Welcome back, dear listeners, to another episode of the Frightengale Files. I’m Florence Frightengale, and as always, I’m joined by the ever-dashing Dr. Elijah Blackwood.Dashing, am I? You’re too kind, Florence. Hello, everyone. Thank you for tuning in again. We’re honestly quite touched by all your messages and, well, the odd ghost story you send our way. It keeps us on our toes—and sometimes up at night.It does indeed. And tonight, we have a tale that’s sure to send a chill down your spine—or perhaps, a breath from beyond. We’re diving into the mystery of a haunted ventilator, a device that’s been causing more than just medical commotion in the hospital halls.Yes, “Breaths from Beyond.” It’s not just a clever title, I assure you. This one’s got everything: unexplained phenomena, emotional turmoil, and a machine that seems to have a mind—or a spirit—of its own.Let’s start at the beginning. The ventilator in question arrived at Hollow Hill after a series of, well, let’s call them “unfortunate events” in its previous ward. No one could quite explain what happened—patients recovering against all odds, others taking sudden turns for the worse, and a general sense of unease that seemed to follow the machine wherever it went.Nurse Alice—bless her, she’s got nerves of steel—recounted the first night it was in her care. She swears the ventilator switched on by itself, even though it was unplugged. She said the sound of it whirring in the dark was, and I quote, “like someone gasping for air who wasn’t there.”That’s the sort of thing that would have me checking the wiring, but—well, as we’ve learned, sometimes it’s not just faulty electrics. Florence, didn’t you have a similar experience back in the Crimea?Oh, I did. There were rumors of a haunted surgical saw—always cold to the touch, even in the heat of summer. Some said it whispered when no one was listening. I never heard it myself, but I did see the way it unsettled the surgeons. There’s something about medical tools that, when they go wrong, feel almost... personal.It wasn’t long before the staff started reporting oddities. Shadowy figures in the corners, whispers that seemed to come from the ventilator itself. Some even claimed to see fleeting shapes reflected in the machine’s display.I’ll admit, I tried to rationalize it. I checked for carbon monoxide leaks, electromagnetic interference, even sleep deprivation among the staff. But nothing fit. The phenomena persisted, and the more we tried to explain it away, the stranger it became.It’s not the first time a medical object’s been accused of harboring a spirit. There was that haunted stethoscope in the 19th century—do you remember? The one that supposedly let you hear the last words of the dead?Oh, yes. That one was the talk of the Royal Society for months. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the tools we trust most can become conduits for things we don’t understand.But it’s not just the staff. Patients placed on the ventilator began reporting vivid nightmares—some so real they woke up gasping, convinced they’d been suffocated by invisible hands. Others, oddly enough, made miraculous recoveries, while a few suffered inexplicable setbacks.The hospital administration, understandably, was in a panic. They formed a special committee to decide whether to remove the device. The debates were heated—some argued it was just superstition, others insisted it was a danger to everyone on the ward.It’s easy to forget the emotional toll these mysteries take on caregivers. Florence, you’ve spoken before about the strain of unexplained events at Scutari Hospital. How did you cope?Not very well, if I’m honest. There’s a helplessness that comes with not knowing whether you’re fighting an illness or something... else. It wears you down, makes you question your own senses. I suppose that’s why I’m so drawn to these stories now—trying to make sense of what once made no sense at all.So, we started digging. Historical records, old maintenance logs, anything that might shed light on the ventilator’s past. Turns out, it’s been passed from hospital to hospital, each time leaving behind a trail of strange incidents and whispered rumors.We tracked down former staff and technicians who’d worked with the device. Some were eager to talk—others, not so much. One technician described seeing frost form on the machine’s surface in the middle of summer. Another claimed the ventilator would “breathe” on its own, even when switched off.We also consulted a few paranormal experts and medical historians. They pored over the ventilator’s design, looking for anything out of the ordinary—unusual materials, odd modifications, anything that might explain its reputation. The consensus? There’s nothing in the blueprints that should cause this. But, as we’ve seen before, sometimes the supernatural doesn’t care much for blueprints.With nowhere else to turn, we decided to get a bit... unconventional. We organized a séance with local spiritualists and a few brave paranormal investigators. The goal was simple: try to communicate with whatever might be inhabiting the ventilator.We also reviewed hours of security footage and sensor logs from the hospital. There were odd patterns—spikes in electromagnetic activity, sudden drops in temperature, and, on more than one occasion, the faint sound of labored breathing picked up by the microphones.We even conducted a forensic analysis of the ventilator’s internal components. No signs of tampering, no hidden devices, nothing that would explain the phenomena. It’s as if the machine itself is the anomaly.To get to the bottom of it, we set up a controlled experiment. The ventilator was operated in different environments—empty rooms, busy wards, even the hospital chapel. Each time, we documented any technical or paranormal anomalies.We also spoke with some of the hospital’s longest-serving staff. A few remembered similar stories from decades ago—machines that seemed to act on their own, unexplained chills, and the ever-present sense of being watched.During one séance, we used specialized sensors to capture electromagnetic and auditory data. There were definite spikes—nothing conclusive, but enough to make even the skeptics raise an eyebrow. It’s reminiscent of what we saw in the Hydrotherapy Wing, actually—strange readings, but no clear answers.We decided to push further. The ventilator was operated in isolated, electromagnetically shielded rooms to rule out interference. Still, the reports of cold spots and whispers persisted. It’s maddening, really.We reached out to families of past patients who’d been on the ventilator. Their stories were heartbreaking—some spoke of miraculous recoveries, others of dreams that lingered long after discharge. The emotional impact was undeniable, even if the cause remained elusive.For the final experiment, we set up a live feed during a séance, capturing real-time sensory data. There were a few moments—flickers of movement, a sudden drop in temperature, a voice that, for a split second, seemed to whisper a name. Was it proof? I’m not sure. But it was certainly... unsettling.And that, dear listeners, is the story of the haunted ventilator. I must say, Elijah, this one’s given me more goosebumps than the Bloodletting Choir episode. Though, I suppose nothing quite tops the cafeteria’s ghostly menu for sheer absurdity.I’ll have to disagree, Florence. The Thirteenth Psalm still haunts my dreams. But this ventilator—well, it’s a close second. If you want more chills, or perhaps a laugh at our expense, do check out patreon.com slash FlorenceFrightengale. We’ve got bonus stories, behind-the-scenes mishaps, and, occasionally, Florence singing to the spirits.Oh, don’t threaten them, Elijah. Thank you all for joining us on this spectral journey. Sleep tight, and remember—if your ventilator starts breathing on its own, perhaps just open a window and say goodnight.Until next time, Florence. Goodnight, everyone. Stay curious—and maybe keep a nightlight on.Goodnight, Elijah. Goodnight, listeners. May your breaths be your own.

Episodes

Breaths from Beyond