10 Ghost Stories - A Monstrous Marathon of Haunting Horrors!

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Hello, my Spookyes, I've got
something very very special and ghostly for you.

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Consider it a good Friday gift.
This is the first ever mega compilation,

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ten of the most spine tingling ghost
stories ever released here at weekly Spooky

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for your listening pleasure nearly four hours
if you dare take them all on.

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So get yourself comfortable. There's a
lot of fear coming your way, just

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for your ears. Get ready to
hear things that go bump in the night

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and know it wasn't just the neighbor's
cat making that noise. Some things live

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in the darkness and they're waiting for
you and me. So prepare yourself for

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a massive dose of ghost stories right
here after these quick words. The Spirit

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of Langley Pond by Charles Campbell,
Summer nineteen eighty one. Elena Ann Sanders

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swam for all she was worth.
She could hear the echo of her mother's

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sentiment in her mind. Don't get
into any trouble. Call me if you

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need me to come get you.
No questions asked. Elena wished she had

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listened to her mother instead. It
was nearly midnight and she was swimming for

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her life to shore. Elena was
beginning to think she was going to make

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it. She was going to see
her mother again. The crack of a

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gunshot was the last sound Elena heard
before the darkness of the water claimed her.

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Langley Pond was going to be her
summer two Thoy twenty one. Langley

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Pond had changed quite a bit in
the last forty years, being billed as

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the largest pond in North America,
it was nearly the size of a lake.

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No longer were clay mudslides used as
makeshift boat ramps. Now there were

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full fledged, paved boat ramps descending
into the water. There were designated picnic

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areas spread around the shoreline, along
with a few cabins that were rented nearly

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every weekend. It was almost ten
o'clock at night and the humidity of the

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day still hung in the air.
Brianna Turner glanced at her cell phone.

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It was eighty two degrees. Ugh, I can't believe how hot it is,

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Brianna said. She peeled a strand
of sweat stuck hair from her forehead

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and grinned at her boyfriend, Andy
Spires. Andy smiled back and said,

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yeah, it was over one hundred
today. Thought we might get a little

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relief by being near the water,
and all, guess not. At least

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we have the cabin with the window
unit. That's a plus. You're right,

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that's a plus. Brianna agreed.
They both turned toward the woods when

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they heard snapping twigs and shuffling feet. Hey, Frog, y'all catch anything,

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Andy asked when he saw Frog Spradley
and his girl of the week,

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Jenny Coggins clear the tree line into
their sight. Had a few nibbles,

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but nothing big. Threw them all
back, Frog said, Jenny smiled,

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but she didn't look all that happy
to be trapesing through the woods. Good

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thing we brought beanie weenies. Then, Andy said, Jenny gave him the

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you can't be serious look, and
Frog replied, damn man, you are

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a lifesaver. Beanie weenies are the
shit. I thought I'd have to break

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out the vienna sausages and saltine crackers. Hey, Jenny, you want to

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go in the cabin and cool off, Brianna asked, yes. Jenny shouted

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it was hot, she was sticky, and if this excursion with Frog taught

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her anything, she was definitely an
inside girl. The boys watched as the

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girls walked into the cabin, Okay, Frog, where'd you find that one?

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Andy asked. Frog gave him a
sneaky smile and sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.

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Come on, man, I don't
recognize her. She ain't one of

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your usual valley honeys. She's from
Martinez. Frog whispered. Why are you

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whispering? She can't hear us out
here? What in the world were you

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doing in Martinez? And how'd you
get her? She looks too sophisticated to

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be stomping around Langley Pond, especially
with you the prints of the valley.

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She don't know nothing about the valley, does she? Andy asked, Well

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she does now? I told her
about the spirit of Langley Pond. Frog

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replied, you didn't, and she
hasn't left screaming, not yet. Maybe

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it's because her phone died while we
were fishing. She seemed more interested in

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whatever was on Instagram or Facebook than
catching a catfish inside the cabin. Oh

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my god, that ac feels fantastic, Jenny said, and stuck her face

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in front of the window unit.
It was turned all the way up,

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and Jenny's sandy blonde hair blue behind
her, like she was riding on the

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back of a motorcycle. Yeah,
it's the only cabin out here with one.

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Andy Sprang for the extra sixty bucks
said it would be worth it to

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sleep in comfort, and he ain't
wrong. It's sticky as hell outside.

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How long you and Frog been seeing
each other? Oh? I just met

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him yesterday. Where are you from? You ain't from the valley valley?

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What's the valley, Jenny asked?
You're in it, Brianna answered, and

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continued. You know that main road
you took to get here, the one

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that went through a bunch of little
bitty towns. Yeah, Jenny replied and

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turned to face Brianna. Brianna was
grinning and her brown eyes were gleaming.

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Jenny really paid attention to Brianna for
the first time, and she had this

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country girl pretty thing going for.
She looked like she could be fun in

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the sack, but could kick your
ass out of it if necessary. Well,

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that road is four twenty one and
for twenty one is the valley Rednecks

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for as far as the eye can
see. And you got yourself what we

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call a valley prince, that right? Why is he a prince? He's

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a Spradley and Spradley's have been around
the valley for as long as anybody can

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remember. Everybody calls him Frog.
I don't even know if that's his given

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name, but I know his daddy
was called Frog, and his daddy's daddy

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was called Frog. They owned several
businesses in the valley. His brother Ricky

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owns Valley Video. His other brother, Johnny, owns Spradley's filling Station in

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Langley. His sister Darnell Well,
she owns a beauty shop in Gloverville named

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Can you guess Spradley's Beauty Shop?
Jenny asked as she shrugged her shoulders.

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Yep, nailed it. So if
you're from the valley, you know who

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the Spradleys are. Oh really,
that's good to know. So what do

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you know about this spirit he was
telling me about while we were fishing?

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He didn't tell you about the spirit
of Langley Pond. Please tell me he

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didn't try to scare you with that
story, Brianna suppressed a chuckle. He

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did, and it did freak me
out a bit. Is there any truth

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behind it? From what I've heard, these local legends start with a grain

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of truth somewhere, and that grain
grows and gets exaggerated over the years.

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That's kind of what I'm thinking.
Am I wrong? Should I be afraid

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of a ghost in the pond?
Jenny asked. Brianna smiled and motioned for

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Jenny to take a seat in the
living room. Yeah, I know about

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the grain that started the story.
It was something that really happened about forty

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years ago. It went something like
this summer nineteen eighty one. It was

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Friday morning and Elena bit her mother
farewell for the weekend. Her mother's voice

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issued a lifeline as Elena walked out
the door to meet her boyfriend, Dustin

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Hines. Don't get into any trouble. Call me if you need me to

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come get you. No questions asked. Elena told her mother not to worry

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and that she would be home on
Sunday night. Hey, babe, Dustin

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said. As Elena hopped into his
forward pickup. She leaned over and gave

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Dustin a quick kiss before she pounded
the dashboard, which meant it was time

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to burn rubber. Dustin pulled out
of the driveway and be lined to beld

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the deer Clearwater road. Finally,
Elena shouted she was ready to have a

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weekend alone with Dustin. They had
been talking about it for the better part

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of six months. Elena leaned her
head out of the open window to feel

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the wind in her face. Hey, babe, watch out for telephone poles.

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You don't want to get your head
knocked off. It would really uh

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put a damper on the weekend,
Dustin said, as he tugged on Elena's

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arm. Okay, okay, I'm
just excited, that's all I know.

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It's just Langley Pond, Just Langley
Pond, Just Langley Pond. You know,

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it's the pride of the valley,
Dustin said. He looked at Elena

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with his blue eyes and he could
see her melt just a little. You're

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laying on a little thick there,
ain't you. Everybody knows Richardson's Lake is

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the pride of the valley, she
said, enamored with her man. I

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beg to differ. You can't put
a boat on Richardson's Lake. And I

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really don't know how they can call
that tiny mud puddle a lake anyway.

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Langley Pond should be a lake.
I mean it's as big as one.

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Speaking of boats, Elena interrupted,
does your daddy still have that John boat

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at Langley Pond? He does,
Dustin smiled, trolling motor in the back

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of the truck. Dustin answered sweet, Elena replied. The pair rowed in

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silence for the next nine minute.
Elena hopped out of the truck as soon

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as it rolled to a stop just
inside the confines of Langley Pond. I

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can't wait to jump in the water, Elena screamed and shed her clothing as

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fast as she could, revealing her
bathing suit underneath. Dang, girl,

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you ain't gonna wait for me to
put up the tent, Dustin asked the

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air. Elena was already splashing in
the water. Dustin set up the two

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person tent and pulled the trolling motor
from the back of the truck. Elena

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swam to shore when she saw the
tent was all set up and the trolling

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motor was attached to the john boat. Hey babe, we gonna do some

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night fishing. The bass should be
popping top water plugs tonight, Elena said,

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as she took a seat in the
lawn chair set outside the tent.

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I reckon, we can do that. Mama packed up some ham sandwiches in

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the small cooler, and I got
papst in the biggin I love you Dustin,

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shut up, you do not You
just want me for my money,

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Dustin joked. The couple ate sandwiches, drank beer, let their food and

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drink settle before they made clumsy love. In the tent, Elena fell asleep

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with Dustin's arms wrapped around her.
She woke up five hours later alone.

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Dustin you outside, Elena asked,
as she rubbed her eyes and stretched.

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She shuffled out of the tent and
heard the frogs croaking their night tunes.

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The crickets returned to symphony of their
own. Dustin, where are you at?

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You know you can pee in front
of me, Elena shouted. She

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looked around and was comforted that the
truck was still parked in the same spot,

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so Dustin didn't decide to go on
a midnight snack run and leave her

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out here all alone. But he
didn't answer her, and that was a

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reason for concern until she saw the
light from the flashlight out in the middle

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of the pond. The John boat. Wasn't there that sorry sack of potatoes?

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Elena shouted, Dustin, get your
ass back over here and pick me

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up. She hollered into the night
toward the light of the boat. The

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light flashed in her direction, but
the boat didn't move. Don't make me

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swim out there, Dustin, I
swear I will, and I'll make so

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much noise that no fish is gonna
bite for the rest of the night.

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Don't test me. Elena was leaving
playful and moving into piste off. The

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light flashed in her direction once more, but the boat still did not move.

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Okay, I'm coming. Elena sloshed
into the pond and began swimming toward

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the boat. The boat still didn't
move. The longer she swam, the

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angrier she became. He better not
dare ask for sex the rest of the

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trip, is what she was thinking, not even a hand job. The

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light still shined like a beacon from
a lonely lighthouse. Elena was about thirty

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yards away from the john boat when
she realized something was very, very wrong.

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There was a figure standing in the
center of the boat, a figure

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that was a mite bit shorter than
her boyfriend. That was their john boat,

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but that wasn't Dustin. Elena swam
a little closer to see if she

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could make out who it was standing
in the boat, and screamed in horror

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when she saw what the man was
holding in his left hand. It couldn't

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be real. It had to be
some kind of joke. Her mind was

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telling her someone was just pranking her. The man in the boat swung his

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left arm up around and launched the
severed head of dustin hinds in Elena's direction.

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She waited what seemed like hours on
the sound of the splash, and

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when the sound came, Elena turned
around and swam for all she was worth.

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Elena felt as if bricks were weighing
her down. The burning in her

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lungs felt like she inhaled gasoline.
She could hear the echo of her mother's

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sentiment in her mind, don't get
into any trouble. Call me if you

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need me to come get you.
No questions asked. Elena wished that she

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had listened to her mother. Instead, she was swimming for her life to

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shore. Elena was beginning to think
she was going to make it. She

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was going to see her mother again. The crack of a gunshot was the

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last sound Elena heard before the darkness
of the water claimed her. Langley Pond

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was going to be her grave.
Summer twoenty twenty one, Jenny's face was

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flush when Brianna finished the story.
Was that true what you told me?

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She asked, pretty much. I
don't know if that's exactly how the conversations

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went down, but the facts are
Elena and Dustin went to Langley Pond.

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Dustin's head was chopped off. They
found the body in the boat, and

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Elena had been shot in the head. It took them a while to find

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her body, though longer than it
probably should have. They say her body

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was in the pond long enough for
her spirit to be trapped here. Some

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people say they can hear splashing around
and hollering sometimes me, I think it's

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just the bass having their late night
snacks. They can make quite a ruckus

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when they're attacking frogs, lizards and
whatnot. I wouldn't let it scare you

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too much, though. Brianna finished
and patted Jenny on her hands. Did

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they ever catch the guy that did
it? Jenny? Well, that's the

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thing they did. That's how we
got this story that's been passed down for

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forty years. But he was shot
in the head with a long range rifle

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as he was escorted to the courthouse. Let's just say the police didn't spend

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a lot of time looking for the
killer of Billy Jean Morris. From what's

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been passed down, A lot of
folks think it was set up that way.

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The police can turn a blind eye
sometimes when it comes to valley justice,

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especially when it's a couple of local
kids that were killed. Kids that

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everybody knew, kids that everybody loved. There were some rumors that it was

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Elene's daddy or even Dustin's daddy.
They were both avid hunters with rifles to

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do the job. They weren't even
questioned. I don't blame either one of

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them. If they killed Billy Jean, he deserved it, Brianna finished.

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00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:59.160
Jinny looked at her in all seriousness
and said, what if Billy Jean didn't

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kill them? What if someone else
did? And what if that someone else

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00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:08.079
is still around? Jenny asked,
clearly working herself up into something that Brianna

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00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:12.400
thought was silly. Calm down,
girl, it was Billy Jean. I

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know it was Billy Jean. It's
a valley thing. He wouldn't understand.

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00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:21.599
Now, let's go see what those
boys are up to. Frog was grinning

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00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:25.400
from ear to ear as he saw
the girl's approach, and he was downing

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00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:30.400
another PBR. I was beginning to
worry about you too. You get your

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00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:34.839
girl talk in, Frog asked as
he grabbed his own PBR. Yeah something

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00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:40.119
like that, Brianna replied and winked
at Jenny to let her know it was

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00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:45.400
okay. It was just a stupid
local legend. Nothing to worry about,

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00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:49.839
Frog. Are we really having beanie
Weenies for dinner? I mean I'd rather

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00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:53.440
go to the store and grab some
sandwich stuff. Maybe Brianna and I could

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00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:56.319
run to the grocery store real quick. We'll get a bag of ice and

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00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:00.559
some more of that beer, y'all
like Frog was all set to disagree and

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00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:06.640
force the beanie Weenie supper, but
when the bee word came up, he

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00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:11.039
changed his course of thinking. I
think that'd be okay. What do you

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00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:14.599
think Andy, The girls can go
get the sandwich stuff in another case of

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00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.640
beer. I'll contribute ten bucks for
the cause, Frog said, and pulled

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00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:22.400
a crinkled bill from his well weathered
leather wallet. Yeah, I reckon that'll

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00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.359
be okay, Brianna. Take her
to the bilo where Jimmy works. He'll

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00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:30.519
let you buy the beer with no
id. Brianna rolled her eyes at Andy

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00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:36.000
like she didn't already know that she
had bought beer at that bilo since she

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00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:40.359
was fourteen years old. The valley
kids knew where to go without being ripped

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00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:44.440
off. There was always the quick
shop option, where the owner would only

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00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.599
sell the swill known as Milwaukee's Best
for triple the labeled price to desperate teens.

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00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:52.079
That's the only way he could get
rid of the crap, and he

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00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:56.400
had to carry it because it was
such an under the table money maker for

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him. Any Way he can stick
it to the government and help raise the

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00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:04.200
next generation of valley rats, the
better for his valley pride and his pockets.

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Andy tossed the truck keys to Brianna. Be careful, babe, don't

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wreck my truck, and don't get
caught with that beer. Brianna gave him

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00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:17.680
another eye roll and trotted to the
driver's side. Jenny felt a wave of

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relief when Brianna started the engine and
the cool lair from the ac kissed her

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face. Andy Frog said with a
wicked grin, Yeah, I had Jenny

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00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.039
going pretty good with the spirit of
Langley Pond. You want to have some

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fun and scare the girls when they
get back. More Jenny than Brianna.

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00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:42.400
I know she's tough. To scare. I don't know, man, that

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00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:45.519
new girl might go off the deep
end. I mean, you don't know

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00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:49.960
her all that well, and it'll
severely reduce your chances of playing Hide the

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00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:55.359
Snake. If you catch my drift, it'll be more like a whack a

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00:20:55.440 --> 00:21:00.440
mole. Andy replied and smiled.
I don't care, Frog began. I

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00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.039
don't think she's gonna give it up
anyway. May as well have some fun

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00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:08.039
with her. She's creeped out over
the ghost of Elena Sanders. First,

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00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:11.960
what did you have in mind?
And second, if Brianna gets pissed,

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00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:18.880
it's on you. Andy replied.
Look, while they're gone, I'm gonna

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00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:22.480
go to the edge of the woods
over yonder. Frog pointed to the shoreline

249
00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:26.839
at his left. You see that
cluster of trees over there. Yeah,

250
00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.359
well, I'm gonna go over there
behind them trees and start tossing some of

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00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:34.279
the red bricks that Ricky put over
in that clearing into the pond. He'll

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00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:37.799
never miss him. He done forgot
he put them out there, And check

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00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:41.440
this out real quick, give me
a second. Frog ran to his car,

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00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:45.039
and Andy could hear him rustling before
he came trotting back with a palm

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00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:51.920
sized speaker. It's a bluetooth.
Man, I'm gonna place some Halloween screams

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00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:56.079
out of this bad boy. It
works right off my phone. And while

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00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.359
you're doing all this shit, where
am I supposed to tell them? You

258
00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.240
are? Tell them I went to
the other side of the pond to go

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00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:06.960
giggin. Brianna will believe that she
knows how much I love to go giggin,

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00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:11.799
and when she finds out that's a
lie, then me and my right

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00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:14.920
hand are going to be best friends
for the rest of the trip. I

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00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:18.440
don't think so, Andy replied,
you have to take the fun out of

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00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:22.640
everything. Man. Look, I
will tell you that I was going giggin

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00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:26.000
and I'm going to disappear for a
little while. Then you won't be lying,

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00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.279
and you can act like you're just
as pissed as the girls. I

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00:22:29.319 --> 00:22:32.559
suspect. I'll be taking Jenny home
after this stunt, and you and Brianna

267
00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:37.119
will be all alone in the cabin. Frog grinned and poked his finger through

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the hole he made with his other
hand. A smile ran across Andy's face.

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00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:45.160
Now that sounds like a better plan, my man. I know nothing,

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00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:49.319
I see nothing. I hear nothing
but the spirit of Elena Ann Sanders

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00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:56.039
splashing and screaming in the water.
That's the spirit, Frog replied, without

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00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:04.279
realizing the pun. Darkness was closing
in on the valley when Andy saw the

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00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:08.839
lights of his truck coming down the
path. They're back, he shouted,

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which sent Frog scurrying for the tree
line. Brianna and Jenny were still laughing

275
00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:18.599
from their conversation on the trip back. Hey, girls, need a hand,

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00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:23.000
Andy walked toward them. Where's Frog
was the first question from Jenny's lips,

277
00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:29.000
and Brianna already had her doubting eyes
looking around for the mischievous valley prints.

278
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.880
He'll be back directly, he went
Gigan on the other side of the

279
00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:37.880
pond. What's giggin, Jenny asked, thinking it was some made up thing

280
00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:41.759
by these valley people. He went
to kill his namesake. Brianna answered.

281
00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:47.559
Gigin is when you basically take a
three prong metal spear and go stab frogs

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00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:51.599
with them. Don't worry, though, Frog isn't killing them entirely for fun.

283
00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.680
He'll cut the legs off and fry
them up. Ew He's going to

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00:23:55.720 --> 00:24:00.160
eat their legs. Jenny couldn't believe
what she was hearing. Yeah, I'll

285
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:04.480
probably eat some too, Andy though
he's not much on frog legs, are

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00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:08.319
you, babe? Briann asked,
y'all can have that. If I eat

287
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.039
a fried leg, you better have
belonged to a chicken. That's all I'll

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00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:17.160
say. Did he say when he's
coming back? Jenny asked, Well,

289
00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:21.160
with frog, you never can tell. If he starts sticking them left and

290
00:24:21.240 --> 00:24:22.960
right, it might be a while. But if he can't catch him,

291
00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:27.160
then he might not be gone so
long. Is he good at catching them?

292
00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:33.960
Jenny asked, best in the valley? Brianna replied, oh. Jenny

293
00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:37.160
said she thought that was a hell
of a way to treat your date.

294
00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:41.000
Send her off to get your beer
while you go kill frogs around the pond.

295
00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.359
Jenny made up her mind that Frog
would have to take her home as

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00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:48.880
soon as he got back. Here's
your beer, Brianna said, and pulled

297
00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.440
the case from the bed of the
pickup. It's still cold, Jenny and

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00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:55.720
I are going to make ourselves a
couple of sandwiches. You want a ham

299
00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:59.200
and cheese, you know I do? Can you bring it back out here?

300
00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:03.119
I'm gonna start fire in the pit. It's eighty something degrees out,

301
00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:06.319
Andy, do you really want to
make it any hotter? I like to

302
00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:08.480
see the people in the flames,
Babe. I won't keep it lit all

303
00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:14.160
night. Alrighty, then go see
your flame people. Come on, Jenny,

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00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:18.079
I'm starving. The girls went into
the cabin. Andy lit up the

305
00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:22.559
fire pit and waited to hear the
first splash. Brianna came out ten minutes

306
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.400
later with Andy sandwich wrapped in a
paper towel. Did Frog really go giggin?

307
00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:32.519
Brian asked? Andy truthfully answered,
that's where he told me he was

308
00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:36.039
going. But you never know with
Frog. He added that just to cover

309
00:25:36.119 --> 00:25:40.359
his ass for when the shit went
down. All Right, it's pretty dark

310
00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:42.759
out here. Now, you coming
in soon? Yeah, I'll be in

311
00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:45.720
in a little bit. I was
trying to wait on Frog to get back.

312
00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:49.279
I'm surprised he didn't come running when
he heard the beer truck, Andy

313
00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:53.079
said, already thinking of how fake
mad he was going to be with Frog

314
00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:57.119
when the prank unfolded, Andy wondered
if Frog would let him get a punch

315
00:25:57.160 --> 00:26:03.319
in just to completely exoner rate himself
from any involvement in his childish ploy.

316
00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:06.920
Just put that fire out before you
come in. We don't want to be

317
00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:11.920
the ones to burn down the cabins. Roger that. Andy smiled and pursed

318
00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:15.960
his lips for a kiss. Brianna
gave him a quick pack. Fifteen minutes

319
00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:19.880
passed and there was no splash,
no sound from the area in which Frog

320
00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:25.160
disappeared. Andy was getting a little
antsy as he stood from his chair,

321
00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:29.720
took another gulp of PBR, and
turned toward the cabin. He could see

322
00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:33.799
the outline of the girls standing near
the ac unit. Andy began walking toward

323
00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:41.519
the cabin when the first splash finally
came. Ah, so it begins,

324
00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:47.240
Andy thought to himself. The girls
didn't hear it, or if they did,

325
00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:52.400
it wasn't enough ruckus yet to make
them come outside. Then there was

326
00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:59.240
a second splash, much louder than
the first. He saw Brianna's head turn,

327
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.400
but she'd it didn't come outside.
I guess third times a charm,

328
00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:07.200
is what Andy thought. The third
splash came, and it was much louder

329
00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:12.720
than the first two. This time
he saw Brianna move toward the door.

330
00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:23.200
Then came the scream. It was
loud, shrill, and brief, almost

331
00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:29.880
inhuman. It was a scream of
severe pain. Brianna came bursting out the

332
00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:33.920
door. All right, Andy,
tell Frog to cut the shit. Jenny's

333
00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:37.400
freaking the hell out in there.
She's afraid to come out. Frog,

334
00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:42.039
cut the shit, Brianna hollered in
the direction of the commotion. There were

335
00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:52.079
more splashes. They got louder and
closer, louder and closer. Then the

336
00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:57.039
second scream. It was so loud. Andy was thinking that was one hell

337
00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:02.480
of a speaker. Frog had brought
Andy and Brianna heard running, and it

338
00:28:02.519 --> 00:28:08.000
was coming toward them very quickly.
Frog emerged from the darkness and his face

339
00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:12.160
was white as a sheet. Frog, you son of a bit, Brianna

340
00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:18.119
began and then stopped. Her heart
felt like it was going baboom out of

341
00:28:18.119 --> 00:28:22.960
her chest when she heard the next
scream. This was no bluetooth speaker.

342
00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:29.519
This was menacing and so full of
pain. Damn Frog, how are you

343
00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:34.519
doing that, Andy asked, still
not getting it, actually impressed with his

344
00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:41.039
friend's skill. It's not me,
Andy, it's a Lena and I pissed

345
00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:45.160
her off. Stop at Frog,
take me home. I'm done with this

346
00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:49.400
shit, Jenny yelled. Her entire
body was shaking. The poor girl was

347
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:53.240
scared out of her mind. I
think we all need to leave, Andy

348
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:59.559
said, as he realized his buddy
wasn't joking. Andy kept calm. Let's

349
00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:03.480
just go. We'll come clean up
our crap in the morning. There was

350
00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.359
another tremendous splash, and it was
closer than any of the others. The

351
00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:14.240
rhythm was almost like thunder followed by
lightning. A few seconds after the splash,

352
00:29:14.680 --> 00:29:18.759
the screech came. It was a
sound of unmitigated pain. The four

353
00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:25.440
of them froze in place, and
their mouths fell open, almost in unison

354
00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:30.960
at what they saw next. The
apparition of Elena was floating above the water,

355
00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:36.640
just past the shoreline. The front
of her head was busted wide open,

356
00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:41.440
and her eyes were contorted black pools
that looked in opposite directions. She

357
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:48.480
fell into the water with a loud, cursed splash, and slowly rose again.

358
00:29:49.640 --> 00:29:55.839
Her mouth opened wide, and this
time the scream pierced them. The

359
00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:59.720
ear drums of all four of them
were on the verge of exploding in their

360
00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:03.720
skull. Hands went to cover ears
on instinct, but it didn't matter.

361
00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:10.160
This scream moved through flesh and bone, through space and time. This was

362
00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:15.240
the scream of the dead, the
dead, trapped in her watery grave.

363
00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:21.920
It was a macabre dance of the
dead in which Elena was forever trapped.

364
00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:26.680
Jenny was the first to speak when
the screaming stopped. She's not gonna let

365
00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:32.880
us leave. Brianna looked at Andy
and they felt the same apprehension that Jenny

366
00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:37.640
spoke aloud, but Andy simply said, let's get the hell out of here.

367
00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:41.960
Andy and Brianna ran to the truck, while Frog and Jenny ran to

368
00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:47.680
Frog's mustang. Andy turned the key
and heard the clicking sound associated with a

369
00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:52.599
dead battery. Frog did the same. Jenny was shaking in her seat.

370
00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:56.480
Brianna was already thinking that they would
just book it to four twenty one on

371
00:30:56.599 --> 00:31:00.119
foot. It wasn't that far away. Since they were on that stretch of

372
00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:06.039
road, they would be home free. The wind suddenly picked up and the

373
00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:11.279
temperature dropped. The four of them
got out of the vehicles and moved closer

374
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:15.160
to one another. Brianna wanted to
scream, wanted to tell them to run,

375
00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:19.039
but something in her gut warned her
that would be a big mistake.

376
00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:25.480
Jenny's lips were quivering with fear,
and Frog didn't look like a prince at

377
00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:30.759
all. For the first time in
his life, Frog truly felt fear rush

378
00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:34.920
up his spine. The calmness that
Andy displayed just moments before was replaced with

379
00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:41.039
a feeling of despair. They all
felt like Brianna, felt as if they

380
00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:47.680
should run but couldn't. Not that
anyone or anything was stopping them, but

381
00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:52.400
it just felt like a very bad
idea. There was another screech, and

382
00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.000
the four of them turned toward the
pond. The apparition was floating above the

383
00:31:57.039 --> 00:32:01.559
water, just at the shoreline.
Her dark hair was flowing behind her,

384
00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:07.119
and she wasn't falling this time.
Her mouth was contorted as if she were

385
00:32:07.160 --> 00:32:14.240
about to release another screech, but
this time she didn't. The spirit of

386
00:32:14.279 --> 00:32:20.880
Elena looked directly at Frog with a
face of recognition. The spirit began shaking

387
00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:25.960
above the water. What the fuck? Frog, Andy whispered, I don't

388
00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:32.279
know, man, Frog whispered back, she's pointing at you, Jenny said,

389
00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:37.559
on the verge of sobbing. No, she's not. She's pointing at

390
00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:39.880
us. She don't want us to
be here, and I think we should

391
00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:45.640
give her what she wants. Frog
whispered back. Andy, Jenny and Brianna

392
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:51.640
slowly stepped away from Frog. Elena's
spirit kept pointing to the Valley Prince.

393
00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:58.279
It was recognition and it wasn't coincidence. What the hell, man, what

394
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:00.359
did I ever do to her?
I don't know, man, but I

395
00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:08.799
wouldn't make any sudden movements if I
were you. Summer nineteen eighty one,

396
00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:13.839
he had seen Elena come in his
store through the years. He longed for

397
00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:17.720
her, but she was taken.
Dustin Hines was her man, and it

398
00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:22.880
didn't sit well with him, not
one bit. He heard it through the

399
00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:27.240
grapevine that they were going to Langley
Pond for a romantic getaway this weekend,

400
00:33:27.720 --> 00:33:32.000
and today was Friday. Elena wouldn't
give him the time of day, would

401
00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:37.519
barely utter a word when she came
in to pick out a movie. Sometimes

402
00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:40.960
Dustin would be with her. She
would come in with her beautiful long black

403
00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.279
hair and perfect smile, teasing him. Elena had to know that he was

404
00:33:45.319 --> 00:33:49.799
in love with her, but she
would come in with Dustin, flaunting her

405
00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:55.519
love for him and in a sense, a disdain for Frog Spradley. He

406
00:33:55.599 --> 00:34:00.680
didn't understand why Valley Video was going
to be his outright In another year,

407
00:34:01.279 --> 00:34:06.599
he would be a reputable business owner. Frog was sure that the video rental

408
00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:12.039
business would be a necessity for generations
to come. But she would come and

409
00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:16.159
go, tease him, taunt him, show him what he can't have,

410
00:34:17.079 --> 00:34:22.559
show him who was getting her love. This wasn't going to work for Frog.

411
00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:27.199
He would be at that pond tonight, just like the song said,

412
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:34.360
bang bang, he shot me down, Bang bang, I hit the ground,

413
00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:40.280
bang bang. That awful sound bang
bang. My baby shot me down.

414
00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:45.639
And that's exactly what Frog would do. He would go to the pond.

415
00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:50.800
He would hear them making love in
the tent. He would take his

416
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:55.119
machete and get Dustin to come outside. While Elena was sleeping, he'd hack

417
00:34:55.239 --> 00:35:00.199
him up and chop off his head. He'd take the john bott out.

418
00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:05.519
Late he heard them talking about their
late night fishing trip. She would come

419
00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:08.280
out. She would see the light. She would think that her lover was

420
00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:14.480
fishing without her. She'd see the
man that she scorned, see what she

421
00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:19.280
could have had. He would toss
the head of her betrothed. She would

422
00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:23.320
see him. All she had to
do was keep swimming to the boat,

423
00:35:23.480 --> 00:35:29.480
and she would have lived. But
she turned and swam away, afraid of

424
00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:31.960
the man that was truly meant for
her. He'd line her up with his

425
00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:37.960
deer rifle. Frog was a dead
shot. He wasn't going to miss.

426
00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:43.440
He'd let her feel as if she
may get away before the shot would zip

427
00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:46.960
through the back of her skull.
It was pure luck that they pinned it

428
00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:52.639
on Billy Jean. He always had
a short fuse, and that was all

429
00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:57.400
very well and good with Frog.
He'd find another love, one that would

430
00:35:57.440 --> 00:36:00.639
love him. They'd have a baby
boy, and he would keep the name

431
00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:06.760
of Frog alive. Frog was the
spitting image of his father and his grandfather.

432
00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:10.840
He'd grow up as a valley prince. Frog Senior wouldn't think of Elena

433
00:36:10.920 --> 00:36:17.559
again until he took his final breath
in twenty fifteen, when the song floated

434
00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:24.440
through his mind for the first time
since that day. Bang bang, he

435
00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:32.280
shot me down. Bang bang I
hit the ground, Bang bang that awful

436
00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:39.719
sound bang bang, My baby shot
me down. Frog died with his loved

437
00:36:39.719 --> 00:36:46.440
ones around him and tears in his
eyes. His family didn't know the tears

438
00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:58.239
weren't for them, but for Elena. The spirit of Langley Pond. Summer

439
00:36:58.840 --> 00:37:05.480
twenty twenty, the specter was transfixed
on frog, and he was in turn

440
00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:10.559
locked onto her lifeless eyes. Her
mouth curled in pain, and it was

441
00:37:10.599 --> 00:37:16.719
as if she were the one seeing
a ghost. Frog couldn't move. It

442
00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:22.519
was as if he were stuck knees
deep in mud, and the air around

443
00:37:22.599 --> 00:37:29.039
him was infused with a coldness that
chilled him to his soul. The spirit

444
00:37:29.119 --> 00:37:34.039
of Langley Pond seemed to know him, and she didn't seem all that thrilled

445
00:37:34.039 --> 00:37:38.719
that he was looking at her.
Oh my god, Brianna screamed in Frog's

446
00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:45.679
direction, she knows you. Andy
turned away from the ghost and saw the

447
00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:51.559
angst in Frog's face before he said, that's impossible. There's no way she

448
00:37:51.679 --> 00:37:55.679
knows Frog. The ghost floated closer
to them and seemed to put her feet

449
00:37:55.719 --> 00:38:01.199
on the ground. The entire shoreline
got mud colder, and the others felt

450
00:38:01.239 --> 00:38:07.000
it. Everyone was stuck in their
spot, afraid to make any sudden movement.

451
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:10.800
The four of them formed somewhat of
a straight line, and they all

452
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:15.719
faced the spirit of Elena, but
that spirit was only focused on one of

453
00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:22.159
them, and she changed The life
came back into her eyes. They turned

454
00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:29.760
from black pools to light brown.
The distortion in her face also melted away.

455
00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:35.239
The ghostly apparition that the four of
them witnessed floating above the pond changed

456
00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:40.360
into healed flesh and blood. She
no longer floated, but walked toward Frog.

457
00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:46.199
He managed to utter the first words
to break the silence. Hey,

458
00:38:46.599 --> 00:38:52.719
look, what do you want from
us? The young woman smiled at him

459
00:38:52.119 --> 00:38:57.599
and held out her hands. Frog
wanted to believe this was just a dream,

460
00:38:58.079 --> 00:39:01.679
that he had drank five too many
peeps and would wake up any minute,

461
00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:07.440
but he knew that he was in
the here and now take my hand.

462
00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:14.320
You were there, You killed my
boyfriend, you chopped off his head,

463
00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:19.800
and you shot me, Elena said, and continued, take my hand

464
00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:25.159
so I can leave this god forsaken
place. Frog trembled. His brain was

465
00:39:25.199 --> 00:39:31.360
trying to fight the overwhelming compulsion to
grab Elena's hand. If he did,

466
00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:37.639
he thought it might be the last
thing that he ever did. Brianna found

467
00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:45.000
her courage and spoke Elena. The
girl turned to face her. He couldn't

468
00:39:45.039 --> 00:39:51.000
have killed your boyfriend or you please
just listen to me. Elena placed her

469
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:55.159
hands at her side and gave Brianna
a sense of relief. She was going

470
00:39:55.239 --> 00:40:01.400
to listen to her. Good,
good look the year is twenty twenty one.

471
00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:06.920
You were killed in nineteen eighty one
by Billy Jean Morris. It was

472
00:40:06.960 --> 00:40:09.679
in all the papers. My mama
told me about it. The whole town

473
00:40:09.760 --> 00:40:14.639
knew it was Billy Jean. He
was shot dead, Elena. They got

474
00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:20.239
the man that killed you and your
boyfriend. Elena turned her attention away from

475
00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:24.920
Frog for just a moment and walked
to Brianna. Jenny ran to Andy and

476
00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:28.679
stuck her head in the crook of
his arm, like she was trying to

477
00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:34.079
shield herself from seeing a kill in
a horror movie. Elena walked toward Brianna.

478
00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:37.639
She seemed to admire the beauty of
the girl. They were close to

479
00:40:37.679 --> 00:40:44.280
the same age. Billy Jean Morris
did not kill me. Billy Jean Morris

480
00:40:44.360 --> 00:40:49.519
never talked to me. I know
who I saw, and it was his

481
00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:54.400
face, she said, and pointed
back at Frog. Shit woman, I

482
00:40:54.480 --> 00:41:00.800
wasn't even born yet. Please Frog
pleaded, it was him, Elena said,

483
00:41:01.239 --> 00:41:07.079
and started to turn away from Brianna. Brianna lunged forward and grabbed Elena

484
00:41:07.159 --> 00:41:12.440
around her wrist. She was surprised
that she didn't pass through her. Brianna

485
00:41:12.519 --> 00:41:16.880
really had a grip on the young
woman. Elena spun around and Brianna's backwards

486
00:41:16.960 --> 00:41:22.400
hug like a slippery eel, and
placed her hands on Brianna's head. The

487
00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:29.079
memory of that night and her death
filled Brianna's mind in what felt like a

488
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:37.119
wave of electricity. Brianna blinked rapidly. Andy pushed Jenny away and started to

489
00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:43.920
run toward his girlfriend. No,
Brianna screamed, stop. Andy stopped in

490
00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:50.880
his tracks. Elena looked into Brianna's
eyes, looking for understanding. You see

491
00:41:51.079 --> 00:41:57.519
it was him, You see that
now right. Elena broke Brianna's grip around

492
00:41:57.519 --> 00:42:01.119
her waist and turned back to Frog. What the hell, man, I

493
00:42:01.239 --> 00:42:07.599
wasn't even on the planet. Then
it was his daddy, Brianna shouted.

494
00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:13.119
This made Elena pause. It is
twenty twenty one. His daddy's name was

495
00:42:13.159 --> 00:42:15.960
Frog, and his name is Frog. He looks just like his daddy.

496
00:42:16.360 --> 00:42:21.719
He didn't have anything to do with
it. Andy rushed to his girlfriend's side,

497
00:42:21.960 --> 00:42:24.440
and Jenny was right behind him.
The three of them stood together.

498
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:30.360
Frog was still frozen in place.
Elena moved closer to Frog. She could

499
00:42:30.360 --> 00:42:35.880
see the man that chopped off Dustin's
head. She could almost feel the bullet

500
00:42:35.920 --> 00:42:39.480
break open the back of her skull
all over again. He put his hands

501
00:42:39.519 --> 00:42:44.199
out in front of him, hoping
this would keep her at arm's length.

502
00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:50.440
She touched his hand and it was
colder than anything he had ever felt in

503
00:42:50.519 --> 00:42:54.840
his young life. You have his
blood, and a penance has to be

504
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.920
paid, Elena said, as she
grabbed the valley prince by the hand.

505
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.400
And I will not stay here any
longer. I was waiting on him to

506
00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:09.920
return, and he never did,
but his son will do. You carry

507
00:43:09.960 --> 00:43:15.400
the blood of the man that killed
me. You should have never been born,

508
00:43:15.039 --> 00:43:21.400
Elena said, and pulled Frog closer
to her. Brienna and Andy started

509
00:43:21.400 --> 00:43:25.400
to run toward them. Jenny was
a blubbering mess to save their friend,

510
00:43:27.159 --> 00:43:30.920
but it was too late. Elena
had a firm grip on both of Frog's

511
00:43:30.039 --> 00:43:36.840
arms and she morphed back into the
specter. Frog was lifted straight up into

512
00:43:36.920 --> 00:43:42.000
the sky, his legs kicking and
his lungs screaming into the night. Brienna

513
00:43:42.039 --> 00:43:49.360
and Andy shouted Frog's name as he
disappeared into the sky, his screams went

514
00:43:49.480 --> 00:43:53.599
silent. Andy and Brianna looked at
one another, waiting for another sound,

515
00:43:54.400 --> 00:44:00.159
another sign of life. From the
valley Prince. They heard in the far

516
00:44:00.280 --> 00:44:09.360
distance of the pond was a splash, a cackle, and then silence.

517
00:44:12.599 --> 00:44:19.519
The spirit of Elena Anne Sanders was
now free. It was replaced by the

518
00:44:19.559 --> 00:44:23.760
son of the man that killed her
and Dustin. This would be the penance

519
00:44:24.679 --> 00:44:30.960
that set her free. Brianna,
Andy and Jenny would never be able to

520
00:44:31.039 --> 00:44:37.280
explain what they witnessed. They just
said frog went giggin and never came back.

521
00:44:38.599 --> 00:44:52.639
What else could they say? Lucian
Grayshire and the Ghost from Applebee's by

522
00:44:52.920 --> 00:45:00.639
L. F. Falconer. The
three young girls in the cour corner booth

523
00:45:00.840 --> 00:45:07.119
continued to stare, not due to
rudeness, Lucian determined merely out of morbid

524
00:45:07.199 --> 00:45:15.400
curiosity. Their parents attempted to be
more furative in their sidelong glances and struggled

525
00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:22.639
with useless, hushed commands to curtail
their daughter's blatant surveillance. Lucian no longer

526
00:45:22.679 --> 00:45:27.960
cared. With three quarters of his
body severely scarred from a house fire he'd

527
00:45:28.000 --> 00:45:32.320
survived as a child forty years ago, He'd grown hardened to the horrified scrutiny

528
00:45:32.360 --> 00:45:38.679
of others, The secretive glimpses the
whispers behind his back. At one time

529
00:45:38.800 --> 00:45:45.159
his disfigurements brought him shame. Now
he wore these scars with honor, deeming

530
00:45:45.239 --> 00:45:52.239
his outer grotesqueness more valuable than his
business card. A man no one truly

531
00:45:52.320 --> 00:45:58.920
wanted to see, yet one not
so easily forgotten. If he caused anyone

532
00:45:59.039 --> 00:46:05.159
nightmares along his journey through life,
he lost no sleep over it. Harried

533
00:46:05.199 --> 00:46:08.679
to the point of distraction by their
children, the two adults in the corner

534
00:46:08.719 --> 00:46:14.760
booth remained oblivious to the fact that
half their current troubles were caused by the

535
00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:20.960
antics of the youthful poltergeist. Hovering
above their table, a spilled glass of

536
00:46:21.039 --> 00:46:23.880
milk, the forks fallen to the
floor, the plate of French fries toppled

537
00:46:23.880 --> 00:46:29.719
onto the youngest girl's lap. Had
nothing to do with the carelessness of rambunctious

538
00:46:29.800 --> 00:46:35.320
children, and at this moment the
ghost was ever so slowly unscrewing the cap

539
00:46:35.760 --> 00:46:40.239
on the salt shaker. Lucian savored
the final bite of his lemon chicken,

540
00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:46.000
then dabbed his napkin over the thin
lips below the cartoliginous remnants of his nose.

541
00:46:46.760 --> 00:46:51.519
He rose to his feet and placed
enough cash on his meal check to

542
00:46:51.559 --> 00:46:55.480
cover his lunch, as well as
a generous tip in response to his appearance.

543
00:46:55.559 --> 00:47:01.400
The server had neither bulked nor over
compensated. Shrugging on his wool jacket,

544
00:47:01.639 --> 00:47:06.760
he took pity on the beleaguered parents
in their challenge to maintain a sense

545
00:47:06.800 --> 00:47:12.360
of decorum amid the chaos, especially
as the children's father had just ruined his

546
00:47:12.400 --> 00:47:17.480
own meal with a full shaker of
salt spilled upon it. The poltergeist above

547
00:47:17.559 --> 00:47:25.039
the table glowed in rapid pulses of
jade green. Leaving his table, Lucian

548
00:47:25.119 --> 00:47:31.119
limped directly to the booth the family
occupied. Everyone at the table fell transfixed,

549
00:47:31.480 --> 00:47:35.719
as if they'd all just been caught
with their hands in the till.

550
00:47:36.559 --> 00:47:42.119
Lucian greeted them with a courteous bow, good afternoon. He raised his one

551
00:47:42.159 --> 00:47:47.039
good eye to acknowledge the ghost hovering
above. Bemusedly. The ghost cocked an

552
00:47:47.079 --> 00:47:52.039
eyebrow, then darted to the left
side of the table, taking refuge behind

553
00:47:52.039 --> 00:48:00.360
a potted imitation Philodendron. Lucian straightened
his gaunt frame and withdrew a business card

554
00:48:00.360 --> 00:48:05.480
from his inner jacket pocket. Allow
me to introduce myself. I am Lucian,

555
00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:08.440
Greyshire, and I have a business
proposal, if you'd be interested.

556
00:48:09.159 --> 00:48:14.360
He handed his card to the father, then glanced over at the ghost,

557
00:48:14.360 --> 00:48:19.039
who peeked through the kelly green leaves, giving the young shade a polite nod.

558
00:48:20.119 --> 00:48:23.360
The man at the table seemed hesitant
to accept the card, but once

559
00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:28.920
he took it into his possession,
he scanned it out loud. Let the

560
00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:36.639
dead bring your party to life.
Grayshire Incorporated Unique Halloween Entertainment Services. He

561
00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:42.679
looked up at Lucian with knitted brows. What's this about. I'm in need

562
00:48:42.719 --> 00:48:47.159
of an assistant events coordinator. Lucian
glanced back over at the ghost. If

563
00:48:47.159 --> 00:48:51.519
you're interested, meet me in the
park across the street within the hour.

564
00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:55.400
He kept his one eyed gaze on
the ghost. I already have a job.

565
00:48:55.760 --> 00:49:00.320
The man at the table tried to
hand the business card back, but

566
00:49:00.440 --> 00:49:05.760
Lucian stepped away from the table and
gave another slight bow. I'll be waiting

567
00:49:05.840 --> 00:49:10.519
should you be interested. His papery
lips smiled at the ghost before he turned

568
00:49:10.880 --> 00:49:17.880
and departed the restaurant. A somber
sky loomed above gray with pewter clouds billowing

569
00:49:19.039 --> 00:49:23.719
like dust. Lucian breathed deeply of
the air, still wet from last night's

570
00:49:23.760 --> 00:49:30.000
tempest and laced with faint hints of
pine, damp, bark, and blight.

571
00:49:30.719 --> 00:49:35.400
Dying boughs and limbs, ripped from
their hosts and tossed haphazardly by the

572
00:49:35.519 --> 00:49:40.960
uncarrying gale, littered the park's greensward. Lucian blessed the previous night's storm.

573
00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:50.079
The howling winds had covered every muffled
scream. The man's name had been Daniel.

574
00:49:50.679 --> 00:49:55.639
He was sixty seven years old,
and now he was dead. October

575
00:49:55.760 --> 00:50:02.280
leaves in per simmon amber and blood
crunched beneath Lucian's feet, while crisp,

576
00:50:02.480 --> 00:50:08.440
lake eerie air nipped at his exposed, disfigured flesh. He settled onto a

577
00:50:08.480 --> 00:50:15.119
park bench, his muscles aching strained
from last night's activities. Out of his

578
00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:21.440
jacket pocket, he removed a well
used paperback copy of Peter Nichols A Day

579
00:50:21.519 --> 00:50:27.440
in the Death of Joe Egg.
He'd barely read three pages when an adolescent

580
00:50:27.559 --> 00:50:34.199
apparition tentatively drifted near. Lucian looked
up from his book. Though little more

581
00:50:34.239 --> 00:50:38.639
than a translucent shadow, the ghost
featured a clinging wet t shirt, dark

582
00:50:38.719 --> 00:50:44.719
jeans, and high top athletic shoes. He looked to have been maybe fifteen

583
00:50:44.880 --> 00:50:49.320
or sixteen at the time of his
death, his dark, damp ribbons of

584
00:50:49.360 --> 00:50:54.280
hair plastered against his skull. Last
night's events flickered through Lucian's mind in high

585
00:50:54.280 --> 00:51:00.320
speed clips. Cold waters whipped to
a frenzy by boisterous winds, and Daniel's

586
00:51:00.360 --> 00:51:06.880
hand clawing at Lucian's own as he
gurgled within the spume. The young shade

587
00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:12.519
scooted swiftly to the left with a
steady gaze. Lucian's good eye trailed the

588
00:51:12.599 --> 00:51:17.679
movement. The shade darted back to
the right, Still fixed beneath Lucian's magnetic

589
00:51:17.760 --> 00:51:23.639
stare, the ghost took a minor
step closer. You can really say,

590
00:51:23.719 --> 00:51:30.639
may Lucian closed his book. Indeed, was this job offer really for me?

591
00:51:30.880 --> 00:51:36.920
Or for him? The ghost jerked
his head in the direction of the

592
00:51:36.960 --> 00:51:42.039
restaurant across the street. For you, of course, I thought I'd made

593
00:51:42.039 --> 00:51:45.679
that pretty clear. You was a
bit fuzzy, mate. I believe it

594
00:51:45.719 --> 00:51:51.199
would have been awkward to speak to
you directly when it's only I who am

595
00:51:51.239 --> 00:51:54.239
aware of your presence. I'm not
certain why you're trying to pull off a

596
00:51:54.239 --> 00:51:59.719
phony accent. I happen to know
you're an American. The ghost took a

597
00:51:59.719 --> 00:52:05.039
step back, crossing his arms.
And what makes you so smart? Huh,

598
00:52:05.599 --> 00:52:10.320
Lucian winked his sighted eye. I
know many things. It's what I

599
00:52:10.360 --> 00:52:15.679
do. The ghost jutted his chin
forward. But I guess you don't know

600
00:52:15.800 --> 00:52:22.679
my mum's Canadian. Lucian flipped his
jacket collar up to keep the lake chilled

601
00:52:22.679 --> 00:52:27.119
air off his neck. Point taken. But that's neither here nor there.

602
00:52:27.880 --> 00:52:31.280
The important thing is that you've come. You may call me Lucian, and

603
00:52:31.360 --> 00:52:37.440
what may I call you? Anything
you like? I suppose in another life,

604
00:52:37.480 --> 00:52:40.400
I believe they called me Patrick,
but can't recall the last time I

605
00:52:40.440 --> 00:52:44.880
heard the name. Could just be
a name I like. I don't know.

606
00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:49.840
There's not much about life I can
remember. He relaxed, looking Lucian

607
00:52:49.920 --> 00:52:53.000
directly in the eye. It's kind
of like a shattered mirror life, I

608
00:52:53.079 --> 00:52:57.920
mean, my life, and I'm
afraid if I try to put the pieces

609
00:52:57.960 --> 00:53:01.159
back together, I might not like
what I see. Other than looking like

610
00:53:01.199 --> 00:53:07.239
a drowned rat, You're not a
bad looking fellow. The ghost faded slightly.

611
00:53:07.599 --> 00:53:12.039
It's not about my looks. I'm
invisible unlike you, meaning no offense.

612
00:53:12.079 --> 00:53:15.920
But dude, really, Lucian shook
his head. No offense taken,

613
00:53:16.239 --> 00:53:20.719
and there's no need to pick up
the pieces. It could do you no

614
00:53:20.840 --> 00:53:24.840
good. Now, he swiftly caught
a wayward breeze blown newspaper page beneath his

615
00:53:24.840 --> 00:53:30.679
foot, anchoring it to the ground. Patrick. It is then the name

616
00:53:30.760 --> 00:53:35.320
suits you, so tell me,
Patrick, would you like the job?

617
00:53:36.199 --> 00:53:39.840
Patrick settled onto the seat beside him. What's in it for me? I'm

618
00:53:39.880 --> 00:53:44.719
free to come and go as I
please and don't have to answer to anyone.

619
00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:49.800
I dare say. You're rather bored
and lonely, Lucian thought, a

620
00:53:49.840 --> 00:53:53.639
feeling he knew too well, being
little more than a living wraith himself.

621
00:53:54.639 --> 00:54:00.280
But what a pitiful way to spend
eternity tormenting children in a restaurant and an

622
00:54:00.280 --> 00:54:05.519
Applebee's no less Ah, that's where
you're wrong, mate, I have no

623
00:54:05.679 --> 00:54:08.639
ties to the restaurant, and I
wasn't tormenting the children. I was tormenting

624
00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:14.320
the parents. You hold a grudge
against parents, do you? It would

625
00:54:14.360 --> 00:54:16.360
seem that way, now, wouldn't
it. But I can't say for share.

626
00:54:17.159 --> 00:54:21.280
Could just be something I do for
kicks, you know, probably one

627
00:54:21.280 --> 00:54:25.880
of those broken pieces. Patrick leaned
forward, elbows on his knees. So

628
00:54:27.280 --> 00:54:30.320
how come you can see me and
hear me when no one else can?

629
00:54:31.559 --> 00:54:37.079
The crackle of flames and the smell
of charred wood inundated Lucian's memory, Smoke

630
00:54:37.199 --> 00:54:43.199
billowing beneath the locked bedroom door.
On the other side, his father shouts

631
00:54:43.719 --> 00:54:50.840
heavy footfalls, leaving help me,
Daddy. Lucian's frantic cries, eyes burning

632
00:54:51.079 --> 00:54:55.239
throat, constricting, hot smoke wrapping
him in a shroud. I was dead

633
00:54:55.280 --> 00:55:00.400
once myself, he admitted, glancing
over at the ghost aside him. A

634
00:55:00.440 --> 00:55:06.719
fireman resuscitated me. He had been
brought back to life. His mother and

635
00:55:06.800 --> 00:55:10.559
brother had been more fortunate, not
having to live the ordeal over and over

636
00:55:12.079 --> 00:55:16.639
and over again. The nightmares had
long ago disappeared, making way for vivid,

637
00:55:17.039 --> 00:55:22.960
waking memories. Patrick straightened in his
seat. That's how you got all

638
00:55:22.000 --> 00:55:27.119
them scars. Eh, that's rough, man, But that don't explain much.

639
00:55:27.199 --> 00:55:30.199
Other folks have been resuscitated, but
no one's ever seen me before,

640
00:55:30.239 --> 00:55:36.559
So why you. For nearly a
year during my recovery, I remained in

641
00:55:36.599 --> 00:55:40.559
a state of flux or half life, if you will. Forced against his

642
00:55:40.639 --> 00:55:45.960
will into a world of forgotten shadows, Lucian continued to keep one foot in

643
00:55:45.039 --> 00:55:51.000
reality and the other foot in the
grave. A part of me still dwells

644
00:55:51.039 --> 00:55:53.880
in the realm of lost souls.
Some people might consider that a curse,

645
00:55:53.960 --> 00:55:59.840
but I view it as a unique
gift. For I am in a position

646
00:56:00.079 --> 00:56:06.480
who offer those in limbo some comfort. Limbo sucks, especially if you're invisible.

647
00:56:07.079 --> 00:56:10.639
Patrick's voice broke upon his words.
It was impossible to give the boy

648
00:56:10.679 --> 00:56:15.400
a hug. Lucian had to rely
on speech. That's why you feel compelled

649
00:56:15.440 --> 00:56:21.360
to cause chaos. It's the only
way you can validate your dismal existence.

650
00:56:22.119 --> 00:56:25.760
Patrick leaned back, clasped his hands, and twiddled his thumbs, staring up

651
00:56:25.840 --> 00:56:31.760
at the steely, cloud studded sky. A pair of starlings roosted chattering quietly

652
00:56:31.840 --> 00:56:37.480
in the bare tree tops above.
Patrick shot up like a rocket and thumped

653
00:56:37.519 --> 00:56:42.360
the branch, startling the birds into
flight. As Patrick settled back onto the

654
00:56:42.360 --> 00:56:46.519
bench beside him, Lucian stowed his
book away in his pocket. What I'm

655
00:56:46.559 --> 00:56:52.159
offering you, Patrick, is a
chance to do something productive with your existence.

656
00:56:52.760 --> 00:56:55.079
I could use a man of your
talents. I have no talent,

657
00:56:55.679 --> 00:57:01.000
but you do. Very few spirits
have the abit to move objects. I

658
00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:05.239
can only do it if they're not
too heavy. I can't budge anything over

659
00:57:05.320 --> 00:57:07.880
a couple of pounds. And I
don't know why you'd want a limbo ghost

660
00:57:07.960 --> 00:57:14.960
anyway, where a pathetic bunch nowhere
to go, nothing to do, bored

661
00:57:15.079 --> 00:57:20.079
like you said, and boring to
boot. I can do nothing about whatever

662
00:57:20.159 --> 00:57:22.679
is holding you here, but I
can offer you a sense of purpose.

663
00:57:23.199 --> 00:57:29.039
After tomorrow, I'll be moving on. This is an opportunity you may never

664
00:57:29.119 --> 00:57:34.559
come across again. Patrick kicked at
the leaves below his feet, swirling them

665
00:57:34.599 --> 00:57:39.320
in a colorful dance upon the sidewalk, doing what exactly? Helping me and

666
00:57:39.400 --> 00:57:45.280
my endeavors, that's all? What
kind of endeavors? What do you do

667
00:57:45.400 --> 00:57:50.639
besides no? Many things? Well? For one, I throw parties,

668
00:57:51.119 --> 00:57:57.360
huge Halloween parties for the filthy rich, excruciating extravaganzas. Really, but I

669
00:57:57.400 --> 00:58:00.719
always deliver on my client's contracts,
and they're willing to pay me quite well.

670
00:58:02.000 --> 00:58:06.840
Parties, huh. I think there's
more to it than that you said

671
00:58:06.920 --> 00:58:12.480
for one? So what's for two? Talented and attentive. Even better,

672
00:58:12.639 --> 00:58:16.440
Lucian thought, allowing his good eye
to wander the immediate vicinity for a moment.

673
00:58:17.320 --> 00:58:22.280
The threat of more stormy weather kept
the park relatively deserted. Ensured there

674
00:58:22.360 --> 00:58:29.880
was no one nearby, he quietly
confided, for two I kill people.

675
00:58:30.719 --> 00:58:34.679
Patrick sprang from the bench. Hold
a minute, He raised his hand in

676
00:58:34.719 --> 00:58:37.960
a stop action and took a step
back. Tormenting folks is one thing,

677
00:58:38.199 --> 00:58:44.039
but I want no part in killing
innocence. Unapologetically, Lucian stared up at

678
00:58:44.079 --> 00:58:47.480
him. Only children are innocent.
The rest of us are all guilty of

679
00:58:47.519 --> 00:58:52.519
something. Think of me as an
extension of justice. Are you like some

680
00:58:52.719 --> 00:58:58.719
kind of hit man? Or do
people only pay you for parties? Lucian

681
00:58:58.800 --> 00:59:04.800
hesitated momentarily. I do get paid
for hosting parties quite well, in fact,

682
00:59:05.159 --> 00:59:08.239
Yet there are some clients who request
an extra dash of pepper on their

683
00:59:08.280 --> 00:59:14.480
salad, so to speak. Patrick
paced the concrete, stirring the leaves beneath

684
00:59:14.519 --> 00:59:19.440
his feet back into action. Idn'to, mate, I start doing real harm

685
00:59:19.480 --> 00:59:22.079
to folks. The next thing you
know, I'm yanked straight into hell.

686
00:59:22.880 --> 00:59:28.599
Lucian folded his gnarled hands, his
sightless eye gleaming dully in the muted daylight.

687
00:59:29.519 --> 00:59:32.960
I would never ask you to harm
anyone. That pleasure is reserved for

688
00:59:34.079 --> 00:59:38.800
me and me alone. I simply
need help in orchestrating my events, hence

689
00:59:39.039 --> 00:59:46.320
the job title of assistant events coordinator. Your soul and conscience remain unsullied.

690
00:59:46.920 --> 00:59:52.000
A young couple holding hands strolled by, giving Lucian a wide berth. They

691
00:59:52.039 --> 00:59:57.719
passed through Patrick, causing him to
fade in and out. He stopped pacing

692
00:59:58.159 --> 01:00:02.320
and lunged towards Lucian. Ripping the
newspaper page from beneath his foot, He

693
01:00:02.440 --> 01:00:06.679
swatted the couple with it on the
back of their heads before setting the page

694
01:00:06.719 --> 01:00:12.400
free in the breeze. His bone
colored face distorted by deep thought, he

695
01:00:12.480 --> 01:00:16.440
swept back to Lucian's side. I'm
still not sure this is something I should

696
01:00:16.440 --> 01:00:20.599
be taking part in, if you
know what I mean, he muttered,

697
01:00:21.079 --> 01:00:25.159
the killing pot. I understand your
concerns, Patrick, yet you seem to

698
01:00:25.320 --> 01:00:30.159
enjoy tormenting the living, and that's
all I would ever expect you to do

699
01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:35.000
during the party. Would you be
willing to give it a trial run?

700
01:00:35.400 --> 01:00:38.679
I have an event scheduled tomorrow night
at Gates Hotel. A party at the

701
01:00:38.719 --> 01:00:43.599
gates. Patrick snorted and took a
step back. Well that should be a

702
01:00:43.639 --> 01:00:47.239
hoot. Those two snobby sisters there
don't much care for company, dead or

703
01:00:47.320 --> 01:00:52.360
alive, carrying on like the world
belongs to only them. That's odd,

704
01:00:52.800 --> 01:00:58.800
Lucian said. I found them to
be rather charming. It had been those

705
01:00:58.880 --> 01:01:02.719
sisters who'd led him Patrick, who
told him of the boy's talent and revealed

706
01:01:02.760 --> 01:01:07.719
the details of his untimely death.
And since the hotel is slated to be

707
01:01:07.840 --> 01:01:13.719
raised before Christmas, Jasmine and Ruby
have graciously agreed to help me host this

708
01:01:13.800 --> 01:01:19.480
year's event. One last hurrah for
them, So to speak with them,

709
01:01:19.519 --> 01:01:22.480
two, you've already got the best. What do you need me for,

710
01:01:22.199 --> 01:01:28.760
Lucian spoke with a smile. The
sisters may be capable of vivid manifestation and

711
01:01:28.840 --> 01:01:34.320
bone chilling audio, but they cannot
move things. The party guests will be

712
01:01:34.360 --> 01:01:38.760
expecting a magnificent haunted experience. I
prefer to give them a night to truly

713
01:01:38.840 --> 01:01:45.159
remember. A green aura glowed from
within, and Patrick smiled. Most of

714
01:01:45.159 --> 01:01:50.800
these people are parents, right,
I would assume so, And I don't

715
01:01:50.800 --> 01:01:55.039
have to take part in no killing. Lucian nodded, rest assured that contract

716
01:01:55.079 --> 01:02:01.079
has already been completed. A small
white lie. Sometimes a party was simply

717
01:02:01.119 --> 01:02:07.559
a party and a target, a
deliciously convenient coincidence. Patrick gusted across the

718
01:02:07.639 --> 01:02:13.480
sidewalk, knocking the hat off the
woman pushing a baby carriage, then sidled

719
01:02:13.480 --> 01:02:16.880
back to Lucian's side. Can I
ask who it was? No, you

720
01:02:16.960 --> 01:02:22.880
may not not even a clue.
Lucian ran a ragged finger across the thinly

721
01:02:22.960 --> 01:02:29.000
stretched skin of his missing lips,
as if zipping them shut. There was

722
01:02:29.039 --> 01:02:32.800
no need to tell the lad it
had been his father. Lucian's own father

723
01:02:32.920 --> 01:02:38.239
may have been unsuccessful, but Patrick's
had seen the deed through. For thirty

724
01:02:38.360 --> 01:02:43.480
years, Patrick has wandered in the
realm of lost souls, and last night,

725
01:02:43.920 --> 01:02:49.159
the father, like the son,
unwillingly surrendered his life within the cold,

726
01:02:49.519 --> 01:02:54.280
dark waters of Lake Erie. He
wondered, had Patrick fought as hard

727
01:02:54.320 --> 01:03:00.880
to survive as Daniel had. Lucian
rose from the bench, stick with me,

728
01:03:00.000 --> 01:03:04.400
Patrick, and I promise you you
will never be forced to carry the

729
01:03:04.440 --> 01:03:08.719
burdens of my sin. Now shall
we go. There's a pair of fine

730
01:03:08.880 --> 01:03:15.280
nineteenth century sisters I'd like you to
meet. Lucian limped down the walkway,

731
01:03:15.800 --> 01:03:28.159
the leaves beside him swirling in a
kaleidoscopic dance. The Dead Thing under the

732
01:03:28.199 --> 01:03:34.599
House by David o'han old Man Jennings
ventured from his home on Sundays, He'd

733
01:03:34.639 --> 01:03:37.559
amble down the gravel path that led
from his porch to his mailbox for the

734
01:03:37.599 --> 01:03:43.719
weekly accumulation of sales, ads and
bills, and promptly retreat into seclusion.

735
01:03:44.599 --> 01:03:47.960
In Blake's thirty one years, he'd
never seen anyone come to visit meadow View's

736
01:03:49.000 --> 01:03:52.639
mysterious hermit. Once a week a
lawn care service came out to take care

737
01:03:52.679 --> 01:03:58.519
of his yard. Twice a year
someone powerwashing his siding. He paid them

738
01:03:58.559 --> 01:04:02.039
all with a check slipped through the
mail slot when they were finished. A

739
01:04:02.079 --> 01:04:06.159
barred door with two locks hung on
both the front and rear of the house,

740
01:04:06.559 --> 01:04:11.280
and they stayed shut. He would
open the ornate front door with its

741
01:04:11.320 --> 01:04:15.320
beveled stained glass window to enjoy the
weather, but never the security door.

742
01:04:16.000 --> 01:04:20.440
His windows were much the same,
with heavy blackout curtains on the inside and

743
01:04:20.519 --> 01:04:26.159
bars on the out. His groceries
were delivered promptly at one in the afternoon

744
01:04:26.280 --> 01:04:30.679
every Thursday, for as long as
Blake could remember, a little doggy door

745
01:04:30.800 --> 01:04:33.119
for lack of a better term,
would lift out, and Jennings would pull

746
01:04:33.159 --> 01:04:40.000
the bags through the obscure solitude of
his self imposed prison. Theorizing about what

747
01:04:40.119 --> 01:04:45.039
went on inside the home was a
meadow view pastime as familiar as the annual

748
01:04:45.119 --> 01:04:48.840
Crawdad boil or the town's community yard
sale. Depending on who you asked,

749
01:04:49.079 --> 01:04:54.360
Old Man Jennings was a satanist,
a serial killer, or a space alien.

750
01:04:54.920 --> 01:04:59.239
Some people even believed he was already
dead and his ghost was just stuck

751
01:04:59.239 --> 01:05:03.159
there. Blake didn't believe any of
it. The ancient coot would have to

752
01:05:03.239 --> 01:05:08.079
leave the house to murder people,
after all. As kids, Blake and

753
01:05:08.119 --> 01:05:12.880
his friends dedicated enough hours spying on
the man to know that that never happened.

754
01:05:13.519 --> 01:05:15.679
As an adult, his divorce had
forced him to move back in with

755
01:05:15.760 --> 01:05:23.039
his mother directly across the street from
Jennings. Blake found himself peering through the

756
01:05:23.039 --> 01:05:27.519
blinds out of habit, and the
geezer still stayed locked inside, just like

757
01:05:27.639 --> 01:05:31.000
he always had. So it would
be an understatement to say Blake was shocked

758
01:05:31.000 --> 01:05:35.519
to find old Man Jennings standing on
the porch when he answered the geriatric's frantic

759
01:05:35.599 --> 01:05:41.360
knocking. Jennings hair was an explosion
of white that jutted from his dark scalp

760
01:05:41.440 --> 01:05:45.440
in all directions. The man was
much more ample than Blake's own, which

761
01:05:45.480 --> 01:05:48.840
was retreating faster than a chubby kid
at fat camp. Jennings stood on the

762
01:05:48.880 --> 01:05:54.800
porch with the grim stature and utter
silence of an animated skeleton. Blake shut

763
01:05:54.840 --> 01:05:59.599
the door, removed the chain lock, and opened it fully. Mister Jennings,

764
01:05:59.559 --> 01:06:03.440
are you lost? No, Jennings
said, there's something dead in my

765
01:06:03.559 --> 01:06:10.320
crawl space. Blake squinted at the
elderly man. Pretty sure there's people that

766
01:06:10.400 --> 01:06:15.679
take care of that. There is, But I don't like strangers. Jennings

767
01:06:15.679 --> 01:06:19.320
pointed a bony, accusatory finger at
Blake. That's why I came to you.

768
01:06:20.000 --> 01:06:26.920
I've known you longer than anyone.
We don't really know each other,

769
01:06:27.000 --> 01:06:30.760
though, Blake muttered in confusion.
Then how did you know my name?

770
01:06:31.639 --> 01:06:36.719
Jennings's lips peeled away from the toothbrush
commercial quality chompers in what might have been

771
01:06:38.280 --> 01:06:44.079
a genuine smile. Is your mother
home? Blake shook his head. She's

772
01:06:44.119 --> 01:06:48.599
in Toledo visiting my sister. Oh, how is Sharon still married to that

773
01:06:48.679 --> 01:06:55.440
banker. Jennings looked away and tisked, sorry about your own divorce. By

774
01:06:55.519 --> 01:07:01.159
the bye, Blake's jaw dropped open. How'd you know about that? Just

775
01:07:01.199 --> 01:07:04.679
because I don't leave my house doesn't
mean I don't talk to my neighbors,

776
01:07:05.360 --> 01:07:12.440
Jennings shrugged. Your mother's been my
pen pou since nineteen eighty four. Blake

777
01:07:12.480 --> 01:07:17.119
looked over jennings shoulder at his home. My mom sends you letters from across

778
01:07:17.159 --> 01:07:24.360
the street. She respects my eccentricities. Jennings jabbed his thumb toward the street,

779
01:07:24.920 --> 01:07:29.000
speaking of think you can help me
with the dead thing under the house?

780
01:07:29.880 --> 01:07:34.000
Blake sighed, yeah, let me
change into something else first. He

781
01:07:34.079 --> 01:07:39.360
shut the door and headed upstairs.
He wasn't about to mess up his favorite

782
01:07:39.400 --> 01:07:44.440
self pity outfit crawling around in the
mud and spiderwebs that surely occupied the crawl

783
01:07:44.519 --> 01:07:48.119
space. The thought of all those
spiders hiding in the dark prickled his skin

784
01:07:48.199 --> 01:07:53.800
with a wave of primal terror.
He pulled the Gholi's two T shirt away

785
01:07:53.840 --> 01:07:58.960
from his goosebumped flesh. Blake Sterling's
father gave him the most heroic name in

786
01:07:59.039 --> 01:08:02.400
history before he split. However,
it wasn't a name he ever lived up

787
01:08:02.440 --> 01:08:09.400
to. Spiders were only one of
his many phobias. Stretch marks peaked over

788
01:08:09.440 --> 01:08:13.800
the band of his sweatpants from a
childhood full of expired Twinkies and ding dongs

789
01:08:13.800 --> 01:08:17.079
his mom brought home from her job
at the gas station. Years of bullying

790
01:08:17.159 --> 01:08:23.239
led Blake the blob away from the
sweets and food in general. He looked

791
01:08:23.239 --> 01:08:27.359
like one of those kids the infomercial
people feed for a nicola day. His

792
01:08:27.520 --> 01:08:33.199
dainty form lacked definition or distinction minus
a single tattoo. His ex wife's name

793
01:08:33.319 --> 01:08:39.039
was coiled around a rose over his
heart. He got it the day she

794
01:08:39.119 --> 01:08:43.439
said she'd marry him. The mirror
inside the closet door reminded him of all

795
01:08:43.479 --> 01:08:47.399
the reasons Kyla left. Blake grabbed
a black t shirt from a drawer and

796
01:08:47.479 --> 01:08:51.359
pulled it over his head before changing
into a battered pair of wranglers that were

797
01:08:51.399 --> 01:08:58.680
already stained from painting his kitchen.
His face soured. It wasn't his kitchen

798
01:08:58.720 --> 01:09:02.239
anymore. He threw on his sneakers
and didn't bother tying them. The crawl

799
01:09:02.279 --> 01:09:06.520
space was going to be more fun
than his usual day of self imposed purgatory.

800
01:09:08.279 --> 01:09:12.399
Blake slumped down the stairs and met
Jennings on the porch. The two

801
01:09:12.439 --> 01:09:15.479
men made their way across the street
and through the gate of jennings chainling fence.

802
01:09:16.000 --> 01:09:19.359
A piece of the butterscotch lattice was
removed from the side of the house

803
01:09:19.359 --> 01:09:24.880
to reveal the access point between the
cinder blocks. The mid morning sun was

804
01:09:24.880 --> 01:09:28.600
blocked by the trio of white oaks
in the front yard, leaving Blake to

805
01:09:28.680 --> 01:09:32.720
unravel the mysteries of the crawl space
on his own. The putrid, sweet

806
01:09:32.760 --> 01:09:39.000
stench of rotting meat lingered leisurely from
the opening. Blake knelt down and groaned

807
01:09:40.159 --> 01:09:44.800
a bit tight. He said,
it's called a crawl space for a reason.

808
01:09:45.399 --> 01:09:49.079
Jennings tapped him on the shoulder with
a small metallic flashlight. The smell

809
01:09:49.199 --> 01:09:55.680
is strongest in my bedroom. Straight
ahead fifteen feet, then hang a left.

810
01:09:55.960 --> 01:10:00.079
You should find whatever it is in
that area right. Blake took the

811
01:10:00.159 --> 01:10:06.159
light and let its beams stag into
the tangible darkness. Mister Jennings, are

812
01:10:06.159 --> 01:10:11.680
you sure you don't want to call
someone that knows what they're doing. You're

813
01:10:11.720 --> 01:10:15.520
a grown up now. You can
stop with the mister Jennings stuff. My

814
01:10:15.680 --> 01:10:18.880
name's Harp and you do know what
you're doing, Blake. You're pulling a

815
01:10:18.920 --> 01:10:23.720
carcass out from under my house for
me. He turned to leave, then

816
01:10:23.760 --> 01:10:28.600
twisted back. Oh, I've got
an apple pie cooling right now for you

817
01:10:28.680 --> 01:10:32.800
too. Come get me when you're
all finished. Blake shimmered into the space.

818
01:10:33.159 --> 01:10:39.399
The flashlight revealed a few broken spiderwebs
dangling from the floor. Whatever died

819
01:10:39.560 --> 01:10:44.279
had crawled in along the same path
that Blake now took, and the goosebumps

820
01:10:44.680 --> 01:10:49.159
quickly returned. He clamped the flashlight
between his teeth and crawled along, panning

821
01:10:49.199 --> 01:10:53.800
his head from side to side,
looking for vagrant spiders as much as he

822
01:10:54.000 --> 01:10:58.199
was the dead thing. Once he
made it what he surmised to be fifteen

823
01:10:58.199 --> 01:11:02.000
feet, he turned as harp At
instructed. A wave of steam swirled in

824
01:11:02.039 --> 01:11:06.640
front of his light, and he
paused. Blake took the instrument from his

825
01:11:06.720 --> 01:11:12.600
mouth and huffed hard, watching the
breath fog. He crawled forward, slowly,

826
01:11:13.079 --> 01:11:16.760
shivering at the sudden bite of cold
pressing against his face. The progression

827
01:11:16.920 --> 01:11:20.319
was like stepping into a meat locker. As he left the warm summer air

828
01:11:20.359 --> 01:11:26.720
behind, the temperature continued dropping with
his advance. Something jutted out of the

829
01:11:26.760 --> 01:11:30.079
earth in front of him. He
squinted at the shape, trying to discern

830
01:11:30.119 --> 01:11:34.479
its nature. It didn't help.
Harp's pungent guests spread its perfume with exponential

831
01:11:34.479 --> 01:11:40.359
intensity. As he inched closer.
The light flickered and dimmed before it could

832
01:11:40.399 --> 01:11:45.199
reveal the source of the growing stench, and then went out completely. Blake

833
01:11:45.279 --> 01:11:49.600
continued onward, shaking his head like
a dog in an attempt to bring back

834
01:11:49.600 --> 01:11:56.119
to life the tool. It worked, and how he wished it hadn't.

835
01:11:56.720 --> 01:12:01.199
The illumination fell on the mound of
disturbed dirt, and then onto the arm,

836
01:12:01.560 --> 01:12:06.079
the very human arm that reached out
of the shallow grave with its fingers

837
01:12:06.159 --> 01:12:11.479
furled in the soil. Blake followed
the limb to the naked shoulder, up

838
01:12:11.520 --> 01:12:15.119
the livid flesh of the neck,
to the face. Between the strands of

839
01:12:15.199 --> 01:12:19.119
dirt caked blonde hair. The dead
woman's expression was frozen in a final moment

840
01:12:19.720 --> 01:12:25.880
of stark terror. The flashlight plopped
next to the corpse, with Blake's panicked

841
01:12:25.920 --> 01:12:30.000
screaming. He scurried backwards until he
was far enough away to risk taking his

842
01:12:30.039 --> 01:12:31.840
eyes off the corpse, and turned
in a mad dash for the exit.

843
01:12:32.399 --> 01:12:38.239
Blake collapsed onto Harp's porch swing.
The neglected chains called out in a demented

844
01:12:38.359 --> 01:12:42.920
screech. At the arrival of its
first guest in decades. Harp pushed open

845
01:12:42.960 --> 01:12:48.119
the security door and watched Blake shudder
with heaving breaths. There's a dead woman

846
01:12:48.199 --> 01:12:54.079
under your house, Blake, whispered. Harp leaned on the porch rail and

847
01:12:54.119 --> 01:13:00.359
crossed his arms, just the one. What Blake took his eye off his

848
01:13:00.399 --> 01:13:04.520
shaking hands and looked at Harp.
Was there only one body down there?

849
01:13:06.239 --> 01:13:10.720
I don't know. I didn't keep
looking after I found that one. Why

850
01:13:10.720 --> 01:13:14.600
would there be more than one?
Why are there any? Blake shot up?

851
01:13:14.800 --> 01:13:17.560
Why the fuck are you so calm
right now? Exactly how many dead

852
01:13:17.600 --> 01:13:23.720
bodies under your house would you consider
to be too many? Three? Harp

853
01:13:23.800 --> 01:13:29.079
answered, matter of factly, three
would be very bad. Did you bring

854
01:13:29.119 --> 01:13:33.560
the body out? I'm not disturbing
a crime scene. Do you know that

855
01:13:33.680 --> 01:13:39.239
she was murdered? Harp raised an
eyebrow and held his hands open, waiting

856
01:13:39.279 --> 01:13:44.159
for an answer. When Blake shook
his head, he continued, so it's

857
01:13:44.239 --> 01:13:46.720
not a crime scene. She might
have crawled under there on her own.

858
01:13:47.399 --> 01:13:51.680
I need to see the body to
be sure. I'll draw you a map

859
01:13:51.680 --> 01:13:55.920
because I am not going back down
there to get her. Blake paced the

860
01:13:55.920 --> 01:14:00.479
porch. She was partially buried,
so that rules out your theory, and

861
01:14:00.600 --> 01:14:03.920
she was pale. Harp opened the
security door and held it ajar. She

862
01:14:04.039 --> 01:14:11.479
looked scared and there was no blood
around her. That sound right. Blake

863
01:14:11.560 --> 01:14:15.800
nodded. Harp gestured for him to
enter the home. You'll be my first

864
01:14:15.800 --> 01:14:24.079
guest since nineteen eighty one? Did
did you kill her? Blake watched the

865
01:14:24.119 --> 01:14:29.279
old man's face fall. No,
but I know who did. One body

866
01:14:29.319 --> 01:14:32.000
means he's found me. Three would
mean he's not alone. So let's hope

867
01:14:32.000 --> 01:14:36.119
you didn't miss any. Harp Jennings
nodded for Blake to come in. The

868
01:14:36.199 --> 01:14:44.359
pies ready, we need to talk. The tangy sweetness of the pie reminded

869
01:14:44.399 --> 01:14:47.960
him of the ones his mom served
him every Saturday morning. It soothed them

870
01:14:48.000 --> 01:14:53.960
from the shock of his discovery.
He speared a chunk of fruit and raised

871
01:14:53.960 --> 01:14:57.279
it to his mouth, savoring the
smell after the one he faced in the

872
01:14:57.319 --> 01:15:03.399
crawl space. It went down a
lot easier than Harp's tail. So a

873
01:15:03.439 --> 01:15:09.960
psychic vampire killed the girl and buried
her under your house to say hello,

874
01:15:10.520 --> 01:15:15.279
Blake asked, around a mouthful of
pie. Most gone, isn't a vampire,

875
01:15:15.399 --> 01:15:18.760
She's a Mariah. Harp stood up
from the faded, threadbare cushion of

876
01:15:18.840 --> 01:15:24.439
his couch and walked away. They
leave their bodies at night to eat the

877
01:15:24.479 --> 01:15:30.319
souls of the living. That's definitely
more believable. Blake got up and followed

878
01:15:30.359 --> 01:15:35.159
Harp down the hallway. Pictures hung
with yellowed pieces of tape along the corridor.

879
01:15:35.720 --> 01:15:41.479
One showed a smiling young Harp Jennings
sitting atop a camel in front of

880
01:15:41.520 --> 01:15:45.319
a pyramid. Blake skipped the next
few and found another showing Harp in furs

881
01:15:45.640 --> 01:15:49.920
with a pack of sled dogs.
Harp passed through the archway of the kitchen.

882
01:15:50.640 --> 01:15:58.800
I wasn't always a homebody. Why
aren't the pictures and frames the moroy

883
01:15:58.880 --> 01:16:02.680
can travel through mers? Harp pulled
a pitcher from an archaic frigid air.

884
01:16:03.239 --> 01:16:08.640
A single picture hung on the door
from a heart shaped magnet. Harp and

885
01:16:08.680 --> 01:16:14.279
a woman standing at an altar.
He touched her face lightly. I learned

886
01:16:14.279 --> 01:16:19.000
that one the hard way. Okay, let's pretend like I believe any of

887
01:16:19.039 --> 01:16:25.560
this. Why has Moskahn pissed at
you. The last time I saw him.

888
01:16:25.840 --> 01:16:29.920
I stuffed his mouth with garlic and
sewed his lips shut before burying him.

889
01:16:30.439 --> 01:16:33.600
Harp sat two glasses on the counter. I'm pretty sure that's what did

890
01:16:33.640 --> 01:16:39.319
it. He poured the tea and
handed a glass to Blake. I need

891
01:16:39.359 --> 01:16:43.760
you to help me kill him.
Blake sipped the tea and shook his head.

892
01:16:44.560 --> 01:16:47.560
We need to call the cops and
report the body in the morning.

893
01:16:48.119 --> 01:16:53.960
Harp pointed at the floor. He
continued, before Blake could protest. Look,

894
01:16:54.640 --> 01:16:59.039
she's been there this long. One
more night won't hurt You think I'm

895
01:16:59.119 --> 01:17:02.000
crazy and I think there's a monster
coming to kill me. Give me until

896
01:17:02.039 --> 01:17:08.199
morning to prove one of us right. It was a quarter past three in

897
01:17:08.239 --> 01:17:13.319
the morning, and Jennings was clearly
insane. Blake's chin dipped closer to his

898
01:17:13.439 --> 01:17:16.199
chest as he nodded off. Once
again, Harp poked him in the thigh

899
01:17:16.279 --> 01:17:20.359
with a sharpened branch from the front
yard's oak trees. Blake snapped Awake and

900
01:17:20.439 --> 01:17:26.159
clutched his makeshift spear, ready for
a fight, not that he'd ever won

901
01:17:26.239 --> 01:17:30.439
a fight in his life. The
garlic bulb crinkled as Harp rolled it in

902
01:17:30.520 --> 01:17:34.600
his bony fist. We have to
stay awake, boy, That bastard's coming

903
01:17:34.680 --> 01:17:40.800
tonight, Harp whispered. His eyes
jumped around the room, looking for signs

904
01:17:40.800 --> 01:17:45.319
of movement. You said, the
bars keep him outside, and there's no

905
01:17:45.439 --> 01:17:48.199
mirrors he can use to sneak in
here through. Blake stood up and dropped

906
01:17:48.199 --> 01:17:53.880
his spear on the coffee table.
Even if he comes, we'll never see

907
01:17:53.920 --> 01:17:58.960
him, damn. Harp licked his
lips. I wanted to keep him out

908
01:17:59.000 --> 01:18:02.439
for so long that I I never
thought about needing to lure him in.

909
01:18:03.399 --> 01:18:10.039
Think we should open the door,
Yes, we should. Blake squeezed Harp's

910
01:18:10.119 --> 01:18:14.119
arm gently, so that I can
go home and call the cops to come

911
01:18:14.159 --> 01:18:17.920
and get the girl. There's no
monster's, Harp. We'll get this sorted

912
01:18:17.960 --> 01:18:21.119
out in the morning and get you
somewhere safe where you can get the help

913
01:18:21.199 --> 01:18:27.720
that you need, the help I
need. Harp pushed Blake away. You

914
01:18:27.920 --> 01:18:31.000
foolish boy, I've seen things that
would make your asshole pucker so tight,

915
01:18:31.159 --> 01:18:35.479
You shit spaghetti noodles. He stormed
to the door and threw it open.

916
01:18:35.760 --> 01:18:41.239
The stained glass motif shattered as it
struck the wall and fell like colored hail.

917
01:18:41.840 --> 01:18:45.239
Harp worked the locks open and pushed
the security door out of his way.

918
01:18:45.640 --> 01:18:48.920
He spun back into the house and
lobbed the garlic at Blake. I'll

919
01:18:48.920 --> 01:18:53.920
show you on not some demented old
coot Blake, he pointed into the night.

920
01:18:54.640 --> 01:18:58.479
We'll just let him in. Then
you'll see a real monster. Oh

921
01:18:58.560 --> 01:19:02.399
yeah, he'll see all right,
This all ends right here when we push

922
01:19:02.479 --> 01:19:08.000
stakes through Moskin's heart and trap his
demonic soul in a prison of rotting flesh

923
01:19:08.199 --> 01:19:14.239
for eternity. I'm not sure how
that was supposed to change my mind about

924
01:19:14.239 --> 01:19:17.760
the demented part, Harp. Blake
started toward the door. I'm going home

925
01:19:17.840 --> 01:19:23.119
now. Old man Jennings barred his
path and pressed the point of his stake

926
01:19:23.159 --> 01:19:28.840
into Blake's breast. Harp's dark eyes
narrowed with an intensity that made Blake shrink

927
01:19:28.920 --> 01:19:32.479
back. You're a coward, Blake. That's why the kids used to bully

928
01:19:32.560 --> 01:19:35.319
you, why you're always the first
one laid off, and why your wife

929
01:19:35.399 --> 01:19:40.680
left you. You don't take risks, you don't challenge yourself. You never

930
01:19:40.720 --> 01:19:45.680
step outside your well to find bubble
of bullshit. Fuck you, Blake,

931
01:19:45.760 --> 01:19:48.159
slapped the steak from Harp's hand and
pushed the old man to the floor.

932
01:19:49.000 --> 01:19:53.239
You've been locked in here longer than
I've been alive, and you call me

933
01:19:53.359 --> 01:19:57.479
a coward because I don't want to
stay and play pretend with you. I

934
01:19:57.520 --> 01:20:02.000
may have failed at everything I've ever
done, but at least I've done something.

935
01:20:03.079 --> 01:20:08.600
Blake glared down at Harp and realized
what he'd done. He extended his

936
01:20:08.640 --> 01:20:12.880
hand to help him up, but
before he finished his apology, Harp's boot

937
01:20:12.920 --> 01:20:15.800
caught him dead between the legs.
Blake gasped and fell to the floor,

938
01:20:16.159 --> 01:20:20.239
trying not to return Harp's apple pie. The old man stood and dusted off

939
01:20:20.239 --> 01:20:25.920
the seat of his trousers. You're
right, boy, I've been hiding in

940
01:20:25.960 --> 01:20:29.840
this house for thirty nine years,
but for the forty eight before I was

941
01:20:29.920 --> 01:20:34.399
Goddamn Harp Jennings. Harp dragged Blake
upright by his collar. I swam with

942
01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:39.399
sharks in the wreckage of the Saratoga. I climbed two of the world's tallest

943
01:20:39.399 --> 01:20:43.479
mountains. I peelfered the pyramids for
forgotten pharaohs. I dedicated my life to

944
01:20:43.520 --> 01:20:48.279
adventure and dangers. Had reaped treasures
the likes of which you can't even imagine,

945
01:20:48.920 --> 01:20:54.720
then, why are you hiding?
Blake wheezed, because most Gun took

946
01:20:54.760 --> 01:20:59.680
my greatest treasure. Harp's voice cracked, his lips quivered, and the fury

947
01:20:59.680 --> 01:21:04.920
in his eyes eyes turned to miserable
sadness. I killed a lot of monsters

948
01:21:04.960 --> 01:21:10.840
and a lot of men that weren't
no better, but I couldn't stop him

949
01:21:10.880 --> 01:21:15.800
from taking my Mabel. I didn't
lock myself in here because I'm afraid of

950
01:21:15.840 --> 01:21:19.800
most Gon killing me. I locked
myself in here so he wouldn't kill no

951
01:21:19.840 --> 01:21:28.199
one else that I loved. I
don't know what to say. Blake threw

952
01:21:28.199 --> 01:21:30.319
his hands in the air. Maybe
you murdered the girl under the house,

953
01:21:30.479 --> 01:21:33.920
or maybe there's a soul sucking monster
coming to get you. Either way,

954
01:21:33.960 --> 01:21:39.960
I'd feel a lot safer as far
away from you as possible. Blake hung

955
01:21:39.960 --> 01:21:44.119
his head with a sigh and walked
around Jennings straight out the door. He

956
01:21:44.199 --> 01:21:47.199
didn't look up until he was safely
through the chain link gate. His muscles

957
01:21:47.239 --> 01:21:51.119
tensed against his attempts to look back
at the home. The image of old

958
01:21:51.159 --> 01:21:56.119
man Jennings rushing down the gravel path
with the stake over his head rippled Blake's

959
01:21:56.119 --> 01:22:03.039
flesh with goosebumps. He turned slowly, expecting the worst. Instead, he

960
01:22:03.079 --> 01:22:10.520
saw Harp leaning on the doorframe in
defeat. Blake gave him a curt nod

961
01:22:10.960 --> 01:22:15.840
and crossed the street quickly. In
his haste, he completely overlooked the man

962
01:22:15.359 --> 01:22:20.800
and the black pea coat strolling down
the sidewalk. Blake bumped into the man

963
01:22:20.880 --> 01:22:27.960
and apologized, no worries. The
man said. His voice was like winter

964
01:22:28.159 --> 01:22:33.359
fog, low and cool. He
looked Blake over. It's quite some neighborhood

965
01:22:33.399 --> 01:22:39.720
here, like a postcard. Really, yeah, it's pretty nice. Have

966
01:22:39.760 --> 01:22:42.600
a good evening, Blake said,
as he hurried up to his porch.

967
01:22:43.720 --> 01:22:47.520
I see why my old pal Harper
chose this place, The man called after

968
01:22:47.640 --> 01:22:54.439
him. Blake turned to find the
sidewalk empty once more. He hurried inside

969
01:22:54.479 --> 01:22:57.520
and locked the dead bolt and the
chain lock. He kicked his shoes off

970
01:22:57.520 --> 01:23:00.439
and patted up the stairs to his
room. He was going to put his

971
01:23:00.479 --> 01:23:03.720
comfortable clothes back on and raided his
mother's gin collection until he forgot all about

972
01:23:03.760 --> 01:23:06.720
the dead body, Harp, Jennings, and the creepy man on the sidewalk.

973
01:23:08.119 --> 01:23:11.359
He peeped through the blinds at Jennings's
house. The old man waved at

974
01:23:11.399 --> 01:23:15.880
him and pulled the security door shut. The blind snapped together noisily as Blake

975
01:23:15.920 --> 01:23:18.800
turned and went to the closet.
He jumped away with a scream that would

976
01:23:18.800 --> 01:23:23.399
have made de Wallace jealous. His
haggard reflection glared back at him in the

977
01:23:23.399 --> 01:23:28.279
mirror. He laughed at his own
panic and bent down to retrieve his sweats

978
01:23:28.279 --> 01:23:33.039
and t shirt from the closet floor. Blake paused, dropping the clothes and

979
01:23:33.119 --> 01:23:39.159
rubbed his fingertips together, observing the
damp soil that came off of them.

980
01:23:39.880 --> 01:23:45.600
His quivering breath fogged before him,
and he fell over backwards. Filthy blonde

981
01:23:45.640 --> 01:23:50.560
hair poked between the hanging jeans and
slacks. The lamplight reflected pathetically on the

982
01:23:50.600 --> 01:23:56.680
cold, lifeless skin that stretched forth
and crawled along the floor. Blake's panic

983
01:23:56.720 --> 01:24:00.119
breaths perverted his words to inarticulate squeals
and grunts. He found his voice as

984
01:24:00.159 --> 01:24:04.840
the frigid fingers curled around his ankles
and jerked him across the carpet. The

985
01:24:04.880 --> 01:24:12.479
dead thing was no longer under the
house. Blake screaming would stop soon.

986
01:24:13.199 --> 01:24:17.239
The newly risen were full of such
insatiable hunger. Harp sighed and clicked the

987
01:24:17.279 --> 01:24:21.920
locks into place. A man grasped
the bars of the security door and leaned

988
01:24:21.920 --> 01:24:28.560
in close. A series of small
scars lined his tanned lips where they'd once

989
01:24:28.600 --> 01:24:32.560
been sewn together. His hands smoked
as they wrung the iron, but the

990
01:24:32.560 --> 01:24:38.399
man in the black pea coat smiled
through the pain. Harper coiled away and

991
01:24:38.560 --> 01:24:45.000
raised his wooden steak. It seems
there's a vacancy across the street, he

992
01:24:45.159 --> 01:24:49.479
hissed. What do you say,
Harper, won't you be my neighbor.

993
01:24:50.800 --> 01:24:55.920
Harp plunged forward, the stake jabbed
between the bars. Mostkan took a calm

994
01:24:55.960 --> 01:25:00.159
step away and shook his head.
Meadow views. It's such a lovely place

995
01:25:00.239 --> 01:25:05.359
to raise a family, Harper,
you'd know that if I hadn't killed yours.

996
01:25:06.039 --> 01:25:12.079
Most Con turned with a chuckle and
crunched along the gravel path. There's

997
01:25:12.119 --> 01:25:18.039
such potential in these small towns.
Come inside and let's finish this, Harp

998
01:25:18.079 --> 01:25:24.600
growled. No. Most Gon held
his arms wide. See how easy it

999
01:25:24.680 --> 01:25:28.039
is to walk away from a fight, Harper. You could have done that

1000
01:25:28.119 --> 01:25:30.960
once. Now you're going to hide
behind your bars and your stakes and your

1001
01:25:30.960 --> 01:25:35.119
garlic and You're going to watch as
you become the last man in meadow of

1002
01:25:35.119 --> 01:25:40.000
you. Then, when there's no
one left for you to care about,

1003
01:25:40.640 --> 01:25:45.119
I'm going to turn you and bury
you right there in your crawl space.

1004
01:25:45.119 --> 01:25:48.880
I'll stitch your lips around garlic cloves
with a steak in your chest, so

1005
01:25:48.920 --> 01:25:56.760
you can't do anything more than spend
your eternity rotting away in stillness, just

1006
01:25:56.920 --> 01:26:03.199
some undead thing under the house.
Harp watched as Moskin's clothes fell empty to

1007
01:26:03.279 --> 01:26:09.319
the sidewalk, as his body twisted
into a tower of fog that disappeared into

1008
01:26:09.319 --> 01:26:14.720
the pre dawn sky. Harp opened
the security door and pushed it out of

1009
01:26:14.720 --> 01:26:19.560
his way. Moskin was a monster
of his word. Harp ambled over to

1010
01:26:19.640 --> 01:26:24.880
his porch swing and sat down for
the symphony of squeaks and pops of the

1011
01:26:24.880 --> 01:26:30.920
neglected chain. It groaned as his
long legs pushed him in a gentle rhythm,

1012
01:26:30.239 --> 01:26:38.319
and Harp stared at the stake clutched
in his arthritic hands. Maybe he

1013
01:26:38.479 --> 01:26:50.199
still had one more adventure left in
him. Ghost in the Graveyard by Rob

1014
01:26:50.279 --> 01:26:58.039
Fields. It was the final week
of October in Strickfield, after the previous

1015
01:26:58.119 --> 01:27:02.439
year's Halloween the peace people of Strickfield
had voted into village law by a huge

1016
01:27:02.479 --> 01:27:11.279
majority that tricker Treating was extended to
a full week instead of just Halloween Eve

1017
01:27:11.399 --> 01:27:16.520
and Halloween Knight as in previous years. The news had reached surrounding villages and

1018
01:27:16.600 --> 01:27:24.640
even the bigger megalopolises like Shore City
and Erie City. People came from everywhere

1019
01:27:24.640 --> 01:27:30.319
to take part in the legendary event. Because there was never any age discrimination,

1020
01:27:30.159 --> 01:27:35.239
and with the annual tradition being a
week, more people came than ever.

1021
01:27:36.600 --> 01:27:42.000
It was on the final night,
Halloween Night, when Bill Chapman,

1022
01:27:42.159 --> 01:27:47.199
Brian Chunk, and Richie Horton were
out making their rounds. Their pillowcases were

1023
01:27:47.279 --> 01:27:53.720
stuffed with all the candy and other
goodies they'd collected. Man, I can't

1024
01:27:53.720 --> 01:27:57.880
believe we actually did the whole week. Horton, who was dressed as a

1025
01:27:58.000 --> 01:28:00.680
Cobra chi fighter, said, I
know, we said we'd do a few

1026
01:28:00.760 --> 01:28:05.520
days, but I know. Chapman
agreed, who was dressed as an army

1027
01:28:05.560 --> 01:28:10.960
soldier to match his crew cut.
Yeah, but look at all the candy

1028
01:28:11.039 --> 01:28:15.119
we got. Chunker reminded them he
was dressed as a zombie. We got

1029
01:28:15.159 --> 01:28:20.039
so much stuff we'll probably be eating
it until next Halloween. Chapman sneered,

1030
01:28:20.560 --> 01:28:26.680
I'd be surprised if even you can
eat that much candy Chunker. Chunker had

1031
01:28:26.680 --> 01:28:31.199
made good on his promise to lose
weight upon surviving their horrible ordeal with Abigail

1032
01:28:31.279 --> 01:28:36.760
Tomlin in what seemed like only a
few short months ago. He was still

1033
01:28:36.800 --> 01:28:42.439
a little chunky, but his weight
loss was quite noticeable between the summer and

1034
01:28:42.560 --> 01:28:45.880
now. In spite of the weight
loss, Chunker found he still had his

1035
01:28:46.000 --> 01:28:51.680
same monstrous appetite and exercised more in
order to keep from putting the weight back

1036
01:28:51.720 --> 01:28:59.039
on. Chunker'll probably end up getting
diabetes, Horton stated. When Chapman and

1037
01:28:59.079 --> 01:29:03.520
Horton both last, Chunker just looked
at them. Yeah, yeah, man,

1038
01:29:03.640 --> 01:29:08.920
these pillow sacks are heavy. Chapman
said, maybe we should head back

1039
01:29:08.920 --> 01:29:14.840
to the clubhouse again. Good idea, Horton agreed. The boys walked a

1040
01:29:14.880 --> 01:29:18.039
couple of blocks to get to their
clubhouse, which was the old tool shed

1041
01:29:18.079 --> 01:29:23.720
in Chunker's backyard. His dad built
a new garage with some extra space for

1042
01:29:23.800 --> 01:29:28.159
the tools and told Brian he and
his friends could use the old shed for

1043
01:29:28.199 --> 01:29:32.119
their hangout. They walked in and
emptied their pillowcases into the large chest,

1044
01:29:32.479 --> 01:29:39.119
where their haul for the week continued
to grow and grow. Looks like if

1045
01:29:39.119 --> 01:29:42.119
we make one last set of rounds, we can actually fill this bad boy

1046
01:29:42.199 --> 01:29:46.760
up completely, Chunker stated. Chapman
looked at his watch. We still got

1047
01:29:46.760 --> 01:29:50.199
time. We started at six,
and trick or treating doesn't get done until

1048
01:29:50.199 --> 01:29:56.079
midnight, and there's no school tomorrow. Horton looked at both of his friends.

1049
01:29:56.720 --> 01:30:00.000
We're really going back out for more
candy. What you don't want to,

1050
01:30:00.359 --> 01:30:05.239
Chapman asked. Horton glanced over at
the chest. I'm just wondering if

1051
01:30:05.319 --> 01:30:10.760
Chunker'll start on the candy since it's
all here at his place. Chapman pointed

1052
01:30:10.840 --> 01:30:14.239
right at Brian. You don't want
to be eating all the candy in one

1053
01:30:14.359 --> 01:30:18.479
night, buddy. Chunker gave a
mischievous grin. You never know, I

1054
01:30:18.680 --> 01:30:23.880
just might get the munchies in the
middle of the night. Chapman tightened his

1055
01:30:24.000 --> 01:30:28.720
jaw. I mean it, Chunker, don't you even? Chunker picked up

1056
01:30:28.760 --> 01:30:34.119
his pillowcase and walked slowly to the
door. Fine. When Chunker stopped in

1057
01:30:34.159 --> 01:30:41.560
the doorway, Horton and Chapman heard
what sounded like a very loud trumpet playing.

1058
01:30:42.520 --> 01:30:45.439
When it stopped, Chunker quickly went
outside and slammed the door shut.

1059
01:30:45.880 --> 01:30:50.079
He pressed himself up against the door
and soon felt the others pushing to get

1060
01:30:50.079 --> 01:30:55.840
out. Chunker started laughing as the
others were pounding and pushing hard on the

1061
01:30:55.880 --> 01:31:01.359
door. He could even hear Horton
coughing, open the open the door,

1062
01:31:01.399 --> 01:31:06.439
you uneducated piece of pork. Fat, Chapman yelled, Oh my god,

1063
01:31:08.199 --> 01:31:13.119
come on, Chunker, Horton protested, after gagging, We're gonna die in

1064
01:31:13.279 --> 01:31:17.439
here. Finally, Chunker got caught
off guard when Chapman backed up and ran

1065
01:31:17.520 --> 01:31:23.720
against the door to both force it
open and knock Chunker down. Horton ended

1066
01:31:23.800 --> 01:31:27.520
up falling on top of both of
his friends and sucking for fresh air.

1067
01:31:28.159 --> 01:31:32.359
Chunker was really laughing it up now. After Chapman eased Horton off him,

1068
01:31:32.640 --> 01:31:36.800
he got up and pointed down at
Chunker. You really are a sick pig

1069
01:31:36.880 --> 01:31:42.000
man. I can't believe you tried
to kill us like that. Seriously,

1070
01:31:42.319 --> 01:31:46.239
what did you eat earlier? Horton
demanded. Then he gagged and moved farther

1071
01:31:46.319 --> 01:31:51.000
away from the clubhouse. Yeah,
keep the door open, Chapman told Horton.

1072
01:31:51.680 --> 01:31:56.479
Then he said to Chunker, that's
the last time we go to Denoyer's

1073
01:31:56.479 --> 01:32:00.760
Grille with you before we trick or
treat. Then he coughed and stepped away

1074
01:32:00.800 --> 01:32:06.239
from the clubhouse and lay off that
sweet potato pie. After waiting several minutes,

1075
01:32:06.399 --> 01:32:11.800
Chapman and Horton went back inside to
get their pillow cases. From there,

1076
01:32:11.840 --> 01:32:15.760
they headed back out and onto the
streets of Strickfield for more trick or

1077
01:32:15.760 --> 01:32:20.720
treating. They'd received several comments from
houses taking part about how they'd been around

1078
01:32:20.760 --> 01:32:26.840
many times throughout the week just the
same, they still gave them the treats.

1079
01:32:27.319 --> 01:32:31.039
After all, Strickfield was the one
village where there was no discrimination for

1080
01:32:31.119 --> 01:32:35.760
trick or treating. It was around
eleven o'clock when the boys reached Denoyer's Grill.

1081
01:32:36.520 --> 01:32:42.079
Now, remember, Chunker, we're
not going in for food, Chapman

1082
01:32:42.159 --> 01:32:45.319
reminded him. You just said you
needed a bathroom break. I know,

1083
01:32:45.560 --> 01:32:49.720
I know, he replied and opened
the door. The boys walked inside to

1084
01:32:49.800 --> 01:32:55.520
a still packed dining room. They
knew October was the biggest month where Denoyer's

1085
01:32:55.520 --> 01:33:00.000
Grill got the most business this year. Business really picked up during the first

1086
01:33:00.159 --> 01:33:04.359
full week of tricker treating. Now
it was Halloween night and people were still

1087
01:33:04.399 --> 01:33:10.520
packing Denoyer's grill. It was also
known that Denoyer paid his people extra for

1088
01:33:10.600 --> 01:33:15.319
working this time of year. Back
again, boys, huh, Denoyer asked,

1089
01:33:15.359 --> 01:33:19.520
pleasantly, just using the bathroom?
Chunker told him, you know where

1090
01:33:19.520 --> 01:33:24.600
it is. They walked to the
men's room and went in. When they

1091
01:33:24.600 --> 01:33:30.239
were finished, Chapman looked at Horton, Hey, where's Chunker. Horton gave

1092
01:33:30.279 --> 01:33:33.720
a grim look that said he knew. The two of them finished washing their

1093
01:33:33.720 --> 01:33:39.159
hands and came outside to find Chunker
sitting at the counter and eating a piece

1094
01:33:39.199 --> 01:33:45.359
of Denoyer's famous sweet potato pie.
Horton pointed to the pie, this is

1095
01:33:45.439 --> 01:33:48.880
why you blew up the clubhouse earlier. This is what your fifth piece today

1096
01:33:49.880 --> 01:33:55.239
sixth. Chunker corrected him. Come
on, guys, you know I don't

1097
01:33:55.279 --> 01:34:00.399
feel right using the restroom here and
not putting into the till. Wanted to

1098
01:34:00.439 --> 01:34:04.520
yell again, but he sighed and
ordered some French fries. Horton ordered a

1099
01:34:04.560 --> 01:34:10.279
soft drink. After they finished,
they left Denoyer's grill and headed back out.

1100
01:34:11.319 --> 01:34:15.479
We only got forty minutes until midnight, Horton said, Do we just

1101
01:34:15.560 --> 01:34:17.640
head back to the clubhouse, or
do we ride it out and get more

1102
01:34:17.680 --> 01:34:21.600
candy. I think we got more
than enough to fill the rest of the

1103
01:34:21.680 --> 01:34:28.000
chest. Back at the clubhouse,
Chunker stated, still, forty minutes is

1104
01:34:28.079 --> 01:34:31.119
forty minutes. Might as well end
on a high note. Even Chapman wasn't

1105
01:34:31.119 --> 01:34:35.079
going to give Chunker a hard time. They'd started trick or treating right at

1106
01:34:35.159 --> 01:34:40.840
six every night when Trick or Treat
Week started, and went all the way

1107
01:34:40.920 --> 01:34:45.720
until the end. They knew they
couldn't stop. Now. Just a little

1108
01:34:45.760 --> 01:34:50.279
while longer and they'd have officially trick
or treated for seven nights straight from start

1109
01:34:50.319 --> 01:34:55.960
to finish. The boys managed to
make the rounds on four more blocks before

1110
01:34:56.000 --> 01:35:00.119
it was almost midnight and the week
long Trick or Treat festivities would be over

1111
01:35:00.279 --> 01:35:04.039
for the season. We really did
it, guys, Horton said, with

1112
01:35:04.159 --> 01:35:09.720
pride. We got more candy than
we ever did before, and probably from

1113
01:35:09.760 --> 01:35:13.199
all of our other years combined.
Yeah, we did, didn't we.

1114
01:35:13.640 --> 01:35:17.920
Chapman agreed, I'm surprised Chunker here
went the distance. Yeah, yeah,

1115
01:35:18.000 --> 01:35:23.880
when have I ever not? Chunker
demanded, well, he did keep up

1116
01:35:23.920 --> 01:35:28.800
with us on that night last summer, Horton recalled, Chapman pointed at him,

1117
01:35:29.319 --> 01:35:32.680
don't you even talk about that toothpick? We said we'd never talk about

1118
01:35:32.720 --> 01:35:39.000
Abigail Tomlin ever again. When he
saw both Horton and Chunker giving him strange

1119
01:35:39.039 --> 01:35:45.600
looks, he started to wonder himself. He got confirmation when Chunker pointed at

1120
01:35:45.640 --> 01:35:49.520
him. Here's still dreaming about her, too, ain't you. Chapman didn't

1121
01:35:49.560 --> 01:35:54.800
want to admit it, but the
look on his face said enough. Horton

1122
01:35:54.840 --> 01:35:59.880
adjusted his circular glasses face it,
you, guys, We've never been able

1123
01:35:59.920 --> 01:36:04.920
to forget about that ghostly woman.
It had been just shortly after the boys

1124
01:36:04.920 --> 01:36:11.399
had finished sixth grade and their time
at Strickfield Elementary. Now they were at

1125
01:36:11.439 --> 01:36:15.560
Strickfield Junior High. As much as
they had tried, they just couldn't forget

1126
01:36:15.600 --> 01:36:20.880
the horror they had experienced on the
cry Baby Bridge on Indian Hollow Road.

1127
01:36:21.880 --> 01:36:27.239
It was just supposed to be an
urban legend. Brian and his older brother

1128
01:36:27.359 --> 01:36:30.960
Kenny made plans to scare Horton and
Chapman by making it seem like the legend

1129
01:36:31.000 --> 01:36:35.720
of the cry Baby Bridge was real. Kenny had even gone so far as

1130
01:36:35.720 --> 01:36:41.199
to mount a speaker at the bridge
to amplify the sounds of a little baby

1131
01:36:41.279 --> 01:36:45.399
crying. The joke had worked,
and Horton and Chapman were both scared.

1132
01:36:46.039 --> 01:36:51.720
Kenny revealed the speaker before he took
it down and went home. But what

1133
01:36:51.760 --> 01:36:56.079
the three boys were about to find
out was that the legend of the cry

1134
01:36:56.119 --> 01:37:02.079
Baby Bridge was indeed true. They
not only heard a baby crying Arthur Tomlin,

1135
01:37:02.520 --> 01:37:08.840
but his mother had appeared in her
horrible, ghostly form. The boys

1136
01:37:08.880 --> 01:37:14.079
were soon running for their very lives
when Abigail Tomlin chased them through very heavy

1137
01:37:14.119 --> 01:37:18.800
winds conjured up by the haunting itself. The boys barely made it as the

1138
01:37:18.840 --> 01:37:24.920
morning sun came up and sent Abigail
Tomlin back to whatever nether world she may

1139
01:37:24.960 --> 01:37:29.720
have come from. From that moment
on, the boys made it a point

1140
01:37:29.840 --> 01:37:35.680
to never go anywhere near that bridge
on Indian Hollow Road ever again. Brian

1141
01:37:35.840 --> 01:37:40.439
really wanted to tell Kenny that the
legend of the cry Baby Bridge was real,

1142
01:37:40.840 --> 01:37:45.840
but he reconsidered when he realized Kenny
might actually go out there and check

1143
01:37:45.920 --> 01:37:49.359
the legend out for himself. After
all, their father was the one who

1144
01:37:49.399 --> 01:37:56.079
told the brothers the story of the
cry Baby Bridge. Naturally, Brian wanted

1145
01:37:56.119 --> 01:38:00.920
to see if the legend was true. Many times over he'd wished he hadn't.

1146
01:38:02.039 --> 01:38:06.000
The boys had never been the same
after that. They kept having awful

1147
01:38:06.119 --> 01:38:12.479
nightmares about Abigail Tomlin and the horrible
ordeal that had cost her both her life

1148
01:38:12.960 --> 01:38:16.680
and that of her baby son.
Both of them died on that very bridge

1149
01:38:16.960 --> 01:38:23.319
as a result of her tyrannical husband
and the gunfight she had lost to him

1150
01:38:23.840 --> 01:38:29.279
many many years ago. The boys
felt deep down that Abigail Tomlin wasn't finished

1151
01:38:29.279 --> 01:38:32.880
with them, not by a long
shot. I really didn't want to say

1152
01:38:32.880 --> 01:38:39.439
it. Horton finally confessed, she's
coming back for us. I think she's

1153
01:38:39.600 --> 01:38:44.760
just waiting for the right time.
How's she going to come back for us?

1154
01:38:45.199 --> 01:38:48.159
Chapman demanded, None of us have
ever gone back to Indian Hollow Road

1155
01:38:48.319 --> 01:38:55.119
right. Chunker shook his head.
I haven't, no way me neither.

1156
01:38:55.600 --> 01:39:00.520
Horton confessed, I haven't either.
Chapman also confessed. Then he reached out

1157
01:39:00.560 --> 01:39:04.399
and swung his fist at nothing.
Why are we still dreaming about her?

1158
01:39:04.439 --> 01:39:09.399
Then? It's like she's still haunting
us. I don't want to say anything

1159
01:39:09.439 --> 01:39:14.159
to mom and dad. I don't
know what they'd say. Well, my

1160
01:39:14.399 --> 01:39:18.079
mom would likely take me to a
shrink. Horton piped up, she already

1161
01:39:18.079 --> 01:39:23.840
thinks I'm crazy enough, especially since
I'm hanging around with you two. Both

1162
01:39:23.880 --> 01:39:28.279
of them sighed. They knew Horton's
mother never really liked either of them.

1163
01:39:28.880 --> 01:39:32.800
Still, she never forbade her son
from being friends with them. Chapman and

1164
01:39:32.880 --> 01:39:39.520
Chunker didn't want to give Horton's mom
a reason to finally reconsider that the three

1165
01:39:39.560 --> 01:39:44.119
of them had been friends since first
grade at Strickfield Elementary and had been through

1166
01:39:44.159 --> 01:39:47.960
a lot together. While they were
different in so many ways, they made

1167
01:39:48.039 --> 01:39:54.039
their friendship last going into junior high. They knew they didn't want their group

1168
01:39:54.199 --> 01:39:59.560
to end. Abigail Tomlin's going to
keep driving us crazy, Chunker stated,

1169
01:40:00.199 --> 01:40:03.960
I'm surprised we aren't already nuts.
Or maybe we are and we just don't

1170
01:40:04.000 --> 01:40:10.479
know it yet. Horton interjected,
shut up. Chapman snapped, pushing Horton

1171
01:40:10.520 --> 01:40:14.520
a little. Then he groaned,
let's go back to the clubhouse and talk

1172
01:40:14.520 --> 01:40:17.199
about this some more. I don't
want to talk about this out here.

1173
01:40:18.279 --> 01:40:25.600
Good idea, Chunker agreed. The
boys turned down a nearby street which took

1174
01:40:25.640 --> 01:40:30.840
them past the gated community where it
was all mirans. It always seemed to

1175
01:40:30.840 --> 01:40:35.239
be the one area of Strickfield that
stood out around October in December, the

1176
01:40:35.359 --> 01:40:41.560
Mirans never opened their gated community for
Halloween for trick or treating, and they

1177
01:40:41.640 --> 01:40:46.199
certainly never decorated for Christmas. The
boys were quick to notice how deathly still

1178
01:40:46.279 --> 01:40:50.840
it seemed on the outside. They
kept walking until they were clear of the

1179
01:40:50.880 --> 01:40:57.640
gated community. The boys continued to
walk in silence. They would only have

1180
01:40:57.800 --> 01:41:02.560
about three blocks before they'd reached Chunk's
house and their clubhouse. They just finished

1181
01:41:02.600 --> 01:41:08.359
walking the first block and crossed into
the second. They were about a quarter

1182
01:41:08.439 --> 01:41:14.359
mile into the block when they started
to pass Village Cemetery. It was then

1183
01:41:15.039 --> 01:41:21.239
when they heard some sounds in the
distance. You guys hear that, Chunker

1184
01:41:21.279 --> 01:41:29.640
asked quietly. Sounds like little kids
playing. Chapman replied, scratching his bird

1185
01:41:29.680 --> 01:41:33.920
head. It's after midnight, Horton
noted. Then he checked his smart watch,

1186
01:41:34.760 --> 01:41:40.880
it's almost twelve thirty. Yeah,
but we're in Junior High. Chapman

1187
01:41:40.960 --> 01:41:45.119
stressed, the cops aren't going to
say anything to us. Besides, we're

1188
01:41:45.159 --> 01:41:49.000
not too far from Chunker's house.
We might as well keep moving, Chunker

1189
01:41:49.079 --> 01:41:55.680
suggested. Then they heard the sounds
of the little kids laughing in the cemetery

1190
01:41:55.720 --> 01:42:05.359
again. The boys wanted to turn
away and keep going, but deep down,

1191
01:42:06.560 --> 01:42:11.680
we should head inside and check on
those kids. Chapman said, yeah,

1192
01:42:11.800 --> 01:42:15.800
but Horton stammered. When he saw
the slight glare on Chapman's face,

1193
01:42:15.840 --> 01:42:20.199
he sighed, yeah, you're right. It is too late for those kids

1194
01:42:20.239 --> 01:42:26.119
to be out here and in a
graveyard, Chunker added. The boys went

1195
01:42:26.159 --> 01:42:31.359
to the cemetery entrance and found the
iron gates were locked. When they heard

1196
01:42:31.399 --> 01:42:39.079
the children laughing again, they realized
they had only one way inside. They

1197
01:42:39.159 --> 01:42:45.039
tossed their pillowcases of candy over the
wall and scaled it to get inside.

1198
01:42:45.119 --> 01:42:49.239
After dropping to the grass below,
they picked up their candy and stashed it

1199
01:42:49.319 --> 01:42:55.079
until they could come back for it
and leave. Over there, Chunker said,

1200
01:42:55.159 --> 01:43:00.279
pointing in the direction of the laughter. The boys walked cautiously through the

1201
01:43:00.319 --> 01:43:08.600
seemingly endless rows of tombstones. Village
Cemetery wasn't nearly as big as Strickfield Cemetery,

1202
01:43:09.079 --> 01:43:13.279
but it may as well have been
with the atmosphere. There was a

1203
01:43:13.359 --> 01:43:18.239
light fog among the tombstones. Even
though it was officially November first, now

1204
01:43:18.760 --> 01:43:25.800
Halloween night, itself continued into the
late hours. In many places, Strickfield

1205
01:43:26.079 --> 01:43:30.239
was no exception. I can't believe
I'm walking around in a graveyard on Halloween

1206
01:43:30.359 --> 01:43:35.880
night, Horton groaned, Yeah,
yeah, Chucker muttered, stick close.

1207
01:43:36.600 --> 01:43:43.880
The boys kept walking cautiously through the
cemetery until they came upon the scene of

1208
01:43:43.920 --> 01:43:47.560
the laughter. It looked as though
a group of children were in their Halloween

1209
01:43:47.640 --> 01:43:55.359
costumes. They were laughing as it
seemed they were playing a game. Well,

1210
01:43:55.920 --> 01:44:00.840
it don't look like they're in any
danger, Chunker observed. Okay,

1211
01:44:00.439 --> 01:44:04.960
guess we can go home. Then
Horton uttered quickly. As Horton turned away,

1212
01:44:05.039 --> 01:44:10.760
Chapman snatched his wrist. Come on, dude, really, don't forget

1213
01:44:10.960 --> 01:44:15.000
safety in numbers here. When Horton
calmed down, Chapman let go of him.

1214
01:44:15.720 --> 01:44:20.439
The boys watched the children still playing
their game. They weren't sure what

1215
01:44:20.560 --> 01:44:25.880
the game was, but it looked
like some form of hide and seek.

1216
01:44:27.039 --> 01:44:30.119
Before the boys were going to talk
about what to do next, Ghost in

1217
01:44:30.159 --> 01:44:34.079
the Graveyard. Ghost in the Graveyard, the boys shrieked with fright before they

1218
01:44:34.119 --> 01:44:40.439
turned around to see a little girl
dressed as Little Red riding hood pointing at

1219
01:44:40.560 --> 01:44:44.399
Chunker. In his zombie makeup,
Ghost in the Graveyard, Ghost in the

1220
01:44:44.399 --> 01:44:48.439
Graveyard, she called out again.
It wasn't long before a little boy came

1221
01:44:48.520 --> 01:44:54.600
up next to the girl. His
costume looked quite awkward. He appeared to

1222
01:44:54.640 --> 01:45:00.239
be all wet. His makeup was
really good, because he seemed to look

1223
01:45:00.319 --> 01:45:05.640
like he had some stages of decomposition
on his face and arms. That's not

1224
01:45:05.800 --> 01:45:11.159
the ghost, Annabeth, The boy
told her. The ghost is still around

1225
01:45:11.159 --> 01:45:15.880
in here, somewhere. You know
who the ghost is. Annabeth turned to

1226
01:45:15.880 --> 01:45:18.960
the boy, still pointing at Chunker. But he looks like a ghost too,

1227
01:45:19.159 --> 01:45:25.600
Arthur. Arthur was looking the boys
over. It's not him, he

1228
01:45:25.680 --> 01:45:30.600
told Annabeth again. What are you
guys doing out here in the cemetery?

1229
01:45:30.960 --> 01:45:34.680
Chapman asked, it's after midnight.
Aren't you afraid the copsule come here?

1230
01:45:35.760 --> 01:45:41.680
Arthur laughed. The police never come
in here on Halloween. They got way

1231
01:45:41.720 --> 01:45:45.239
too much to do tonight to be
looking in here. But what are you

1232
01:45:45.319 --> 01:45:50.560
doing in here? Horton asked,
Ah, we're playing our favorite game for

1233
01:45:50.600 --> 01:45:56.800
Halloween night, Ghost in the Graveyard. Arthur answered, want to play?

1234
01:45:57.239 --> 01:46:02.239
The boys looked among themselves with uncertainty. Oh, come on, Arthur beckoned,

1235
01:46:02.680 --> 01:46:06.399
it's Halloween, knight. We got
the whole graveyard to ourselves. There

1236
01:46:06.399 --> 01:46:11.479
ain't gonna be any cops looking in
here. Trust me on this one.

1237
01:46:12.920 --> 01:46:16.680
Okay, Horton stammered, We can
play a few rounds, right, no

1238
01:46:16.800 --> 01:46:24.199
school tomorrow and all. Yeah.
Okay. Chapman agreed. Chunkers seemed just

1239
01:46:24.279 --> 01:46:29.079
as unsure as his friends, but
he still gave an affirming nod. Arthur

1240
01:46:29.159 --> 01:46:32.119
motioned for the boys to follow him
in Annabeth. He called for the other

1241
01:46:32.239 --> 01:46:38.119
children, who were quick to gather
around. Okay, people, these guys

1242
01:46:38.159 --> 01:46:42.239
are playing Ghost in the Graveyard with
us. He told them. The ghost

1243
01:46:42.319 --> 01:46:45.239
is still out there. Then he
explained the rules to the boys as he

1244
01:46:45.279 --> 01:46:50.560
pointed to the nearby mausoleum. That's
our home base. We already picked somebody

1245
01:46:50.600 --> 01:46:55.600
to be the ghost. The ghost
is out there in this cemetery somewhere.

1246
01:46:56.279 --> 01:47:00.399
Now we'll chant the hours again so
the ghost knows we got new plays the

1247
01:47:00.439 --> 01:47:03.439
game. I'll call out once we
finished the chant. Once I do,

1248
01:47:04.000 --> 01:47:08.760
we all go out looking for the
ghost. If anybody spots the ghost,

1249
01:47:08.800 --> 01:47:13.920
you yell ghost in the graveyard and
run back to home base the mausoleum.

1250
01:47:14.159 --> 01:47:16.399
Now, if the ghost catches you
at any point and you're not at home

1251
01:47:16.439 --> 01:47:23.359
base, then you become the next
ghost. Got it? The boys nodded,

1252
01:47:23.960 --> 01:47:28.560
Then Arthur led the chant by chanting
the hours. When they reached midnight,

1253
01:47:29.119 --> 01:47:32.479
Arthur called out, midnight, midnight. We hope we don't see a

1254
01:47:32.520 --> 01:47:40.039
ghost tonight. Everybody cautiously walked away
from the mausoleum and started looking around.

1255
01:47:40.720 --> 01:47:45.520
The boys pulled out their smartphones and
turned on their camera flashes. They found

1256
01:47:45.560 --> 01:47:49.359
they weren't much help. After a
little bit, they also noticed they weren't

1257
01:47:49.359 --> 01:47:56.960
getting any reception. I don't like
this, Horton whispered, something's really wrong

1258
01:47:57.000 --> 01:48:00.399
here. I can feel it.
Yeah, I feel the same way.

1259
01:48:00.920 --> 01:48:06.079
Chunker agreed. It'll be okay,
guys, Chapman said, we'll just play

1260
01:48:06.119 --> 01:48:11.640
a few rounds and then get these
kids to go home. You don't sound

1261
01:48:11.680 --> 01:48:15.119
so sure of yourself, Horton said. Chapman didn't have to say it,

1262
01:48:15.560 --> 01:48:19.600
but Horton and Chunker could both see
on his face that he was just as

1263
01:48:19.640 --> 01:48:26.840
concerned as them. Just then,
Oh, come on, Chunker, really,

1264
01:48:27.359 --> 01:48:30.880
Horton groaned as he coughed and waved
his hand in front of his face.

1265
01:48:30.680 --> 01:48:34.439
Chapman was also waving his hand in
front of his own face. Man,

1266
01:48:34.520 --> 01:48:41.079
Chunker, you gotta stop eating so
much of Denoyer's sweet potato pie.

1267
01:48:41.159 --> 01:48:45.079
I'm sorry, guys, Chunker said
quietly. It's kind of scary in here.

1268
01:48:46.159 --> 01:48:50.680
It's no different than during the day, Chapman countered, trying to sound

1269
01:48:50.720 --> 01:48:57.880
more confident than he felt. Don't
you watch scary movies, Horton demanded.

1270
01:48:58.479 --> 01:49:01.680
You know what you said, ain't
right. It's always different in a cemetery

1271
01:49:01.720 --> 01:49:06.880
at night, Chapman groaned. But
we're not in a scary movie, nerd.

1272
01:49:08.840 --> 01:49:14.960
You're right, We're in a very
scary graveyard on Halloween night. Horton

1273
01:49:15.039 --> 01:49:18.520
said quickly. It was nighttime when
we saw a ghost over the summer.

1274
01:49:19.199 --> 01:49:26.119
Yeah, we know, ghosts surreal, Chapman, Chunker reminded him. Chapman

1275
01:49:26.239 --> 01:49:29.479
looked like he wanted to yell at
both of them, but he kept his

1276
01:49:29.560 --> 01:49:35.239
thought to himself instead. And if
you guys see the ghost yet, Horton

1277
01:49:35.239 --> 01:49:42.079
shook his head. No, nope, Chunker replied, could be anywhere,

1278
01:49:43.039 --> 01:49:46.479
and then Arthur joined up with them. It's okay, guys, there's nothing

1279
01:49:46.479 --> 01:49:49.720
to worry about. Once we find
the ghost, we run back to home

1280
01:49:49.800 --> 01:49:55.640
base. You sure there's somebody being
the ghost out there, right, Chunker

1281
01:49:55.720 --> 01:50:00.319
asked. We've been looking around and
we haven't seen anybody else except you.

1282
01:50:00.800 --> 01:50:06.119
Horton added, trust me, there
is a ghost, Arthur promised, probably

1283
01:50:06.159 --> 01:50:12.359
stalking us right now, unless the
ghost is where the others are. Um

1284
01:50:13.159 --> 01:50:17.680
no, Horton disagreed. You said, if anybody saw the ghost, they're

1285
01:50:17.680 --> 01:50:23.399
supposed to chant ghost in the graveyard. Yeah, we haven't heard anybody chant

1286
01:50:23.479 --> 01:50:29.760
yet, Chunker stressed. Village cemetery
was lit decently thanks to the street lights

1287
01:50:29.800 --> 01:50:32.920
around the paths. The boys didn't
want to say it, but they seemed

1288
01:50:32.960 --> 01:50:40.079
to think that Arthur's makeup looked more
and more realistic in terms of the decomposition,

1289
01:50:41.159 --> 01:50:45.039
and he still looked soaking wet.
If he was supposed to be a

1290
01:50:45.159 --> 01:50:50.079
zombie himself, then whoever did his
makeup was really good. Let's check over

1291
01:50:50.119 --> 01:50:56.399
there at that mausoleum, Arthur suggested. At first, Horton hesitated, Then

1292
01:50:56.520 --> 01:51:03.840
Chapman reminded him safety in numbers.
Okay, Horton groaned. The four boys

1293
01:51:03.920 --> 01:51:09.399
cautiously walked to the mausoleum. Arthur
was guiding them too. I'm pretty sure

1294
01:51:09.399 --> 01:51:13.920
the ghost is hiding in there,
That's where she was last time. Yeah,

1295
01:51:13.960 --> 01:51:18.239
but wouldn't it be better to hide
somewhere else, Chapman asked. Arthur

1296
01:51:18.279 --> 01:51:23.960
didn't say anything, but they continued
until they reached the entrance of the mausoleum.

1297
01:51:25.600 --> 01:51:30.720
Mom, you in there, Arthur
called out. Horton looked from Chunker

1298
01:51:30.760 --> 01:51:35.840
to Chapman. Mom. Now both
Chunker and Chapman had the same worried looks

1299
01:51:35.880 --> 01:51:41.840
as Horton. Suddenly, the door
to the mausoleum flew open, to the

1300
01:51:41.880 --> 01:51:45.920
horror of the three friends. A
ghastly glowing woman who wore a blood stained,

1301
01:51:46.199 --> 01:51:50.680
damp wedding gown now stood in the
doorway. Her flesh was quite decayed,

1302
01:51:50.760 --> 01:51:55.960
and her red eyes glowed as bright
as those at a railroad crossing gate.

1303
01:51:57.479 --> 01:52:01.960
The apparition screamed with delight. She
looked upon the three faces. My

1304
01:52:02.159 --> 01:52:08.600
babies, you finally come home to
your mother, Abigail Tomlin said in her

1305
01:52:08.680 --> 01:52:14.239
dead and disembodied voice. Then she
held her arms out to grab them.

1306
01:52:14.760 --> 01:52:18.800
Abigail Tomlin, The three friends screamed
together. Then they turned and ran for

1307
01:52:18.920 --> 01:52:25.239
all they were worth. The ghost
of Abigail Tomlin screamed herself to pierce the

1308
01:52:25.319 --> 01:52:30.520
stillness of the night as she began
chasing them. We're not at the bridge,

1309
01:52:30.680 --> 01:52:34.720
Chunker moaned, how is this even
happening? Oh man, omen,

1310
01:52:34.800 --> 01:52:39.960
oh man, oh man, oh
man. Horton squealed, We gotta get

1311
01:52:39.960 --> 01:52:44.159
out of here. Chapman yelled,
there will never be any escape for you,

1312
01:52:45.239 --> 01:52:49.119
my babies, Abigail Tomlin called out
to them, not this time,

1313
01:52:49.720 --> 01:52:56.079
and never again. To the surprise
of Chapman and Horton, Chunker was actually

1314
01:52:56.199 --> 01:53:00.520
running fast enough to leave them behind. Horton shrieked, and both he and

1315
01:53:00.640 --> 01:53:03.840
Chapman ran faster to keep up with
him. As the boys came upon the

1316
01:53:03.880 --> 01:53:08.880
other children, they were yelling for
them to run, waving their arms at

1317
01:53:08.920 --> 01:53:14.520
them. Frantically Ghost in the graveyard
for real, Horton screamed, get out

1318
01:53:14.520 --> 01:53:17.319
of here, go home. Chapman
added, We're all gonna die if she

1319
01:53:17.439 --> 01:53:23.760
catches us. For real, Chunker
yelled. When the other children saw Abigail

1320
01:53:23.800 --> 01:53:28.119
Tomlin, they all screamed and scattered. You can run all you want,

1321
01:53:28.760 --> 01:53:32.760
Arthur called to the three friends.
There's no escape. Mom will have you

1322
01:53:32.880 --> 01:53:40.239
all. You escaped her once,
but there's no escape this time. Then

1323
01:53:40.399 --> 01:53:45.880
Horton made a startling realization. He
said, his name was Arthur. That's

1324
01:53:45.920 --> 01:53:48.920
the name of Abigail Tomlin's little baby
boy, like in the legend of cry

1325
01:53:48.960 --> 01:53:55.479
Baby Bridge. You mean Arthur's a
ghost too, Chunker cried in disbelief.

1326
01:53:56.520 --> 01:54:00.359
Makes sense, Chapman gasped. He
calls her mom. They both died together

1327
01:54:00.399 --> 01:54:04.159
at the bridge years ago. You
may run as much as you like,

1328
01:54:04.880 --> 01:54:10.600
my children, Abigail Tomlin called to
them. You are within the boundaries of

1329
01:54:10.640 --> 01:54:16.399
this burial ground. You will never
escape me again, especially not before the

1330
01:54:16.479 --> 01:54:21.239
sun rises. The boys knew the
sun wouldn't be up for several hours,

1331
01:54:21.319 --> 01:54:27.359
yet it was just after one o'clock. We can't keep running much longer,

1332
01:54:27.840 --> 01:54:31.319
Chunker groaned. Let's get back to
the wall and climb over, Chapman yelled.

1333
01:54:31.640 --> 01:54:35.960
The boys quickly reached the wall with
all the strength and determination that came

1334
01:54:36.000 --> 01:54:41.760
from being scared for their lives.
The boys quickly scaled the wall and dropped

1335
01:54:41.800 --> 01:54:46.319
to the outside. Abigail Tomlin floated
high enough to where they could see her.

1336
01:54:47.039 --> 01:54:54.239
However, she could not float over
the wall itself. The boys knew

1337
01:54:54.279 --> 01:55:00.479
they were safe, but Abigail Tomlin
gave them a weird look before she slowly

1338
01:55:00.600 --> 01:55:05.319
lowered herself back into the cemetery.
Let's get out of here, Chunker said,

1339
01:55:05.359 --> 01:55:13.079
after catching his breath. Horton was
inclined to agree. However, we

1340
01:55:13.159 --> 01:55:17.000
can't, guys, we can't just
leave those kids in there. Abigail Tomlin

1341
01:55:17.039 --> 01:55:21.399
will claim them, you know she
will. You guys want to go home,

1342
01:55:21.439 --> 01:55:25.479
then go, But I won't be
able to sleep tonight, knowing I

1343
01:55:25.520 --> 01:55:30.800
didn't at least try to save them. True, the boys had escaped Abigail

1344
01:55:30.800 --> 01:55:35.279
Tomlin once more. However, they
knew Horton was right, and he certainly

1345
01:55:35.279 --> 01:55:40.880
did not want to go back in
there himself. I'm with you, Horton,

1346
01:55:41.399 --> 01:55:45.720
Chapman said, Way to put a
guilt trip on us, But you're

1347
01:55:45.800 --> 01:55:48.680
right. You know we're not going
to make it out again, right.

1348
01:55:49.239 --> 01:55:55.039
Tomlin's gonna get us this time.
Yeah, I know, Horton replied.

1349
01:55:56.079 --> 01:56:00.920
You know, I'm really scared,
but I'm going back in. Chunker put

1350
01:56:00.960 --> 01:56:04.439
a hand on Horton's shoulder and laughed
a little. We still got to get

1351
01:56:04.439 --> 01:56:09.199
all our candy we left in there. I'm not letting Abigail Tomlin have all

1352
01:56:09.199 --> 01:56:13.720
that candy, no way. The
others laughed a little at Chunker's humor,

1353
01:56:14.319 --> 01:56:18.560
even though the candy was the farthest
thing from their minds. Thanks for being

1354
01:56:18.560 --> 01:56:24.560
my best friends, guys, Horton
said. Chunker pointed sharply at him,

1355
01:56:24.880 --> 01:56:28.039
No, you don't. We're getting
back out of here, and you'd better

1356
01:56:28.079 --> 01:56:31.039
believe that, though he didn't sound
as confident as he would have liked.

1357
01:56:32.600 --> 01:56:36.479
I got a plan to get the
children out, Horton told them. The

1358
01:56:36.520 --> 01:56:44.000
other two listened as Horton explained the
plan. It's suicide, but let's do

1359
01:56:44.079 --> 01:56:48.399
it. Chapman said, yeah,
Chunker cheered. The boys took a deep

1360
01:56:48.439 --> 01:56:54.359
breath before they scaled the wall again
and dropped back into the cemetery. They

1361
01:56:54.479 --> 01:56:58.560
ran in the direction of the children, screaming. It wasn't long before they

1362
01:56:58.600 --> 01:57:02.840
saw the ghost of Abigail Tomlin floating
near the kids. She had them backed

1363
01:57:02.880 --> 01:57:08.800
up against the mausoleum that was declared
home base. Of course, she had

1364
01:57:08.840 --> 01:57:14.680
no intention of honoring that part of
ghost in the graveyard. Hey, Abigail

1365
01:57:15.159 --> 01:57:19.800
over here, Chunker called out,
leave them alone. Chapman added, it's

1366
01:57:19.880 --> 01:57:26.239
us you want remember. Horton put
his thumbs in his ears. Na Na,

1367
01:57:26.399 --> 01:57:31.199
na Nana. Abigail Tomlin immediately turned
to them, it's time to come

1368
01:57:31.279 --> 01:57:36.600
home. My children, You've been
in the mortal realm long enough. As

1369
01:57:36.640 --> 01:57:42.079
soon as she began floating towards them, Chunker called to the children, get

1370
01:57:42.119 --> 01:57:45.520
out of here now. The boys
saw the children move from the home base

1371
01:57:45.640 --> 01:57:51.119
mausoleum and run to the wall.
Arthur Tomlin couldn't stop them as they helped

1372
01:57:51.159 --> 01:57:56.760
each other get up and over.
The boys stood their ground as Abigail Tomlin

1373
01:57:56.840 --> 01:58:01.760
continued closing the gap between herself and
the boys. As they agreed they would

1374
01:58:01.840 --> 01:58:06.640
stand their ground until every last child
had escaped. It was when the last

1375
01:58:06.640 --> 01:58:13.560
one had scaled the wall that Abigail
Tomlin finally reached them. The boys never

1376
01:58:13.680 --> 01:58:17.479
screamed as she touched all three of
them to bring them into the realm of

1377
01:58:17.560 --> 01:58:25.199
the dead. Now Abigail Tomlin had
finally claimed the three of them as her

1378
01:58:25.279 --> 01:58:30.960
own. Here, finally home at
last, my long lost children. Now,

1379
01:58:31.119 --> 01:58:42.640
my son Arthur will not be so
lonely. The family and friends of

1380
01:58:42.680 --> 01:58:47.199
the boys and the children of those
they saved, searched village cemetery again and

1381
01:58:47.279 --> 01:58:54.039
again. The only thing they turned
up were the three pillowcases full of candy.

1382
01:58:55.000 --> 01:59:00.399
As far as Brian Chunk, Richie
Horton, and Bill Chapman went boies

1383
01:59:00.800 --> 01:59:05.760
were never found. In fact,
they were never found within the entire village

1384
01:59:05.800 --> 01:59:13.159
of Strickfield. After several weeks of
searching and an investigation, the boys were

1385
01:59:13.199 --> 01:59:19.159
finally given up for lost. In
fact, the three boys were never ever

1386
01:59:19.279 --> 01:59:27.520
seen again. However, if you're
ever fullheartedly brave enough and you happen to

1387
01:59:27.640 --> 01:59:33.359
drive into Strickfield, go to the
bridge on Indian Hollow Road, the cry

1388
01:59:33.439 --> 01:59:40.760
Baby Bridge at night. Just remain
there for a while. When you feel

1389
01:59:40.800 --> 01:59:46.720
the winds starting to blow, you
might just might hear the cries of Brian

1390
01:59:46.880 --> 01:59:54.720
Chunk, Richie Horton, and Bill
Chapman calling out for help from beyond the

1391
01:59:54.760 --> 02:00:00.640
mortal realm as we know it,
and you I might even see the ghost

1392
02:00:00.880 --> 02:00:11.680
of Abigail Tomlin, who continues to
haunt this region of Strickfield, especially on

1393
02:00:11.920 --> 02:00:29.720
Halloween night. Ghost story by an
Ominous I remember it as if it were

1394
02:00:29.800 --> 02:00:33.279
yesterday. I was young. I
was young enough to taste the adventure,

1395
02:00:33.840 --> 02:00:39.920
but old enough to know better.
I'm still not sure how this was real.

1396
02:00:40.760 --> 02:00:45.159
Too much happened and was seen to
be the fanciful imagination of being young.

1397
02:00:45.159 --> 02:00:49.600
One thing is for certain, I
have not forgotten what happened that night,

1398
02:00:50.600 --> 02:00:57.800
and I am certain I never will. It was fall, the leaves

1399
02:00:57.800 --> 02:01:00.800
were just starting to turn, the
days were still warm, and the nights

1400
02:01:00.840 --> 02:01:05.319
were getting cooler. The County Fair
had been in full swing and was the

1401
02:01:05.399 --> 02:01:10.520
last night it was open. I
was there because a friend had talked me

1402
02:01:10.560 --> 02:01:14.760
into going, and I wanted to
sample some kettle corn and caramel apples.

1403
02:01:14.800 --> 02:01:17.920
There. I was waiting in line
for the popcorn when we saw him.

1404
02:01:18.680 --> 02:01:23.920
He was a boy about my age
and my size. He looked like any

1405
02:01:23.960 --> 02:01:29.359
other boy there, except his clothes
were funny. He looked like he was

1406
02:01:29.439 --> 02:01:33.640
dressed up in old time movie clothes. He was looking at us. My

1407
02:01:33.760 --> 02:01:40.000
friend nudged me and nodded in his
direction. We exchanged looks and began to

1408
02:01:40.079 --> 02:01:44.319
walk toward him. As we began
to walk, To my surprise, so

1409
02:01:44.439 --> 02:01:49.479
did he directly for us, without
looking away. When we were within speaking

1410
02:01:49.560 --> 02:01:55.439
distance, I nodded and said hey. He nodded back and said hello.

1411
02:01:55.640 --> 02:01:59.600
My name is Jonathan. I'm from
here, but have been elsewhere for a

1412
02:01:59.640 --> 02:02:03.159
while. I don't know anyone here
now. I told him he could go

1413
02:02:03.239 --> 02:02:08.920
with us if he wanted to.
He nodded. We spent the next couple

1414
02:02:08.920 --> 02:02:12.359
of hours riding the roller coaster,
the ferris wheel, and the tiltawhirl,

1415
02:02:12.840 --> 02:02:15.560
after which I thought I might hurl, but I managed to keep things together.

1416
02:02:16.319 --> 02:02:20.079
We had found a bench to sit. Jonathan and my friend were working

1417
02:02:20.119 --> 02:02:26.960
on some red vines when he asked
if we liked scary things. We looked

1418
02:02:26.960 --> 02:02:30.159
at each other and said of course, as if we would reply any other

1419
02:02:30.199 --> 02:02:36.039
way. He asked if we knew
where the house was down on Oak Street.

1420
02:02:36.960 --> 02:02:42.680
He said he knew the house that
was spooky down there. I was

1421
02:02:42.760 --> 02:02:46.840
hesitant, but after some encouragement from
Jack, we were soon headed out the

1422
02:02:46.880 --> 02:02:51.840
gates from the fair into the night. As we made our way down through

1423
02:02:51.880 --> 02:02:57.800
some neighborhood streets, it really began
to cool off and there was definitely a

1424
02:02:57.920 --> 02:03:01.000
chill in the air. A breeze
was picking up, and a few leaves

1425
02:03:01.000 --> 02:03:05.760
were blowing in between our feet as
we walked. We were beginning to get

1426
02:03:05.800 --> 02:03:11.960
far enough away from the fair now
that I began to become uncomfortable with the

1427
02:03:12.000 --> 02:03:16.439
distance, even though I knew where
we were. It was just then when

1428
02:03:16.439 --> 02:03:21.359
he said we're here. This had
startled me as I realized we had all

1429
02:03:21.399 --> 02:03:28.000
been walking in silence a glance from
Jack told me he was no more at

1430
02:03:28.039 --> 02:03:31.560
ease than I was. I had
this strange feeling of foreboding, and in

1431
02:03:31.560 --> 02:03:38.039
retrospect, I know now that my
survival instinct was trying to warn me.

1432
02:03:39.279 --> 02:03:43.640
As I looked at him, he
stood looking up at it. The house

1433
02:03:43.760 --> 02:03:46.960
was huge. I can't believe I
had never noticed it before. It was

1434
02:03:47.000 --> 02:03:53.119
a sprawling, three story mansion with
what appeared to have been a large yard

1435
02:03:53.359 --> 02:03:57.960
all around it. It seemed to
be well kept, but everything about it

1436
02:03:58.000 --> 02:04:01.640
repelled me. I looked at Jack
and the other boy. Jack was looking

1437
02:04:01.680 --> 02:04:08.159
around nervously. The boy, though
he had a radiant smile on his face,

1438
02:04:09.000 --> 02:04:13.159
I noted he was actually breathing hard. I asked him if he was

1439
02:04:13.199 --> 02:04:16.800
all right. He snapped his head
towards me instantly, while taking a step

1440
02:04:16.840 --> 02:04:23.720
toward me. Yes, he said, then slowly retreated one step back again.

1441
02:04:24.840 --> 02:04:29.079
What do you think, he asked. Jack was barely audible when he

1442
02:04:29.159 --> 02:04:31.960
answered, I don't think we should
go in. If that's what you mean.

1443
02:04:32.840 --> 02:04:36.800
Of course we should go in.
I know who lives here. They

1444
02:04:36.840 --> 02:04:42.279
aren't there yet, he said.
I agreed with Jack, and voiced my

1445
02:04:42.359 --> 02:04:45.920
concern with getting into trouble. There
will be no trouble. Let's just go,

1446
02:04:46.479 --> 02:04:50.600
the boy said, and with that
he began to walk up the walkway

1447
02:04:50.640 --> 02:04:55.560
to the front door. I thought
the walk to that front door was the

1448
02:04:55.600 --> 02:05:00.520
longest twenty five feet of my life. Every step forward seemed to get colder,

1449
02:05:00.960 --> 02:05:04.520
the darkness enveloped us, and the
air seemed to become still. The

1450
02:05:04.560 --> 02:05:11.079
repulsion I felt going forward was immense
and progressive. I didn't know why I

1451
02:05:11.159 --> 02:05:15.039
felt like this. I didn't want
to seem scared, but I was,

1452
02:05:15.520 --> 02:05:18.720
and I didn't know why, which
made me confused. On top of the

1453
02:05:18.760 --> 02:05:25.000
anxiety I seemed to be becoming overwhelmed
with. I was following the new friend

1454
02:05:25.039 --> 02:05:29.800
of ours and Jack. The boy
seemed to be bursting with enthusiasm and excitement

1455
02:05:29.800 --> 02:05:33.640
as Jack and I trudged along.
As we approached the steps up, I

1456
02:05:33.680 --> 02:05:39.680
took hold of the rail and realized
my palms were sweating profusely. I became

1457
02:05:39.760 --> 02:05:44.319
aware of my own labored breathing.
I looked to Jack, who mouthed no

1458
02:05:45.239 --> 02:05:47.760
at me. As we were almost
to the top step on the porch.

1459
02:05:48.359 --> 02:05:53.000
My mouth was dry as I thought
of a hundred reasons not to open the

1460
02:05:53.079 --> 02:05:58.199
large front door, but couldn't utter
a single word. The boy stood in

1461
02:05:58.239 --> 02:06:01.159
front of the door and turned to
look at me. He simultaneously reached for

1462
02:06:01.199 --> 02:06:06.239
the knob and turned it. I
yelled no as he did, but to

1463
02:06:06.319 --> 02:06:12.000
no avail as we heard the click
and the door began to swing open.

1464
02:06:15.079 --> 02:06:20.479
The door creaked and groaned in a
way that sounded guttural as he swung it

1465
02:06:20.560 --> 02:06:25.880
open wide. I could see inside
into the middle of the room, but

1466
02:06:26.000 --> 02:06:30.840
the darkness swallowed the perimeter beyond.
Come in, was all he said as

1467
02:06:30.880 --> 02:06:36.079
he boldly stepped in without looking back, without a word, Jack and I

1468
02:06:36.239 --> 02:06:43.199
followed him in. The smell was
overwhelming as we stepped inside. It smelled

1469
02:06:43.319 --> 02:06:47.039
musty, earthy, and almost rotten, like a trunk that had been closed

1470
02:06:47.079 --> 02:06:53.399
for years. I thought the windows
looked broken out in places, but there

1471
02:06:53.479 --> 02:06:57.960
was no air moving through the house. Now. I don't remember the door

1472
02:06:58.039 --> 02:07:01.880
shutting, but I felt the un
controllable urge to run, and I backed

1473
02:07:01.960 --> 02:07:06.279
right into the shut door. Jack, in a panic, grabbed the handle

1474
02:07:06.560 --> 02:07:13.199
and wrenched on it, but it
didn't budge. He pulled with increased fervor,

1475
02:07:13.399 --> 02:07:16.039
and I began to hit the door
with my closed fist and my hands

1476
02:07:16.119 --> 02:07:20.640
began to tingle. I swung around
to see the boy standing looking at us

1477
02:07:21.359 --> 02:07:28.880
expressionless. A smile began to creep
into the corners of his mouth. This

1478
02:07:29.000 --> 02:07:33.199
twistedly sick look he began to have
made the terror well up even more.

1479
02:07:34.000 --> 02:07:39.960
As I began to scream at him. He suddenly turned and ran into the

1480
02:07:40.039 --> 02:07:45.239
darkness, laughing maniacally. I followed
a few steps after him, instinctively,

1481
02:07:45.680 --> 02:07:50.359
until I realized that, giggling,
he ran down the stairs. Down the

1482
02:07:50.399 --> 02:07:57.600
stairs seemed to be even blacker than
the darkness that already left navigating nearly impossible.

1483
02:07:58.279 --> 02:08:03.119
I turned to look at Jack,
who was gone. I cried out

1484
02:08:03.119 --> 02:08:07.560
in fear and frustration at our stupidity. Why would you ever go somewhere with

1485
02:08:07.640 --> 02:08:13.199
someone you don't know? Yet?
Here I am. Jack stepped forward into

1486
02:08:13.199 --> 02:08:18.000
my field of vision and grabbed my
arm. He began to sob. What's

1487
02:08:18.039 --> 02:08:22.800
going on? Where did he go? Why is this place so scary?

1488
02:08:22.880 --> 02:08:26.199
What's going on? I pulled him
in and put my arm around his shoulder.

1489
02:08:26.880 --> 02:08:31.439
Look at me, We are going
to get out of here, I

1490
02:08:31.560 --> 02:08:35.600
said, in as calm of a
voice as I could muster. I looked

1491
02:08:35.640 --> 02:08:39.079
to the side, to a window, and ran to it. I ripped

1492
02:08:39.119 --> 02:08:45.079
the floor length velvet curtains open and
gasped to see a window. I looked

1493
02:08:45.079 --> 02:08:48.000
next to me to see a small
table and picked it up and banged it

1494
02:08:48.039 --> 02:08:52.880
on the glass. I wasn't sure
what was going on yet, but I

1495
02:08:52.000 --> 02:08:58.000
wasn't fully committed to breaking out a
window because I'm scared this could be a

1496
02:08:58.079 --> 02:09:03.880
prank done on poor taste. Fear
overwhelmed my rational thoughts and I swung it.

1497
02:09:03.880 --> 02:09:07.039
It didn't budge, and I felt
as though I were hitting stone.

1498
02:09:07.640 --> 02:09:13.560
I was even more scared at this
abnormal response. I backed up one step

1499
02:09:13.800 --> 02:09:16.840
and swung as hard as I could
to have the table splinter apart, with

1500
02:09:16.960 --> 02:09:22.279
pieces smashing against the walls, floor, and into my head. I felt

1501
02:09:22.319 --> 02:09:26.399
the point of impact to reveal on
my head a spot of blood. On

1502
02:09:26.520 --> 02:09:33.159
my hand, the window appeared unblemished. As I frantically turned to see Jack

1503
02:09:33.199 --> 02:09:37.079
crumple into a pile on the floor, crying I want to go home.

1504
02:09:37.960 --> 02:09:41.439
I grabbed his collar and pulled him
to his feet. I went into the

1505
02:09:41.439 --> 02:09:45.920
first open door I saw aside from
the staircase. That boy must be in

1506
02:09:45.960 --> 02:09:48.640
on this. I don't know why
you would bring us here, but you

1507
02:09:48.680 --> 02:09:52.840
can be sure it's not good,
I whispered, as I pulled Jack along,

1508
02:09:52.159 --> 02:09:58.159
who was now regaining his composure.
The doorway opened into a large room.

1509
02:09:58.600 --> 02:10:01.920
It appeared to be a library,
as books lined the walls to high

1510
02:10:01.920 --> 02:10:07.199
windows which must have been three stories
tall. As there were balconies with ladders

1511
02:10:07.319 --> 02:10:11.600
circumnavigating the room. I pulled us
to one side, as it seemed to

1512
02:10:11.600 --> 02:10:16.079
offer a mirage of protection versus being
in the room's center. I put a

1513
02:10:16.119 --> 02:10:20.319
hand against the shelf and looked at
the books. Most of the titles were

1514
02:10:20.319 --> 02:10:26.000
in languages I didn't even recognize,
some with what appeared to be symbols.

1515
02:10:26.039 --> 02:10:31.159
Only breathing hard and looking around for
the next move, I noticed there were

1516
02:10:31.239 --> 02:10:35.520
mounted heads of animals surrounding the room. They were high above the books on

1517
02:10:35.560 --> 02:10:41.840
the walls. Deer, bear,
cougar. They did not have content looks

1518
02:10:41.840 --> 02:10:46.159
on their faces, rather anger or
fear. I looked to the next and

1519
02:10:46.199 --> 02:10:52.079
found the animal to be beyond description. I stared at its cavorted face and

1520
02:10:52.199 --> 02:10:56.600
studied it for a moment. It
was unknown to me. I glanced ahead

1521
02:10:56.640 --> 02:11:03.279
and found another unrecognizable head. Upon
closer look, I gasped and nearly threw

1522
02:11:03.399 --> 02:11:09.239
up. It was the head of
what looked to be a person, but

1523
02:11:09.359 --> 02:11:13.720
it had hair all over its face. Its simian likeness was unmistakable, yet

1524
02:11:13.760 --> 02:11:18.600
it seemed more human. Jack was
gasping at me, looking wildly in the

1525
02:11:18.600 --> 02:11:24.319
direction I had been staring, yelling
what is it? He pulled at me

1526
02:11:24.399 --> 02:11:28.239
to follow him, and I stumbled
along. We came to a hallway with

1527
02:11:28.279 --> 02:11:31.760
opposing doors. At the far end
was a door with windows on either side.

1528
02:11:33.199 --> 02:11:37.000
Long velvet curtains hung parted in the
middle, showing the moonlight peeking through.

1529
02:11:37.880 --> 02:11:41.319
We took pensive steps towards the first
door, and I reached out to

1530
02:11:41.359 --> 02:11:46.760
turn the knob. I cautiously edged
the door open and peeked inside. It

1531
02:11:46.800 --> 02:11:52.079
was too dark to make anything out
visually, but I heard sounds. It

1532
02:11:52.199 --> 02:11:58.119
sounded like something some kind of animal, was stepping in, something wet and

1533
02:11:58.279 --> 02:12:03.319
sludgel like. Grunting and labored breaths
intermixed with ripping sounds came from somewhere within

1534
02:12:03.359 --> 02:12:09.840
the room. A barely audible whimper
was immediately stopped by a low growl.

1535
02:12:11.000 --> 02:12:15.359
It was then Jack stepped back,
and a squeak of the floorboard suddenly alerted

1536
02:12:15.399 --> 02:12:18.439
whatever was in there. There was
a rustling of something moving toward us,

1537
02:12:18.439 --> 02:12:22.520
and I knew beyond any doubt that
I did not want to know what was

1538
02:12:22.600 --> 02:12:26.239
making that noise. I was able
to get us out and slam the door

1539
02:12:26.359 --> 02:12:31.359
before the thing could get there.
Jack was whispering how badly he wanted to

1540
02:12:31.439 --> 02:12:37.479
leave, and clutching my arm in
a near frantic manner. I was unsure

1541
02:12:37.520 --> 02:12:41.600
if we should look in any more
rooms or go try to escape from one

1542
02:12:41.640 --> 02:12:45.000
of the windows at the end of
the hall. As I was gathering my

1543
02:12:45.079 --> 02:12:48.920
wits, I heard another moan.
I thought it might have been my imagination,

1544
02:12:50.119 --> 02:12:54.159
but Jack's face registered that he had
heard it as well. Was that

1545
02:12:54.199 --> 02:13:00.520
the other boy? He asked in
a whisper. I don't know, I

1546
02:13:00.600 --> 02:13:03.680
replied, as my voice broke.
I had never, and have not since,

1547
02:13:03.880 --> 02:13:09.319
known fear such as this. Sweat
dripped off my nose, running down

1548
02:13:09.359 --> 02:13:13.680
my neck and back. I was
shaking and could barely speak. I had

1549
02:13:13.720 --> 02:13:18.159
thrown up again after shutting that door. It just hadn't registered until now.

1550
02:13:18.119 --> 02:13:22.479
I wiped at my face, and
it was apparent I had not been aware

1551
02:13:22.560 --> 02:13:26.640
enough to make any attempt to project
it away from my body. I had

1552
02:13:26.680 --> 02:13:31.039
a sudden recall that I had my
cell phone. Funny how I had argued

1553
02:13:31.079 --> 02:13:35.359
how I wanted and needed one with
my parents and used the safety reason.

1554
02:13:35.760 --> 02:13:41.680
How ironic I thought as I frantically
dug it from my pocket. No service,

1555
02:13:43.760 --> 02:13:46.439
as I thought, my spirit couldn't
drop farther. The date under the

1556
02:13:46.520 --> 02:13:52.000
time seemed to be spinning like a
dial. I had no idea what had

1557
02:13:52.000 --> 02:13:58.399
happened, but the realization it was
broken almost made me cry. If we

1558
02:13:58.479 --> 02:14:01.920
made it out of there, my
parents would kill me for breaking it.

1559
02:14:01.600 --> 02:14:05.960
I was truly terrified as the tears
began to run down my cheeks. I

1560
02:14:07.039 --> 02:14:11.600
was breathing fast and hard. My
head was spinning like I may pass out.

1561
02:14:11.359 --> 02:14:16.399
Jack's sudden grip on my arm again
brought my attention back to reality.

1562
02:14:16.039 --> 02:14:20.119
We must have been moving the last
few moments. As we were standing in

1563
02:14:20.159 --> 02:14:26.000
front of the next door, which
unfortunately was open, there was a shaft

1564
02:14:26.039 --> 02:14:30.840
of moonlight coming from the window across
the room, and it fell on two

1565
02:14:30.960 --> 02:14:35.520
of the dirtiest, foulest dogs I
had ever seen. My mouth fell open

1566
02:14:35.560 --> 02:14:41.960
in utter shock at the putrescence of
them. They seemed to have what looked

1567
02:14:41.039 --> 02:14:46.479
like some rotting skin in places.
One looked like it was partially disemboweled,

1568
02:14:46.520 --> 02:14:52.640
and something drug on the floor a
short distance behind it. The first one

1569
02:14:52.680 --> 02:14:58.760
lowered his head with a growl,
and saliva or something like it dripped from

1570
02:14:58.760 --> 02:15:03.359
the large fangs. It momentarily glistened
in the little light present. The smell

1571
02:15:03.520 --> 02:15:11.319
coming from them was nauseating. Sickly
sweet, rotting stench with sulfuresque tones burned

1572
02:15:11.319 --> 02:15:16.079
my nose as I immediately recoiled from
sight and smell. The closer animal,

1573
02:15:16.119 --> 02:15:20.079
if you could call it that,
began to growl, although the sound seemed

1574
02:15:20.079 --> 02:15:24.199
to emanate from the hole in its
side. I pushed Jack ahead of me

1575
02:15:24.239 --> 02:15:28.159
as panic again rose in me like
a wave, commanding me to run.

1576
02:15:28.880 --> 02:15:35.199
In spite of the pathetic creature's aberrant
appearance, they could move quickly, their

1577
02:15:35.279 --> 02:15:39.960
claws dug to gain purchase on the
old floor, shredding with each foot strike.

1578
02:15:39.880 --> 02:15:46.159
There were snarling jaws snapping, making
saliva fling and spray in the moonlight.

1579
02:15:46.840 --> 02:15:50.079
Our complete terror must have been adrenaline
fueled enough, as they were nearly

1580
02:15:50.119 --> 02:15:54.239
to the end of the hall before
I realized it. There was a perpendicular

1581
02:15:54.319 --> 02:15:58.880
haul at the end by the windows, and as Jack was slowing to make

1582
02:15:58.920 --> 02:16:03.399
a turn. I heard the hounds
had stopped or slowed. I turned to

1583
02:16:03.439 --> 02:16:09.000
look and they had stopped twenty feet
back and were crouching down with tails tucked

1584
02:16:09.000 --> 02:16:16.199
between their legs, whining, and
were turning back as though they were afraid

1585
02:16:16.239 --> 02:16:20.000
of something. I called to Jack
as quietly as possible to get his attention

1586
02:16:20.159 --> 02:16:26.119
without drawing further alert to our presence. We were stopped by the windows,

1587
02:16:26.119 --> 02:16:31.640
and I looked out. My parents
were walking down the street. My heart

1588
02:16:31.720 --> 02:16:35.239
soared as I hit the window,
screaming their names completely, throwing caution to

1589
02:16:35.280 --> 02:16:41.440
the wind. They couldn't hear and
kept going, as there was no way

1590
02:16:41.479 --> 02:16:45.639
for them to know I was here. I was supposed to be at the

1591
02:16:45.680 --> 02:16:48.879
fair. How sorry I was that
I hadn't done as I had said.

1592
02:16:50.479 --> 02:16:54.879
I was going to die in this
house. I didn't know what this place

1593
02:16:54.120 --> 02:16:58.440
was, but it was so much
worse than anything I had conjured up as

1594
02:16:58.479 --> 02:17:01.760
a haunted house in my head.
I would have given anything to be with

1595
02:17:01.840 --> 02:17:07.319
my parents right now, safe,
not here in this terrible place, whatever

1596
02:17:07.360 --> 02:17:11.200
this was. I looked down the
hall and at the far end was what

1597
02:17:11.319 --> 02:17:16.040
looked like an old servants staircase narrow
and steep, going down, wanting to

1598
02:17:16.040 --> 02:17:20.520
go anywhere but down. I looked
the other way and saw a door at

1599
02:17:20.559 --> 02:17:26.319
the far end, and doors on
opposing sides down the hall. More doors

1600
02:17:26.360 --> 02:17:30.600
made fear well up inside me again. The hair began to stand up on

1601
02:17:30.680 --> 02:17:35.559
my neck. There was a faint
crying sound that was slowly growing louder.

1602
02:17:35.760 --> 02:17:41.120
Was it a child, a woman? Was it the boy? I couldn't

1603
02:17:41.120 --> 02:17:46.040
tell, But as it grew louder
and louder, it became more distorted.

1604
02:17:46.639 --> 02:17:50.879
It was a mixture of crying that
was morphing from a cry to laughter,

1605
02:17:52.079 --> 02:17:56.280
with choking intermixed. I had never
heard a sound like that before, and

1606
02:17:56.360 --> 02:18:00.479
if I never do again, it
would be a blessing. My fear was

1607
02:18:00.559 --> 02:18:03.799
already overcoming me, and this wretched
cacophony was more than I could take.

1608
02:18:05.319 --> 02:18:07.399
I began to pull Jack to follow
me, and we began to run.

1609
02:18:07.799 --> 02:18:13.799
We sprinted into the hallway blindly in
terror. I frantically grabbed at doorknobs to

1610
02:18:13.840 --> 02:18:16.200
open one, any one of them, in hopes to get refuge from this

1611
02:18:16.280 --> 02:18:20.600
horror. The light was so low
I could barely make out the shapes of

1612
02:18:20.639 --> 02:18:26.399
the doors. The illumination was minimal, and the color of the walls and

1613
02:18:26.440 --> 02:18:31.920
doors appeared to be various shades of
black. I scraped and patted around what

1614
02:18:33.000 --> 02:18:37.520
I thought was a door, and
scrambled along as I jabbed and reached.

1615
02:18:37.520 --> 02:18:41.079
As I searched, I felt my
fingertip catch on something sharp, and my

1616
02:18:41.200 --> 02:18:46.600
skin hooked onto whatever nail or splinter
protruded. I felt the warm fluid spread

1617
02:18:46.639 --> 02:18:52.879
and drip as I felt the casing
for the knob, I felt my fingernail

1618
02:18:52.920 --> 02:18:58.360
pull off entirely. In my nearly
crazed search for a way out, the

1619
02:18:58.479 --> 02:19:03.319
dark hull seemed to light and slightly. The sound was still screeching, crying,

1620
02:19:03.440 --> 02:19:07.399
laughter, constantly escalating to the point
I thought my ears might burst.

1621
02:19:07.520 --> 02:19:11.840
I felt Jack hitting at me and
looked where he was staring. Coming down

1622
02:19:11.879 --> 02:19:16.319
the hall was something I think no
mortal man was meant to see. It

1623
02:19:16.399 --> 02:19:22.799
was distorted and terrible, flowing with
a jerking quality. Simultaneously, I was

1624
02:19:22.840 --> 02:19:30.559
suddenly captivated at the indescribable sight.
Approaching It was sinister, abhorrent, and

1625
02:19:30.639 --> 02:19:35.719
mesmerizing. I knew if it reached
us, all was lost. My hand

1626
02:19:35.760 --> 02:19:39.239
found the knob that was freezing cold. I turned it. As we fell

1627
02:19:39.280 --> 02:19:43.719
back, with the door opening,
I turned quickly to survey and found we

1628
02:19:43.719 --> 02:19:50.399
were trapped in a closet. In
a completely reactionary measure, I slammed the

1629
02:19:50.399 --> 02:19:54.719
door just as the specter reached us. It roared with an intensity that seemed

1630
02:19:54.719 --> 02:20:00.520
impossible. It slammed into the door
with such violence that shards of wood,

1631
02:20:00.840 --> 02:20:05.280
dust and material blew out of the
wall, spraying down on us. For

1632
02:20:05.319 --> 02:20:11.920
an unknown but seemingly endless time,
the torrent of anger and pure rage continued

1633
02:20:11.959 --> 02:20:15.360
to pound upon the door, and
I do not know how it did not

1634
02:20:15.440 --> 02:20:20.440
breach it. At some point it
stopped, if possible, the sudden silence

1635
02:20:20.559 --> 02:20:26.959
was even more deafening. Jack continued
to lay on the floor next to me

1636
02:20:26.399 --> 02:20:31.520
as I lay curled in the fetal
position. After an indeterminate amount of time,

1637
02:20:31.799 --> 02:20:35.760
I began to notice a light coming
from under the door. I thought

1638
02:20:35.799 --> 02:20:43.360
it looked like sunlight. I moved
over and tried to peer under. I

1639
02:20:43.399 --> 02:20:48.680
could see what looked like daylight on
the old red carpet. I looked and

1640
02:20:48.840 --> 02:20:56.120
listened, and could perceive nothing outside
the door. I reached up and turned

1641
02:20:56.159 --> 02:21:01.079
the knob with a creak that was
the defining noise of every haunted house ever.

1642
02:21:01.959 --> 02:21:05.639
The door opened, the hallway was
lit with the earliest rays of the

1643
02:21:05.680 --> 02:21:11.280
beautiful morning sun. It was such
a welcome sight to the soul sucking pitch

1644
02:21:11.360 --> 02:21:18.079
black of the previous night. As
I took in the sunshine, movement in

1645
02:21:18.120 --> 02:21:22.440
the hall caught my attention and I
recoiled back. The sunlight was just peeking

1646
02:21:22.479 --> 02:21:28.559
over the horizon through the windows,
leaving shadows in between each one. The

1647
02:21:28.600 --> 02:21:31.399
far end of the hallway was bathed
in darkness. To the door and beyond,

1648
02:21:33.319 --> 02:21:37.079
the terrible apparition was hovering. Just
at this boundary of light and dark.

1649
02:21:37.879 --> 02:21:41.440
It was almost too much for my
mind, and I thought I might

1650
02:21:41.520 --> 02:21:46.559
pass out. It screamed and raged
against this boundary, seething and pacing back

1651
02:21:46.600 --> 02:21:52.479
and forth. It seemed to strain
with all its will until the last bit

1652
02:21:52.479 --> 02:21:58.280
of darkness was abolished with the wonderful
sunlight. There was an implosion of sound

1653
02:21:58.399 --> 02:22:01.399
with some sort of vapor or smoke, and when it dissipated there was a

1654
02:22:01.440 --> 02:22:07.159
single sheet with two eye holes cut
out, perched at the end of the

1655
02:22:07.200 --> 02:22:13.959
hall where it had been. It
seemed almost comical, a cruel and mocking

1656
02:22:13.040 --> 02:22:18.920
reminder that it was not gone,
not truly. We eventually came to the

1657
02:22:18.959 --> 02:22:22.719
realization that we were able to escape
the house only after we passed by the

1658
02:22:24.040 --> 02:22:28.159
classic ghost. I felt taunted and
bullied by it. I wanted to knock

1659
02:22:28.239 --> 02:22:31.760
it over, but was so repelled
by it I couldn't bring myself to touch

1660
02:22:31.799 --> 02:22:37.799
it. I didn't and don't know
what was under the sheet. We made

1661
02:22:37.840 --> 02:22:43.520
our way through the house. There
was no resistance. Windows were broken out,

1662
02:22:43.559 --> 02:22:48.319
exterior doors left open absent in some
places. As we exited the house,

1663
02:22:48.360 --> 02:22:52.879
we saw a passing police car and
waved it down. The officer listened

1664
02:22:52.879 --> 02:22:56.399
to both of us, trying to
relay the story, and he became suddenly

1665
02:22:56.520 --> 02:23:01.959
very excited when he heard our names. We fell silent as he told us

1666
02:23:01.360 --> 02:23:07.000
that we had been reported missing six
days ago and the entire town had been

1667
02:23:07.040 --> 02:23:13.799
searching for us. Come to find
out the authorities had actually presumed us dead.

1668
02:23:13.600 --> 02:23:18.559
My parents were out looking for me
when I had seen them. My

1669
02:23:18.719 --> 02:23:22.600
head beginning to spin was the last
thing I remember that day. I'm not

1670
02:23:22.639 --> 02:23:28.319
sure how many people believed us,
if anyone. Jack and I drifted apart,

1671
02:23:28.360 --> 02:23:31.719
as I think both of us couldn't
bear the memories of that night.

1672
02:23:31.959 --> 02:23:39.440
Although thankfully I have never had another
experience such as this, I will never

1673
02:23:39.520 --> 02:23:58.319
forget that ghost stories aren't always fun. Suffer the Little children by Denis Free

1674
02:24:00.360 --> 02:24:05.600
Goddamn going, Anthony said, trying
his father's favorite epitheph on for size.

1675
02:24:05.000 --> 02:24:09.719
He was only twelve, but thanks
to Jacob Anderson, he had quite a

1676
02:24:09.719 --> 02:24:13.479
colorful vocabulary for his age. He
surveyed his little brother's face and saw no

1677
02:24:13.520 --> 02:24:18.719
sign of shock at the use of
the GD word, but only a solemn,

1678
02:24:18.000 --> 02:24:22.120
pouting lower lip. Greg was eleven, and even though both went to

1679
02:24:22.159 --> 02:24:28.200
middle school, there was an unspoken
but well defined higherarchy. Anthony hung out

1680
02:24:28.200 --> 02:24:31.239
with kids from his class who were
mostly twelve and thirteen, and despite being

1681
02:24:31.280 --> 02:24:35.520
only a year and nineteen days older
than Greg, he knew his little brother

1682
02:24:35.600 --> 02:24:41.040
would be categorized as a baby big
kid by his friend James. Come on,

1683
02:24:41.159 --> 02:24:45.799
Tony, Greg whined, all my
friends are gone for Thanksgiving break.

1684
02:24:46.040 --> 02:24:50.799
Let me hang out with you guys. Can't do it. Sprat, I'll

1685
02:24:50.840 --> 02:24:54.680
tell mom you and your friends were
playing at the quarry, Greg exclaimed.

1686
02:24:54.479 --> 02:24:58.600
Tony was momentarily worried by this threat, but let it slide. He knew

1687
02:24:58.639 --> 02:25:03.600
Greg be upset. He couldn't go, but he'd never endanger his own well

1688
02:25:03.639 --> 02:25:07.200
being by telling their mother something that
would surely land Anthony in his room with

1689
02:25:07.280 --> 02:25:13.120
no Xbox one and the cable disconnected
for no less than two weeks. Do

1690
02:25:13.319 --> 02:25:16.319
that, and you'll never get to
hang out with us, Anthony said,

1691
02:25:16.920 --> 02:25:22.639
what am I supposed to do?
Tony? Stop whining for starters. He

1692
02:25:22.719 --> 02:25:26.840
said it much more harshly than he
intended. Greg cast his eyes down at

1693
02:25:26.879 --> 02:25:31.440
his feet, and Anthony sighed.
He put his arm around Greg, after

1694
02:25:31.680 --> 02:25:35.840
checking around the street to make sure
nobody was watching, and tried to comfort

1695
02:25:35.840 --> 02:25:39.319
his brother. If you get hurt
playing at the quarry with us, mom

1696
02:25:39.360 --> 02:25:43.760
would shit a bird. Greg giggled
at this, like Anthony knew he would.

1697
02:25:43.079 --> 02:25:46.719
The mental image of their mother's shitting
feathers tickled Greg, and the first

1698
02:25:46.760 --> 02:25:50.079
time Anthony had said it, his
little brother had nearly died. Laughing,

1699
02:25:52.399 --> 02:25:56.159
I guess I'll just play Xbox.
You better be home by five, though,

1700
02:25:56.200 --> 02:25:58.879
Mom and Dad will be asking where
you are, and I hate pretending

1701
02:25:58.920 --> 02:26:03.079
like I don't know, Greg said, promise. Anthony raised a three finger

1702
02:26:03.120 --> 02:26:07.559
scout salute. Look, I'll talk
to James and the guys and see if

1703
02:26:07.600 --> 02:26:11.520
I can't get them to let you
come with us next time, okay,

1704
02:26:11.479 --> 02:26:16.559
Greg smiled and nodded. Anthony would
probably mention it to the guys, but

1705
02:26:16.639 --> 02:26:18.360
he knew he wouldn't put up much
of a fight if they said no.

1706
02:26:18.959 --> 02:26:24.040
Anthony wasn't a mean brother by any
means, but he was a follower by

1707
02:26:24.120 --> 02:26:28.440
nature. Greg knew this, even
if he didn't know exactly how to articulate

1708
02:26:28.479 --> 02:26:31.520
it. He watched as Anthony mounted
his big red mongoose and took off down

1709
02:26:31.559 --> 02:26:35.319
the street to meet the rest of
the James Gang, as they called themselves.

1710
02:26:35.719 --> 02:26:39.920
Once his brother was out of sight, Greg sighed and went inside to

1711
02:26:39.920 --> 02:26:45.040
get a soda and retire to his
room to play Xbox. Greg sat on

1712
02:26:45.120 --> 02:26:48.719
the floor by his bed, surrounded
by a plethora of empty soda cans and

1713
02:26:48.799 --> 02:26:52.600
candy wrappers. Had his mother walked
in at that exact moment, she would

1714
02:26:52.600 --> 02:26:56.000
have shit a bird at the site. He turned off his console and began

1715
02:26:56.040 --> 02:27:01.079
to stuff the rappers into his already
overflowing wastebasket. He took the cans downstairs

1716
02:27:01.079 --> 02:27:05.440
and put them in the recycling and
plopped down onto one of the barstools in

1717
02:27:05.440 --> 02:27:09.799
the kitchen. It was only eleven
thirty, and Greg had already exhausted his

1718
02:27:09.879 --> 02:27:13.760
patients at the new Madden game.
It's going to be exactly the same as

1719
02:27:13.799 --> 02:27:18.159
the last three, Anthony had said
one day when Greg had excitedly described the

1720
02:27:18.159 --> 02:27:22.000
commercial to him as usual, His
brother had been correct in his assumption.

1721
02:27:22.520 --> 02:27:26.479
Greg graphics aside the Xbox wasn't keeping
Greg's attention, and he started to think

1722
02:27:26.520 --> 02:27:31.479
about what Anthony and his friends could
be doing down at the quarry. Anthony

1723
02:27:31.639 --> 02:27:35.239
was only a year older than he
was, and Greg couldn't imagine that he

1724
02:27:35.280 --> 02:27:39.920
and his friends were doing anything that
he himself couldn't do. Fuck it,

1725
02:27:39.360 --> 02:27:43.600
Greg muttered under his breath. His
cheeks flushed hot at the vocalization of what

1726
02:27:43.639 --> 02:27:48.159
his mother called the really bad word, and he went into the garage to

1727
02:27:48.200 --> 02:27:52.799
grab his bike. He would ride
down to the quarry and see just what

1728
02:27:52.879 --> 02:27:56.520
his brother's friends were up to.
He would go what his father called incognito

1729
02:27:56.920 --> 02:28:01.200
and watch from afar. At first, he grabbed the backpack his parents had

1730
02:28:01.200 --> 02:28:05.719
bought him for hiking trips and put
on his khakis, which clashed with the

1731
02:28:05.760 --> 02:28:09.319
black athletic shorts and the orange basketball
jersey. But he wasn't out to win

1732
02:28:09.360 --> 02:28:13.639
any fashion contests. He pulled his
curly locks back out of his face and

1733
02:28:13.680 --> 02:28:18.079
put them into a ponytail. He
had had long hair since he was a

1734
02:28:18.120 --> 02:28:20.719
baby, and with the exception of
a handful of trims, he'd always worn

1735
02:28:20.760 --> 02:28:24.600
his hair long. The older he
got, the less serious the teasing about

1736
02:28:24.639 --> 02:28:30.159
his hair got, and now he
even received a few compliments, mostly from

1737
02:28:30.200 --> 02:28:35.000
girls. Greg mounted his blue Huffy
and started off down the street. He

1738
02:28:35.120 --> 02:28:39.280
rode down Alberta Street and took a
detour between a pair of houses on Jackson.

1739
02:28:39.680 --> 02:28:41.959
The trip itself only took about ten
minutes, but it felt like forever

1740
02:28:43.040 --> 02:28:46.520
to Greg, whose mind wouldn't stop
speculating as to what he'd see when he

1741
02:28:46.559 --> 02:28:50.959
got there. He wondered if James
Gang would be doing dangerous stunts on their

1742
02:28:50.959 --> 02:28:56.000
bikes, or perhaps they were wrestling
by the scummy pond that was in the

1743
02:28:56.040 --> 02:29:00.159
pit left over from the rainy weather
they'd had. They may be hanged and

1744
02:29:00.200 --> 02:29:05.520
out with girls. He thought.
This brought a fresh flush to his cheeks.

1745
02:29:05.719 --> 02:29:09.040
He was eleven and his girls are
icky. Stage had been over for

1746
02:29:09.120 --> 02:29:13.239
almost a year, but he still
wasn't sure about the fairer sex. He

1747
02:29:13.239 --> 02:29:16.000
had a basic grasp on what boys
and girls did together when they were older,

1748
02:29:16.360 --> 02:29:20.840
but the thought of it still caused
a weird mix of emotions he wasn't

1749
02:29:20.879 --> 02:29:24.200
able to understand. He felt his
pants begin to tighten in the crotch and

1750
02:29:24.280 --> 02:29:28.360
forced himself to think of something else. The last thing he needed was to

1751
02:29:28.440 --> 02:29:33.280
run into his brother and his friends
with a raging heart on. He wouldn't

1752
02:29:33.280 --> 02:29:37.079
live that down, not in this
lifetime the next one either, for that

1753
02:29:37.239 --> 02:29:41.239
matter. Gregg dropped his foot down
and drug it through the gravel as he

1754
02:29:41.319 --> 02:29:46.280
decelerated. He approached the edge of
the quarry warily. He saw Anthony's bike

1755
02:29:46.399 --> 02:29:50.040
parked by some bushes among four others, and left his own a few feet

1756
02:29:50.040 --> 02:29:54.360
away. He adjusted his backpack and
crouch walked down the narrow path beaten down

1757
02:29:54.399 --> 02:29:58.000
by adolescent foot traffic, and made
his way to the edge of the pit.

1758
02:29:58.600 --> 02:30:01.840
He looked down and saw the five
boys who made up the James Gang

1759
02:30:03.079 --> 02:30:07.159
laid out on the rocks by the
water that was pooled down there. He

1760
02:30:07.200 --> 02:30:11.040
didn't see any girls, but he
did see that two of them were smoking

1761
02:30:11.079 --> 02:30:15.559
cigarettes. He did a double take
when he realized that his brother was one

1762
02:30:15.600 --> 02:30:20.200
of the ones smoking a cigarette.
Hung lackadaisically from the corner of his mouth,

1763
02:30:20.399 --> 02:30:24.639
and his eyes squinted against the smoke
as he skipped rocks across the surface

1764
02:30:24.639 --> 02:30:28.959
of the water. Mom would shit
a bird, he grinned maniacally at this.

1765
02:30:30.520 --> 02:30:33.840
Two of the kids looked like they
were playing a board game Checkers,

1766
02:30:33.879 --> 02:30:37.239
it looked like, and James and
another boy that Greg didn't recognize were talking

1767
02:30:37.280 --> 02:30:43.079
next to Anthony. Not talking,
Greg thought, arguing. A little shoving

1768
02:30:43.120 --> 02:30:46.600
match broke out between James and the
other boy, and Anthony moved in between

1769
02:30:46.639 --> 02:30:50.520
them to break it up. He
took the cigarette out of his mouth and

1770
02:30:50.559 --> 02:30:54.360
moved it nimbly between his fingers.
As he did this, Greg noted that

1771
02:30:54.399 --> 02:30:58.760
it probably wasn't the first time his
brother had smoked. Greg couldn't tell what

1772
02:30:58.799 --> 02:31:01.040
the boys were arguing about, so
he decided he was going to try and

1773
02:31:01.120 --> 02:31:05.120
sneak to a pile of broken stones
about ten feet away from the boys.

1774
02:31:07.079 --> 02:31:11.319
He once again began to crouch walk, but avoided the path. You're a

1775
02:31:11.360 --> 02:31:16.079
fucking liar, Charles exclaimed. James
regarded him menacingly, but Anthony held him

1776
02:31:16.079 --> 02:31:20.239
back to avoid a full on fistfight. I am not, my dad told

1777
02:31:20.239 --> 02:31:24.639
me. The story himself. You're
calling my dad a liar, fat ass,

1778
02:31:24.920 --> 02:31:28.239
James shouted indignantly. Charles cast his
eyes down, not wanting to meet

1779
02:31:28.360 --> 02:31:33.280
james angry gaze. He was thirteen, and although the jibe about his weight

1780
02:31:33.399 --> 02:31:37.000
hurt, he was still young enough
to believe that everything their parents told them

1781
02:31:37.079 --> 02:31:39.680
was the truth. He was okay
with calling James a liar, but to

1782
02:31:39.719 --> 02:31:46.159
call his father, an adult a
liar was an entirely different animal. Sorry,

1783
02:31:46.239 --> 02:31:50.079
James, Charles said, his face
glowing red. James blinked at the

1784
02:31:50.079 --> 02:31:56.280
sudden shift the conversation had taken.
Me too. His face softened a bit.

1785
02:31:56.000 --> 02:32:01.920
I'm sorry I called you a fat
ass. It's okay. Anthony,

1786
02:32:01.040 --> 02:32:05.040
sensing the drama was over, moved
back over by the water. He flicked

1787
02:32:05.040 --> 02:32:11.000
his cigarette into the scummy pond and
went back to skipping rocks. He told

1788
02:32:11.040 --> 02:32:15.040
me that back then the water was
a lot higher, and kids would jump

1789
02:32:15.040 --> 02:32:18.639
off the rocks and into the water, James said. He said, after

1790
02:32:18.680 --> 02:32:22.719
a couple of guys died, they
closed the place up. Some of the

1791
02:32:22.799 --> 02:32:26.639
kids that did sneak in said they
saw ghosts or some shit, if that

1792
02:32:26.760 --> 02:32:31.239
makes sense. Charles said, it's
the other part that sounds weird. Maybe

1793
02:32:31.280 --> 02:32:35.959
it's true, though, like a
horror movie or something. Anthony added.

1794
02:32:35.719 --> 02:32:39.200
Dad said that some of the kids
kept coming down here even after they closed

1795
02:32:39.239 --> 02:32:46.440
it up. They saw things like
weird things, James said. Anthony nodded,

1796
02:32:46.479 --> 02:32:50.680
as if this were to be expected. The idea of ghosts was not

1797
02:32:50.840 --> 02:32:56.399
unfathomable for his twelve year old mind. If they died suddenly, like broke

1798
02:32:56.440 --> 02:33:00.600
their necks when they dove in or
drown or whatever, they probably probably stuck

1799
02:33:00.639 --> 02:33:05.799
around unfinished business, or to try
to keep other people from dying, Anthony

1800
02:33:05.879 --> 02:33:11.239
offered. He spoke in a scholarly
tone, like a professor teaching the ways

1801
02:33:11.280 --> 02:33:15.760
of the world to his pupils.
Even Eddie and Tim had stopped playing checkers

1802
02:33:15.760 --> 02:33:20.840
to regard Anthony with intense wide eyes. Anthony looked up and saw that all

1803
02:33:20.879 --> 02:33:24.920
his friends were staring at him.
Now. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled,

1804
02:33:24.799 --> 02:33:30.799
that's what I think anyways. James
nodded in agreement. This minor gesture

1805
02:33:30.799 --> 02:33:33.840
made Anthony swell with pride. Jame
was their de facto leader, after all,

1806
02:33:33.879 --> 02:33:39.600
in any praise spoken or not was
bragworthy. Eddie and Tim went back

1807
02:33:39.600 --> 02:33:43.920
to their game Eddie squinting in concentration. Want to all meet back up here

1808
02:33:45.879 --> 02:33:52.399
tonight, James asked? Sure,
Hey, James, yeah, I was

1809
02:33:52.440 --> 02:33:56.600
thinking about something. Can my little
brother come with us? I know he's

1810
02:33:56.639 --> 02:34:01.079
a little younger, but he isn't
a spaz or anything. You want to

1811
02:34:01.120 --> 02:34:05.079
bring your little brother, James asked
with a chuckle. Well, yeah,

1812
02:34:05.120 --> 02:34:09.000
I mean, if you guys don't
mind. He looked over towards the other

1813
02:34:09.079 --> 02:34:15.520
three for confirmation. They shrugged.
I guess, James said, I'll bring

1814
02:34:15.559 --> 02:34:20.239
my sister's Ouiji board. Everybody meet
me up here at nine thirty. I

1815
02:34:20.319 --> 02:34:24.000
gotta go and make sure I don't
miss dinner. Our mom will never let

1816
02:34:24.079 --> 02:34:28.000
us out after nine. Well,
then don't come, James said. His

1817
02:34:28.079 --> 02:34:33.719
tone was dismissive, but his eyes
were sharp and predatory. We'll we'll figure

1818
02:34:33.760 --> 02:34:37.920
it out. Greg's grin was wide
and toothy as he rode back to the

1819
02:34:37.959 --> 02:34:41.479
house. Anthony had done what he
said he would. He stood up and

1820
02:34:41.520 --> 02:34:46.360
asked that Greg be included. He
wouldn't let on that he had been there,

1821
02:34:46.719 --> 02:34:50.040
and he knew he'd need to act
surprised. When Anthony asked him if

1822
02:34:50.040 --> 02:34:52.680
he wanted to sneak out with him, tonight. In most cases, he

1823
02:34:52.719 --> 02:34:58.600
would never even consider sneaking out after
curfew, but he knew he'd never get

1824
02:34:58.600 --> 02:35:01.399
another chance like this one if chickened
out. His brother had stuck his neck

1825
02:35:01.440 --> 02:35:05.360
out. The ride back felt a
lot faster than the ride to the quarry,

1826
02:35:05.639 --> 02:35:09.520
because he felt like he was floating. That night, the two of

1827
02:35:09.559 --> 02:35:13.760
them snuck out of the front door. Anthony had been adamant about Greg and

1828
02:35:13.840 --> 02:35:18.239
himself bringing their keys. It wouldn't
do to get home only to find out

1829
02:35:18.239 --> 02:35:22.280
that they had locked themselves out.
Greg double checked the pocket of his jeans

1830
02:35:22.319 --> 02:35:26.760
and assured Anthony he was ready.
The two of them had left their bikes

1831
02:35:26.799 --> 02:35:28.760
in the yard to keep from having
to open the garage, and pushed them

1832
02:35:28.760 --> 02:35:33.159
halfway down the street before mounting up. They made their way down the various

1833
02:35:33.159 --> 02:35:37.200
streets cautiously. The street lights illuminated
the way for most of the trip,

1834
02:35:37.399 --> 02:35:41.479
but the last half mile was on
the outskirts where the lights were fewer and

1835
02:35:41.600 --> 02:35:46.920
far between. Anthony narrowly avoided a
pothole that would have sent him ass over

1836
02:35:48.000 --> 02:35:50.959
tea kettle and ended the night in
the emergency room instead of the quarry,

1837
02:35:52.440 --> 02:35:56.120
calling his parents from the er to
tell them he and Greg had snuck out

1838
02:35:56.120 --> 02:35:58.120
and landed in the hospital would be
a surefire way to end up in the

1839
02:35:58.159 --> 02:36:03.000
morgue. Shortly thereafter, they parked
their bikes where they had stashed them earlier

1840
02:36:03.040 --> 02:36:05.760
that day, and Greg hit the
button on the side of his watch to

1841
02:36:05.799 --> 02:36:09.079
illuminate the time. It was a
quarter to ten, and the two of

1842
02:36:09.120 --> 02:36:13.479
them moved as quickly as they could
without falling down the pit where the rest

1843
02:36:13.479 --> 02:36:16.680
of the James gang was waiting.
They were sitting in a semicircle with candles

1844
02:36:16.680 --> 02:36:22.159
and the Ouiji boards sitting in the
center. After perfunctory introductions of the newest

1845
02:36:22.200 --> 02:36:26.239
member of the gang, Anthony and
Greg took their place, completing the circle.

1846
02:36:26.200 --> 02:36:31.399
Are we all ready, James asked. Nobody said anything at first,

1847
02:36:31.639 --> 02:36:37.159
They only stared at each other.
Ready, Greg said, James acknowledged him

1848
02:36:37.200 --> 02:36:41.319
with a smile, and soon the
others followed suit Ready. James, Charles

1849
02:36:41.360 --> 02:36:46.840
said ready, Anthony said ready,
Eddie and Tim said in unison. James

1850
02:36:46.879 --> 02:36:50.760
nodded again and beckoned them to touch
the planchet with him, and of course

1851
02:36:52.079 --> 02:36:56.479
they obliged. The second Greg's fingers
made contact with the light wood of the

1852
02:36:56.520 --> 02:37:01.360
planchet, he felt an unnatural chill
run up his spine. His balls started

1853
02:37:01.399 --> 02:37:03.600
to draw up into his body as
the first real fear of the night began

1854
02:37:03.719 --> 02:37:07.040
to sink in. Greg had been
nervous when they snuck out of the house

1855
02:37:07.120 --> 02:37:11.719
because if they were to get caught, his mother would do far more than

1856
02:37:11.760 --> 02:37:15.559
shit a bird. She was bound
to shit a flock of them. This

1857
02:37:16.000 --> 02:37:20.959
felt different, somehow, it was
more unnatural. Greg surveyed the rest of

1858
02:37:20.959 --> 02:37:24.360
the boys. Their faces were a
plethora of silhouetted features, and each of

1859
02:37:24.399 --> 02:37:31.040
them took on the appearance of skulls. Even Charles's unusually pudgy face appeared gaunt.

1860
02:37:31.319 --> 02:37:35.399
In the candlelight, the pit's pull
of water lay stagnant, and the

1861
02:37:35.479 --> 02:37:39.680
smell of the sludge and algae hung
in the air. He was vaguely aware

1862
02:37:39.719 --> 02:37:45.559
that Anthony's breath was coming out in
hitches and jerks. Are there any spirits

1863
02:37:45.600 --> 02:37:50.719
here, James asked. Suddenly.
Greg looked up at him, and even

1864
02:37:50.799 --> 02:37:54.719
in the low candlelight, he could
see that he was going pale. Nothing

1865
02:37:54.799 --> 02:37:58.920
happened at first, and everyone,
Greg included, let out a sigh of

1866
02:38:00.159 --> 02:38:05.879
relief. He hadn't really expected anything
to happen, but the unknown had terrified

1867
02:38:05.920 --> 02:38:09.479
Greg. Before he could get far
into his own inner monologue, the wooden

1868
02:38:09.520 --> 02:38:16.440
plan chet moved slowly to the yes
on the board. What in the actual

1869
02:38:16.600 --> 02:38:20.559
fuck, Anthony said. Greg looked
over at his brother, who was now

1870
02:38:20.639 --> 02:38:26.239
ghostly white. At a glance,
he could see that everyone else was two

1871
02:38:26.520 --> 02:38:30.760
pale, but with a creepy smile
that had been plastered to his face,

1872
02:38:31.479 --> 02:38:35.719
and his eyes appeared to glaze over. What is your name? Greg asked,

1873
02:38:37.120 --> 02:38:39.040
It was out of his mouth before
he could stop the compulsion, and

1874
02:38:39.159 --> 02:38:43.680
Anthony stared at him mouth agape.
Greg opened his mouth to apologize when the

1875
02:38:43.680 --> 02:38:48.639
planchet once again began to move until
it came to rest on the letter,

1876
02:38:48.200 --> 02:38:54.840
and they watched in fascination as the
word nrgall was spelled out before him.

1877
02:38:56.200 --> 02:39:00.000
Greg was about to ask it another
question when it suddenly started to move again,

1878
02:39:00.639 --> 02:39:05.719
this time it spelled out jaggon.
I guess there's two of them,

1879
02:39:05.799 --> 02:39:09.959
James said, I'm done. Charles
pulled his hand back from the planchet and

1880
02:39:09.000 --> 02:39:13.520
started to get to his feet.
James looked at him pointedly annoyed and rolled

1881
02:39:13.559 --> 02:39:18.559
his eyes. Don't be such a
baby. I'm not being a baby.

1882
02:39:18.680 --> 02:39:22.040
I'm just done with this shit.
This is creepy. Just sit down.

1883
02:39:22.479 --> 02:39:26.479
Fuck you, James, I said, I'm fucking done with Charles was silenced

1884
02:39:26.520 --> 02:39:30.719
mid sentence as a shadow coming from
the pond wrapped itself around his throat.

1885
02:39:30.959 --> 02:39:33.200
His hands flew up to his neck
as his air was cut off. Greg

1886
02:39:33.319 --> 02:39:37.000
screamed and jumped back as he saw
tentacles reaching for him. They appeared to

1887
02:39:37.040 --> 02:39:41.520
be made up of the shadows.
Charles's face was turning purple when he fell

1888
02:39:41.559 --> 02:39:45.799
to the ground, still clutching his
throat, as the shade dragged him back

1889
02:39:46.200 --> 02:39:50.000
towards the water. Greg sprung to
his feet and turned toward his brother,

1890
02:39:50.040 --> 02:39:52.559
who was already up and backing away
from the tentacles. Eddie and Tim were

1891
02:39:52.559 --> 02:39:56.760
both fighting against the shadows that had
grabbed them by their legs, and James

1892
02:39:56.879 --> 02:40:00.440
was being dragged by his arm into
the water. His screams were ear piercing

1893
02:40:00.440 --> 02:40:03.920
at first, but were soon cut
short into a gurgle as his face was

1894
02:40:03.959 --> 02:40:07.280
pulled under water. Greg would have
continued to sit and stare at James as

1895
02:40:07.280 --> 02:40:11.959
a tentacle wrapped itself around his leg, had he not felt someone yank him

1896
02:40:11.959 --> 02:40:15.120
by the back of his shirt.
His collar tightened around his throat as he

1897
02:40:15.159 --> 02:40:18.639
had a moment of panic. It
has me, he thought, as he

1898
02:40:18.680 --> 02:40:22.200
pulled forward towards the pool to escape
the force pulling him. Anthony spun him

1899
02:40:22.200 --> 02:40:26.600
around and leaned down into his face. His lips were moving, but Greg

1900
02:40:26.639 --> 02:40:31.639
couldn't hear him over the sound of
guttural inhuman screaming. Terror was taking over.

1901
02:40:31.719 --> 02:40:35.680
When Anthony brought his hand across his
face, Greg blinked wildly and tears

1902
02:40:35.719 --> 02:40:37.719
began to well up in the corner
of his eyes. Anthony had never hit

1903
02:40:37.799 --> 02:40:41.040
him like that, but suddenly the
sound coming out of his mouth was audible.

1904
02:40:41.520 --> 02:40:46.360
Run Greg, Anthony screamed. Greg
didn't need to be told twice.

1905
02:40:46.440 --> 02:40:48.799
He took off in a sprint past
Anthony, who followed closely behind him.

1906
02:40:48.879 --> 02:40:52.200
As they beat up the path toward
their bikes. Greg was too terrified to

1907
02:40:52.200 --> 02:40:56.079
look over his shoulder to see if
they were being followed, and mounted his

1908
02:40:56.120 --> 02:40:58.440
bike. After a running start.
He could hear Anthony pedaling behind him.

1909
02:40:58.559 --> 02:41:01.360
He felt his heart beating out of
his chest as he pedaled like a mad

1910
02:41:01.399 --> 02:41:05.760
bastard trying to beat the devil.
When he had cleared the first two streets,

1911
02:41:05.920 --> 02:41:09.280
he snuck a glance behind him and
saw that Anthony was at least fifteen

1912
02:41:09.319 --> 02:41:13.959
feet back. He slowed a bit
and allowed him to catch up. As

1913
02:41:13.000 --> 02:41:16.959
they pulled up to their house,
Greg's bike struck the curb and he was

1914
02:41:16.040 --> 02:41:20.120
thrown from it. He landed hard
on his shoulder and rolled onto his back.

1915
02:41:20.360 --> 02:41:24.280
Anthony came up next to him and
bailed off his bike without stopping.

1916
02:41:24.479 --> 02:41:26.399
He ran to Greg and pulled him
up into his lap. They were both

1917
02:41:26.440 --> 02:41:31.760
breathing hard and tears were flowing freely. As Greg crawled up his brother's body

1918
02:41:31.760 --> 02:41:35.719
to embrace him. Anthony hugged him
back, and soon they were both sobbing

1919
02:41:35.920 --> 02:41:39.440
and screaming into each other's shoulder.
Thank you so much, Greg said,

1920
02:41:39.479 --> 02:41:45.799
between sobs. Thank you for grabbing
me. I love you, Anthony said

1921
02:41:46.600 --> 02:41:50.200
it seemed to be the only thing
he could say. He was still saying

1922
02:41:50.239 --> 02:41:54.360
it when a black tentacle reached out
from the darkness and wrapped them both into

1923
02:41:54.399 --> 02:42:16.239
a cold embrace. Ghosts in the
Machine by Shane Migliovoka. She's a weirdo.

1924
02:42:16.479 --> 02:42:22.600
She's a weirdo. Marcy Collins chanted
under her breath as Janet Rogers walked

1925
02:42:22.600 --> 02:42:26.680
by with her lunch Marcy and her
pack of hyenas sat at their table,

1926
02:42:26.760 --> 02:42:30.959
staring daggers at the new girl.
She couldn't understand why they hated her so

1927
02:42:31.120 --> 02:42:35.040
much. Janet had just moved to
Foster, New York with her aunt Tina.

1928
02:42:35.440 --> 02:42:37.719
Her parents had died in a car
accident a year ago, and since

1929
02:42:37.760 --> 02:42:41.799
then she had been taken in by
her mother's sister. They'd moved to Foster

1930
02:42:41.920 --> 02:42:46.600
so Tina could take care of her
sick mother. Janet's grandmother scared her a

1931
02:42:46.600 --> 02:42:52.239
little. She was very religious and
not above cracking you on the knuckles if

1932
02:42:52.239 --> 02:42:56.200
he got out of line, not
to mention her vicious little dog, Jasper,

1933
02:42:56.840 --> 02:43:01.280
although since they'd moved in, the
old woman hadn't been too bad due

1934
02:43:01.280 --> 02:43:05.440
to her sickness. No doubt.
Whatever the case, Janet would rather be

1935
02:43:05.479 --> 02:43:09.000
in her room at that big old
house than here getting harassed. In the

1936
02:43:09.040 --> 02:43:13.319
cafeteria, Janet found a table in
the corner by the window. She nibbled

1937
02:43:13.319 --> 02:43:18.239
on her slice of pizza while reading
a book, trying to ignore the drama

1938
02:43:18.360 --> 02:43:22.280
around her, Trying not to think
about her mom and dad. Having an

1939
02:43:22.280 --> 02:43:26.840
emotional breakdown in front of Marcy and
the others would sink her already shaky reputation

1940
02:43:26.959 --> 02:43:31.920
at school. After lunch, Janet
waited for the cafeteria to clear out a

1941
02:43:31.920 --> 02:43:35.479
little. Gathering up her books,
she headed for the exit, hoping to

1942
02:43:35.520 --> 02:43:41.000
slip out and head towards her next
class. Marcy and her crew already appeared

1943
02:43:41.000 --> 02:43:46.000
to have taken off, pottering their
noses no doubt and gossiping in the bathroom.

1944
02:43:46.479 --> 02:43:48.319
She just stepped out into the hall
when a voice cut through her like

1945
02:43:48.360 --> 02:43:54.319
a knife through butter. Where you
headed, pleab? Janet spun around to

1946
02:43:54.360 --> 02:43:58.079
see Marcie standing there with her pack
of hyenas the other girls snickered. If

1947
02:43:58.120 --> 02:44:03.360
only Janet could do what she envisioned, knocking Marcy on the floor with one

1948
02:44:03.440 --> 02:44:07.719
punch. Leave me alone. Where
do you buy your clothes? One of

1949
02:44:07.760 --> 02:44:13.959
the girls asked, Salvation army,
I bet, answered another. Marcy pawed

1950
02:44:13.959 --> 02:44:18.479
at Janet's stack of books. What's
with all the books you're always reading?

1951
02:44:18.879 --> 02:44:22.360
Think you're better than us? No, just leave me alone. One of

1952
02:44:22.399 --> 02:44:26.399
the girls shoved Janet, making her
drop her books. A group of students

1953
02:44:26.440 --> 02:44:31.440
stood watching, laughing and clapping as
Marcy and her pals pushed Janet back and

1954
02:44:31.479 --> 02:44:37.559
forth till the dazed girl landed on
her butt on the floor. Before she

1955
02:44:37.639 --> 02:44:41.120
could react, they gathered up her
fallen books and ran off. Scrambling to

1956
02:44:41.159 --> 02:44:46.319
her feet, Janet shot daggers at
the other kids. Thanks for nothing.

1957
02:44:48.159 --> 02:44:50.760
She ran down the hall, trying
to catch Marcy and her books. Rounding

1958
02:44:50.760 --> 02:44:54.000
a corner, Janet noticed Marcy running
up the stairs to the second floor.

1959
02:44:54.600 --> 02:45:00.440
Come on, slow poke, geez, too many snacks. Janet wee through

1960
02:45:00.440 --> 02:45:03.719
the kids milling about in the hallway
in hot pursuit of Marcy, who was

1961
02:45:03.760 --> 02:45:07.959
now on the third floor. Adrenaline
an anger the only things keeping her going.

1962
02:45:07.399 --> 02:45:11.040
Marcy darted into a room at the
end of the hall, music class

1963
02:45:11.360 --> 02:45:16.360
empty this period. When Janet skidded
into the room, Marcy was standing in

1964
02:45:16.399 --> 02:45:18.959
front of one of the windows.
The open window overlooked an alley behind the

1965
02:45:20.000 --> 02:45:22.639
high school. Marcy dangled one of
the books out of the window. She

1966
02:45:22.840 --> 02:45:31.319
grinned upon seeing Janet want it,
don't oopsie. Marcy dropped the book,

1967
02:45:31.639 --> 02:45:35.520
quickly grabbing another. As Janet charged
at her. She flung the second book

1968
02:45:35.559 --> 02:45:39.639
before Janet could reach her. Enraged, Janet grabbed her by the arm yanking

1969
02:45:39.639 --> 02:45:43.440
Marcy away from the window. What's
all this? An authoritative voice asked.

1970
02:45:43.799 --> 02:45:48.799
The girls turned in the door stood
the white bearded, burly music teacher,

1971
02:45:48.920 --> 02:45:54.680
mister Fraser. What the he stammered, equally angry and perplexed, What the

1972
02:45:54.840 --> 02:45:58.559
French toast are you girls doing in
my classroom? After spending the rest of

1973
02:45:58.559 --> 02:46:03.639
the day in the principal's office trying
to explain what Marcy had done, Janet

1974
02:46:03.680 --> 02:46:05.920
went to the alley behind the school, where her book lay scattered about.

1975
02:46:07.760 --> 02:46:09.959
Trying not to break down on the
spot, she gathered her books up.

1976
02:46:11.239 --> 02:46:15.760
Principal Palmer promised the other girls would
return the rest tomorrow. Of course,

1977
02:46:15.840 --> 02:46:18.920
he'd let Marcy off with a lame
warning. Her dad was a prominent local

1978
02:46:20.000 --> 02:46:24.159
lawyer. Some of these books had
been her father's he'd been a college professor.

1979
02:46:24.719 --> 02:46:28.120
That's what she got for bringing them
to school. Since they'd moved here,

1980
02:46:28.559 --> 02:46:33.399
Janet had a target on her back. She dressed in grungy looking clothes

1981
02:46:33.440 --> 02:46:37.319
and liked to read the opposite of
Marcy and her pals. Janet should have

1982
02:46:37.360 --> 02:46:43.360
expected they'd escalate things. Walking home, Janet wanted nothing more than to bury

1983
02:46:43.399 --> 02:46:46.840
her head in a pillow and not
come up until Saturday morning. She prayed,

1984
02:46:46.920 --> 02:46:50.719
Aunt Tina was in a good mood. Of course, that depended on

1985
02:46:50.760 --> 02:46:54.840
how much trouble Grandma had been today. The house was the last on the

1986
02:46:54.920 --> 02:47:00.200
left of a one way street.
The three story monstrosity at once really been

1987
02:47:00.360 --> 02:47:05.639
something her grandparents had been pretty well
off years ago, Not so much now.

1988
02:47:05.239 --> 02:47:09.200
The house had fallen into disrepair.
Paint was chipping off the outside,

1989
02:47:09.200 --> 02:47:13.600
and wind had torn some of the
tiles off the roof. Jasper came yipping

1990
02:47:13.680 --> 02:47:18.360
and snarling at her as she entered
the house. Go play in traffic,

1991
02:47:18.639 --> 02:47:22.639
Janet glared, you, little turd. Entering what had been her grandfather's study,

1992
02:47:22.680 --> 02:47:26.520
the dog hot on her heels,
Janet set the books down on the

1993
02:47:26.559 --> 02:47:31.159
old desk. She'd put them away
later. Right now, she needed something

1994
02:47:31.159 --> 02:47:35.040
cold to drink. The large kitchen
was empty. Maybe Aunt Tina was upstairs

1995
02:47:35.440 --> 02:47:39.040
taking a can of soda from the
fridge. Janet popped it open. She

1996
02:47:39.159 --> 02:47:43.520
nearly downed the can's contents in one
gulp, cold soda, Dribbling down her

1997
02:47:43.600 --> 02:47:48.920
chin. Lowering the can, Janet
jumped backwards. Her grandmother sat in a

1998
02:47:48.959 --> 02:47:52.079
wheelchair, staring at her. What
are you doing in here, the old

1999
02:47:52.120 --> 02:47:56.600
woman asked, Just getting a drink? Who are you, the old woman

2000
02:47:56.639 --> 02:48:03.239
cried out. It's me, Graham. Janet, Who Jane? I don't

2001
02:48:03.239 --> 02:48:05.959
know any Jane. The old woman
backed up her wheelchair. Get out of

2002
02:48:07.000 --> 02:48:11.639
my house. It's Janet, your
granddaughter. You lie, I have no

2003
02:48:11.760 --> 02:48:16.440
granddaughter. Aunt, Tina. Aunt
Tina. Janet hollered, scared and a

2004
02:48:16.440 --> 02:48:20.799
little confused. The old woman wheeled
away, threatening to call the police.

2005
02:48:20.840 --> 02:48:24.399
After a few moments, Tina came
storming into the kitchen, looking frazzled.

2006
02:48:26.040 --> 02:48:31.000
What's wrong? Janet felt a hot
tear rush down her cheek. Graham,

2007
02:48:31.399 --> 02:48:35.959
she doesn't recognize me, she sobbed, since she was gonna call the cops.

2008
02:48:37.079 --> 02:48:41.520
Calm down, honey, Tina smiled, I'll talk to her. Stay

2009
02:48:41.559 --> 02:48:46.319
here. Tina left, leaving a
confused Janet to dry her face and ponder

2010
02:48:46.360 --> 02:48:50.920
what had just happened. She felt
her head spin, first Marcy and now

2011
02:48:50.920 --> 02:48:56.559
her grandma. How could the day
get any worse? Suddenly, the dirty

2012
02:48:56.600 --> 02:49:00.520
dishes in the sink began to shake
vibrate, before flying out of the and

2013
02:49:00.559 --> 02:49:03.680
crashing to the floor shattering. She
scrambled back, startled, just in time

2014
02:49:03.719 --> 02:49:07.760
for her aunt to come back.
Tina looked at the dishes, then the

2015
02:49:07.799 --> 02:49:13.520
shaken Janet, what happened? I
don't know. She tried to explain to

2016
02:49:13.520 --> 02:49:16.799
her aunt what had happened, sensing
the woman didn't buy it one bit.

2017
02:49:16.639 --> 02:49:22.799
Is Graham okay, Janet asked,
sweeping up bits of broken plates. It's

2018
02:49:22.840 --> 02:49:28.360
her mind. The disease is affecting
it. She's having trouble distinguishing memories from

2019
02:49:28.360 --> 02:49:33.159
the past with those of the present, so for her, reality is one

2020
02:49:33.200 --> 02:49:37.319
big jumble. Laying in bed that
night, Janet stared up at the ceiling.

2021
02:49:37.799 --> 02:49:41.600
Thunder rumbled in the distance as it
started to rain outside. Her thoughts

2022
02:49:41.600 --> 02:49:46.120
were focused on something from one of
her father's books. What was reality?

2023
02:49:48.399 --> 02:49:52.799
Was it high school, her aunt, the storm outside? Or was it

2024
02:49:52.959 --> 02:49:58.600
just through her eyes? Was it
all created by her mind? If that

2025
02:49:58.799 --> 02:50:03.360
was true, could she bring her
parents back? No, She'd wished so

2026
02:50:03.520 --> 02:50:07.719
hard for them to be alive and
well after the accident, and nothing had

2027
02:50:07.760 --> 02:50:11.440
happened. Eventually, she dozed off
to the sound of rain pouring down outside,

2028
02:50:13.280 --> 02:50:16.159
waking again sometime later to the sound
of rain hammering the house, a

2029
02:50:16.239 --> 02:50:22.200
large thunderclap that rattled the entire building. All the rain was making Janet need

2030
02:50:22.200 --> 02:50:26.000
to use the bathroom. A little
groggy She fumbled her way out of the

2031
02:50:26.000 --> 02:50:30.920
bedroom, guided by bright flashes of
lightning outside. Her bedroom was on the

2032
02:50:30.959 --> 02:50:33.799
third floor. When her mother and
Tina had been little, their bedrooms had

2033
02:50:33.840 --> 02:50:37.920
been up here, and when they'd
grown up and left, it had been

2034
02:50:37.000 --> 02:50:41.719
turned into storage space and a guest
room. Unfortunately, there was no bathroom

2035
02:50:41.760 --> 02:50:45.680
on this floor, which meant she'd
have to go down to the second floor.

2036
02:50:46.799 --> 02:50:50.639
Stepping into the hall, the drip
drip of the bucket at the end

2037
02:50:50.680 --> 02:50:54.959
of the hall greeted her. She'd
have to remember to check that in the

2038
02:50:54.000 --> 02:50:58.520
morning. The roof was leaking up
here, and she had bucket patrol.

2039
02:50:58.239 --> 02:51:03.479
Janet had forgot one day and one
of the buckets had overflown. The water

2040
02:51:03.559 --> 02:51:07.440
had dripped down to the second floor, halfway to the stairs, and lightning

2041
02:51:07.479 --> 02:51:11.000
lit up the night again. Janet
froze in her tracks as a woman stood

2042
02:51:11.040 --> 02:51:15.040
watching her at the end of the
hall, Aunt Tina, She asked,

2043
02:51:15.040 --> 02:51:20.520
her voice quivering, is that you
standing there? Janet could only hear her

2044
02:51:20.520 --> 02:51:26.280
own breathing. Darkness enveloped her until
the next flash of lightning. The woman

2045
02:51:26.319 --> 02:51:31.159
stood closer, now reaching out for
her. In the brief flash, she

2046
02:51:31.200 --> 02:51:35.799
could make out that it wasn't her
aunt bolting, Janet ran back to her

2047
02:51:35.799 --> 02:51:39.920
bedroom. She sat on her bed
after blocking the door with a dresser,

2048
02:51:39.000 --> 02:51:43.879
listening to the storm outside, while
never taking her eyes from the blocked entrance.

2049
02:51:43.719 --> 02:51:48.120
That woman, in that brief glimpse
of her there had been something familiar

2050
02:51:48.159 --> 02:51:52.959
about her. She tried to place
where she'd seen that face before. Her

2051
02:51:52.959 --> 02:51:56.440
fatigue got the better of her,
and towards morning, Janet fell asleep for

2052
02:51:56.520 --> 02:52:01.079
a couple of hours. She woke
to knocking at her bedroom door. You

2053
02:52:01.159 --> 02:52:05.799
awake, her aunt asked, you'll
be late. I'm up. I'm up,

2054
02:52:07.079 --> 02:52:11.399
Janet answered, clearing the cobwebs from
her head. Janet looked across at

2055
02:52:11.399 --> 02:52:15.360
her door. The dresser she'd pushed
in front was back where it belonged.

2056
02:52:16.399 --> 02:52:20.079
Had it been a dream that strange
woman? There wasn't much time to ponder

2057
02:52:20.200 --> 02:52:24.680
last night, as Janet hurried to
get dressed and ready for school. She

2058
02:52:24.799 --> 02:52:28.319
scarfed down some breakfast and headed out
to wait for the bus. Third period,

2059
02:52:28.559 --> 02:52:33.600
Janet sat in computer class working on
her project. She tried to concentrate

2060
02:52:33.639 --> 02:52:37.399
on the work that needed to be
done, typing in code. Something began

2061
02:52:37.440 --> 02:52:43.239
to change on monitor. The screen
flickered, the lines of code began forming

2062
02:52:43.239 --> 02:52:46.479
a woman's face. Jumping back,
Janet looked around the classroom to see if

2063
02:52:46.479 --> 02:52:52.719
anybody else was experiencing the same thing. They all appeared to be calmly going

2064
02:52:52.760 --> 02:52:56.319
about their work, some whispering and
joking with one another. Nothing out of

2065
02:52:56.360 --> 02:53:01.799
the ordinary. Turning back to this
screen, a face made of green code,

2066
02:53:03.040 --> 02:53:09.639
vaguely resembling a woman's stared back at
her. Find me, find yourself.

2067
02:53:09.440 --> 02:53:13.959
A voice crackled through the speaker.
I can help unlock the world for

2068
02:53:15.040 --> 02:53:20.360
you. What. Suddenly Janet was
pushed forward into the desk, getting hit

2069
02:53:20.399 --> 02:53:24.920
from behind. She turned to see
Marcy and her posse walk by. See

2070
02:53:26.000 --> 02:53:33.000
in Jim class fruit cake crap?
Jim Class was the period over? Already

2071
02:53:33.040 --> 02:53:37.479
turning back to the monitor, the
face was gone, just the code of

2072
02:53:37.520 --> 02:53:41.120
her project appeared, Quickly saving her
work, She headed to the gym,

2073
02:53:41.360 --> 02:53:46.680
her least favorite place in the whole
school. Today they were outside playing field

2074
02:53:46.719 --> 02:53:52.280
hockey. Of course, she was
one of the last chosen. Janet hung

2075
02:53:52.360 --> 02:53:56.079
back during the game. She wasn't
very good at it and tried to stay

2076
02:53:56.079 --> 02:54:00.520
away from the action. Watching the
others play, Janet thought about the face

2077
02:54:00.520 --> 02:54:03.399
on the computer. It was the
woman from the hall last night, she

2078
02:54:03.559 --> 02:54:07.879
was sure. Although the face was
made of computer coat, it had the

2079
02:54:07.879 --> 02:54:13.360
same familiarity to it. She didn't
dream that coming at you, weirdo.

2080
02:54:13.600 --> 02:54:18.360
Marcy glared at her from across the
field. She hit the hockey ball towards

2081
02:54:18.440 --> 02:54:22.600
Janet, ensuring everybody would come charging
at her, Marcy included. Janet felt

2082
02:54:22.600 --> 02:54:26.840
a sharp elbow jab in the ribs, followed by a push, sending her

2083
02:54:26.920 --> 02:54:30.120
to the ground. Looking up from
a face full of grass, she saw

2084
02:54:30.159 --> 02:54:33.440
Marcy smiling down at her. That
was it. Janet got up, Jumping

2085
02:54:33.479 --> 02:54:37.239
on Marcy, she wrestled her to
the ground as the game stopped. The

2086
02:54:37.280 --> 02:54:39.760
other girls cheered as the two fought
on the ground, rolling back and forth,

2087
02:54:39.799 --> 02:54:45.040
throwing punches and pulling hair. The
firm hands of miss Anderson pulled Janet

2088
02:54:45.079 --> 02:54:48.639
off of Marcy. Most of the
girls pointed their fingers at Janet, silently

2089
02:54:48.680 --> 02:54:52.079
accusing her of starting it. It
was off to the principal's office once again,

2090
02:54:52.639 --> 02:54:58.520
this time by herself. They'd called
home and left a message on the

2091
02:54:58.559 --> 02:55:03.000
answering machine for her aunt. Janet
considered erasing it, but she was fairly

2092
02:55:03.040 --> 02:55:05.959
certain the school would call again.
If they didn't hear from Aunt Tina,

2093
02:55:05.559 --> 02:55:09.319
she decided to face the music and
get it over with. Walking home,

2094
02:55:09.479 --> 02:55:13.479
Janet dreaded opening the door. Jasper
would be barking and nipping at her.

2095
02:55:13.520 --> 02:55:18.399
Not to mention her grandmother, What
would the old woman be like today?

2096
02:55:18.200 --> 02:55:22.600
Then, of course Tina would get
that message from school. It would be

2097
02:55:22.719 --> 02:55:26.000
nice at least if she didn't have
to deal with that mean little dog.

2098
02:55:26.840 --> 02:55:31.239
Jasper reminded her of Marcy always yipping
at her. She prayed the dog would

2099
02:55:31.319 --> 02:55:35.239
just run away. A shudder ran
through her body as Janet looked up at

2100
02:55:35.239 --> 02:55:39.799
the house, letting out a defeated
sigh. She walked up the front steps.

2101
02:55:41.440 --> 02:55:45.239
Turning the knob, she spoke,
leave me alone, you little turd,

2102
02:55:45.399 --> 02:55:52.639
just go away. Entering the house
was quiet, No Jasper, maybe

2103
02:55:52.680 --> 02:55:56.000
the little pain in the butt was
sleeping unobstructed. Janet headed to the kitchen

2104
02:55:56.399 --> 02:56:01.639
and down not one, but two
sodas and rapid succession. She figured she

2105
02:56:01.799 --> 02:56:07.600
deserved them after today. Looking around, something seemed off about the kitchen,

2106
02:56:09.239 --> 02:56:13.760
something Janet couldn't put her finger on. She shrugged. Maybe your aunt had

2107
02:56:13.840 --> 02:56:18.920
cleaned it or something. Janet headed
upstairs. The quiet was starting to unnerve

2108
02:56:18.959 --> 02:56:22.079
her. She hadn't noticed if the
car was in the driveway. Maybe Tina

2109
02:56:22.120 --> 02:56:26.719
had taken Graham to a doctor's appointment. They moved the old woman's room downstairs

2110
02:56:26.760 --> 02:56:31.239
once she'd been confined to a wheelchair. She generally stayed away from her grandmother's

2111
02:56:31.280 --> 02:56:35.319
room. The smell of it bothered
her. On the second floor, she

2112
02:56:35.360 --> 02:56:39.200
went to her aunt's room. Tina
was busy dusting off her dresser. There

2113
02:56:39.239 --> 02:56:43.879
was an assortment of knickknacks, jewelry, and photos covering its surface. Janet

2114
02:56:43.959 --> 02:56:48.440
lightly knocked on the open door.
The woman turned and smiled at her.

2115
02:56:48.239 --> 02:56:54.760
Is everything okay, Janet asked.
Tina frowned, yes, honey, why

2116
02:56:56.120 --> 02:57:01.600
it's just so quiet. Well,
your grandmother is taking a little afternoon nap,

2117
02:57:01.440 --> 02:57:07.159
Jasper taking the nap with her.
Tina tilted her head, A perplexed

2118
02:57:07.200 --> 02:57:11.600
look etched on her face. Who's
Jasper, honey, Graham's mean little dog

2119
02:57:11.680 --> 02:57:18.079
always barking. Tina shook her head. Your grandmother's never had a dog.

2120
02:57:18.520 --> 02:57:24.440
Was it possible? Had she made
the dog disappear? No, the strange

2121
02:57:24.440 --> 02:57:28.520
woman on the screen, the apparition
in the hall, She'd done it,

2122
02:57:28.000 --> 02:57:33.120
She'd said, she could help Janet. Why did that woman's face feel so

2123
02:57:33.280 --> 02:57:39.879
familiar? A sudden realization hit the
girl. Janet looked at the photos on

2124
02:57:39.920 --> 02:57:43.239
her aunt's dresser. There were pictures
of Aunt Tina, her grandmother, and

2125
02:57:43.319 --> 02:57:50.440
of her, but none of her
mother or father. In fact, try

2126
02:57:50.479 --> 02:57:56.319
as she might, Janet couldn't recall
what her parents looked like. She felt

2127
02:57:56.600 --> 02:58:01.360
light as a feather as her room, no the whole house spun about her.

2128
02:58:01.840 --> 02:58:05.840
For a second, she could see
something else, the bits that formed

2129
02:58:05.879 --> 02:58:11.319
the universe, that made up everyone
and everything. It suddenly became too much,

2130
02:58:13.040 --> 02:58:18.200
and she passed out. When Janet
woke, she was lying in darkness,

2131
02:58:18.639 --> 02:58:20.879
barely able to make out the faintest
details of her room. In the

2132
02:58:22.000 --> 02:58:24.959
dark, she sat up straight upon
seeing the woman standing at the foot of

2133
02:58:24.959 --> 02:58:31.639
her bed. The woman reached out
with an open hand. Are you my

2134
02:58:31.760 --> 02:58:37.120
mother, Janet asked. The woman
merely smiled, filling Janet with an overwhelming

2135
02:58:37.200 --> 02:58:41.879
sense of peace. Without hesitation,
she reached out. The woman took her

2136
02:58:41.920 --> 02:58:46.920
hand, and Janet felt oneness.
An instant later, morning sun spilled in

2137
02:58:48.000 --> 02:58:52.239
through the windows. She was alone, the woman nowhere to be seen.

2138
02:58:52.239 --> 02:58:56.319
The past few days seemed nothing more
than a distant, half forgotten dream.

2139
02:58:58.079 --> 02:59:03.520
From downstairs came the delicious smell of
bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns.

2140
02:59:03.360 --> 02:59:09.079
Hurrying down to the dining room,
Janet found the table set for four.

2141
02:59:09.799 --> 02:59:13.040
Well, someone's bride and bushy tailed. This morning. A man stood

2142
02:59:13.040 --> 02:59:16.799
in the door leading to the kitchen, a pipe in one hand, large

2143
02:59:16.840 --> 02:59:22.879
coke bottled glasses hung down on his
nose. Janet knew this man Dad,

2144
02:59:24.200 --> 02:59:28.920
Who else? Honey, where did
you come from? Uh? What kind

2145
02:59:28.959 --> 02:59:33.799
of question is that? Where did
I come from? I've always been here,

2146
02:59:33.479 --> 02:59:37.680
We've always been here. The woman
from the hall entered holding a large

2147
02:59:37.719 --> 02:59:43.079
plate of bacon, followed by her
aunt, Tina. Janet smiled. She

2148
02:59:43.079 --> 02:59:46.680
could feel the world was as it
should be. Things had been corrected,

2149
02:59:46.920 --> 02:59:52.200
and she'd fix them when she went
to school today. She'd fix that fix

2150
02:59:52.319 --> 02:59:56.120
Marcie too. The world flowed around
her. She could feel every speck of

2151
02:59:56.159 --> 03:00:00.920
it and how it related to every
other speck. In fact, there was

2152
03:00:00.959 --> 03:00:07.280
another world beyond this one. Perhaps
she'd visit that world soon. The monitor

2153
03:00:07.319 --> 03:00:13.000
beated, waking Professor Rogers from a
dream. He looked at the large computer

2154
03:00:13.120 --> 03:00:16.879
monitor. Everything appeared in order,
all the lights were green. He glanced

2155
03:00:16.920 --> 03:00:20.559
over at the sleeping girl. A
strange device was hooked to her head.

2156
03:00:22.000 --> 03:00:26.159
Wire ran from it to the computer
behind her bed. For all the world,

2157
03:00:26.399 --> 03:00:31.079
it looked like the Tierra a princess
would wear, his princess. There

2158
03:00:31.159 --> 03:00:37.440
was a light rap at the door. It was his assistant Johnson. Sorry

2159
03:00:37.479 --> 03:00:41.040
to disturb you, sir, anything
wrong, I must admit I dozed off

2160
03:00:41.040 --> 03:00:45.799
for a little bit, No,
sir, not really. There was a

2161
03:00:45.840 --> 03:00:50.159
strange echo in there for a while, then it faded. Your daughter's mind

2162
03:00:50.159 --> 03:00:54.959
appears to be adapting to the simulation, Rogers rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Good

2163
03:00:56.840 --> 03:01:00.600
good, You should get some sleep. The couch and the break room.

2164
03:01:00.639 --> 03:01:05.719
Isn't that pad really? He nodded, Actually that sounds good. He stretched

2165
03:01:05.760 --> 03:01:11.200
as he took one last look at
his comatose daughter. He'd lost his wife

2166
03:01:11.200 --> 03:01:16.600
in that car accident. He wouldn't
lose his daughter no matter what. It's

2167
03:01:16.639 --> 03:01:20.879
a good thing you're doing, sir, Johnson said, this could help so

2168
03:01:20.959 --> 03:01:26.440
many others like your Janet. And
after they left, the monitor flickered as

2169
03:01:26.479 --> 03:01:46.040
a face began to take shape.
Home Coming by Joe Solmo. Brandon pulled

2170
03:01:46.040 --> 03:01:50.360
the key ring from his pocket of
the worn blue jeans he wore. Christy

2171
03:01:50.520 --> 03:01:56.079
danced impatiently from foot to foot behind
him in the cold morning air. Hurry

2172
03:01:56.200 --> 03:01:58.399
up, Brandon, it's freezing out
here, she said, as a cloud

2173
03:01:58.399 --> 03:02:03.120
of her frozen breath escaped her mouth. First thing we're going to do is

2174
03:02:03.159 --> 03:02:05.879
have to get these locks changed.
This key isn't working right, Brandon said

2175
03:02:05.879 --> 03:02:09.600
over his shoulder back at his fiance. I just hope the heat is turned

2176
03:02:09.639 --> 03:02:13.600
on. I can't believe you went
out and got us a house without letting

2177
03:02:13.600 --> 03:02:16.079
me see it first, she said, and rubbed her arms. It's more

2178
03:02:16.200 --> 03:02:20.360
romantic that way. Besides, it's
all my money, Brandon said. As

2179
03:02:20.399 --> 03:02:24.440
the key finally did its job and
the lock clicked, he swung the door

2180
03:02:24.479 --> 03:02:28.399
open and turned towards Christy. Shall
I carry you over the threshold, he

2181
03:02:28.479 --> 03:02:33.079
asked, Not until we're married,
Bran, Let's just get warm, Christy

2182
03:02:33.120 --> 03:02:37.799
said, and pushed past him.
He heard her boots click on the hardwood

2183
03:02:37.799 --> 03:02:41.760
floors of the living room. This
place is huge, he heard her say

2184
03:02:41.799 --> 03:02:46.399
from deep within the house. It
put a smile on his face that she

2185
03:02:46.559 --> 03:02:50.000
liked the house he picked out.
He entered and closed the door behind him.

2186
03:02:50.559 --> 03:02:52.600
How much did you pay for this
place, Bran, she asked,

2187
03:02:52.639 --> 03:02:56.239
as he entered the kitchen behind her. She ran her hands over the granite

2188
03:02:56.280 --> 03:03:01.440
countertop. It was so smooth.
Now, don't you worry about that,

2189
03:03:01.719 --> 03:03:05.639
he replied and wrapped his arms around
her. She squealed and started to giggle.

2190
03:03:05.319 --> 03:03:09.360
How can we afford this place?
I got it all covered. I've

2191
03:03:09.399 --> 03:03:13.200
been saving up for a while now. If I take some overtime down at

2192
03:03:13.200 --> 03:03:16.239
the shop every week, we should
be just fine. I talked to Sam.

2193
03:03:16.280 --> 03:03:22.319
He said I could work saturdays.
Brandon said, it's beautiful. When

2194
03:03:22.319 --> 03:03:24.719
do we move in? She asked, As soon as we're done here,

2195
03:03:24.879 --> 03:03:28.280
I got the truck for the whole
day. He said back. This is

2196
03:03:28.319 --> 03:03:31.879
going to be great. We can
start a family, Brandon finished. She

2197
03:03:31.959 --> 03:03:35.440
smiled back at him and kissed him
on the mouth, making a loud smacking

2198
03:03:35.479 --> 03:03:39.120
noise with her lips. When they
separated. Let's go. You know I

2199
03:03:39.120 --> 03:03:43.120
don't have much at my mom's,
she said, and skip towards the front

2200
03:03:43.120 --> 03:03:46.200
door. Brandon watched her go.
It wasn't just to see her backside,

2201
03:03:46.239 --> 03:03:52.159
although it was quite impressive. It
was her youthfulness that really attracted him to

2202
03:03:52.200 --> 03:03:54.520
her. They had met in high
school he was a senior, but she

2203
03:03:54.680 --> 03:03:58.879
was only a freshman. They didn't
really talk until Christy's mom had to bring

2204
03:04:00.159 --> 03:04:05.280
car into the shop Brandon worked at
after graduation. They were nearly inseparable ever

2205
03:04:05.319 --> 03:04:13.040
since he followed her out the door. Night fell across the town early in

2206
03:04:13.079 --> 03:04:16.559
the wintertime. It was only six
thirty PM, but the street lights have

2207
03:04:16.680 --> 03:04:20.319
come on already. When they pulled
up in Sam's borrowed truck full of their

2208
03:04:20.360 --> 03:04:24.239
possessions, Brandon backed it right up
to the front door so they didn't have

2209
03:04:24.319 --> 03:04:28.040
to walk as far. Come on, babe, let's get this stuff inside.

2210
03:04:28.200 --> 03:04:31.639
We need to christen each room,
you know, Brandon said, patting

2211
03:04:31.719 --> 03:04:35.319
Christy on the behind. Once we
get this stuff inside, I'm gonna be

2212
03:04:35.399 --> 03:04:39.719
too tired, she said, and
watched the smile leave Brandon's face. Well,

2213
03:04:41.399 --> 03:04:46.159
maybe two rooms, she said coyly. They carried the boxes inside and

2214
03:04:46.200 --> 03:04:48.760
placed them in the rooms, which
were labeled on them. They didn't have

2215
03:04:48.879 --> 03:04:54.040
much in the way of furniture.
They were using lawn chairs temporarily in the

2216
03:04:54.040 --> 03:04:56.520
living room. It would take another
week or so for Brandon to get enough

2217
03:04:56.520 --> 03:05:01.120
money to get a couch from one
of those places. You know, Bran,

2218
03:05:01.680 --> 03:05:05.520
I was thinking, now that we
have our own house, that maybe

2219
03:05:05.520 --> 03:05:07.840
I should get a job, Christy
said, as she placed a milk crate

2220
03:05:07.879 --> 03:05:11.079
down in the living room. Brandon
placed the TV on top of it.

2221
03:05:11.440 --> 03:05:15.719
At least they had a flat screen
and not one of those old heavy TVs.

2222
03:05:15.799 --> 03:05:18.280
He thought to himself, I'll bring
the truck back tomorrow. Why don't

2223
03:05:18.280 --> 03:05:22.040
we order a pizza and get cleaned
up, Brandon said, kissing his fiance.

2224
03:05:22.959 --> 03:05:26.079
Sounds good to me. I could
use a hot shower, Christy said,

2225
03:05:26.079 --> 03:05:31.239
and headed upstairs. Brandon ordered a
pizza quick and followed her up.

2226
03:05:31.959 --> 03:05:35.680
He could hear the shower running as
he entered their bedroom. He started to

2227
03:05:35.719 --> 03:05:41.200
assemble the wooden frame before he lacked
all ambition. He just finished when he

2228
03:05:41.200 --> 03:05:43.399
heard a knock on the door.
He raced downstairs to get the pizza.

2229
03:05:45.280 --> 03:05:48.239
After they were full, they made
their way to the bedroom. He was

2230
03:05:48.280 --> 03:05:52.280
glad he'd finished putting the bed together. They hopped onto the mattress and started

2231
03:05:52.319 --> 03:05:58.200
to get undressed. Brandon awoke sometime
in the night. He sat up and

2232
03:05:58.239 --> 03:06:03.159
looked around their bedroom. It was
like a dream come true. He turned

2233
03:06:03.200 --> 03:06:07.479
back to his bride to be and
smiled. He threw on his pants and

2234
03:06:07.520 --> 03:06:11.399
headed down to the kitchen to grab
himself a drink. He hoped there was

2235
03:06:11.440 --> 03:06:16.040
a beer or two left over.
Nothing was as good as a cold beer

2236
03:06:16.120 --> 03:06:20.680
after sex, he thought. He
led out a wahoo when he opened the

2237
03:06:20.719 --> 03:06:24.680
fridge and saw there was plenty left. He grabbed a bottle and twisted the

2238
03:06:24.680 --> 03:06:28.719
top off. He took a long
pull off the bottle before leaning against the

2239
03:06:28.760 --> 03:06:31.520
counter, looking over the box as
he had yet to unpack, a chore

2240
03:06:31.559 --> 03:06:35.239
that he really didn't mind having to
do. Being out on their own was

2241
03:06:35.280 --> 03:06:41.159
worth it, even if they didn't
have much. He didn't mind Christie's parents,

2242
03:06:41.760 --> 03:06:45.280
well, her foster parents. Even
though they'd split up, both of

2243
03:06:45.319 --> 03:06:48.920
them continued to be a part of
her life. She had lived with her

2244
03:06:48.920 --> 03:06:52.840
foster mother since they divorced two years
ago. Sometimes Christie would tell him that

2245
03:06:52.959 --> 03:06:56.879
she wanted to know her real parents, but she had no way of knowing

2246
03:06:58.360 --> 03:07:03.719
her foster parents refused to help.
Brandon heard a thump from upstairs. Babe,

2247
03:07:05.200 --> 03:07:09.159
he called out, but only silence
followed. He put his beer down

2248
03:07:09.239 --> 03:07:13.799
on the counter and moved towards the
stairs. He heard no movement upstairs.

2249
03:07:13.959 --> 03:07:18.000
Maybe it's just the house settling,
he said, and went back to his

2250
03:07:18.079 --> 03:07:22.520
bottle. A loud thump came from
upstairs, this time with a scream.

2251
03:07:24.079 --> 03:07:28.639
It was not the house settling.
He ran to the stairs, but a

2252
03:07:28.680 --> 03:07:33.280
half dozen steps up he froze.
Standing at the top of the stairs was

2253
03:07:33.319 --> 03:07:39.319
a black form. Its eyes glowed
red with hatred. Strusus, it said

2254
03:07:39.639 --> 03:07:43.040
in a guttural voice. Brandon felt
his knees give out and he fell back

2255
03:07:43.079 --> 03:07:46.719
onto the hard kitchen floor. He
slid into the corner of the cabinets.

2256
03:07:48.000 --> 03:07:52.559
Brandon was paralyzed with fear, but
he heard something coming down the stairs and

2257
03:07:52.639 --> 03:07:56.280
Christy was screaming. He couldn't turn
his head to look. He listened as

2258
03:07:56.319 --> 03:07:58.079
the noise went through the kitchen to
the hall, and then he heard a

2259
03:07:58.120 --> 03:08:07.639
door open and slam shut. Then
there was only silence. It took him

2260
03:08:07.680 --> 03:08:11.639
another minute before he could move.
He got to his feet and called out

2261
03:08:11.639 --> 03:08:16.360
to Christie, but he heard no
reply. He ran into the hall and

2262
03:08:16.399 --> 03:08:20.600
looked for her. He saw a
small blood trail leading to the basement door.

2263
03:08:22.600 --> 03:08:24.840
He grabbed a flashlight in the living
room and headed towards the basement.

2264
03:08:26.440 --> 03:08:31.000
He placed his hand on the knob
and yanked it open, not sure what

2265
03:08:31.079 --> 03:08:35.000
to expect, but only darkness greeted
him. He shone the light on the

2266
03:08:35.040 --> 03:08:41.000
wooden basement steps. He saw the
same blood trail leading down into the abyss

2267
03:08:41.600 --> 03:08:48.239
Christy. He called out. There
was no reply. He took a test

2268
03:08:48.360 --> 03:08:54.559
step down and waited for what.
He wasn't sure. He continued down into

2269
03:08:54.600 --> 03:08:58.079
the darkness. He'd never been in
the basement before. When he came to

2270
03:08:58.079 --> 03:09:01.840
look over the house. He had
Sam look over the furnace and other things

2271
03:09:01.879 --> 03:09:07.040
in the basement. His boss knew
more about those kinds of things. Now.

2272
03:09:07.079 --> 03:09:11.239
He wished he'd gone down those stairs
before to know what he was walking

2273
03:09:11.280 --> 03:09:15.959
into. He reached the bottom of
the stairs and shone the light around the

2274
03:09:16.000 --> 03:09:18.600
basement. He followed the trail of
blood that led off to the right from

2275
03:09:18.600 --> 03:09:24.680
the stairs. A moment later,
he came to a wooden wall with a

2276
03:09:24.760 --> 03:09:31.200
door built in with odd symbols marked
in black paint on it. Brandon paused

2277
03:09:31.239 --> 03:09:37.000
and took a deep breath. The
hairs on the back of his neck rose,

2278
03:09:37.479 --> 03:09:41.360
and he felt rooted in place.
What if the thing he saw at

2279
03:09:41.399 --> 03:09:45.000
the top of the stairs was in
here, What if it had Christie.

2280
03:09:45.879 --> 03:09:50.120
He looked around the old wooden shelves
for some kind of weapon, although he

2281
03:09:50.159 --> 03:09:54.799
didn't know what good it would do. Brandon found a crowbar and picked it

2282
03:09:54.879 --> 03:09:58.920
up with his left hand. He
shined the light on the door that led

2283
03:09:58.959 --> 03:10:03.079
deeper into the basement. The cymbals
written in black paint there looked foreboding to

2284
03:10:03.159 --> 03:10:09.239
him. He couldn't place why,
but something primordial told him to run.

2285
03:10:09.879 --> 03:10:13.799
Leave Christie and run. He couldn't
leave her, though she was the only

2286
03:10:13.840 --> 03:10:18.799
thing that made existence worth it for
him. He took a deep breath,

2287
03:10:18.440 --> 03:10:22.760
trying to gather his resolve, and
grabbed the handle of the wooden door.

2288
03:10:22.760 --> 03:10:26.879
It was hot to the touch,
and he yanked his hand back. He

2289
03:10:28.000 --> 03:10:31.920
used a rag he found to grab
it a second time and yanked it open.

2290
03:10:31.799 --> 03:10:35.760
Dancing flames met him, the heat
off which assaulted him. Immediately,

2291
03:10:37.159 --> 03:10:43.200
he saw Christie surrounded by a ring
of fire, her legs bound at her

2292
03:10:43.239 --> 03:10:48.920
slender ankles and her hands tied behind
her back with some kind of leather strap.

2293
03:10:48.440 --> 03:10:52.920
She was still naked from their foray
earlier, her short, cropped blonde

2294
03:10:52.920 --> 03:10:58.719
hair sticking to her face with sweat
generated by the heat. Christie. He

2295
03:10:58.760 --> 03:11:03.120
called out and took a step cloth
Christie's head snapped towards him. No,

2296
03:11:03.319 --> 03:11:05.840
Brandon, stay back, she called
out, with panic in her voice.

2297
03:11:07.280 --> 03:11:11.319
A shadow moved off to the left. Brandon barely caught the movement out of

2298
03:11:11.319 --> 03:11:16.399
the corner of his eye. In
strucess, the thing said toward him,

2299
03:11:16.040 --> 03:11:20.799
Christy, are you okay, Brandon
said, facing the shadow and side stepping

2300
03:11:20.879 --> 03:11:26.760
toward the circle of flame. I'm
okay, she said, Brandon, run,

2301
03:11:26.280 --> 03:11:31.360
just run, she said, I
can't leave you. He said back,

2302
03:11:31.440 --> 03:11:35.280
and watched the shadow move closer.
Somehow, it was darker than the

2303
03:11:35.319 --> 03:11:41.680
blackness behind it. Lester bear in
suffering, it said, in a hateful

2304
03:11:41.760 --> 03:11:48.239
voice. What does it want?
Brandon asked his fiance. He could feel

2305
03:11:48.239 --> 03:11:50.760
the heat on his bare back.
He was only a few feet from the

2306
03:11:50.799 --> 03:11:56.520
flames. I don't know, I
don't understand it, she said. Can

2307
03:11:56.559 --> 03:12:05.360
you move if you were free?
And asked boom Juna rubbins sis RUMs,

2308
03:12:07.000 --> 03:12:11.000
the creature said, and moved closer
to Brandon, taking a swipe at him

2309
03:12:11.040 --> 03:12:15.159
with a shadowy claw. Fuck off, he said, as he ducked back,

2310
03:12:15.399 --> 03:12:18.959
the flames nearly licking his flesh.
He shone the light from the flashlight

2311
03:12:18.000 --> 03:12:22.559
on the creature, and it wailed
and recoiled. Back into the recesses of

2312
03:12:22.600 --> 03:12:26.879
the chamber. Brandon put the flashlight
in his mouth, keeping it trained on

2313
03:12:26.920 --> 03:12:31.120
the last place he saw the creature. He dug into his jean's front pocket.

2314
03:12:31.319 --> 03:12:35.000
He fumbled for a few seconds.
Where did it go? Christy called

2315
03:12:35.040 --> 03:12:39.040
out. Brandon pulled his hand out
of his pocket and smiled with success.

2316
03:12:39.719 --> 03:12:43.479
He held his pocket knife up in
the light from the flames. He looked

2317
03:12:43.479 --> 03:12:48.600
down at his bare feet inside.
This was gonna hurt. He gave one

2318
03:12:48.639 --> 03:12:54.040
more quick glance around for the creature
before leaping over the flames. They burned

2319
03:12:54.040 --> 03:12:56.040
his feet and the bottom of his
jeans, and he bit his tongue to

2320
03:12:56.079 --> 03:13:01.159
keep the scream inside. He cut
the leather holding her hands. Suddenly,

2321
03:13:01.879 --> 03:13:07.639
the flames died out. The room
sank into darkness. Here, Brandon said,

2322
03:13:07.799 --> 03:13:11.959
placing the knife in Christie's hands,
cut yourself loose. He shone the

2323
03:13:13.000 --> 03:13:16.600
flashlight around the room, the light
slowly dying as the battery drained of life.

2324
03:13:18.280 --> 03:13:22.440
As it dimmed, he saw the
red, hateful eyes from the creature

2325
03:13:22.479 --> 03:13:26.600
in the corner of the room.
It was moving side to side as if

2326
03:13:26.719 --> 03:13:33.760
brimming with energy, but no way
to expel it. Mortussprovulbous, it said,

2327
03:13:35.120 --> 03:13:39.559
and started to move closer. Brandon
dropped the dying light and gripped the

2328
03:13:39.600 --> 03:13:43.159
crowbar in both hands. Come on, you, son of a bitch,

2329
03:13:43.559 --> 03:13:46.959
he called out to the darkness,
Brandon, No matter what, I love

2330
03:13:48.040 --> 03:13:54.479
you, Christie said. The creature
screamed in the darkness and the attack didn't

2331
03:13:54.520 --> 03:13:58.559
come. I love you too,
Christy, he replied. Once again,

2332
03:14:00.079 --> 03:14:05.959
the creature scream. Brandon could just
barely make out its shape on the floor,

2333
03:14:05.520 --> 03:14:09.600
curled up in the fetal position.
It took him a minute to understand.

2334
03:14:11.280 --> 03:14:16.319
He swung the crowbar down across the
monster, who was now not much

2335
03:14:16.399 --> 03:14:20.280
more than just a shadow. The
physical form of the creature cried out as

2336
03:14:20.319 --> 03:14:26.559
Brandon rained down blows with the crowbar, Christie cheering him on. She grabbed

2337
03:14:26.559 --> 03:14:30.040
the flashlight and tapped it against her
arm. The beam lit up the small

2338
03:14:30.120 --> 03:14:33.280
chamber and she aimed it at the
creature. It screamed and began to smoke

2339
03:14:33.319 --> 03:14:37.559
from the light. Brandon didn't stop
swinging until the muscles in his arms gave

2340
03:14:37.600 --> 03:14:43.799
out. He collapsed on the floor. Exhausted. Christie rushed to his side,

2341
03:14:43.040 --> 03:14:48.000
tears streaming from her face. She
wrapped her arms around him, dropping

2342
03:14:48.000 --> 03:14:52.920
the flashlight. The light died and
they sat there in the darkness. What

2343
03:14:54.040 --> 03:15:00.440
the fuck was that thing, Brandon
asked, I don't know, CHRISTI replied.

2344
03:15:01.360 --> 03:15:05.040
Just then, a white light lit
up the room from behind them.

2345
03:15:05.399 --> 03:15:09.200
They both turned towards the light.
A ghostly woman stood there in a white

2346
03:15:09.280 --> 03:15:15.559
dress that flowed around her as if
by a gentle breeze, but there wasn't

2347
03:15:15.559 --> 03:15:20.000
one. They could see through her
form. Her face looked so much like

2348
03:15:20.079 --> 03:15:26.520
Christie's it was uncanny. It smiled
down at them, then floated closer.

2349
03:15:26.680 --> 03:15:33.120
That's when they noticed she had no
feet. The transparent body was just dissipated

2350
03:15:33.159 --> 03:15:39.319
at the ankles. Neither of them
felt scared. In fact, the incorporeal

2351
03:15:39.360 --> 03:15:43.920
woman gave off a feeling of peace. It reached out with a ghostly hand.

2352
03:15:46.239 --> 03:15:50.399
My Kate, it said, in
a voice that sounded far away.

2353
03:15:50.399 --> 03:15:56.879
You have broken the demon's hold on
our family. Mom, Kate asked,

2354
03:15:58.280 --> 03:16:03.040
standing up in front of the ghostly
mimage. Is it really you, Yes,

2355
03:16:03.200 --> 03:16:07.719
Kate, this was my house.
I was raped and I died there

2356
03:16:07.799 --> 03:16:13.799
on that altar, murdered by the
same demon you have just defeated. I

2357
03:16:13.840 --> 03:16:18.559
didn't have the love in my life
that you do with that. The ghost

2358
03:16:18.600 --> 03:16:24.000
turned towards Brandon. Thank you.
It was your love for my daughter that

2359
03:16:24.120 --> 03:16:30.840
saved her and her family. No
problem, Brandon said, getting to his

2360
03:16:30.879 --> 03:16:35.040
feet and kicking the demon's body one
more time for good measure. My mother

2361
03:16:35.200 --> 03:16:39.719
was into the occult in the sixties. She accidentally summoned that demon from the

2362
03:16:39.760 --> 03:16:45.760
abyss. It haunted her throughout her
entire life. She died when I was

2363
03:16:45.799 --> 03:16:50.719
only six years old in a bedroom
upstairs. The beast trying to impregnate her

2364
03:16:50.760 --> 03:16:54.600
to give birth to a child born
of both demon and human, a creature

2365
03:16:54.639 --> 03:17:00.360
of evil that would be born from
this world, therefore couldn't be banished from

2366
03:17:00.360 --> 03:17:05.360
it, a loophole to allow evil
in. The demon was too rough on

2367
03:17:05.440 --> 03:17:09.200
her. It haunted me as well. I fell victim to it. I

2368
03:17:09.239 --> 03:17:13.200
am so glad you are safe,
Christie. Now we can rest in peace,

2369
03:17:13.799 --> 03:17:20.760
no longer plagued by the demon.
Uh check this out, Brandon said,

2370
03:17:20.840 --> 03:17:24.840
drawing attention to the corpse on the
ground. It began to smolder and

2371
03:17:24.920 --> 03:17:30.040
turned to ash. It cannot remain
on the physical plane, living or dead,

2372
03:17:30.280 --> 03:17:33.959
The ghost said, you have cleansed
your world from this evil. I

2373
03:17:35.079 --> 03:17:39.479
must go I have been waiting a
long time for this, the image of

2374
03:17:39.559 --> 03:17:45.920
Christie's mom said, and began to
rise toward the ceiling. I love you,

2375
03:17:46.079 --> 03:17:50.959
daughter, Thank you, it said, and disappeared up through the house.

2376
03:17:52.920 --> 03:17:56.440
Christie was crying in the now darkness
left in the basement. Brandon took

2377
03:17:56.440 --> 03:18:00.719
her hand and together they made their
way to the stairs and up to the

2378
03:18:00.799 --> 03:18:05.639
kitchen. He fawned over the wound
on her head that was bleeding. He

2379
03:18:05.719 --> 03:18:07.719
patched her up the best he could
and tried to convince her to go to

2380
03:18:07.799 --> 03:18:15.479
the hospital, but she wasn't interested. Thank you, Brandon, you mean

2381
03:18:15.479 --> 03:18:18.319
the world to me, Christie said, and wrapped her arms around him.

2382
03:18:20.000 --> 03:18:24.200
He smiled and tried to hide the
tear in his eyes from her. He

2383
03:18:24.319 --> 03:18:28.079
was too much ow to show that
he was crying. My hero, she

2384
03:18:28.200 --> 03:18:31.479
said in a singsong voice, and
gave him a peck on the cheek.

2385
03:18:33.079 --> 03:18:37.280
They both cracked up, laughing,
not just from her corny joke, but

2386
03:18:37.360 --> 03:18:50.399
from all the tension of their first
night in their new home, The cry

2387
03:18:50.440 --> 03:18:58.280
Baby Bridge by rob Fields. The
boys suddenly awoke when they heard the loud

2388
03:18:58.319 --> 03:19:01.920
noise off in the distance. One
of them turned on the battery powered lantern.

2389
03:19:03.600 --> 03:19:05.840
The three of them yawned and slowly
sat up inside the tent where they

2390
03:19:05.840 --> 03:19:11.159
were sleeping. Ah, man,
you better not have farted again, Chunker.

2391
03:19:11.799 --> 03:19:13.520
The boy with the crew cut on
the right side of the tent groaned,

2392
03:19:15.280 --> 03:19:18.760
I didn't, dude. The husky
boy on the left side muttered.

2393
03:19:18.360 --> 03:19:22.360
The skinny boy in the middle put
his glasses on. Trust me, if

2394
03:19:22.440 --> 03:19:26.760
Chunker would have let one go,
we'd have known it. We're all in

2395
03:19:26.799 --> 03:19:30.479
this tent, right. The right
boy pushed the middle one a little.

2396
03:19:30.920 --> 03:19:33.719
Why you gotta be such a nerd, Horton. Horton looked to his right.

2397
03:19:35.280 --> 03:19:39.000
I'm just saying, Chapman, Chunker
would have cleared us out of this

2398
03:19:39.120 --> 03:19:46.639
tent. Chunker had a mischievous grin. What you mean like this? He

2399
03:19:46.719 --> 03:19:52.840
sat up a little bit. Chapman
and Horton quickly fumbled over one another,

2400
03:19:52.920 --> 03:19:56.959
trying to escape from the tent as
Chunker sat there and laughed. As soon

2401
03:19:56.959 --> 03:20:00.000
as the two boys were out and
on their feet, Horton turned and pointed

2402
03:20:00.159 --> 03:20:05.040
to the tent, Chunker, you
sick pig. Chunker was still laughing as

2403
03:20:05.040 --> 03:20:07.879
he crawled out of the tent.
Then he stood with his two friends Horton

2404
03:20:09.040 --> 03:20:13.879
sighed, great, Now where are
we going to go? Chunker just fumigated

2405
03:20:13.920 --> 03:20:18.319
the tent. Chapman slapped Chunker's arm. Come on, man, you can

2406
03:20:18.360 --> 03:20:22.680
at least open up the tent and
air it out. Geez. Chunker raised

2407
03:20:22.680 --> 03:20:26.360
his hands. Okay, okay.
As Chunker lifted and tied up the flaps

2408
03:20:26.440 --> 03:20:31.440
to the tent entrance, Horton was
getting the campfire going again. Any idea

2409
03:20:31.479 --> 03:20:35.200
what time it is, Chapman asked. Chunker had his smartphone on him.

2410
03:20:35.680 --> 03:20:41.399
It's almost four in the morning.
Suddenly, the boys were startled when they

2411
03:20:41.440 --> 03:20:46.760
heard the original sound that woke them
up in the first place. Aw Man,

2412
03:20:48.280 --> 03:20:54.000
Chunker complained, really an owl?
Chapman groaned, well, some stupid

2413
03:20:54.040 --> 03:20:58.639
owl woke us up, and Chunker
ripped inside the tent. What are we

2414
03:20:58.680 --> 03:21:01.959
gonna do now? Hey, maybe
we can sit around the fire and tell

2415
03:21:03.000 --> 03:21:07.319
more ghost stories. Horton suggested,
like we did last night. Sounds good.

2416
03:21:07.440 --> 03:21:13.360
Chapman said, yeah, why not? Chunker agreed. The other boys

2417
03:21:13.440 --> 03:21:16.600
joined Horton, who began first by
telling the urban legend of the gang high

2418
03:21:16.639 --> 03:21:22.360
Beam initiation. When he finished,
he stressed that it actually happened on the

2419
03:21:22.399 --> 03:21:28.600
other side of Strickfield over along Township
Road one thirteen. Chapman spoke up.

2420
03:21:28.239 --> 03:21:31.440
Yeah, well, I heard a
story about this college couple. They got

2421
03:21:31.559 --> 03:21:37.040
murdered in an apartment just near the
dorms. He told. The story is

2422
03:21:37.440 --> 03:21:41.680
best he could recall hearing it.
Then he finished by saying it was said

2423
03:21:43.079 --> 03:21:48.120
that the roommate came back the next
morning and found their bodies. He also

2424
03:21:48.239 --> 03:21:54.079
found this message on the wall,
written in blood. It said, just

2425
03:21:54.280 --> 03:22:00.959
be glad you didn't turn on the
light. That part never made the newspapers.

2426
03:22:01.000 --> 03:22:05.079
By the way, Geez, Chapman, that does sound pretty scary,

2427
03:22:05.200 --> 03:22:07.760
Horton said. Then he turned to
the other boy. How about you,

2428
03:22:07.879 --> 03:22:13.159
Chunker, you got a story.
Chunker opened the cooler they had brought with

2429
03:22:13.239 --> 03:22:16.440
them and took out a soda.
He cracked it open and took a drink.

2430
03:22:16.239 --> 03:22:20.120
Yeah, I got one, he
nodded in the direction of the deserted

2431
03:22:20.200 --> 03:22:24.719
road they were camping off of.
It's actually not too far from here,

2432
03:22:26.360 --> 03:22:30.799
the old cry Baby Bridge. He
told the story about how, just after

2433
03:22:30.840 --> 03:22:35.239
the American Civil War, Abigail Tomlin, a poor woman, and her fiance

2434
03:22:35.399 --> 03:22:39.479
Alvin, a rich lord whom Abigail
had been promised to, had been fighting

2435
03:22:39.559 --> 03:22:43.399
all through their courtship prior to their
wedding night. When they had had their

2436
03:22:43.479 --> 03:22:48.520
last fight, Abigail had taken their
baby boy, Arthur and fled. Alvin's

2437
03:22:48.520 --> 03:22:52.479
carriage had caught up to Abigail as
it was nearing the outskirts of Strickfield.

2438
03:22:52.799 --> 03:22:56.479
As Abigail got out of her carriage, Alvin drew his gun and shot at

2439
03:22:56.479 --> 03:22:58.719
her. She moved, but ended
up taking the bullet in her shoulder.

2440
03:23:00.239 --> 03:23:03.959
She was bleeding all over her wedding
dress. Fast she knew she couldn't let

2441
03:23:03.000 --> 03:23:07.840
Alvin have Arthur. Unbeknownst to Alvin, Abigail also had a gun. She

2442
03:23:07.959 --> 03:23:13.079
took aim and shot Alvin, wounding
him also. Abigail took the baby out

2443
03:23:13.120 --> 03:23:16.520
of the damaged carriage and fled.
She was in a great deal of pain

2444
03:23:16.600 --> 03:23:22.360
from the bullet. She could hear
Alvin screaming for her that he would finish

2445
03:23:22.360 --> 03:23:26.559
her and take their son back.
Abigail couldn't keep the crying Arthur quiet and

2446
03:23:26.639 --> 03:23:31.760
knew Alvin would soon be on them. By the time Alvin had caught up

2447
03:23:31.760 --> 03:23:35.879
to his runaway bride, she had
reached a metal bridge that spanned the Castilia

2448
03:23:35.000 --> 03:23:41.600
River. The water below was high
and rushing. All little Arthur could do

2449
03:23:41.479 --> 03:23:48.520
was cry and cry. Abigail took
a last stand against Alvin and tried to

2450
03:23:48.559 --> 03:23:52.879
shoot him, but Alvin was faster
and shot her first. Abigail was mortally

2451
03:23:52.920 --> 03:23:56.600
wounded. Now, as she moved
to the center of the bridge, she

2452
03:23:56.639 --> 03:24:03.399
still had both Arthur and her gun. Alvin raised his gun and demanded Abigail

2453
03:24:03.440 --> 03:24:07.600
give Arthur back. When she wouldn't, he shot her one last time.

2454
03:24:09.280 --> 03:24:13.680
Abigail fell over the side of the
bridge and into the raging river, with

2455
03:24:13.840 --> 03:24:20.040
baby Arthur still cradled in her arms. Both she and the baby disappeared down

2456
03:24:20.079 --> 03:24:24.879
the river. A search was conducted
by the authorities of many neighboring towns and

2457
03:24:24.959 --> 03:24:33.000
villages. The bodies of neither Abigail
Tomlin nor Arthur were ever found. Now,

2458
03:24:33.440 --> 03:24:37.200
if you go near that same bridge, the one over on Indian Hollow

2459
03:24:37.280 --> 03:24:43.719
Road, this road Chunker looked from
Horton to Chapman and back again, just

2460
03:24:43.799 --> 03:24:50.479
wait a little while, you just
might hear the sounds of little baby Arthur

2461
03:24:50.600 --> 03:24:56.920
Tomlin crying and crying. That's why
it's called the cry Baby Bridge by the

2462
03:24:56.959 --> 03:25:01.280
people who've told the story over the
years. Chapman had his arms folded in

2463
03:25:01.280 --> 03:25:07.760
front of him. You really expect
us to believe that, chunker? Chunker

2464
03:25:07.879 --> 03:25:11.319
raised both of his hands. Hey, I'm just telling you the way my

2465
03:25:11.399 --> 03:25:15.479
dad told my older brother Kenny and
me. He raised his finger. He

2466
03:25:15.559 --> 03:25:20.760
also said that anyone who hears the
crying baby ends up dying before morning.

2467
03:25:22.440 --> 03:25:26.520
That's why no one really drives down
this road at night. Chapman wasn't convinced.

2468
03:25:28.120 --> 03:25:33.280
Oh yeah, how, Chunker shrugged. Dad said, no one really

2469
03:25:33.319 --> 03:25:37.879
knows for sure. He said,
no one lives long enough to say what

2470
03:25:37.040 --> 03:25:43.000
happens. Chapman shook his head slowly. I can't believe I let you talk

2471
03:25:43.040 --> 03:25:48.680
me into sleeping out here after we
just finished sixth grade. Hey, we

2472
03:25:48.760 --> 03:25:54.719
could go and check it out,
Horton suggested. Chunker did say that the

2473
03:25:54.719 --> 03:26:01.639
bridge isn't too far from here,
right, Chunker pointed it south. The

2474
03:26:01.760 --> 03:26:05.200
cry Baby Bridge is less than a
mile from here. Chapman considered it.

2475
03:26:05.399 --> 03:26:09.680
Then he clapped his hands once.
Okay, fine, let's go check it

2476
03:26:09.719 --> 03:26:13.399
out. The three friends got up
and made their way to the one lane

2477
03:26:13.399 --> 03:26:18.360
gravel road. The moon was full
and helped give them light as they made

2478
03:26:18.440 --> 03:26:24.040
their long way. Soon they saw
the bridge just ahead. What are you

2479
03:26:24.120 --> 03:26:28.840
looking up on your phone, Chunker, Chapman asked, nothing, just checking

2480
03:26:28.879 --> 03:26:35.360
something. Chapman pointed to the bridge. We're here, man. The bridge

2481
03:26:35.360 --> 03:26:39.920
looks just like it did all those
years ago, Chunker said, just like

2482
03:26:39.959 --> 03:26:43.600
in this picture. The three of
them looked on Chunker's smartphone at the old

2483
03:26:43.639 --> 03:26:48.479
black and white picture of the bridge
taken after it was completed. The only

2484
03:26:48.520 --> 03:26:52.120
real difference between then and now was
that the bridge in the real world was

2485
03:26:52.200 --> 03:26:54.879
rust colored. Chunker put the phone
away and the three of them looked ahead

2486
03:26:54.879 --> 03:27:00.440
at the bridge. After looking at
it for a long time, the boys

2487
03:27:00.479 --> 03:27:03.200
walked to the bridge. When they
reached the edge of it, they stopped.

2488
03:27:05.319 --> 03:27:09.440
None of them said anything. Finally, Horton got bold and stepped onto

2489
03:27:09.479 --> 03:27:15.319
the bridge. Chapman wanted to protest, but then he saw Chunker was stepping

2490
03:27:15.319 --> 03:27:20.120
onto it. Chapman groaned and followed
Chunker. They reached the center of the

2491
03:27:20.159 --> 03:27:24.840
bridge. Horton moved to the side
and looked down at the water. It

2492
03:27:24.879 --> 03:27:28.319
doesn't look so raging now, like
you said in your story, Chunker.

2493
03:27:28.239 --> 03:27:31.959
It does when it storms. For
a while, Chunker said, the three

2494
03:27:33.000 --> 03:27:39.399
of them just stood there and waited. I don't hear anything, Chapman said.

2495
03:27:39.159 --> 03:27:46.959
They continued to stand there. Soon
they thought they heard something. It

2496
03:27:46.040 --> 03:27:56.440
started out softly at first, it
sounded like baby cries. The cries sounded

2497
03:27:56.959 --> 03:28:03.959
innocent enough, Then they started to
be come louder and more frightening. The

2498
03:28:03.000 --> 03:28:07.399
three friends looked at one another in
fear. Suddenly, a figure appeared from

2499
03:28:07.440 --> 03:28:11.600
behind them and grabbed hold of both
Horton and Chapman's shoulders as it screamed loudly.

2500
03:28:11.799 --> 03:28:15.559
The three of them turned to see
the figure was dressed in black and

2501
03:28:15.600 --> 03:28:20.639
had a glowing white skull in place
of its face. Horton and Chapman screamed

2502
03:28:20.639 --> 03:28:24.559
before they turned and ran. They
quickly noticed that Chunker wasn't with them.

2503
03:28:24.040 --> 03:28:28.319
They turned around and saw both the
figure and Chunker pointing at them and laughing

2504
03:28:28.760 --> 03:28:37.680
hysterically. Chapman raised his arms outward. What the heck is this, Kenny?

2505
03:28:37.280 --> 03:28:41.440
Is that you? Horton asked.
The figure removed the glowing mask.

2506
03:28:43.040 --> 03:28:46.000
Kenny turned to his younger brother and
slapped a high five with him. We

2507
03:28:46.120 --> 03:28:50.360
got him, little bro, I
knew after Tad told us the story,

2508
03:28:50.399 --> 03:28:54.079
we could scare people with it.
Yeah, it sure worked, Chunker agreed,

2509
03:28:54.760 --> 03:28:58.719
just like you said it would.
Those awl hoots were a nice touch

2510
03:28:58.799 --> 03:29:01.799
too. Chunk Or explained that he
was awake in the tent. He and

2511
03:29:01.920 --> 03:29:07.239
Kenny were texting each other and came
up with the idea of how to scare

2512
03:29:07.319 --> 03:29:11.920
Horton and Chapman with the local urban
legend of the cry baby Bridge. Okay,

2513
03:29:13.040 --> 03:29:15.920
Kenny, so how did you get
the baby crying to happen? Then,

2514
03:29:16.239 --> 03:29:20.440
Chapman demanded. Kenny motioned for them
to come with him. They walked

2515
03:29:20.440 --> 03:29:22.920
off the bridge and made their way
down to the water. Sure enough,

2516
03:29:24.280 --> 03:29:28.120
there was a big speaker attached to
the side of the bridge. Kenny raised

2517
03:29:28.120 --> 03:29:31.840
his smartphone. The sounds were on
the speaker. I just had to use

2518
03:29:31.840 --> 03:29:35.680
my phone to turn it on and
increase the volume. Kenny retrieved his speaker

2519
03:29:35.879 --> 03:29:39.959
and they all went back up to
the road. He turned to the others,

2520
03:29:39.440 --> 03:29:43.120
Well that was fun. I'll let
you guys get back to your camp

2521
03:29:43.159 --> 03:29:46.520
out. I'd stay in chat some
more, but I've got things to do

2522
03:29:46.559 --> 03:29:50.799
with Dad in the morning. As
Kenny started to walk off, Chapman pointed

2523
03:29:50.840 --> 03:29:56.319
at him. You just wait,
Kenny, We'll get you for this whatever

2524
03:29:56.399 --> 03:29:58.959
Bill. Kenny muttered as he kept
on walking. Soon he was out of

2525
03:30:00.120 --> 03:30:05.799
sight. Chapman pointed to Chunker,
you two fatty. Chunker started laughing,

2526
03:30:05.440 --> 03:30:11.639
just seeing the looks on your faces. Yeah, ha ha, very funny,

2527
03:30:11.000 --> 03:30:16.559
Horton muttered. The three of them
walked back onto the bridge and stood

2528
03:30:16.559 --> 03:30:20.280
where they were before the scare happened. They talked for a little while.

2529
03:30:20.479 --> 03:30:24.319
Before long, the wind started to
pick up. The trees began to wave

2530
03:30:24.440 --> 03:30:30.799
with the blowing winds. Hey you
hear that, Horton asked. Hear what?

2531
03:30:31.319 --> 03:30:37.280
Chunker replied, Just listen, Horton
insisted. The three of them waited

2532
03:30:37.719 --> 03:30:43.920
and listened. Sure enough, they
had started to hear what sounded like a

2533
03:30:43.959 --> 03:30:50.920
baby crying. Even through the winds, they could still hear the sounds.

2534
03:30:50.440 --> 03:30:56.680
The crying started off innocently enough at
first. Then the crying became louder and

2535
03:30:56.799 --> 03:31:01.559
more maddening. Chapman turned to Chunker, Okay, you and Kenny got us.

2536
03:31:01.559 --> 03:31:05.600
We ain't fallen for this again.
Chunker raised his hands. Hey,

2537
03:31:05.959 --> 03:31:09.440
it ain't me, I swear.
Horton turned to Chunker. Come on,

2538
03:31:09.680 --> 03:31:13.559
Brian, that's enough. It ain't
me, Richie, Chunker persisted. The

2539
03:31:13.639 --> 03:31:20.239
baby crying continued. It's loud and
maddening echoes. Suddenly, Chunker and Horton

2540
03:31:20.280 --> 03:31:24.760
felt something on their shoulders. Chapman's
jaw dropped as he pointed right at it.

2541
03:31:26.520 --> 03:31:31.159
Horton and Chunker turned to see for
themselves and screamed when they saw what

2542
03:31:31.239 --> 03:31:37.360
appeared to be a glowing woman in
a blood stained, damp wedding gown.

2543
03:31:37.799 --> 03:31:41.760
The woman looked as if her flesh
had decayed. Where her eyes should have

2544
03:31:41.799 --> 03:31:46.680
been, there were bright, glowing
red lights. Then the horrible apparitions said

2545
03:31:46.719 --> 03:31:52.319
to them, my baby, give
me my baby. The three of them

2546
03:31:52.399 --> 03:31:58.000
screamed and ran like their lives depended
on it. The ghost of Abigail Tomlin

2547
03:31:58.120 --> 03:32:03.040
screamed loud enough to pierce the night
winds before she gave Chase my baby,

2548
03:32:03.879 --> 03:32:09.600
give me my baby. The three
of them ran until they made it back

2549
03:32:09.639 --> 03:32:13.319
to their campsite. They hurried into
their tent. Horton quickly undid the flaps

2550
03:32:13.360 --> 03:32:16.879
and zipped them up. Now they
all huddled around each other in the center

2551
03:32:16.920 --> 03:32:22.760
of the tent. Still think I'm
doing this, Chunker snapped, shut up.

2552
03:32:22.959 --> 03:32:26.040
Chapman snapped back. In the tent, they could hear the wind whistling

2553
03:32:26.319 --> 03:32:31.719
and blowing harder. They wondered if
the tent might be whisked away somehow.

2554
03:32:31.639 --> 03:32:35.200
Suddenly, the front of the tent
just flew open. The boy screamed again

2555
03:32:35.399 --> 03:32:43.639
as Abigail Tomlin looked in My baby, Give me my baby, skinny little

2556
03:32:43.719 --> 03:32:46.120
Ritchie. Horton scurried out of the
tent and cried out as he ran as

2557
03:32:46.159 --> 03:32:50.799
the ghost turned towards him. The
other two escaped and ran after him.

2558
03:32:50.120 --> 03:32:54.600
They knew they were being pursued again. If you will not give me my

2559
03:32:54.799 --> 03:33:00.920
baby, then I shall claim the
three of you as my children. There's

2560
03:33:01.079 --> 03:33:05.520
no escape. To Chunker's surprise,
he was able to keep up with Horton.

2561
03:33:05.799 --> 03:33:07.680
Oh man, I swear I'm gonna
go on a diet if we live

2562
03:33:07.719 --> 03:33:11.840
through this. Shut up and run, Horton cried. They ran further up

2563
03:33:11.840 --> 03:33:16.440
the road until they came to a
nearby farm. Chapman pointed to the barn.

2564
03:33:16.680 --> 03:33:20.399
We can hide in there. There's
nowhere to hide. My children,

2565
03:33:22.639 --> 03:33:28.440
come to mother. It was getting
harder and harder to run in the blowing

2566
03:33:28.479 --> 03:33:31.000
winds, but they finally made it
to the barn. They all climbed in

2567
03:33:31.079 --> 03:33:35.559
through a window. Chapman quickly felt
a wooden ladder step and started climbing.

2568
03:33:35.719 --> 03:33:41.000
The others followed him until they were
up in the hayloft. And then come

2569
03:33:41.040 --> 03:33:46.520
on, Chunker, not now,
Horton groaned. Ah Man, Chapman cried

2570
03:33:46.680 --> 03:33:50.159
and waved his hand frantically in front
of him. Seriously, I can't help

2571
03:33:50.200 --> 03:33:58.200
it. I'm scared, Chunker admitted, Come out, Come out wherever you

2572
03:33:58.399 --> 03:34:03.440
are. The boys continued to hear
the wind blowing and howling. They weren't

2573
03:34:03.440 --> 03:34:07.280
sure if the ghost came into the
barn. Suddenly, they got their answer,

2574
03:34:07.280 --> 03:34:11.680
as the barn doors literally flew off
their hinges and were swept away by

2575
03:34:11.719 --> 03:34:16.680
the high winds. From the hayloft, they could see Abigail Tomlin seemingly floating

2576
03:34:16.719 --> 03:34:22.040
along the ground. Inside, the
boys were hiding behind pillars and piled up

2577
03:34:22.040 --> 03:34:28.479
hay. The ghost looked from one
direction to the next. It's time to

2578
03:34:28.559 --> 03:34:35.040
come home now, children, Mother
will take good care of you all.

2579
03:34:37.040 --> 03:34:39.760
Horton had to stop his teeth from
chattering, but he had much to scream

2580
03:34:39.799 --> 03:34:45.760
about. When Abigail Tomlin was suddenly
up in the hayloft with them, found

2581
03:34:45.799 --> 03:34:52.959
you, my children, Now it's
time to come home. The boys didn't

2582
03:34:54.000 --> 03:34:56.959
even think about it. They just
screamed and ran right off the hayloft.

2583
03:34:58.239 --> 03:35:01.280
They didn't realize they were falling until
they were about halfway down. The only

2584
03:35:01.319 --> 03:35:05.920
thing that saved them from serious injuries
was the full hay wagon they had fallen

2585
03:35:05.959 --> 03:35:11.079
into. They climbed out and ran
back out of the barn. They tried

2586
03:35:11.079 --> 03:35:15.079
to run north, but the winds
were too much too strong to run in

2587
03:35:15.120 --> 03:35:18.360
that direction. Now they were forced
to turn and run south again. They

2588
03:35:18.479 --> 03:35:24.399
ended up running until they realized they
were nearing the cry Baby Bridge again.

2589
03:35:26.399 --> 03:35:28.920
As they started to cross the bridge, the boys knew they couldn't run anymore.

2590
03:35:30.079 --> 03:35:35.000
They were tired and exhausted. Now
as they turned around, Abigail Tomlin

2591
03:35:35.120 --> 03:35:41.239
was almost upon them. I tried
to escape with my baby, my tyrannical

2592
03:35:41.360 --> 03:35:46.360
husband, to be sealed the fates
of both myself and our baby so many

2593
03:35:46.440 --> 03:35:52.959
years ago, She pointed at them. Now I claim you three as my

2594
03:35:52.159 --> 03:36:00.479
children. Don't despair. You won't
remember what it means to live. After

2595
03:36:00.520 --> 03:36:05.559
a time, the boys knew they
couldn't run anymore. But then something happened.

2596
03:36:07.479 --> 03:36:11.639
The winds began to calm down.
Horton pointed to the east. Look

2597
03:36:13.280 --> 03:36:18.959
The others looked to see the first
rays of the morning sun. No,

2598
03:36:18.959 --> 03:36:28.120
no, not when I'm so close
to having my children again. With renewed

2599
03:36:28.120 --> 03:36:31.920
strength and hope, the boys turned
and ran again. Abigail Tomlin howled with

2600
03:36:33.079 --> 03:36:37.040
rage and gave chase, but as
the sun continued to rise, the boys

2601
03:36:37.079 --> 03:36:41.559
were widening the distance between the ghost
and them. The last thing they heard

2602
03:36:41.719 --> 03:36:48.719
before Abigail Tomlin disappeared was the deafening
howl of defeat. The boys made it

2603
03:36:48.799 --> 03:36:54.000
back to their campsite and found that
their stuff was everywhere, even the fire

2604
03:36:54.040 --> 03:37:00.319
had been blown completely out. Man, I can't believe that actually happened,

2605
03:37:00.559 --> 03:37:07.639
Chapman stated, you got that right. Chunker agreed. I guess now we

2606
03:37:07.719 --> 03:37:13.000
know what happens, don't we.
Horton said, simply, Hey, guys,

2607
03:37:13.000 --> 03:37:18.479
we actually lived to tell about it. Chunker shook his head. I

2608
03:37:18.520 --> 03:37:22.879
ain't saying nothing about this. Who'd
believe us anyway? But if we don't

2609
03:37:22.920 --> 03:37:30.159
say anything, someone else will meet
Abigail Tomlin, Horton stressed. The boys

2610
03:37:30.200 --> 03:37:35.600
talked it out and ultimately agreed to
keep what they had experienced to themselves.

2611
03:37:35.959 --> 03:37:39.719
They packed up what was left of
their camping year and headed for home.

2612
03:37:41.040 --> 03:37:46.719
But were the boys really able to
keep their secret to themselves, because it

2613
03:37:46.799 --> 03:37:52.520
wasn't too long after that that they
had all just disappeared without a trace.

2614
03:37:52.559 --> 03:37:58.600
The Strickfield local legend has it that
on dark nights, just like the one

2615
03:37:58.000 --> 03:38:03.799
the boys had experience ferienced, you
can still hear their cries for help if

2616
03:38:03.840 --> 03:38:09.000
you drive to Strickfield, go to
the cry Baby Bridge on Indian Hollow Road

2617
03:38:09.000 --> 03:38:31.520
at night and just remain there only
for a while. Aphiucus by Daniel Wilder.

2618
03:38:33.959 --> 03:38:39.520
Hey, my name is Darcy.
We aren't familiar enough for last names,

2619
03:38:39.559 --> 03:38:45.680
but after this maybe who knows.
Anyway, we need to go back

2620
03:38:45.680 --> 03:38:50.360
to that day if we're going to
continue. I hopped on my green bike

2621
03:38:50.440 --> 03:38:52.959
with the banana seat, the one
with the metallic paint that made it shine

2622
03:38:52.959 --> 03:38:56.920
and shimmer like those flies you'd always
see in the summer on piles of dog

2623
03:38:56.959 --> 03:39:01.479
poop at the park. But today
there was no sun to make my baby

2624
03:39:01.479 --> 03:39:05.040
pretty, just cold gray clouds and
plenty of rain. A real bummer,

2625
03:39:05.079 --> 03:39:09.079
I thought, as I inserted the
ACE card in my spokes. Oh,

2626
03:39:09.120 --> 03:39:13.559
that we all did it. I
don't know why. Some said it made

2627
03:39:13.559 --> 03:39:16.280
our bikes make noises like a motorcycle, but I always thought it was a

2628
03:39:16.280 --> 03:39:20.959
load of garbage. It was a
trend. So we all jumped on it

2629
03:39:20.040 --> 03:39:24.680
and did it. And that was
that, plain and simple, and far

2630
03:39:24.719 --> 03:39:28.639
be it from yours truly to buck
a trend. So I jumped on my

2631
03:39:28.799 --> 03:39:33.000
green machine and began pedling on into
what turned out to be a pretty solid

2632
03:39:33.079 --> 03:39:37.760
rainstorm, not uncommon for upstate New
York in June. But you're not here

2633
03:39:37.760 --> 03:39:43.760
for the weather report, I'd wager
on and on I pedled. Why Well,

2634
03:39:43.799 --> 03:39:48.840
Billy Macintosh had claimed that Rocko's Gas
and Go accidentally received a rare arcade

2635
03:39:48.840 --> 03:39:52.719
cabinet, and that was my thing. Video games. Now, this being

2636
03:39:52.799 --> 03:39:58.559
nineteen eighty two, and this being
a sleepy, backwards mountain town, it

2637
03:39:58.639 --> 03:40:03.280
was a big deal for us kids
when some pizza parlor or supermarket got themselves

2638
03:40:03.319 --> 03:40:07.399
a new game, but for a
gas station to get that game. That

2639
03:40:07.520 --> 03:40:11.239
game whispered about in middle school cafeterias
and under bleachers. Wait, did I

2640
03:40:11.280 --> 03:40:16.600
mention my mono? I got mono
that kept me in bed from mid April

2641
03:40:16.639 --> 03:40:20.559
to late May thanks to an experimental
French kiss I gave Sammy Finelman behind the

2642
03:40:20.559 --> 03:40:24.680
bleachers during third period. Pe You
can imagine that by June, I was

2643
03:40:24.719 --> 03:40:30.040
more than ready to stretch my legs
and venture out my first real excursion since

2644
03:40:30.079 --> 03:40:35.159
April, before Sammy gave me as
rather substantial cooties after checking in on Mage.

2645
03:40:35.440 --> 03:40:39.399
That's my grandmother, by the way, she watches me in the summer

2646
03:40:39.440 --> 03:40:43.120
while my parents do the nine to
five deal, which proved to be unnecessary

2647
03:40:43.200 --> 03:40:46.319
as the combo of her cough medicine
and her stories had sent her into a

2648
03:40:46.360 --> 03:40:52.680
deep slumber. On our overstuffed Davenport, I headed out the front door so

2649
03:40:52.879 --> 03:40:58.200
card bike rain. I wheeled up
to Roccos, completely soaked but undaunted to

2650
03:40:58.239 --> 03:41:01.639
see if what I'd been told by
my eighth grade cabal was actually true.

2651
03:41:03.440 --> 03:41:11.000
And then I saw it. It
practically glowed neon hot as I threw down

2652
03:41:11.040 --> 03:41:13.799
my kickstand and dragged my soggy bottom
from the seat of my bike. Now

2653
03:41:15.000 --> 03:41:18.920
my shorts hanging heavy from the quarters
in my pocket, coupled with the drenching

2654
03:41:18.959 --> 03:41:22.760
rain that just wouldn't give me a
break, I stood under the rafters of

2655
03:41:22.760 --> 03:41:26.120
the covered porch that surrounded Rocos.
Before I get to the juicy bits,

2656
03:41:26.440 --> 03:41:31.600
let me get some basics about the
game out of the way. The cabinet

2657
03:41:31.680 --> 03:41:37.840
was called Aphiukis, and it was
supposedly some unholy combination of space invaders and

2658
03:41:37.879 --> 03:41:43.360
a tarot deck. Also, it
didn't display any manufacturing info. No Williams,

2659
03:41:43.719 --> 03:41:48.399
no Bally Midway, no Namco,
no nothing. While that was odd

2660
03:41:48.520 --> 03:41:52.600
enough, the rumors from the underground
game zines in schoolyards scuttle but painted this

2661
03:41:52.680 --> 03:41:58.840
thing out to be some sort of
government sponsored training device created to determine who

2662
03:41:58.879 --> 03:42:03.520
among the world's citizens would be the
best recruited to fight some sort of evil

2663
03:42:03.680 --> 03:42:07.719
alien invasion. But come on,
that's just the jazz you throw on something

2664
03:42:07.719 --> 03:42:13.360
to get quarters in the slots.
In truth, I suspected this was merely

2665
03:42:13.440 --> 03:42:16.559
a new game being tested anonymously by
one of the big boys, who left

2666
03:42:16.600 --> 03:42:20.760
their name off in case the game
was a steaming pile. In an act

2667
03:42:20.799 --> 03:42:24.719
of willpower I can't believe I could
perform. I walked past that machine,

2668
03:42:24.879 --> 03:42:31.200
its cabinet decorated with a vinyl silk
screened image of a Victorian seance, all

2669
03:42:31.319 --> 03:42:35.120
Ouiji boards and crystal balls. But
the image being revealed by the psychic was

2670
03:42:35.159 --> 03:42:41.280
of an alien firing a flintlock laser
gun and a mummy of all things loomed

2671
03:42:41.319 --> 03:42:45.079
in the background. I chuckled at
that one as I opened the screen door,

2672
03:42:45.159 --> 03:42:48.639
flapping weakly in the light breeze kicked
up by the rainstorm, a storm

2673
03:42:48.680 --> 03:42:54.520
that now made the air ripe with
the barf inducing scent of displaced earthworms.

2674
03:42:54.319 --> 03:42:58.120
Yo, Rocko. I came to
check out the new game. My man

2675
03:42:58.159 --> 03:43:03.479
no answer. Maybe he stepped out
for lunch or something. I mean,

2676
03:43:03.559 --> 03:43:07.520
this isn't the town where you need
to lock anything up. Everyone is everyone's

2677
03:43:07.559 --> 03:43:11.559
shirt tail relative, and no one
would touch a thing. The honor system

2678
03:43:11.639 --> 03:43:15.799
is alive and well here. Speaking
of which, I grabbed one of those

2679
03:43:15.799 --> 03:43:18.360
fruit pies the superheroes are always hawkin'
in the comic books, and a root

2680
03:43:18.360 --> 03:43:22.840
beer, chucked some random coins on
the counter, and strolled back to that

2681
03:43:22.959 --> 03:43:28.200
most holy of holy grails. I
took a moist quarter from my pocket and

2682
03:43:28.239 --> 03:43:31.399
I let the quarter slot take it
away. I heard it land in the

2683
03:43:31.440 --> 03:43:35.559
machine's cash box, and it sounds
as if I'm the first one to actually

2684
03:43:35.559 --> 03:43:41.239
play aphiuchis damn it. I forgot
to check out the attract screen. Oh

2685
03:43:41.239 --> 03:43:45.399
well, you know, the drill
black screen, blocky white text, and

2686
03:43:45.440 --> 03:43:48.799
the barest whisper of a story to
fire our imaginations as we stare into the

2687
03:43:48.799 --> 03:43:54.760
old cathode ray tube. And this
one was a doozy as far as I

2688
03:43:54.799 --> 03:44:00.399
can recall. It went like this. In eighteen ninety nine, on the

2689
03:44:00.440 --> 03:44:03.719
eve of a new century, a
group of friends gather at the Victorian mansion

2690
03:44:03.760 --> 03:44:09.280
of Edgar Winchell, Iron Magnate,
and devotee to the paranormal. As the

2691
03:44:09.319 --> 03:44:15.040
clock struck midnight, Edgar and his
guests discovered through divination that means using magic

2692
03:44:15.079 --> 03:44:18.760
to see crap. Okay, that
last bit was me in case anyone reading

2693
03:44:18.799 --> 03:44:22.920
this doesn't know what that ten dollars
word is. Anyway, the story continued.

2694
03:44:22.440 --> 03:44:28.760
Discovered through divination that there was a
hidden sign of the zodiac Aphiuchus,

2695
03:44:28.159 --> 03:44:33.079
the thirteenth sign at that point,
as zodiac wheel flashed on the screen.

2696
03:44:33.600 --> 03:44:39.200
The graphics were impressive too. This
may be a blast after all. The

2697
03:44:39.239 --> 03:44:43.600
story started up again as the screen
faded to black, But their findings were

2698
03:44:43.639 --> 03:44:48.000
a two way street, and those
that lived in the mystery constellation discovered us

2699
03:44:48.040 --> 03:44:54.040
that night as well. White light
pulsed as the speakers crackled forth their best

2700
03:44:54.079 --> 03:45:00.000
approximation of thunder. Okay, I
admit it. I jumped when that business,

2701
03:45:00.000 --> 03:45:01.559
and this end of the screen showed
an image of what I assumed to

2702
03:45:01.559 --> 03:45:07.600
be Edgar looking in his crystal ball. Man, these graphics again, you

2703
03:45:07.719 --> 03:45:11.159
get my undying adoration. Whoever you
are that made this thing. Suddenly,

2704
03:45:11.200 --> 03:45:16.040
an alien hand exploded from the crystal
ball and grabbed Edgar's face as the speaker's

2705
03:45:16.120 --> 03:45:20.239
unleashed an approximation of a human scream. Now that I had seen before or

2706
03:45:22.200 --> 03:45:26.200
heard would be more accurate. I
guess Wizard of War had a speech synthesizer

2707
03:45:26.239 --> 03:45:30.159
and that game was like two years
old already. Next image was of his

2708
03:45:30.239 --> 03:45:35.319
guests surrounding a sarcophagus, like right
out of ancient Egypt and stuff. Then

2709
03:45:35.360 --> 03:45:39.639
the scene changed to a rendition of
the guests unwrapping a mummy. I don't

2710
03:45:39.639 --> 03:45:45.280
know what's going on, but it's
definitely rad. The screen goes black again

2711
03:45:45.719 --> 03:45:50.000
and the speakers come alive. We
must free him. Our blood is the

2712
03:45:50.040 --> 03:45:54.440
way. Animated blood drops hit the
black background as the speakers play a sample

2713
03:45:54.440 --> 03:45:58.159
of a rainstorm. I'm calling it. This is the game of the year,

2714
03:45:58.520 --> 03:46:01.840
maybe the entire decade, and I
haven't even actually played it yet.

2715
03:46:03.399 --> 03:46:07.559
A face formed pixel by pixel from
the darkness. It was like the face

2716
03:46:07.600 --> 03:46:11.399
of an angel, but metallic.
Its eyes were hidden behind two red glass

2717
03:46:11.440 --> 03:46:16.840
domes, and a single metallic horn
jutted forth from the helmet that covered nearly

2718
03:46:16.879 --> 03:46:20.600
its entire head. The closest I
could tell you to imagine would be the

2719
03:46:20.760 --> 03:46:26.479
jet Jaguar robot from Godzilla versus Megalon
that played on WWR every Thanksgiving, but

2720
03:46:26.520 --> 03:46:31.159
the face was more like a robot
human wearing a fancy motorcycle helmet rather than

2721
03:46:31.200 --> 03:46:37.760
a sleep robot like old Jolt and
Jet. The background began pulsing black blue

2722
03:46:37.120 --> 03:46:46.239
red white, black blue red white
as the speakers crackled henshin, Cyborgothello Pharaoh,

2723
03:46:46.239 --> 03:46:50.959
Ace blasted the cabinet. Then this
insane theme played, and although the

2724
03:46:50.000 --> 03:46:56.280
words sounded garbled, I believe it
went like this, ancient hero from the

2725
03:46:56.319 --> 03:47:00.479
sky, do your best, give
it a try. Your destined here,

2726
03:47:00.639 --> 03:47:05.280
arise and bring fear to the devil
from beyond space. Cyborgothello Pharaoh Ace?

2727
03:47:05.719 --> 03:47:13.920
What the fudge? Then it all
went black again. I took a bite

2728
03:47:13.920 --> 03:47:16.719
of fruit pie, resulting in a
perfectly square piece of goop covered apple to

2729
03:47:16.760 --> 03:47:20.799
fall on the cabinet. The sugary
mess caramelized as it hit just left of

2730
03:47:20.840 --> 03:47:24.760
the joystick. I hope this thing
doesn't ignite before I get to play.

2731
03:47:26.600 --> 03:47:28.760
It was at that point that I
grabbed the joystick and readied myself for the

2732
03:47:28.760 --> 03:47:33.719
game to get underway. A representation
of our cyborg hero appeared on screen as

2733
03:47:35.040 --> 03:47:39.079
various aliens, mostly based on marine
Life, began forming a phalanx that steadily

2734
03:47:39.120 --> 03:47:46.639
descended down the screen Space Invaders with
a twist. Very very cool, indeed,

2735
03:47:46.079 --> 03:47:52.520
But then everything was flipped upside down. The aliens broke ranks and began

2736
03:47:52.639 --> 03:47:56.840
marching around othello as. The game
then appeared to be a Robotron twenty eighty

2737
03:47:56.840 --> 03:48:00.159
four clone, which is a good
thing because that was one of the best

2738
03:48:00.200 --> 03:48:03.799
games out this year. First thing
I noticed is that the controls would take

2739
03:48:03.840 --> 03:48:07.639
a bit to get used to.
You see, in Robotron, the left

2740
03:48:07.680 --> 03:48:11.120
joystick controls movement, while the right
controls the direction you fire. Here there

2741
03:48:11.159 --> 03:48:16.200
was a more standard setup joystick to
move button to fire, and your lasers

2742
03:48:16.239 --> 03:48:22.399
went in whatever direction you faced a
few alien casualties in and it actually felt

2743
03:48:22.399 --> 03:48:26.920
intuitive. So far, so good. I honestly have no idea how long

2744
03:48:26.959 --> 03:48:30.680
I played on that quarter long enough
for the rain to stop and start again,

2745
03:48:31.159 --> 03:48:35.680
long enough to finish that fruit pie, and long enough for the sun

2746
03:48:35.760 --> 03:48:39.840
to begin to set. At some
point I thought it was mega weird that

2747
03:48:39.959 --> 03:48:43.680
Rocko never came back, But a
new wave of attackers pushed that and all

2748
03:48:43.680 --> 03:48:48.200
other thoughts from my mind. Only
this war mattered. I played through the

2749
03:48:48.280 --> 03:48:52.399
night. I couldn't stop, not
during the foggy morning or the endlessly rainy

2750
03:48:52.440 --> 03:48:58.440
afternoon. Then the sun was going
down again. In a brief flash of

2751
03:48:58.440 --> 03:49:01.399
clear thinking, I wondered again about
Rocko and why had no one come looking

2752
03:49:01.440 --> 03:49:07.239
for me when I hadn't returned home. Then the next wave came. Sequence

2753
03:49:07.319 --> 03:49:11.440
seventeen sixty six' five Does this
game have an end or at least some

2754
03:49:11.520 --> 03:49:16.680
sort of kill screen? I was
closer to getting my answer than I thought.

2755
03:49:16.280 --> 03:49:22.360
Sequence eighteen six six' six was
just about to begin when the screen

2756
03:49:22.440 --> 03:49:26.120
exploded in pixel vomit. I think
I killed the game. That's when I

2757
03:49:26.159 --> 03:49:31.200
got that sharp pain in my palm. I removed my hand from the joystick

2758
03:49:31.360 --> 03:49:35.360
and it came loose with a long
sh sound. My hand was bleeding,

2759
03:49:35.840 --> 03:49:39.120
and I looked at the joystick just
in time to see a needle slip back

2760
03:49:39.120 --> 03:49:45.000
inside the black ball atop the controls, a ball I had just noticed was

2761
03:49:45.040 --> 03:49:50.079
decorated with a candy apple red upside
down pentagram. Those things were all over

2762
03:49:50.120 --> 03:49:54.399
the news, parents concerned a board
game was making their children into Satan's servants.

2763
03:49:54.920 --> 03:49:58.799
Crappol through and through anyway. I
couldn't possibly have played that game that

2764
03:49:58.879 --> 03:50:03.959
lo. Maybe that's why no one's
name was on it. Maybe it makes

2765
03:50:03.079 --> 03:50:07.920
kids hallucinate or something that would definitely
require more play testing to keep mothers of

2766
03:50:07.959 --> 03:50:13.840
America from having a collected conniption.
I looked into the screen, but it

2767
03:50:13.879 --> 03:50:18.680
had gone black. That's when I
saw Rocco walking up behind me. It

2768
03:50:18.719 --> 03:50:24.920
had probably only been like five minutes
after all. Rocco looked confused maybe or

2769
03:50:24.000 --> 03:50:28.680
was it sad? Anyhow, I
turned to face him, but he looked

2770
03:50:28.719 --> 03:50:33.760
strange, like an image off TV
filled with static. Darcy, Darcy,

2771
03:50:33.079 --> 03:50:37.399
I can barely see you. Rocco
reached forth a static filled hand and it

2772
03:50:37.440 --> 03:50:43.559
went right through my shoulder, causing
Rocco to explode in a shower of pixels.

2773
03:50:43.040 --> 03:50:48.239
Okay, now this game is making
me psycho. The speakers shook me

2774
03:50:48.280 --> 03:50:56.639
from my shock. Should all acquaintance
be forgot and never brought to mind,

2775
03:50:56.079 --> 03:51:05.920
should all the acquaintance be forgot and
all lang sign happy New Year's I guess

2776
03:51:07.680 --> 03:51:11.200
it was then that I realized that
when the song ended, a sample of

2777
03:51:11.319 --> 03:51:15.319
church bells had started, And as
the sound slowly faded in the speakers,

2778
03:51:15.360 --> 03:51:20.479
the sound of bells grew louder and
louder behind me. But there wasn't a

2779
03:51:20.559 --> 03:51:24.120
church with bells like that in this
county, or the next one over for

2780
03:51:24.200 --> 03:51:28.360
that matter. I turned around,
and that's when someone grabbed me and dragged

2781
03:51:28.399 --> 03:51:33.120
me back. And while you'd think
I'd collide with the cabinet, I didn't.

2782
03:51:33.840 --> 03:51:37.399
I did, however, find myself
lying in a hallway of sorts.

2783
03:51:37.879 --> 03:51:43.120
The hall was comprised of a fleshy
living material, with circuit boards, tubes,

2784
03:51:43.159 --> 03:51:46.520
wires, and other electronic business connected
to it. I walked on and

2785
03:51:46.559 --> 03:51:50.319
I reached a pair of thick organic
curtains that parted so I could stroll through,

2786
03:51:50.959 --> 03:51:54.639
which, to be honest, was
all I could do. I stepped

2787
03:51:54.639 --> 03:51:58.399
forward and found myself on a small, rocky planet, maybe the size of

2788
03:51:58.440 --> 03:52:03.840
a couple of how houses smushed together. The sky was a brilliant combination of

2789
03:52:03.920 --> 03:52:07.920
multicolored stars blinking like Christmas tree lights, adrift in a puddle of cotton candy

2790
03:52:09.000 --> 03:52:13.959
puke, all swirling primary colors punctuated
by spots of inky black outer space.

2791
03:52:16.040 --> 03:52:18.879
Somehow I could still breathe, and
I stayed on the planet as I walked,

2792
03:52:18.920 --> 03:52:24.280
So gravity was some sort of thing
here. I walked on and came

2793
03:52:24.319 --> 03:52:28.360
to a large rock, on top
of which sat cyborg Othello Pharaoh Ace,

2794
03:52:28.799 --> 03:52:33.159
strumming an electric guitar which he had
plugged into himself via a port near his

2795
03:52:33.280 --> 03:52:37.440
left shoulder. The sound seemed to
be amplified and spread by his helmet.

2796
03:52:37.719 --> 03:52:41.200
Smoke swirled around his head as he
played a really rad solo, all arpeggios

2797
03:52:41.239 --> 03:52:45.799
and finger gymnastics. As I came
around to the front of him, I

2798
03:52:45.840 --> 03:52:50.360
noticed a large hand rolled cigarette dangling
from his metallic lips a grody habit.

2799
03:52:50.440 --> 03:52:56.799
But hey, Darcy Reid isn't one
to tell. I don't know quite what

2800
03:52:56.000 --> 03:53:01.920
he is, but he was older, probably dangerous, and hey, I

2801
03:53:01.000 --> 03:53:05.959
told you my last name. What
do you know? He finished his solo,

2802
03:53:05.239 --> 03:53:09.120
knocked a huge ash from his cancer
stick, and looked at me with

2803
03:53:09.200 --> 03:53:15.000
those red plastic bug eyes of his. Hey, kid, I'm cyborg Othello,

2804
03:53:15.120 --> 03:53:18.200
Pharaoh Ace. I finished his sentence
with a tone I hoped seemed confident

2805
03:53:18.479 --> 03:53:22.719
and not like I was going insane, which I was now positive had happened

2806
03:53:22.719 --> 03:53:31.479
in no uncertain terms. Yep,
and you, I'm Darcy read of Earth.

2807
03:53:31.280 --> 03:53:35.200
He chuckled lightly and flicked his cigarette
away, which, contrary to logic,

2808
03:53:35.280 --> 03:53:41.360
drifted skyward. It floated farther and
farther away before its cherry end became

2809
03:53:41.399 --> 03:53:46.799
a distant red star. So,
Darcy Reid of Earth, you like video

2810
03:53:46.840 --> 03:53:50.959
games? Yeah? I do.
I particularly enjoyed yours, minus some of

2811
03:53:52.000 --> 03:53:58.840
the kind of gnarly hallucinations. Hallucinations. Yeah, it seemed like I came

2812
03:54:00.520 --> 03:54:05.200
unstuck in time. Oh that's because
you did. Where are you from again,

2813
03:54:07.040 --> 03:54:11.440
Well it's nineteen eighty two currently.
He seemed to contemplate that for a

2814
03:54:11.520 --> 03:54:16.760
minute. Hmmm. I died Saturday, the twenty sixth of April nineteen eighty

2815
03:54:16.840 --> 03:54:22.959
six, and Pripi it died.
Yeah, I'm a ghost or will be.

2816
03:54:24.680 --> 03:54:26.760
Time kind of means nothing, and
when you are clued into that,

2817
03:54:26.840 --> 03:54:31.479
everything becomes one long day. Look, let me break it down for you.

2818
03:54:31.079 --> 03:54:35.680
The Unicorn unit, the thing that
makes me change, was sent to

2819
03:54:35.760 --> 03:54:39.840
Earth centuries ago in order to be
a preventive method against the Dagonites. That's

2820
03:54:39.920 --> 03:54:46.200
those fishy fellows you battled in the
game anyway, twenty six eighty six BC,

2821
03:54:46.440 --> 03:54:50.879
the Dagonites showed their faces in ancient
Egypt. I melded with a pharaoh,

2822
03:54:50.959 --> 03:54:54.600
defeated the invasion, then went into
slumber until Edgar's Social Club woke me

2823
03:54:54.719 --> 03:55:01.479
up when they noticed Afiuchus, home
to the Dagonites and Professor Flickked, creator

2824
03:55:01.520 --> 03:55:05.319
of the Unicorn unit. I managed
to meld with the young socialite Mildred Douchamp

2825
03:55:05.760 --> 03:55:11.680
and defeated the New Year's Eve invasion
of eighteen ninety nine. This is all

2826
03:55:11.680 --> 03:55:13.479
a bit much. I just wanted
to play a new game and eat some

2827
03:55:13.559 --> 03:55:20.120
empty calories. Dude, Well it
gets more much from here on. I'm

2828
03:55:20.120 --> 03:55:24.239
afraid. Okay, just pull the
bandage off. The next invasion happened in

2829
03:55:24.280 --> 03:55:30.440
your future in nineteen eighty six.
Dagonites decided that they needed to distract the

2830
03:55:30.479 --> 03:55:35.479
world and me from their latest invasion
attempt with some kind of disaster, and

2831
03:55:35.520 --> 03:55:39.280
they blew up a reactor in the
Ukraine. I melded with a secretary from

2832
03:55:39.280 --> 03:55:46.360
the Stenopool and I lost you lost, yep, I lost. The Dagonites

2833
03:55:46.360 --> 03:55:50.719
infiltrated the Russian government, and the
whole thing was chalked up to negligence.

2834
03:55:50.120 --> 03:55:54.319
And then the Professor had a great
idea, a contest of sorts to determine

2835
03:55:54.319 --> 03:56:01.040
who could wield the unit successfully sent
back in time through an unstable verrtuinually unusable

2836
03:56:01.079 --> 03:56:07.319
portal to prevent what happens in nineteen
eighty six, Afiucus Afiucus a modern sword

2837
03:56:07.360 --> 03:56:13.719
in the stone, and you won. So what happens next, that's up

2838
03:56:13.760 --> 03:56:18.040
to you. This is all a
bit heavy for a twelve year old girl.

2839
03:56:18.639 --> 03:56:24.520
Actually, I believe that's crap.
You do. I do a female,

2840
03:56:24.559 --> 03:56:26.559
not a child, not yet a
woman. There's a lot of powerful

2841
03:56:26.639 --> 03:56:31.719
angry energy there. Well, you
may be right, But on the other

2842
03:56:31.760 --> 03:56:37.559
hand, I just want to eat
junk food and play video games. Fair

2843
03:56:37.680 --> 03:56:41.120
enough, Darcy Reid of Earth.
Just let me think on it. I

2844
03:56:41.159 --> 03:56:48.000
need my happy place, I'd wager
couldn't hurt. I closed my eyes tight.

2845
03:56:48.760 --> 03:56:52.680
When I opened them, I was
in my bedroom, lying in bed

2846
03:56:52.719 --> 03:56:56.360
with a well read Star Wars comic
on my chest. I rolled over and

2847
03:56:56.360 --> 03:57:01.760
discovered I'd spilled an entire package of
Reese's piece is on my bed. I

2848
03:57:01.799 --> 03:57:03.799
shrugged, popped a few of the
candies in my mouth, and went to

2849
03:57:03.840 --> 03:57:09.200
turn on my atari. It was
then that I saw my hand was encased

2850
03:57:09.200 --> 03:57:15.280
in a kind of shiny black leather
material. Oh right. The walls of

2851
03:57:15.319 --> 03:57:20.239
my room collapsed, and I remembered
where I was writ Lai, the Dagonite

2852
03:57:20.280 --> 03:57:24.319
homeworld. I'd gone to my happy
place again to help ground myself for the

2853
03:57:24.399 --> 03:57:28.200
upcoming fight. It always seemed to
help keep my mind clear in battle.

2854
03:57:28.959 --> 03:57:33.159
I touched a nearby invisible button on
my helmet, and my words blasted forth,

2855
03:57:33.559 --> 03:57:37.440
amplified and made to sound like the
voice of an angry god. I

2856
03:57:37.559 --> 03:57:41.520
have arisen to bring fear to the
devil from beyond space. The Dagonites before

2857
03:57:41.559 --> 03:57:45.920
me trembled a bit at that,
but drew their weapons all the same.

2858
03:57:46.879 --> 03:57:58.360
I am Cyborgothello Pharaoh Ace. Well, my spookies, you've made it to

2859
03:57:58.399 --> 03:58:05.239
the end. You survived all of
these terrifying ghost stories. Well, now

2860
03:58:05.319 --> 03:58:09.040
there's only one thing left to do. Make sure you're subscribed, because there's

2861
03:58:09.120 --> 03:58:15.319
more where that came from. A
new nightmare will reveal itself every single Wednesday,

2862
03:58:15.840 --> 03:58:22.600
right here on Weekly Spooky so get
some rest. You look like death,

2863
03:58:24.719 --> 03:58:28.559
and don't you worry. I'll be
right here waiting for you with many

2864
03:58:28.639 --> 03:58:37.799
of my other friends. Until next
time, stay safe and stay scared.