Jan. 9, 2026

Best of 2025: Winter Horror Stories, Cryptids & Wendigo Folklore

Best of 2025: Winter Horror Stories, Cryptids & Wendigo Folklore
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Bundle up, my spookies—this Best of 2025 episode of the Weekly Spooky horror podcast is a snow-choked compilation built for year-round bingeing: winter horror, blizzard dread, creature features, and a finale that pivots into true crime + folklore with a chilling Terrifying & True deep dive.

Inside this Best of 2025 compilation:

  • “I Love the Cold” — Jonathan Lumpkin • A quiet winter evening turns wrong when comfort gives way to a creeping, unnatural chill—and the cold starts to feel less like weather and more like a presence.
  • “The Blizzard of ’58: Never Meet Your Idols” — Bruce Haney • A fan’s dream encounter collides with a historic storm, where admiration curdles into obsession and the whiteout becomes a trap you can’t charm your way out of.
  • “I Was Stalked by a Monster from the Woods” — Michael Kelso • From a porch with binoculars to a tree line that moves on purpose, this one escalates into full-tilt cryptid horror—the kind that makes you stop looking out the window at night. 
  • “The Wendigo Curse: A Legend of Greed and Destruction” (Terrifying & True) • We wrap with wendigo folklore, winter starvation terror, and the unsettling bridge between myth and documented history—where the legend becomes a warning… and the real world gets even darker. 

New here? These episodes stand alone—so hit play, lock the door, and tell us: which winter nightmare got under your skin the most?

🎧 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
WEBVTT

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All right, my Spookyes, Welcome back to the best of

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twenty twenty five, where we crack open the vaults and

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replay the episodes that hit the hardest, the ones that

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made you pause the show to listen for footsteps in

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your own house. To Night's compilation is pure winter nightmare fuel,

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the kind of cold that doesn't just numb your fingers,

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it rewrites you. Snow so thick it erases the road

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behind you. A blizzard that turns a bright, cheerful department

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store into a locked, shadowy maze. And a tree line

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where something tall is watching, something patient enough to wait

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for you to look away. And then the terrifying and

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true story of the Wendigo of Algonquin. Myth plenty to

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wet your appetite, So get comfortable, get warm, and keep

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one eye on the window just in case, because these

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stories don't just take place in the snow, they thrive

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in it. Now let's begin our best of twenty twenty

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five winter horror stories, cryptids and when to Go folklore

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and see what follows us out of the storm, and

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make sure you're subscribed for more scary stories, true crime

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and so much more every single week. I love the

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Cold by Jonathan Lumpkin. It could be worse. The old

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woman said, I love the cold. Jared Styles couldn't see

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how that was possible, I hope, so he said, here

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are a hundred pounds and didn't bring a jacket. Jared

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wanted to add that this might have been the first

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time Miss Durrick had been out of Florida for sixty years,

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but he was trying to hide his rising panic. The

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car could start, but it wasn't going anywhere. He felt

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the impact when the car hit something as it slid

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down the embankment, and maybe it was hard enough to

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explain the shattered axle, but he didn't understand how his

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car got off the road. There was a loud whoosh

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of wind. He felt the car dip slightly away from

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the wind, and the wheels slid a little towards the

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battered old guard rail. Then he felt a hard lurch

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towards the edge. Jared was in his mid thirties, insurance

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adjuster by day, and giving strangers rides in his car

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in his spare time. There hadn't been another car on

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this road for fifteen minutes, and the only way to

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explain the lurch is if another vehicle hit him and

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all he had seen was an owl. It was sarcasm,

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said the old woman from inside the car. And I

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did bring a jacket. It just isn't thick enough. Jarrett

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had worn shirts thicker than what she was calling a jacket,

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and the snow had started up again. He was looking

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at his now useless rear passenger tire, remembering the impact.

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He remembered approaching a curve and heard wind so loud

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it drowned out nearly every noise in the car, including

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Miss Dryck screaming as they knocked over the guard rail

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and started sliding down the embankment. The ice on the

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road wasn't out of the ordinary, but how easily the

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guardrail failed was concerning. It was difficult to see through

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the snow, but one hundred feet up it didn't look

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like the wreck of twisted steel that he saw in

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cell phone pictures every day in the office. It looked

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more like when he tried to use a coat hanger

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as a makeshift door lock when he was a kid

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and bent it in one spot. The passenger side of

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the car also didn't look like it smashed through metal

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engineered to stop it. It looked like it knocked something

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out of the way. It hit the tree on that side,

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which broke the rear wheel, but that was a singular

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vertical impact. There's normally more horizontal indentation and linear scratching

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when vehicles hit guardrails. The only time of vehicles crumple

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zones shouldn't crumple is when they hit something significantly more

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crumply than they are. He didn't have a flashlight, and

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the only lady had was on the front of the car,

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but Jared was fairly sure there should be more damage.

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My phone doesn't work, miss Durrick screamed, as she hid

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her phone against his dashboard. Jared checked his smart watch dead.

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He pulled out his phone dead. The car was still running,

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which was good because his head lights were the only

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thing cutting through the darkness. I've got charging cables in

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the console, he said, keeping his voice very calm. Try

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plugging it in. Her flight from Jacksonville had landed very late,

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and she said that she did not trust her sister

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or brother in law behind the wheel, so she found

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Jared on a ride share group on Facebook. Booking clients

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and not giving a cut to uber was pretty good

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when you could get the work. It's not working, she said,

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opening the car door to talk to him. How long

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before Uber sends someone to check on us? They won't,

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said Jared. I didn't think you'd want me wasting time

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picking up other people, so I'm not logged onto the app.

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Your sister will probably call someone when we don't show up,

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though she was quiet for a moment, which was the

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first time she had stopped talking since he picked her

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up from the airport. They gave me their door code,

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she said softly. They don't get in until tomorrow afternoon.

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Miss Durrik closed the door, leaving Jared to his thoughts

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in a snowstorm. When he was stressed, he would flip

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the lid of his earbud case up and down. He

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didn't think a grown man should have a fidget toy,

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but sometimes he needed one, and it helped him think.

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Jared tried to steer his thoughts to something other than

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two dead phones, a dead watch, and a dead earbud case.

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In the forty minutes since Jared met Miss Durrick, he

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learned a few things. She was divorced, she wasn't any

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younger in spirit than she looked, and her favorite hobby

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was complaining. She complained about a vampire podcast. The podcast's

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host spent a whole episode trying to say that vampires

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drinking their victim's blood was missing the point. What mattered

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was that the victims bled to death, and Miss Durreck

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thought it was stupid and spent most of the car

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ride to this point saying so. He wished complaining could

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be his job, and she had to figure out a

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way for them to survive until morning. Guys don't stand

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in the very long before they start thinking about making

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a fire. The tree they hit sliding down was long dead,

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which had conveniently shattered when it fell over. Dead standing

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trees are about the best firewood you'll find, almost as

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good for fires as a lighter. But Jared didn't smoke.

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He got back into the driver's seat. Miss Durrek was

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having trouble opening a pill bottle. The car's heater was

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still working, although hot had been downgraded to warm. Jared

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suspected arthritis, and he held out his hand. She gave

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it to him, and he opened the bottle and handed

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it back. The old woman looked at him, not to

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see if he was going to steal her pills. But

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if he was going to judge her for needing them,

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Jared knew the look. My mom has bipolar, he said

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to the front windshield. She also takes pills that have

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liths something printed on them, and she has fewer bad days.

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Feeling some sad coming up, not this time, she said,

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swallowing one of the pills. But too much happy isn't

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going to help right now? What kind of happy? Jared

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felt the desperate procrastination rise between him and outside as

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he asked the question. Small talk in a warm car

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is infinitely better than a snowstorm that will kill them

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with no help. Cozy happy, funny joke, happy, accomplishment happy,

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he trailed off, nostalgic happy. She said something about the

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way she answered made Jared think she had not been

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asked that question before, specifically about dancing under dressed in

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the snow. Aren't you from Florida? It didn't happen. It

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just feels nostalgic. She paused for a second. I'd kill

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for some cozy happy right now. Your mom teach you

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about the happies. Jared glanced at her and looked back

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out the windshield. Some She tried to keep me at

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a distance from her mental health, but she opened up

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when I got older. I can't remember her mentioning nostalgic happy,

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though it's new for me too, she said. After a

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minute of trying the dead radio, Jared spoke again. Besides

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the car itself, everything that uses a battery is dead.

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The heater might go pretty soon too. I think there's

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a blanket in the trunk, but I'd like to get

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a fire going if I can. Do you have a lighter,

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I don't. I have hand sanitizer, which is flammable, if

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that helps. She pulled a small plastic squeeze bottle out

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of her purse and handed it to him. You could

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try jumper cables, but I doubt you'd get anything going

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in all this. Why is all our stuff dead? Jared

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thought for a moment. The only thing that makes sense

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is something killed them but wasn't strong enough to take

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out something as big as the car. Has to be

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something electromagnetic. But that's a problem I can't really worry

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about until I get a fire going. There had been

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folk tales in the area throughout the years of disappearances

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and dead batteries in the area. They went back to

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early settlers and demagnetized compasses, but conspiracy theories and ghost

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stories weren't going to get anyone home safe. I was

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kidding about the jump upper cables. It won't work, and

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I don't want you to freeze to death or electrocute

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yourself trying. She was wrong, and Jared was drunk with accomplishment,

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happy and I told you so, happy, which he thought

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were the best kinds. It had taken a while and

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a lot of sticks, but he eventually managed to get

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a fire going. The trick is to put your larger

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logs at the bottom and get a bunch of sticks

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burned down to coals on top. Keep putting sticks on

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and the coals will light the wood. There was enough

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shattered tree that it should go for a few hours.

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The snow sizzled against his fire, and it was bright

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enough that he could see further into the darkness around him.

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He thought he saw a young woman until he blinked

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and she was gone. She was dressed exactly like the

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missing person Facebook post from a week before. A lawyer

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had driven home from a late night at the office.

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Her vehicle was in her driveway, with her phone and

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bag still in the passenger seat, and the driver's door open,

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but she never made it to the ring. Doorbell snow

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had covered up the footprints, the phone had been factory reset,

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and the cops had nothing to go on. For a

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brief second, he thought he saw her, except that her

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hair and face were different. Maybe his mind brought up

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the missing person photo with the clothes she was wearing

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at the game. All that was there now was an

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owl staring at him from a tree. That's amazing, said

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a voice beside him. Jared jumped sideways. When he looked back,

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there was a tiny, one hundred pound old woman laughing

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at him. She pulled his blanket over her head, shook

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it with her arms, and made ghost noises at him.

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The woods are haunted, uber driver, beware, She trailed off.

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Oh shit, Miss Derrick said, you're bleeding. Jared looked down

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where he had landed. There was a rock about where

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his forehead hit the ground with blood on it. He

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knew head injuries bled a lot, and he could see

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it start to drip off his eyebrow. He felt the

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spot on his forehead where it hurt a little, but

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he wasn't going to die of blood loss. I'm fine,

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he said, as he got up. My fault for being

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so jumpy. Get warm by the fire. I've got a

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first aid kit in the trunk. He got to the

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open hood of the car and felt briefly like passing out.

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He heard the sound of a car approaching and saw

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the shadows from headlights on the road twenty feet up.

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The loud wind came again and drowned out his yells

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for help. As he looked up, he stopped yelling when

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the car's headlights hit the guard rail, he could clearly

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see that it had been repaired. He had hoped the

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driver would see the guard rail that he had crashed into,

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but it appeared to have been bent back to where

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it was before the crash. The driver would have no

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reason to check on them or call nine one one.

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Jared turned around, and that's when he saw. She was beautiful,

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appeared to be in her late twenties, dressed exactly like

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the missing lawyer. This woman was taller and her shirt

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didn't quite reach her hip. Her complexion was fairer, darker hair,

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and was clearly an athlete. She had her hand on

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Miss Dirick's cheek, and it was the most relaxed her

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body language had been since Jared met her, even letting

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the blanket slip from her shoulders and fall to the ground.

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You are tired, old woman. Kick snow on the fire

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and then we can rest. We don't need it any more.

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Her voice was sweet, as if Miss Dirick was a

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loved one she hadn't seen in a long time. Jared

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heard an accent, but couldn't identify it. Miss Derrick leaned

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her head into the hand on her cheek and made

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a soft noise Jared couldn't interpret other than sounding happy.

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The woman met Jared's eyes, and he felt as if

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his head was a train that had been knocked from

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its track. He immediately felt the sensation of his knees

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being cold, and when he looked down he was kneeling

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in the snow. His brain felt broken, as if he

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was playing a video game that lagged. By the time

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he looked up again, he felt his face gently pressed

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into the woman's stomach as she ran a hand through

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his hair. She shushed him, brought her index finger to

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her lips and kissed it before touching the corner of

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his mouth. It was the last real thing he felt

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as he drowned in the happiness of being loved. He

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opened his eyes. Jared thought he had woken up from

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a nightmare he couldn't remember. He was laying in a pond,

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looking up into a snowstorm. There was an owl curled

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up on his chest, and he had no other motivation

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in the world than to keep this creature warm. He

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knew it was the last of its kind, her family

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hunted to extinction by the bats of Europe. This owl

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could not make more like it because there was too

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much risk to be discovered. All around the shore of

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the pond were people dancing naked in the snow. He

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turned his head to the side and saw the water

252
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at the shore start to freeze and the ice coming closer.

253
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One of the dancers was the lawyer he recognized from

254
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the missing person flier. She had recently broken up with

255
00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:21.559
her boyfriend after he cheated on her, and had been

256
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planning to move closer to her parents. Jared knew that

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she was his sister. Now in a family brought together

258
00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:36.480
by this owl. There was an explorer who killed his

259
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family after getting drunk three hundred years ago. He lit

260
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his covered wagon on fire and used the heat to

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keep warm. He was now a brother in the owl's family.

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Jared could see the ice forming closer to him. It

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00:19:56.759 --> 00:20:01.400
would touch him soon, but the cold not get this owl.

264
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Something like a purr came from the bird on his chest,

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and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

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He reached out to his right and tried to touch

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the ice to keep it from getting closer. Miss Derrick's

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head exploded in pain. There was also a familiar sensation

269
00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:30.079
as the lithium kicked in. It felt as if the

270
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wires in her head were being torn out of something

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happy and violently reconnected where they were supposed to go.

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She looked down at a half smothered fire and snow

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on her feet. She looked up and saw her driver

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kneeling at the feet of a woman and hugging her tightly.

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As her brain rewired itself, primitive fear took over. She

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could see Jared's arm around this woman and the way

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00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:05.880
her brain reacted. She would have been less scared if

278
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the woman was a large bear. Jared's fingertips were starting

279
00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.720
to turn black, and she watched the gangreen begin to

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reach the knuckles of his right hand. The woman was

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whispering to him about getting warm and resting Miss Derrick

282
00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:29.599
felt herself about to pass out. She stepped forward, picked

283
00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:33.079
up the only weapon available to her, and did the

284
00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:37.400
only things she could think of that might make a difference.

285
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She jammed the end of the jumper cables into the

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sides of the other woman's head. The headlights dimmed and

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the engine sounded as if it was going to die.

288
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The woman didn't stiffen up or jump away like she

289
00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:57.480
expected her to. As soon as the electricity sparked into

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her skull, the woman slumped and fell to the ground

291
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:08.400
like a building collapsing. Her veins and arteries bulged against

292
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her skin. The skin above her veins charred and cracked

293
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:21.200
before opening, and a green fire poured out. Her driver's

294
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body was as still as a statue. Tears mixed with

295
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the blood from his head in a bright red streak

296
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down the side of his nose to his chin, forming

297
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a crimson icicle. The wound had not scaped over, but

298
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it wasn't bleeding any more. His arms were still hugging

299
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someone that wasn't there. She tried to lift him to

300
00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.480
his feet, but he was so stiff that his knee

301
00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:57.200
came off the ground. She was crying, now, knowing she

302
00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:02.640
was never getting rescued. All that was left of the

303
00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:08.480
woman was a burning pile of clothes and wispy green fire.

304
00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:14.119
It reminded her of the Northern lights, and the heat

305
00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:20.160
was intermittently and sporadically hot, but didn't seem to correspond

306
00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:24.480
to the dancing fire. There was a sweetness to the

307
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smell of the smoke that she could not identify. Miss

308
00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:33.200
Derrick looked from the dying fire to her frozen driver

309
00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:40.319
and knew she would join them soon. It was only

310
00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:45.359
getting colder. Her legs couldn't handle the cold and adrenaline,

311
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and her mind couldn't handle the death. She sat down

312
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with her back against the front of the car. The

313
00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:57.599
heat from the engine was nice. Panic was setting in

314
00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:04.119
and the woman's green, burning eyes kept intruding into her vision.

315
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The weight of knowing she wasn't going to survive the

316
00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:14.920
cold went straight to her stomach and she vomited. She

317
00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:18.680
heard what she thought was a bell and looked to

318
00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:23.319
the statue of her driver. There was a tiny glow

319
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:27.920
coming from his wrist, and when she looked at it,

320
00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:33.559
she saw a new user welcome message on his smart watch.

321
00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:48.039
The Blizzard of fifty eight by Bruce Haney. Every kid

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00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:52.960
loves the snow day, and Margaret was no exception, But

323
00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:57.400
why did it have to be this day of all days?

324
00:24:58.039 --> 00:25:01.759
She was upset because her big brain other, who annoyingly

325
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:05.519
calls her Margo, was supposed to take her to Meyern

326
00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:12.279
Frank's department store because Lenore Shelley Ghoulcraft was putting on

327
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an in store appearance. Margaret knew that if school got canceled,

328
00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:20.480
there was a good chance that the appearance would get

329
00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:26.559
canceled as well. Lenore Shelley Guhlcraft hosted a television show

330
00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:33.759
called Miss Goule's Hour of Madness on KPWN. The show

331
00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:37.720
had only been running for around three months, but Margaret

332
00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:41.319
had been hooked since the first episode in October of

333
00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:45.240
fifty seven. She was impressed by the ad in the

334
00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:49.319
paper that had lines like we dare you to watch

335
00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:55.359
and too Scary for the week Hearted. The first episode

336
00:25:55.400 --> 00:26:01.519
was nineteen fifty one's The Thing from Another World. Margaret

337
00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:04.839
loved the show, and her big brother liked it as well.

338
00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.319
This was a big deal to her because she and

339
00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:13.079
her brother used to be close, but he just turned

340
00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:17.880
fourteen and she was only twelve, not a huge gap,

341
00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:20.599
but he was at that age where he was less

342
00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:24.519
interested in hanging out with his kid's sister and much

343
00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:28.240
more interested in impressing the older kids and talking to

344
00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:32.680
girls his own age who weren't related to him. Margaret

345
00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:36.319
wondered if maybe her brother just liked Miss Goule's Hour

346
00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:41.799
of Madness because of how beautiful Leonore was. Because she was.

347
00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:47.000
Margaret understood that, but she loved her for her humor

348
00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.839
and for how cool she was. In one episode, Leonore

349
00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:56.559
Shelley Goulcraft, or as her fans called her, Miss Goule,

350
00:26:57.319 --> 00:27:01.240
rallied against the local school board for not teaching kids

351
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:05.519
the important parts of history. Kids today don't even learn

352
00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:11.400
about werewolves, vampires, or even ghouls like me anymore. Miss

353
00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:16.359
ghoul had rallied. Parents and teachers were not impressed by this,

354
00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:20.599
which just made the kids love her that much more,

355
00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:26.799
much to Margaret's dismay. School did indeed get canceled that day.

356
00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:31.000
The snow was light, but there was the threat of

357
00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:36.039
an even bigger storm, possibly even a blizzard, coming later

358
00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:40.599
in the day, but the weather stayed mild, so Margaret

359
00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:44.039
started working on her parents to convince them to let

360
00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:48.599
her brother David take her to the event. Anyways, I've

361
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:51.200
been checking the TV all day and they haven't said

362
00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:56.000
anything about the event being canceled. Margaret's please worked and

363
00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.440
she got her parents to agree that if it didn't

364
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:02.599
start snowing again by four in the afternoon, they could go.

365
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:07.039
The event started at five o'clock, but it was only

366
00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:10.160
a twenty minute bus ride to the department store where

367
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:15.559
she was having the appearance, so Margaret agreed to the terms.

368
00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:19.640
It didn't snow before they left, but it did start

369
00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:23.720
fifteen minutes into their bus ride, and by the time

370
00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:26.200
they were dropped off in front of the five story

371
00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:31.079
department store, there was an additional three inches of snow

372
00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:37.079
on the ground. They arrived after four thirty. David wanted

373
00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:40.920
to look at the electronics section first. He heard they

374
00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:44.799
had a portable nine inch television. I know I can't

375
00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:48.240
afford it, but wouldn't it be swell your own TV

376
00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:51.680
one you could watch even if our parents are hogging

377
00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:54.440
the one in the living room. The cool thing, too,

378
00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:57.559
is it weighs less than twenty pounds and has a

379
00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:02.160
handle that makes it portable. David told his little sister

380
00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:06.720
Margaret wasn't having it no way, I want a good

381
00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:10.119
spot to see Miss goul She also wanted to get

382
00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:14.039
there to make sure it was still happening. When they

383
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:17.720
arrived at the space, there were thirty chairs set up

384
00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:21.440
facing the minimal set. No one was sitting in any

385
00:29:21.480 --> 00:29:25.519
of them. The stage featured a coffin and a wreath

386
00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:31.599
with a sash that said beloved r Ip. Just as

387
00:29:31.640 --> 00:29:35.000
they got to the front and sat down, a man

388
00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:38.799
walked over to the wreath and hung up a handwritten

389
00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:45.400
sign with the words event canceled storm warning on it.

390
00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:50.799
Then over the PA system, a similar message went out.

391
00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:56.240
Good evening shoppers. With the impending snowstorm, the in store

392
00:29:56.279 --> 00:30:00.400
appearance of Miss Goolcraft is canceled as well well. To

393
00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:03.799
be cautious, we are closing the store for the evening.

394
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.279
Please bring your final purchases to our always happy, always

395
00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:11.640
helpful cashiers. Please do hurry, as we want them to

396
00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:16.039
get home to their families safely. But we were so

397
00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:20.880
close to meeting her, Margaret pleaded with her brother. I'm

398
00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:24.400
sure they'll reschedule the event. Come on, let's get home

399
00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:29.119
while we still can. Let's look for her. She's probably

400
00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:33.079
still here. If it just got canceled. We could still

401
00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.759
meet her, Margaret argued. David wanted to respond and tell

402
00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:42.359
her no, but she was already up and moving. Most

403
00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:45.640
of the staff were heading towards the exits, so the

404
00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:51.000
usually off limits areas were unguarded. David watched and then

405
00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:56.200
followed her outside the large windows. David saw that the

406
00:30:56.279 --> 00:31:00.000
snow was falling at such a rate he couldn't even

407
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:03.599
and see the building next door. It was a total

408
00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:09.359
white out. Margo, the snow was really coming down. She

409
00:31:09.480 --> 00:31:13.119
didn't listen, so David had to speed up his pace

410
00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:19.519
to follow her into the dimly lit hallway she had entered. Okay, Margot,

411
00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:24.039
we gotta go while we still can, David said. But

412
00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:27.960
just then Margaret saw a simple sign tacked to the

413
00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:33.359
wall that said guest with an arrow pointed further down

414
00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:38.000
the dark hallway. She pointed it out to David. We

415
00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:42.000
are so close. David got caught up in the moment

416
00:31:42.440 --> 00:31:47.039
because he too wanted to meet Leonora Goolcraft. He wanted

417
00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:50.079
to know if she was even prettier in person than

418
00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:54.200
she was on black and white television. They followed that

419
00:31:54.400 --> 00:32:00.079
sign to a long walkway that led to another hallway.

420
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.119
They knew there were all these offices behind stores. Margaret asked,

421
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:10.000
they have to count the beans somewhere, the beans, Margaret asked.

422
00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:14.319
David didn't answer, and Margaret had lost interest in the

423
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:18.200
answer anyway, because she realized she was standing right in

424
00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:24.599
front of the guest door. Margaret knocked but got no response,

425
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:30.799
so she pushed the door open. Inside there were red

426
00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:34.079
roses with a card next to them, and a small

427
00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:40.480
basket of untouched fruit. What wasn't there was any sign

428
00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:45.559
of Lenore Ghulcraft. The handwritten sign on the door said

429
00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:53.720
Sondra Warden Parenthesi. Leonore asked Ghoolcraft. She must have got

430
00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:56.720
caught in the snow and never made it here, David

431
00:32:56.759 --> 00:33:01.559
explained to his sister. Margaret looked up at him. He

432
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:06.599
could see the disappointment all over her face. Margo, it's fine.

433
00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:09.960
I'll take you to the next appearance. Now, let's get

434
00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:12.440
out of here while we can still get home, and

435
00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:17.559
remember it's Wednesday. We can watch her show tonight, David said,

436
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.559
to try to comfort her. What if she's still stuck

437
00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:23.519
in the snow and doesn't make it to her show,

438
00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:28.680
Margaret asked, don't worry, There'll be a new episode. They

439
00:33:28.720 --> 00:33:32.000
filmed those things days, if not weeks before they air.

440
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:39.160
David explained that made Margaret feel better. That is until

441
00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:43.559
they heard an explosion in the distance and then the

442
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:49.279
lights went out. They both screamed. Then a few moments

443
00:33:49.400 --> 00:33:54.359
later they heard what they thought was someone else screaming.

444
00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.880
It wasn't close and it was hard to tell where

445
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:00.519
it came from, being that they were in the back

446
00:34:00.599 --> 00:34:06.039
room of a five story building. I'm scared, Margaret said,

447
00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:11.000
it's okay, it was probably just a transformer. The lights

448
00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:16.760
went out, right, David explained, what about the scream, Well,

449
00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:20.559
we screamed when the lights went out. Maybe it was

450
00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:25.880
the same thing with whoever that was. Maybe. Margaret said,

451
00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:29.840
either way, let's start making our way out of here.

452
00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:34.119
It's going to be hard in the dark. They struggled

453
00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.519
because where they were there were no windows, so it

454
00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:41.920
was pitch black. Margaret held out her brother's hand as

455
00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:45.760
he led the way. They walked for a few minutes

456
00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:50.960
before realizing they may have just went in circles. After

457
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:54.880
a couple more minutes, Margaret thought she was hearing noises,

458
00:34:55.719 --> 00:34:59.719
but she couldn't figure out what or where they were

459
00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:05.119
coming from. Do you hear that I don't hear anything.

460
00:35:05.719 --> 00:35:11.280
David said, Okay, maybe my mind is just playing tricks

461
00:35:11.320 --> 00:35:16.719
on me. It could be rats, David offered. The thought

462
00:35:16.840 --> 00:35:19.920
made Margaret let go of her brother's hand so that

463
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:23.000
she could use both of hers to feel the walls

464
00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:27.920
as she desperately tried to find a way out. Hold up.

465
00:35:28.440 --> 00:35:31.440
David yelled out because she was getting too far ahead

466
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.519
of him, But then he heard a click and some

467
00:35:35.719 --> 00:35:41.599
light entered the hallway. Margaret had found the exit. Back

468
00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:44.639
in the shopping area, they could see a lot better.

469
00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:49.239
There were no electric lights, but there was light filling

470
00:35:49.280 --> 00:35:53.920
in from the various windows. It was night, but the

471
00:35:53.960 --> 00:35:57.360
moon's reflection hitting the white snow that was coming down

472
00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:01.840
kept it from being fully dark. This was the moment

473
00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:06.480
they realized that there wasn't anyone else in the store.

474
00:36:08.079 --> 00:36:11.320
Noticing this, they ran back down the now frozen in

475
00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:16.119
place escalators and then ran to the entrance, which was,

476
00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:22.199
of course locked. It didn't take David long to find

477
00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:24.719
that you didn't need a key to unlock it from

478
00:36:24.719 --> 00:36:30.039
the inside. The only problem was that the doors opened outward,

479
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:33.360
and there were already a couple of feet of snow

480
00:36:33.880 --> 00:36:38.159
piled up against them. They both pushed on the doors

481
00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:43.519
as hard as they could, but they wouldn't budge David.

482
00:36:43.800 --> 00:36:46.559
What are we going to do? How are we going

483
00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:51.920
to get the doors open? Margaret asked her big brother. Margo,

484
00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:56.039
maybe it's for the best. I don't think we want

485
00:36:56.039 --> 00:37:00.159
to go out there. Look at all that snow, and

486
00:37:00.239 --> 00:37:05.280
I don't see anybody. If we go out there, we'll

487
00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:11.760
freeze to death. But I'm already cold, Margaret said. David

488
00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:15.360
wasn't quite sure what to do to fix their situation,

489
00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:18.360
but he knew he could at least try to solve

490
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:22.639
the problem of his little sister being cold. Of course,

491
00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:26.280
this would benefit him too, he was starting to feel

492
00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:29.920
the chill as well. The two of them made their

493
00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:33.480
way to the home goods section. David found a stack

494
00:37:33.519 --> 00:37:38.000
of blankets and covered his sister up. The smaller the

495
00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:40.000
space to heat up, the better we will be at

496
00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:44.559
keeping warm. I learned that in Scouts, so stay under

497
00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:47.679
the covers until I get back. I'm going to try

498
00:37:47.679 --> 00:37:51.360
and find us a tent. With that, he was gone

499
00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:57.480
looking for supplies, and Margaret was left alone. She hoped

500
00:37:57.480 --> 00:38:01.280
her brother wasn't gone too long. She was still worried

501
00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:06.159
about the sounds she had heard earlier. This worry increased

502
00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:12.760
when she began hearing the strange sounds again. It didn't

503
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:19.719
sound like rats to her. It wasn't scratching, more like

504
00:38:19.800 --> 00:38:25.239
a light tapping. When she realized that the sound was

505
00:38:25.280 --> 00:38:31.079
getting closer, she finally figured out what it was. It

506
00:38:31.159 --> 00:38:35.880
was footsteps, coming from the opposite direction of where her

507
00:38:35.880 --> 00:38:43.119
brother had gone. They weren't alone. With her curiosity peaked,

508
00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:49.719
she stared in the direction of the approaching figure. The

509
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:53.960
first indication that this person was female was when she

510
00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:58.119
saw a leg wearing a black pump come around the corner.

511
00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:02.679
Margaret held her her breath and remain silent as she

512
00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:08.320
waited to see the rest of the body reveal itself. Then,

513
00:39:09.159 --> 00:39:13.760
to her amazement and excitement, it turned out to be

514
00:39:14.039 --> 00:39:21.039
Lenor Shelley Ghoulcraft in her signature black dress and pumps.

515
00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:27.519
Miss gool Margaret yelled. Miss goul just looked towards her

516
00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:35.320
with no expression. I'm your biggest fan. Margaret continued, Oh,

517
00:39:35.639 --> 00:39:40.719
thank you, my dear fiend. Now tell me what are

518
00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:44.960
you doing here all alone in this storm? Shouldn't you

519
00:39:45.039 --> 00:39:47.519
be at home in your pajamas with a bowl of

520
00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:51.599
popcorn waiting for my show to come on tonight. We're

521
00:39:51.639 --> 00:39:56.480
playing a personal favorite of mine, The Mad Ghoul from

522
00:39:56.559 --> 00:40:01.480
nineteen forty three. It's the story of my older brother,

523
00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:07.800
Miss Gould said, and then laughed. This made Margaret give

524
00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:11.400
a little chuckle. In the voice of the wicked witch.

525
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:16.400
She asked, are you all alone, my pretty or is

526
00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:22.320
your little dog here too? Margaret laughed again but didn't

527
00:40:22.360 --> 00:40:27.760
answer are you all alone? Miss Goul asked in her

528
00:40:27.800 --> 00:40:33.519
normal voice, My brother's here. He's trying to find us

529
00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:40.960
some supplies to stay warm. Ah, what a good protective brother.

530
00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:50.360
David was searching in the sporting goods department for a

531
00:40:50.440 --> 00:40:54.639
tent but was having no luck. He figured that the

532
00:40:54.679 --> 00:40:58.719
small sporting goods section didn't bother carrying tents in the

533
00:40:58.760 --> 00:41:02.440
middle of winter. But by this time he had already

534
00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:05.800
found a large bag that he was filling with items

535
00:41:05.800 --> 00:41:09.239
that he believed would help them. He told himself that

536
00:41:09.280 --> 00:41:12.000
it was not stealing because none of the stuff he

537
00:41:12.119 --> 00:41:15.480
was taking was going to leave the building. Being that

538
00:41:15.559 --> 00:41:19.000
there were no tents, he needed to find another small

539
00:41:19.079 --> 00:41:21.960
space where they could trap their body heat so that

540
00:41:22.039 --> 00:41:25.760
they didn't freeze during the night. On the fourth floor,

541
00:41:26.159 --> 00:41:29.159
he thought of the perfect spot. When he saw the

542
00:41:29.159 --> 00:41:34.559
female apparel section the dressing room, he was nervous as

543
00:41:34.559 --> 00:41:37.960
he approached it because it was much darker there as

544
00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:41.159
it was located in the center of that floor, so

545
00:41:41.280 --> 00:41:45.320
the light from the windows didn't quite make it. David

546
00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:48.440
reached into the bag and pulled out the flashlight he

547
00:41:48.519 --> 00:41:52.400
borrowed from the sporting goods section. When he pointed his

548
00:41:52.519 --> 00:41:55.920
light into the store, he noticed that a coat rack

549
00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:58.920
was lying on the ground, like there had been some

550
00:41:59.159 --> 00:42:06.000
kind of struggle. He approached slowly and searched the space

551
00:42:06.039 --> 00:42:09.440
with the beam of his flashlight for anything else to

552
00:42:09.519 --> 00:42:15.239
be off. What is that, David said. He knew what

553
00:42:15.360 --> 00:42:20.119
it was, but hoped that he was wrong. He continued

554
00:42:20.159 --> 00:42:26.400
moving forward, now at an even slower pace. Oh fudge,

555
00:42:26.599 --> 00:42:31.719
he whispered to himself as he continued towards the pool

556
00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:37.760
of blood he saw on the floor. Fudge, fudge, fudge.

557
00:42:37.800 --> 00:42:40.519
He wanted to scream when he saw the dead body

558
00:42:41.239 --> 00:42:44.039
of what he thought was a man who looked like

559
00:42:44.119 --> 00:42:48.280
he had been attacked by a wild animal, with his

560
00:42:48.559 --> 00:42:52.239
neck torn open and his intestines lying next to him,

561
00:42:52.800 --> 00:42:57.760
plus the rather large chunk out of his skull. It

562
00:42:57.840 --> 00:43:01.400
was hard to determine what was the wound that killed him.

563
00:43:02.519 --> 00:43:05.880
The only reason he didn't scream was that he was

564
00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:10.239
worried that whatever did this was still in the building.

565
00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:14.960
He turned around and ran. He had to get back

566
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.440
to his sister before whatever did this got to her.

567
00:43:20.840 --> 00:43:25.280
The doors are stuck. We can't get out, Margaret explained

568
00:43:25.360 --> 00:43:29.760
to Miss Goole. Oh well, what are we to do?

569
00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:36.880
Miss Goole said, aren't you freezing in just that dress? Oh? Yes,

570
00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:41.840
it is quite cold, but I hide it. Well, I'm

571
00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:45.800
just that good of an actress. But your skin looks

572
00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:50.960
so smooth, no goosebumps or anything. It's it's freezing in here.

573
00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:56.719
It's amazing what modern makeup can hide. Miss Goole laughed.

574
00:43:58.039 --> 00:44:04.599
I guess so, Margaret, said, Margo. Margo. David yelled as

575
00:44:04.599 --> 00:44:07.480
he ran to where he had left his sister, but

576
00:44:07.599 --> 00:44:11.599
when he spotted Miss Gould standing there, he stopped in

577
00:44:11.639 --> 00:44:18.039
his tracks. What David, Margaret asked, but he paid no attention.

578
00:44:18.880 --> 00:44:23.559
His panic was temporarily forgotten as he looked upon Miss Ghoul,

579
00:44:24.199 --> 00:44:30.639
and she smiled at him. It's it's Lenor Goulcraft in

580
00:44:30.840 --> 00:44:35.960
the undead flesh A pleasure to make your acquaintance, young man,

581
00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:41.360
she said. Then she switched from a friendly smile to

582
00:44:41.480 --> 00:44:46.639
a seductive one. The teenage boy's hormones were activated, and

583
00:44:46.719 --> 00:44:50.280
he completely forgot about his panic from the horrors he

584
00:44:50.360 --> 00:44:56.000
had just seen. Gee whiz, you are even prettier in person.

585
00:44:57.159 --> 00:45:02.639
Oh am I you flir, she said, and then threw

586
00:45:02.679 --> 00:45:05.920
her head back in a seductive laugh that grew in

587
00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:13.039
intensity until it transformed into something else, something manic. When

588
00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:15.400
she put her head back down to look at the boy,

589
00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:22.320
she smiled and opened her mouth to reveal her teeth.

590
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:29.960
David smiled back because he didn't know what else to do.

591
00:45:31.079 --> 00:45:35.320
The laughter scared Margaret, so she pulled the blankets over

592
00:45:35.400 --> 00:45:40.239
her head. Since she was hiding, she didn't see Miss

593
00:45:40.239 --> 00:45:46.880
Gould stick out her alarmingly long tongue. David looked at

594
00:45:46.880 --> 00:45:50.880
her in shock as she smiled with her large, serpent

595
00:45:51.079 --> 00:45:56.440
like tongue sticking out. He then watched in horror as

596
00:45:56.480 --> 00:45:59.920
she curved the tip of her tongue back towards her mouth,

597
00:46:00.679 --> 00:46:05.000
where she used it to remove her fake front teeth.

598
00:46:06.440 --> 00:46:11.079
This revealed her real teeth, which were sharp and looked

599
00:46:11.119 --> 00:46:16.480
like they were made for chewing through bone. Because she

600
00:46:16.679 --> 00:46:21.199
was hiding. Margaret didn't see what happened when Miss Gould

601
00:46:21.320 --> 00:46:26.239
attacked her brother. All she heard was his scream, and

602
00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:29.000
by the time she got the nerve to climb out

603
00:46:29.039 --> 00:46:36.199
from her blankets, they were both gone and there was

604
00:46:36.239 --> 00:46:40.800
a pool of blood where her brother had been standing.

605
00:46:41.920 --> 00:46:47.480
Margaret knew she had to hide, but where, Plus she

606
00:46:47.639 --> 00:46:50.760
was too cold to get out from under the blankets.

607
00:46:51.239 --> 00:46:55.519
She looked all around at what her options were. None

608
00:46:55.559 --> 00:47:00.519
looked great, but then she noticed that duffel bag that

609
00:47:00.679 --> 00:47:05.800
David had brought back with supplies was left behind. She

610
00:47:05.840 --> 00:47:09.960
didn't get out from under her blankets, she simply scooted

611
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.960
herself forward, pulling the blankets with her. When she got

612
00:47:15.079 --> 00:47:19.159
close enough, she grabbed the handle of the bag and

613
00:47:19.320 --> 00:47:23.960
dragged it towards herself. She unzipped it in a hurry.

614
00:47:24.679 --> 00:47:29.719
Worried that Miss Goule would come back. She started to

615
00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:35.440
look inside, but she stopped and listened when she thought

616
00:47:35.480 --> 00:47:40.880
she heard something. After waiting ten seconds, she chalked it

617
00:47:40.960 --> 00:47:44.360
up to her nerves and began searching through the bag

618
00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:50.159
once again. When she heard footsteps running towards her, she

619
00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:54.079
took one look behind her, hoping it was her brother.

620
00:47:55.800 --> 00:48:03.719
It wasn't It was Lenor Shelley Gulcraft. She had abandoned

621
00:48:03.760 --> 00:48:08.760
her heels and was running right towards her, with her

622
00:48:08.800 --> 00:48:12.559
sharp teeth and the blood that was dripping from her mouth,

623
00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:18.599
down her chin, and onto her dress. Margaret no longer

624
00:48:18.679 --> 00:48:22.320
saw her as the hero to look up to. She

625
00:48:22.440 --> 00:48:26.639
didn't even see her as a person, more like a creature,

626
00:48:27.960 --> 00:48:33.519
like an actual ghoul. Margaret dug through the bag frantically,

627
00:48:33.920 --> 00:48:39.760
looking for something to fight her off with, but found nothing.

628
00:48:41.119 --> 00:48:44.760
Before Miss Goul got to her, she burst out of

629
00:48:44.800 --> 00:48:48.800
the blankets with the bag in hand and ran as

630
00:48:48.920 --> 00:48:52.920
fast as she could. She was afraid to look back

631
00:48:53.360 --> 00:48:57.719
to see how close Miss Goul was, so she didn't.

632
00:48:58.719 --> 00:49:02.679
She wasn't sure how how close Miss Gooul was as

633
00:49:02.719 --> 00:49:06.960
she sprinted from the home goods section and navigated through

634
00:49:07.039 --> 00:49:10.519
the kitchen area. If she wasn't in such a panic,

635
00:49:11.039 --> 00:49:14.079
she might have thought about grabbing a knife on her

636
00:49:14.119 --> 00:49:19.480
way through, but she was so lost in terror that

637
00:49:19.599 --> 00:49:23.440
she almost ran straight into a floor display of pots

638
00:49:23.440 --> 00:49:28.880
and pans. As she exited the kitchen department, she heard

639
00:49:28.920 --> 00:49:32.840
a loud bang and then things falling to the ground.

640
00:49:33.920 --> 00:49:36.760
Miss Goul must not have made it past the pots

641
00:49:36.760 --> 00:49:41.039
and pans display like she had. If she had seen

642
00:49:41.119 --> 00:49:45.400
that in a cartoon, Margaret would have been laughing, but

643
00:49:45.679 --> 00:49:49.079
in real life she knew it would just make Miss

644
00:49:49.119 --> 00:49:54.079
Goul angry and more determined. She did hope that it

645
00:49:54.119 --> 00:49:58.800
would buy her a little time at least, so when

646
00:49:58.800 --> 00:50:03.159
she reached the junior clothing department, she decided to hide

647
00:50:03.199 --> 00:50:08.400
behind the Sunday dresses that hung against the wall. Margaret

648
00:50:08.480 --> 00:50:12.039
sat and tried to catch her breath while listening for

649
00:50:12.119 --> 00:50:16.440
any sign of Miss Gooul. When she was calm enough

650
00:50:16.480 --> 00:50:19.599
to remember how cold she was, she dug through the

651
00:50:19.679 --> 00:50:24.679
Duffel bag again. Lucky for her, her brother had found

652
00:50:24.719 --> 00:50:28.920
a warmer coat than the one she had on, a hat,

653
00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:32.840
and even a better pair of gloves. The coat was

654
00:50:32.880 --> 00:50:36.440
the kind she saw rich kids wear, while the hat

655
00:50:36.559 --> 00:50:39.880
was even fancier than that. It was made of fur.

656
00:50:40.519 --> 00:50:42.880
It was the kind of hat she only saw people

657
00:50:42.960 --> 00:50:46.960
wear in movies. She put it on and then put

658
00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:50.480
the jacket on over her other coat. Though she was

659
00:50:50.559 --> 00:50:56.920
still frightened, this bit of comfort and warmth made her smile. However,

660
00:50:57.719 --> 00:51:02.159
she only got to enjoy it for a moment. She

661
00:51:02.280 --> 00:51:06.639
forgot all about her comfort when she heard footsteps approaching

662
00:51:06.880 --> 00:51:11.119
her hiding spot. She put her hands together like she

663
00:51:11.239 --> 00:51:14.760
did before she went to bed each night, and prayed.

664
00:51:15.840 --> 00:51:20.199
She hoped God could still hear her, even though she

665
00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:24.320
was not saying her prayer out loud like she normally would.

666
00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:30.000
Dear God, please let that be my brother. Please let

667
00:51:30.119 --> 00:51:35.360
him be alive, even though he is annoying, I love him. Also, God,

668
00:51:36.079 --> 00:51:39.239
please don't let me get eaten by miss gul Amen.

669
00:51:40.480 --> 00:51:45.599
But she accidentally said the amen part out loud. When

670
00:51:45.679 --> 00:51:49.639
two hands reached into the dresses to pull them apart,

671
00:51:50.360 --> 00:51:56.360
revealing her hiding spot, she screamed. When David heard his

672
00:51:56.519 --> 00:51:59.760
sister scream, he knew he had to get out of

673
00:51:59.800 --> 00:52:04.079
his hiding spot. It was a good one too. He

674
00:52:04.239 --> 00:52:08.000
found one of the new models of refrigerators, the ones

675
00:52:08.079 --> 00:52:11.400
that don't lock from the outside. He knew how to

676
00:52:11.519 --> 00:52:14.639
check for the inside latch because it was all over

677
00:52:14.679 --> 00:52:19.000
the news two years previously, when the Refrigerator's Safety Act

678
00:52:19.199 --> 00:52:22.920
was put into place after several kids locked themselves in

679
00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:28.360
discarded fridges while playing hide and seek. Those kids always

680
00:52:28.400 --> 00:52:32.360
won the game, but when they were finally found, they

681
00:52:32.400 --> 00:52:37.559
couldn't celebrate their victory. As he made his way towards

682
00:52:37.559 --> 00:52:41.199
the screen through the kitchen department, he grabbed a knife.

683
00:52:41.800 --> 00:52:44.840
He wished he had the Duffel bag, and there he

684
00:52:44.960 --> 00:52:48.159
had something he really thought would help them fight her off.

685
00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:51.159
He had grabbed it and put it in the bag

686
00:52:51.280 --> 00:52:55.679
after he had found that first dead body. Miss Goul

687
00:52:55.880 --> 00:52:59.639
picked up young Margaret with one hand, held her above

688
00:52:59.679 --> 00:53:06.079
her head and laughed, Oh, you sweet thing. I will

689
00:53:06.280 --> 00:53:14.079
so enjoy eating you, she said, exposing her large teeth again.

690
00:53:15.079 --> 00:53:20.400
With ungodly strength. She moved Margaret closer to her mouth,

691
00:53:21.159 --> 00:53:26.679
which unhinged and opened wider and wider, until her mouth

692
00:53:26.840 --> 00:53:32.239
was large enough to take Margaret's whole head in hey

693
00:53:33.039 --> 00:53:36.800
barf breath. David yelled while running at her with a

694
00:53:36.880 --> 00:53:40.840
knife held in front of him. Miss Ghoul looked over

695
00:53:40.920 --> 00:53:46.480
at him, then through Margaret at David. His reaction time

696
00:53:46.679 --> 00:53:50.840
wasn't quick enough to move the knife, and his sister

697
00:53:51.679 --> 00:53:58.639
landed on it, stomach first. Margo David screamed as they

698
00:53:58.719 --> 00:54:03.239
tumbled and rolled on the floor from the momentum. As

699
00:54:03.280 --> 00:54:07.679
the Ghoul approached, she pulled the knife out of Margaret

700
00:54:07.880 --> 00:54:12.159
and walked over to David. As missus Goul walked away,

701
00:54:12.880 --> 00:54:16.239
Margaret rolled up her coat in a panic to look

702
00:54:16.280 --> 00:54:20.360
at her wound. It was minor. If she hadn't been

703
00:54:20.360 --> 00:54:26.880
wearing the two coats, she might have been dead. Hey, cutie,

704
00:54:27.079 --> 00:54:30.760
I wondered where you'd gotten off to. Did I play

705
00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:35.519
too rough last time? She said, then took the knife

706
00:54:36.159 --> 00:54:40.320
and pressed it into David's shoulder. It was the same

707
00:54:40.480 --> 00:54:43.639
spot where she had bitten a small chunk out of

708
00:54:43.679 --> 00:54:48.840
him earlier. The pain was excruciating, but he still had

709
00:54:48.880 --> 00:54:54.400
the wherewithal to yell to his sister, Margo, grab the bag.

710
00:54:54.639 --> 00:55:00.119
It's in the bag, Margaret jumped up. She wanted to

711
00:55:00.159 --> 00:55:03.880
fight off the Ghul, but she followed her brother's demand

712
00:55:04.400 --> 00:55:08.719
and ran to where the bag was hidden. Inside she

713
00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:14.119
pulled out a small camping stove, a small container of kerosene,

714
00:55:14.159 --> 00:55:20.039
and another flashlight, before she spotted what looked like a gun,

715
00:55:21.400 --> 00:55:26.079
but the barrel was too big. She thought it looked

716
00:55:26.119 --> 00:55:30.920
like a shotgun handgun. She searched the bag for bullets,

717
00:55:31.559 --> 00:55:36.960
but only found these cylindrical things, which she hoped were them.

718
00:55:38.199 --> 00:55:42.679
She slid one in it fit, then put one more

719
00:55:42.719 --> 00:55:49.159
in her pocket. Here goes nothing, she said, then pointed

720
00:55:49.239 --> 00:55:54.079
the thing at Miss Goul and pulled the trigger. You

721
00:55:54.159 --> 00:55:58.239
have to cock it, her brother screamed in agony as

722
00:55:58.320 --> 00:56:05.000
Miss Goul twisted the blade fudge. Margaret cocked the gun,

723
00:56:05.679 --> 00:56:10.639
pointed it at Miss Goule, and pulled the trigger out

724
00:56:10.679 --> 00:56:14.360
of the barrel. A projectile hit Miss Ghoul on the

725
00:56:14.519 --> 00:56:20.360
back and then burst into flames. This made her stop

726
00:56:20.400 --> 00:56:24.199
her attack on David as she frantically patted the back

727
00:56:24.239 --> 00:56:29.480
of her head, putting out the fire and checking for damage.

728
00:56:29.599 --> 00:56:33.320
Once the fire was out, she stood up and walked

729
00:56:33.360 --> 00:56:38.639
towards Margaret. A flare gun. That was your big attempt

730
00:56:38.880 --> 00:56:45.719
at stopping me, Miss Goole laughed. Margaret was scared, but determined.

731
00:56:46.320 --> 00:56:49.800
She waited for the right moment. It came when Miss

732
00:56:49.800 --> 00:56:55.039
Goole hissed at her. Lucky for Margaret, she opened her

733
00:56:55.039 --> 00:56:59.280
mouth wide in the process. That was the moment that

734
00:56:59.400 --> 00:57:04.760
Margaret fired the second shot she had loaded. Margaret watched

735
00:57:05.159 --> 00:57:09.440
as the flare flew directly into Miss Goul's mouth, slid

736
00:57:09.480 --> 00:57:14.960
on her tongue, and disappeared down her throat. Miss Goul

737
00:57:15.119 --> 00:57:19.079
bellowed in agony and scratched at her throat as if

738
00:57:19.119 --> 00:57:21.360
she could get to the burning flare that was in

739
00:57:21.440 --> 00:57:25.920
her esophagus. Margaret took this opportunity to run to her

740
00:57:25.960 --> 00:57:29.760
brother and pull the knife out of his shoulder. She

741
00:57:29.840 --> 00:57:32.760
slid it into the front pocket of her jacket so

742
00:57:32.800 --> 00:57:36.119
that she could have both hands free to help David up.

743
00:57:36.880 --> 00:57:39.360
As soon as he was he grabbed one of her

744
00:57:39.360 --> 00:57:44.800
hands and started running, dragging her behind. He pulled so

745
00:57:45.079 --> 00:57:49.599
fast that she almost lost her balance. They ran down

746
00:57:49.760 --> 00:57:54.480
multiple frozen escalators before Miss Goole once again caught up

747
00:57:54.519 --> 00:57:58.760
to them. As they ran through the shoe department, Miss

748
00:57:58.800 --> 00:58:02.960
Goule was fury and began to take large leaps across

749
00:58:03.000 --> 00:58:06.960
the floor towards them. They tried knocking over as many

750
00:58:07.039 --> 00:58:11.199
shoes as they could to slower down, but it did

751
00:58:11.480 --> 00:58:16.239
very little. Eventually, they found themselves up against the windows

752
00:58:16.559 --> 00:58:20.320
leading to the outside. Where are we going to go?

753
00:58:21.159 --> 00:58:27.239
Margaret asked, I don't know, David said, I'm too young

754
00:58:27.320 --> 00:58:31.400
to die. David looked around at what was at their

755
00:58:31.400 --> 00:58:36.760
disposal to fight the creature off, stay here? What what

756
00:58:37.920 --> 00:58:44.320
do you trust me? David asked, yes, okay, David said,

757
00:58:44.880 --> 00:58:50.559
then ran, leaving his sister behind as Miss goul approached.

758
00:58:51.400 --> 00:58:55.400
When he got far enough away, he yelled, hey, you

759
00:58:55.480 --> 00:59:00.360
old hag. Come get me. Miss Goul took the bait

760
00:59:00.880 --> 00:59:05.039
and ran towards David, who grabbed the big metal shoe

761
00:59:05.119 --> 00:59:09.480
size measurer and then ran towards where the Ghoul had been.

762
00:59:10.280 --> 00:59:13.599
Then he made his way towards his sister. At this

763
00:59:13.800 --> 00:59:17.400
point he wished they hadn't knocked over all the shoes,

764
00:59:17.519 --> 00:59:21.880
because it hadn't slowed Miss Goool down much, but it

765
00:59:22.000 --> 00:59:27.039
was slowing him down significantly. He got just close enough

766
00:59:27.039 --> 00:59:30.400
to his sister when Miss Goul grabbed the back of

767
00:59:30.440 --> 00:59:35.599
his shirt. Duck David yelled and threw the heavy metal

768
00:59:35.639 --> 00:59:40.239
shoe measurer towards his sister. She just barely moved in

769
00:59:40.360 --> 00:59:44.280
time as it whizzed past her head and smashed the

770
00:59:44.400 --> 00:59:50.039
large glass window behind her. The cold was felt instantly

771
00:59:50.119 --> 00:59:55.400
by Margaret, and snow began to flow into the department store. Jump,

772
00:59:56.000 --> 01:00:00.360
David yelled. Margaret looked out the window. They were on

773
01:00:00.400 --> 01:00:04.360
the second floor. It was still dumping snow, and she

774
01:00:04.519 --> 01:00:08.360
prayed that the snow hadn't frozen over yet. Since it

775
01:00:08.480 --> 01:00:13.400
was still coming down, she told herself it must be soft.

776
01:00:13.960 --> 01:00:18.719
If it was, it might be survivable. If it's hard,

777
01:00:18.840 --> 01:00:22.800
it would be like jumping on to concrete. Screw it,

778
01:00:23.199 --> 01:00:27.320
she said, in an attempt to convince herself, But when

779
01:00:27.360 --> 01:00:31.039
she went to jump, she couldn't do it. She was

780
01:00:31.079 --> 01:00:36.199
too scared jump. David yelled as Miss Gould turned him

781
01:00:36.199 --> 01:00:41.360
around and opened her mouth wide to bite him. This

782
01:00:41.639 --> 01:00:47.480
bite you won't run away from, Miss Goole said, Let

783
01:00:47.519 --> 01:00:51.280
go of my brother, Margaret yelled as she ran towards

784
01:00:51.320 --> 01:00:54.239
Miss Goule. In her hand was the knife she had

785
01:00:54.239 --> 01:00:59.440
pulled from her brother's shoulder earlier. She slashed Miss Gould's face,

786
01:01:00.119 --> 01:01:04.840
creating a large gash through her mouth and nose. Blood

787
01:01:04.920 --> 01:01:08.639
flowed down from her wound at a rate that alarmed

788
01:01:08.719 --> 01:01:12.320
Miss Ghoul. She dropped David so she would have both

789
01:01:12.400 --> 01:01:17.480
hands to inspect her sliced open face. I guess you

790
01:01:17.559 --> 01:01:21.159
have more of a face for radio now, Margaret said.

791
01:01:21.960 --> 01:01:25.960
David ran to his sister and hugged her. You saved

792
01:01:25.960 --> 01:01:29.280
my life, he said, and then grabbed her by the

793
01:01:29.360 --> 01:01:33.440
hand and ran towards the window. He was leaving this

794
01:01:33.599 --> 01:01:37.239
all up to faith as he leapt out, pulling his

795
01:01:37.360 --> 01:01:42.719
sister behind. They both disappeared into the heavy snow that

796
01:01:42.880 --> 01:01:50.159
was coming down in sheets, Hoping for survival. The sounds

797
01:01:50.199 --> 01:01:54.199
they made when they hit the ground, made Miss Goul smile.

798
01:01:55.400 --> 01:01:59.960
There was a thud. Then they both bellowed in agger.

799
01:02:01.639 --> 01:02:06.280
But you can't bellow if you're dead. In the fall,

800
01:02:06.880 --> 01:02:10.800
Margo broke her right arm and David twisted his ankle.

801
01:02:11.800 --> 01:02:15.480
They writhed in pain as Miss Goul looked down from

802
01:02:15.559 --> 01:02:20.199
the broken window with her now thanks to Margaret, much

803
01:02:20.440 --> 01:02:25.440
larger smile. They both got quiet when they heard someone

804
01:02:25.880 --> 01:02:32.119
slogging through the snow in their direction. Margaret, is that you, David?

805
01:02:32.760 --> 01:02:37.719
A woman's voice said, it's them. It's really them, another

806
01:02:37.840 --> 01:02:42.840
voice said. Margaret and David were both relieved to see

807
01:02:43.280 --> 01:02:48.360
it was their parents. How did you get here, Margaret asked,

808
01:02:49.079 --> 01:02:52.400
Originally in a taxi, but it got stuck and we

809
01:02:52.480 --> 01:02:55.960
walked the rest of the way. Mom said, we were

810
01:02:56.000 --> 01:02:59.679
so afraid you were somewhere freezing to death. Their father said,

811
01:03:00.199 --> 01:03:02.880
all right, come on quick, get up. We have to

812
01:03:02.880 --> 01:03:06.719
get you somewhere warm. I don't think I can walk,

813
01:03:07.360 --> 01:03:12.440
David said, I think my arm is broken. Margaret cried.

814
01:03:13.440 --> 01:03:18.079
A sound of laughter came from above. Margaret, David and

815
01:03:18.159 --> 01:03:24.039
their parents looked up, but Miss Goul was gone. Did

816
01:03:24.079 --> 01:03:28.519
you jump out of that window? Why? Their father asked,

817
01:03:29.920 --> 01:03:32.880
let's not worry about that now, we need to get

818
01:03:32.920 --> 01:03:36.800
them out of this cold. Doesn't your aunt live around here?

819
01:03:37.280 --> 01:03:42.079
The father asked, Oh, yes, she does, the mother said.

820
01:03:43.000 --> 01:03:46.960
With that, the father picked up David and the mother

821
01:03:47.039 --> 01:03:49.960
helped Margaret up, and they made their way to their

822
01:03:50.000 --> 01:03:53.760
aunts to warm up and figure out what the next

823
01:03:53.800 --> 01:03:59.199
step would be. That night, the last episode of Miss

824
01:03:59.239 --> 01:04:04.159
Ghul's out Hower of Madness aired. However, with all the

825
01:04:04.280 --> 01:04:14.280
power outages around town, almost nobody saw it. Weeks later,

826
01:04:14.719 --> 01:04:17.920
after what became known as the Blizzard of fifty eight

827
01:04:18.440 --> 01:04:24.519
had come and gone, the family sat watching television. Margaret's

828
01:04:24.639 --> 01:04:27.920
arm was still in a cast, but was healing nicely.

829
01:04:29.119 --> 01:04:33.039
On the news, they announced that Miss Gould's House of

830
01:04:33.119 --> 01:04:38.440
Madness was no more and that Lenor Shelley Gulcraft had

831
01:04:38.480 --> 01:04:44.480
not been seen since the snowstorm. Oh I'm sorry, dear.

832
01:04:45.119 --> 01:04:51.599
Hopefully she's okay, her mother said. Margaret and David shared

833
01:04:51.639 --> 01:04:56.480
a glance. You won't get to meet her now, her

834
01:04:56.519 --> 01:05:00.920
mother added, it's all right, Mama, I don't want to

835
01:05:01.039 --> 01:05:05.039
meet her. What if she was awful. It's like people say,

836
01:05:05.840 --> 01:05:15.320
never meet your idols. I was stalked by a monster

837
01:05:15.480 --> 01:05:21.880
from the Woods by Michael Kelso. I used to love

838
01:05:22.079 --> 01:05:25.920
sitting on my front porch gazing at the mountain full

839
01:05:25.960 --> 01:05:30.280
of trees spread out before me. Each season gave me

840
01:05:30.320 --> 01:05:35.079
a new appreciation for the beauty of nature. Even winter,

841
01:05:35.599 --> 01:05:39.360
which I hate, would color my trees in the most

842
01:05:39.760 --> 01:05:44.599
pristine white, making them look like a crowd of bridesmaids

843
01:05:44.719 --> 01:05:50.880
dressed in their spotless gowns, waiting for their bride. My

844
01:05:51.000 --> 01:05:56.639
favorite season was fall. The explosions of colors laid out

845
01:05:56.679 --> 01:06:00.440
like a gigantic quilt that changed from one day to

846
01:06:00.519 --> 01:06:04.719
the next until the last leaf floated to the ground

847
01:06:05.239 --> 01:06:10.920
and surrendered to winter. I could sit there for hours watching.

848
01:06:12.400 --> 01:06:16.119
Time would slip away as I admired my trees in

849
01:06:16.239 --> 01:06:23.320
total contentment. That was before I haven't looked at my

850
01:06:23.519 --> 01:06:29.079
trees in a long time ever since. It was a

851
01:06:29.079 --> 01:06:33.079
beautiful spring day. The blossoms on the trees were full

852
01:06:33.119 --> 01:06:38.119
of color right before the leaves unfurled. They're brilliant spring green.

853
01:06:39.679 --> 01:06:43.360
There was a stillness in the air. Usually the wind

854
01:06:43.400 --> 01:06:47.360
blows non stop down the mountain to varying degrees of strength,

855
01:06:48.079 --> 01:06:53.920
but it's always there. On this day, there wasn't even

856
01:06:53.960 --> 01:06:58.960
a puff of a breeze. It felt good, since the

857
01:06:59.000 --> 01:07:03.119
temperatures were all only in the lower seventies, but something

858
01:07:03.199 --> 01:07:10.559
about it seemed off. My trees stood silent, unmoving, as

859
01:07:10.599 --> 01:07:14.559
if they had also noticed the stillness and were awaiting

860
01:07:14.679 --> 01:07:21.440
some unseen harbinger of ill tidings. As usual, I took

861
01:07:21.519 --> 01:07:26.559
solace from such thoughts by admiring my trees. As I

862
01:07:26.719 --> 01:07:31.119
panned through the colorful buds about to emerge, I saw

863
01:07:31.199 --> 01:07:37.639
something I didn't expect. One of the trees moved. It

864
01:07:37.880 --> 01:07:42.199
wasn't much of a movement, just a subtle twitch of

865
01:07:42.239 --> 01:07:46.559
a branch. I shrugged it off as a rogue breeze,

866
01:07:46.679 --> 01:07:51.480
but it was only in that one spot. None of

867
01:07:51.519 --> 01:07:55.840
the trees around it had moved. This drew my attention

868
01:07:56.039 --> 01:07:59.840
and I focused on the offending spot. It was a

869
01:08:00.119 --> 01:08:05.159
round fifty yards away, just into the treeline near a field.

870
01:08:06.400 --> 01:08:09.960
I picked up my binoculars, which are my constant companion

871
01:08:10.400 --> 01:08:14.079
when I sit on my porch to spot various birds

872
01:08:14.119 --> 01:08:19.680
and other oddities. I focused on this oddity to see

873
01:08:19.680 --> 01:08:24.600
if it was merely my imagination zooming in on the

874
01:08:24.640 --> 01:08:28.399
offending branch. It seemed to be nothing out of order

875
01:08:28.439 --> 01:08:32.520
at first, but as I gave it my full attention.

876
01:08:33.520 --> 01:08:39.960
I noticed something odd. There were no buds on the branch.

877
01:08:41.279 --> 01:08:44.840
As strange as that was. The next observation I made

878
01:08:45.479 --> 01:08:50.000
was the branch was straight as an arrow, intriguing but

879
01:08:50.680 --> 01:08:55.840
hardly conclusive. But there were several other small branches growing

880
01:08:55.880 --> 01:08:58.840
straight up out of it. None of these had any

881
01:08:58.880 --> 01:09:05.079
buds either. These facts swirled through my mind, creating half

882
01:09:05.119 --> 01:09:13.279
baked conclusions. When, without warning, the branch moved, I watched

883
01:09:13.359 --> 01:09:19.319
with rapt fascination as the branch moved straight up. It

884
01:09:19.439 --> 01:09:22.760
wasn't like a breeze had caught it and waved it around,

885
01:09:22.840 --> 01:09:26.960
as branches are wont to do. It went straight up,

886
01:09:27.720 --> 01:09:35.720
staying completely level as it was before. This curiosity captured

887
01:09:35.800 --> 01:09:40.439
my total attention, as everything around me ceased to exist

888
01:09:41.199 --> 01:09:46.760
until I solved the riddle of the moving branch. Fanciful

889
01:09:46.880 --> 01:09:50.880
thoughts of ents sprang from the favorite stories of my

890
01:09:51.000 --> 01:09:55.199
youth and well into my adulthood. I smiled at the

891
01:09:55.199 --> 01:10:00.039
foolishness of such machinations. I knew my mind was having

892
01:10:00.079 --> 01:10:02.680
a bit of fun with me. It was the only

893
01:10:02.800 --> 01:10:07.359
conclusion that made any sense. This entire foray had been

894
01:10:07.439 --> 01:10:12.760
my mind playing tricks on me. If only that were

895
01:10:12.800 --> 01:10:16.399
the case, I would tell this story with the mirth

896
01:10:16.439 --> 01:10:21.399
of an old man spreading flights of fancy. I was

897
01:10:21.439 --> 01:10:24.880
about to put down my binoculars and take my mind

898
01:10:25.000 --> 01:10:29.199
inside for a nap where it could venture out into

899
01:10:29.239 --> 01:10:36.039
a proper dream, when the branch did the impossible. It

900
01:10:36.159 --> 01:10:40.680
moved sideways. It was like I was watching a time

901
01:10:40.800 --> 01:10:44.520
lapse of the branch in its growing cycle. Only none

902
01:10:44.600 --> 01:10:48.199
of the smaller points on the branch grew, It only

903
01:10:48.239 --> 01:10:54.720
got longer. And then I saw it. At the end

904
01:10:54.760 --> 01:11:01.039
of the branch, there was a head. I'd seen lots

905
01:11:01.039 --> 01:11:05.720
of animals during my time sitting on my porch, bears,

906
01:11:06.319 --> 01:11:12.159
mountain lions, skunks, coyotes, but I'd never seen anything like this.

907
01:11:13.359 --> 01:11:19.760
It looked like the bare skull of a deer. There

908
01:11:19.920 --> 01:11:24.000
wasn't an ounce of skin on it. It was several

909
01:11:24.079 --> 01:11:27.560
sizes bigger than the largest deer skull I had ever seen.

910
01:11:28.840 --> 01:11:33.840
It peaked around the corner and its hand grasped the tree.

911
01:11:34.079 --> 01:11:38.520
It was skeletal as well. But the worst part was

912
01:11:39.680 --> 01:11:45.800
it was looking right at me with its empty eye sockets.

913
01:11:46.399 --> 01:11:51.600
There weren't any eyes that I could see. My mind

914
01:11:51.720 --> 01:11:54.560
didn't give me a minute to ponder if this was

915
01:11:54.600 --> 01:11:58.319
a figment of my imagination. I was out of my

916
01:11:58.479 --> 01:12:03.359
chair inside and locking the door behind me before I

917
01:12:03.520 --> 01:12:08.000
knew i'd even gotten up. The last thing I remembered

918
01:12:08.720 --> 01:12:11.920
was how high up on the tree the head was.

919
01:12:13.640 --> 01:12:17.560
It must have been close to eight feet tall. I

920
01:12:17.720 --> 01:12:21.520
ran through the house, locking all the doors and windows,

921
01:12:22.079 --> 01:12:25.720
wondering how much good it would do if that thing

922
01:12:26.479 --> 01:12:31.920
decided it wanted in. My closest neighbor was a mile away,

923
01:12:32.960 --> 01:12:35.760
and I began wondering if this wouldn't be a good

924
01:12:35.920 --> 01:12:41.000
time for a visit. While I stood in the middle

925
01:12:41.039 --> 01:12:45.439
of my kitchen, panicked and indecisive, trying to figure out

926
01:12:45.520 --> 01:12:51.039
what to do next, I realized, to my horror that

927
01:12:51.159 --> 01:12:56.159
I had left my binoculars on the porch. The thought

928
01:12:56.319 --> 01:12:59.359
that this nightmare of a monster would run up and

929
01:12:59.600 --> 01:13:05.479
steal my binoculars was totally ludicrous, But if I wanted

930
01:13:05.479 --> 01:13:08.319
to check through the window to see if it was

931
01:13:08.359 --> 01:13:14.600
still there, they would be quite invaluable. Convincing myself to

932
01:13:14.680 --> 01:13:28.199
retrieve them, though, was another matter Entirely. I slowly approached

933
01:13:28.239 --> 01:13:32.279
the window that looked out onto the front porch as

934
01:13:32.319 --> 01:13:36.199
if it were the monster, waiting to grab me and

935
01:13:36.399 --> 01:13:41.279
drag me to its layer. With great trepidation and using

936
01:13:41.359 --> 01:13:45.680
more than my fair share of courage, I stepped to

937
01:13:45.760 --> 01:13:50.600
the window and peeked out through the curtain. My initial

938
01:13:50.640 --> 01:13:54.319
reaction was pure joy. As I no longer saw the

939
01:13:54.359 --> 01:13:59.359
monster in the tree line. I began chuckling to myself

940
01:13:59.399 --> 01:14:02.239
for the prank my mind had played on me, and

941
01:14:02.319 --> 01:14:05.960
making all sorts of excuses for what the apparition was.

942
01:14:08.159 --> 01:14:11.800
The smile fell from my face when I saw it

943
01:14:11.960 --> 01:14:16.000
standing in the middle of the field. Not only was

944
01:14:16.039 --> 01:14:21.560
it far beyond the horror my imagination had presented, but

945
01:14:21.680 --> 01:14:25.439
it was a good twenty yards closer to my house.

946
01:14:26.760 --> 01:14:31.439
The nightmare stood easily eight feet tall and had a

947
01:14:31.520 --> 01:14:35.119
massive rack of horns that went straight out in either

948
01:14:35.239 --> 01:14:40.119
direction at least three feet. What I could see of

949
01:14:40.159 --> 01:14:45.279
it was skeletal. There was no skin at all, except

950
01:14:45.319 --> 01:14:48.600
for the cloak that was draped over its shoulders and

951
01:14:48.720 --> 01:14:53.319
fell to mid calf. The cloak looked rough, like it

952
01:14:53.359 --> 01:14:59.840
had been made from the skins of other animals, those unholy.

953
01:15:00.000 --> 01:15:05.000
The empty eye sockets were staring straight at me. I

954
01:15:05.199 --> 01:15:09.640
froze as terror gripped me and managed to squeeze every

955
01:15:09.680 --> 01:15:14.399
ounce of fluid out of my bladder. It took a

956
01:15:14.439 --> 01:15:20.079
step towards me, then another. I knew there was no

957
01:15:20.159 --> 01:15:22.800
way I'd make it across the driveway to my car

958
01:15:23.159 --> 01:15:27.640
before it caught me and tore me to pieces. My

959
01:15:27.840 --> 01:15:32.920
mind started throwing out anything and everything it could. Call

960
01:15:33.039 --> 01:15:37.520
someone was the most plausible. I pulled out my phone

961
01:15:37.560 --> 01:15:41.960
from my pocket and dialed nine one one, nine one one,

962
01:15:42.000 --> 01:15:47.840
what's your emergency? Came the wonderful sound of rescue. I

963
01:15:47.840 --> 01:15:53.520
I'm being stalked by something, I said, Do you mean someone? No,

964
01:15:53.800 --> 01:16:01.279
it's definitely something. Okay, describe this something for me. I

965
01:16:01.359 --> 01:16:05.159
gave the best description I could of the monster, not

966
01:16:05.399 --> 01:16:09.720
daring to look out the window for confirmation of my details.

967
01:16:10.640 --> 01:16:15.880
Uh huh. The operator said, well, give me your address

968
01:16:16.039 --> 01:16:20.039
and I'll send over a cryptid hunter as soon as possible.

969
01:16:21.319 --> 01:16:30.479
Oh okay, my addresses. The line disconnected. Hello, I said, desperately.

970
01:16:31.479 --> 01:16:37.119
I tried calling back, but it just kept ringing. Hiding

971
01:16:37.159 --> 01:16:40.479
didn't seem to be an option. It was obvious from

972
01:16:40.520 --> 01:16:44.800
the animal skins it wore that this thing was a

973
01:16:45.039 --> 01:16:49.760
very proficient hunter. I assumed that meant it had a

974
01:16:49.760 --> 01:16:53.199
good sense of smell and would be able to sniff

975
01:16:53.239 --> 01:16:58.680
me out of any hiding place in my home. My

976
01:16:58.840 --> 01:17:03.439
next option was to leave. I went to the kitchen

977
01:17:03.479 --> 01:17:07.640
and grabbed my car keys, hoping to slip out unnoticed.

978
01:17:09.000 --> 01:17:12.760
Those hopes were dashed when I looked out and saw

979
01:17:12.800 --> 01:17:18.520
the monster walking up my driveway. I ducked behind the door,

980
01:17:19.039 --> 01:17:24.880
eyes darting around, looking for anywhere to hide. To this day,

981
01:17:25.640 --> 01:17:29.239
I don't know why, but I ran to the drawers

982
01:17:30.000 --> 01:17:33.920
and grabbed a butcher knife. What good it was going

983
01:17:34.000 --> 01:17:39.279
to do against a monster that was entirely bones was

984
01:17:39.359 --> 01:17:45.520
beyond me. But I wasn't exactly calmly considering my options

985
01:17:46.039 --> 01:17:51.159
at that moment. The first crash splintered my outside door.

986
01:17:52.439 --> 01:17:56.880
The second crash destroyed it. The monster ducked its head

987
01:17:56.920 --> 01:18:02.199
and stepped inside my mudroom, staring right at me. I

988
01:18:02.279 --> 01:18:06.760
had three options. Run to the living room, go upstairs,

989
01:18:07.119 --> 01:18:12.520
or down to the basement. I have no idea why

990
01:18:12.560 --> 01:18:16.319
I sprinted toward the basement door. I shut and locked

991
01:18:16.319 --> 01:18:19.439
it behind me as the inside door broke into pieces.

992
01:18:20.079 --> 01:18:23.600
Making my way down the steps as quickly and quietly

993
01:18:23.640 --> 01:18:28.920
as possible, I listened to the floorboards creak above me,

994
01:18:30.279 --> 01:18:34.760
looking around the semi finished basement, with just enough room

995
01:18:34.840 --> 01:18:39.319
to stand if I ducked my head. I quickly discovered

996
01:18:40.079 --> 01:18:44.720
that there was no clear cut hiding places. The footsteps

997
01:18:44.760 --> 01:18:48.920
above slowly made their way back to the living room,

998
01:18:50.239 --> 01:18:56.840
then up the stairs. For a brief, fleeting moment, I

999
01:18:56.960 --> 01:19:00.560
thought about going back up to the kitchen when the

1000
01:19:00.600 --> 01:19:05.359
basement door flung open. The steps groaned under the weight

1001
01:19:05.399 --> 01:19:09.439
of the monster, and I was overwhelmed by the stench

1002
01:19:09.560 --> 01:19:13.640
of death. I ran back to the short hallway toward

1003
01:19:13.720 --> 01:19:17.359
the outside cellar door, but I knew it was too

1004
01:19:17.479 --> 01:19:22.560
heavy for me to open it from the inside. Standing

1005
01:19:22.600 --> 01:19:28.319
there helpless like a deer in headlights, the oil furnace

1006
01:19:28.479 --> 01:19:32.119
kicked on. It had been a nice day, but the

1007
01:19:32.159 --> 01:19:35.920
furnace still kicked on from time to time to keep

1008
01:19:35.960 --> 01:19:40.159
the temperature where it was set. It didn't run for

1009
01:19:40.199 --> 01:19:44.920
more than a minute before turning off. The oil tank

1010
01:19:45.039 --> 01:19:49.039
sat beside the furnace, with both of them set a

1011
01:19:49.079 --> 01:19:53.960
short space away from the wall. I dashed over behind

1012
01:19:54.000 --> 01:19:57.720
the furnace and tried to stuff myself between it and

1013
01:19:57.800 --> 01:20:02.439
the wall, making my self as small as possible in

1014
01:20:02.560 --> 01:20:09.000
hopes that it might somehow not see me. It wasn't

1015
01:20:09.039 --> 01:20:12.119
long before I heard the scrape of bone on the

1016
01:20:12.199 --> 01:20:21.399
concrete floor getting closer and closer. My life expectancy had

1017
01:20:21.439 --> 01:20:25.239
shrunk to a matter of seconds. I wondered if anyone

1018
01:20:25.279 --> 01:20:29.199
would ever know how I met my gruesome end, or

1019
01:20:29.920 --> 01:20:34.239
would my story be a mystery, an urban legend, like

1020
01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:39.840
so many others that lived near forested areas and suddenly disappear,

1021
01:20:40.960 --> 01:20:48.239
never to be seen or heard from again. The sniffing

1022
01:20:48.680 --> 01:20:53.319
was my death knell. It drew closer as the horns

1023
01:20:53.399 --> 01:20:58.000
appeared in front of me. My only advantage was the

1024
01:20:58.119 --> 01:21:02.119
horns couldn't fit between the oil tank and the furnace.

1025
01:21:03.560 --> 01:21:08.119
I celebrated a small victory that this hellish monster would

1026
01:21:08.159 --> 01:21:11.880
at least have to put forth some effort in order

1027
01:21:11.920 --> 01:21:16.600
to get me. It struggled to reach behind the furnace,

1028
01:21:17.199 --> 01:21:21.640
almost to me. The only thing that stopped it was

1029
01:21:21.760 --> 01:21:25.000
leaning against the furnace and drawing back as it cried

1030
01:21:25.039 --> 01:21:30.000
out in pain from the heat. Realizing my hiding space

1031
01:21:30.199 --> 01:21:34.720
was compromised, I darted behind the oil tank, hoping the

1032
01:21:34.720 --> 01:21:38.880
bulk of the tank would hinder it. I scooched as

1033
01:21:38.960 --> 01:21:43.239
far as I could into the corner. There was only

1034
01:21:43.279 --> 01:21:47.720
a small clearance between the tank and the wall maybe

1035
01:21:47.760 --> 01:21:52.000
a foot. I knew it couldn't get in here, but

1036
01:21:52.079 --> 01:21:55.840
that didn't mean it couldn't reach me. Its arms were

1037
01:21:56.760 --> 01:22:01.920
incredibly long. I watched does It seemed to be confused

1038
01:22:01.960 --> 01:22:06.039
as to where I'd gone. The sniffing started again as

1039
01:22:06.079 --> 01:22:09.319
it tried to locate me, but it seemed to be

1040
01:22:09.399 --> 01:22:13.399
having problems. The fill pipe for the oil tank had

1041
01:22:13.399 --> 01:22:17.720
a small leak. I'd wrapped rags around it, but there

1042
01:22:17.800 --> 01:22:21.560
was still some oil in the rags. It seemed like

1043
01:22:21.720 --> 01:22:27.359
the smell was throwing it off. For one brief moment,

1044
01:22:27.560 --> 01:22:30.079
I saw it take a few steps away from me

1045
01:22:30.479 --> 01:22:35.039
and my hiding place. It seemed like, by some miracle,

1046
01:22:35.960 --> 01:22:40.399
I might be saved. It turned back toward the steps

1047
01:22:41.279 --> 01:22:45.560
and seemed like it was leaving. I breathed a sigh

1048
01:22:45.720 --> 01:22:53.039
of relief. Just then it stopped, turned and came straight

1049
01:22:53.199 --> 01:22:57.479
toward the oil tank. It slammed its bulk against the tank,

1050
01:22:57.840 --> 01:23:01.920
making the metal groan from the stretch us It backed

1051
01:23:02.000 --> 01:23:06.119
up and slammed into it again. This time I could

1052
01:23:06.119 --> 01:23:09.680
see the metal bracket that was bolted into cement to

1053
01:23:09.760 --> 01:23:13.640
keep the tank in place. It was starting to bend.

1054
01:23:14.880 --> 01:23:18.279
I didn't think such a thing was possible, But after

1055
01:23:18.319 --> 01:23:23.479
the third slam, the bolt broke. The tank teetered precariously

1056
01:23:23.560 --> 01:23:27.920
toward the furnace. One more slam and the front bracket broke.

1057
01:23:28.800 --> 01:23:32.720
The tank listed on its side, falling in slow motion

1058
01:23:33.439 --> 01:23:38.920
toward the furnace. As the tank fell, the intake pipe

1059
01:23:38.960 --> 01:23:42.520
broke loose. There was now an opening at the top

1060
01:23:42.560 --> 01:23:46.239
of the tank that was slowly falling toward the furnace.

1061
01:23:47.760 --> 01:23:52.199
Halfway down, heating oil began splashing out of the opening.

1062
01:23:53.319 --> 01:23:56.800
The monster didn't seem to care. It had caught sight

1063
01:23:56.840 --> 01:23:59.720
of me and was pushing the tank down to get

1064
01:23:59.760 --> 01:24:03.600
to me. I had to stand, or the tank would

1065
01:24:03.640 --> 01:24:08.079
have crushed my leg. As soon as I did, it

1066
01:24:08.199 --> 01:24:13.399
let out the most ungodly roar. If I hadn't soiled

1067
01:24:13.399 --> 01:24:18.479
myself earlier, I would have Just then I was stuck.

1068
01:24:19.319 --> 01:24:22.880
It was checkmate. I was trapped in a corner with

1069
01:24:22.960 --> 01:24:27.039
an oil tank and furnace blocking my way on one side,

1070
01:24:27.079 --> 01:24:32.520
and a murderous, unholy abomination on the other. As the

1071
01:24:32.600 --> 01:24:36.159
tank came to rest against the furnace, it ripped off

1072
01:24:36.159 --> 01:24:42.039
the side, exposing part of the firebox. Somehow I discovered

1073
01:24:42.319 --> 01:24:47.159
another horrible way to die. The oil was dripping down

1074
01:24:47.199 --> 01:24:51.640
the side of the furnace and into the firebox. The

1075
01:24:51.680 --> 01:24:55.520
intermittent nature of the oil furnace had kept me safe

1076
01:24:55.520 --> 01:25:00.239
for the moment, as it wasn't currently running, but it

1077
01:25:00.279 --> 01:25:03.920
was only a matter of time. The oil dripping out

1078
01:25:03.920 --> 01:25:07.119
of the tank was making an ever expanding puddle on

1079
01:25:07.159 --> 01:25:11.760
the floor. I tiptoed further into the corner to stay

1080
01:25:11.760 --> 01:25:15.279
away from it, but the monster was climbing over the

1081
01:25:15.319 --> 01:25:20.079
tank and was almost able to reach me. It didn't

1082
01:25:20.119 --> 01:25:25.039
matter what I did. I was about to die. Its

1083
01:25:25.079 --> 01:25:29.520
skeletal fingers brushed my shoulder trying to get a grip.

1084
01:25:30.439 --> 01:25:35.439
In sheer panic and desperation, I did the strangest thing

1085
01:25:35.680 --> 01:25:39.399
I think I've ever done. I took the knife that

1086
01:25:39.520 --> 01:25:43.000
I'd carried with me from the kitchen, shoved it through

1087
01:25:43.039 --> 01:25:46.760
the armbones of the monster, and then straight up, with

1088
01:25:46.920 --> 01:25:51.640
every ounce of strength, right into the ceiling. To my

1089
01:25:51.760 --> 01:25:55.479
great joy, the knife buried itself in the space between

1090
01:25:55.560 --> 01:26:01.359
the wooden boards and stuck. The monstered and pulled back

1091
01:26:01.439 --> 01:26:07.439
on the offending appendage, causing more damage but not breaking free.

1092
01:26:07.640 --> 01:26:11.560
In my moment of triumph, the most unexpected and wonderful

1093
01:26:11.640 --> 01:26:18.079
thing happened, the oil furnace kicked on. I watched in

1094
01:26:18.239 --> 01:26:22.600
fascination as the oil that the monster was standing and ignited.

1095
01:26:23.159 --> 01:26:27.079
The flames quickly engulfed it as it squealed in pain.

1096
01:26:27.920 --> 01:26:31.359
I scrambled over the down tank as the fire came

1097
01:26:31.439 --> 01:26:36.479
towards me. Just before I hit the concrete floor, the

1098
01:26:36.520 --> 01:26:41.119
monster reached out to grab me. My side was instantly

1099
01:26:41.199 --> 01:26:45.840
on fire, and for the briefest of moments, I thought

1100
01:26:45.880 --> 01:26:49.560
it had me, but instead it tore a gash in

1101
01:26:49.680 --> 01:26:54.000
my side. I didn't bother to look down at the damage,

1102
01:26:54.760 --> 01:26:57.640
just ran up the stairs and out the door, not

1103
01:26:57.880 --> 01:27:01.279
stopping until I was in the car and speeding down

1104
01:27:01.279 --> 01:27:06.000
the road. When I finally got my breathing under control,

1105
01:27:06.960 --> 01:27:11.600
I pondered where exactly I was going, aside from away

1106
01:27:11.640 --> 01:27:16.159
from certain death. I reached down and touched my side,

1107
01:27:16.479 --> 01:27:20.680
pulling away with a hand covered in blood. It seemed

1108
01:27:20.680 --> 01:27:26.159
to me like my destination was indeed set the hospital

1109
01:27:26.199 --> 01:27:30.279
it was, being twenty minutes away from the nearest town.

1110
01:27:31.000 --> 01:27:34.159
I wondered if the monster had managed to kill me anyway,

1111
01:27:35.119 --> 01:27:38.399
Bleeding to death would be better than being eaten, but

1112
01:27:39.520 --> 01:27:45.199
I'd still be just as dead. Around ten minutes into

1113
01:27:45.199 --> 01:27:50.239
my trip, I saw flashing lights headed towards me and

1114
01:27:50.319 --> 01:27:53.920
heard the siren of the fire truck as it sped past,

1115
01:27:54.479 --> 01:27:58.960
heading up hill. I assumed they were going to extinguish

1116
01:27:59.000 --> 01:28:04.479
my house and hoped that that monster was already dead.

1117
01:28:05.800 --> 01:28:09.600
The thought of it killing unsuspecting firemen almost made me

1118
01:28:09.680 --> 01:28:13.479
turn around to go warn them, but I'd never catch

1119
01:28:13.560 --> 01:28:17.640
up with them, and if I tried, it would possibly

1120
01:28:17.680 --> 01:28:22.159
be the last thing I ever did. The thought of

1121
01:28:22.239 --> 01:28:25.760
losing all the things I'd collected over the course of

1122
01:28:25.800 --> 01:28:31.880
my life saddened me, but being alive to feel the

1123
01:28:31.960 --> 01:28:37.880
sadness was its own reward. The worst part of knowing

1124
01:28:38.600 --> 01:28:41.800
that I would never go near that house again was

1125
01:28:43.640 --> 01:28:49.319
I'd miss my trees deep in the frozen wilderness. The

1126
01:28:49.439 --> 01:28:52.960
legend of the Wendigo haunts those who dare to listen.

1127
01:28:53.359 --> 01:28:58.000
From Algonquin folklore to real life horror, this terrifying creature

1128
01:28:58.119 --> 01:29:04.640
symbolizes greed, starvation, and the darkest depths of human nature. Tonight,

1129
01:29:04.720 --> 01:29:07.720
we dive into the origins of the Wendigo, myth, true

1130
01:29:07.840 --> 01:29:12.199
caces of Wendigo psychosis, and how this monstrous legend continues

1131
01:29:12.239 --> 01:29:15.840
to terrify.

1132
01:29:14.439 --> 01:29:18.680
What you were about to pit the spur to Benne.

1133
01:29:20.279 --> 01:29:31.199
Based on witness accounts, testimonies, and public record, this is terrifying, and.

1134
01:29:39.399 --> 01:29:44.319
As winter comes and the weather turns frigid, human imagination

1135
01:29:44.760 --> 01:29:50.319
tends to wander to dark depths, where the trees whisper secrets,

1136
01:29:50.760 --> 01:29:55.039
and the wind howls like a starving beast. That's where

1137
01:29:55.039 --> 01:29:59.600
a legend begins to lurk. It's older than the first

1138
01:29:59.640 --> 01:30:03.039
snow fall, older than the bones buried beneath the ice.

1139
01:30:03.720 --> 01:30:07.880
The Algonquin tribes spoke of it in hushed tones, a

1140
01:30:07.960 --> 01:30:13.039
cursed creature with an insatiable hunger, a monster that was

1141
01:30:13.079 --> 01:30:16.439
once a man. They say, if you hear your name

1142
01:30:17.319 --> 01:30:22.000
carried on the wind, it's already to Landry. Well, that's

1143
01:30:22.000 --> 01:30:25.199
not a good sign. After this break, we're gonna dive

1144
01:30:25.279 --> 01:30:27.760
deep into the story of what happens when greed takes

1145
01:30:27.760 --> 01:30:43.960
hold and hunger never ends. In the vast, snow covered

1146
01:30:44.000 --> 01:30:49.000
wilderness of North America, a dark and haunting legend took

1147
01:30:49.159 --> 01:30:55.159
shape among the Algonquians speaking peoples. The Wendigo, a creature

1148
01:30:55.319 --> 01:31:00.239
born from greed and insatiable hunger, served as both the

1149
01:31:00.279 --> 01:31:05.520
warning and a reflection of humanity's darkest impulses. With its

1150
01:31:05.520 --> 01:31:10.079
emaciated frame and ravenous appetite, The Wendigo was said to

1151
01:31:10.119 --> 01:31:14.720
consume not only flesh, but the very essence of balance

1152
01:31:15.199 --> 01:31:21.359
and harmony, leaving destruction in its wake. But the Wendigo

1153
01:31:21.520 --> 01:31:26.119
is more than just a monstrous figure of folklore. Over time,

1154
01:31:26.560 --> 01:31:32.319
it is transformed into a powerful metaphor representing individuals, ideology,

1155
01:31:32.680 --> 01:31:39.119
and forces corrupted by unrestrained greed and selfishness. Its shadow

1156
01:31:39.239 --> 01:31:45.319
looms large in stories of colonialism, environmental degradation, and even

1157
01:31:45.359 --> 01:31:51.520
the exploitation of communities for personal gain. From traditional indigenous

1158
01:31:51.560 --> 01:31:56.880
tales to modern interpretations in literature, film, and gaming, the

1159
01:31:56.920 --> 01:32:02.640
Wendigo continues to captivate and tear verify. Its symbolic resonance

1160
01:32:02.760 --> 01:32:07.359
persists a chilling reminder of what can happen when humanity's

1161
01:32:07.439 --> 01:32:13.000
desires grow unchecked. The Wendigo's story forces us to confront

1162
01:32:13.119 --> 01:32:18.800
uncomfortable truths about human nature, asking the question where does

1163
01:32:18.840 --> 01:32:24.720
the line between survival and greed blur and what happens

1164
01:32:25.359 --> 01:32:30.840
when that line is crossed. The word wendigo has its

1165
01:32:30.960 --> 01:32:35.840
roots in Algonquin languages and translates to terms such as

1166
01:32:36.319 --> 01:32:42.399
evil spirit or solely for self. This term is significant

1167
01:32:42.399 --> 01:32:48.640
across several Native American languages, including Audibe, Cree, and Salto.

1168
01:32:49.279 --> 01:32:53.640
The wendigo is a supernatural being central to the spiritual

1169
01:32:53.680 --> 01:32:59.159
traditions of Algonquin speaking First nations in North America. Described

1170
01:32:59.199 --> 01:33:03.000
as a powerful and malevolent creature, the wendigo is infamous

1171
01:33:03.039 --> 01:33:08.800
for its unquenchable desire to kill and devour human beings.

1172
01:33:09.520 --> 01:33:14.680
Legends suggest that humans can transform into wendigoes, typically due

1173
01:33:14.680 --> 01:33:20.479
to greed, weakness, or moral corruption. This transformation underscores the

1174
01:33:20.520 --> 01:33:24.600
cautionary aspect of the wendigo as a symbol of what

1175
01:33:24.760 --> 01:33:31.680
happens when individuals prioritize selfish desires over communal values. The

1176
01:33:31.720 --> 01:33:36.520
Wendigo's existence within these stories highlights the dangers of greed

1177
01:33:37.039 --> 01:33:40.960
and the devastating consequences it can bring to individuals and

1178
01:33:41.159 --> 01:33:46.079
communities alike. It is a vivid metaphor for the destruction

1179
01:33:46.319 --> 01:33:53.199
wrought by unrestrained human flaws. The wendigo is universally regarded

1180
01:33:53.560 --> 01:33:58.920
as a dangerous and sinister force within Algonquin cultures. Indigenous

1181
01:33:58.960 --> 01:34:03.199
traditions describe it as not only a threat to individual lives,

1182
01:34:03.600 --> 01:34:08.199
but also to the moral and spiritual health of entire communities.

1183
01:34:09.079 --> 01:34:11.880
The creature is said to have a thirst for blood

1184
01:34:12.439 --> 01:34:17.000
and an ability to corrupt those it encounters, spreading evil

1185
01:34:17.479 --> 01:34:22.359
and destruction. Its presence serves as a potent warning about

1186
01:34:22.359 --> 01:34:26.800
the consequences of isolation and the loss of humanity when

1187
01:34:26.880 --> 01:34:31.840
greed and selfishness are allowed to take hold. Embedded within

1188
01:34:31.960 --> 01:34:36.720
Wendigo legends is the theme of caution against isolation and

1189
01:34:36.840 --> 01:34:41.279
the breakdown of community. These tales emphasize the importance of

1190
01:34:41.399 --> 01:34:46.840
unity and collective well being, warning against behaviors that disrupt

1191
01:34:46.960 --> 01:34:53.039
social harmony. By embodying the extreme consequences of selfishness, the

1192
01:34:53.079 --> 01:34:59.119
wendigo reinforces the need for balance and mutual support. The

1193
01:34:59.159 --> 01:35:02.960
wendigo is prominent figure in the belief systems of various

1194
01:35:03.000 --> 01:35:09.239
Algonquins speaking groups. While cultural nuances in the creature's description exist,

1195
01:35:10.039 --> 01:35:13.399
there is a shared understanding of the wendigo as a

1196
01:35:13.439 --> 01:35:19.840
malevolent and cannibalistic supernatural being. This shared depiction reflects common

1197
01:35:19.960 --> 01:35:25.319
values and moral principles across these diverse cultures, uniting them

1198
01:35:25.359 --> 01:35:31.199
through the universal warnings embedded in the folklore. Often associated

1199
01:35:31.239 --> 01:35:37.960
with harsh conditions, The wendigo is closely tied to the north, winter, cold, famine,

1200
01:35:38.520 --> 01:35:44.279
and starvation. These elements highlight the environmental challenges faced by

1201
01:35:44.319 --> 01:35:48.720
the communities where the legend originated, adding another layer of

1202
01:35:48.840 --> 01:35:54.159
meaning to the fable. The wendigo becomes a symbol of

1203
01:35:54.279 --> 01:36:01.319
desperation and survival in extreme circumstances, intertwining natural and supernatural

1204
01:36:01.359 --> 01:36:07.119
elements to create a powerful narrative. Basal H. Johnson, an

1205
01:36:07.159 --> 01:36:12.920
Ojibwe teacher and scholar from Ontario, Canada, vividly described the wendigo.

1206
01:36:13.880 --> 01:36:18.840
According to Johnson, the creature's appearance reflects its monstrous nature.

1207
01:36:19.560 --> 01:36:24.439
It is gaunt and emaciated, with ash gray skin stretched

1208
01:36:24.479 --> 01:36:29.560
tightly over its bones, and deeply sunken eyes. Despite its

1209
01:36:29.600 --> 01:36:35.319
skeletal and starvation like form, the wendigo possesses an unrelenting appetite.

1210
01:36:35.880 --> 01:36:40.279
Every time it consumes a victim, it grows larger in size,

1211
01:36:40.520 --> 01:36:46.159
ensuring its hunger is never satisfied. This haunting combination of

1212
01:36:46.159 --> 01:36:52.000
insatiable hunger and perpetual thinness illustrates the destructive nature of

1213
01:36:52.119 --> 01:36:57.640
greed and excess. In various Native accounts, wendigoes are often

1214
01:36:57.720 --> 01:37:04.159
depicted as giants vastly larger than human beings. These legends

1215
01:37:04.199 --> 01:37:09.079
emphasize the creature's terrifying scale, which grows in proportion to

1216
01:37:09.119 --> 01:37:15.800
the people it devours. This trait, unique to certain Algonquin traditions,

1217
01:37:16.199 --> 01:37:20.880
symbolizes the endless cycle of greed. The more it consumes,

1218
01:37:21.439 --> 01:37:26.159
the greater its need for sustenance. The wendigo is a

1219
01:37:26.199 --> 01:37:31.560
relentless predator, forever seeking new victims and embodying an eternal

1220
01:37:31.640 --> 01:37:37.079
state of gluttony and starvation. The wendigo's connection to greed

1221
01:37:37.239 --> 01:37:41.399
extends beyond its physical form. It is a creature that

1222
01:37:41.520 --> 01:37:47.279
communicates and in some depictions retains human like cognition and speech.

1223
01:37:48.279 --> 01:37:51.960
This ability allows it to taunt or threaten its victims,

1224
01:37:52.680 --> 01:37:58.960
adding an eerie psychological element to its predatory nature. These stories,

1225
01:37:59.039 --> 01:38:03.880
rooted in Algona Quinn oral history, predate European colonization and

1226
01:38:04.039 --> 01:38:09.000
revealed the depth of belief in supernatural beings among indigenous cultures.

1227
01:38:09.800 --> 01:38:12.680
The first written account of the wendigo by a European

1228
01:38:13.119 --> 01:38:17.680
came from Jesuit missionary Jean Lejeune in sixteen thirty six

1229
01:38:18.199 --> 01:38:22.079
in what is now Quebec. In his report, Lejeune described

1230
01:38:22.119 --> 01:38:25.439
tales of a wendigo that had killed and eaten several

1231
01:38:25.520 --> 01:38:31.199
people and was believed to have plans to devour many more.

1232
01:38:38.399 --> 01:38:43.720
Lejeune's account highlights the shared belief in supernatural spirits between

1233
01:38:43.840 --> 01:38:49.960
seventeenth century Europeans and First Nations peoples. Interestingly, his report,

1234
01:38:50.319 --> 01:38:55.039
written decades before the Salem Witch Trials, underscores how deeply

1235
01:38:55.079 --> 01:38:59.000
embedded these beliefs were in both cultures at the time.

1236
01:39:00.000 --> 01:39:04.640
Mistiononaries in Canada continued to document Wendigo legends well into

1237
01:39:04.720 --> 01:39:09.079
the twentieth century, demonstrating the enduring presence of these tales

1238
01:39:09.399 --> 01:39:14.439
within indigenous and colonial narratives. The Wendigo legend remained a

1239
01:39:14.479 --> 01:39:21.680
focal point for discussions of morality, spirituality, and survival across centuries.

1240
01:39:22.600 --> 01:39:26.279
In the nineteenth century, tales of the Wendigo spread to

1241
01:39:26.359 --> 01:39:31.840
the Western Frontier, where planes, indigenous peoples and Hudson's Bay

1242
01:39:31.960 --> 01:39:38.760
Company employees encountered the legend. HBC records recount indigenous spiritual

1243
01:39:38.840 --> 01:39:43.760
leaders who fell into states of intense religious fervor, leading

1244
01:39:43.800 --> 01:39:51.000
to accusations of being wendigoes. Community members often reacted with fear,

1245
01:39:51.640 --> 01:39:58.479
and in extreme cases, took drastic measures. Suspected Wendigoes were

1246
01:39:58.520 --> 01:40:04.119
sometimes killed as a precaution reflecting the seriousness with which

1247
01:40:04.199 --> 01:40:09.720
these beliefs were held. One notable example involved the Kree

1248
01:40:09.880 --> 01:40:14.319
spiritual leader, a Bishopus, who was killed by three men

1249
01:40:14.880 --> 01:40:19.920
after he became greedy and murdered an indigenous family. This

1250
01:40:20.039 --> 01:40:24.199
act led his community to believe he had transformed into

1251
01:40:24.239 --> 01:40:29.760
a wendigo. Such stories highlight the intersection of spiritual beliefs

1252
01:40:29.920 --> 01:40:34.840
and real life consequences, demonstrating the profound influence of the

1253
01:40:34.840 --> 01:40:41.760
wendigo legend and shaping cultural practices and community dynamics. One

1254
01:40:41.760 --> 01:40:45.600
of the most haunting tales of the wendigo, documented by

1255
01:40:45.720 --> 01:40:50.520
Lottie Chicagua Marsden, an ethnographer of the Chippewas of Rama

1256
01:40:50.600 --> 01:40:54.359
First Nation, tells of a young boy abducted by this

1257
01:40:54.520 --> 01:41:00.119
fearsome creature, the wendigo, driven by its insatiable hunger and

1258
01:41:00.319 --> 01:41:06.600
to fatten the boy up before devouring him. Using a knife,

1259
01:41:06.760 --> 01:41:10.520
the wendigo cruelly cut the boy's hand to test if

1260
01:41:10.560 --> 01:41:15.159
he had gained enough fat, but constant travel kept the

1261
01:41:15.199 --> 01:41:19.640
boy thin. When they stumbled upon a nearby village, the

1262
01:41:19.640 --> 01:41:23.359
boy seized his chance to warn the locals about the

1263
01:41:23.399 --> 01:41:28.720
monster lurking in the woods. The villagers, guided by the

1264
01:41:28.760 --> 01:41:35.479
boy's courage confronted the wendigo, cutting off its legs. However,

1265
01:41:35.600 --> 01:41:40.439
the creature's horrifying resilience was revealed as it began consuming

1266
01:41:40.520 --> 01:41:45.039
the marrow from its own severed limbs in order to

1267
01:41:45.039 --> 01:41:51.159
sustain itself. The villagers returned and ultimately destroyed the wendigo,

1268
01:41:51.960 --> 01:41:56.399
ending its terror, but leaving behind a tail of morbid

1269
01:41:56.479 --> 01:42:03.960
endurance and a truly unyielded hunger. Some Algonquin traditions claim

1270
01:42:04.039 --> 01:42:07.960
that a person consumed by greed or who resorts to

1271
01:42:08.039 --> 01:42:13.279
cannibalism transforms into a wendigo, while others suggest that mere

1272
01:42:13.399 --> 01:42:18.039
prolonged exposure to a wendigo's influence can cause the same

1273
01:42:18.520 --> 01:42:25.039
horrific fate. These stories go beyond supernatural folklore. They serve

1274
01:42:25.119 --> 01:42:30.840
as moral lessons, emphasizing the importance of balance, community and

1275
01:42:31.000 --> 01:42:37.960
resisting the darker impulses of humanity, especially in times of hardship.

1276
01:42:38.880 --> 01:42:43.039
Rituals and ceremonies played a significant role in addressing the

1277
01:42:43.039 --> 01:42:47.600
fear of the wendigo among certain indigenous communities. For the

1278
01:42:47.640 --> 01:42:53.520
asin Ibuane, Cree, and Ojibwe peoples, the Wendigoo khan Zimoen,

1279
01:42:54.079 --> 01:42:58.359
a ceremonial dance performed during times of famine was a

1280
01:42:58.399 --> 01:43:04.279
striking display of cult resilience. Dancers would down masks and

1281
01:43:04.399 --> 01:43:09.439
move backward around a drum, creating an eerie yet symbolic

1282
01:43:09.560 --> 01:43:15.439
representation of the Wendigos taboo. These performances served as both

1283
01:43:15.479 --> 01:43:22.000
a reminder and a communal reinforcement of survival strategies during

1284
01:43:22.199 --> 01:43:27.840
dire circumstances. The last recorded ceremony took place at Lake

1285
01:43:27.880 --> 01:43:32.760
Wendigo on Star Island within Minnesota's Leech Lake Indian Reservation,

1286
01:43:33.600 --> 01:43:38.319
representing the enduring presence of this myth in Algonquin culture.

1287
01:43:39.880 --> 01:43:44.720
The phenomenon of wendigo psychosis bridges the realm of folklore

1288
01:43:44.760 --> 01:43:51.520
and historical accounts. Allegedly, during extreme starvation, individuals could succumb

1289
01:43:51.560 --> 01:43:56.279
to a condition that drove them to crave human flesh.

1290
01:43:56.960 --> 01:44:01.319
A famous Jesuit account from the seventeenth sei century describes

1291
01:44:01.399 --> 01:44:06.800
individuals overtaken by this ravenous hunger, attacking and consuming others

1292
01:44:06.800 --> 01:44:10.880
in their community. The only solution, as understood by those

1293
01:44:11.000 --> 01:44:16.560
witnessing such events, was often execution to stop the spreading

1294
01:44:17.279 --> 01:44:22.800
of madness. Cree traditions, however, recount efforts to treat the

1295
01:44:22.840 --> 01:44:28.159
condition involving rituals using fatty animal meats, and a symbolic

1296
01:44:28.279 --> 01:44:33.680
purging process where afflicted individuals would expel ice, believed to

1297
01:44:33.760 --> 01:44:39.720
signify the wendigo's icy grip, leaving their bodies. One of

1298
01:44:39.760 --> 01:44:45.359
the most infamous true cases tied to wendigo psychosis is

1299
01:44:45.439 --> 01:44:50.439
that of swift Runner, a cree trapper in Alberta. During

1300
01:44:50.439 --> 01:44:55.359
the winter of eighteen seventy eight, as his family faced starvation,

1301
01:44:56.039 --> 01:45:01.880
swift Runner's eldest son died. Rather than seeking help from

1302
01:45:01.920 --> 01:45:06.159
a food supply post just twenty five miles away, he

1303
01:45:06.319 --> 01:45:12.760
succumbed to cannibalism, killing and consuming his wife and remaining children.

1304
01:45:13.720 --> 01:45:19.159
Authorities determined this was not mere survival cannibalism, but evidence

1305
01:45:19.199 --> 01:45:25.560
of a man consumed by wendigo psychosis. Swift Runner confessed

1306
01:45:25.560 --> 01:45:30.119
to his crimes and was executed at Fort Saskatchewan. His

1307
01:45:30.239 --> 01:45:33.640
story remains one of the most harrowing intersections of myth

1308
01:45:34.079 --> 01:45:39.199
and documented history. The concept of wendigo psychosis has sparked

1309
01:45:39.239 --> 01:45:43.279
heated debates among scholars and researchers. Some view it as

1310
01:45:43.319 --> 01:45:48.359
a product of cultural misunderstanding by early anthropologists, while others

1311
01:45:48.479 --> 01:45:54.319
argue it reflects genuine historical events shaped by extreme conditions. Today,

1312
01:45:54.359 --> 01:46:00.119
the International Statistical Classification of Diseases or ICD, recognizes wendy

1313
01:46:00.680 --> 01:46:04.640
as a culture specific syndrome, describing it as a rare

1314
01:46:04.680 --> 01:46:11.159
obsession with cannibalism, marked by delusions and uncontrollable hunger. Modern

1315
01:46:11.239 --> 01:46:15.359
studies suggest it could be linked to starvation induced mental disorders,

1316
01:46:15.760 --> 01:46:21.800
nutrient deficiencies, or social isolation. Ojibwe. Scholar Brady D. Santi

1317
01:46:22.239 --> 01:46:27.439
suggests the wendigo represents a person disconnected from harmony, causing

1318
01:46:27.520 --> 01:46:33.199
harm to their environment and relationships. Luis Eerdrich's novel The

1319
01:46:33.319 --> 01:46:39.079
Roundhouse exemplifies this concept, depicting a rapist whose actions endanger

1320
01:46:39.119 --> 01:46:43.479
his community as a Wendigo like figure who must be stopped.

1321
01:46:44.760 --> 01:46:49.800
This concept extends to movements as well as ideologies. Professor

1322
01:46:49.880 --> 01:46:55.520
Chris Schidler compares the wendigo to colonialism, emphasizing how expansionism

1323
01:46:55.600 --> 01:47:01.199
devastated indigenous lands and disrupted natural balance. The nineteen ninety

1324
01:47:01.319 --> 01:47:06.560
nine film Ravenous illustrates this, linking the Wendigo to manifest destiny,

1325
01:47:07.079 --> 01:47:12.680
where unmitigated hunger for land and resources led to widespread destruction.

1326
01:47:13.439 --> 01:47:17.279
In this context, the wendigo becomes a symbol for forces

1327
01:47:17.600 --> 01:47:22.000
that exploit and harm others under the guise of progress.

1328
01:47:22.800 --> 01:47:27.840
The metaphor also applies universally, addressing broader patterns of greed

1329
01:47:27.880 --> 01:47:33.159
and exploitation. Joe Lockhart, an English professor, describes the Wendigo

1330
01:47:33.199 --> 01:47:38.239
as a manifestation of social cannibalism, where self interest overrides

1331
01:47:38.279 --> 01:47:43.920
communal values. Romantic scholar Emily Zarka ties the Wendigo to

1332
01:47:44.000 --> 01:47:50.600
winter hunger and selfishness, themes central to survival in harsh climates.

1333
01:47:51.399 --> 01:47:55.560
The creature embodies the consequences of succumbing to selfish instincts,

1334
01:47:55.960 --> 01:48:01.439
reflecting the struggles of maintaining balance and adversity. In popular culture,

1335
01:48:01.880 --> 01:48:06.439
the Wendigo has been reshaped, often losing its cultural context.

1336
01:48:07.079 --> 01:48:11.840
Algernon Blackwood's nineteen ten novella The Wendigo introduced it to

1337
01:48:11.920 --> 01:48:17.520
Western audiences but altered its meaning, portraying it through colonial stereotypes.

1338
01:48:17.880 --> 01:48:22.640
Subsequent works like Stephen King's Pet Cemetery and August Derrilith's

1339
01:48:22.840 --> 01:48:28.319
Ithiqui further disconnected it from Indigenous roots, focusing on horror

1340
01:48:28.920 --> 01:48:34.079
over tradition. In recent years, Indigenous creators have reclaimed the

1341
01:48:34.119 --> 01:48:38.640
Wendigo's narrative, using it to address themes of colonialism, greed,

1342
01:48:38.760 --> 01:48:44.000
and identity. Works like Linda Hogan's Solar Storms and Nathan

1343
01:48:44.039 --> 01:48:49.920
Adler's Wrist integrate the legend into critiques of exploitation and loss.

1344
01:48:50.560 --> 01:48:54.840
In media like Antlers and Fallout seventy six, the Wendigo

1345
01:48:54.960 --> 01:48:59.800
appears as a monstrous antagonist, often divorced from its deeper meaning.

1346
01:49:00.600 --> 01:49:05.479
Despite this evolution, the Wendigo remains a powerful symbol, reminding

1347
01:49:05.560 --> 01:49:10.079
us of the consequences of our actions, even when we're desperate.

1348
01:49:11.199 --> 01:49:14.880
The legend of the Wendigo leaves behind a haunting legacy

1349
01:49:15.399 --> 01:49:21.279
of fear and introspection. While its roots lie in indigenous folklore,

1350
01:49:21.680 --> 01:49:25.800
the Wendigo has grown to symbolize so much more. Its

1351
01:49:25.840 --> 01:49:31.279
haunting presence has transcended its mythical origins, becoming a metaphor

1352
01:49:31.960 --> 01:49:36.199
for all of the darkest aspects of human nature and

1353
01:49:36.319 --> 01:49:41.359
societal exploitation. The Wendigo serves as a stark reminder of

1354
01:49:41.399 --> 01:49:45.760
the cost of consuming more than we need and disrupting

1355
01:49:45.840 --> 01:49:50.880
the harmony of the world around us. The enduring fascination

1356
01:49:51.039 --> 01:49:55.479
with the Wendigo in popular culture reflects our collective struggle

1357
01:49:55.880 --> 01:50:00.960
to understand and confront these darker impulses. But even as

1358
01:50:01.000 --> 01:50:06.039
the creature continues to terrify and intrigue, it forces us

1359
01:50:06.159 --> 01:50:11.920
to ask uncomfortable questions. What happens when greed consumes us?

1360
01:50:12.720 --> 01:50:16.600
How far can we push the boundaries before the balance

1361
01:50:16.720 --> 01:50:21.720
is broken forever? The story of the Wendigo remains a

1362
01:50:21.840 --> 01:50:26.640
powerful warning, a symbol of the monsters that can emerge

1363
01:50:27.159 --> 01:50:33.000
not only in the shadows of legend, but from within ourselves.

1364
01:50:33.760 --> 01:50:39.399
And that's the storm my spookies, four trips into the cold,

1365
01:50:40.039 --> 01:50:43.119
and every one of them left tracks you're not going

1366
01:50:43.159 --> 01:50:48.760
to like finding later. But here's the thing about winter horror.

1367
01:50:49.560 --> 01:50:53.720
Sometimes the monster is claws and teeth in the tree line,

1368
01:50:53.800 --> 01:50:59.119
and sometimes it's the part that feels real, the hunger,

1369
01:50:59.560 --> 01:51:04.359
the greed, the terrible decisions people make when the world

1370
01:51:04.520 --> 01:51:09.399
turns white and silent. That's why we close this Best

1371
01:51:09.399 --> 01:51:12.640
of twenty twenty five with an episode of terrifying and

1372
01:51:12.720 --> 01:51:17.960
true to make sure you understand the reality behind the

1373
01:51:18.760 --> 01:51:25.199
hungry shape wandering in the winds. If you manage to

1374
01:51:25.239 --> 01:51:29.760
survive the cold and are still with us, well make

1375
01:51:29.800 --> 01:51:34.640
sure you're subscribed. But first lock the door, check the

1376
01:51:34.680 --> 01:51:39.399
porch light, and let me know which story hits you

1377
01:51:39.479 --> 01:51:46.720
the hardest. Until next time, stay warm, stay safe, and

1378
01:51:46.840 --> 01:51:49.399
stay spooky, of course,