Episode 8 - The Woman at the Piano

**“***Luca and Voncid encounter something new. A predator that does not hunt, but instead convinces its prey that they long to be devoured.***”**
— **Episode notes from Spotify**

## Summary

*The following is a summary written for this wiki. It only hits the major points of the episode and, as such, should not be used as a substitute for listening to the episode as intended by the creators.*
### Main Story

Gloria Matthews was reported missing by her boyfriend, David Howard, after she exhibited strange behaviours, broke up with him, and wouldn't answer the door. When the police arrived they found her door boarded up and no one in the apartment. Her ex pointed out an anomaly and the police called Voncid.

They find Gloria inside a photograph, Voncid is able to reach her with the recorder and she is oddly calm. When asked about the photograph, she begins to tell her story. She found it in an estate sale, in a box with a hidden compartment. The photograph is of a woman sitting at and playing a piano. It is black and white and from the style of the dress it could be from the 1860s. The woman is beautiful, confident and happy. She has an audience watching her play, and many people in the photograph are dressed in more modern clothing than she is, and they are all smiling as they listen to her play. Gloria gets the photograph for free because the estate says it wasn't worth anything.

Gloria hangs the photograph in her living room, and goes about her day as normal, forgetting about it until she returns home. She starts to hear piano music in her dreams, and after a few weeks what was glances becomes looks. Dave confronts her about how unhealthy it was becoming and how it was weird that Gloria would spend hours looking at it. Gloria doesn't want to do anything but look at that photograph and eventually quit her job she soon begins to forget to look after herself, barely eating and sleeping. Dave ends things with her, because it was impossible to talk to her when all she did was look at that photograph. Not wanting any distractions, Gloria boarded up her apartment door. When she fell asleep, she was in that room watching the woman play, getting to see the scene in colour, and after she awoke and was back to the black and white photo she cried. When the woman in the photograph finally spoke to her, and told her the price of admission to stay, she didn't hesitate to let it consume her.

When Voncid says that they are going to figure out a way to get her and the others out, so that they can pass on peacefully, Gloria gets angry, not wanting to leave despite having been killed by the entity in it. None of the rest of the audience wants to leave either.

They are able to confirm the identities of some members of the audience, including Thomas Banson's son Simon. Thomas Banson owned the house that was having the estate sale, and it is assumed that he is the one who hid the photograph away in the box. Unable to do anything at the moment, the plan is to seal the photograph away where it will not be found by someone who won't know what it is. Luca is disappointed at this outcome, but Voncid explains that they do not have another option.

## Characters

* Owen Voncid
* Luca
* Gloria Matthews, Reclaimed by Voncid
* David Howard, ex-boyfriend of Gloria
* The Woman at the Piano
* Thomas Banson, hid the photo till he died
* Simon Banson, son of Thomas, one of the victims

## Notes

* "Very special thanks to Stephanie Olson, our first guest writer!"