Wednesday One-Shot: Letters on the Refrigerator

is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart podcast. Hi, darlings.
I have a little seasonal secret to share. It's the new Kahua Duncan Caramel Swirl.

Kahlua, the beloved coffee liqueur, and Duncan, the beloved coffee destination, paired up to create a treat that is perfect for the holidays. So, go ahead, treat yourself.
Cheers, my dears.

Must be 21 or older to purchase. Drink responsibly.
Kahlua Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur, 16% Alcohol by Volume, 32 Proof. Copyright 2025, imported by the Kahlua Company, New York, New York.

Duncan trademarks owned by DDIP Holder LLC, used under license. Copyright 2025, DDIP Holder LLC.

When the holidays start to feel a bit repetitive, reach for a Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry and put your twist on tradition.

It's a refreshing way to shake things up this sip in season and only for a limited time. Sprite, obey your thirst.

Welcome to Wednesday One Shots, the series where we share a bonus story with you in the middle of the week. Obviously, we're releasing this on a Thursday.
We had a busy Wednesday.

Nonetheless, we have a story for you this week from a listener named Haley. Enjoy.

This story took place in 2022. I was a young mortician who had just started my dream job at a funeral home.

I was brand new, so I was still trying to impress my bosses and go the extra mile to show them how much this job meant to me.

My coworker was working with a family where the next of kin was a very elderly woman. She could no longer drive and had trouble getting around.

Trying to be kind, I told my co-worker that I could drop off the cremated remains of this woman's loved one at her house at the end of the workday on my way home.

I don't remember who the deceased was to this woman exactly, but I believe it was her adult son, whom she had cared for to some capacity for his entire life.

So I headed over to her place one day after work.

She lived on a busy street, so I had to pull around the back of the house. When I headed to the front door, she was there to let me in.
Her house seemed like it was just a typical old lady's house.

She had old furniture, bookshelves, pictures on the wall, and plenty of knickknacks. She also had a pretty old TV, which was on as she was watching Jeopardy.

We sat on the couch, and I had her sign the transfer of custody paperwork so that she could take the custody of the cremated remains.

Once we were finished with all of the paperwork, she asked me to stay and watch some Jeopardy with her. Feeling a bit sorry for her, I obliged.

That was when I looked around the house and started to notice some things that were a bit off-putting to me.

There were pictures of the Christian evangelist Billy Graham everywhere, and I mean everywhere. All of the pictures on her wall were Billy Graham.

There was even one quote bubble where he was spewing hateful homophobic speech, calling them slurs and saying that they will burn in hell.

Now I'm not very religious, and I consider myself an ally, so I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. I started to get up to leave and let her know that I had to get home.

She then stopped me and asked me if I would take the urn and place it on the mantle.

It was in a different part of the house in this weird addition that had been added to the back of the house.

I knew this urn was too heavy for her to place up there herself, so I agreed.

She then led me through her kitchen so that we could walk to the back of the house. As we were walking, I got this uneasy feeling, and it only continued to grow.

We got to the back, and she turned the lights on. There were about four steps leading down into the room, and as we stood there, I couldn't shake this weird feeling.

All I knew was that I really did not want to go into this room. But I had to complete the task at hand, so I started down the stairs.
She didn't follow me.

I didn't think anything of this because maybe it was her age.

I then placed the urn on the mantle and turned to look at her.

I didn't notice this initially, but at the threshold of the doorway I saw that there was a door.

She was standing beside the door with her hand on the knob, and all I could think of was, Oh, God, please don't shut me in here.

I quickly looked around and I saw that there was no other way out, so I hurried back up the stairs before letting any more time pass.

I was in such a rush to get out of there that I had to squeeze past her to get back to the kitchen.

As she followed me through her kitchen, she offered to cook me dinner, and that was when I noticed what was on her refrigerator. She had a bunch of magnetic alphabet letters on there.

Perfectly arranged at the top of the fridge was the phrase The end is near.

All of the other letters were scattered at the bottom.

That was the last straw. I told her I couldn't stay, but I thanked her for the offer, and booked it out of there.

I told my co-workers who thought that it was hilarious. I know I was trying to be nice and help out, but it was silly of me to go over to a stranger's house by myself, even if it was an old woman.

Who knows what could have been waiting for me? So, to the homophobic, religious, zealot old woman, let's never meet again, not in this life or the afterlife.

Thanks for listening, and if you're new here, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our full-length episodes released every Sunday night at Midnight Pacific. We'll see you then.
Everybody, stay safe.

She'd throw things, wander, and started hoarding. Mom's Alzheimer's was already so hard.

But then we found out she had something called agitation that may happen with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. And that was a different kind of difficult.
So we asked her doctor for more help.

Seeing symptoms like these in a loved one, it could be time to ask their doctor about Rexulti, Rexpiprazole 2 milligrams, the only FDA-approved treatment proven to reduce the symptoms of this condition.

Rexulte should not be used as an as-needed treatment.

Elderly people with dementia-related psychosis have increased risk of death or stroke, report fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, which can be life-threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent.

High blood sugar can lead to coma or death. Weight gain, increased cholesterol, unusual urges, dizziness on standing, falls, seizures, trouble swallowing, or sleepiness may occur.

Learn more about these and other side effects at RickSulty.com. Tap ad for PI.
I'm glad her doctor recommended Rick Sulti. Talk to your loved ones, doctor.
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