Not Today, Hades!
6/7/202659 min
Regular people trapped inside Greek myths.
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Prologue: When a mysterious, ripped-open package arrives on Pablo's doorstep, he takes it as a sign. (4 minutes)Act One: Pablo flies closer to the sun. (14 minutes)Act Two: In Greek mythology, there's Hades, where everyone goes when they die. You have to cross the river Styx to get there, and there’s a gate with this three-headed dog. He’s guarding the entrance and he’s supposed to make sure only actual dead people enter. This story is about a real p...
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Ike Sriskandarajah· Host0:30
From WBEZ Chicago, it's This American Life. I'm Ike Sriskandarajah in for Ira Glass. Pablo, does this feel like a Icarus story to you?
Pablo Manriquez· Guest0:43
Maybe. Potentially.
Ike Sriskandarajah· Host0:45
What part?
Pablo Manriquez· Guest0:47
Well, Icarus dies. Not that part.
Ike Sriskandarajah· Host0:53
[upbeat music] This is Pablo Manriquez, and he recently survived his own personal Greek tragedy. He's a reporter in Washington, DC. I've known him for years, and this all began when a ripped open package showed up on his front stoop.
Pablo Manriquez· Guest1:11
It's late winter 2022. I find a box outside of my apartment. Inside is a canvas, a couple, like four, the four primary colors, a paintbrush, and a palette. It just seemed like a sign.
Ike Sriskandarajah· Host1:27
Yeah.
Pablo Manriquez· Guest1:27
So- And that's like, what's the