Podcast Summary: “Whence Came You” by Quiet, Please
The Horror! (Old Time Radio) | February 14, 2026

Overview

This episode of The Horror! features the renowned old-time radio drama "Whence Came You" from the series Quiet, Please (original airing February 16, 1948). The host sets the stage for a tale steeped in the supernatural, mystery, and the ancient secrets of Egypt, embodied through the haunting experiences of an archaeologist drawn into buried histories—and cursed destinies.

Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

1. Arrival in Cairo & Reunion with an Old Friend

• Austin, the protagonist and skilled archaeologist, narrates his return to Cairo after years traveling the East. Settling into Shepherd's Hotel, he reconnects with Abe Feldman, an old friend and journalist.

• Their friendly banter evokes nostalgia for Chicago, but also quickly pivots the story toward the strange and uncanny.

  "You look skinnier. Well, you go out and dig holes out there for six months, lads. You take off some of that fat, too."
  — Abe Feldman (04:34)

2. Encounter with the Mysterious Woman

• In the hotel bar, Abe notices a beautiful, enigmatic woman waiting for Austin—a figure described as hauntingly reminiscent of ancient Egyptian royalty. She repeatedly vanishes before he can approach.

  "She was no Egyptian native. She might have descended from one of the marvelously lifelike paintings of a queen of the Hathor dynasty... her eyes were black, her hair cut in the manner of the days of the shepherd kings."
  — Austin (06:01)

• Austin repeatedly senses the scent of funeral spices—cinnamon, myrrh, and spikenard—permeating his room, evoking memories of his past excavations.

3. At the Excavation Site: Layers of History

• Austin and Abe go to the archaeological site, discussing the process of uncovering cities built atop one another and the tragic necessity of destroying surface remains to reach deeper, older layers.

  "Almost every village and town in the east is different periods of time. There may be any number of cities built about the ruins of another."
  — Austin (13:25)

• Abe marvels at the persistence of ancient faces and wonders about their stories, leading to a startling find: a wall painting that perfectly matches the mysterious woman from the hotel.

  "How racial characteristics persist through centuries in Egypt... but you wouldn't blame me for feeling my hackles rise a little at this uncanny resemblance."
  — Austin (16:03)

4. Discovery of the Ancient Tomb

• Martin Weaver, the excavation lead, reveals that they’ve found a new passage into a lower, older city. They agree to open it together.

• The team uses heavy machinery to lift a colossal 70-ton sandstone slab, uncovering a long-sealed chamber.

  "That air you're breathing, Abe, was breathed by pharaohs long before Moses led his people out of this country."
  — Austin (17:21)

5. Catastrophe in the Tomb

• Eager, Abe enters the tomb prematurely. Moments later, chaos ensues as the massive slab falls, trapping and ultimately killing him in a horrific, unseen attack.

  "He thought it was a snake. No snake did that... I saw a pigeon once that a hawk had been at."
  — Austin (19:59)

6. The Curse of Osiris

• The group discovers a mummy case opened—impossibly—during Abe's ordeal. Within lies a body clothed in gold cloth with the head of a hawk: the god Osiris himself.

  "A tall man in a robe of gold cloth... Not a man's head. The head of a hawk... Osiris, the brother husband of Isis, the founder of the world's first empire. Osiris, who was murdered 16,000 years ago."
  — Austin (20:37)

• As dawn breaks, strange inscriptions and paintings reveal the story of Osiris, Isis, and their daughter—the woman whose face haunts Austin.

  "There were secrets there that men would give their lives to possess today... I'd seen it before in the lobby of Shepherd's Hotel."
  — Austin (22:01)

7. Imprisonment and Supernatural Rescue

• The tomb's slab swings shut again, trapping Austin and Martin inside. In the pitch dark, eerie touches and whispers—alongside the suffocating scent of funeral spices—signal supernatural intervention.

• Martin is silently lost in the darkness. Austin is led by a gentle hand and a strange, comforting voice towards another chamber.

• He finds a sarcophagus with a familiar face (Osiris’ daughter), alongside an inscription:

  "Be not afraid, Austin."
  — Inscription (23:58)

  "I have freed you, Austin. Now free me."
  — Inscription (24:34)

• Terrified yet compelled, Austin nearly opens the coffin, but stops as the figure on it suddenly has the head of a hawk.

• The episode ends ambiguously: Austin sits in the flickering light, paralyzed by fear and awe.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the eerie persistence of the past:
  “I could have told him what the incense was. I smelled cinnamon and myrrh and spikenard too often not to recognize it instantly...”
  — Austin (11:44)

• On discovering the woman’s face in the painting:
  “You know what I saw? You know whose portrait was painted on the edge of the slab... here was the face of the woman who waited for me.”
  — Austin (16:14)

• On witnessing the unexplainable in the tomb:
  “I hope I shall never see the like of that again... And his head? Not a man’s head. The head of a hawk.”
  — Austin (20:26)

• Martin’s bravery in darkness:
  “Martin Weaver was a very brave man. Martin Weaver didn’t scream and cry in the heavy dark. Martin Weaver talked to me quietly.”
  — Austin (23:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06 – Chilling introduction and mood-setting monologue
• 01:52 – Austin’s return to Cairo; reunion with Abe
• 06:01 – Description of the mysterious woman
• 11:44 – Incense and premonitions of death in the hotel
• 13:25 – Archaeological explanation; approach to the dig
• 16:14 – Uncanny painting of the mystery woman
• 17:21 – Site preparations; uncovering the tomb
• 19:10 – Abe’s fatal descent into the tomb
• 20:26 – The horrifying discovery of Osiris’ mummy
• 22:01 – Reading the ancient inscriptions; supernatural implications
• 23:20 – Imprisoned and facing the ancient curse
• 24:34 – Final supernatural encounter; ambiguous ending

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode masterfully blends the dry wit and camaraderie of its American leads with mounting dread, culminating in an atmosphere that is at once scholarly, existential, and chillingly supernatural. The language is lush, detailed, and evocative, balancing archaeological realism with mythic horror.

If you missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the journey from an archaeologist’s casual return to Cairo, through a fateful encounter that blurs the border between ancient legend and modern life, ending in terror beneath the sands of Egypt—where the past is never truly buried.

For more haunting stories, visit relicradio.com. And as always: leave the lights on.