Aaron recounts a mysterious encounter with what seemed to be the Virgin Mary and delves into the importance of proper endings in storytelling. Using the infamous Montreal Screwjob orchestrated by Vince McMahon as an example, this episode critiques unfinished narratives and celebrates the art of delivering a satisfying conclusion.
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Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
TRANSCRIPT
Aaron Calafato
I came around the corner, and it stopped me in my tracks. I had never experienced anything like this because I'm a pretty logical, empirical person. And so when I saw it, I blinked maybe three times to try to clear the haze or the confusion from my eyes. And it just got clearer. I was looking at what appeared to be a vision of the Virgin Mary.
Now, this story is not going to go the way you think it's going to go. But I promise you, I’ll tell you what happens—right after the music.
The reason why I started by saying, "I promise you an ending to the story at the top of the show," comes from a frustration I have with so many streaming services and shows. Too often, they end abruptly because the show is canceled out of the blue. They’re in the middle of this narrative, or they end on a cliffhanger, and they screw up the finish. You pay for these services, they create these shows, and you're just supposed to say, "Hey, you know what? Sometimes stories end that way."
But here's the thing—they actually don’t.
In most other mediums, a story doesn't just stop. A book doesn’t end abruptly on page 57 if it’s supposed to end on page 108. When’s the last time you went to Barnes and Noble, bought a book, and were reading through it only to discover blank pages in the middle? Or you're listening to an audiobook, and it cuts off halfway through a chapter? That’s not how stories are supposed to work.
Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll always get the ending you want. You might have loved or hated the way Lost ended, or how The Sopranos ended. But at least they attempted to end the story. They delivered on their part. Whether or not you liked it is up to you.
That brings me to two instances I still can’t get over. The first is a moment in professional wrestling, and the second is a canceled show on HBO Max. And don’t worry—I’ll circle back to the Virgin Mary story.
The first is the infamous Montreal Screwjob. Have you heard of it? Bret "The Hitman" Hart was leaving the WWF—now WWE—for WCW. He wanted his final match in Montreal, his home country, to be respectful. He spoke with Vince McMahon, the owner, and they agreed on a plan: Bret would win his final match and lose the title belt the next day. But Vince secretly changed the plan without telling him, embarrassing Bret in front of his fans. It’s one of the most infamous moments in wrestling history—a complete betrayal.
The second is HBO Max’s Raised by Wolves. It was an amazing sci-fi show with layers of mythology, technology, and faith. But right before a big reveal, HBO pulled the plug, leaving fans hanging. They’d spent seasons building up mysteries, only for it all to be cut short. No closure, no respect for the audience.
So, here’s my pitch to streamers: If you greenlight a show, include a one-hour conclusion clause. Even if you cancel a series, let the creators tie things up for the audience. It shows you care about the people paying for your service.
Now, let me make sure I don’t screw up this story.
I was playing capture the flag late at night when I came around the corner and saw what looked like the Virgin Mary. I’m not religious, but I couldn’t deny what I was seeing. It became clearer and clearer as I got closer. I was just 12 inches away when I finally realized what it was: a ladder, draped with a white pool towel, reflecting the faint blue light from the pool.
I stood there for what felt like forever, trying to wrap my head around it. I knew what I had seen and what was real, but the experience left me with more questions than answers. And like any good story, that’s the beauty of an ending—it doesn’t have to tie everything up neatly. It just has to respect the audience enough to end.
