?

  and was written and directed by Nicholas Tukowski of 13 Days of Halloween and Havik Town fame. An audio project like this is obviously a team effort, and there are a lot of other humans to give credit to. This week's episode starred Amanda Kutcher as Marion Bargrave and Sarah Palm as Lavinia Veal and Helen. This episode was recorded by Blake Long with post-production and sound design by Brandon Gruggel from Atypical Artists. Our show was produced by Nicholas Tukowski and me, Aaron Manke, with special thanks to Lauren Shippen from Atypical Artists. Folks, I really hope you've enjoyed this Halloween bonus series. It is hard to believe that it's already over. But as I said before, I think the odds are good that we'll see a new set of tales next year. And as always, stay spooky.