AI Summary
5 min readThe NoSleep Podcast S25E07: Trapped in Cycles of Time, Memory, and Darkness
The episode opens with host David Cummings reflecting on how time can feel like a trap—"a series of repeated actions" where past, present, and future bleed together. The three stories that follow each explore a different kind of inescapable cycle: one engineered by a war machine, one self-inflicted through obsessive time travel, and one hidden beneath a grandfather's basement. All three protagonists discover that some doors, once opened, cannot be closed again.
The Recruitment Trap: Assimilation as a One-Way Door
The first story, by David Sharp, follows two boys in a waiting room. James is excited—he's been reading about the war effort's "assimilation" program, where scientists build giant metal suits and battle droids. But the droids were too dumb, so they figured out they needed "a person inside. Not the whole person, just the brain and the gooey parts to keep it alive." James explains to the terrified Thomas that they start with the legs, then the arms, then "everything else they don't need. And then bam, you're a battle droid with a laser."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:34) **Episode Introduction & Theme** - Host David Cummings welcomes listeners to the October season and introduces the episode's theme of being trapped in cycles.
- 2 (03:35) **Story 1: "Assimilation" by David Sharp** - Two young boys in a waiting room discuss their different perspectives on joining a war effort through a terrifying procedure.
- 3 (11:15) **Ad Break** - A brief intermission for sponsor messages.
- 4 (13:09) **Story 2: "The Bench in the Park" by Juan Cardenas** - A man recounts his lifelong obsession with a magical bench that allows him to travel through time and meet his younger self.
- 5 (27:04) **Ad Break** - A second intermission for sponsor messages.
- 6 (28:23) **Story 3: "Subterranean" by D. Corissus** - A man inherits his grandfather's old shack in a mining town and discovers a terrifying labyrinth of tunnels beneath the basement.
- 7 (78:37) **Episode Closing & Credits** - David Cummings wraps up the episode and thanks the production team.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
It's Episode 07 of Season 25. The frequency of fear brings you cyclical psych-outs.
"Supposed to play Puckball" by David Sharpe (Story starts around 00:03:45)
TRIGGER WARNING!
Produced by Jeff Clement
Cast: Narrator - Graham Rowat, James - Jeff Clement, Tom - Elie Hirschman, Orderly - Mary Murphy
"Out in the Park After Dark" by Juan Cardenas (Story starts around 00:13:25)
Produced by Claudius Moore
Cast: Narrator - Peter Lewis
"Subterranean" by D. Corisis (Story starts around 00:27:40)
TRIGGER WARNING!
Produced by Jesse Cornett
Cast: Narrator - Dan Zappulla, Grandpa - Graham Rowat
"The Flooding Problem" by Michael Miersen (Story starts around 01:15:30)
Produced by Phil Michalski
Cast: Mark - Kyle Akers, Del - Atticus Jackson, Sarah - Sarah Ruth Thomas
"There Is a Doorway" by Jacquelynn Lyon (Story starts around 01:43:00)
Produced by Phil Michalski
Cast: Darlene - Linsay Rousseau, Dad - Atticus Jackson, Bethany’s Mom - Nikolle Doolin, Bethany’s - Danielle McRae, Olivia - Mary Murphy, Honey - Nichole Goodnight, Other Girl - Sarah Ruth Thomas, Craig - Elie Hirschman, Boss - Wafiyyah White, Intern - Katabelle Ansari, Gary - Jeff Clement
This episode is sponsored by:
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Click here to learn more about The NoSleep Podcast team
Click here to learn more about D. Corisis
Executive Producer & Host: David Cummings
Musical score composed by: Brandon Boone
"Subterranean" illustration courtesy of Miggea
The NoSleep Podcast is Human-made for Human Minds. No generative AI is used in any aspect of work.
Audio program ©2026 - Creative Reason Media - The copyrights for each story are held by the respective authors. No duplication or reproduction of this audio program is permitted without the written consent of Creative Reason Media. No part of this audio program may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artif
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