Kismet - Snap Classic

Summary

Snap Judgment: "Kismet" – Snap Classic (June 11, 2026)

Episode Theme & Overview

The "Kismet" episode of Snap Judgment examines moments in life where fate, chance, or destiny—kismet—overpowers logic and planning, taking control of our stories. Hosted by Glynn Washington, the episode presents two remarkable tales: a daring love story that breaks borders and a haunting saga about music’s power over life and death. Through every twist and turn, the episode prompts listeners to consider the role of serendipity, courage, and the sometimes-dark consequences of following the strings of fate.

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Key Story 1: Elena & Meg’s Odyssey — Love Against All Odds

[02:53 – 37:25]

Meeting Online: A Leap Into the Unknown

• Setting: Ivanovo, Russia (Elena) and Canada (Meg), 2005.
• Elena shares how an online romance begins with Meg, a Canadian, despite never having left her small Russian town or being out as a lesbian.
  • “We were so honest to each other. It was just mutual. We were mutually drawn...” (Elena, 04:18)
• The relationship quickly intensifies, and Meg suggests meeting in Kiev. Elena is terrified—traveling alone as a closeted young woman in Russia is perilous.

Risking Everything: Coming Out & Family Rejection

• Elena plans the trip while lying to her mother about her intentions, still closeted at home.
• Before departing, Elena leaves a coming-out letter for her parents, fearful of the consequences for herself and her family if discovered.
  • “If somebody finds out in Russia that you are gay, your life turns upside down. Instantly. Children lose their home…” (Elena, 06:23)
• The first meeting in Ukraine is electrifying but awkward, both women confronting the reality of their connection.

Family Confrontation: Kidnapping at McDonald’s

• Elena's mother arrives in Kiev under the pretense of concern but orchestrates an ambush. Elena is cornered by her parents at a train station McDonald's, berated, and threatened with forced return to Russia.
  • “They brought me to the second floor of the McDonald's restaurant, barricaded me there with the tables...” (Elena, 12:04)
• Meg bravely re-enters the scene after a cryptic emergency call from Elena, only to be assaulted by Elena's father, labeled a "criminal," and both are dragged to the police station.
  • “A fist comes out of nowhere and just floors me. Her father, he was wild…” (Meg, 15:30)

Escape & Desperation: The Flight from Ukraine

• Corrupt police, a vanished passport (stolen by Elena’s mother), and urgent warnings from the Canadian consulate force the couple to go on the run.
• Facing the impossibility of Elena getting a new visa in Russia, they brainstorm wild escape plans—buying a boat to sail to Canada being the most audacious.
  • “How about, let's buy a boat? We can get a sailboat and we can sail it down the river and out into the Black Sea.” (Meg, 20:05)

Ocean Crossing: Greenhorns Against the Sea

• They mortgage Meg’s house, buy a small sailboat in Turkey, and set course for Victoria, BC, despite minimal nautical experience.
  • "Did you know how to sail in the open ocean?" – "No." (Meg, 22:53)
  • “I read a book that I found at the Frankfurt airport…” (Meg, 23:06)
• The journey turns from fantasy to survival: rationing, storms, and cabin fever.
  • “I realized, so this bathtub is gonna take us all the way across all those oceans and seas to Canada. I physically was sick. I was terrified...” (Elena, 20:45)

Notable Moments & Quotes

• The couple’s dynamic and humor break tension:
  • “Meg is the messiest person in the world.” (Elena, 27:20)
  • “She goes into the bathroom to wash her face and it's like. It's like a water buffalo blew up in there.” (Meg, 27:23)
• Life aboard is both boring and intimate. They bond via The Sims game, imagining land life while at sea.

Real Dangers: Encounters & Near Disaster

• A menacing mechanical patrol boat circles them ominously in the open Mediterranean.
  • “It’s making just this ungodly racket... tripod mounted machine gun...” (Meg, 30:26)
• In the North Pacific, a catastrophic storm nearly ends their journey. Elena, terrified, freezes at the helm until Meg rescues the situation.
  • “I realized that I cannot. I cannot turn the wheel. It does not. My strength is not enough... I was just staring at that, at the red compass.” (Elena, 33:42)
  • “Release the goddamn mainsheet. Get the wind out of it now, or we're going to die.” (Meg, 34:41)
• Against odds and after almost a year, they spot the lights of Victoria, BC:
  • “Finally, after so many months, I smelled something. It was land, and I think it was dirt.” (Elena, 36:35)

Legacy & Reflection

• Both women remain together, still living on their boat.
• Elena’s book: “Talking to the Moon”.
• Their journey is a testament to love’s defiance of fate, family, and fear.
  • “Here I am having this amazing journey with the woman I love.” (Elena, 25:18)

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Key Story 2: The Haunting of “Gloomy Sunday” – The Song That Killed

[39:50 – 49:52]

The Genesis of a Song

• Hungarian conductor Laszlo Morosi recalls his first exposure to "Gloomy Sunday," a song composed by Rezo Seres in 1930s Hungary.
  • “I remember when I was five, my dad was playing the piano in the next room from my bed, and I heard that beautiful melody...” (Laszlo Morosi, 39:50)
• Seres, a self-taught musician living in poverty, moves to Paris to pursue fame and love—the latter ending in heartbreak.

Creation from Heartbreak

• After losing his girlfriend, Seres channels his grief into composing "Gloomy Sunday" (“Somoru Vasharna”) in collaboration with a poet friend.
  • “A sad and mysterious melody started to appear in the mind of Sheres.” (Laszlo Morosi, 42:08)
  • “The melody, the phrasings, the text ... [it's] a beautiful, inviting, dark sound...” (Laszlo Morosi, 42:29)

Cultural Phenomenon

• Initially rejected for being too emotional, the song explodes in popularity across Hungary and Europe after a top singer records it.
  • "Lowest level of society till the top. Everyone loved that song. Everyone was singing it." (Laszlo Morosi, 43:56)
• “Gloomy Sunday” becomes an anthem for heartbreak during the Great Depression, but soon, its fame turns grim.

The "Suicide Song"

• The song is reportedly linked to numerous suicides, with the BBC eventually banning it from the airwaves.
  • “People started committing suicide.” (Laszlo Morosi, 44:56)
  • “A woman in London overdosed listening to a record of the song skip over and over and over...” (Narrator, 45:21)
• Seres himself becomes tormented by the unintended impact.
  • “I stand in the midst of this deadly success as an accused man. This fatal fame hurts me." (Laszlo Morosi, quoting Seres, 46:07)

The Song's Cursed Legacy

• The tragic fates continue: Seres’ ex-girlfriend dies by suicide with the sheet music by her side; Seres ultimately also ends his life.
  • “My heart and I have decided to end it all. He jumped out of his window of his apartment, but he survived. But while recovering in the hospital, he choked himself to death.” (Laszlo Morosi, 47:20)

Reflections on Art, Fate, and Sadness

• The Americanized version of the song later tries to soften the lyrics—a move Morosi rejects:
  • “Oh no, it's a cheating. You can't say after Romeo and Juliet, oh, sorry, I was just kidding... You can't have everything happy.” (Laszlo Morosi, 48:49)
• For Morosi, the song represents the beauty in sadness:
  • “Not the sadness, not the drama, but beautiful, beautifully sad. If I would have the chance to die, I would do that. Commit suicide with this song. Put it on and... I just haven't decided which day. Not yet.” (Laszlo Morosi, 49:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I will let her go now, I will lose her. And so I decided to go to Kyiv.” (Elena, 06:09)
• “I mortgaged my house. We needed the boat. I think we needed the boat more than we needed the house.” (Meg, 21:34)
• “A foot of water down below. The floorboards are soaking, and the electrical system is shot. We were wrecked at that point.” (Meg, 35:20)
• “Gloomy Sunday has been recorded over 80 times, covered by Billie Holiday to Elvis Costello to Bjork.” (Narrator, 48:03)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:53 – Glynn introduces Elena and Meg’s story.
• 03:46–14:00 – Online romance, coming out, and confrontation in Kiev.
• 15:15–23:13 – Escape, the decision to buy a sailboat, and preparations.
• 23:21–27:37 – Life and conflict aboard the boat.
• 28:45–35:55 – Storms, brushes with death, and the end of the journey.
• 36:35 – Arrival in Victoria, emotional aftermath.
• 39:50–49:52 – “Gloomy Sunday” and the fate of its composer and listeners.

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Conclusion

“Kismet” masterfully weaves stories where fate intervenes—sometimes to create love, sometimes destruction. The episode explores the extremes people go to for happiness or meaning, whether risking everything for love against impossible odds or being swept up in the relentless undertow of a sorrowful song. Whether defying family and geography or succumbing to the saddest music in the world, the episode ultimately asks: how much of our lives do we choose, and how much is chosen for us?

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Music & Production Credits:
Original story score by Leon Morimoto. Produced by Liz Mack (Elena and Meg’s story) and Davey Kim (Laszlo Morosi story).

Find more:
Elena’s memoir: Talking to the Moon | Journey details on Snap Judgment’s website.

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Snap Judgment – “It’s storytelling… with a BEAT.”

Transcript

[Glenn Washington]

Snap Studios.

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[Glenn Washington]

Okay, so sophomore year, Grand Valley State University. And on the laundry room bulletin board, I see a poster about jobs available in food services. And I write down the number to call. But when I finish my laundry, I can't read my own writing. So I back to the bulletin board and the poster's gone. And that doesn't make any sense. I'm sure that someone just stapled another poster on top of the poster I'm looking for. So I start excavating the bulletin board, pulling stuff off to see what's underneath. Missing dogs, Chess club, party. Tutoring needed. And I see half a sign and it says apply now. Fellowships to Asia. And I don't know why, but I look at that sign and I do need to get out of Dodge. The likelihood is less than zero, but so what? I pull a tab from the sign and I do apply. Later, I'm told to meet at the dean's office and a man comes out and congratulates me on. On being chosen for the Asia Fellowship. A year long trip. Whoa. You will represent our school at a brand new program in Japan. This is an extremely selective admissions process. You should be very proud.

[Elena]

Whoa.

[Glenn Washington]

Extremely selective. I was chosen. Picked well. How many people apply? Well, that's not really important right now. What's important? No, no, no, really. How many people to the ply. Well, in truth, you were the only applicant. But that doesn't change the fact we are proud to have you represent our university overseas. No one else applied? No one. Probably because they posted a notice, buried three posters deep on a random laundry room bulletin board. And truly, truly, that trip changed my life.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Fate.

[Glenn Washington]

Destiny, Maybe. But today on Snap Judgment. Kismet. Amazing stories from real people being directed by the Fates. My name is Glenn Washington. Always remember, qualifications are for suckers when you're listening to Snap Judgment. Now then, on the Kismet episode. When Elena first started looking for someone on the Internet, she thought that an online romance would stay just that. Online. Snap Judgment.

[Elena]

I remember the first time I saw Meg's profile. I think I remember glasses. And I kind of thought, she looks geeky. She tried to write her profile in Russian. She just translated the words that she wanted to use. And it came out very, very hilarious. But it was stunning. There was so much energy in that letter. We started writing back and forth. It was wonderfully easy. I have never felt felt that way ever in my life. We didn't play any games. We didn't feel self conscious. We were so honest to each other. It was just mutual. We were mutually drawn to each other. I realized that she was on the other side of the world. That she was Canadian and I was in Ivanova in Russia. It was the very end of 2005. She said once in the letter to me that it would be great idea if we met in Kiev. Of course I got scared. I absolutely couldn't imagine how me. How could I go to Kiev to see a woman? At the time, I was an architect working in a small town. I was 25 and I did not know almost anything about the world. I was not out. I told her that simply my society will not allow me to be with her. She tried to play it cool and she told me, well, whatever then if we part, that's fine with me. And you see, the thing is, because she said so, I realized if I will let her go now, I will lose her. And so I decided to go to Kyiv. Of course, I had to do it in secret. If somebody finds out in Russia that you are gay, your life turns upside down. Instantly. Children lose their home. If my mother knew that I was homosexual, I could end up on the street without documents, without job, without any money. But it didn't matter to me anymore. I knew that I needed to see this woman. My mother knew that Meg was my pen pal. And she already. She knew that I was writing to her. I think me and her were walking to work. And I told her that I have bought the ticket and that I'm going to see Meg and that I was going to practice my English with her. She was cranky. She said, spend only two to three days and come back immediately. Oh, how I felt that morning. Wow. The most amazing thing was going to happen in my life. I was going to see Meg, the person that I yearned for so long. When I landed in the Barispol airport, I could barely walk and I felt like my legs are made of cotton. The first time when I saw her eyes, she wears glasses. I remember the first thought that hit me. She doesn't look anything like her pictures.

[Meg]

She recognizes Me immediately. And she just gets this incredible grin on her face. She puts her arms around me, and I put my arms around her. And she's taller than I expected.

[Elena]

It's like lightning went through me. I think I was so excited that I was ready to drop unconscious there.

[Meg]

She's actually kind of shaking. And I just remember holding her. And I think what I said was that, it's okay now. It's okay. We get to the apartment and there's Elena and I standing in the hallway and just sort of almost take each other in. That was interesting.

[Elena]

Awkward for me. It was very awkward. We didn't even know what to talk about at first. I remember thinking that I am obligated to kiss that woman. When we met for the first time, we both felt like there was so much expectations and there was so much pressure.

[Meg]

It was like one of those moments where you just stand in front of someone and you're just sort of. You paint them with your eyes. You take in every minute. Wow. It's real.

[Elena]

The day before I left for Kiev, I have written my parents a letter. And I hid it in my desk. In the letter, I said to my parents, I found the person I love. I am happy now we are going to meet. I simply wanted them to understand that there was nothing to worry about. And that was it. In fact, I remember even crying while typing. Actually felt very invigorating. Because I think obviously what it was, it was my coming out to my parents. I hid the letter in my desk before I left for Kiev. My idea was when I was going to be in Kiev, I would phone my mother and I will tell her that that's where it is and that I want her to read it.

[Meg]

Once the letter was out in the open, let's just say the guano hit the fan.

[Elena]

She phoned pretty much instantly. Yeah. My mother told me that she wants to see me. She wants to come to Kiev to see me and Meg and to see that I'm truly okay. And then I can just live my life the way I want. I didn't want to meet with her. I didn't want to expose Meg to her. I knew there would be conflict. But I. I was trained like a poodle to obey my mother. I thought, I have to. I remember it was March 1st. I remember the date well, when we came to the train station.

[Meg]

It's huge. It's gigantic.

[Elena]

We couldn't find her anywhere.

[Meg]

She's not there. We're looking around. The phone is ringing. Where are you?

[Glenn Washington]

Where are you?

[Elena]

She was Standing so far away from the building of the train station. And so I kind of thought, that's odd. Why would she be standing there?

[Meg]

She's standing on these platforms, like, quite a ways away, waving her arms up and down in slow motion. And the only way to get to them is there's these underground access tunnels.

[Elena]

And so I'm rushing to my mother and pulling Meg after me.

[Meg]

She's heading toward her mother quite quickly. And it's dark. It's very dark.

[Elena]

And I realize, uh, oh, this is an ambush.

[Meg]

She told me something's wrong. And she actually literally pushed me back. Her father jumps out of an adjoining stairway, and her parents grabbed her. Lena kind of sort of turns around and she's desperate. They were yelling at me, go away. They were yelling at Lena to shut up.

[Elena]

I told Meg to go back to apartment and wait for me there because I knew that with Meg around, my parents are gonna be. They simply gonna be nasty.

[Meg]

She's saying, it's fine. No, no problem. Just. Just go, go. And she just wanted me out. So I. You know, okay. So I did. I just left.

[Elena]

They brought me to the second floor of the McDonald's restaurant, barricaded me there with the tables to prevent me from leaving, telling me how awful I am, that nobody. Young people usually don't do things like that to their parents. And I was asking her, what exactly am I doing to you? I just want to be with Meg. And so my father slapped three train tickets back to Russia in front of me and said, that's it. You're going with us. I just imagined. I imagined me going back with them. And I realized, I will never see Meg again. I'm not letting these people do this to me. I will be with Meg. And that's what I told them. I told them, I'm not going with you. I was trying to stand up and leave. They were not letting me go.

[Meg]

My phone rings, and it's. I hear kind of muffled and banging and crashing. And then I hear Lena. All she's saying to me is. She's just. She's saying. She says, McDonald's train station. McDonald's. And then she says, I love you. She says it again, meg, I love you. And then silence.

[Glenn Washington]

Don't miss a moment. Snap judgment. The Kismet episode continues right after this break. Stay tuned. You know, I often think about that younger me. The guy who would howl in front of the ATM at the treachery of having his paycheck devoured by withdrawal fees, banking fees, fees on fees. That poor guy could have used Chime because Chime is fee free banking that changes the way people bank fee free and you get savings that grow faster with a 3.75% APY, nine times higher than the national average. Did I mention Chime Spotme which lets you overdraft up to $200 fee free. I could so use that. Chime is not just smarter banking, it's the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. Head to chime.com snap that is chime.com snap it only takes a few minutes to sign up. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for MyPay and Chime card provided by Chime Bank's partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges. Stated annual percentage yield and cash back for Chime prime only. No minimum balance required. Checking account ranking Based on a J.D. power survey published 10-20-20 for more information on APY rates, MyPay Spot Me and travel perks, go to Chime.com disclosures Welcome back to Snap Judgment. The Kismet episode when Lasby left One couple is desperately trying to communicate Sensitive listeners should know this story contains strong language and involves violence. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

[Meg]

She says, McDonald's train station. McDonald's. And then she says, meg, I love you. And then silence. It was like I had been slugged in the gut and I couldn't believe that I had left her. So I went back to the train station. I found McDonald's. I went up to the second floor. I see half the upstairs eating area is filled with people literally crammed up against one side of the restaurant and the other half of the restaurant is almost sort of empty except for Elena. Elena's a mess. She's got makeup running all over her face. She's crying and she's jammed against a wall in the corner. She's trying to stand up and her father shoves the table against her. I didn't know what to do, and all of a sudden a fist comes out of nowhere and just floors me. Her father, he was wild and the guy had just slugged me. I looked around at the people dining and everybody's just sitting there munching on their mchappy meals. I just said, you know, like malicia, we need the place. Nobody did anything. Her father then pulls out this photograph that I had sent, I had sent Lena, and he's showing it literally almost around the restaurant and saying, criminal, criminal. This is a criminal. You know, help us. This criminal is after us.

[Elena]

After the attack we got taken to the police station nearby. Being in police was a torture. It was so stupid. They held us there for so many hours.

[Meg]

I believe it was. They couldn't find anything to charge us with. And of course, I'd also paid the bribe, which is why I'm sure they

[Elena]

let us go a few days later. Obviously. I checked the bag. The passport was gone. Of course, I knew that. My mother took it. We went to Canadian consulate, got to

[Meg]

the embassy, and we spoke to one of the staff members. And when she was basically telling us that, you know, you're cooked in Kiev, you need to get out, She said the police were corrupt, that they would know where we were and that we should not go back to the apartment, that her parents would be dangerous. Her official position was, let us get you on an airplane and get you out of here. Canada would officially help evacuate me from Ukraine. Without a passport, they couldn't do anything for Elena.

[Interviewer]

You know, why didn't you just leave? Elena, you just met. You don't over a single thing. You know, you could have just left and been on your way.

[Meg]

Why didn't I do that? Well, I loved Lena. There was no way I was going to feed her to the jackals. The only way she could make it was with me. I knew what we had to do. First of all, get out of Kiev where they could find us. And second of all, then get out of Ukraine and find a way to Canada.

[Elena]

We had to find a way to get me to Canadian soil on our own, and nobody else would help us but ourselves.

[Meg]

There was only one other option, and that was to go underground. I had no idea what we were doing. We were like the Marx Brothers. We switched clothes, we colored our hair, we hung around the train station, and Lena approached women who looked like her and said, hey, do you want to sell your passport? We thought about stowing away on a freighter, buying an airplane, hiring people smugglers. The ideas that we were coming up with were. They were simply outrageous. But we were looking for any way out of this mess.

[Interviewer]

Why can't you go back to Russia and just get a visa there? You can go to a different city, you can apply for a visa and then just fly out.

[Elena]

I think what people don't understand what it actually takes for a Russian citizen to get a visa. I would say it's about 20 documents you have to provide. My parents tried to kidnap me. Part me with the love of my life, and why don't I just go back home and collect all those documents for visa? How stupid is this? I mean, you know, I was actually manhandled by these people.

[Meg]

She's sort of saying, well, what? What are we thinking of doing? And. And then it just kind of hit me. How about, let's buy a boat? We can get a sailboat and we can sail it down the river and out into the Black Sea. And then she's like, okay, yeah, yeah, okay. And I realize she doesn't understand a thing.

[Elena]

I really had no idea what she was talking about.

[Meg]

From Kiev, we took a taxi to Odessa. From Odessa, a plane to Turkey. In Turkey, they only let Lena have 60 days in the country, so there was no stopping. We had to go on.

[Elena]

We went to take a look at potential boats we could use to get to Canada. We took the boat out of the marina to see how it sails. So that was the time when I realized, oh, I'm gonna be really screwed now. I really had no idea what the ocean is like. I realized, so this bathtub is gonna take us all the way across all those oceans and seas to Canada. I physically was sick. I was terrified. I couldn't believe I'm gonna end up in this environment. I couldn't believe Mega was so damn happy buying it. And she was standing in the helm all shiny and happy. And I thought, my God, this woman is crazy.

[Meg]

Alana's got no money. Everything she's got is tied up by her mother, and she doesn't have two copecks to rub together. So there was no other choice. I mortgaged my house. We needed the boat. I think we needed the boat more than we needed the house. Our ultimate destination was Victoria, British Columbia, which is where I lived. We thought we were going to go from Marmaris non stop through the Straits of Gibraltar. We would see if we could get into the Panama Canal. We would then come up all the way through the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver. I estimated the trip would take probably eight months or so.

[Elena]

We knew it was pretty much impossible. We had a small boat. We wouldn't be allowed to ask a coast guard for help. We were not going to be allowed to dock at any country on the way. We absolutely knew that we could die.

[Interviewer]

So, like, did Elena understand what a greenhorn you were at this?

[Elena]

Yeah. Interesting question, huh?

[Meg]

I don't think so. I put on a pretty good act. I mean, I figured, okay, I had flown over a lot of ocean and I had looked down at it.

[Interviewer]

Did you know how to sail in the open ocean?

[Meg]

No.

[Interviewer]

And what's the longest that you had ever gone sailing at all without landing?

[Meg]

Few hours.

[Interviewer]

And like, what's the extent of all the research that you've done to really see that this is possible?

[Meg]

I read a book that I found at the Frankfurt airport, so I read that book.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so you read one book?

[Meg]

Oh, it's a pretty big book. I mean, it's pretty long.

[Elena]

We packed everything we could think of.

[Meg]

We packed over 2 metric tons of

[Elena]

food, tons of milk, tons of juice,

[Meg]

over 100 rolls of toilet paper, canned vegetables, almost 100 gallons of UHT milk, cookies, rice, pasta. I don't know why we had this, but we had literally great big bags of sealed Kalamata olives.

[Elena]

There was somehow there was this strange feeling that we can do anything. I realized that I can be master of my own life. And the fact that it was going to take just one year to get to Canada, it didn't bother me at all. I was not afraid anymore.

[Meg]

When we were leaving, we only had one Turkish tradesman come to see us off. And it was because there was some last minute welding to do. His name was Kamil. It sees this great big man and he was so worried. He was so worried about things. And he didn't speak much English and he was checking things on the boat and tugging at things and saying, good, strong, good. And then he'd pull on something else. Good, strong. The sun was setting, so the sky was all orange. The air was perfectly still. Heat is just starting to sort of settle down. Everything starts to almost refresh at that point and everything is incredibly quiet. Only the sound of the engine. And he gives us hugs and he helps push the boat out. We're were disappearing toward the breakwater in the marina. And he's standing there on the dock. He's holding these tools in his hands and he's just standing there and we can see that he has tears in his eyes.

[Elena]

I remember mostly leaving the harbor and I remember I was sitting, sitting in the cockpit and I was eating cookies with milk. And I was pretty upbeat. And I just couldn't believe, I thought, so special. I thought, oh my God, I'm just this little Russian girl, you know, who was supposed to be sitting at home raising babies. And here I am having this amazing journey with the woman I love. You see those two things? The person that I love. An amazing journey I thought would never happen in my life. And I felt so invigorated of, I felt so, so happy that I even forgot to be scared. And later the sun went down, Meg went down below, and then there was nothing but moon. I was completely alone, sitting at the helm, looking around me and realizing, wow, I'm sailing away from land on this stupid boat. And that was, I think, one of the scariest moments of my life. And I hated the world then because I realized I was saying goodbye to literally my entire life. And I realized that I was losing it all. With every single day and even hour that we were spending on the boat. We both were becoming more confident. We were learning how to sail. And I think fear eventually was going away, even for me. The boat is 46ft. The funny thing is it actually does not feel that big at all when you have to live in the thing. A small boat with small rooms and a lot of bruises.

[Interviewer]

Did you guys get on each other's nerves?

[Elena]

Oh, yeah. Meg is the messiest person in the world.

[Meg]

She goes into the bathroom to wash her face and it's like. It's like a water buffalo blew up in there.

[Elena]

Yeah, the boat is. It's actually indeed is very boring. Not much to do. I mean, I guess what saved us is having computers. They were entertaining us. I think we had some games. It was Sims. I don't know if you played it, but it's actually quite nice game because it allowed us to have a life among people and on land. I guess my favorite thing was to just. Just to create a home, you know, like, you have to build a house and then choose the furniture. That was wonderful. And I also love to feed her, you know, that character. And I like. I would. I like to order pizza and. And. And I remember, I think we actually had main character too, in the same village. And we would meet together and have fun. I think mostly what. What we were doing there in the game is watching television together and cuddling. Yeah, it's hilarious game.

[Meg]

I would say it's. It could be November. We left in. We left at the beginning of July. And, you know, by this time we're pretty seasoned sailors. There's not much wind. We're basically drifting along. So we're not used to seeing other boats except freighters. And they might sort of come and go kind of thing. And it's very light winds, barely moving, and it's a quiet morning. And this target starts showing up on the radar. And I don't know what it is because it's not moving like a freighter would, and it's moving fast and it's coming straight at us. I'm scanning the horizon with binoculars. I don't see it. I don't see it. Finally, it's about seven miles out and I start to see this little thing on the horizon. But what I see more than anything is this big cloud of smoke behind it. And it's not changing course.

[Elena]

Saw or experienced the boat approaching us so fast.

[Meg]

Please identify yourself. This is vessel. You know, whatever. And it was always just silence, silence, silence. There's no way we can outrun this thing. Nothing we can do. I had a fire extinguisher. That was the only thing I could think of as a defensive weapon. So we both go up and we sit in the cockpit and we wait.

[Elena]

And I think we were absolutely still statues frozen on the bench. I don't think we made a sound. I don't think we moved. And the only parts of our bodies that moved was head and eyeballs.

[Meg]

And this vessel comes over the horizon and it's making just this ungodly racket. So it's this big steel patrol boat. It's probably 50ft long. It's got lots of rust all over the place. And it cuts its engines, it slows down and it starts circling us. On the front of it, it's got a tripod mounted machine gun with a guy standing behind it. There's other guys standing on the deck with various weapons and they're. They're not saying a thing. And they're sort of looking down and they bring this boat back to an idle and they circle us slowly, just at idle. Chug.

[Glenn Washington]

Chug. Chug.

[Meg]

Chug. Chug. Chug.

[Elena]

Chug.

[Glenn Washington]

Chug.

[Meg]

Chug, chug. And our little boat's bobbing away in the, in. In the waves that they made. They didn't say anything. We didn't say anything. Everybody just stared. Circle us two or three times. Somebody from the flybridge, I assume it was the captain. He also was carrying a gun. He just snapped something. The engines on that boat revved up and it just tore off. It just went back across the horizon and left us alone. We both, we just. We just went below and I think we crawled into bed and held onto each other and just shook.

[Elena]

We are in the North Pacific. We almost there.

[Meg]

We were two weeks away out of ten months of hell at sea.

[Elena]

I would say that, like, water was boiling. It was nothing but black.

[Meg]

We're basically a thousand miles off San Francisco. We're not supposed to be there. Nobody is supposed to be there. Certainly not in a little boat. And we're climbing north, climbing north. It's one gale after another. And they're relentless. They go on for days. We were making 10 miles north and 5 miles back. 10 miles north and 5 miles back. We know something's going to happen. We know the cold fronts are coming down on us like freight trains, and we know there's a Pacific storm just waiting for us.

[Elena]

The wind picked up.

[Meg]

It got to over 55 knots, and it overwhelmed Lena. She lost control of the boat. The boat goes over on its side, so it's basically being dragged sideways through the water. And all of this stuff is on top of my books, clothes, tools, whatnot. And I wake up, and I sort of hear this muffled screaming through the headphones. So I make my way to the cockpit, and Lena is hanging onto the wheel. There's water coming up against the deck. The cockpit is full of water. Everything's crashing and falling. She's screaming. Water is coming down through the companionway, and we're dragging more of it in. And I know the heavier it gets, the further into the water it's gonna sink. Elena was frozen solid on the wheel. She was terrified. She was paralyzed. And she. She sort of comes too.

[Elena]

I realized that I cannot. I cannot turn the wheel. It does not. My strength is not enough. I guess at that point in time, I thought, well, this is it. The water is very close. And that's probably. That's probably the end. And. And I think I kind of got stuck in this situation, in this. In this thought. And I was just staring at that, at the red compass. There was a compass right there behind the wheel. And I don't know for how long I was staring at it.

[Meg]

I jumped for the wheel. I grabbed it, wrenched it out of her hands, basically, once again started swearing at her to get the sails down. Release the goddamn mainsheet. Get the wind out of it now, or we're going to die.

[Elena]

And I was ripping that cloth. I was pulling it down to me. I remember my hands, the knuckles hurt so much. I think I actually bled. And how I got it down, I don't know, but I did. We turned back, I went down below, and I was staring at the blue. Blue flames of that heater we had. I think Meg was in the cockpit for a while. And I remember sitting there crying like crazy, and I was completely wet, and, God, the boat was in shambles.

[Meg]

There was a foot of water down below. The floorboards are soaking, and the electrical system is shot. Everything is. I mean, it was literally, we were wrecked at that point. We're just talking, and the decision was, was we're gonna die if we keep going, and yet we're not gonna make it if we turn around. I told her I thought we could. And so over the next few days, we slowly put the boat back together, and we turned back into that wind, and we made it.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about the moment you landed.

[Meg]

The actual moment we landed was in the middle of the night. It was intensely quiet. It was absolutely surreal. I couldn't actually believe it. And your brain is telling you something's wrong. And I'm looking out the windows, and I'm seeing lights. I'm seeing street lights, and I'm seeing stuff. I'm actually hearing traffic noise. We can see the lights of Victoria. They're all spread out. I mean, that's it. That's my hometown. It's just like, wow. I figure no matter what happens now, we're good.

[Elena]

Finally, after so many months, I smelled something. It was land, and I think it was dirt. We tied it to a dock. I jumped on it. I made a few steps, and the dock was moving under my feet. Only then I realized, this is it. I indeed got here. It's strange. More than anything, what was strange is to see the boat from distance. And so when you actually walk away from it and look back, it stunned me. It looked small. And I couldn't believe that this thing got us all the way to Canada. I feel a lot about this boat. It's my blood, sweat, and tears. And. And this is really my home.

[Meg]

And we're still on the same damn bo.

[Glenn Washington]

Very special thanks to Elena and Meg, who are still traveling on their boat. Elena has written a book about their adventure. It's called Talking to the Moon. She and Meg also have a website where they've mapped their journey to the smallest detail. Find out more at Stamp Judgment. The original score on that story was by Leon Morimoto. The piece was produced by Liz Mack. When Snapchat returns. You always hear about the people who are gonna change the world with art. But what if someone actually does? When the Kismet episode continues. Stay tuned. Welcome back to Snap Judgment, the Kismet episode. My name is Glenn Washington, and today we're exploring those remarkable times in life when things seem a little bit too fixed, too planned, too faded. Our next story is about music, but don't put on your dancing shoes quite yet. A Hungarian composer, he dreamed of changing the world with music. Please note, this story does allude to some mature content. It contains strong language and involves suicide and violence. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

[Laszlo Morosi]

I remember when I was five, my dad was playing the piano in the next room from my bed, and I heard that beautiful melody that just touched me immediately. The next morning. What was that song that you were playing yesterday? He Said that you are still little one. So please don't even think about. Forget it. When you will be adult, it will be okay. But now it's not.

[Narrator]

That's Laszlo Marosi, a Hungarian music conductor. He's talking about a song composed by Rezo Sheres in the early 1930s.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Rezo Sheres was growing up in a very poor Jewish family in Hungary. But he didn't go to school to learn the piano. Just was sitting from the VPN and with right hand started to discover the keyboard. What kind of sound is coming from what note?

[Narrator]

There's not much known about Sharas early life except that he aspired to become a famous songwriter. So he did what other aspiring songwriters did. He moved to Paris.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Paintings, arts, theater, everything. Paris was the center. He had his girlfriend with him. So he thought that the doors of life are opening for him.

[Narrator]

In Paris, Cherish composed many songs, many of them now unheard of. He was trying to live the life of a big time composer. But there was one problem. He was not a big time composer.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Everyone thought, who is this amateur? He didn't really succeed in Paris. He did not succeed at all.

[Narrator]

His girlfriend nagged him constantly, telling him to give up his dream, get a 9 to 5 job. But he wouldn't have it. Either he'd become a successful songwriter and change the world or he'd live out on the streets.

[Laszlo Morosi]

When she saw that he didn't become famous, he didn't get the money, he didn't succeed the way how they expected. So she just said okay, bye bye.

[Narrator]

And bye bye went the love of his life. The day after their breakup, which happened to be a Sunday, Cherish found himself alone in his apartment. Like the many fruitless times before, he started tapping away at the piano, trying to capture the emotions from the fresh breakup.

[Laszlo Morosi]

And that moment in that gloomy afternoon on that Sunday, a sad and mysterious melody started to appear in the mind of Sheres.

[Narrator]

Inspired by the melody, his poet friend helped him write the lyrics. They would call the song Somoru Vasharna or Gloomy Sunday.

[Laszlo Morosi]

The beginning of the song, a beautiful inviting dark sound with those ascending arpeggio of a minor ch. All together. The melody, the phrasings, the text that he uses there to describe his pain and his sadness is just so lovely. And it's a very sympathetic way. Stated everything, no complaining, still offering the love. I know that you left me, I know this all, but please know that I love you forever and my love can't be stopped. Even if I am dead, don't close my Eyes. Because my love will still go through my dead eyes. Beautiful.

[Narrator]

Cherish went to many different publishers to try to get his song recorded. They all turned him down, saying that his song was just too emojis. But finally he got his break and is recorded by the top Hungarian pop singer Paul Kalmar and many others. The rest is history.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Lowest level of society till the top. Everyone loved that song. Everyone was singing it. The radio played it in the 30s almost every day. Everywhere where we went, there was no one social gathering. And the Gloomy Sunday was not a song.

[Narrator]

Gloomy Sunday resonated all around the world. People in England, Germany, France, America, they were all singing it.

[Laszlo Morosi]

You will forget all your pain and you will be just sad, very sad. But it's a beautiful sadness. And you can cry and those tears will come clear your mind. It's beautiful. I love that.

[Narrator]

Sharas dream of becoming famous had finally come true. And perhaps now he could win back his girlfriend's love. But that's when it started to happen.

[Laszlo Morosi]

People started committing suicide.

[Narrator]

There's the story of a Hungarian shoemaker who left a note at the scene of his suicide quoting some of the Gloomy Sunday lyrics.

[Laszlo Morosi]

In Vienna, a teenage girl drowned herself by clutching a piece of the song's shit music.

[Narrator]

One man shot himself after telling relatives he couldn't get that song out of his head.

[Laszlo Morosi]

A woman in London overdosed listening to a record of the song Skip over and over and over and over and over.

[Narrator]

A young shopkeeper in Berlin hung herself in her apartment. The sheet music to Gloomy Sunday in her bedroom.

[Laszlo Morosi]

We don't even know the exact number because not everyone was discovered.

[Narrator]

At least 19 suicides have been linked to the song, although many claim hundreds. We'll never know. Others say the Great Depression had a role in the deaths as well. Soon the song became widely known as the Hungarian suicide song and was banned on BBC radio. When asked about his infamous song, Sheresh

[Laszlo Morosi]

said, I stand in the midst of this deadly success as an accused man. This fatal fame hurts me. I cried all my disappointments of my heart into this song. And it seems that others with feelings like mine have found their own hurts in it.

[Narrator]

So the story goes. Cherish tried finding his ex lover who had inspired him to write Gloomy Sunday. But to his horror, she too had taken her own life with poison.

[Laszlo Morosi]

And she had the music Gloomy Sunday with her. Basically, he the composer says that I am ready to die for you because I love you so much. Even if you don't love me. I have to tell you that I love you more than you can imagine because I'm ready to die for you. And I think the girl killed herself. She demonstrated that she's the same as he stated in the text. It's a very, very good Shakespearean topic.

[Narrator]

Many years later, after World War II and disappearing from the spotlight, a heartbroken sheriff finally surrendered to the curse of his song. As proclaimed in the climax, my heart

[Laszlo Morosi]

and I have decided to end it all. He jumped out of his window of his apartment, but he survived. But while recovering in the hospital, he choked himself to death.

[Narrator]

Was that really necessary?

[Laszlo Morosi]

Why do you think? Did he have a choice? If he wrote that song, this was the only way how he could demonstrate that he was serious. He wouldn't be faithful to himself if he wouldn't have done that. He needed to do that and he knew that. And he did.

[Narrator]

Cherish may now be dead, but his song's haunting legacy lives on. Gloomy Sunday has been recorded over 80 times, covered by Billie Holiday to Elvis Costello to Bjork. Although they've tied act on an extra verse to make the song pg, apparently the death mentioned in its lyrics was just a dream.

[Laszlo Morosi]

Oh no, it's a cheating. You can't say after Romeo and Juliet. Oh, sorry, I was just kidding. Wait a second. You are not kidding. It's part of the human life. You can't have everything happy. And he should come back and just tear those pages to pieces.

[Narrator]

What about you? I mean, you're a Hungarian musician. What does this song mean for you?

[Laszlo Morosi]

So what it meant for me? Something beautiful dishes that came to my mind. Not the sadness, not the drama, but beautiful, beautifully sad. If I would have the chance to die, I would do that. Commit suicide with this song. Put it on and. Yeah, I just haven't decided which day. Not yet.

[Glenn Washington]

Thank you so very much to Laszlo Morosi for telling us that story. That piece was produced by Davey Kim. Here's the good news. More amazing Snap Judgment storytelling awaits. If you even missed a moment, get yourself the Snap Judgment podcast for free tunein itunes, Google play radio public snapjudgment.org now the bad news. There's no bad news. Snap was produced by the team that never says never. Give it up for the uber producer, Mark Riskich, the man with plan. Pat Messini Miller Anna shaken not stirred. Sesame Liz stirred and not shaking. Mac Joe to the Rosenberg. Renzo can't go yo. Leon says Morimoto Adeza Egan can only juggle one ball at a time. Eliza do run Ron Smith Shayna knows Sheila Tail da Cot dresses conservatively, and Jasmine Aguilera will see you now. Word on the street is that this, this is not the news. No way is this the news. In fact, you would see a bunch of people running in the same direction, then bravely turn around and face the danger, thereby rendering yourself extinct. And though we would remember you fondly, you would still not be as far away from the news as this is. But this is prx.