July 11, 2026

4 Scary Stories: Urban Legends, Cryptids & Cursed Rituals with DEMONS

4 Scary Stories: Urban Legends, Cryptids & Cursed Rituals with DEMONS
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Spreaker podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconSpreaker podcast player iconAudible podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon
Cutting Deep Into Horror

Key Takeaways

  • Weekly Spooky delivers four terrifying scary horror stories that blend urban legends, cryptids, and the supernatural.
  • The episode features a chilling variety of tales including a cursed Ouija board ritual, a dangerous encounter in the Adirondack wilderness, and a deadly local legend involving a stolen stop sign.
  • Listeners are warned about the dangers of meddling with the spirit world and the consequences of ignoring local folklore rules.
  • The storytelling emphasizes the dread of rural settings, where folklore can manifest as dangerous and tangible threats.
  • Fans of folk horror, creature features, and occult suspense will find this compilation perfect for their next late-night listening session.

This Weekly Spooky horror compilation features four terrifying stories packed with urban legends, cryptids, folk horror, haunted forests, cursed rituals, supernatural monsters, dark humor, and deadly Ouija board terror.

An Adirondack newcomer encounters the grotesque truth behind a bizarre local legend. A South Carolina teenager steals a stop sign and awakens something inside an abandoned barn. A family’s hunting tradition conceals a blood pact with an ancient forest god. And a lonely child seeking answers from the spirit world follows a cruel joke into unimaginable horror.
Perfect for fans of narrated horror fiction, scary stories, rural folklore, creature horror, occult horror, supernatural suspense, and chilling campfire tales.

“The Legend of Oopsie Poopsie” — by Joe Solmo
A newcomer to a tiny Adirondack town learns that the ridiculous local legend stalking the surrounding pines is very real, unusually large, and desperately in need of a change.

“The Stop-Sign Man” — by Bryce Gibson
On his seventeenth birthday, a South Carolina teenager steals a stop sign for a forbidden local rite of passage—only to discover that the old urban legend demands a deadly price.

“Ol’ Bones” — by Joe Solmo
A family’s hunting traditions conceal an old agreement with a towering forest god, and two careless campers may force the creature to renegotiate the terms of its bloody bargain.

“Why Am I Here?” — by Morgan Moore
A lonely boy asks a Ouija board the one question no one else will answer, then follows his brother’s cruel joke toward a ritual no spirit should ever answer.

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of stories are featured in this episode of Weekly Spooky?

This episode features four horror stories that include urban legends, creature sightings, cursed rituals, and supernatural encounters with demons.

Where can I listen to Weekly Spooky's scary horror stories?

You can listen to all their weekly terrifying tales on major podcasting platforms and explore more at WeeklySpooky.com.

Does this episode include occult or supernatural themes?

Yes, the stories in this episode delve into dark themes like blood pacts with forest gods, Ouija board dangers, and grotesque local legends.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:07.919
Welcome back, my spookies. Tonight, the last street light is

2
00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:13.480
behind us, and every road leads somewhere the locals warned

3
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:19.440
us not to go. In the Adirondack Pines, something enormous

4
00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:25.039
shakes a rattle in the dark. Beside an abandoned barn,

5
00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:32.280
a red octagon offers one final warning. Beyond a marked creek,

6
00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:36.880
an ancient hunger waits for its offering, And in a

7
00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:43.079
candlelit bedroom, a lonely question reaches the wrong side of

8
00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:48.840
the spirit world. These are places where folklore has rules,

9
00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:55.280
rituals demand payment, and even the most ridiculous legend can

10
00:00:55.359 --> 00:01:03.200
bear very real teeth. Oh lock your doors, leave the

11
00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.680
stop signs where they belong, and keep your hands off

12
00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:13.879
that planchette. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume,

13
00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:22.079
and prepare yourself for four terrifying tales of monsters, forbidden bargains,

14
00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:29.319
and cursed curiosity. And then make sure you're subscribed on

15
00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:33.799
your favorite podcasting app because there's a brand new scary

16
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:41.840
story right here on Weekly Spooky every single Wednesday. Now,

17
00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:53.280
let's begin the legend of Oopsy Poopsy by Joe sulmo.

18
00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:59.760
I first heard about Oopsy Poopsy by the locals. When

19
00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:03.319
I'm moved to the small Adirondack town of New Ellsworth,

20
00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:06.959
the town only had a handful of street lights and

21
00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.960
not a single sidewalk to be seen. One gas station

22
00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.520
was in the middle of town, across from the Baptist

23
00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:17.719
church that was built before the abolition of slavery. But

24
00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:22.280
there were five bars around the local lake. I lived

25
00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.479
down the road a bit from one of the bars,

26
00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:29.280
on my own island of small house and yard, surrounded

27
00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:33.319
by a virtual ocean of evergreens. Even in the crisp

28
00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:37.360
fall air, the trees remained green. They were all lined

29
00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:41.560
up in rows. Those pines planted there by a lumberyard

30
00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:44.919
that had cleared it many years ago. It was at

31
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:51.080
that lumberyard that I first heard of Oopsie Poopsie. I

32
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.439
had blown a fuse in the garage, back when you

33
00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.360
could still find fuses, no circuit breakers in this house.

34
00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:00.719
I was in the electric aisle when a man approached me.

35
00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:03.800
He had a name tag sewn into his shirt that

36
00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:10.560
said Sleepy Carl, Not just Carl, but sleepy Carl morning.

37
00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:13.800
Can I help you? He said in a helpful voice.

38
00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.639
His accent was a little bit off, like he had

39
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.800
seen the words written, but maybe he hadn't heard them

40
00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:24.199
all used before. Well, I might be giving him too

41
00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:28.560
much credit. I'm not sure he could read. Looking for

42
00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:32.919
some fusees, friend, I said, rifling through the plastic containers

43
00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:38.439
holding loose fuses. Where do you live, he asked, leaning

44
00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:42.199
over me. I could smell the chewing tobacco on his breath,

45
00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:46.240
and unfortunately watched as a small river of brown saliva

46
00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:49.280
raced down his chin like it was being chased by

47
00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.879
a rabid dog. And by a rabid dog, I mean

48
00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:57.800
that lonely incisor left in his mouth. I made eye

49
00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:03.000
contact with him, then both eyes half closed. Ah, yes,

50
00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:09.400
I thought, sleepy Carl. It all made sense. Here they are,

51
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.879
I said, holding up a pair of thirty amp fuses.

52
00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:16.399
He didn't even look at my offering and kept weird

53
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:20.040
eye contact with me. You the new guy over in

54
00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.879
the house on Sinclair, he asked, blocking my way to

55
00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.560
the register. I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not.

56
00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:34.319
He seemed more stupid than intimidating. That would be the place,

57
00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:39.800
Sleepy Carl, I replied, Sleepy Carl, leave that guy alone.

58
00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:43.240
Came a woman's voice from the other side of the building.

59
00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:48.040
She wandered over to us. I was shocked at her beauty.

60
00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.120
I wasn't expecting such a sight in a backwoods town

61
00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:57.040
like this. Her long, wavy red hair flowed over her

62
00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:01.120
shoulders and down her work shirt, almost to her skinny waist.

63
00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:04.759
Carl jumped at the sound of her voice and wandered

64
00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.680
off into the plumbing aisle across the building as the

65
00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:12.480
woman approached. Sorry for my brother. He likes to talk

66
00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:16.560
to people, learn about them, she said. He knows all

67
00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:20.199
about the folk that come in here. The woman extended

68
00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:23.800
her hand. I shook it. From this close, I could

69
00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:28.959
smell her shampoo, and it smelled nice. My name is

70
00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:34.160
I Dinah, she said John, I replied. Now that we

71
00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:37.480
are acquainted, I can go ring you up, she said

72
00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:40.000
over her shoulder. As she made her way to the register,

73
00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:44.160
I noticed sleepy Carl watching me from the inside of

74
00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.240
a toilet seat. He was holding it up at eye

75
00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:52.160
level and peeking through it inconspicuously. Of course, he could

76
00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.600
have been called sly Carl with spy instincs like that.

77
00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:59.480
I couldn't help but smile. As I placed the fuses

78
00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:03.000
down on the counter, I picked up a folding utility

79
00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:06.079
knife from a display and put it with the fuses.

80
00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:10.319
I turned back to see Sleepy Carl still looking at me.

81
00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.759
His sister noticed me looking and her eyes followed my gaze.

82
00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:20.879
I watched her face redden in embarrassment. Sleepy Carl, get

83
00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:24.680
your oversized head out of that shitter seat. With a crash,

84
00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:27.600
Sleepy Carl woke up enough to drop the seat and

85
00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:30.120
run out the front door to the icy breeze of

86
00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:34.360
an early November morning in upstate New York. He grabbed

87
00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:37.079
a rake and started gathering up the fallen leaves in

88
00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:41.639
the gravel parking lot. The sounds of scraping gravel drifted

89
00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:46.759
through the open wooden doorway. That'll be eight bucks, she said,

90
00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:49.920
with a smile. She opened a paper bag and shoved

91
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.560
my items in. I rifled through my pockets and found

92
00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.399
a crumpled twenty and forked it over to her with

93
00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.800
a smile. She handed me my change and I thrust

94
00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:03.079
it into my pocket, still watching her brother fight with

95
00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.639
the leaves out front. Someone had pulled in and was

96
00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:10.600
yelling at him for being in the way. Dnah sighed

97
00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:14.399
and ran past me out the door. I followed, but

98
00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.040
jumped in my car to get out of there instead

99
00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:20.639
of getting involved in whatever was happening. As I was

100
00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:24.240
putting on my seat belt, Sleepy Carl poked his head

101
00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:28.480
in the passenger side window. You meet OOPSI POOPSI yet,

102
00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:33.199
he asked, nearly dropping his tobacco spit on my passenger seat.

103
00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:38.079
What's an oopsie POOPSI? I asked, putting the car in gear.

104
00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:42.680
I can come over and explain, Sleepy Carl said, as

105
00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:45.920
he spat what was left on the parking lot. Leave

106
00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.639
him alone, and Dinah called over. Let the poor man

107
00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:53.439
get back to his business. She grabbed Sleepy Carl by

108
00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.879
his ear and gave a yank. Apologize to this man

109
00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:01.240
for wasting his time. Sleepy Carl his head and mouthed

110
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.519
sorry and walked slowly into the building. I gave a

111
00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:08.639
Dinah a quick wave and a smile and headed home

112
00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:14.160
forgetting all about a Dina, Sleepy Carl, and Oopsie Poopsie

113
00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:18.360
at least for a few weeks. I was working in

114
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:21.800
the yard towards the middle of November, avoiding the call

115
00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:25.160
from the family to come to Thanksgiving dinner, when I

116
00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:29.279
noticed something in the tree line, a stark white in

117
00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:33.200
contrast to the dark green needles and the darker forest within.

118
00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:36.919
I put down my rake and left my wheelbarrow full

119
00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.600
of pine cones and walked to the edge of the

120
00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:43.639
towering trees. There was a branch that had fallen in

121
00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.919
the last storm, about four feet long. I gave my

122
00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:50.559
rake a glance before picking up the dead branch. I

123
00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:53.320
poked at the white object and was horrified to find

124
00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:58.039
that this thing on the ground was a large diaper.

125
00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:04.919
Used Who the fuck, I asked out loud. Disgusted with

126
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.360
my find I looked back at my wheelbarrow, contemplating loading

127
00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:12.840
the loaded diaper into it for disposal. With a sigh,

128
00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.799
I walked back to my yardwork supplies and picked up

129
00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:19.960
the handles on the wheelbarrow to bring it closer. A

130
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.279
gust of wind blew by me, and I heard a

131
00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.960
faint noise on the breeze. In hindsight, I knew what

132
00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:30.159
it was, my brain just couldn't fathom it. Back then,

133
00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:37.559
what I heard faintly was a baby's giggle. I continued

134
00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:42.120
to where the diaper was, and it was gone, nowhere

135
00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.480
to be found. Just then I heard another sound, the

136
00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:52.240
uneven steps of someone approaching. I turned back towards the

137
00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.200
yard and watched Sleepy Carl making his way across my

138
00:09:56.360 --> 00:10:00.159
yard and up to me. I gave him, I'm a

139
00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:03.879
quick wave as I turned around, looking into the trees.

140
00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:10.639
Did you see a I started? What, Sleepy Carl asked?

141
00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:16.879
A diaper? Did you say a diaper? He asked with

142
00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:19.879
a spit of tobacco. I winced when I saw the

143
00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.519
glob land on the handle of my rake. I guess

144
00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:25.799
it was time to get a new one. I can

145
00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:31.279
just burn that one. Yeah, a diaper about this big,

146
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.360
I said, holding my hands out like showing the old

147
00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:36.440
timer down at the bait shop, the size of the

148
00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:42.159
one that got away. Sleepy Carl frowned. He's already starting

149
00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:47.480
his shit. Who is I asked, closing the gap between us.

150
00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:53.960
A bit oopsie, poopsie. He's taken a like in to you, Carl,

151
00:10:54.440 --> 00:11:01.000
Sleepy Carl, he interjected, pardon me, Sleepy Carl, what the

152
00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:05.120
fuck is an oopsy poopsy? We should find him, get

153
00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:08.080
him to stop before it gets out of hand. Sleepy

154
00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:12.759
Carl said, you've been in those woods. I looked at

155
00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:15.960
the rows of pines. Sleepy Carl was pointing at with

156
00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:21.440
a dirty finger, the tip of which was missing. Yeah,

157
00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:25.360
I walked through them a bit, checking it out. You

158
00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:30.279
shouldn't have, he said, with sadness in his voice. You

159
00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:36.840
got his attention. Who oopsy poopsy, we both said at

160
00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.399
the same time, but only he understood what we were

161
00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:45.679
talking about. Listen, Sleepy Carl, I gotta finish up out

162
00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:47.600
here so I can get some dinner on the stove

163
00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:51.360
before dark. I explained. It looked like I only had

164
00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:54.279
about an hour left of sun and what little warmth

165
00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:59.000
it gave this time of year. Come with me, Sleepy

166
00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.240
Carl said in a store voice, and headed into the

167
00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:05.559
pine trees. I shook my head as I watched him

168
00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:09.879
walk deeper into the forest. After a moment of indecision,

169
00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:16.399
I gave chase. Wait up, Sleepy Carl, I called after him.

170
00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:19.159
Gotta keep up so we can make it back before

171
00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:25.159
the sunsets. He explained what happens after the sunsets. I asked,

172
00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:32.639
he'll come looking, The local said, looking for me. Yep,

173
00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.440
was his monosyllable reply. I looked down at my hands

174
00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:40.639
and realized I was still carrying the rake with me.

175
00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:44.639
I felt silly at first, but as we walked deeper

176
00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.240
into those neat rows of pines, it was almost a

177
00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.480
comfort having it in my hands. The forest sure got

178
00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:58.159
spooky fast. After about ten minutes or so, walking in silence,

179
00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:02.000
Sleepy Carl stopped and ran his fingers over the bark

180
00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:06.039
of a tree. This way, he said, cutting to the

181
00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:09.000
right and up a slight rise. I stopped at the

182
00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.120
tree and saw faded carved initials in the old bark

183
00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:18.639
c W loves e W. At the top of the rise,

184
00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:20.840
I could see there was a worn path through the

185
00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:25.159
woods leading down to a valley floor about thirty feet below,

186
00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:29.039
and heading deeper into the woods. I tried to look

187
00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:31.279
up at the sun to get a feel for the time,

188
00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:34.840
and all I could see were branches of pines blocking

189
00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.960
out most of the light. I was beginning to have

190
00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:40.279
a hard time seeing in front of my own face.

191
00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:45.240
How much farther is it? I asked him. I placed

192
00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.080
a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop.

193
00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:50.919
For a moment. I was out of breath. Just over here,

194
00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.960
he said, pointing at a boulder on a small hill.

195
00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:57.360
The trail wrapped around the boulder had a white birch

196
00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:00.399
tree growing on the top of it like a unicorn horn,

197
00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:03.159
and I realized at some point we passed through the

198
00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.519
pine forest into a regular one. The autumn leaves had

199
00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:11.039
already fallen from the tree, leaving its bones pointing skyward.

200
00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:14.440
I tried to get a visual on the sun to

201
00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:17.480
figure out where we were, but the cloud cover and

202
00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:21.639
the bare deciduous trees blocked my view of it. Sleepy

203
00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:24.399
Carl made a motion for me to wait here, and

204
00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:26.799
I leaned against one of those trees. As he made

205
00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:31.039
his way to the boulder and peaked around it. I

206
00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:34.320
noticed my heart wasn't pounding in my ears anymore, and

207
00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:37.679
I could breathe normally. I placed the rake I had

208
00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:42.600
been carrying against the tree. I curiously watched as Sleepy

209
00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:47.000
Carl stared off around the hill. He looked a little different,

210
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:52.080
more attentive to his surroundings. I guess, less Sleepy Carl

211
00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:56.000
and more irregular Caral. He turned and looked at me

212
00:14:56.120 --> 00:15:00.519
before disappearing behind the boulder. I reached into my pocket

213
00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:03.440
for a cigarette, out of habit I had quit just

214
00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.679
before moving to New Ellsworth. I turned my head listening

215
00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:11.320
for Sleepy Carl, but couldn't hear anything past the cold

216
00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:16.480
breeze going through the branches. I shuffled my feet, making

217
00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:20.519
the crisp leaves rustle underneath. This is when I got

218
00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:25.360
the feeling I was being watched. It didn't so much

219
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:29.000
as creep up on me, as it just happened. I

220
00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:32.720
gave a quick look around and didn't see anything. I thought,

221
00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.519
maybe Sleepy Carl might be playing a trick on me.

222
00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.600
I didn't see him around. The hair stood up on

223
00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:41.919
my arm, but I couldn't tell if it was from

224
00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:47.080
the breeze or the feeling. I heard that giggle again,

225
00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:53.879
like back in the yard, faint, almost inaudible. Maybe I

226
00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:57.559
should quit smoking the other stuff, I thought. I took

227
00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:01.559
a careful step towards the boulder, cautious not to rustle

228
00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:05.440
up the leaves too much. I heard the giggle again,

229
00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:13.320
this time a little louder closer. Sleepy Carl, you there,

230
00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:19.919
I whispered harshly. After another step. I listened for his response. Carl,

231
00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:26.519
A horrid stench drifted on the breeze. Pee ba doo baba,

232
00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:30.840
came a high pitched voice, just a bit louder than

233
00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:34.639
the giggle I heard. I swear if I find Sleepy

234
00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.679
Carl standing behind the boulder with one of those voice

235
00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.919
changer things laughing at me, I would beat him to

236
00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:45.240
death with my rake, my rake. I took a step

237
00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:47.919
back and reached for it, not taking my eyes off

238
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:51.399
that boulder, with that birch tree horn. I felt something

239
00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:54.159
soft in my hand and spun around, and that's when

240
00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:58.360
I saw him. It had to be him. The name

241
00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:04.920
now made sense. Oopsie poopsy, I forgot all about the rake.

242
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.599
He looked me right in the eye from his left one. Anyway,

243
00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:13.160
The right eye kinda drooped a bit, kind of like

244
00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:18.000
sleepy Carls. But unlike sleepy carl Oopsy POOPSI had an

245
00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:21.880
oversized head that kind of wobbled on too small of

246
00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.960
a neck. It stood as tall as I did, wearing

247
00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:30.799
a filthy striped onesie a six foot bobble headed baby.

248
00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:36.440
It opened its oversized mouth, revealing the largest and sparsest

249
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.359
baby teeth I have ever seen in a gapped tooth smile.

250
00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:43.839
In his hand was a rattle the size of a

251
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:48.839
baseball bat. Dried blood and matted hair adorned its bulbous end.

252
00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:53.400
It took an unsteady step towards me. At first, its

253
00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:57.519
head flung back by his momentum, then carried forward in

254
00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:01.640
a nodding motion as its large met the hard ground.

255
00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:06.319
I turned to run to escape the monstrosity behind me.

256
00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.480
Was it real? Could Sleepy Carls somehow have climbed into

257
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.000
a giant baby suit to pull a fast one? I

258
00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.440
really wanted to rip its head off and see what

259
00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:20.799
was inside, but my body was in full flight mode

260
00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:24.799
and my brain was just along for the ride. Got go,

261
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:29.759
Boodoo Chase, I heard it say behind me, as the

262
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:34.319
giant toddler began to lurch after Where the fuck was

263
00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:38.200
Sleepy Carl? I ran around the boulder and down the

264
00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.440
path that sank over a ridge and lost my footing

265
00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.200
sliding in the carpet of leaves about thirty yards before

266
00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:48.920
hitting a tree trunk with my ribs. I heard the

267
00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:51.519
air escape my lungs, and I couldn't even cry out

268
00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:54.519
in pain. All I could do was clutch my side

269
00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:58.880
and WinCE. My vision was blurry for a few seconds.

270
00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.920
I heard he tried to blink it away. I could

271
00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.880
hear the damned thing shambling its way down the hill,

272
00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.640
giggling like this was some kind of game. I never

273
00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:13.160
did like kids, although I couldn't reason why, Well, now

274
00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:16.359
I had a reason. I got to my feet, still

275
00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:19.759
a bit unsteady, and headed farther down the only path

276
00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:23.480
through the forest. I could see in the growing darkness. Stumps,

277
00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.799
half buried, roots and rocks all jumped out to slow

278
00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:29.440
me down, and I could hear that top heavy toddler

279
00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:32.960
gaining on me. Ahead in the darkness was a large

280
00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:36.680
wooden building. There was light coming from the broken windows

281
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.680
and a door that stood open. I ran as fast

282
00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:43.960
as I could, hoping someone was inside to help me, anyone.

283
00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:48.240
I burst through the door, gasping for breath, clutching my ribs.

284
00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:51.680
I spun and slammed the door shut behind me and

285
00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.799
leaned against it for a minute as I took in

286
00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:59.640
my surroundings. Big rusty saws lined the wall, Machinery littered

287
00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:02.440
the floor. Or it looked like the place hadn't been

288
00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:05.920
used in years. Piles of leaves were in the corners

289
00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:09.160
from the wind whipping through that open door for years.

290
00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.200
I made my way to a dusty and damp desk

291
00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:16.000
and sat in the chair to catch my breath. I

292
00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:20.599
heard nothing coming from outside. Maybe I lost that little bastard,

293
00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:25.000
well not little, it was as tall as me. I

294
00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:27.680
once again reached for the pack of cigarettes I didn't

295
00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:31.119
carry anymore. I rummaged through the drawer in the desk

296
00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:34.240
and found an old hunting knife. It was better than

297
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:39.000
nothing you made it, I heard from behind me, and

298
00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.279
jumped so quickly the chair broke when I landed back

299
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.400
on it. I picked myself up off the floor and

300
00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:51.359
looked at Sleepy Caral watching me. What the fuck was that?

301
00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:56.559
Sleepy Carl, you just left me with that thing? Oopsy poopsie,

302
00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:01.559
he said, and spit tobacco onto the floor. You knew

303
00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:03.839
that thing was out there, and you brought me into

304
00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:06.599
the woods to do. What feed me to that thing?

305
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.440
I asked him suspiciously, while gripping the handle on that

306
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:15.160
hunting knife. No, you got me all wrong, Sleepy Carl said,

307
00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:18.200
and took a step closer, closing his hands up to

308
00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:22.559
show he was unarmed. Stay the fuck there, I responded,

309
00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:26.200
and showed him the knife. Wait a second, let me explain,

310
00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:30.720
will you, Sleepy Carl said. He stepped backwards to show

311
00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:35.240
he was not a threat to me. From there, I said,

312
00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:38.000
putting my back to the wall so no Shenanigans could

313
00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.359
sneak up behind me. You want to explain how a

314
00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:45.359
fucking six foot baby with a rattle bat just chased

315
00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:50.279
me through the woods, giggling. He's not really a baby.

316
00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:55.720
It's complicated. He was a baby. The body grew, but

317
00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:59.720
the mind never did. He never lost his baby features,

318
00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:03.240
they just got bigger. It was account of the inbreeding,

319
00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:08.599
some say. Sleepy Carls started to explain with another spit

320
00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:13.039
of his chew. Had to be about twenty years ago.

321
00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:17.359
Now that's when it happened, right here in these woods.

322
00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.599
His mother birthed him out of shame. She had hid

323
00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.599
her pregnancy and came out here to get rid of him.

324
00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:27.559
She was going to throw herself off the ravine, thinking

325
00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:30.200
it would cause a miscarriage or maybe even kill her.

326
00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:35.200
Then she wouldn't have to face anyone. Something went wrong

327
00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:39.119
with her plan, I asked. The father didn't want her

328
00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:42.160
to get rid of it. He followed her. Neither of

329
00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:46.000
them knew then what she carried in her belly. Just

330
00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:49.359
as she was about to jump, he grabbed her tried

331
00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.759
to save her. She went into labor, hanging there from

332
00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.279
the cliff like an ornament on a Christmas tree. He

333
00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:58.759
tried to pull her up, but he wasn't strong enough.

334
00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:03.720
She begged him to let go, but he wouldn't. Then

335
00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:07.880
her water broke. They heard it splash the rocks thirty

336
00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:13.839
feet below. Jesus fucking Christ, I said, shaking my head.

337
00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.000
What do those two banging have to do with it?

338
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:20.279
Carl asked. I didn't have the heart to tell him

339
00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:24.559
those names were just one person. I heard a bang

340
00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:27.480
on the door. Both Sleepy Carl and I turned our heads.

341
00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:31.039
There was no mistaking the rattle shaking before it hit

342
00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:34.160
the wood. I didn't have much faith that the door

343
00:23:34.279 --> 00:23:37.920
was going to hold up. She gave birth right there

344
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:41.480
on the cliff side. The baby dangling from the umbellical

345
00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:45.640
cord like a screaming chandelier from her lady parts smacked

346
00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:48.920
into the rocks. I gather that's how it got so ugly,

347
00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.519
Sleepy Carl said, as he raced over to the door,

348
00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:56.240
sliding an old filing cabinet in front of it. Help me.

349
00:23:57.200 --> 00:23:59.160
I made my way over and helped him put the

350
00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.599
cabinet in front of the door. Now failure, Goo bye do,

351
00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:07.039
I heard in a baby voice from the other side.

352
00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:11.359
The rattle crashed into the door, splintering it. I could

353
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.880
make out the baby's one good eye through the opening.

354
00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:20.839
Go on, get Sleepy, Carl said. I frowned. Really, you

355
00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:25.599
think that'll work, I asked. Couldn't hurt? Was his reply.

356
00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:31.319
Bye bye do eytime came its voice from the other

357
00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:34.160
side of the door. Then it let out a whale

358
00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:36.759
that made me WinCE and curl into the fetal position.

359
00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:39.759
The force of the whale sent the cabinet away from

360
00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:42.839
the door, and the woods splintered, showing us a six

361
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:47.759
foot fetal monster framed in the doorway. He sounded hungry

362
00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:53.079
to you, Sleepy Carl asked, I wouldn't know. Wait, no

363
00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:57.920
more pissed off if anything, I responded, as I realized

364
00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:03.519
the thing was walking towards me. Oopsie poopsy, Sleepy Carl

365
00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:07.480
called out. The baby turned towards him and raised its

366
00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:12.759
fingers to its lips, telling him to be quiet. Oopsie poopsy,

367
00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:16.880
he called out again. This time the larger than life

368
00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:20.920
baby turned towards him. It raised its rattle, about to

369
00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:28.920
strike now, it yelled at Sleepy Carl. OOPSI poopsy, he

370
00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:33.000
called out a third time. The baby frozen place after

371
00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:37.119
hearing its name a third time. We actually all frozen

372
00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:43.160
that moment. Not a sound stirred until the damn thing

373
00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.640
shit its pants right there in front of us. The

374
00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:49.920
wettest of baby mustard shot up its back inside its

375
00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:54.920
striped onesie in an internal chocolate fountain, splattering the worn

376
00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:57.640
wood on the wall of the sawmill as it erupted

377
00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:02.039
from the back of the neck hole. Oopsie, the baby

378
00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:07.559
called out, dropping his rattle and clutching his cheeks. Change doodo.

379
00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:13.160
Don't look at me, Carl said, incredulously. Find your mother,

380
00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:17.480
he called out. The baby did a full diaper shuffle

381
00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:21.079
out into the forest. That should buy us some time.

382
00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:26.200
We need to get the fuck out of here, I said,

383
00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:29.319
climbing to my feet. The acrid smell of the diaper

384
00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:32.880
detonation still hung in the air. I covered my nose

385
00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:38.279
with my sleeve. We can't not yet, sleepy Carl said.

386
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:42.000
He pointed to the gang saw sitting there. He walked

387
00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:45.680
towards the control panel on a stand next to the machine.

388
00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:48.559
It still works. I tried it earlier. We have a

389
00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:53.279
chance to end this. What do you mean we, I

390
00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:56.440
asked him. No one in town will do anything about

391
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:00.400
Oopsie Poopsie. I was hoping you, being an outsider, help

392
00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:05.119
help me kill it. Sleepy Carl explained, with a spit

393
00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:08.640
of tobacco. Why are you the one in town that

394
00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:10.839
wants to do something about it. And how did you

395
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:14.119
know saying his name three times would make him spurt

396
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:18.480
a shit fond up its back, I asked him. A

397
00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:22.559
door opened on the second floor Foreman's office and outstepped

398
00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:28.039
a Dinah. Because he is Oopsie Poopsy's father, she dropped

399
00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:33.079
the bombshell on me. And you've met his mother, Sleepy

400
00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:37.559
Carl said, pointing at her with a sigh. Wait. I

401
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:41.039
thought you too were brother and sister, I asked, confused,

402
00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:46.000
we are, they both said at the same time. That

403
00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:51.480
explained a lot. I thought. Let me finish my story,

404
00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:56.880
Sleepy Carl said. You see, with his love hanging there,

405
00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:00.319
with the screaming, angry faced pile of hate swinging from

406
00:28:00.359 --> 00:28:04.319
her like the pendulum on a grandfather clock, I realized

407
00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:07.400
that the child wasn't right. It looked up at me

408
00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:09.519
with one good eye and gave me a look of

409
00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:14.599
pure brutality. How can something so new to the world

410
00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:18.920
hate so much? Then it gave me an evil smile

411
00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:22.359
and began to pull itself up on the umbellical cord,

412
00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:26.640
one hand over the other. He droned on as he

413
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.440
relived the moment. I couldn't tell if it was coming

414
00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:37.279
for me or to unburth itself an abortion. I asked,

415
00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:41.200
tell him what you did next, A Dinah said, As

416
00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:45.000
Oopsi Poopsy entered the doorway behind her, she reached out

417
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:47.880
her hand and gave him a loving pet, running her

418
00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:54.319
hand through his sparse hair. I let go, Sleepy Carl said, absently.

419
00:28:55.160 --> 00:28:58.640
Oopsy Poopsy made the sound of an airplane going down

420
00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:03.799
and crashing. That's right, sweet child, A Dinah said, with

421
00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:08.240
a sad smile. Then she faced me. I fell down

422
00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:12.240
that ledge, landing on my baby. I heard him grow silent,

423
00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:15.039
and in that moment, I knew it was wrong for

424
00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.440
me to wish for my baby's death. I prayed that night,

425
00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:21.279
prayed to anything that would listen to save my baby,

426
00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:27.319
to allow him to grow up. A Dinah explained, something

427
00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:32.119
answered her. Sleepy Carl took over the story, something dark

428
00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:36.640
and primordial. I couldn't make it down there in the

429
00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.160
ravine with her. These old woods are full of evil shit,

430
00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:42.839
just trying to fuck with you. I didn't hear the

431
00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:45.480
deal they made. By the time I made my way

432
00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:48.680
down to her, she was clutching Oopsie in her hands,

433
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:53.680
crying as he took shallow breaths. Then he cried that

434
00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:57.759
whil we heard earlier the wail of the hungry I

435
00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:03.039
call it to feed him. That's what brought me out

436
00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:07.480
here tonight. A dinah said, I heard my hungry child's scream.

437
00:30:08.359 --> 00:30:11.319
She unbuttoned her shirt and pulled one of her breasts out.

438
00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:14.960
Chunks of flesh were missing, and healed over, giving it

439
00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:18.559
the look of a breast shaped lumpy mashed potatoes with

440
00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:24.240
a chewed bubblegum nipple. Those are some tattered titters, Sleepy

441
00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:28.359
Carl said. Oopsie Poopsy ducked down and latched on with

442
00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:31.400
his one big tooth. A Dinah let out a sign

443
00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:37.039
that seemed forty percent pain and sixty percent ecstasy. It

444
00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:39.359
was about this time I got a bit creeped out,

445
00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:44.200
if I'm honest, but that boy ain't right. It's an abomination,

446
00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:48.480
Sleepy Carl said, looking around for something before grabbing a

447
00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:53.880
broken board. He should have died, then, How can you

448
00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:56.799
say that about the product of our love? A dinah

449
00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:59.279
yelled over the top of the large head of her

450
00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:04.000
baby boy. What love? We boned in the hay behind

451
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:08.079
old Man Thompson's barn after stealing mom's peach snops. She

452
00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:10.319
hid it under the porch when Pau took her back.

453
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:13.480
I could barely stand up, let alone know who the

454
00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:17.599
fuck I was fucking, Sleepy Carl said, heading towards her.

455
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:21.640
You know there was something between us, A Dinah yelled out,

456
00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:25.319
Oopsie poopsy let go of his mother's breast and began

457
00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:28.400
to cry as blood and milk ran down the front

458
00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:33.359
of her Mommy and daddy. No fight by goo, the

459
00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:37.519
monstrosity called out. It threw its hands down in frustration

460
00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:40.680
before plopping itself down on the floor at the bottom

461
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:44.200
of the stairs, blocking us from his mother, who was

462
00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:49.119
tucking herself back in and buttoning up. Please, EDNA help

463
00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:51.640
me make this shit right. You know this isn't a

464
00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:54.839
normal kid. It's like a baby balloon filled with hatred

465
00:31:54.920 --> 00:32:01.680
and shit, Sleepy Carl pleaded. But he is. Look at him,

466
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:04.720
A Dinah said, with an adoring look on her face.

467
00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:08.359
He looks like someone smacked him with a towel while

468
00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:11.839
dropping the ugly tree on his face. He's murdered before.

469
00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:15.079
You know that. I can't have that on my conscience

470
00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:17.799
When I die and face old Pete up there at

471
00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:20.160
the gates, I don't want him, saying I fathered a

472
00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:23.839
child murderer and let him run free. Sleepy Carl was

473
00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:29.880
all fired up. Now does he kill other children? I asked, what?

474
00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:30.359
No?

475
00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:36.160
Just outsiders? Really a Dinah answered, confused by my question.

476
00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:39.720
I was beginning to see that no matter which way

477
00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:43.279
the DNA fell, oopsie POOPSI had no chance to be

478
00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:49.319
a rocket scientist. Ah, child, that is a murderer, I

479
00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:53.720
said out loud. Now understanding, maybe I shouldn't look up

480
00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:57.640
any careers at NASA either. It's time to end this,

481
00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:02.920
Sleepy Carl said, and charged awful infused offspring. He swung

482
00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:05.599
that board and bounced it off the moon sized forehead

483
00:33:05.599 --> 00:33:09.680
of Oopsy with a crack. The kid fell back into

484
00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.960
his mother's legs as she stood there in shot. It

485
00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:16.319
took only a few seconds for Oopsy to recover and

486
00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:22.279
begin to cry. What do men? It called out, and

487
00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:25.799
got to its feet. He grabbed Sleepy Carl and shook

488
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:28.799
him hard, before pulling on his arm like a rag doll.

489
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:31.799
I looked around for something to help him with and

490
00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:35.000
saw the baby blue of the rattle sitting by the door.

491
00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:38.599
I ran over and grabbed it, the motion making a

492
00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:43.480
noise worthy of its namesake, oopsy POOPSI turned to face me.

493
00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:47.480
With a quick yank, he dislocated Sleepy Carl's arm and

494
00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:50.960
dropped him to the floor. He had found a new toy.

495
00:33:51.079 --> 00:33:54.720
He wanted to play with wine, he said in his

496
00:33:55.480 --> 00:34:00.279
baby voice. But sternly, come and get it, I said, said,

497
00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:02.799
raising it like I was looking to hit a home run.

498
00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:07.599
He hobbled towards me, feet slapping the floor as he

499
00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:11.760
thundered nearer. I was waiting for my moment to strike,

500
00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:15.039
and swung with all my might at his neck. I

501
00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:18.400
figured that was his weak spot, since he had such

502
00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:24.480
a giant head. Crack yep, that stopped him, I thought,

503
00:34:24.840 --> 00:34:27.960
As the six foot obsentity crumpled to the floor, I

504
00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:30.840
cheered out loud before heading over to Sleepy Carl to

505
00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:35.159
see if he was okay. My baby a Dinah called

506
00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:37.719
out and ran towards me with her arms out to

507
00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:41.199
choke me, but a second swing of the bat dropped

508
00:34:41.239 --> 00:34:47.280
her too. I was not fucking around anymore. Carl, you okay,

509
00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:50.679
I asked, as I bent down next to him. He

510
00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:57.199
was whimpering in pain. Sleepy Carl, he whispered, seriously, you're

511
00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:00.239
gonna correct me, I asked, as I tried to help

512
00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:03.599
him to his feet without pulling on his bad arm.

513
00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:08.599
How bad is it? I think you dislocated it. You're

514
00:35:08.639 --> 00:35:13.559
gonna have to reset it, Sleepy Carl said, bad toy,

515
00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:17.320
came Oopsy's voice from the floor. As it stirred. It

516
00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:19.920
looked down at a dinah laying on the floor, bleeding

517
00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:23.000
from where I cracked her with its rattle. Oh shit,

518
00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:26.639
did I kill her? I didn't mean to. Did I

519
00:35:27.719 --> 00:35:32.039
hurt mommy? It said, through drooling lips. As it got

520
00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:37.159
to its unsteady feet, the large bobble head swung around precariously.

521
00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:40.559
I wonder if I broke its neck. I raised the

522
00:35:40.639 --> 00:35:43.880
rattle and got between Sleepy Carl and his putrid progeny.

523
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.079
It took an ungainly step towards me. I gripped the

524
00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:51.199
handle tight, waiting for it to strike. It looked down

525
00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:56.079
at its mama. Sadness crossed its features. First it nudged

526
00:35:56.079 --> 00:36:00.320
her with its foot, then it kicked her. Mommy, hop

527
00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:06.159
it said, you leave her alone, yelled Sleepy Carl. One

528
00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:09.360
eye looked up at us, then returned to the motionless Adnah,

529
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:15.719
mommy up, it said again, and kicked her hard. She

530
00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:18.559
slid a foot or so on the age worn wooden floor.

531
00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:23.440
Now knock that off, Sleepy Carl said, stepping around me.

532
00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:28.199
Oopsy snarled and came after us. I panicked and swung

533
00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:31.559
the rattle. I missed Oopsy by a mile, but I

534
00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:35.960
did connect. Sleepy Carl went down with a scream. As

535
00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:39.480
I made contact with his shoulder. He crumpled into a

536
00:36:39.559 --> 00:36:44.400
muling pile next to a Dinah. Shit, sorry, sleepy Carl,

537
00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:47.559
I said, and took a step back from Oopsy as

538
00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:50.639
it looked at his parents lying on the floor. I

539
00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:53.360
backed against the saw I was running out of space

540
00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:56.960
to move. In desperation, I climbed up onto the platform.

541
00:36:57.239 --> 00:37:00.079
He followed me up, grabbing at me. I managed to

542
00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:02.360
keep him at bay. As I worked my way backwards,

543
00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:05.480
I knew that giant saw blade was somewhere behind me.

544
00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:08.920
I saw a sleepy Carl stir and make it to

545
00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:12.960
his feet. He rubbed his shoulder. Son of a bitch,

546
00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:17.079
you knocked it back into place, he said, with a smile.

547
00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:20.360
I used the distraction to whack the watermelon head of

548
00:37:20.400 --> 00:37:24.360
our adversary. He fell to one knee. I cracked him

549
00:37:24.360 --> 00:37:26.639
again and jumped over the log, lined up for the

550
00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:31.480
saw to get some distance. The teetering, perpetual toddler tried

551
00:37:31.480 --> 00:37:34.719
to follow me, and I watched as Sleepy Carl knifed

552
00:37:34.719 --> 00:37:38.119
his son just under the ribs. I checked my pocket.

553
00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:41.400
That cheeky bastard had stolen the knife I had stolen

554
00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:45.400
from the desk. How dare he? The baby tried to

555
00:37:45.440 --> 00:37:48.519
turn on its attacker and lost his balance, falling onto

556
00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:51.599
the log. I gave him a quick crack to the face.

557
00:37:52.280 --> 00:37:55.400
Blood and snot shot out of his now flattened nose,

558
00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:59.880
and he fell limp, his arms dangling on either side

559
00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:07.519
the log. Look said Sleepy Carl. Baby on board. He

560
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:10.880
looked at me so damn serious. I cracked right up.

561
00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:14.199
I shook my head, trying to stop laughing and pay

562
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:17.920
attention to the task at hand. You know what we

563
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:21.320
have to do, right, I asked him. He nodded and

564
00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:25.199
pointed to the control panel. I'll get the rope, he said.

565
00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:28.320
I kept an eye on our sleepy little guy until

566
00:38:28.320 --> 00:38:31.320
he came back and helped me tie Oopsie Poopsie onto

567
00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:34.719
that log. Once we were sure he wasn't going anywhere,

568
00:38:34.760 --> 00:38:37.800
I slapped my palm against the green switch and the

569
00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:41.559
machinery jumped to life. The giant blade started to spin.

570
00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:44.280
I yanked on the lever next to the console, and

571
00:38:44.360 --> 00:38:48.480
the log lurched into motion, slowly making its way towards

572
00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:51.880
the saw. Soon, the teeth of the blade bit into

573
00:38:51.880 --> 00:38:56.000
the old wood and sawdust began to fly. Sleepy Carl

574
00:38:56.159 --> 00:38:59.840
towered over his son, watching him intensely as I stood

575
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:02.920
the lever. It was a good thing I did, because

576
00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:05.960
I saw the motion he would have missed. I called

577
00:39:05.960 --> 00:39:08.400
out to Sleepy Carl and warned him as a Dinah

578
00:39:08.480 --> 00:39:10.519
tackled him and they went over the other side of

579
00:39:10.559 --> 00:39:14.079
the machine. He carried their momentum and rolled on top

580
00:39:14.119 --> 00:39:17.079
of her, trying to hold her hands down, but she

581
00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:21.760
overwhelmed him. I looked at Oopsy Poopsy. There was only

582
00:39:21.800 --> 00:39:24.079
a foot of wood to go now before its giant

583
00:39:24.079 --> 00:39:28.679
bulba's head. Leave my baby alone, a Dinah called out

584
00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:30.960
as she landed a hell of a punch into Sleepy

585
00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.880
Carl's face. You may be my baby's father, but you're

586
00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:37.639
still my little brother, and I can still kick your ass,

587
00:39:38.280 --> 00:39:41.880
she yelled with another swing. I watched as he struggled

588
00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:44.400
to get out of her way. He fended her off

589
00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:47.679
the best he could, afraid to strike back. I had

590
00:39:47.679 --> 00:39:50.760
no reservations, though, and I clocked her with the rattle.

591
00:39:51.239 --> 00:39:54.280
She took an unsteady step back and slipped on the

592
00:39:54.360 --> 00:39:59.719
uneven moving log and landed right across Oopsy Poopsy, only

593
00:39:59.719 --> 00:40:03.840
an to go. Suddenly, the kid woke up and began

594
00:40:03.920 --> 00:40:06.599
to thrash around until his eyes fell on his mama

595
00:40:06.679 --> 00:40:09.599
laying on him. He gathered her up in his arms

596
00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:15.639
and squeezed my boy. She cried as the tears started

597
00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:19.159
to run down her face. Soon it wasn't just tears,

598
00:40:19.880 --> 00:40:23.280
but the blood of her unnatural offspring. As the blade

599
00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:27.239
sliced into the large skull, shaking its splitting head like

600
00:40:27.280 --> 00:40:30.800
Michael J. Fox. As the blood coated everything in a

601
00:40:30.840 --> 00:40:33.920
five foot radius, I noticed neither mother or son was

602
00:40:33.960 --> 00:40:37.000
moving anymore. I walked over to the switch and hit

603
00:40:37.039 --> 00:40:39.480
the big red button just as the blade was working

604
00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:44.800
its way through Oopsy's chest and his mother's ribs. Holy shit,

605
00:40:45.400 --> 00:40:50.280
Sleepy Carl said, Holy shit. I agreed as I walked

606
00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:52.559
close to the scene of the carnage, looking for any

607
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:58.559
sign of life from either body. Oopsy Poopsy, Oopsy Poopsy,

608
00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:03.800
Oopsy Poopy I said, and looked at the corpse expectantly.

609
00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:07.639
A few seconds passed and I started to get disappointed.

610
00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:30.880
Then hah, I said. The stop sign Man by Bryce

611
00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:37.800
Gibson one for guys that grow up around this part

612
00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:42.039
of South Carolina. Stealing stop signs is a rite of passage,

613
00:41:42.840 --> 00:41:45.960
all for the sake of an old urban legend. It

614
00:41:46.039 --> 00:41:49.079
is something some of us do on our seventeenth birthday.

615
00:41:50.039 --> 00:41:52.559
If you choose to do it, there are three rules

616
00:41:52.599 --> 00:41:59.480
to follow. One do it alone. Two, don't tell a

617
00:41:59.639 --> 00:42:04.320
soul about what you see. And three, the most important

618
00:42:04.400 --> 00:42:08.559
rule of them all, never get caught. If you do,

619
00:42:09.559 --> 00:42:13.480
the stop sign Man will make your life a living hell.

620
00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:20.480
I Stratton Duke failed at number three, and the folklore

621
00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:28.400
is right, My life sucks. Two. Most everybody around here

622
00:42:28.440 --> 00:42:31.880
has heard the legend at some time or another. If

623
00:42:31.920 --> 00:42:35.280
you haven't, you're either too young or you've been living

624
00:42:35.360 --> 00:42:40.199
under a rock. It goes something like this. On the

625
00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:44.840
night of your seventeenth birthday, steal a county stop sign,

626
00:42:45.480 --> 00:42:48.599
take it out to the old Williamson Barn, and you

627
00:42:48.599 --> 00:42:53.400
will see him for yourself. The first time I ever

628
00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:56.280
heard the story, I was seven years old. I was

629
00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:58.920
sitting with Dad at the barber shop on Main Street.

630
00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:01.559
It was midafternoon and I had just gotten out of

631
00:43:01.599 --> 00:43:05.000
school for the day. Halloween was right around the corner.

632
00:43:05.599 --> 00:43:09.199
Mister Perry, the barber, had the shop decorated with paper

633
00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:13.639
jack o' lanterns, green faced witches, and spooky black cats.

634
00:43:14.280 --> 00:43:16.880
After telling Dad that he'd heard a stop sign had

635
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:20.079
been stolen the night before, the two of them discussed

636
00:43:20.079 --> 00:43:22.639
the fact that it had been so and so's birthday.

637
00:43:23.880 --> 00:43:26.360
None of it made sense to me at the time.

638
00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:30.679
Then mister Perry looked at me and asked, do you

639
00:43:30.840 --> 00:43:32.400
know about the stop sign?

640
00:43:32.519 --> 00:43:32.760
Man?

641
00:43:34.079 --> 00:43:39.559
I told him I had no idea. Well, the barber continued,

642
00:43:40.599 --> 00:43:44.880
he has eyes shaped like octagons. They glow red and

643
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.559
twirl around and around. After we got home and I

644
00:43:49.639 --> 00:43:51.800
was lying in bed with the blanket pulled up to

645
00:43:51.840 --> 00:43:55.119
my chin, I asked Dad if mister Perry was just

646
00:43:55.320 --> 00:43:58.719
saying those things to scare me with it being Halloween.

647
00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:03.280
I figured it was possible. It's just an urban legend,

648
00:44:03.719 --> 00:44:07.519
Dad said, a ghost story. It's something that gets passed

649
00:44:07.519 --> 00:44:11.920
down and told again and again. After that day, the

650
00:44:12.039 --> 00:44:15.800
legend was ingrained deep in my mind, even though I

651
00:44:15.800 --> 00:44:19.679
didn't know many details. I thought about it often, and

652
00:44:19.760 --> 00:44:23.559
it wasn't just me who fell under the spell. Soon

653
00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:27.159
I realized the other kids at school knew about it too.

654
00:44:27.360 --> 00:44:30.800
Sometimes at recess we'd play a game we called stop

655
00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:34.280
the stop Sign Man. One of us would be him

656
00:44:34.800 --> 00:44:38.239
and the others would be his adversaries. We played the

657
00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:41.159
game on the wobbly roundabout, from which we tried to

658
00:44:41.239 --> 00:44:44.880
fling the stop sign man off of Octagons play a

659
00:44:44.920 --> 00:44:48.719
big part in the weird mythology, from the signs themselves

660
00:44:48.800 --> 00:44:52.599
to the strange locale. Over the years, I'd seen the

661
00:44:52.639 --> 00:44:57.360
Williamson Barn many times in passing. I always knew something

662
00:44:57.519 --> 00:45:01.000
was a little off kilter about the construction, but I

663
00:45:01.079 --> 00:45:05.719
couldn't pinpoint what the building stands on a stretch of

664
00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:09.360
overgrown land next to a cow pasture and dense woods.

665
00:45:10.280 --> 00:45:13.000
Not long after learning about the stop Sign Man, I

666
00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:18.519
realized the truth. The barn has eight sides of equal

667
00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:23.960
length an octagon. Needless to say, with the knowledge of

668
00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:27.920
the story, I was terrified to go anywhere near that place.

669
00:45:29.400 --> 00:45:34.559
Three boy, how things change. Between the ages of seven

670
00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:38.679
and sixteen, I became a completely different person. My body

671
00:45:38.719 --> 00:45:42.159
grew in ways I never imagined. Over those years, I

672
00:45:42.239 --> 00:45:46.159
shot up like a weed. Now I'm nearly six feet tall.

673
00:45:46.679 --> 00:45:49.639
I don't fit in with any particular group at school.

674
00:45:50.239 --> 00:45:52.480
That's not to say I don't have friends. I do,

675
00:45:53.119 --> 00:45:55.559
but for the most part I linger on the outside

676
00:45:56.000 --> 00:46:00.280
looking in. Ten years ago, nobody would have been able

677
00:46:00.280 --> 00:46:03.440
to drag my skinny ass anywhere near the Williamson Barn.

678
00:46:04.159 --> 00:46:07.760
And now I'm sitting here offering myself up like it's

679
00:46:07.800 --> 00:46:12.440
the great sacrifice that will save all of humanity. And

680
00:46:12.559 --> 00:46:17.599
really it's about a girl. Her name is Alison Weaving,

681
00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:20.599
new to our part of Crow County at the beginning

682
00:46:20.599 --> 00:46:23.480
of senior year. From the moment I saw her, with

683
00:46:23.559 --> 00:46:27.880
her long blonde hair and perfect body, she was everything

684
00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:31.280
I wanted to put it simply, I would have done

685
00:46:31.559 --> 00:46:35.639
almost anything to have a chance with her. Unfortunately, what

686
00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:38.639
Alison wanted was far removed from the likes of me.

687
00:46:39.639 --> 00:46:43.880
Right off the bat, she became besties with Becca Mansfield. Becca,

688
00:46:44.440 --> 00:46:47.519
a literal beauty queen, liked to hang out with a

689
00:46:47.559 --> 00:46:50.639
slightly rougher crowd than the atmosphere me and my friend

690
00:46:50.679 --> 00:46:54.920
Greg Collins could provide. The group was led by Mark

691
00:46:55.000 --> 00:46:59.119
Taylor every day after school Mark and his gang liked

692
00:46:59.159 --> 00:47:02.360
to congregate behind the Big Courthouse on the town square.

693
00:47:03.159 --> 00:47:07.480
There they smoked stolen cigarettes, drew half asked graffiti on

694
00:47:07.559 --> 00:47:11.000
trash cans, and dared each other to do stupid shit

695
00:47:11.199 --> 00:47:15.480
like flipping mid air from a picnic table. One Friday

696
00:47:15.559 --> 00:47:18.400
night in early fall, I dragged Greg to a party

697
00:47:18.400 --> 00:47:21.679
at Mark's house because I knew Alison would be there.

698
00:47:22.559 --> 00:47:25.440
Mark's parents were out of town and the place was slammed.

699
00:47:25.960 --> 00:47:28.960
Greg and I pushed our way through the crowd. We

700
00:47:29.079 --> 00:47:32.599
found Alison and Becca sitting on the countertop in the kitchen.

701
00:47:33.199 --> 00:47:35.679
They were watching Mark and his friends do the latest

702
00:47:35.760 --> 00:47:39.360
viral challenge, placing a penny on the prongs of a

703
00:47:39.400 --> 00:47:43.800
halfway plugged in phone charger. As sparks flew, I couldn't

704
00:47:43.840 --> 00:47:47.320
help but to notice how both Alison and Becca laughed

705
00:47:47.320 --> 00:47:51.440
at what they were witnessing. At that moment, one thing

706
00:47:51.559 --> 00:47:56.440
became glaringly clear to me. For Alison Weaving to notice me,

707
00:47:57.559 --> 00:47:59.800
I needed more of an edge.

708
00:48:00.480 --> 00:48:00.760
Four.

709
00:48:02.519 --> 00:48:05.920
I'm gonna do it, I say, Thursday night, It's on

710
00:48:06.960 --> 00:48:10.880
my seventeenth birthday, is only three days away. According to

711
00:48:10.920 --> 00:48:14.360
the legend, you only get one shot if I don't

712
00:48:14.400 --> 00:48:18.199
do it. I might regret it later, I add. Greg

713
00:48:18.239 --> 00:48:20.159
and I are sitting in one of the study rooms

714
00:48:20.199 --> 00:48:22.679
at the library, which is located in a flat brick

715
00:48:22.719 --> 00:48:26.079
building on the square. He's on one side of the

716
00:48:26.119 --> 00:48:30.280
wide wooden table and me on the other. Greg throws

717
00:48:30.320 --> 00:48:33.079
a pencil and it hits me upside the head. You

718
00:48:33.159 --> 00:48:35.519
could have put my eye out. I yell out and

719
00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:39.039
retrieve the yellow number two from the floor, promptly flinging

720
00:48:39.079 --> 00:48:42.599
it back in his direction. Greg ducks out of the way.

721
00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:45.880
The pencil bounces off the cinder block wall behind him

722
00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:49.719
and rolls underneath the radiator heater. Greg sits up straight

723
00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:53.079
and stares at me. The stop sign, man is just

724
00:48:53.119 --> 00:48:57.519
a lame ghost story. You know that, He says. You

725
00:48:57.679 --> 00:49:01.440
need to grow up, man, pack up our belongings and

726
00:49:01.519 --> 00:49:04.880
walk outside. Greg reaches into the front pocket of his

727
00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:07.519
book bag and pulls out a pack of cigarettes he'd

728
00:49:07.559 --> 00:49:11.119
lifted from his older brother. Without asking, He hands one

729
00:49:11.159 --> 00:49:14.159
to me. I just don't want you to get in trouble,

730
00:49:14.559 --> 00:49:18.039
he says. Chip Wagner is the most recent guy we

731
00:49:18.119 --> 00:49:21.920
know of to perform the ritual, and that was ten

732
00:49:22.039 --> 00:49:26.440
years ago. Chip was caught and charged with theft. With

733
00:49:26.599 --> 00:49:28.960
the common knowledge of the legend, it didn't take a

734
00:49:29.079 --> 00:49:32.400
rocket scientist to figure out who to bring in for questioning.

735
00:49:32.880 --> 00:49:37.039
After all, it was Chip's birthday. I placed the cigarette

736
00:49:37.079 --> 00:49:40.719
between my lips, light the tip with Greg's lighter, and inhale.

737
00:49:41.639 --> 00:49:44.320
The smoke makes me cough, and Greg laughs at my

738
00:49:44.880 --> 00:49:49.519
lack of experience. Besides, if you're that desperate for some action,

739
00:49:50.039 --> 00:49:53.480
I'm sure Roxy is ready and willing. Just take your

740
00:49:53.519 --> 00:49:56.559
ass over to the filling station. By the time we

741
00:49:56.559 --> 00:49:59.320
were young teenagers, we'd already heard the rest of the

742
00:49:59.360 --> 00:50:03.320
stop sign man folklore. After entering the barn with a

743
00:50:03.400 --> 00:50:07.960
sign as an offering, a woman appears. People say, she

744
00:50:08.119 --> 00:50:13.800
takes your innocence, she makes you a man. They say, no,

745
00:50:13.800 --> 00:50:17.719
one really knows what that means. Though obviously, with what

746
00:50:17.760 --> 00:50:21.199
Greg is suggesting to me now, his takeaway leans more

747
00:50:21.239 --> 00:50:26.079
towards something of a sexual nature. The girl he's talking about,

748
00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:28.960
Roxy is someone who grew up in the boggy land

749
00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:32.400
on the other side of the railroad tracks, swamp rats

750
00:50:32.440 --> 00:50:36.079
we call them. I glance across the square. The filling

751
00:50:36.119 --> 00:50:40.280
station is visible from here, and I see her. She's

752
00:50:40.320 --> 00:50:43.320
sitting on an old wooden church pew that's pushed up

753
00:50:43.360 --> 00:50:47.480
against the side of the store, I groan in disgust.

754
00:50:47.880 --> 00:50:50.039
I'm sure she is, but I don't want to catch

755
00:50:50.079 --> 00:50:56.079
some kind of disease. Later that night, after having birthday

756
00:50:56.119 --> 00:50:58.320
dinner with my dad, I drive all the way out

757
00:50:58.360 --> 00:51:02.360
to Layman Road to where an intersection sits deep in

758
00:51:02.440 --> 00:51:06.440
a long stretch of pines. Over the past few days,

759
00:51:06.480 --> 00:51:10.320
I've been scoping things out and making a plan. Anybody

760
00:51:10.360 --> 00:51:13.559
who does this has to choose his own sign, and

761
00:51:13.599 --> 00:51:16.400
the one I've picked has a spray painted X on

762
00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:20.039
the back. With a wrench from the toolbox on the

763
00:51:20.079 --> 00:51:22.639
back of my truck, I remove the sign from the

764
00:51:22.639 --> 00:51:26.119
metal post. After I have the sign taken down, I

765
00:51:26.199 --> 00:51:29.199
place it flat on the bottom of my truck bed.

766
00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:32.519
I drive out to the Williamson Land and pull off

767
00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:36.519
the road, parking in a secluded, unused red dirt driveway

768
00:51:37.039 --> 00:51:40.800
located on the far side of the barn. Admittedly, the

769
00:51:40.840 --> 00:51:43.599
exterior of the barn is creepy as all get out,

770
00:51:43.960 --> 00:51:47.719
even at seventeen years old. Briefly, I'm taken back to

771
00:51:47.800 --> 00:51:50.920
several years earlier, when I thought the stop sign man

772
00:51:51.039 --> 00:51:54.760
might be real. Just as quick as those stories begin

773
00:51:54.840 --> 00:51:57.519
to resurface in the back of my mind. I push

774
00:51:57.559 --> 00:52:02.159
all the nonsense away and focus on the present. Here's

775
00:52:02.199 --> 00:52:05.599
the kicker about all of this. Tonight, I'm going to

776
00:52:05.679 --> 00:52:08.840
one up Mark Taylor. My visit to the stop sign

777
00:52:08.960 --> 00:52:12.159
man is going to be recorded. If the girl's got

778
00:52:12.159 --> 00:52:15.159
a kick out of Mark's penny trick, Allison is going

779
00:52:15.199 --> 00:52:18.960
to flip the f out when she sees this. With

780
00:52:19.039 --> 00:52:21.679
the stop sign held under one arm and my phone

781
00:52:21.719 --> 00:52:25.880
in the other hand, I walk toward my destination For

782
00:52:26.039 --> 00:52:29.079
dramatic effect, I hold the phone at a low angle,

783
00:52:29.360 --> 00:52:34.039
recording the tall weeds that slap and brush against my jeans.

784
00:52:34.679 --> 00:52:37.760
Once there, I lift the wooden latch and push the

785
00:52:37.800 --> 00:52:41.159
door open with the toe of my boot. The rusty

786
00:52:41.280 --> 00:52:46.480
hinges creak in the still dark night. The door makes

787
00:52:46.519 --> 00:52:53.159
a soft slap against the interior wall. Finally I step inside.

788
00:52:53.480 --> 00:52:57.320
Narrow slants of moonlight come through the gaps between the boards.

789
00:52:56.920 --> 00:52:57.480
Of the wall.

790
00:52:59.079 --> 00:53:02.159
The smell of old old straw hangs heavy in the air.

791
00:53:03.320 --> 00:53:06.639
Not knowing what else to do, what step I'm supposed

792
00:53:06.639 --> 00:53:09.760
to take next? I toss the sign onto a loose

793
00:53:09.800 --> 00:53:16.639
scattering of hay, and nothing happens. I'm about to leave

794
00:53:16.719 --> 00:53:18.679
when the wall on the far side of the barn

795
00:53:18.760 --> 00:53:22.679
begins to shake, like a set of shutters in a thunderstorm.

796
00:53:22.840 --> 00:53:26.519
As the boards clatter, a shower of thick dust falls

797
00:53:26.519 --> 00:53:30.719
from the rafters, making me cough and sneeze. Finally, the

798
00:53:30.760 --> 00:53:34.320
wall literally folds in on itself, and I'm able to

799
00:53:34.360 --> 00:53:39.599
see what is on the other side, a wet, boggy swamp.

800
00:53:40.639 --> 00:53:44.199
This can't be real. I think this has to be

801
00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:48.679
a prank. Greg, I call out, I don't know how

802
00:53:48.719 --> 00:53:51.280
you're doing this, but you need to cut it out.

803
00:53:52.280 --> 00:53:55.280
I imagine him around the corner or high above in

804
00:53:55.320 --> 00:54:01.360
the hayloft, looking down on me, watching and laughing. Movement

805
00:54:01.400 --> 00:54:06.239
within the wetland catches my attention and I look. A

806
00:54:06.360 --> 00:54:09.480
girl is standing on the end of a moss covered

807
00:54:09.519 --> 00:54:14.079
wooden dock. She's wearing a white tank top that's way

808
00:54:14.119 --> 00:54:16.920
too small and a pair of jean shorts that fit

809
00:54:17.079 --> 00:54:22.920
tight over her thighs. Roxy A moment later, I'm standing

810
00:54:22.960 --> 00:54:25.119
on the dock in front of her. I have no

811
00:54:25.280 --> 00:54:28.320
idea how I got here. I look down and see

812
00:54:28.360 --> 00:54:30.960
the bottom half of my jeans are covered in thick,

813
00:54:31.559 --> 00:54:36.360
dark colored muck. Obviously, I walked through the water, but

814
00:54:36.440 --> 00:54:39.239
I don't remember any of it. I wonder if I'm

815
00:54:39.239 --> 00:54:45.599
hallucinating Greg. I call out again, enough is enough, Joke's over.

816
00:54:46.920 --> 00:54:52.719
Roxy speaks. There's nobody here but us. Her voice is

817
00:54:52.840 --> 00:54:57.840
soft and strangely seductive. At first, I think she's talking

818
00:54:57.880 --> 00:55:00.840
about me and her, but the then I notice her

819
00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:05.280
eyes look over my shoulder. I turn to look. A

820
00:55:05.360 --> 00:55:08.800
shadowy figure is standing in the barn. I can't make

821
00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:12.079
out any particular features, but I can tell it's a

822
00:55:12.119 --> 00:55:16.159
guy with a body built like an athlete. The tips

823
00:55:16.159 --> 00:55:20.079
of Roxy's fingers brush against my neck. The length of

824
00:55:20.119 --> 00:55:24.480
her nails causes my skin to crawl for some reason.

825
00:55:24.719 --> 00:55:28.639
When I turn back around, I'm looking at her exposed midriff,

826
00:55:29.519 --> 00:55:35.159
a cubic zarconia, belly button piercing catches a sparkle of light. Logically,

827
00:55:35.239 --> 00:55:39.639
I know I should run far, far away. But there's

828
00:55:39.679 --> 00:55:44.400
something else deep inside of myself, a pull that makes

829
00:55:44.440 --> 00:55:49.000
me stay. It draws my body closer to hers. She

830
00:55:49.159 --> 00:55:56.599
slides her fingertips against my lips. It is done, she says,

831
00:55:58.079 --> 00:56:03.960
you are a man. Five. I wake up the next morning,

832
00:56:04.039 --> 00:56:06.480
still wearing the clothes I had on the night before

833
00:56:07.800 --> 00:56:10.599
the inside of my mouth feels like I've been chewing

834
00:56:10.639 --> 00:56:14.320
on a sheet of coarse sandpaper. My head pounds, and

835
00:56:14.360 --> 00:56:17.599
when I sit up, I feel dizzy. Sitting on the

836
00:56:17.719 --> 00:56:19.519
edge of the bed, it takes me a moment to

837
00:56:19.559 --> 00:56:23.039
gain my composure. I stumble into the bathroom to take

838
00:56:23.079 --> 00:56:26.559
a leak and brush my nasty ass teeth. That's when

839
00:56:26.599 --> 00:56:31.119
I noticed the crumbly, crusty MUDs smeared across my shirt

840
00:56:31.519 --> 00:56:36.320
and jeans. Dry leaves are stuck in my messy hair.

841
00:56:37.159 --> 00:56:41.519
I look like crap. My eyes are bloodshot below them

842
00:56:42.039 --> 00:56:46.320
dark bags. My skin has a washed out, sallow look.

843
00:56:47.280 --> 00:56:49.519
To someone else, I might look like I've been on

844
00:56:49.599 --> 00:56:53.480
an all night bender. After looking for my phone, which

845
00:56:53.519 --> 00:56:56.519
is nowhere to be found, I change clothes and then

846
00:56:56.639 --> 00:56:59.920
go into the kitchen for a glass of water. Dads, Sit.

847
00:57:00.400 --> 00:57:04.559
Rita is here. Aunt Rita lives next door and comes

848
00:57:04.599 --> 00:57:07.920
and goes as she pleases. Currently, she's sitting at the

849
00:57:07.960 --> 00:57:12.199
kitchen table talking on her phone. She acknowledges me with

850
00:57:12.239 --> 00:57:15.920
a brief smile. I pull a glass from the cabinet

851
00:57:15.960 --> 00:57:19.239
and fill it with tap water. This is just like

852
00:57:19.360 --> 00:57:23.199
nineteen ninety six all over again. Aunt Rita says to

853
00:57:23.239 --> 00:57:27.480
whomever it is she's talking to. I'm clueless to the reference,

854
00:57:27.559 --> 00:57:29.599
but I can tell by the sound of her voice

855
00:57:29.639 --> 00:57:33.440
that she's upset. Did you hear about that girl, aunt

856
00:57:33.519 --> 00:57:37.800
Rita asks. Now, her voice has a different tone the

857
00:57:37.840 --> 00:57:41.000
one in your class. It takes me a second to

858
00:57:41.079 --> 00:57:45.159
realize she's talking to me. I pinch my eyes in

859
00:57:45.280 --> 00:57:50.920
confusion and shake my head. Alison Weaving. She explains she

860
00:57:50.960 --> 00:57:56.039
had a crash last night. She died. My heart slams

861
00:57:56.079 --> 00:57:59.239
against my rib cage. The glass of water nearly slips

862
00:57:59.239 --> 00:58:02.719
from my grip, but instead I slam it onto the countertop.

863
00:58:03.639 --> 00:58:08.000
What do you mean another car t boned hers? They

864
00:58:08.039 --> 00:58:11.519
say she died on impact. I feel so terrible for

865
00:58:11.599 --> 00:58:14.639
that girl's parents. The loss they must be going through

866
00:58:14.679 --> 00:58:19.280
is impossible to fathom. This can't be happening. I think

867
00:58:20.440 --> 00:58:23.400
the room is twirling around me. I need to sit down,

868
00:58:24.360 --> 00:58:28.519
aunt Rita continues. They say the stop sign was gone.

869
00:58:29.360 --> 00:58:31.679
The driver of the other car didn't even know they

870
00:58:31.719 --> 00:58:36.440
should stop. What I'm hearing can't be true. It all

871
00:58:36.480 --> 00:58:40.159
makes me feel like I could puke. Finally, I fall

872
00:58:40.199 --> 00:58:43.679
into the seat of the chair opposite aunt Rita, where

873
00:58:44.960 --> 00:58:48.400
where did it happen? What road was it on? Her

874
00:58:48.440 --> 00:58:53.400
answer solidifies the thoughts churning through my head way out

875
00:58:53.400 --> 00:58:58.280
on Layman. Later that day, English class is interrupted by

876
00:58:58.280 --> 00:59:02.079
the secretary from the Principal's office. After tapping on the door,

877
00:59:02.159 --> 00:59:05.679
Missus Brown leans her head in and calls my name.

878
00:59:06.800 --> 00:59:09.679
I stand from my desk and feel the entire room

879
00:59:09.840 --> 00:59:14.719
watching me. Missus Brown escorts me down the hall. It's

880
00:59:14.760 --> 00:59:17.760
the middle of fourth period. All the other students are

881
00:59:17.760 --> 00:59:22.159
in class. It's just me and her. The heels of

882
00:59:22.199 --> 00:59:25.840
her shoes clomp on the tiles. The sound is loud

883
00:59:25.920 --> 00:59:30.719
and echoes in the long, narrow space. Missus Brown opens

884
00:59:30.760 --> 00:59:33.880
the door to the office and I notice right away

885
00:59:33.920 --> 00:59:37.360
that two uniform police officers are standing next to the

886
00:59:37.360 --> 00:59:42.000
principal's desk. And Dad is here too. I can tell

887
00:59:42.079 --> 00:59:46.840
he's pissed. Stratton Duke. One of the officers steps forward.

888
00:59:47.559 --> 00:59:50.400
There's something we'd like to talk to you about. You

889
00:59:50.559 --> 01:00:01.559
turned seventeen last night. Right six, I'm sitting in the

890
01:00:01.599 --> 01:00:05.159
back seat of the officer's car. The old Williamson Barn

891
01:00:05.280 --> 01:00:09.480
looks even creepier than it did the night before. Now,

892
01:00:09.840 --> 01:00:13.360
the mystical ambience of the setting is long gone. It

893
01:00:13.480 --> 01:00:18.079
seems real. It is real, I remind myself, and the

894
01:00:18.079 --> 01:00:22.079
reality of all this terrifies me. The repercussions of my

895
01:00:22.199 --> 01:00:26.920
actions are gut wrenching. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

896
01:00:27.480 --> 01:00:32.119
I say, it's just a silly urban legend. We get

897
01:00:32.119 --> 01:00:35.400
out of the car and I lead the officers inside.

898
01:00:35.639 --> 01:00:38.760
Dad follows us, but he remains quiet the whole time.

899
01:00:39.760 --> 01:00:43.719
He stands with his arms crossed, watching. And you say,

900
01:00:43.719 --> 01:00:47.119
you drop the sign, and that wall there. The officer

901
01:00:47.199 --> 01:00:51.079
nods across the space. You say it opened up. I

902
01:00:51.119 --> 01:00:53.480
can tell by the look on his face that he

903
01:00:53.519 --> 01:00:57.400
doesn't believe a word I've said. Look, I know it

904
01:00:57.480 --> 01:01:02.480
sounds crazy, but yeah, that's exactly what happened. And this girl,

905
01:01:02.679 --> 01:01:07.679
roxy you call her, she took your innocence. I notice

906
01:01:07.679 --> 01:01:12.760
a smirk on the second officer's face. Yes, I say,

907
01:01:12.840 --> 01:01:16.960
it's not anything raunchy, well, not like sex, or I

908
01:01:17.000 --> 01:01:20.360
don't think so. Anyway. Look, I'm not sure what happened,

909
01:01:20.719 --> 01:01:24.599
but I'm telling the truth. The second officer walks across

910
01:01:24.639 --> 01:01:27.920
and pulls open a wide door, revealing a second room.

911
01:01:29.159 --> 01:01:32.880
This one is full of stop signs from floor to ceiling.

912
01:01:33.000 --> 01:01:36.679
Is a menagerie of red octagons. Some of them are

913
01:01:36.800 --> 01:01:39.280
lying on the floor, while others are nailed to the

914
01:01:39.280 --> 01:01:43.320
walls and the support beams. With both doors open, wind

915
01:01:43.360 --> 01:01:47.159
barrels through the space. The hanging signs swing and clatter

916
01:01:47.280 --> 01:01:51.960
against each other. Look, kid, what you're telling us. All

917
01:01:52.000 --> 01:01:54.639
that mess about the stop sign man is nothing new.

918
01:01:55.199 --> 01:01:58.199
I've heard it all before. Don't forget. I grew up

919
01:01:58.199 --> 01:02:01.719
in these parts. I've heard the stories. Hell, when I

920
01:02:01.760 --> 01:02:03.719
was your age, I was tempted to do it myself.

921
01:02:04.559 --> 01:02:09.199
But the thing is I didn't. What we're dealing with

922
01:02:09.360 --> 01:02:13.000
now is something else altogether. The other man speaks up.

923
01:02:13.519 --> 01:02:17.440
A girl is dead because of what you did. I

924
01:02:17.519 --> 01:02:20.280
ride home in the back of the cop car after

925
01:02:20.320 --> 01:02:23.280
being issued a citation for theft. I stand on the

926
01:02:23.320 --> 01:02:25.960
porch and watch the cruiser pull out of the driveway.

927
01:02:26.880 --> 01:02:29.800
The horrifying truth of the matter hangs over my head.

928
01:02:30.880 --> 01:02:35.280
I could be charged with involuntary manslaughter. After telling me

929
01:02:35.360 --> 01:02:38.280
I'm grounded for the rest of my life. Dad heads

930
01:02:38.320 --> 01:02:41.320
back to his job. He's working a double and can't

931
01:02:41.320 --> 01:02:44.360
get out of it. While he's gone, I decide to

932
01:02:44.360 --> 01:02:46.840
sneak out and make a quick visit to Gregg's house.

933
01:02:47.760 --> 01:02:50.239
I pull into Greg's yard and spot him sitting on

934
01:02:50.280 --> 01:02:54.079
the porch swing drinking one of his dad's cheap beers.

935
01:02:54.719 --> 01:02:59.000
I've been worried, sick about you, he says, what's going on.

936
01:03:00.199 --> 01:03:02.599
I'm sure the gossip of me leaving with the police

937
01:03:02.639 --> 01:03:05.639
spread like wildfire through the school, and I can only

938
01:03:05.679 --> 01:03:09.639
imagine the assumptions people have already made. Greg offers me

939
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:12.719
a beer, but I decline. I take a seat on

940
01:03:12.800 --> 01:03:18.480
the steps and tell him everything. Seven they say, if

941
01:03:18.559 --> 01:03:23.320
you get caught, the stop sign man will come after you. You

942
01:03:22.599 --> 01:03:26.199
can't sleep because he invades your dreams, and staying awake

943
01:03:26.280 --> 01:03:30.719
doesn't help either. He constantly stalks every corner of your mind,

944
01:03:30.920 --> 01:03:35.039
turning every peaceful thought into a nightmare. Even when I

945
01:03:35.079 --> 01:03:37.679
was talking to Greg, my attention was broken by the

946
01:03:37.719 --> 01:03:43.239
shape of the porch tiles octagons. Greg didn't believe my story.

947
01:03:43.639 --> 01:03:47.800
In fact, he suggested I seek mental help. The knowledge

948
01:03:47.840 --> 01:03:50.880
that my best friend no longer has my back hurts

949
01:03:50.920 --> 01:03:56.679
me deep inside. After leaving Greg's house, I have an idea.

950
01:03:57.679 --> 01:04:02.159
My phone I recorded everything night before. I wasn't able

951
01:04:02.159 --> 01:04:04.440
to find the phone in my room this morning, and

952
01:04:04.519 --> 01:04:07.719
I hadn't seen it in the barn this afternoon. There's

953
01:04:07.800 --> 01:04:11.039
one person I can think of who might have an answer.

954
01:04:12.000 --> 01:04:15.320
Finding the phone won't change what I did, but it

955
01:04:15.400 --> 01:04:19.840
will give proof that I'm not crazy. Instead of going home,

956
01:04:20.199 --> 01:04:22.400
I make a stop at the filling station where I

957
01:04:22.440 --> 01:04:26.960
spot Roxy today. She's leaning against the wall by the bathrooms.

958
01:04:27.719 --> 01:04:29.960
I get out of my truck and charge across the

959
01:04:30.000 --> 01:04:33.639
parking lot, not stopping until I'm standing directly in front

960
01:04:33.639 --> 01:04:36.639
of her. Her hair is damp from a recent shower.

961
01:04:37.000 --> 01:04:40.559
I can smell the flowery scent of shampoo other than

962
01:04:40.599 --> 01:04:43.719
the wet hair. She looks exactly like she did last night.

963
01:04:44.639 --> 01:04:48.639
Where's my phone? I cut right to the chase. Roxy

964
01:04:48.760 --> 01:04:52.679
laughs and stands up straight. I don't have your phone, Stratton,

965
01:04:53.440 --> 01:04:55.960
My name on Her voice is like finger nails on

966
01:04:56.000 --> 01:05:00.280
a chalkboard. Oh yeah, well, where is it? Then? I

967
01:05:00.400 --> 01:05:03.639
just happened to lose it. Huh. I throw up my hands.

968
01:05:04.360 --> 01:05:08.719
That would be really convenient, wouldn't it. Roxy reaches out

969
01:05:08.800 --> 01:05:12.320
and grabs my forearm. The sleeve of her shirt rides

970
01:05:12.400 --> 01:05:15.639
up and I notice a sketchy red tattoo spread across

971
01:05:15.679 --> 01:05:19.639
the underside of her wrist. The artwork is badly done.

972
01:05:19.760 --> 01:05:22.639
It's like something someone would get in prison. But the

973
01:05:22.679 --> 01:05:27.800
symbol is clear enough, a stop sign. Let go of me,

974
01:05:28.199 --> 01:05:31.960
I jerk my arm away. What you did take someone

975
01:05:32.000 --> 01:05:37.199
of a certain character, she says, Why did you do it? Anyway?

976
01:05:38.119 --> 01:05:40.719
Was it to prove a point or to show that

977
01:05:40.760 --> 01:05:44.960
you're It was because of a girl. My voice cracks.

978
01:05:45.400 --> 01:05:49.159
Roxy laughs again. This time it sounds like a cackle

979
01:05:49.239 --> 01:05:52.639
coming from an old witch. You came to the barn

980
01:05:52.719 --> 01:05:56.079
with one goal in mind, and you got it. That

981
01:05:56.239 --> 01:05:59.760
girl was standing in your way. She would have held

982
01:05:59.800 --> 01:06:04.840
you back. I realize now that Allison's death wasn't just

983
01:06:04.880 --> 01:06:09.320
an accident caused by what I'd done. She was payment.

984
01:06:10.679 --> 01:06:13.800
I'm not sure what for, but I know it's something

985
01:06:13.880 --> 01:06:18.679
I don't want. That's messed up. I say. If I

986
01:06:18.719 --> 01:06:20.960
would have known there was a price, I would have

987
01:06:21.000 --> 01:06:25.000
never You're part of it now, Honey. From here on,

988
01:06:25.119 --> 01:06:28.719
it's between you and him. You have to finish what

989
01:06:28.800 --> 01:06:35.719
you started by him. I know she means the stop sign. Man,

990
01:06:36.840 --> 01:06:39.719
If facing him is what I have to do, so

991
01:06:39.920 --> 01:06:44.280
be it fine. My breath is coming and going out

992
01:06:44.280 --> 01:06:49.679
of my lungs in deep rhythmic puffs. I'll do it eight.

993
01:06:51.239 --> 01:06:53.440
The first rule in the legend of the stop sign

994
01:06:53.519 --> 01:06:56.559
Man is that you have to go alone. I look

995
01:06:56.599 --> 01:06:59.639
at it like this. If I got myself into this mess,

996
01:07:00.119 --> 01:07:03.440
I'm the only one who can get myself out. I'm

997
01:07:03.440 --> 01:07:07.239
still not sure how or why, but the octagon shape

998
01:07:07.320 --> 01:07:10.440
is significant. I think I can use that bit of

999
01:07:10.480 --> 01:07:13.960
folklore against him. When I get home, I go into

1000
01:07:13.960 --> 01:07:16.239
my closet and find an old work book from when

1001
01:07:16.239 --> 01:07:19.559
I was a kid. One of the multiple choice questions

1002
01:07:19.639 --> 01:07:22.239
was to select an octagon from a group of shapes.

1003
01:07:23.000 --> 01:07:26.800
I'd picked one, but it was wrong next to a

1004
01:07:26.840 --> 01:07:30.519
red X. The teacher wrote, an octagon must have eight

1005
01:07:30.760 --> 01:07:35.039
equal sides. Then I go into the garage, where I

1006
01:07:35.119 --> 01:07:39.119
find the hatchet Dad uses to chop firewood. Later, I

1007
01:07:39.159 --> 01:07:43.760
park in front of the Williamson Barn. I go inside.

1008
01:07:43.800 --> 01:07:46.679
Not long after entering, I hear movement in the hayloft

1009
01:07:46.679 --> 01:07:49.880
above me. I turn to face the wooden steps that

1010
01:07:49.960 --> 01:07:53.599
lead upward, and I wait for the stop sign Man

1011
01:07:53.679 --> 01:07:59.599
to appear. Finally he does. The steps creak under his weight.

1012
01:08:00.119 --> 01:08:03.320
His thin legs are bare. The skin on his feet

1013
01:08:03.400 --> 01:08:08.519
is thick, calloused, and cracked. The toes are gnarled. And

1014
01:08:08.639 --> 01:08:12.119
bent like the knots on an ancient tree stump. He's

1015
01:08:12.159 --> 01:08:16.199
wearing a pair of white boxers. It's obvious he's built

1016
01:08:16.239 --> 01:08:22.359
from pieces of different men. His torso is defined with muscle,

1017
01:08:22.760 --> 01:08:27.159
despite the fifties era greaser haircut. His face is wrinkled

1018
01:08:27.439 --> 01:08:31.520
and spotted with age. The story mister Perry told me

1019
01:08:31.600 --> 01:08:36.760
ten years ago is true. His eyes are spinning red octagons.

1020
01:08:38.079 --> 01:08:43.680
Who what are you? I ask? When he speaks, his

1021
01:08:43.840 --> 01:08:47.279
voice has an eerie timber of a teenager and a

1022
01:08:47.359 --> 01:08:50.520
ninety year old speaking at the same time. We're an

1023
01:08:50.680 --> 01:08:55.840
organization that stretches all across the southeast, from Virginia to

1024
01:08:56.000 --> 01:09:00.840
Texas and everywhere in between. Right here in South Carolina

1025
01:09:01.039 --> 01:09:06.640
just happens to be the epicenter a secret society. Some

1026
01:09:06.760 --> 01:09:11.880
might call it, or a cult or In a flash,

1027
01:09:11.920 --> 01:09:14.640
he's standing in front of me. I can feel his

1028
01:09:14.800 --> 01:09:20.560
breath against my face. So are you the president of

1029
01:09:20.560 --> 01:09:24.640
the whole thing? I ask? He scoffs at my question

1030
01:09:25.439 --> 01:09:27.119
of this particular chapter.

1031
01:09:28.159 --> 01:09:28.399
Yes.

1032
01:09:29.239 --> 01:09:31.600
The idea that there are others like him makes my

1033
01:09:31.720 --> 01:09:32.239
head spin.

1034
01:09:33.239 --> 01:09:39.960
Everywhere all over there are boys, young men looking for

1035
01:09:40.079 --> 01:09:43.239
ways to achieve their wildest dreams.

1036
01:09:44.159 --> 01:09:49.000
But This is not about them, This is about us.

1037
01:09:50.720 --> 01:09:54.079
Let me show you. He grabs hold of my arm.

1038
01:09:54.760 --> 01:09:58.000
His grip is strong, the palm of his hand feels

1039
01:09:58.079 --> 01:10:00.000
like hot asphalt against my flesh.

1040
01:10:00.000 --> 01:10:00.119
Ssh.

1041
01:10:01.039 --> 01:10:08.319
Look deep into my eyes, really really deep. I don't

1042
01:10:08.359 --> 01:10:12.199
want to, but I'm transfixed. I stare into his face

1043
01:10:12.640 --> 01:10:16.560
and her eyes lock. His octagon shaped eyes light up

1044
01:10:16.600 --> 01:10:20.079
in a traffic light glow of green, and I fall

1045
01:10:20.199 --> 01:10:22.359
into them.

1046
01:10:22.560 --> 01:10:29.720
Go, he says, go, go.

1047
01:10:28.359 --> 01:10:34.079
Go, and I do. I let myself go. It's as

1048
01:10:34.079 --> 01:10:36.760
if the interior of the barn melts away from us.

1049
01:10:37.720 --> 01:10:40.920
In my mind, I'm speeding through space and time, through

1050
01:10:40.960 --> 01:10:43.880
the years of my life that haven't happened yet. I

1051
01:10:43.920 --> 01:10:47.960
see myself with what seems like everything a man could want.

1052
01:10:48.760 --> 01:10:53.920
It's different for everybody, he says, what you imagine won't

1053
01:10:53.960 --> 01:10:57.079
be the same for the next. In the vision, it

1054
01:10:57.119 --> 01:11:02.520
all goes on and on. There's no stopping us. He says,

1055
01:11:03.319 --> 01:11:08.000
you see the potential, You see what you can be,

1056
01:11:09.079 --> 01:11:14.760
the things you can do. An octagon symbolizes a rite

1057
01:11:14.760 --> 01:11:21.079
of passage. Eight is a number of transcendents. I recognize

1058
01:11:21.079 --> 01:11:24.079
the truth. All of what he's showing me only looks

1059
01:11:24.119 --> 01:11:27.920
good on the surface. None of it is worth the

1060
01:11:28.000 --> 01:11:33.479
price he tricked me into paying. Somehow, my thoughts break

1061
01:11:33.520 --> 01:11:38.039
the spell. You weren't tricked, he snaps. You wanted to

1062
01:11:38.079 --> 01:11:42.159
steal that sign. It was your idea. You wanted to

1063
01:11:42.239 --> 01:11:46.600
prove you were a man. I shake my head. No,

1064
01:11:47.319 --> 01:11:50.439
not like this, I didn't. I think about the page

1065
01:11:50.479 --> 01:11:53.560
from my grade school workbook and all the various shapes

1066
01:11:53.560 --> 01:11:56.279
that were drawn on it. Do you know what the

1067
01:11:56.319 --> 01:12:00.680
opposite of an octagon is? A surprised looks reads across

1068
01:12:00.680 --> 01:12:04.640
his face. His eyes fade to yellow, and then the

1069
01:12:04.680 --> 01:12:09.439
red they were before. Stop, he demands. I answer my

1070
01:12:09.520 --> 01:12:14.880
own question. It's a concave polygon. I pull the hatchet

1071
01:12:14.880 --> 01:12:17.760
from the waistband at the back of my jeans. It

1072
01:12:17.840 --> 01:12:21.000
means one of the sides is angled inward. At the

1073
01:12:21.039 --> 01:12:25.880
sight of the weapon, the man's mouth drops open, impossibly wide.

1074
01:12:26.079 --> 01:12:29.720
I notice his teeth for the first time, there the

1075
01:12:29.840 --> 01:12:33.439
yellow of corn. I swing the axe against the wall.

1076
01:12:33.720 --> 01:12:36.920
The first blow only cracks the wood, but it's enough

1077
01:12:36.960 --> 01:12:40.760
to cause the stop sign. Man to pause. He cries

1078
01:12:40.800 --> 01:12:43.960
out in pain, clutching his side with both hands. His

1079
01:12:44.039 --> 01:12:47.640
body bends. I swing the axe again, harder this time.

1080
01:12:47.920 --> 01:12:52.319
The wood splinters. The stop. Signed man hollers. This time.

1081
01:12:52.359 --> 01:12:55.600
His voice is so loud it cuts deep into my essence.

1082
01:12:56.319 --> 01:13:00.880
Dark blood gushes through the gaps between his fingers. Stop,

1083
01:13:01.520 --> 01:13:06.000
he yells, jerking his disproportioned body back and forth, moving

1084
01:13:06.039 --> 01:13:09.039
toward me. With the hand not holding his side. He

1085
01:13:09.159 --> 01:13:12.680
reaches toward me. Put the axe down, you little shit,

1086
01:13:13.319 --> 01:13:17.239
I don't. I swing a third time, harder. Now the

1087
01:13:17.279 --> 01:13:20.279
sharp end of the blade crashes through, and I jerk

1088
01:13:20.319 --> 01:13:24.479
it free. The broken slats are jagged and sharp. My

1089
01:13:24.600 --> 01:13:28.159
nemesis body folds over on itself, like the snap of

1090
01:13:28.199 --> 01:13:32.399
a mouse trap, and as his bones crack, it sounds

1091
01:13:32.439 --> 01:13:36.359
like that too. The vocals of his agony pour from

1092
01:13:36.359 --> 01:13:40.720
his throat in a torrent of pain. Still, he reaches

1093
01:13:40.800 --> 01:13:44.720
for me. He's not giving up. I'm on the other

1094
01:13:44.800 --> 01:13:47.520
side of the space, And just as he returns to

1095
01:13:47.600 --> 01:13:50.840
his unsteady feet, I swing the axe through this section

1096
01:13:50.920 --> 01:13:55.000
of lumber. His body slams over. This time a deep

1097
01:13:55.039 --> 01:13:59.399
fissure cuts into his abdomen, pulling his upper half horizontal

1098
01:13:59.439 --> 01:14:02.640
to the floor. Now I'm sure what I have to

1099
01:14:02.720 --> 01:14:07.079
do to finish this once and for all. Each of

1100
01:14:07.119 --> 01:14:09.880
the next five walls are met with the blade, and

1101
01:14:09.960 --> 01:14:13.159
each time my ears are assaulted with the agony of

1102
01:14:13.199 --> 01:14:16.079
the stop sign man being reduced to a broken and

1103
01:14:16.239 --> 01:14:21.279
splintered pile of nothing. On the eighth wall, I chop

1104
01:14:21.359 --> 01:14:24.439
the blade through the boards and then twist the handle

1105
01:14:24.640 --> 01:14:28.199
so the axe had catches on the other side. Then

1106
01:14:28.880 --> 01:14:32.520
I pull with all my might. The wall splinters inward,

1107
01:14:32.880 --> 01:14:36.800
and the screams are finally silenced as the stop sign

1108
01:14:36.920 --> 01:14:42.079
Man's head splits in two. I stand for a moment,

1109
01:14:42.600 --> 01:14:45.840
catching my breath, when the entirety of the barn begins

1110
01:14:45.880 --> 01:14:54.439
to rattle around me. Nine on my eighteenth birthday, I

1111
01:14:54.520 --> 01:14:57.960
go out to the intersection on Layman Road. Now a

1112
01:14:58.000 --> 01:15:02.119
wooden cross stands by the road, marking the spot where

1113
01:15:02.640 --> 01:15:07.720
Allison died on that night the year before. After I

1114
01:15:07.840 --> 01:15:10.600
brought down the barn and destroyed the stop sign man,

1115
01:15:11.239 --> 01:15:14.439
I drove out here and reattached the sign to the post.

1116
01:15:15.520 --> 01:15:19.520
I was taken into custody for destruction of property. Thankfully,

1117
01:15:20.039 --> 01:15:22.800
Dad bailed me out. He told me it was the

1118
01:15:22.840 --> 01:15:27.359
one and only time he'd ever do it. My actions

1119
01:15:27.399 --> 01:15:31.199
didn't bring Allison back, and my phone was never found,

1120
01:15:31.880 --> 01:15:34.760
but the evidence from a nearby game camera, and the

1121
01:15:34.800 --> 01:15:38.000
analysis of the skid marks at the intersection revealed the truth.

1122
01:15:39.279 --> 01:15:43.199
The fatal wreck wasn't because of the missing sign. The

1123
01:15:43.239 --> 01:15:46.800
car that hit Allison was coming from the opposite direction.

1124
01:15:48.399 --> 01:15:51.920
It's been one year since all of that happened. One

1125
01:15:52.000 --> 01:15:56.039
plus eight is nine. Recently I learned that one of

1126
01:15:56.079 --> 01:16:01.479
the meanings behind the number is wisdom. After dropping a

1127
01:16:01.520 --> 01:16:05.760
single flower next to the wooden cross, I drive away

1128
01:16:06.720 --> 01:16:23.159
the end. Old Bones by Joe Salmon. Old Bones is

1129
01:16:23.199 --> 01:16:25.399
what my grandpa used to call him back in the

1130
01:16:25.479 --> 01:16:30.239
days of black and white TVs. I've never seen him myself,

1131
01:16:30.399 --> 01:16:35.000
but I was sure he existed. Nothing scared my grandfather,

1132
01:16:35.640 --> 01:16:39.760
nothing but old bones. That is. Most of the local

1133
01:16:39.840 --> 01:16:43.600
folk will tell you they seen Old Bones here or there,

1134
01:16:44.279 --> 01:16:47.920
but most of them are full of shit. For a while,

1135
01:16:48.039 --> 01:16:50.560
one of them TV crews came in and filmed the

1136
01:16:50.600 --> 01:16:55.439
town telling stories, but that's all they were shit. Even

1137
01:16:55.560 --> 01:16:58.520
farmer Kendrick over on Route seventy had a story, and

1138
01:16:58.560 --> 01:17:01.239
that son of a bitch never left his house. His

1139
01:17:01.359 --> 01:17:05.640
fields were all overgrown like seventies bush. Our family and

1140
01:17:05.680 --> 01:17:08.520
the neighbors next door we had a special deal. My

1141
01:17:08.600 --> 01:17:12.199
grandfather said, our lands butted up with the state forest,

1142
01:17:12.279 --> 01:17:16.479
but Pappy called that his territory. He told us we

1143
01:17:16.479 --> 01:17:18.920
could hunt in there, but we had to leave the

1144
01:17:19.000 --> 01:17:23.600
first kill for old bones, kind of a sacrifice of

1145
01:17:23.720 --> 01:17:27.159
sorts and offerings. So we would leave us alone when

1146
01:17:27.199 --> 01:17:29.840
we were out there, as long as we didn't cross

1147
01:17:29.880 --> 01:17:33.680
the markings along the creek. We would shoot a nice

1148
01:17:33.760 --> 01:17:36.199
buck and have to leave it in the clearing. It

1149
01:17:36.319 --> 01:17:39.920
pissed me off, but not enough to cross old bones.

1150
01:17:40.720 --> 01:17:43.640
Usually a day or so later we'd find the carcass,

1151
01:17:44.159 --> 01:17:47.199
most of the meat gone, strung up in the damned trees.

1152
01:17:47.239 --> 01:17:51.159
Of all places. Could it be a mountain lion? They

1153
01:17:51.199 --> 01:17:54.960
are around, but rare, and I've never seen one in

1154
01:17:55.000 --> 01:17:58.319
these parts, but I have seen the tracks of old

1155
01:17:58.399 --> 01:18:02.640
bones left on the tree. I would ask my grandfather

1156
01:18:02.760 --> 01:18:06.520
all the time what old bones looks like? He'd always say,

1157
01:18:06.560 --> 01:18:09.199
if I ever saw him, I was sure to shit

1158
01:18:09.319 --> 01:18:13.880
my pants and run if I was lucky. Not very descriptive,

1159
01:18:13.920 --> 01:18:17.520
I know. I pressed him once when he took me

1160
01:18:17.640 --> 01:18:21.079
hunting on my sixteenth birthday. He had gotten me a

1161
01:18:21.159 --> 01:18:23.640
nice thirty hot six and we had sighted it in

1162
01:18:23.680 --> 01:18:26.920
the night before. He had gone hunting without me two

1163
01:18:26.960 --> 01:18:29.760
days prior and gave up an offering to old Bones,

1164
01:18:30.359 --> 01:18:34.359
so my kill would be ours. We reached the tree

1165
01:18:34.399 --> 01:18:37.000
where he had lain our buck, and we saw the

1166
01:18:37.079 --> 01:18:40.439
tracks come into the clearing as fresh as this morning,

1167
01:18:41.479 --> 01:18:45.960
big tracks, looking like a giant moose's print. We get

1168
01:18:46.039 --> 01:18:49.399
moose now and again in northern New York, but I've

1169
01:18:49.479 --> 01:18:52.960
never seen a bull that big. The tracks were over

1170
01:18:53.000 --> 01:18:56.199
a foot long, twice as big as I've ever seen

1171
01:18:56.239 --> 01:19:00.800
myself in these here woods. His old bones just big moose.

1172
01:19:01.720 --> 01:19:04.520
Is that what you're afraid of? I asked him. Don't

1173
01:19:04.520 --> 01:19:07.359
be simple, boy, There ain't a moose i'd run from

1174
01:19:07.439 --> 01:19:10.720
when I got a loaded rifle, was his reply. As

1175
01:19:10.760 --> 01:19:14.479
I studied those tracks, the left track had a bit

1176
01:19:14.520 --> 01:19:16.960
of a crack in it, like the foot had an

1177
01:19:16.960 --> 01:19:20.279
old injury. The right one dragged just a bit in

1178
01:19:20.319 --> 01:19:26.720
the dirt. Then it hit me there were only two legs.

1179
01:19:27.279 --> 01:19:30.279
He stands up like we do, I asked, looking at

1180
01:19:30.279 --> 01:19:33.399
the circular hole in the ground an Inchu're so deep?

1181
01:19:33.960 --> 01:19:37.079
There seemed to be one every twenty feet or so.

1182
01:19:37.159 --> 01:19:40.000
Sometimes there was a little bit of a drag there

1183
01:19:40.079 --> 01:19:45.159
as well. What could it be? Never mind how he stands,

1184
01:19:45.840 --> 01:19:48.000
Just give him no reason to come looking for you,

1185
01:19:48.640 --> 01:19:51.319
And you'll be just fine, he told me as he

1186
01:19:51.359 --> 01:19:54.439
placed his hand on my shoulder. He had lost a

1187
01:19:54.439 --> 01:19:57.039
foot a long time ago, and the artificial one never

1188
01:19:57.159 --> 01:20:01.000
quite was comfortable for him, but it was and inconvenience

1189
01:20:01.119 --> 01:20:03.119
enough for him to keep from taking care of the

1190
01:20:03.159 --> 01:20:07.159
deal with Old Bones. I kept my eyes peeled that trip,

1191
01:20:07.439 --> 01:20:10.319
but never got a peek at Old Bones, even though

1192
01:20:10.359 --> 01:20:14.399
I got the feeling something was peeping on me. But

1193
01:20:14.560 --> 01:20:17.199
then again, I always got that feeling when I was

1194
01:20:17.239 --> 01:20:21.479
in those woods. The deeper in the darker the forest got.

1195
01:20:22.039 --> 01:20:24.520
Some of those trees were one hundred feet tall or more.

1196
01:20:25.319 --> 01:20:28.039
The old growth forest kept out all but the most

1197
01:20:28.039 --> 01:20:31.720
persistent sunlight. It was the best hunting ground most of

1198
01:20:31.720 --> 01:20:34.840
the time, but once in a while there wouldn't be

1199
01:20:34.880 --> 01:20:41.359
a damn thing around. No birds, no game, nothing, just

1200
01:20:41.520 --> 01:20:45.760
dead silence in the forest. On those trips, we learned

1201
01:20:45.760 --> 01:20:48.680
to give up early and come home. We'd have better

1202
01:20:48.800 --> 01:20:52.119
luck another time. My uncle Jim once said he caught

1203
01:20:52.119 --> 01:20:54.880
a glimpse of what had to be Old Bones. It

1204
01:20:55.000 --> 01:20:57.439
was a foggy morning, and he said the forest just

1205
01:20:57.479 --> 01:21:01.520
got real quiet, like he stood still as the hair

1206
01:21:01.680 --> 01:21:04.520
raised on the back of his neck. He said he

1207
01:21:04.600 --> 01:21:07.239
knew Old Bones was near because the rest of the

1208
01:21:07.279 --> 01:21:10.840
animals had the good sense to fuck off somewhere else.

1209
01:21:11.840 --> 01:21:15.800
He stood there peering into the forest, and he said,

1210
01:21:15.880 --> 01:21:19.680
standing next to a large pine tree was Old Bones,

1211
01:21:20.039 --> 01:21:25.680
about fifty yards out, barely perceptible in the fog. He said,

1212
01:21:25.720 --> 01:21:29.039
it slid through the forest, its great limbs having no

1213
01:21:29.199 --> 01:21:33.720
problem as it traversed the uneven forest floor. He was

1214
01:21:33.760 --> 01:21:36.840
too scared to get a closer look. He said. It

1215
01:21:36.880 --> 01:21:39.920
stopped between the trees and sniffed the air for a moment,

1216
01:21:40.840 --> 01:21:46.319
two large sniffs, before turning to face my uncle. He

1217
01:21:46.399 --> 01:21:50.079
said its eyes smoldered even in the fog. Cutting through

1218
01:21:51.039 --> 01:21:53.920
it stared a hole into him for about ten seconds

1219
01:21:54.000 --> 01:21:58.279
or so, before nodding and moving on through the forest.

1220
01:21:59.039 --> 01:22:01.840
Uncle Jim said he sat there waiting for Old Bones

1221
01:22:01.880 --> 01:22:04.840
to go on about his business. Whether he was too

1222
01:22:04.880 --> 01:22:08.720
scared or was playing it smart was anyone's guess. He

1223
01:22:08.800 --> 01:22:12.960
listened as the thing moved through the forest, creaking branches

1224
01:22:13.000 --> 01:22:17.000
and heavy footfalls fading into the distance. He told me

1225
01:22:17.119 --> 01:22:21.840
Old Bones was tall, like really tall, and if he

1226
01:22:21.880 --> 01:22:24.760
didn't move, he would have mistaken him for a tree.

1227
01:22:24.800 --> 01:22:28.119
At that distance. I asked him if he saw a bigfoot,

1228
01:22:28.159 --> 01:22:30.640
and he told me it was nothing like that. He

1229
01:22:30.680 --> 01:22:35.520
said it was something older, much older. Now I must

1230
01:22:35.600 --> 01:22:39.359
tell you Uncle Jim was a drinker, but we'd like

1231
01:22:39.439 --> 01:22:41.760
to give him the benefit of the doubt since he

1232
01:22:41.800 --> 01:22:45.439
doesn't usually drink in the am. He died about a

1233
01:22:45.479 --> 01:22:50.439
month after that, so we can't ask him now. The

1234
01:22:50.479 --> 01:22:53.640
neighbor boy Neil, saw him once. We didn't believe him

1235
01:22:53.680 --> 01:22:55.520
at first on account of the kid is slow in

1236
01:22:55.560 --> 01:22:58.920
the head, but I guess his eyes worked just fine.

1237
01:22:59.000 --> 01:23:01.640
His daddy came run and over all excited to talk

1238
01:23:01.680 --> 01:23:04.159
to my father about it. I watched him from the

1239
01:23:04.199 --> 01:23:07.000
doorway to my room because it was past my bedtime.

1240
01:23:07.760 --> 01:23:10.800
It was the second week of deer season, but neither

1241
01:23:10.920 --> 01:23:13.960
family had managed to get out there yet. He said.

1242
01:23:14.000 --> 01:23:16.279
Neil was out back of the house putting away his

1243
01:23:16.399 --> 01:23:19.119
toys because a fog had rolled in and his mother

1244
01:23:19.239 --> 01:23:22.119
was worried he would get lost out there. Said it

1245
01:23:22.159 --> 01:23:26.680
was standing there next to the barn, looking at him,

1246
01:23:27.039 --> 01:23:32.399
its eyes burning straight into his soul. Neil pissed himself

1247
01:23:32.439 --> 01:23:36.199
and started to cry. I listened as he described old

1248
01:23:36.239 --> 01:23:39.720
bones to my dad from Neil's account, it was almost

1249
01:23:39.720 --> 01:23:42.119
as tall as the gable roof on the old two

1250
01:23:42.159 --> 01:23:46.399
story barn. They had said it just stared at him

1251
01:23:46.760 --> 01:23:49.279
until his mom came out of the screen door looking

1252
01:23:49.279 --> 01:23:54.399
for him. That thing hadn't been oiled in ages. The

1253
01:23:54.479 --> 01:23:58.600
creek probably scared him off, if he asked me. Anyway,

1254
01:23:59.159 --> 01:24:02.079
They said it took long strides and moved off into

1255
01:24:02.119 --> 01:24:05.239
the woods past the field behind the barn, taking one

1256
01:24:05.239 --> 01:24:08.640
of their sheep with it, held it in one large hand.

1257
01:24:09.600 --> 01:24:12.079
That was the last time one of our families didn't

1258
01:24:12.079 --> 01:24:15.159
get Old Bones some meat on opening day. Let me

1259
01:24:15.239 --> 01:24:18.199
tell you, it didn't hurt to offer up some other

1260
01:24:18.319 --> 01:24:22.399
times as well. It never went to waste. Old Bones

1261
01:24:22.439 --> 01:24:25.640
always found what we left for him. Was it a

1262
01:24:25.680 --> 01:24:29.239
creature or a man? I may never find out myself,

1263
01:24:29.680 --> 01:24:32.920
and I think I'm okay with that. I was fascinated

1264
01:24:32.960 --> 01:24:37.239
as a kid, but after everyone's stories, I think i'm good.

1265
01:24:37.399 --> 01:24:40.479
You know, as an adult, I really don't want nothing

1266
01:24:40.560 --> 01:24:43.560
to do with it. But that's not always my choice, now,

1267
01:24:43.760 --> 01:24:47.000
is it. I wanted to let you know that about

1268
01:24:47.000 --> 01:24:49.720
ten or so years ago, there was a couple of

1269
01:24:49.800 --> 01:24:53.479
campers that went out there and went too far cross

1270
01:24:53.560 --> 01:24:57.520
an Old Bones Creek without any regard or offering. They

1271
01:24:57.560 --> 01:25:00.880
really didn't know any better, mind you. Like they say,

1272
01:25:01.479 --> 01:25:05.760
ignorance is no excuse. The search party never found them,

1273
01:25:06.319 --> 01:25:11.039
but we sure did. Can you guess where? No up

1274
01:25:11.119 --> 01:25:14.439
in the goddamn trees. I just wanted to let you

1275
01:25:14.560 --> 01:25:17.960
know that you ain't the first I looked over at

1276
01:25:17.960 --> 01:25:21.119
the unlucky camper. He came to my door an hour

1277
01:25:21.159 --> 01:25:24.399
ago seeking help because something got his friend out in

1278
01:25:24.399 --> 01:25:29.319
the woods. I knew what it was, Old Bones. I

1279
01:25:29.359 --> 01:25:31.479
almost felt bad for the guy until he told me

1280
01:25:31.520 --> 01:25:35.920
a story. You crossed the creek, your fair game. But

1281
01:25:36.039 --> 01:25:40.119
even that wasn't enough for this guy. You see, there

1282
01:25:40.119 --> 01:25:43.359
are these totems out there. They kind of mark Old

1283
01:25:43.399 --> 01:25:47.560
Bones sacred grounds. This guy comes to my door seeking

1284
01:25:47.600 --> 01:25:51.000
help and says they burned some weird carved wood for

1285
01:25:51.119 --> 01:25:54.439
warmth last night. It had to be one of the totems,

1286
01:25:54.479 --> 01:25:58.439
for sure, these dumb pricks. Now I gotta march this

1287
01:25:58.560 --> 01:26:02.520
asshole back into the woods gunpoint, because there's no reasoning

1288
01:26:02.560 --> 01:26:04.880
with him. Got to get him to the clearing and

1289
01:26:04.960 --> 01:26:07.960
let Old Bones take him. You got a second gear there,

1290
01:26:08.439 --> 01:26:12.199
You're awfully slow, I said, I don't understand why you're

1291
01:26:12.199 --> 01:26:14.399
doing this. If you didn't want to help me, I

1292
01:26:14.439 --> 01:26:17.239
could have gone somewhere else. The camper said to me,

1293
01:26:17.800 --> 01:26:21.279
you gotta learn that's not an option. You know what

1294
01:26:21.359 --> 01:26:24.960
got your buddy, It was old Bones, and Old Bones

1295
01:26:24.960 --> 01:26:27.560
has a certain way of doing things. And damned if

1296
01:26:27.600 --> 01:26:30.039
I'm gonna be the one to cross him. I've heard

1297
01:26:30.039 --> 01:26:36.359
too many stories about what happens. I explained, what's Old Bones?

1298
01:26:36.880 --> 01:26:41.399
The camper asked, It's everything. It's older than the forest.

1299
01:26:41.760 --> 01:26:46.039
It is the forest. It's an inescapable hunger that roams

1300
01:26:46.079 --> 01:26:49.880
these here woods. I told him, yeah, but what is it?

1301
01:26:50.399 --> 01:26:54.760
The annoying fuck asked. Around here, we say it's a god.

1302
01:26:55.479 --> 01:26:58.359
We revere it, we take care of its needs, and

1303
01:26:58.439 --> 01:27:01.279
it lets us hunt his land to feed our families.

1304
01:27:02.359 --> 01:27:05.439
It really ain't nothing personal. I gotta make it right

1305
01:27:05.520 --> 01:27:08.159
with Old Bones. I don't hate you or nothing, I

1306
01:27:08.199 --> 01:27:11.880
said to the guy. Don't hate me. You're bringing me

1307
01:27:11.920 --> 01:27:13.920
out into the woods at gunpoint to feed me to

1308
01:27:14.000 --> 01:27:17.399
something you call a forest god. Don't hate me, but

1309
01:27:17.439 --> 01:27:21.680
you're gonna just kill me. The camper yelled. First of all,

1310
01:27:22.119 --> 01:27:24.680
I don't like that tone, and second of all, I

1311
01:27:24.680 --> 01:27:27.199
don't have no choice in the matter. Old Bones will

1312
01:27:27.199 --> 01:27:30.359
want the trespassers who entered his sacred groves and disturbed

1313
01:27:30.359 --> 01:27:33.359
his totem. You sealed your own fate when you crossed

1314
01:27:33.399 --> 01:27:36.800
the creek. I said, just let me go. I got

1315
01:27:36.800 --> 01:27:39.079
eight hundred dollars in cash in my wallet. It's yours

1316
01:27:39.119 --> 01:27:42.279
if you just let me go, the camper said. I

1317
01:27:42.319 --> 01:27:46.680
shook my head at his stupidity. That money is already mine,

1318
01:27:46.920 --> 01:27:49.760
Old Bones has no use for it. Hand it over,

1319
01:27:50.439 --> 01:27:52.800
I said, pointing the barrel of that thirty odd to

1320
01:27:52.880 --> 01:27:56.199
six I got so long ago at him. He sighed

1321
01:27:56.439 --> 01:28:00.680
and handed over the cash. What did we learn here today,

1322
01:28:01.159 --> 01:28:04.319
I asked. He just stared back at me with anger.

1323
01:28:05.279 --> 01:28:09.520
We learned to keep our mouths shut, I finished for him.

1324
01:28:09.920 --> 01:28:12.720
We walked further down the path my grandpa walked all

1325
01:28:12.760 --> 01:28:15.920
those years ago. I knew it pretty well, but he

1326
01:28:16.000 --> 01:28:20.000
knew it inside out. It's a shame he's gone. He

1327
01:28:20.039 --> 01:28:22.520
would have gotten a kick out of this camper's predicament.

1328
01:28:23.159 --> 01:28:25.720
I could hear the sound of the creek now we

1329
01:28:25.720 --> 01:28:29.399
were close. Once we reached it, the path followed it

1330
01:28:29.520 --> 01:28:32.479
south for about a mile or so. Then comes the

1331
01:28:32.560 --> 01:28:38.079
clearing what's gonna happen to me? The camper asked, now

1332
01:28:38.119 --> 01:28:42.279
that he had calmed down. Well, old Bones will take

1333
01:28:42.319 --> 01:28:45.000
you and open you up, gobble up the bits he wants,

1334
01:28:45.039 --> 01:28:48.600
and whatever's left he'll toss into the trees. Why he

1335
01:28:48.680 --> 01:28:51.720
does that, I don't know. Maybe to feed the birds.

1336
01:28:52.000 --> 01:28:55.039
They got to eat too, you know, I explained, matter

1337
01:28:55.119 --> 01:28:58.279
of factly to the camper, whose eyes grew larger with

1338
01:28:58.399 --> 01:29:03.720
every word. You're joking, right, he asked me. I stopped

1339
01:29:03.720 --> 01:29:06.520
on the trail and gave him a look. What did

1340
01:29:06.600 --> 01:29:10.000
Old Bones do to your friend? I asked him. He

1341
01:29:11.359 --> 01:29:14.119
it pulled him right out of our tent. It was dark.

1342
01:29:14.199 --> 01:29:16.720
I just heard the screaming. By the time I found

1343
01:29:16.760 --> 01:29:21.680
the flashlight, there was nothing but a blood trail. I

1344
01:29:21.760 --> 01:29:24.000
followed it for a bit, but then it just it

1345
01:29:24.159 --> 01:29:28.560
just ended. The camper said, forlorn, Did you look up

1346
01:29:28.600 --> 01:29:31.479
in the trees? I asked him. Why the fuck would

1347
01:29:31.520 --> 01:29:34.840
I do that? He queried, I bet that's where Old

1348
01:29:34.840 --> 01:29:37.439
Bones stuck him, had his fill, and tossed him to

1349
01:29:37.479 --> 01:29:41.039
the clouds, like the early season stags we leave for him.

1350
01:29:41.600 --> 01:29:44.680
Your friend is up in the branches, I'd bet you well,

1351
01:29:45.199 --> 01:29:48.359
I'll bet you eight hundred dollars. I joked with the camper.

1352
01:29:49.600 --> 01:29:53.079
You're demented, you know that right, There's something off in

1353
01:29:53.119 --> 01:29:56.680
your brain, the camper said. I smacked him with the

1354
01:29:56.720 --> 01:29:58.960
barrel of the rifle and pointed it down the trail

1355
01:29:59.560 --> 01:30:02.239
first seme. I thought he was going to try something,

1356
01:30:02.439 --> 01:30:06.479
but he gave up and started walking off. Why should

1357
01:30:06.520 --> 01:30:09.800
I keep going, he said defiantly, and stopped in the

1358
01:30:09.840 --> 01:30:13.399
path A moment later. I'm gonna die either way. I'd

1359
01:30:13.479 --> 01:30:18.560
rather get shot than ripped apart. He reasoned. Well, it

1360
01:30:18.600 --> 01:30:22.279
ain't your choice, son, I explained, and pointed yonder with

1361
01:30:22.319 --> 01:30:25.479
the barrel of my gun. The clearing was just ahead.

1362
01:30:26.039 --> 01:30:27.800
He looked like he was going to make a run

1363
01:30:27.840 --> 01:30:30.600
for it, but I kept the barrel pointing right between

1364
01:30:30.640 --> 01:30:34.680
his eyes. I figured he was bluffing anyway. I took

1365
01:30:34.720 --> 01:30:39.640
him for a coward and eight hundred bucks. Get on

1366
01:30:39.720 --> 01:30:43.279
in there by that stump, I commanded him. He waited

1367
01:30:43.319 --> 01:30:46.640
a second or so before following his orders. I took

1368
01:30:46.680 --> 01:30:49.319
the rope from my pocket and followed him over. I

1369
01:30:49.439 --> 01:30:52.399
tied him up against the stump, eyeing the carvings on it.

1370
01:30:52.960 --> 01:30:55.279
Grandpa said it was the natives that lived here a

1371
01:30:55.279 --> 01:30:59.079
long time ago that carved into the stump. It sure

1372
01:30:59.199 --> 01:31:02.800
was weathered enough. Grandpa said, the carvings tell how to

1373
01:31:02.920 --> 01:31:06.560
leave offerings for old bones. It's how our family figured

1374
01:31:06.560 --> 01:31:09.520
it all out. Live food gets tied up, but the

1375
01:31:09.640 --> 01:31:13.399
dead won't run away. I've never left live food before,

1376
01:31:13.920 --> 01:31:17.359
but there's always a first time. I remember my Grandpa

1377
01:31:17.479 --> 01:31:19.920
telling my father how to do it when we came

1378
01:31:19.960 --> 01:31:23.560
across a stag with a broken leg. It was crazy

1379
01:31:23.600 --> 01:31:25.960
to try to grab the thing, but it had to

1380
01:31:26.039 --> 01:31:29.119
have been struggling for days and was just tuckered out.

1381
01:31:29.479 --> 01:31:31.680
We got it to the clearing. Then they told me

1382
01:31:31.800 --> 01:31:34.600
to leave, to go home and tell mom they'd be

1383
01:31:34.680 --> 01:31:38.640
back soon. I can still see my grandpa pointing to

1384
01:31:38.720 --> 01:31:41.720
this very stump and explaining to my dad what to do.

1385
01:31:42.920 --> 01:31:45.239
I first made the camper tie up his own feet

1386
01:31:45.399 --> 01:31:48.399
at gunpoint. I didn't want him to kick me, after all,

1387
01:31:49.279 --> 01:31:51.640
that's what my kin did with the stag so many

1388
01:31:51.720 --> 01:31:55.159
years ago. Then I tied his arms around the stump,

1389
01:31:55.319 --> 01:31:58.079
with his chin resting on top in a little groove,

1390
01:31:58.560 --> 01:32:02.720
facing deeper into the forest. I made sure he was

1391
01:32:02.800 --> 01:32:05.560
good and tight before I stepped back and gave the

1392
01:32:05.600 --> 01:32:09.880
clearing a look over, only one more step left. I

1393
01:32:10.000 --> 01:32:14.359
drew my knife and came up behind the hiker. You're

1394
01:32:14.399 --> 01:32:16.920
just going to leave me here with that thing in

1395
01:32:16.960 --> 01:32:22.800
the woods, the camper asked, Yeah, that's the plan. Haven't

1396
01:32:22.800 --> 01:32:26.119
you been paying attention? Look, man, I told you it's

1397
01:32:26.159 --> 01:32:29.560
nothing personal. If I don't get the transgressor to Old Bones,

1398
01:32:29.880 --> 01:32:31.960
then my family will pay and I can't have that,

1399
01:32:32.680 --> 01:32:36.079
I said, as I sliced into his flesh. Not too deep,

1400
01:32:36.840 --> 01:32:40.039
not in a vital spot, mind you, just enough to

1401
01:32:40.119 --> 01:32:43.359
make him bleed, to get the scent out into the air,

1402
01:32:44.079 --> 01:32:49.399
to let Old Bones know we were ready. You're a murderer,

1403
01:32:50.000 --> 01:32:53.520
the camper yelled out. I ain't gonna murder you. That's

1404
01:32:53.520 --> 01:32:57.239
for Old Bones to do, I explained. Leaving me here

1405
01:32:57.520 --> 01:33:01.239
is murdering me. I ain't arguing semantics with a person

1406
01:33:01.279 --> 01:33:05.119
that got himself tied up. I told him, all you're

1407
01:33:05.159 --> 01:33:08.159
saying is what you ain't going to do. Well, what

1408
01:33:08.319 --> 01:33:10.920
are you going to do? Then, the camper asked me,

1409
01:33:11.079 --> 01:33:16.840
followed by an exasperated sigh. Just then Old Bones made

1410
01:33:16.880 --> 01:33:20.399
himself known with a cry out in the forest, followed

1411
01:33:20.399 --> 01:33:24.560
by the boom of a large footfall. I moved in

1412
01:33:24.600 --> 01:33:28.720
front of the camper. I'm gonna take my leave, give

1413
01:33:28.760 --> 01:33:32.319
my regards to Old Bones, I said, and turned towards

1414
01:33:32.399 --> 01:33:36.760
the trail back home. Don't fucking leave me, he yelled.

1415
01:33:36.800 --> 01:33:39.920
As I left the clearing, I stopped and turned around.

1416
01:33:40.560 --> 01:33:44.920
The footfalls from Old Bones were getting closer really quick.

1417
01:33:45.560 --> 01:33:48.520
I got myself an idea and ducked down in the

1418
01:33:48.520 --> 01:33:52.760
small bushes that lined the clearing, peeking through at my offering,

1419
01:33:53.800 --> 01:33:56.600
this might be a good chance to finally see what

1420
01:33:56.640 --> 01:34:00.279
Old Bones looks like. I listened to the sound under

1421
01:34:00.319 --> 01:34:03.279
the trees creaking, as if they were making way for

1422
01:34:03.359 --> 01:34:07.119
Old Bones to walk among them. In the distance, he

1423
01:34:07.199 --> 01:34:12.600
could see the branches swaying. He could be here any moment.

1424
01:34:13.880 --> 01:34:16.119
The hair on the back of my neck stood as

1425
01:34:16.119 --> 01:34:19.760
a wave of chills ran through me. The camper started

1426
01:34:19.760 --> 01:34:23.640
to scream as the primordial aura of Old Bones took

1427
01:34:23.680 --> 01:34:27.920
over the clearing. All those years of wondering, all the

1428
01:34:28.000 --> 01:34:31.560
stories from the townsfolk, even the bits and pieces of

1429
01:34:31.560 --> 01:34:34.560
information I got from my own family, couldn't prepare me

1430
01:34:34.600 --> 01:34:38.159
for what I saw step into the clearing. It stood

1431
01:34:38.199 --> 01:34:42.399
almost twenty feet tall, standing like a person would, Thick

1432
01:34:42.520 --> 01:34:46.359
muscles adorned its body. There were parts where white bone

1433
01:34:46.479 --> 01:34:50.199
was exposed in holes in the flesh. Its huge feet

1434
01:34:50.279 --> 01:34:53.199
were cloven, just like the prints I had saw so

1435
01:34:53.319 --> 01:34:58.720
long ago. The long arms were thin but strong. The

1436
01:34:58.840 --> 01:35:01.199
left pushed off the tree trunk of a pine tree.

1437
01:35:01.680 --> 01:35:05.520
The right clutched a gnarled walking staff made from some

1438
01:35:05.880 --> 01:35:09.479
ancient wood. Resting on top of its shoulders was a

1439
01:35:09.600 --> 01:35:14.640
huge head, a moose's head, scarred and scraped with countless

1440
01:35:14.720 --> 01:35:19.560
years of existence. The large antlers had stains and scrapes

1441
01:35:19.600 --> 01:35:23.199
as well. I tried to take it all in, but

1442
01:35:23.319 --> 01:35:27.960
my eyes kept focusing on its gaze. The fires of

1443
01:35:28.000 --> 01:35:31.319
Prometheus burned in the orbs. As it looked down on

1444
01:35:31.359 --> 01:35:34.399
the offering before it. It was like looking at a

1445
01:35:34.439 --> 01:35:38.560
whacked out moose version of a minotaur. Old Bones had

1446
01:35:38.600 --> 01:35:42.520
a smell about him, like fresh turned dirt, just an

1447
01:35:42.560 --> 01:35:45.840
earthy smell about him. It was like he was part

1448
01:35:45.880 --> 01:35:50.279
of the forest. He blended in so well, except for

1449
01:35:50.359 --> 01:35:55.439
those eyes currently focused on the camper. It cocked its

1450
01:35:55.560 --> 01:35:58.600
large head like a dog and raised the staff in

1451
01:35:58.640 --> 01:36:02.880
the air. Old Bones poked the camper with the weathered end.

1452
01:36:03.680 --> 01:36:07.399
When the camper screamed out in terror, Old Bones raised

1453
01:36:07.399 --> 01:36:12.239
an eyebrow. He seemed pleased by the live offering. Even

1454
01:36:12.279 --> 01:36:15.279
from my position, I could smell the piss on the camper.

1455
01:36:16.199 --> 01:36:20.399
How disrespectful. With a large hand, Old Bones grabbed the

1456
01:36:20.439 --> 01:36:24.000
camper and raised him into the air, snapping my ropes

1457
01:36:24.079 --> 01:36:27.399
like they were nothing. He opened his large moose jaw.

1458
01:36:28.000 --> 01:36:32.479
Inside weren't the teeth of a moose, but sharp fangs

1459
01:36:32.520 --> 01:36:35.560
of a carnivore. It bit off the camper's head in

1460
01:36:35.640 --> 01:36:39.199
a snap, and I nearly lost my lunch. I would

1461
01:36:39.239 --> 01:36:42.800
have been sad too. My wife makes a mean chicken salad.

1462
01:36:43.640 --> 01:36:46.399
I watched his blood poured out the side of his mouth.

1463
01:36:46.920 --> 01:36:50.119
He chewed on the head for a few seconds and swallowed.

1464
01:36:50.760 --> 01:36:54.319
He huffed twice into the air With a pointed finger.

1465
01:36:54.399 --> 01:36:57.520
He dug into the chest and ate the organs by

1466
01:36:57.600 --> 01:37:01.399
dumping the chest out all over his head into his mouth.

1467
01:37:02.079 --> 01:37:05.880
A lung missed and splattered on the ground. It exploded

1468
01:37:05.920 --> 01:37:09.399
like a water balloon. I wretched and tried to keep

1469
01:37:09.439 --> 01:37:13.960
it down. Old Bones must have heard me. Our eyes

1470
01:37:14.039 --> 01:37:17.880
met for a second. The eons of burning earth before

1471
01:37:17.920 --> 01:37:22.279
it had cooled branded my brain. I felt the ebb

1472
01:37:22.319 --> 01:37:26.000
and flow of the magma below the crust. I thought

1473
01:37:26.039 --> 01:37:28.920
I was going to die, that Old Bones was going

1474
01:37:28.960 --> 01:37:32.119
to kill me. My own stupid need to see him

1475
01:37:32.239 --> 01:37:35.640
was going to do me in. He tossed the camper's

1476
01:37:35.680 --> 01:37:38.840
corpse into the air. It landed in the branches of

1477
01:37:38.880 --> 01:37:42.000
the large pine trees. He picked up his staff and

1478
01:37:42.079 --> 01:37:44.960
took a step towards me. I didn't have it in

1479
01:37:45.000 --> 01:37:47.880
me to move. I was just trying not to break down.

1480
01:37:48.720 --> 01:37:51.800
He took a massive step and was now in front

1481
01:37:51.840 --> 01:37:56.720
of me. Mortal Old Bones muttered. He commanded my attention.

1482
01:37:57.359 --> 01:38:00.760
His voice came from nowhere, but from everywhere. At the

1483
01:38:00.800 --> 01:38:04.600
same time, the ember stare burned into my head.

1484
01:38:05.199 --> 01:38:09.279
I thank you for the offering. It has been some

1485
01:38:09.600 --> 01:38:14.760
time since I have had flesh of a man. I

1486
01:38:14.800 --> 01:38:19.079
think I would like some more. I forgot the taste

1487
01:38:19.119 --> 01:38:21.239
of the arrogance of the young race.

1488
01:38:22.239 --> 01:38:27.199
We need to amend the deal, it spoke into my brain. No,

1489
01:38:28.079 --> 01:38:30.520
humans are hard to get a hold of, and it's wrong,

1490
01:38:31.000 --> 01:38:33.640
I replied, I can't do it.

1491
01:38:33.840 --> 01:38:40.000
Shame mortal. If I do not receive a live offering

1492
01:38:40.079 --> 01:38:44.600
of manflesh by the longest day of the year, then

1493
01:38:45.000 --> 01:38:48.640
I shall take my payment from the farms.

1494
01:38:49.159 --> 01:38:52.399
Anything else, please don't ask this of me.

1495
01:38:52.960 --> 01:38:57.079
I begged, I have spoken.

1496
01:38:57.039 --> 01:39:01.239
Full Bone said, and turned from me. He walked into

1497
01:39:01.279 --> 01:39:04.600
the woods without another word. I looked at the camper

1498
01:39:04.600 --> 01:39:09.520
in the trees, almost envying him if I was being honest.

1499
01:39:10.239 --> 01:39:12.920
Now I had to go home and explain to our

1500
01:39:12.960 --> 01:39:18.119
families the new terms. We dare not go against Old Bones,

1501
01:39:18.920 --> 01:39:22.479
not if we want to protect our loved ones. At least,

1502
01:39:22.479 --> 01:39:26.039
now I know what old Bones looks like. If only

1503
01:39:26.079 --> 01:39:29.039
I had left the clearing, I never would have seen

1504
01:39:29.079 --> 01:39:33.960
Old Bones or interacted with him. Every One that has

1505
01:39:34.000 --> 01:39:38.319
seen Old Bones has had to pay a price, and

1506
01:39:38.479 --> 01:39:48.520
mine will be paid in man flesh.

1507
01:39:48.560 --> 01:39:52.920
Why am I here? By Morgan Moore.

1508
01:39:54.000 --> 01:39:57.720
Bruce Evans sits on his knees in his bedroom. In

1509
01:39:57.760 --> 01:39:59.880
front of him is an old coffee table with a

1510
01:40:00.000 --> 01:40:03.880
Ouigi board on top of it. Around the mystical board

1511
01:40:03.920 --> 01:40:09.479
were candles burning away. Bruce closes his eyes and takes

1512
01:40:09.479 --> 01:40:15.239
in a deep breath and exhales slowly. Oh spirits, If

1513
01:40:15.279 --> 01:40:22.119
anyone or anything is present, please answer my question. Bruce

1514
01:40:22.199 --> 01:40:25.640
opens his eyes and looks at the board. The question

1515
01:40:25.800 --> 01:40:28.399
he had wanted to ask was lodged in his throat,

1516
01:40:28.880 --> 01:40:32.399
unwilling to come out. It was something he wanted to

1517
01:40:32.439 --> 01:40:37.119
ask many people, but was afraid to. He was always

1518
01:40:37.119 --> 01:40:41.239
told to not question certain things, and it was fear

1519
01:40:41.279 --> 01:40:45.439
of repercussions that left him unable to ask those he

1520
01:40:45.479 --> 01:40:51.119
trusted most the question. But with this board, the spirits

1521
01:40:51.159 --> 01:40:55.800
could answer him. It would not judge, it would not punish.

1522
01:40:56.520 --> 01:41:02.000
The board would give him his answer and clarity. Spirits,

1523
01:41:04.600 --> 01:41:11.800
tell me why am I here? He asked somberly. The

1524
01:41:11.920 --> 01:41:15.720
boy was the youngest of the Evans family. He had

1525
01:41:15.760 --> 01:41:19.600
one sibling, an older brother in his teens named Mark.

1526
01:41:20.199 --> 01:41:24.079
Bruce had been something his brother wanted, and his parents,

1527
01:41:24.159 --> 01:41:27.479
after a while, were able to give him that, But

1528
01:41:27.600 --> 01:41:31.039
it had been clear since Bruce could remember that he

1529
01:41:31.159 --> 01:41:35.439
only existed to be a plaything for his brother. Once

1530
01:41:35.520 --> 01:41:38.720
Mark got older and started spending more time out with

1531
01:41:38.800 --> 01:41:42.079
friends and with girls, he had no more use for

1532
01:41:42.159 --> 01:41:47.319
his younger brother, his personal toy. Not being the most

1533
01:41:47.399 --> 01:41:50.319
social of children either, meant Bruce had a hard time

1534
01:41:50.399 --> 01:41:55.640
making friends. It left him depressed, lonely, and made him

1535
01:41:55.720 --> 01:41:59.560
question the reason he even existed. Did he have a

1536
01:41:59.600 --> 01:42:02.479
purpose other than to be a plaything for somebody, only

1537
01:42:02.520 --> 01:42:07.079
to be discarded like any other toy. He stared at

1538
01:42:07.079 --> 01:42:10.640
the wigib board with one hand placed on the planchette.

1539
01:42:10.720 --> 01:42:13.359
Bruce had heard about wigi boards and how they could

1540
01:42:13.399 --> 01:42:17.399
communicate with another plane of existence. From what he gathered,

1541
01:42:17.479 --> 01:42:20.920
people mostly used them to ask questions and get answers.

1542
01:42:21.720 --> 01:42:26.399
He thought that maybe, just maybe it could answer his

1543
01:42:26.560 --> 01:42:31.439
question and tell him what his raison debt was. The

1544
01:42:31.520 --> 01:42:36.079
Only problem with getting one was just that getting one.

1545
01:42:36.119 --> 01:42:39.439
His family were heavily steeped in religion, as was the

1546
01:42:39.479 --> 01:42:43.079
majority of people in the area. Bruce himself attended a

1547
01:42:43.119 --> 01:42:47.039
Catholic school. Mister and Missus Evans would never approve of

1548
01:42:47.119 --> 01:42:52.520
him buying something so supernatural and evil. Mark wouldn't be

1549
01:42:52.600 --> 01:42:55.279
able to help either, since he was always busy with

1550
01:42:55.359 --> 01:42:58.439
his social life. If Bruce wanted to get a hold

1551
01:42:58.479 --> 01:43:02.159
of a wigi board, have to do it himself. So

1552
01:43:02.800 --> 01:43:05.800
for a month, Bruce saved his allowance until he could

1553
01:43:05.840 --> 01:43:08.560
afford to buy one via a mail away ad he

1554
01:43:08.640 --> 01:43:12.039
found in the back of a Monster magazine. The weeks

1555
01:43:12.159 --> 01:43:16.199
leading up to its arrival were ones of suspense and fear.

1556
01:43:17.239 --> 01:43:21.079
Bruce was afraid that his brother, or worse, his parents,

1557
01:43:21.119 --> 01:43:23.920
would see it in the mail and punish him for

1558
01:43:23.960 --> 01:43:28.880
it and for his temptation to interact with the dark side.

1559
01:43:28.960 --> 01:43:31.800
He watched for the mailman like a hawk on Saturdays,

1560
01:43:31.920 --> 01:43:34.159
and would run home from school to be sure he

1561
01:43:34.279 --> 01:43:38.279
was the one to check the mail. After a month,

1562
01:43:38.960 --> 01:43:43.000
it finally arrived. Bruce was ecstatic and sprinted up to

1563
01:43:43.039 --> 01:43:46.439
his room with the package. Now it was nearly dinner,

1564
01:43:46.439 --> 01:43:52.079
and here he was waiting for his answer. The planchette

1565
01:43:52.840 --> 01:43:57.039
did not move though. Am I doing something wrong? Bruce

1566
01:43:57.119 --> 01:44:01.159
asked himself. He had done everything he'd heard about candles,

1567
01:44:01.600 --> 01:44:04.319
the prayer at the beginning, how he addressed the board

1568
01:44:04.399 --> 01:44:07.960
and the spirit. He did everything he thought was necessary

1569
01:44:08.359 --> 01:44:11.119
to make it work. Yet here Bruce was in his

1570
01:44:11.239 --> 01:44:16.560
room staring at the board. Why why isn't it working?

1571
01:44:17.159 --> 01:44:22.439
He asked aloud. Isn't it obvious? A voice came suddenly.

1572
01:44:22.520 --> 01:44:26.800
Bruce gasped and shock and turned around quickly. It was Mark.

1573
01:44:27.520 --> 01:44:33.159
He sighed in relief. Mark, Bruce started, those things are

1574
01:44:33.199 --> 01:44:37.279
just toys, a child's plaything. You really think stores and

1575
01:44:37.319 --> 01:44:40.880
all these major companies are actually selling something that would

1576
01:44:40.960 --> 01:44:45.359
let you talk to ghosts and goblins. Man, you are

1577
01:44:45.560 --> 01:44:51.920
so stupid, Mark said snarkily. But but the younger Evans

1578
01:44:51.920 --> 01:44:55.960
stammered out he couldn't believe what he was hearing. How

1579
01:44:55.960 --> 01:44:59.399
could Mark say that ouiji boards had been a thing

1580
01:44:59.560 --> 01:45:07.039
for sauries, people swore by them. Or maybe maybe Mark

1581
01:45:07.279 --> 01:45:10.560
was telling the truth. Finish up your little game and

1582
01:45:10.600 --> 01:45:13.880
then come down for dinner. Mark told his younger brother

1583
01:45:14.199 --> 01:45:17.800
before starting to close the door. He didn't get far

1584
01:45:17.880 --> 01:45:22.680
in his action. Wait if this isn't real, then what

1585
01:45:23.600 --> 01:45:27.079
how would I get an actual one? I mean, these

1586
01:45:27.119 --> 01:45:31.199
things have been around forever, Bruce questioned his brother, almost

1587
01:45:31.239 --> 01:45:35.960
pleading in his tone. Mark stopped with the door half shut.

1588
01:45:36.439 --> 01:45:38.880
Why do you want to know? You know Mom and

1589
01:45:38.960 --> 01:45:41.039
Dad will kill you if they find out about it.

1590
01:45:41.760 --> 01:45:45.920
I I have something I want to ask, but I

1591
01:45:45.960 --> 01:45:51.119
can't ask anybody else. It's private, Bruce explained as best

1592
01:45:51.119 --> 01:45:54.920
he could without divulging what his question was. His brother

1593
01:45:55.039 --> 01:46:00.000
scoffed some before answering, well, if you're the expert on wuiji,

1594
01:46:00.640 --> 01:46:04.119
you should know already you have to kill your whole

1595
01:46:04.159 --> 01:46:08.000
family and use their blood and bodies to make the

1596
01:46:08.079 --> 01:46:12.439
board and that pointer thing. Only then can you truly

1597
01:46:13.000 --> 01:46:17.600
communicate with the divine spirits or it's all a bunch

1598
01:46:17.600 --> 01:46:19.960
of hocus Poke is bullshit. Come on, it's time to

1599
01:46:20.000 --> 01:46:22.640
eat faster. We're done with dinner. The faster I can

1600
01:46:22.680 --> 01:46:25.880
go out with my date. And with that, Mark left

1601
01:46:25.920 --> 01:46:30.279
Bruce alone. He couldn't believe it. All is hard work

1602
01:46:30.319 --> 01:46:32.640
to save money. All the time spent waiting for the

1603
01:46:32.640 --> 01:46:37.359
Ouiji board to come was for nothing. A toy, a

1604
01:46:37.439 --> 01:46:43.039
board game, That's all it apparently was. Bruce felt depressed

1605
01:46:43.079 --> 01:46:46.600
at the knowledge his brother imparted on him. I'll never

1606
01:46:46.640 --> 01:46:49.520
get an answer to my question. The only way I

1607
01:46:49.520 --> 01:46:55.000
would is if I no. I'd never do that, Bruce

1608
01:46:55.079 --> 01:46:59.359
quietly said to himself. The boy sighed and stood up.

1609
01:47:00.119 --> 01:47:04.880
Depression flowed through him at the revelation. Bruce couldn't believe it.

1610
01:47:05.359 --> 01:47:07.840
He didn't want to believe it, but he seemed to

1611
01:47:07.920 --> 01:47:11.399
have no other choice. He turned to leave his bedroom

1612
01:47:11.439 --> 01:47:15.079
when he felt a chill. Bruce turned around to find

1613
01:47:15.119 --> 01:47:19.439
the candles were no longer lit. I didn't blow them out,

1614
01:47:19.960 --> 01:47:23.640
he told himself. He looked to the window but found

1615
01:47:23.640 --> 01:47:26.119
it shut, and thus ruled out that a gust of

1616
01:47:26.159 --> 01:47:29.880
wind had gotten through and blown them out. Yet he

1617
01:47:29.920 --> 01:47:34.359
had felt a chill. Bruce heard his name being called

1618
01:47:35.159 --> 01:47:43.960
and shrugged off the occurrence. Closing the door behind him,

1619
01:47:44.239 --> 01:47:49.640
The grandfather clock in Evans's living room sounded off. It

1620
01:47:49.720 --> 01:47:53.680
was two in the morning. Mark opened the front door

1621
01:47:53.720 --> 01:47:57.960
as quietly as possible to not alert his parents to

1622
01:47:58.039 --> 01:48:02.239
his late homecoming. He slid off his shoes and crept

1623
01:48:02.279 --> 01:48:05.439
into the house, making sure that he closed the door

1624
01:48:06.199 --> 01:48:11.000
as quietly as he opened it. Mark stood still while

1625
01:48:11.039 --> 01:48:13.279
he listened to the house and tried to pick up

1626
01:48:13.279 --> 01:48:19.279
on any sign of his parents. Nothing quiet as a

1627
01:48:19.399 --> 01:48:23.079
church the day after Christmas, He sighed in relief and

1628
01:48:23.159 --> 01:48:26.000
started to make his way to the kitchen. As he

1629
01:48:26.079 --> 01:48:30.880
walked towards the entrance, he saw that the light was on. Weird.

1630
01:48:31.239 --> 01:48:34.640
Somebody must have forgot to turn it off. He entered

1631
01:48:34.640 --> 01:48:38.520
the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth twisting

1632
01:48:38.560 --> 01:48:44.279
open in horror. The kitchen floor, normally a purlescent white,

1633
01:48:44.720 --> 01:48:49.439
was splattered with blood and viscera. Mark's eyes darted around

1634
01:48:49.439 --> 01:48:53.079
the kitchen to find the source of the mess. Eventually,

1635
01:48:53.680 --> 01:48:57.520
his eyes and feet took him to the source. On

1636
01:48:57.600 --> 01:49:01.800
the other side of the island was the Evan's dog, Scruffy.

1637
01:49:03.000 --> 01:49:06.720
The dog was torn completely open, with its organs piled

1638
01:49:06.760 --> 01:49:11.800
in front of it. Its blood everywhere. Mark doubled over

1639
01:49:11.880 --> 01:49:15.039
and vomited onto the floor, adding to the mess. He

1640
01:49:15.159 --> 01:49:18.279
continued heaving as his mind tried to make sense of

1641
01:49:18.319 --> 01:49:21.279
what he just saw. Who would do such a thing

1642
01:49:21.359 --> 01:49:26.520
to a poor dog, he asked himself. Then another thought

1643
01:49:26.640 --> 01:49:32.079
came Mom, Dad, the eldest of the Evan boys, found

1644
01:49:32.079 --> 01:49:34.680
his strength returning at the thought of his parents being

1645
01:49:34.760 --> 01:49:37.239
in danger. He jumped to his feet and made a

1646
01:49:37.279 --> 01:49:40.399
mad dash to the stairs and quickly found himself on

1647
01:49:40.439 --> 01:49:44.079
the second floor. Mark looked over at Bruce's door and

1648
01:49:44.159 --> 01:49:47.319
found it closed. He shook his head and carried on

1649
01:49:47.479 --> 01:49:51.000
down the hallway toward his parents room. The door was

1650
01:49:51.039 --> 01:49:55.479
wide open, with faint light illuminating it. Mark burst in

1651
01:49:55.560 --> 01:50:00.680
like a speeding bullet and found a scene much mud worse.

1652
01:50:02.239 --> 01:50:05.600
Splayed out on the bed were his and Bruce's mother

1653
01:50:05.680 --> 01:50:10.479
and father. Much like Scruffy, Their blood and organs were

1654
01:50:10.479 --> 01:50:14.399
all over the room. The mattress soaked so much it

1655
01:50:14.439 --> 01:50:18.039
was beginning to sink into itself. Mark held a hand

1656
01:50:18.119 --> 01:50:21.840
over his mouth as he went to investigate. He didn't

1657
01:50:21.840 --> 01:50:25.199
make it far before throwing up again. The sight of

1658
01:50:25.239 --> 01:50:28.880
their bodies having chunks of bone broken off triggering his

1659
01:50:28.960 --> 01:50:33.039
gag reflex. Unable to take more of the sight, Mark

1660
01:50:33.159 --> 01:50:40.239
vacated the room. Mom Dad, He choked out his vision.

1661
01:50:40.359 --> 01:50:44.359
Turned down the hall to Bruce's room. Mark found himself

1662
01:50:44.399 --> 01:50:48.199
almost gliding down to the door, only vaguely aware of

1663
01:50:48.239 --> 01:50:51.520
what was going on. At this point. He reached out

1664
01:50:51.880 --> 01:50:56.159
and turned the knob, watching as the door creaked open.

1665
01:50:57.159 --> 01:51:01.039
In the middle of the room sat Bruce, surround by

1666
01:51:01.119 --> 01:51:07.079
lit candles. Before him was a large chunk of bone.

1667
01:51:07.359 --> 01:51:10.680
Painted on it were the letters of the alphabet and

1668
01:51:10.840 --> 01:51:17.119
various numbers, all of them painted in blood. Bruce was

1669
01:51:17.199 --> 01:51:20.880
covered in blood head to toe a bread knife sitting

1670
01:51:20.920 --> 01:51:28.479
beside him. Bruce Mark started in fear. Bruce looked up

1671
01:51:28.479 --> 01:51:35.479
at his brother and smiled a little. Hi, Mark, what

1672
01:51:35.479 --> 01:51:39.760
what have you done? Mark asked his brother. I did

1673
01:51:39.760 --> 01:51:43.239
what you said to do. I killed them all, and

1674
01:51:43.319 --> 01:51:45.520
I've made the board out of their blood and bodies.

1675
01:51:46.359 --> 01:51:49.319
I have a question that needs to be answered. This

1676
01:51:49.520 --> 01:51:54.880
is the only way, Bruce explained, I would have answered

1677
01:51:54.920 --> 01:52:00.039
it for you. Mark said, no, you wouldn't have. He

1678
01:52:00.079 --> 01:52:02.239
would have made fun of me, belittled me, just like

1679
01:52:02.279 --> 01:52:07.560
everybody else would. Besides, he wouldn't care anyways. I'm just

1680
01:52:07.600 --> 01:52:11.680
a toy to you, Bruce told his older brother. Mark

1681
01:52:11.800 --> 01:52:15.720
stared at his now ghoulish and psychotic little brother. He

1682
01:52:15.760 --> 01:52:18.880
had no way to answer him. Mark could only start

1683
01:52:18.920 --> 01:52:23.840
to slowly move towards Bruce. What Bruce said wasn't untrue

1684
01:52:24.119 --> 01:52:27.159
to some extent. Mark had to admit that he did

1685
01:52:27.159 --> 01:52:29.960
make fun of and bully him, but Bruce being a

1686
01:52:30.000 --> 01:52:34.640
toy to him was totally not true. It couldn't be,

1687
01:52:35.079 --> 01:52:38.640
he told himself. He remembered asking his parents for a

1688
01:52:38.680 --> 01:52:42.239
little brother to play with constantly. A lot of people

1689
01:52:42.239 --> 01:52:45.840
did that, though, Was it really that selfish to ask

1690
01:52:45.920 --> 01:52:49.039
for a sibling? Yet there was the fact that he

1691
01:52:49.079 --> 01:52:52.039
would shrug off Bruce to do stuff with his friends

1692
01:52:52.399 --> 01:52:55.520
or on his own. It was something Mark did evermore

1693
01:52:55.640 --> 01:52:59.000
so as the years went on. Maybe he had used

1694
01:52:59.000 --> 01:53:01.960
his little brother as a place and Bruce just never

1695
01:53:02.000 --> 01:53:08.399
got to feel loved and wanted. Bruce. Mark started, It's

1696
01:53:08.439 --> 01:53:12.880
not done yet, his little brother said. Suddenly, Mark stopped

1697
01:53:12.880 --> 01:53:16.960
in his tracks. What do you mean I still need

1698
01:53:16.960 --> 01:53:22.800
the planchette, he responded. What Mark asked, I believe you

1699
01:53:22.920 --> 01:53:26.720
called it the pointer thingy earlier. I still need it,

1700
01:53:27.319 --> 01:53:32.319
Bruce explained, cautiously, Mark walked up to Bruce and knelt down.

1701
01:53:32.800 --> 01:53:35.760
He placed a hand on one of Bruce's shoulders and

1702
01:53:35.880 --> 01:53:40.439
gave him a small smile. His little brother returned the smile.

1703
01:53:41.800 --> 01:53:44.399
The head of a hammer cracked against the side of

1704
01:53:44.439 --> 01:53:47.479
Mark's head. A second later, Mark fell to the floor

1705
01:53:47.600 --> 01:53:50.800
and started spasming as he looked at his brother and

1706
01:53:50.920 --> 01:53:54.399
Bruce's hand was the hammer. He moved on his knees

1707
01:53:54.439 --> 01:53:58.479
over to Mark and smiled down at him. Now, then

1708
01:53:59.279 --> 01:54:03.399
let's play big brother. Bruce raised the hammer and quickly

1709
01:54:03.439 --> 01:54:07.239
brought it down against Mark's head again and again and

1710
01:54:07.279 --> 01:54:11.199
again and again. The repeated blows broke into Mark's skull.

1711
01:54:11.319 --> 01:54:14.800
More and more bones chipped and then broke, while blood

1712
01:54:14.840 --> 01:54:18.560
and brain matter flew into the air. Bruce carried on

1713
01:54:19.000 --> 01:54:22.359
hammering his brother until he felt the hammer's head smashing

1714
01:54:22.880 --> 01:54:27.760
against the floor. The now lone Evans tossed his weapon

1715
01:54:27.840 --> 01:54:31.640
aside and picked up a piece of Mark's broken skull.

1716
01:54:32.399 --> 01:54:35.600
He smiled and went back to the gruesomely made Ouiji board.

1717
01:54:36.239 --> 01:54:39.359
Bruce set the makeshift planchette on top of it, keeping

1718
01:54:39.359 --> 01:54:43.479
his hand placed on it as well. Trembling. He fights back,

1719
01:54:43.600 --> 01:54:50.399
smiling in excitement and closes his eyes. Oh, spirits, if

1720
01:54:50.439 --> 01:54:55.359
you're here, come to me, he cries out. The flames

1721
01:54:55.399 --> 01:54:58.279
that danced on the tips of the candles shot up wildly.

1722
01:54:58.760 --> 01:55:01.399
Bruce's hand lost its gripped on the planchette, and he

1723
01:55:01.479 --> 01:55:03.760
watched as it started to move around the board at

1724
01:55:03.760 --> 01:55:07.279
a frantic pace. His eyes darted with the piece of skull,

1725
01:55:07.520 --> 01:55:10.880
only slowing down when it did. The planchet came to

1726
01:55:10.920 --> 01:55:15.159
a crawl as it began to spell something out m

1727
01:55:16.239 --> 01:55:26.359
oh l oh c h mollick. Bruce spelled, and then said.

1728
01:55:27.239 --> 01:55:29.880
A gust of wind went through the room and blew

1729
01:55:29.880 --> 01:55:33.800
out the candles. Afterwards, the board began to glow red,

1730
01:55:34.640 --> 01:55:39.359
first lightly and then blindingly. A moment later, the light

1731
01:55:39.520 --> 01:55:43.760
was gone, and its place was a person. A snap

1732
01:55:43.800 --> 01:55:47.920
of his fingers lighting the candles once more. Bruce stared

1733
01:55:47.960 --> 01:55:51.479
at the stranger who now stood in his room. They

1734
01:55:51.520 --> 01:55:54.600
had black hair that reached down to their shoulders, curled

1735
01:55:54.640 --> 01:55:58.479
all along the way. The clothing they wore reminded Bruce

1736
01:55:58.520 --> 01:56:02.079
of the costumes people would wear in plays based on Shakespeare.

1737
01:56:03.199 --> 01:56:06.239
They were colored in a swirl of black and navy

1738
01:56:06.319 --> 01:56:09.680
and red. Most striking of all was the face of

1739
01:56:09.720 --> 01:56:13.479
the stranger. Their features were well defined and gave off

1740
01:56:13.479 --> 01:56:17.079
the appearance of a man, while the candles made it

1741
01:56:17.159 --> 01:56:21.920
hard to fully tell. Their skin looked ashen. Yet what

1742
01:56:22.039 --> 01:56:26.319
drew the most of Bruce's attention or the eyes. They

1743
01:56:26.359 --> 01:56:33.720
were colored dark amber, but somehow shimmered. Who who are you?

1744
01:56:34.479 --> 01:56:39.680
The boy asked, I am Mollik. You called for my presence.

1745
01:56:40.640 --> 01:56:45.159
The entity, now identifying themselves as Molok, answered, it worked,

1746
01:56:45.199 --> 01:56:50.439
Then I did it, Bruce exclaimed in glee. Molik smirked

1747
01:56:50.479 --> 01:56:54.039
slightly at the excitement of the child. What do you

1748
01:56:54.159 --> 01:56:59.800
desire my services for? They asked. Bruce looked up at Molik.

1749
01:57:01.039 --> 01:57:04.439
I have a question I need answered, he said, solemnly.

1750
01:57:05.800 --> 01:57:13.840
What is it? Why? Why am I here? Bruce asked timidly.

1751
01:57:14.800 --> 01:57:18.000
Molick looked down at the boy. They placed a hand

1752
01:57:18.039 --> 01:57:22.760
on Bruce's head and closed their eyes. The pair stood

1753
01:57:22.800 --> 01:57:29.640
there in quiet, Bruce looking at the entity while Mollik concentrated. Soon,

1754
01:57:29.760 --> 01:57:35.000
Molick opened his eyes and stared into the boys. I

1755
01:57:35.039 --> 01:57:40.479
have seen your mind, your soul, your entire being. I

1756
01:57:40.560 --> 01:57:44.560
can answer your question with the utmost clarity, they explained,

1757
01:57:45.800 --> 01:57:52.640
and Bruce questioned, you are here? You exist to work

1758
01:57:52.680 --> 01:57:57.640
for me. I have seen your work, and I quite

1759
01:57:57.720 --> 01:58:04.279
enjoy it, really, Bruce said, surprised and delighted that somebody

1760
01:58:04.439 --> 01:58:08.760
liked something he did. Molik knelt down and put their

1761
01:58:08.800 --> 01:58:12.960
hand on Bruce's shoulder. You and I were meant to

1762
01:58:13.000 --> 01:58:16.319
work together, my child, and you and I are going

1763
01:58:16.359 --> 01:58:23.560
to do such wonderfully lurid things together, Molik explained. Bruce

1764
01:58:23.640 --> 01:58:27.920
smiled widely in joy and wrapped his arms around Molik

1765
01:58:28.000 --> 01:58:32.359
in a hug. The entity returned the embrace, their face

1766
01:58:32.520 --> 01:58:43.960
twisting into a devilishly macobre smile and their eyes glowing intensely. Well,

1767
01:58:44.159 --> 01:58:48.680
my spookies, I guess we made it back. But the

1768
01:58:48.720 --> 01:58:54.600
woods are still watching, the barn is still standing in

1769
01:58:55.359 --> 01:59:01.720
somebody's memory, and some questions may be safer without answers.

1770
01:59:02.680 --> 01:59:09.000
Tonight proved that every local legend begins somewhere, every ritual

1771
01:59:09.199 --> 01:59:14.520
has a price, and every warning sign deserves a second look.

1772
01:59:16.359 --> 01:59:20.159
So make sure you're subscribed to Weekly Spooky on your

1773
01:59:20.199 --> 01:59:24.479
favorite podcast app. We bring you a brand new scary

1774
01:59:24.640 --> 01:59:31.760
story every single Wednesday and have for over four hundred wednesdays.

1775
01:59:32.479 --> 01:59:36.199
Also leaving us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

1776
01:59:36.319 --> 01:59:40.199
or Spotify helps the show grow, and if you have

1777
01:59:40.279 --> 01:59:44.319
a spooky in your life who loves something scary all

1778
01:59:44.439 --> 01:59:49.760
year long, well share this with them. I do appreciate

1779
01:59:49.800 --> 01:59:54.159
it helping more horror fans find their way into our

1780
01:59:54.760 --> 02:00:00.359
dark little corner of the world. Until next time, stay

1781
02:00:00.399 --> 02:00:04.319
out of the forbidden woods, never steal a stop sign,

1782
02:00:04.399 --> 02:00:11.199
and please, whatever starts giggling behind you, do not turn

1783
02:00:11.279 --> 02:00:17.039
around until next time. Stay safe, spookies,