Cryptid Corner - Five Tales of Monsters in the Darkness!

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Hello, my spookies. I hope
you're having a great Friday and ready to

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head into the weekend. It's the
summertime, and you know what that means,

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not just sweaty hair and swamp ass, but it means you'll be outside

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in the woods, on the lakes, rivers, mountains. Who knows,

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the options are endless, but what
lurks in nature? That's what we're going

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to find out tonight as we present
five of Weekly Spookies greatest stories involving cryptids.

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Cryptids are animals that some people believe
exist in others deny, like the

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Mothman, Chupacabra, and so much
more. So we're going to present these

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stories to you right now, and
I believe you're going to have a great

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time as we start off with not
just Mothman, but his offspring. After

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these quick words, I had Mothman's
Baby by Daniel Wilder, a Weekly Spooky

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original. Earl entered the mobile home
located in Lot one five one of the

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Comfy Trailer Park at roughly ninety five
am, but the inside of that residence

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was as black as a moonless night, save for a few beams of light

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that weakly pierced the room from some
random cigarette burn holes on the makeshift blackout

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curtains that hung from Rod's starting to
bow from the weight. The air was

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sweet with the heavy elixir of dollar
store wind on sour weed and what could

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possibly be a week old fileto fish
sandwich from the local big m and of

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course that old hoary chestnut piss.
Not content with the redneck aromatherapy he was

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getting at no charge, Earl turned
on the flashlight on his smartphone to discover

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he wasn't in a mere trailer.
Oh no, this was surely the den

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of some dragon that had confused absolute
shit for treasure. Everywhere he shined a

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light, there were piles of pizza
boxes, beer cans, and tabloids.

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Hello, he cried with a trembling
voice. Only silence, well, silence,

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and a cat hissing somewhere from under
a nearby mountain of debris answered his

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call. Suddenly, from his left
he saw what it first appeared to be

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a scarecrow with large black eyes leap
from behind a lazy boy festooned with porno

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mags and half empty jars of vasolene. As the creature charged him and smashed

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him to the ground, he saw
it was, in truth, a scrawny

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woman wearing large sunglasses. Jesus,
Verline, you scared the unholy hell out

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of me. Shut your cocksucker and
turn that damn light off, Verline.

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Earl complied, and Verlin grabbed his
hand with a grip like iron and led

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him through the filth to the kitchen. Though how she saw where they were

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going in the inky darkness with those
glasses on, no less, he couldn't

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say. Soon Earl found himself sitting
at Verlin's table in her completely dark kitchen,

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which amazingly didn't smell as bad as
the previous room, mainly just some

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unidentified wet paper smell filled the air. You look well, Earl managed.

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Bullshit. Verlin spat literally the flex
of flegm. She dislodged hit Earl in

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thick, hot globs. I look
like a PLoP of cat barf left to

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dry on a hot August sidewalk.
Did you call me here just to discuss

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your looks? No? I called
you here because you're the only one I

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fucked in Stumpville Haller with any kind
of media clout. Statistically, that doesn't

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seem extremely improblem Earl said, itching
his crotch by reflex. Look, I

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know you're calling me a horror with
your fancy learning words, and you ain't

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wrong neither, But damn it,
I have a story of the century here

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here, in the comfy no,
you idiot, in all of Stumpville,

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holler hell, maybe the entire world. You know, The Leader Gazette doesn't

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pay for stories. I'm not in
it for any cash. I want to

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warn other girls so they don't make
the same mistakes I have. I think

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over half the girls have made the
mistakes you have with the same men.

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Fair, But the mistake I made
last was with no man that ever walked

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this earth. Christ, I'll bite
lay it on me. It was round

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about last third. Earl press record
on his phones video option though. Why

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he chose that in the pitch black
room is a mystery for another day.

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Okay, you can start now,
damn it, I already did. We'll

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take two then, fine. It
was a roundabout last third. Oh turds,

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my battery died. Feel for your
left. There's a charger chord right

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there for a ten. I don't
know it's for one of them with the

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small hole. Should work? Let
me see, for crap's sake, Earl.

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This story is going to rip reality
to bits. And here we are

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monkey fucking around with your phone.
Can't you just write shit down? I

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could, but my wrist cramps when
I write by hand too much. Plus

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it's completely dark in here. The
sound of Earl's phone connecting to a viable

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charging source rang out. See all
good? Okay go. It was a

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round about last Thursday, and I
went down to Slide for a drink.

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I had a few and started to
zone out watching the Million Dollar Movie.

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That's when the door flew open and
he walked in. He was dressed in

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a large fur coat, and he
wore a hat and scarf that covered his

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head. I couldn't see any detail
about him at all, but god damn,

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did he get me Horny local horror
wants to screw. How's that for

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a headline? Laugh it up,
brainiac? You won't be laughing soon?

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Is that a threat? Consider it
a promise? Oh? I always liked

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it when you played rough Well.
Buckle up, sweetheart, because over Lean

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is going to take you to some
tough turf pronto. Anyway. Overheat saunters,

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and he sits right down at the
bar next to me, and I

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was mesmerized. Only at the time
I didn't realize it was that wing powder

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of his that was making me swoon
so hard. Wing powder. Yeah,

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you see, this fellow was more
moth than man. Moth man, like

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the moth man from over in Point
Pleasant. They both spat after the mention

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of their ages old rival town the
very same Well, what was he doing

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in Stumpville Holler? From my experience
looking to get laid? He certainly picked

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the right gal. I should take
offense. But when you're right, you're

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right. Anyway, I'm getting ahead
of myself. So he parks it next

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to me and we begin with the
small talk. He tells me he's a

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vacuum cleaner salesman working for Injuried Cold
LLC. Selling the sucker's door to door,

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and he just picked up the Stumpville
Holler territory. Funny thing though,

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he doesn't so much tell me this, but rather puts the information straight into

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my mind. Nothing much there to
get in the way of his message.

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I don't have to take this ship
from you. You totally do, though,

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Yeah, she said, knowingly.
Continue anyway. He tells me his

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whole life story, how he grew
up as an outcast. How his first

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kiss was with his cousin Rose.
Should I remind you that we are cousins?

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Good point, Long story short.
I invite him back here, and

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he took off that coat, but
I instantly realized he was just unfurling a

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pair of big old moth wings that
he used to mimic a coat. What

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about the hat and scarf? Those
were real, amazing, right, But

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I assure you that what was underneath
was anything but human. But you did

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it with him anyways. Remember that
powder I mentioned earlier. That crap flew

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everywhere when he spread those damned wings, and I was powerless as that devil

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dust covered me. I had flashes
of Patrick Swayze and baseball. And when

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I woke up in the morning,
my lover from beyond the stars had vanished,

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but my belly was swollen and I
had a case in the pukes,

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something fierce. You were pregnant,
yeah, and extremely allergic to sunlight,

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hence the curtains. Still am too, So this pregnancy it went quick.

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Yeah, A day or two of
craven pickles and subsauce, a few days

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of crying, but it was legit. I peed on a stick or two

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and it all checked out. Did
you consult a doctor? No? Hell

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no? What would I tell them? Hey, doc, I think I

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have some alien larva in my womb. Care to take a look or spray

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some raid up that bitch? I
see your point, So I hold up

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here, and I got the urge
to make a nest right quick. So

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I hoarded anything that brought me any
sense of being at ease, junk food,

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porn. And there was one craven
I couldn't resist. Vasoline. I

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eat that shit like a high quality
French onion dip, spread across crackers,

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chips, anything that could get in
my mouth faster and faster, not to

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mention lip mom strange and nauseating.
Don't judge a woman? What is with

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child? Never would I dream of
it, My fair lady, You know

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the fact that speak like Shakespeare and
live in a festering armpit like Stumpville Holler

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makes you look like a bigger reward
losing dumbass than all of us in town

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combined. Right, you resemble that
remark more than most. Thank you.

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That's mighty sweet to you. Now, where was I eating chapstick as one

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so often does? Huh oh oh? Right? The vasoline so I ate

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and ate that stuff for days,
at least two of them, and then

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finally I fell asleep. You were
awake for forty eight hours eating petroleum jelly

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the entire time, Sure was it
never occurred to you that that was strange.

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It occurred. I just didn't care. It was that damn powder.

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I tell you, I'm sensing you've
had plenty of powder lately. Damn you,

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Earl, I am not high,
right. Yeah, Then what happened,

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Well, sometime during my nap,
I sat up in bed and puked

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that jelly up all over my coach. I think I'll change that to groin

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in the piece. If that's okay
with you. Do what you must,

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Earl, just make sure people heed
my words. I'll do my level headed

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best, Verlin. So anyway,
I woke up with my pubes itching something

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fierce. Then they came out in
clumps, but I saved them in a

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jar, just in case you think
eggheads. May need to give them a

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once over after they read your peace. After this goes live, I may

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need to weave them into a coat
to stay warm on the streets. I'll

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doubtlessly be living on You always was
a kinky one. Earl, you get

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that from our grandmother. Both crossed
themselves at the mere mention of the woman.

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That's when I noticed my entire private
area was swollen and growing longer.

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That barf jelly had made my skin
stretchy and helped keep things well lubricated.

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What does it say that that's the
second most gross thing I associate you with?

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What's number one? The sperm burp
incident? Earl shivered, Yes,

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may it never be spoken of again? May it never be spoken of again?

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Verlin repeated an agreement, shivering as
well, Shall we continue against all

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common sense? I'm gonna have to
say yes. Things kept getting longer and

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longer, until my whole lower half
looked like a throbbing potato with two tiny

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legs kicking on either side. And
then yeah, well, things kept vibrating

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and churning until my vage opened up
wide as a hound's yawned and a big

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old egg rolled on out. You
were leading egg, yes, mel Tillis,

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I sure did. What did you
do with it? Well? Once

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my parts shrunk back down, I
sat on it, sat on it yup

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right in my lazy boy for how
long? I don't know, a few

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hours, a few days. Anyway, pretty soon that egg got to rocking

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and rolling, and before long it
started to crack right open. Earl pinched

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the bridge of his nose inside he
waved for Verleen to continue. I don't

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know what I was expecting to crawl
out of that shell covered hell. But

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a giant maggot, wasn't it,
that's for sure? Earl gagged, but

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quickly regained as cool when he remembered
the massively unreliable narrator spinning this yarn?

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Are you fucking me not yet?
Is that still on the table? No?

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No, God, no, I
meant, are you just making this

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up? Seriously? What on earth
would I stand to gain from this?

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My vagina looks like a basketball hoop, and I literally screwed a space monster.

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This is a new low even for
me. Point taken. So you're

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larva, my baby, sorry,
your baby, My apologies accepted. Anyway,

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What about it? What did you
do with it? I fed it,

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first of all, like with your
breast. No, I gave it

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a plate of wings and a chorus
to wash it down. Yes, with

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my breast, and guess what it
leaked? Pure petroleum jelly. It was

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like liquid gold for my offspring.
Then what well that was two days ago.

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And after that I discovered a fun
fact. My pride and joy was

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attracted to light. And I also
couldn't help but notice it had shed its

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skin and now looked like a charming
cross between a toddler and a gypsy moth.

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That's when I decided to take a
mental health break and shut out the

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world beyond these trailer walls. Earl
had to admire the near Greek tragedy laid

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out before him. Child sired by
a godlike being to a mortal woman,

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albeit one that oozed vassiline from her
nipples, but still a mortal woman be

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sodden with a being she could scarcely
understand, a star lost wonder stranded on

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a cruel earth. I imagine it's
hungry again. You want to see the

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little fucker? Wait, it's here
now, Sure where else would it be?

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This is its home, sweet home. I don't know. We never

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crossed my mind that it would be
here. It is here. Let me

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turn on some lights. A flashlight
being cut through the darkness. From somewhere

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deep within the mobile home came the
sound of refuse being knocked asunder. Here

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boy, here aloisius? You named
it after Grandpa. I promised my mama

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I would. The sound of multiple
skittering footsteps filled the trailer. Verlin swung

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the flashlight in wild arcs, one
of which illuminated her face. Earl recoiled

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at the sight of her parchment skin
and radiation burned eyes, now devoid of

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sunglasses, that wept tears of opal
colored puss down her sunken cheeks. Here,

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al, come out and meet your
cousin, Earl. Now the footfalls

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grew even closer, until suddenly they
stopped just left of where Verlin was sitting.

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She turned the beam on her spawn. Isn't he a sight? Earl

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felt the vomit rise and splash against
the back of his teeth, but against

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all odds, he managed to swallow
his puke down with a mighty gulp.

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There in the flashlight illumination stood to
being part insect, part human, and

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the nastiest element of both. It
looked at him with eyes equal parts his

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grandmother and a gypsy moth. He
squashed on his prized bogonia as a few

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weeks back, it's beautiful any It
was no sooner than when Verlin uttered those

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words that her baby's eyes lit up
like two rubies forged in Hell's inferno.

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Oh, he's doing his thing on
you. Look away, Earl. I

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00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.039
can't. Don't look him in the
eye. It was too late for any

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warning. Earl had looked into those
eyes, and he was transfixed like a

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deer in headlights. A Al,
you stop at this instant. Earl's eyes

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swelled and began seeping a viscous fluid
that smelled of tuna, fici and cinnamon.

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What is happening? I think he's
fixed into Before Verlin could finish her

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00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:52.399
words, Al had extended his razor
sharp proboscis and jammed it through Earl's skull.

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Stop eating your cousin, you son
of a bitch. Verline was too

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late in her reprimand as Al siphoned
Earl's cerebral fluid, not to mention various

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other bodily fluids in a fraction of
a second, and left only a withered

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husk in his wake. Earl's corpse
fell to the litter strewn floor in an

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unceremonious heap. Al retracted his feeding
tube and cuddled up in his mother's arms,

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purring softly. Damn it, now, where am I going to find

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anybody else to tell our story.
Al burpt and nuzzled close. Oh well,

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maybe I can rub my goods against
someone from the gazette. It's only

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a town over. She spat a
glob of thick flegm on the floor.

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But beggars can't be choosers when it
comes to publicity. Ain't that right?

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Baby? Al cooed softly and drifted
off to sleep. Not all cryptids necessarily

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live in the wilderness, or even
necessarily outside. Some people believe there are

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unknown beings living all around us,
but we would know about that, and

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00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:07.799
hopefully they don't know about us either. As the weather has gotten hotter and

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hotter, I know this story is
guaranteed to chill. It's written by Shanemigliavaca,

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the man who wrote the first ever
episode of Weekly Spooky Mischief Night.

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00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:26.000
He knows how to spin a terror
tale like no other, and his stories

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00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:32.279
always have an interesting bent that you're
never quite ready for, but I absolutely

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00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:37.680
adore them. So get ready to
feed your need for fear with the Triangle

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People. It's a scary one and
it might already be right behind you.

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We'll hear it after these quick words. The Triangle People by Shanemigliavaca. Sarah

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Hoffman was nervous sitting at a table
outside the cafe. She felt exposed.

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Sarah hated open places, so she
had picked a table with a clear view

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00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:08.880
of the entrance and parking lot,
better to see everyone's comings and goings.

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Not to mention, she'd seen them
again, just out of the corner of

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her eye, a figment of her
fragile mind, no doubt, brief flashes

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of people watching her, just out
of focus. Sarah had started seeing them

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00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:32.279
after the incident here messed up kid. Sarah picked up the folder on the

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table. Inside was a stack of
glossy photos. She flipped through them.

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Her hands were trembling. They were
all crap. Damn, What was wrong

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with her? She used to have
a good eye for setting up a shot,

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but these were all framed bad beginner's
shit, not something you'd see from

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00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:59.559
a pro. Let's face it you've
lost the passion. Sarah loved photography,

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00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:03.240
setting up shots, making every one
of them a work of art. All

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00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:08.599
she'd need was the next assignment to
keep her going. And now what had

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00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:15.279
changed? You saw that man die. He hadn't just died, He died

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00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:19.680
in your arms. Sarah had been
covering a flower expo of all things.

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Should have been an easy payday,
a real piece of cake, except for

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00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:30.000
the man with a gun. He
opened fire on the crowd. Ten wounded,

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00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:33.640
four dead, including the shooter.
He'd been there to kill his ex

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00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:38.319
wife. She'd been only wounded.
One of the dead, Tom Hillston.

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He'd been in front of Sarah when
the shooting started. Had he not been

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standing there? She took a deep
breath. The image of his face as

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00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.759
Tom died. It was always there, just below the surface, ready to

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00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:57.559
come out at a moment's notice,
The sadness, emptiness in his eyes.

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Sarah could still taste the blood on
her lips, his blood, blood on

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00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:08.200
her hands, blood that wouldn't wash
off, no matter how many times she

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tried. There were times at night, sleepless nights, where she prayed they

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00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:18.640
could switch places. She should have
died that day, not Tom Hillston,

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00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:25.319
father of three. Post traumatic stress
disorder. They call it. Well,

257
00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:30.440
she certainly had it, and her
work was suffering for it. Missed appointments,

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00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:37.240
outbursts, and shitty work. That's
why this assignment was so important.

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00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:41.839
A job for a clothes catalog,
a chance to get the ball rolling again

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00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:47.039
on her career. The cafe was
busy with the afternoon lunch crowd, far

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00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:51.240
too many people here for Sarah to
feel comfortable. She was waiting for the

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00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:55.640
editor of the catalog to show they'd
had a date for noon, but was

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00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.960
already a quarter to one. Sarah
had the urge to just fucking leave.

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00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:04.000
The photos were shit anyway. A
few more minutes, she told herself,

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00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:11.240
then she'd leave piss on this whole
fucking rotten thing. A red corvette pulled

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00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:15.599
into the lot. Music played loudly
within for a few seconds before the car

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00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:21.200
shut off. Was that Rick Astley? It could only be Irene Dellinger,

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00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:26.119
an old friend and the person responsible
for getting her this job. Sarah hadn't

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00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:30.920
realized she'd be meeting Irene. This
would be doubly hard showing her the disappointing

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00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:36.119
photoshoot. After Irene had gone out
of her way to get Sarah the job.

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Some of the patrons shot Irene dirty
looks as she strode over. No

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00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:45.519
doubt they weren't fans of her choice
of music. Before Irene could reach her,

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a waitress cut her off. Can
I help you, ma'am? The

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00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:52.759
hapless young woman asked. Irene simply
pointed to Sarah, I'm with her kid.

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00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.839
Would you be a sport and bring
me a glass of wine? The

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00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:02.920
waitress left tail between her legs.
Irene gave Sarah a weary smile. That's

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00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:07.000
my girl. She sat languidly in
the chair across from her. Lay them

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00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:11.759
on me, baby. Sarah held
the folder tight, her heart beat fast

279
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:17.319
in her chest. Well. She
wanted to tell her not to bother,

280
00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:21.960
that the photos were all garbage,
but her courage went out the door as

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00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:26.960
Irene smiled at her, waiting with
her hand outreached no. Instead, Sarah

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00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:32.039
handed them off, defeated. She
was weak, no doubt about that.

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00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:36.480
Irene took the folder and rifled through
it a couple of times without comment.

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00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:42.319
Sarah tried to read her friend's face. Was that disappointment? Err just tiredness?

285
00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:47.319
It was hard to say. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes,

286
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:52.039
Irene handed it back. Before either
of them commented the poor waitress from before

287
00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:56.039
brought that glass of wine. Sarah
worked up the nerve to say something to

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00:23:56.119 --> 00:24:00.279
her friend. Listen, I'm sorry
that they're so poor the photos. I

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00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:04.440
can do them again. Perhaps,
Irene put up a hand cutting her off.

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00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:08.200
She took a large sip of wine, setting the glass back down and

291
00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:15.160
spilling droplets of wine on the white
tablecloth. Ha, good one, Sarah.

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00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:19.240
Sarah looked at her, puzzled.
What is this like one of our

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00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:26.440
college pranks? Or is today April
first? Neither? Then you have a

294
00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:33.079
weirder sense of humor than I thought. They're fantastic fantastic? Was Irene still

295
00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:37.559
smoking pot? That's the only explanation. No, No, she was being

296
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:41.000
nice, That's it. She could
tell how messed up Sarah was feeling.

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00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:47.799
You like them, Sarah stammered.
I didn't think they came out all that

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00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:51.960
great. Love them. She took
another sip of wine. In fact,

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00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:57.079
I think I'm giving you the location
shoot too well? What really, Sarah

300
00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:03.200
asked, Maybe Irene the one pulling
a prank. Yeah, she answered,

301
00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:07.519
a little annoyed. I'm not joking. You killed the studio shoot. Let's

302
00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:10.599
see what you can do with a
location. I've already got one picked out.

303
00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:14.759
You're gonna love it. They'd had
a pretty good lunch afterwards, dropping

304
00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:18.880
all the business talk and just talking
about old times. It was the first

305
00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:22.960
time in so long that she felt
good, felt human, and not like

306
00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:29.079
a lump of scar tissue. As
Sarah was walking back to the car,

307
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:33.240
she stopped and waved Irene as she
pulled out, music again loudly pouring from

308
00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:38.359
the car's speakers. It was in
fact Rick Astley. Over the din of

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00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:44.559
Rick's voice and the car engine,
Irene hollered to her it was fun homeslice,

310
00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:48.920
catch you tomorrow. With that,
she sped off, breaking god knows

311
00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:55.079
how many traffic laws. Sarah couldn't
help herself, she smiled. Perhaps it

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00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:02.440
was the turning point she'd hoped for
a second chance ride. Irene might have

313
00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:07.000
thought she'd love the location, but
Sarah had other feelings about it altogether.

314
00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:11.000
The place was horrible. An old, abandoned building at the center of the

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00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.680
city. It had served as the
city hall back in the seventies, but

316
00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:19.119
a scandal of some sort had led
to the building falling into disuse. In

317
00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:23.759
fact, most of this area of
the city had been vacated, blocks and

318
00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:30.960
blocks of old abandoned buildings, some
hundreds of years old. It wasn't too

319
00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:34.000
hard to tell her models, Ali
and Page were less than thrilled by their

320
00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:38.839
surroundings as well. Page, a
pale, leggy redhead looked up at the

321
00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:45.480
old City Hall. Really, Sarah
nodded, that's what she told me.

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00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:49.920
Ali, a pretty blonde with long
curly hair, cracked her knuckles. I

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00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:55.519
don't know, guys, I'm feeling
it. Let's get shooting. They headed

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00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:59.920
into the building. Sarah was surprised
that the front door wasn't locked or bore

325
00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:03.200
it up. Maybe Irene had arranged
something. Wouldn't surprise her at all.

326
00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:08.279
Irene always got her way inside.
It was pretty much as Sarah expected,

327
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:14.279
a mess. The floor was littered
with trash, the walls covered in graffiti.

328
00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:18.519
She had to admit to herself,
though there were plenty of interesting places

329
00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:22.039
to shoot here. The next couple
of hours went rather well. Sarah felt

330
00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:26.079
her confidence coming back. Page was
taking a break sitting on an old desk.

331
00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:30.599
She stretched a long leg rubbing it. She watched Sarah as she was

332
00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:36.599
taking some photos of Alley, clicking
away with an old style camera. You

333
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:41.200
know they have digital ones now,
Paige said, a little sarcasm in her

334
00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:45.079
voice. Sarah watched Ali take a
new pose. I'm a little old fashioned,

335
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:49.160
I guess. After another hour of
shooting, they'd finished up. The

336
00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:52.519
crew was packing up their equipment.
As the girls and makeup guy took a

337
00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:56.400
break, Sarah decided that she wanted
some photos of the place. It was

338
00:27:56.519 --> 00:28:00.759
too good a location to pass up. There were plenty of good shots she

339
00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:07.599
could get. She was feeling it
that thrill again after so long. Perhaps

340
00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:11.799
that was why it didn't bother her
walking down the hallway alone. That and

341
00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:18.079
the fact that after the shooting she
preferred solitude. Sarah had a hard time

342
00:28:18.119 --> 00:28:22.319
trusting people, even those she knew. After all, that woman had been

343
00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:27.200
married at one time to the man
that tried to kill her. You never

344
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:33.400
knew who might snap and try to
kill you. Among the graffiti were people's

345
00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:38.160
names, crude drawings of sex,
organs, and various obscene words. But

346
00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:47.680
one thing kept popping up, the
triangle people are coming, Sarah counted at

347
00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:51.640
least five times so far. She
found it written on a wall or door.

348
00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:56.279
Was it the name of a gang? She walked further down the hall,

349
00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:00.359
clicking photos of the graffiti. She
found a couch further down the hall,

350
00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:04.960
resting against a wall. Spray Painted
across the cushions was the word ass.

351
00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:08.880
She chuckled before taking a picture of
it. Whoever did it had some

352
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:15.960
skill a letter on each cushion and
everything, Sarah thought caustically. Click tap,

353
00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:21.279
click tap, click tap. Sarah
looked up from the couch, glancing

354
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:25.680
back the way she'd come. Was
there somebody coming? Maybe one of the

355
00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:30.440
crew came to fetch her, but
the hall was empty. She turned and

356
00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:33.599
looked further down the other end of
the hall, where it turned a corner.

357
00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:38.279
Hello, Sarah called out, tightening
her grip of the camera. If

358
00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:41.440
one of them was playing a prank
on her, she'd let them have it.

359
00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:48.240
Guys, come on, don't even
clack tap clack tap clack tap.

360
00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:55.759
The sound was coming closer. It
sounded like heavy boots. None of the

361
00:29:55.799 --> 00:30:00.559
others were wearing boots. Were they? Come on? Guys, not even

362
00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:04.440
funny. She felt the sweat on
her palms, making the camera slippery in

363
00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:08.720
her hands as they trembled. There
was a shadow on the far wall at

364
00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:15.079
the end of the hall. Was
that the shadow of a person? Sarah

365
00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:19.480
wanted to run, but her legs
turned to immobile concrete. Click tap clack

366
00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:25.519
tap clack tap. She could make
out the vague shape of a person in

367
00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:30.119
the shadow. They were just around
the corner, coming this way. It

368
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:33.960
was them, the ones she'd seen
the ones that were always watching her.

369
00:30:34.799 --> 00:30:41.279
Clack tap, clack tap, clacktap, Sarah caught the briefest glimpse of a

370
00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:45.519
man before everything went white. In
a flash, her shaking hands hit the

371
00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:48.480
flash on the camera. She was
momentarily blinded. The camera clicked away,

372
00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:56.160
taking photo after photo. When her
eyesight returned, she was alone. Sweat

373
00:30:56.319 --> 00:31:02.799
or was it tears ran down her
cheek. Sarah turned her legs working again

374
00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:06.880
and hurried back to the others.
They hadn't even noticed she'd left. They

375
00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:10.000
were all there, and none of
them acted like they'd just come back or

376
00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:14.279
were pulling a prank on her.
She didn't say a word about it.

377
00:31:14.359 --> 00:31:22.960
They didn't need to know how crazy
she was. Who was that she'd run

378
00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.839
into in the hall? Sarah looked
down at her camera, clutched tightly in

379
00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:30.000
her sweaty, pale hands. Sarah
was developing the film in her dark room.

380
00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:33.599
The apartment she rented was a two
bedroom affair, and since she lived

381
00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:38.119
alone, she'd converted the second bedroom
into a dark room. She nibbled on

382
00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:42.559
her supper a blt grinder as she
worked. The film was all she could

383
00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:47.400
think about on the way home.
This was it. Sarah took a sip

384
00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:51.279
of her coke, watching the photo
the whole time. The first one she'd

385
00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:56.759
taken was the figure's lower half,
black pants and matching boots. Clack tap

386
00:31:56.240 --> 00:32:01.039
clack, tap clack tap. Could
still hear the sound. The memory sent

387
00:32:01.079 --> 00:32:07.160
a shiver down her spine. The
next photo was a blurry mess. Was

388
00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:10.799
that a hand? The third photo
that was the one that Sarah had wished

389
00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:16.160
she'd never seen? The man?
If that was in fact a man in

390
00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:22.920
the photo had a face that appeared
to be carved from coal, a jet

391
00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:28.400
black face with large yellow eyes.
The being was wearing a suit. On

392
00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:35.119
one lapel was a strange triangle pin. Sarah felt dread claw at her stomach.

393
00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:40.079
Those yellow eyes stared off the photo
and right through her. Clack tap

394
00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:45.839
clack tap clack tap. This time, the sound wasn't a memory. It

395
00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:50.640
was in the other room. Walking
across the hardwood floor of the living room,

396
00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:53.160
Sarah grabbed a large pair of scissors
she kept on the table. Fear

397
00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:58.079
gripped her heart as she opened the
door. Go away, she said,

398
00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:02.839
pleading. The door opened and with
a low creak, there was nobody out

399
00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:08.079
there. Sarah made a quick survey
of her apartment. It was empty.

400
00:33:08.119 --> 00:33:15.839
It was just in her mind,
she thought, relieved. Then she saw

401
00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:22.680
it sprawled across the living room wall, written in black paint, the Triangle

402
00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:29.920
people are coming. Terrified, Sarah
backed away. Then the noise came again.

403
00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:34.839
Clack tap, clack tap, clack
tap. Her TV scream to life.

404
00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:37.839
A dark figure appeared on screen,
its features obscured by static. An

405
00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:43.759
unearthly voice echoed from it. There
are those among you who know the truth

406
00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:49.599
of this. There are parallel realities, the walls of which touch ours.

407
00:33:50.039 --> 00:33:55.599
These realities are overseen by the Triangle
proclamation. There are areas that are weaker

408
00:33:55.640 --> 00:34:01.799
than others, where one touch may
cross over see what they shouldn't. These

409
00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:07.960
errors must be fixed. A shadow
fell on the hall wall. Sarah screamed

410
00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.000
and ran into the dark room,
slamming the door shut and locking it at

411
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:17.280
her wake, Go away, I
won't tell clack tap, clack tap.

412
00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:22.760
It was getting closer, coming for
her. Acting fast, Sarah took a

413
00:34:22.760 --> 00:34:27.039
couple of her photos and hid them. Someone would find them, then,

414
00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:30.679
perhaps they'd know. Something began pounding
on the other side of the door,

415
00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:35.480
harder and harder. Sarah screamed,
till her lungs burned. As the assault

416
00:34:35.480 --> 00:34:40.159
on the door continued, and then
it stopped. Sarah wiped tears from her

417
00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:45.639
eyes, staring dumbfounded at the door. How long did she wait there in

418
00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:52.960
the dark before slowly unlocking the door. Peeking her head out, Her apartment

419
00:34:52.039 --> 00:35:00.280
was still silent, the TV was
dark, it looked burned out. Having

420
00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:02.360
her car keys, Sarah ran out
of her apartment in a blind panic.

421
00:35:02.679 --> 00:35:07.400
She had to get away far away. She headed towards her car, parked

422
00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:10.639
behind the apartment building. She fumbled
with her keys, blindly, trying to

423
00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:16.639
stab them into the door lock.
Clack tap clack tap clack tap. No,

424
00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:20.239
no, no, no, they
were here. She slid the key

425
00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:22.320
into the lock. Before she could
turn the key, Sarah felt cold,

426
00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:35.360
solid arms wrap around her, and
then there was nothingness. Hoping you never

427
00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:42.719
encounter one of the Triangle people is
definitely wishful thinking, but without trying to

428
00:35:42.760 --> 00:35:47.440
be too cliche, wishes can often
be more than we bargain for. I

429
00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:53.280
guess it's good luck that generally wishes
are never granted. But in this next

430
00:35:53.320 --> 00:36:02.079
story, well anything is on the
table, including murder, So get ready

431
00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:08.960
for careful what you wish presented in
all its terrifying glory and gory. After

432
00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:21.920
these quick words from our spooky spooky
sponsors, careful what you wish by David

433
00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:29.079
o'him, Penn reached for the doorbell. His finger hovered over the button,

434
00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:31.360
as it had the last two times
he tried to bring himself to ring.

435
00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:37.159
He sighed and jabbed the button.
Ed's face pressed against the glass of the

436
00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:44.199
nearest window. Penn chuckled at the
sight of the freckled bucktooth face smiling excitedly

437
00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:49.480
at him. The door opened and
Penn was greeted by a far less enthusiastic

438
00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:53.719
individual. Penn shifted uncomfortably. He
didn't look like an ex con in his

439
00:36:53.800 --> 00:36:58.800
new jeans and custom polo shirt,
but he felt the same way he did

440
00:36:58.840 --> 00:37:02.360
every time he was pulled for a
police lineup. Ed's mother, Janet,

441
00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:07.559
held an obese chocolate point Siamese cat
against her chest and stroked it like a

442
00:37:07.639 --> 00:37:12.800
movie villain while she eyed the man
on her doorstep. Janet slipped her robe

443
00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:17.519
up over her shoulder and raised an
eyebrow. You're Ed's friend. Penn shifted

444
00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:22.880
the brown paper bag into his left
hand and extended the right Yes ma'am,

445
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:27.000
I'm Penn, and you've been in
a few Two would be my guests.

446
00:37:27.400 --> 00:37:30.920
She waved him inside, You're gonna
let the other cats out. Penn stepped

447
00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:37.039
inside and glanced around the restored brownstone. Three tabbies lounged on the furniture.

448
00:37:37.320 --> 00:37:39.960
A main coon lifted its head from
the arm of the recliner to survey a

449
00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:45.199
new arrival to its domain. The
cat was seemingly unimpressed by Penn and went

450
00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:50.760
back to sleep. Penn turned to
Janet. Ed had told him his mom

451
00:37:50.840 --> 00:37:54.039
used to be a famous model,
but the horrible marriage and subsequent vodka and

452
00:37:54.119 --> 00:37:59.920
valium based diet hid the fact.
Now Janet looked like she would be bumming

453
00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:05.039
smokes outside of seven eleven. Pen
felt a tinge of gilt. He knew

454
00:38:05.079 --> 00:38:08.280
better than anyone not to judge a
person by their circumstances. She dumped the

455
00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:13.519
Siamese onto the love seat and straightened
her pajamas, before pulling her robe clothed

456
00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:17.679
and tying the belt tightly around her
slender waist. Don't you think it's weird

457
00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:22.039
hanging out with a ten year old
boy? Janet snapped the elastic from her

458
00:38:22.039 --> 00:38:25.880
bun and let her brown hair fall
as she walked past him and into the

459
00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:30.760
kitchen. She grabbed a glass from
the dish strainer and banged it onto the

460
00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:36.400
countertop. You're like thirty, after
all, Pen shrugged, so are you?

461
00:38:37.320 --> 00:38:40.000
Thanks for rubbing salt in that wound. Janet poured orange juice into a

462
00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:45.039
glass and reached for the pop off
bottle atop the fridge. You can have

463
00:38:45.159 --> 00:38:49.199
something to drink if you like,
lactose free milk, sugar free cool aid,

464
00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:52.280
caffeine free tea. We even have
that shitty soda that lacks all of

465
00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:58.239
the above. I've got a water
bottle in the truck, but thanks cut

466
00:38:58.239 --> 00:39:01.400
the ship, Pen, Janet's shipped
from the bottle before pouring a splash into

467
00:39:01.400 --> 00:39:06.519
the juice. The boy's allergic to
everything. No one hangs out with him

468
00:39:06.559 --> 00:39:08.880
because they want to. The last
date I had was four years ago,

469
00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:12.920
and ed broke out and hives because
of the guy's cologne. He has to

470
00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:15.960
wear a dusk mask to walk through
the living room because of the cat hair,

471
00:39:15.480 --> 00:39:20.800
the inhaler, the EpiPen, anxiety
meds, and a legrah for sinuses,

472
00:39:21.159 --> 00:39:23.559
seizures at the movies, motion sickness
at the fair, panic, attacks

473
00:39:23.559 --> 00:39:27.840
at the mall. There's nothing you
can do with him. Ed shouldn't even

474
00:39:27.880 --> 00:39:30.239
go to the park or wherever it
is that he spends his time. What

475
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:36.079
do you really want with him?
Ed sneezed around the corner. Penn wasn't

476
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:39.079
sure where the boy was, but
knew he was with an earshot. Janet's

477
00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:43.920
eyes flicked toward the noise and back
to Penn, calling her son a loser.

478
00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:47.760
Clearly wasn't outside of the norm.
Penn's fist tightened, crumpling the paper

479
00:39:47.800 --> 00:39:53.400
sack noisily health wise, there's a
lot of things wrong with Ed. Everyone

480
00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:59.320
else sees those conditions as things that
make him weak. I see them as

481
00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:04.000
the reasons he's got such a big
goddamn heart. Penn stepped closer to Janet

482
00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:07.599
and took the glass from the counter
before she could drink it. There Ed's

483
00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:12.519
conditions, but you're right, they
do interfere with your life. You have

484
00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:16.880
to take the extra precautions, and
I bet that's exhausting. Don't you patronize

485
00:40:16.920 --> 00:40:22.639
me. I'm not, honestly,
I can't imagine what you've had to sacrifice

486
00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:25.360
to protect him. But that doesn't
change the fact that Ed doesn't get to

487
00:40:25.400 --> 00:40:30.480
be a kid. Pen chugged the
screwdriver and scowled at the aftertaste. He

488
00:40:30.599 --> 00:40:35.920
cleared his throat. What I want
is to take him for the weekend so

489
00:40:35.960 --> 00:40:38.960
we can experience a sleepover, watch
cheesy horror flicks, play too many video

490
00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:43.280
games, and eat a fuck ton
of red and green gummy worms with his

491
00:40:43.400 --> 00:40:46.880
friend the way regular kids get to. And you can go to the spa

492
00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:51.360
or the mall, or on a
date, or at least to a liquor

493
00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:55.280
store for some better vodka. You're
one ballsy son of a bitch. Janet

494
00:40:55.360 --> 00:41:00.840
huffed and put her hands on her
hips. Thank you for noticing. Let's

495
00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:05.639
keep this professional. Janet's face slipped
into a smile for a brief moment,

496
00:41:06.159 --> 00:41:10.039
then the serious, judgmental glare returned. You want to know what's in it

497
00:41:10.079 --> 00:41:15.119
for me, Penn shrugged. Ed's
the only person that's ever seen anything good

498
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:20.320
in me. I want to return
the favor. I want to give him

499
00:41:20.360 --> 00:41:23.159
the experiences he should be having,
and as an extra bonus, I'm giving

500
00:41:23.159 --> 00:41:28.920
you the weekend off. He's got
school Monday. Janet took the glass from

501
00:41:28.920 --> 00:41:31.400
Penn and jabbed the rim into his
chest. You have him home, by

502
00:41:31.480 --> 00:41:37.119
seven Sunday night, or you'll be
the one with medical conditions. Whoo,

503
00:41:37.719 --> 00:41:44.239
Ed shouted excitedly from around the corner. Ed climbed into the unmarked moving truck

504
00:41:44.360 --> 00:41:49.320
and clicked his seat belt. Penn
handed him the brown paper bag. I

505
00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:52.639
don't think your mom likes me,
he said, to be fair. Mom

506
00:41:52.679 --> 00:41:57.559
doesn't get enough guests to know how
to like people at all. Ed uncurled

507
00:41:57.559 --> 00:42:02.559
the lip of the bag. What's
this a present? Obviously, presents don't

508
00:42:02.639 --> 00:42:07.280
usually come and brown grocery bags.
Pen Ed giggled and pulled out a black

509
00:42:07.280 --> 00:42:13.800
polo shirt. Hey, it's like
yours. It's exactly like mine, Penn

510
00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:16.800
said, as he tapped his own
embroidered pocket. Ed found the chest pocket

511
00:42:16.880 --> 00:42:22.360
was identical and featured a stitched moving
truck in green thread and gold letters surrounded

512
00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:28.360
it. Ed and pen moving services. Ed reached into the bag once more

513
00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:30.760
and pulled out a lunch box.
He opened it and found a bag of

514
00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:36.039
gummy worms, a sandwich, two
juice boxes, and a protein bar.

515
00:42:37.199 --> 00:42:43.039
Ed smiled sadly, what's wrong?
I'm too weak to help you move things.

516
00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:47.599
People have little things to move.
Pen tussled Ed's shaggy hair. Besides,

517
00:42:47.920 --> 00:42:52.440
you don't get stronger by not trying. I used to be scrawny,

518
00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:58.679
really really, and look at me
now. Pen flexed, straining the sleeve

519
00:42:58.679 --> 00:43:01.679
of his shirt. How do you
think I got this strong because you had

520
00:43:01.719 --> 00:43:06.760
nothing to do but work out when
you were in prison, Ed answered chipperly.

521
00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:12.960
That's entirely true and also not my
point Ed pursed his lips. Even

522
00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:15.679
if you can't help with the physical
part all the time, I'm going to

523
00:43:15.760 --> 00:43:19.360
need someone to help me with all
the business stuff. They don't teach bookkeeping

524
00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:22.679
in the joint, and you have
to help me paint the truck. Ed

525
00:43:22.760 --> 00:43:28.000
sat up quickly any color, of
course, Ready for our first job.

526
00:43:28.559 --> 00:43:34.199
Penn held out his fist, Ed
bumped knuckles against Penn's hand. Absolutely partner

527
00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:38.360
Crumbs rolled down Ed's shirt and joined
the others in his lap while Penn lugged

528
00:43:38.360 --> 00:43:43.119
the mattress up the loading ramp and
into the back of the truck. Penn

529
00:43:43.239 --> 00:43:45.119
was right, and the couple had
lots of little things for Ed to load.

530
00:43:45.679 --> 00:43:50.440
Still, he felt bad leaving the
heaviest stuff for his friend. He

531
00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:53.880
shoved the rest of the sandwich into
his mouth. Is there more? He

532
00:43:53.960 --> 00:43:59.079
asked, between bites, Yeah,
but not much. Penn pointed to one

533
00:43:59.079 --> 00:44:01.440
wall of the truck. Think you
can move those boxes over in front of

534
00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:05.880
the dresser. There's a big curio
cabinet and two foot lockers that I think

535
00:44:05.880 --> 00:44:09.719
would be more stable there. Sure
thing. Dollia patted Penn's shoulder as he

536
00:44:09.719 --> 00:44:14.280
hopped out of the truck and rested
her hands on the bumper. You're a

537
00:44:14.320 --> 00:44:19.280
good helper, thanks, Ed said, you have a lot of cool old

538
00:44:19.280 --> 00:44:23.639
stuff. Dollia laughed, Oh love, this isn't ours. My grandfather was

539
00:44:23.679 --> 00:44:29.480
a bit of an adventurer once upon
a time. That's so cool Ed scooped

540
00:44:29.559 --> 00:44:32.519
up a box and set it on
top of the dresser. So this is

541
00:44:32.559 --> 00:44:37.559
all his treasures, some of it. After my grandmother passed away, Papa

542
00:44:37.639 --> 00:44:42.400
Harp became a hermit, and most
of it just stayed here collecting dust.

543
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:45.519
My daddy used to tell me all
his stories. I'm sad to say I

544
00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:51.519
never got to meet the man myself. That does kind of suck, kind

545
00:44:51.559 --> 00:44:55.719
of Dollia tugged at a violet braid
and twisted it around her fingers. Not

546
00:44:55.880 --> 00:44:59.679
knowing him means, I get to
hold onto the hope that some of the

547
00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:04.800
Ma, magic in those stories might
actually be real. Oh, magic is

548
00:45:04.920 --> 00:45:09.719
very real. Ed smiled knowingly.
Where is all this going? I'm sending

549
00:45:09.719 --> 00:45:13.599
it all over to a colleague.
They're going to sort it out and sell

550
00:45:13.639 --> 00:45:17.719
it for me. Why not keep
it, Dollia laughed sweetly. Oh,

551
00:45:17.880 --> 00:45:22.840
I'd love to, but there's just
too much of it. The hubby and

552
00:45:22.880 --> 00:45:25.480
I are moving to New York.
We found us a cute little townhouse,

553
00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:31.800
the operative word being little. That's
too bad. Ed lifted an ornate bottle

554
00:45:31.800 --> 00:45:36.800
from one of the boxes. This
stuff is really nifty. I'd love to

555
00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:39.679
hear the stories about each one.
Maybe you will love. I've got a

556
00:45:39.719 --> 00:45:44.360
book deal with a big publisher up
north. I'm going to write all about

557
00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:49.320
Papa Harp and his adventures. I
can't wait to read them. I'll send

558
00:45:49.320 --> 00:45:52.599
a sign copy to you and your
dad. Dollia said with a smile.

559
00:45:52.320 --> 00:45:57.239
Oh, Pen's not my dad,
He's just my best friend. Ed's face

560
00:45:57.320 --> 00:46:04.880
soured by default. Dolia cocked her
head. How's that he's my only friend?

561
00:46:04.920 --> 00:46:07.239
So I guess he has to be
the best one. Ed stared at

562
00:46:07.280 --> 00:46:14.400
the bottle in his tiny hands.
Well, now you've got two Ed Dollias

563
00:46:14.440 --> 00:46:16.760
smiled at him. I got to
pack up a couple more boxes that I

564
00:46:16.800 --> 00:46:21.159
think would fit perfectly right where you're
working. I'll be back in a tick.

565
00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:25.000
Ed leaned on the dresser and turned
the bottle in his hands. Carefully

566
00:46:25.639 --> 00:46:30.519
raised figures around the vessel were carved
from the green glass itself. Ed stepped

567
00:46:30.519 --> 00:46:36.719
toward the back of the truck and
viewed it in the sun nifty he gasped

568
00:46:36.760 --> 00:46:40.159
as the glass changed to brilliant red
in the direct sunlight. Figures bound to

569
00:46:40.199 --> 00:46:44.559
one another formed an unending chain near
the base of the bottle, above a

570
00:46:44.599 --> 00:46:50.360
silver cap cut to resemble flames that
engulfed them. A cutout figure towered over

571
00:46:50.400 --> 00:46:52.239
them with a staff in his hand, and the neck of the bottle was

572
00:46:52.280 --> 00:46:57.840
shrouded in a silver sleeve with intricate
engravings of stars over the man. On

573
00:46:57.880 --> 00:47:01.199
the opposite side of the bottle was
another figure bound by a giant snake with

574
00:47:01.239 --> 00:47:06.280
a hood over his head. He
turned the bottle upside and felt the weight

575
00:47:06.400 --> 00:47:10.719
shift, then held it up to
light to discover it was empty. He

576
00:47:10.840 --> 00:47:17.199
shook it again, feeling the invisible
contents bouncing about no freaking way. He

577
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:22.679
rubbed his thumb over the constricting body
of the serpent and tucked the bottle away

578
00:47:22.679 --> 00:47:25.559
in its box as he heard the
dolly bounce off the front porch. This

579
00:47:25.639 --> 00:47:30.079
is so cool. It took another
forty minutes to load the rest of the

580
00:47:30.119 --> 00:47:35.519
things and say goodbye to Dahlia and
her husband. She got Penn's mailing address

581
00:47:35.599 --> 00:47:37.639
to send the book like she said, and tipped both of them in cash

582
00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:42.079
for their hard work. They were
cruising down the back roads to avoid the

583
00:47:42.159 --> 00:47:45.159
rush hour traffic. Ed turned up
the radio and bobbed in his seat to

584
00:47:45.199 --> 00:47:50.239
Iggy Pop's butt Town. Penn laughed
at the boy and threw up his horns

585
00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:55.320
before headbanging along with the music.
Ed exploded with laughter. Neither of them

586
00:47:55.400 --> 00:48:00.639
was aware of the happenings in the
back of the truck. They couldn't hear

587
00:48:00.679 --> 00:48:06.519
the glass snake's body fissuring, or
the tiny pieces falling away from the hooded

588
00:48:06.559 --> 00:48:10.920
figure, now free of its reptilian
restraints. They couldn't smell the acrid,

589
00:48:12.000 --> 00:48:15.840
semi sweet fumes spilling over the lip
of the bottle as the building smoke forced

590
00:48:15.880 --> 00:48:21.280
the cork up. Penn checked the
time on the dashboard clock and grunted,

591
00:48:22.039 --> 00:48:25.119
what's wrong. Ed Asked. I
was hoping we'd have all this dropped off

592
00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:28.920
before dark so we could go to
the park and get those hot dogs you

593
00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:31.199
like so much for dinner. If
i'd helped more, we might have been

594
00:48:31.239 --> 00:48:36.480
done faster. Don't do that.
It's not your fault. It's our first

595
00:48:36.519 --> 00:48:40.000
gig. We'll get faster, he
shrugged. Besides, there's a place nearby

596
00:48:40.079 --> 00:48:46.320
that has these huge coneys with every
topping imaginable like. They've got one called

597
00:48:46.320 --> 00:48:51.760
the Gutbuster, where the dog is
inside onion rings in a cheese toasted bun

598
00:48:52.079 --> 00:48:55.920
and drowned and chilly sweet. I
think I'll have two of those. They

599
00:48:55.960 --> 00:49:00.320
both laughed. Can we go to
the mall? Ed Dahlia's twenty dollars tip

600
00:49:00.360 --> 00:49:05.039
between his fingers. Sure, we
can do whatever you want, kid,

601
00:49:05.480 --> 00:49:08.719
He squeezed Ed's shoulder reassuringly. But
I thought you didn't like them all.

602
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:14.800
I'll take an extra anxiety pill.
Ed hung his head. I want to

603
00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:19.000
find mom a perfume. I'm not
allergic to something. Thumped in the back

604
00:49:19.000 --> 00:49:22.679
of the truck. Shit. Penn
slapped the steering wheel. I forgot to

605
00:49:22.679 --> 00:49:28.280
strap the mattress down. Penn pulled
over and unbuckled. Ed's eyes grew wide

606
00:49:28.280 --> 00:49:31.760
as he realized the source. Don't
go, Pen, It's not much further.

607
00:49:32.320 --> 00:49:36.880
It'll only take a second. Kid. Penn winked and stepped out,

608
00:49:37.159 --> 00:49:40.159
skirting the side of the truck in
case of passing cars. Ed clambered out

609
00:49:40.199 --> 00:49:44.760
of the truck and watched his Pen
rolled the door up. Penn sniffed the

610
00:49:44.760 --> 00:49:47.920
air and fanned his hand in front
of his face. Why does it smell

611
00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:52.679
like a fucking opium den, he
asked, no one in particular. The

612
00:49:52.840 --> 00:49:57.440
ornate bottle clattered along the metal floor
of the truck and rolled off the end.

613
00:49:57.840 --> 00:50:00.719
Penn caught it before he could hit
the ground. He sighed and held

614
00:50:00.760 --> 00:50:05.119
it up for Ed to see.
The mattress must have knocked over a box,

615
00:50:05.199 --> 00:50:07.239
probably some old time. He cologne. That stinks, he said?

616
00:50:08.119 --> 00:50:13.639
How many years have I been captive? A set of glowing eyes shined in

617
00:50:13.639 --> 00:50:17.639
the darkness. Pen knelt next to
Ed. I thought magic had to have

618
00:50:17.719 --> 00:50:22.960
a battery. What do you think
you're holding? Ed whispered, what is

619
00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:28.039
the price of my emancipation? Master? The thing in the back of the

620
00:50:28.079 --> 00:50:32.840
Truck's voice was a rumbling hiss,
like steam through rusted pipes. What is

621
00:50:32.880 --> 00:50:39.599
ode of babback? Master Penn looked
at the bottle quizzically and snickered, Is

622
00:50:39.760 --> 00:50:46.159
that what I think it is?
Yes? And no Ed gulped. The

623
00:50:46.199 --> 00:50:52.239
speaker came forward, his body adorned
in a silk cloak with strands of gold

624
00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:55.519
that shimmered in the setting sun.
Wrinkled hands curled at the ends of the

625
00:50:55.559 --> 00:51:00.880
flowing sleeves before reaching up and pulling
the hood away from his face. A

626
00:51:00.000 --> 00:51:07.599
sweeping gray mustache covered his entire lip
and swept out in grandiose curls. Do

627
00:51:07.760 --> 00:51:13.719
you free me without obligation? Babic
asked, you're a fucking genie. Penn

628
00:51:13.760 --> 00:51:20.400
exclaimed, and ifrit ed corrected.
The master is learned, Bobby said,

629
00:51:21.159 --> 00:51:25.960
speak quickly. I have been gone
too long. Not until you grant us

630
00:51:27.000 --> 00:51:31.480
three wishes. Though the law of
Sulemaine binds me to one. Baba held

631
00:51:31.559 --> 00:51:37.119
up a single finger. I am
free of my glass prison, and now

632
00:51:37.239 --> 00:51:43.559
bound only by the hesitation of the
Master's words. I've seen enough horror movies

633
00:51:43.599 --> 00:51:46.079
to know how this turns out.
I wish you were back in the bottle.

634
00:51:46.480 --> 00:51:52.159
Penn said, it was the boy
who set me free. He must

635
00:51:52.199 --> 00:51:55.119
make the wish wish him back in
the bottle. Kid, it's not worth

636
00:51:55.159 --> 00:52:02.800
the risk. I wish I wasn't
burden. Ed blurted. Fuck. Penn

637
00:52:02.840 --> 00:52:07.159
waved his hands in the air.
Nope, that doesn't count. He's just

638
00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:09.920
a kid. He doesn't know what
he's saying. Bobbick twisted one side of

639
00:52:09.920 --> 00:52:15.960
his mustache and grinned menacingly. It
is done. Ed doubled over with a

640
00:52:16.039 --> 00:52:20.719
screech and collapsed to the gravel shoulder. Pen dropped to his knees and hugged

641
00:52:20.760 --> 00:52:23.760
him close. Ed's fever was growing
fast enough that Penn could feel the heat

642
00:52:23.880 --> 00:52:29.079
rising off him. What the fuck
did you do to him? He will

643
00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:34.679
be a burden no longer. Boback
shrugged. The imfrit burst into flames and

644
00:52:34.719 --> 00:52:38.679
flashed overhead, streaking upward and flying
above the city like a comet. Penn

645
00:52:38.719 --> 00:52:42.840
lifted Ed and hurriedly put him in
the cab of the truck, shut the

646
00:52:42.880 --> 00:52:45.719
back, and climbed behind the wheel. Don't worry, Ed. Penn pulled

647
00:52:45.719 --> 00:52:49.639
onto the road and a wide you
turn across traffic. I'm going to get

648
00:52:49.639 --> 00:52:52.119
you to the hospital, and then
I'm gonna beat the shit out of that

649
00:52:52.199 --> 00:52:58.159
Genie ifret ed, said weakly.
The hospitals can't help me. Hospitals can

650
00:52:58.199 --> 00:53:02.000
fix anything. Penn lied, the
effort were created from the first flame in

651
00:53:02.039 --> 00:53:07.199
the universe. How do you know
this shit? I read a lot.

652
00:53:07.920 --> 00:53:12.880
You should be reading Doctor SEUs or
something. I don't know. Penn waved

653
00:53:12.920 --> 00:53:15.920
his hands. Not whatever the hell
you're reading. Dad didn't leave me any

654
00:53:15.960 --> 00:53:21.000
of those. He left me books
on magic. I thought you said your

655
00:53:21.079 --> 00:53:25.880
dad was some scumbag talent agent.
He left because he wasn't my real dad.

656
00:53:27.159 --> 00:53:30.920
Mom had too much to drink and
told me it was my fault too.

657
00:53:30.559 --> 00:53:34.960
No, that doesn't make it your
fault. Your real dad is probably

658
00:53:35.039 --> 00:53:37.360
much cooler than that guy who was
just a chicken. Shit, but not

659
00:53:37.440 --> 00:53:42.599
the point right now, Penn shook
his head. If not the hospital,

660
00:53:42.639 --> 00:53:46.360
then what do I do to save
you? Get bobbick back into the bottle?

661
00:53:47.280 --> 00:53:51.800
Easy enough? Penn grabbed his phone
out of the console and pulled up

662
00:53:51.840 --> 00:53:53.880
the Internet app. He steered with
his wrists so he could type faster in

663
00:53:53.880 --> 00:53:59.800
the search bar. Where are we
going? Edwazed, he called the bottle

664
00:53:59.840 --> 00:54:02.480
of prison. Getting out of prison
is something I know a lot about.

665
00:54:02.519 --> 00:54:08.079
When someone gets released, they want
one thing a woman. No, Penn

666
00:54:08.159 --> 00:54:14.119
looked at Ed incredulously. That's the
second thing. First comes real food.

667
00:54:14.840 --> 00:54:19.159
There's only one place that serves Middle
Eastern cuisine in this part of Oklahoma.

668
00:54:19.679 --> 00:54:22.960
Get him back in the bottle.
Ed broke into a coughing fit, spattering

669
00:54:23.000 --> 00:54:27.639
blood across the glove box. He
laid over and put his head on Penn's

670
00:54:27.719 --> 00:54:31.840
leg. It's not your fault if
you don't save me. Pen Pen stroked

671
00:54:31.960 --> 00:54:37.320
Ed's hair, strands came loose and
clung to his fingers. He pressed the

672
00:54:37.320 --> 00:54:44.920
accelerator down to the floor. The
truck crashed through the front of Saffron Palace,

673
00:54:45.199 --> 00:54:49.360
sending patrons of the restaurant fleeing in
all directions. Penn stepped out of

674
00:54:49.400 --> 00:54:52.719
the cab and slammed the door,
pointing the bottle at Babbock, who sat

675
00:54:52.760 --> 00:54:57.320
at his table completely unbothered by the
destructive entrance. You can get back in

676
00:54:57.400 --> 00:55:01.159
the bottle or I'm going to jam
it up your ass, Penn warned him.

677
00:55:01.199 --> 00:55:07.280
You've worked so hard. Please,
Bobbock gestured to the seat across from

678
00:55:07.360 --> 00:55:12.920
him, join me for my first
meal. I'm not asking. Penn sat

679
00:55:12.960 --> 00:55:17.000
the vessel down. You in the
bottle or the bottle in you. Bobbo

680
00:55:17.119 --> 00:55:22.679
combed back his white hair and shook
his head. You cannot threaten me any

681
00:55:22.719 --> 00:55:27.559
more than a louse threatens a camel. Penn slugged Bobbick square in the nose,

682
00:55:27.639 --> 00:55:30.760
shattering it and tipping him over in
his chair. I figured that magic

683
00:55:30.880 --> 00:55:37.159
lamp is like solitary confinement. The
guys in solitary get soft. They can't

684
00:55:37.199 --> 00:55:40.880
take a punch. Penn kicked the
effort in the ribs. Now get in

685
00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:47.480
the fucking bong. Bobbock's mustache smoldered, the bittersweet smell of opium trailed from

686
00:55:47.519 --> 00:55:52.679
the glowing ends. As he rose
to his feet, Penn backed away slowly.

687
00:55:52.039 --> 00:55:55.519
The threads of Bobock's robe ignited,
and the garment fell away from his

688
00:55:55.639 --> 00:56:00.800
naked body. As ash Pen lifted
a chair over his shoulder, Bobbick's mouth

689
00:56:00.880 --> 00:56:07.280
stretched open until his jaw unhinged and
continued to stretch wider. Still, his

690
00:56:07.400 --> 00:56:12.639
voice emanated from deep within him.
I am which was created before all else.

691
00:56:13.119 --> 00:56:16.079
From the first flame, I took
my life. You child of the

692
00:56:16.239 --> 00:56:23.039
mud, are borne in my shadow. He said, you suck at talking

693
00:56:23.119 --> 00:56:28.360
shit. Penn lunged forward, swinging
the chair of Babbock's face. A fiery

694
00:56:28.360 --> 00:56:31.599
cloud launched from Babbock's maw and engulfed
the furniture. Pen let go and jump

695
00:56:31.639 --> 00:56:36.320
back, gasping at the remains,
already scorched to a cinder between him and

696
00:56:36.360 --> 00:56:40.079
the effort. The creature laughed,
smoke oozed from his pores. Yellow brown

697
00:56:40.119 --> 00:56:45.719
perspiration dripped from the wiry hairs of
his broad chest. The glow returned to

698
00:56:45.760 --> 00:56:51.239
his eyes, and his skin combusted. Bobbock clutched Pen's arms, searing his

699
00:56:51.320 --> 00:56:55.159
flesh and tossing him effortlessly across the
restaurant. The fiery figure stalked the room,

700
00:56:55.239 --> 00:57:00.239
leaving burning footprints in his wake.
The ceiling tiles darkened over head.

701
00:57:00.480 --> 00:57:04.119
Pen crawled under a table, only
for a fireball to set it ablaze.

702
00:57:04.320 --> 00:57:07.079
He shot from beneath it and ran
to the kitchen as more flaming orbs streaked

703
00:57:07.119 --> 00:57:12.159
past him and ignited the furnishings.
Penn pulled his shirt over his head to

704
00:57:12.199 --> 00:57:17.000
examine his wounds. The creature's handprints
were black spots of charred flesh. Jesus,

705
00:57:17.039 --> 00:57:22.360
I look like a fucking whopper.
The plastic swinging doors melted into a

706
00:57:22.400 --> 00:57:25.559
puddle as the effort pushed through them. Bobbuck turned slowly to face Pen.

707
00:57:27.840 --> 00:57:31.480
Where is your bravado now, little
mouse? He growled, You know what

708
00:57:31.559 --> 00:57:36.639
the hardest thing about getting out of
prison is, Penn asked, looking around

709
00:57:36.679 --> 00:57:39.519
the kitchen for a weapon. He
grabbed a large, curved knife and pointed

710
00:57:39.519 --> 00:57:45.920
it at Bobback enlighten me. The
effort touched the point of the knife.

711
00:57:45.280 --> 00:57:50.719
The blade glowed intensely until the tang
cooked through the handle, and Pen tossed

712
00:57:50.760 --> 00:57:53.760
it aside with a shriek. He
continued moving away from the walking inferno.

713
00:57:55.079 --> 00:58:00.639
The hardest part is knowing the whole
fucking world went on without you. Everyone

714
00:58:00.719 --> 00:58:05.360
lived their lives, moved on and
did their own thing. The creature paused

715
00:58:05.679 --> 00:58:10.760
and cocked its head. This is
true. Everything changes when you're locked up.

716
00:58:10.880 --> 00:58:14.480
No one gives a shit that you're
gone, and the world isn't the

717
00:58:14.519 --> 00:58:16.920
same when you come back. So
much shit has been invented that you can't

718
00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:22.000
keep up, but you never even
heard of ansel. Pen grabbed a pot

719
00:58:22.039 --> 00:58:24.559
and slung the boiling oil at the
effort. The liquid flared to life,

720
00:58:24.599 --> 00:58:30.880
burning everything in its path. Secondary
fires flashed around the kitchen. Bobbock's laughter

721
00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:35.760
boomed. He stepped toward Pen and
raised an accusatory finger. A gout of

722
00:58:35.800 --> 00:58:40.559
flames speared outward and contorted into a
flame sword that stopped inches from Penn's face.

723
00:58:42.719 --> 00:58:47.840
Then the Ansel fire suppression system engaged. First came the high pressure blast

724
00:58:47.880 --> 00:58:53.280
of chemicals that extinguished everything, followed
by the blanket of heavy foam that knocked

725
00:58:53.280 --> 00:58:59.360
both combatants to the floor. Penn
pushed himself up and slipped about until he

726
00:58:59.400 --> 00:59:04.280
got his foot. He spat the
non toxic but non tasty foam from his

727
00:59:04.360 --> 00:59:07.599
mouth. Bobbock sobbed on the floor
in a quivering mass beneath the white,

728
00:59:07.639 --> 00:59:14.599
sudsy blanket. His flesh was charred
from the fire suppressing agents. Let's get

729
00:59:14.599 --> 00:59:17.039
you back in the bottle. Pen
grabbed Bobbock's arm, and the burnt flesh

730
00:59:17.039 --> 00:59:23.199
stripped away in his hands. You
the effort curled into a fetal position as

731
00:59:23.239 --> 00:59:28.519
his cooling skin crumbled and broke away, leaving a human shaped briquette on the

732
00:59:28.519 --> 00:59:32.519
floor. Fuck. Penn kicked the
corpse and it shattered into soggy ash.

733
00:59:34.320 --> 00:59:37.760
You weren't supposed to die. I
need you to fix head. Something stirred

734
00:59:37.800 --> 00:59:43.480
among the debris that used to be
Bobbock's rib cage. What the shit?

735
00:59:44.159 --> 00:59:47.400
Pen knelt to inspect the movement.
He dug his fingers through the slog,

736
00:59:47.599 --> 00:59:52.840
revealing a green, fist size orb
stretching open within the effort's body. The

737
00:59:52.920 --> 00:59:58.239
red poppy petals pushed through and twisted
open. The petals shuddered, and the

738
00:59:58.280 --> 01:00:02.840
oversized flower moved shake across the ravaged
organs beneath it. Penn touched the petals,

739
01:00:04.280 --> 01:00:07.480
The flower twisted violently, and the
four vicelike fangs buried deep into Pen's

740
01:00:07.519 --> 01:00:12.679
hand. He jumped back, howling
in pain. The faked flower lost petals

741
01:00:12.679 --> 01:00:15.320
as Pen shook his arm violently,
revealing the creature, whose back it grew

742
01:00:15.360 --> 01:00:21.000
on its spindly legs fought for purchase. As it was slung back and forth.

743
01:00:21.239 --> 01:00:24.239
Pen banged it against a countertop,
freeing himself from its bite at a

744
01:00:24.320 --> 01:00:29.280
cost. He grimaced at the exposed
bone before reaching for a towel to wrap

745
01:00:29.320 --> 01:00:32.239
around the wound. A cowering cook
ran past Pen and into the wrecked dining

746
01:00:32.280 --> 01:00:37.480
room. Pen ignored him and followed
the monster's tracks through the foam and out

747
01:00:37.480 --> 01:00:42.840
the service entrance to the alley beyond. He groaned. The overhead lights left

748
01:00:42.880 --> 01:00:47.000
pools of piss yellow between the restaurants
and the nearby buildings. Come out babback,

749
01:00:47.559 --> 01:00:53.519
he called the effort did not oblige
thin digits, caressed pens bare shoulder

750
01:00:53.559 --> 01:00:58.079
and squeezed the tense muscles, sending
a ripple of goose bumps up his spine

751
01:00:58.119 --> 01:01:02.519
as he whirled around the creature.
Wasn't there? Just the cook? The

752
01:01:02.599 --> 01:01:08.039
diminutive Iranian man glared at Pen from
behind thick lenses that occupied entirely too much

753
01:01:08.079 --> 01:01:13.880
of his dark face. The man
held up the magic bottle. You forgot

754
01:01:13.920 --> 01:01:16.480
this, he said, softly.
It seems to be missing the cork.

755
01:01:17.440 --> 01:01:22.119
Shit and thought of that. Penn
took the bottle. The man reached into

756
01:01:22.119 --> 01:01:25.239
his white smock and produced a cork
of his own. He held it up,

757
01:01:25.280 --> 01:01:30.960
showing Pen the burned in hexagram on
its wide top. I think you'll

758
01:01:30.000 --> 01:01:36.320
find this one fits perfectly. The
man scampered away. Fuck am I supposed

759
01:01:36.320 --> 01:01:38.920
to do with the bottle? The
cook stopped at the door. Put the

760
01:01:39.000 --> 01:01:44.199
effrit back inside? Do you know
nothing? As a matter of fact,

761
01:01:45.079 --> 01:01:50.000
I don't. The cook rolled his
eyes inside. Ifritz don't like light,

762
01:01:50.559 --> 01:01:52.639
flush it out. Nail it to
the earth, invoke the name of Suleiman,

763
01:01:52.840 --> 01:01:55.760
and return it to its vessel at
once to undo any wish it as

764
01:01:55.760 --> 01:02:00.360
granted. It's not that difficult.
The man disappeared inside and slammed the door.

765
01:02:00.920 --> 01:02:05.760
Penn's shoulders sagged. He put the
cork between his teeth and pulled out

766
01:02:05.760 --> 01:02:09.639
his phone, flipping on the flashlight. Okay, I got light in a

767
01:02:09.760 --> 01:02:15.000
bottle. Where do I get nails? I don't see a hardwarest Oh,

768
01:02:15.039 --> 01:02:20.239
motherfucker. Pen cast the light down
and found the source of the sudden pain.

769
01:02:20.639 --> 01:02:22.960
He lifted his foot and with it
the broken slat of a pallette.

770
01:02:23.159 --> 01:02:28.000
He slid down the brick wall and
pried the board loose. The rusted nails

771
01:02:28.000 --> 01:02:30.880
squeaked as they passed through the rubber
sole of his boot. Oh good,

772
01:02:31.559 --> 01:02:37.360
now I have nails. He panned
the light around. Nothing moved. He

773
01:02:37.480 --> 01:02:42.000
tilted the phone under the dumpster beside
him. The monster screeched and lunged from

774
01:02:42.000 --> 01:02:45.320
its cover, attacking the phone and
knocking it to the ground. It scurried

775
01:02:45.320 --> 01:02:46.920
away, and Pen crawled after it
until he could get his feet under him

776
01:02:46.920 --> 01:02:51.679
and run. The thing's ten legs
carried it much faster than Pen could hobble.

777
01:02:51.840 --> 01:02:53.559
It cleared the alley and found itself
in the glare of a street light.

778
01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:59.199
The efforts screamed again and bolted around
the building. Pen rounded the corner

779
01:02:59.239 --> 01:03:01.320
and searched for the thing. Then
he saw the back of his truck sticking

780
01:03:01.320 --> 01:03:05.679
out of the side of the building. Ed was slumped against the tires,

781
01:03:05.679 --> 01:03:09.960
his clothes saturated with sweat and his
face void of color except for the explosion

782
01:03:09.960 --> 01:03:14.599
of freckles. A clump of hair
blew away from his head on the breeze.

783
01:03:15.199 --> 01:03:19.480
Bloody spittle dripped down his chin as
his body spasmed with weak hacks.

784
01:03:20.599 --> 01:03:23.519
Penn slid to the ground beside him. He hugged the boy and stroked his

785
01:03:23.599 --> 01:03:29.840
cheek. The fever was gone,
but Ed's skin was deathly cold in its

786
01:03:29.840 --> 01:03:32.719
wake. Come on, kid,
you saved me. Stay alive long enough

787
01:03:32.760 --> 01:03:38.400
to let me pay you back.
It's okay, Ed moaned. At least

788
01:03:38.400 --> 01:03:43.639
I'm with my friend. Penn wept
as the boy fell limp against him.

789
01:03:45.199 --> 01:03:49.159
The Iffrit shimmied out from under the
truck and stared at the two humans with

790
01:03:49.239 --> 01:03:52.880
its beady red eyes. Its fangs
spread in a clicking hiss that sounded like

791
01:03:52.960 --> 01:03:59.000
perverse laughter. The monster moved forward, slowly, crawling across Ed's wilted form.

792
01:03:59.239 --> 01:04:02.719
It watched Pen and cry, but
the man didn't move. Bob took

793
01:04:02.760 --> 01:04:08.360
tentacle steps onto his thigh and then
stood tall and repeated the evil cackling.

794
01:04:09.440 --> 01:04:13.280
What was it you called me?
Kazam? Penn sniffled. He wiped his

795
01:04:13.360 --> 01:04:15.920
nose on the back of his hand, still clutching the broken board. A

796
01:04:16.480 --> 01:04:21.000
child of the mud, wasn't that
it? Bobick blinked each of his six

797
01:04:21.079 --> 01:04:27.880
eyes. Guess that makes me part
of the earth. The board met Penn's

798
01:04:27.880 --> 01:04:30.440
thigh with a sharp, wet smack. Bobi squealed beneath the wood, with

799
01:04:30.519 --> 01:04:34.400
nails pinning him in place. Penn
pressed the board down harder and spat the

800
01:04:34.400 --> 01:04:39.360
cork into his free hand. He
placed the hexagram against Bobic's face. Smoke

801
01:04:39.559 --> 01:04:44.280
roiled at the contact of the divine
symbol and infernal flesh. In su Lemayne's

802
01:04:44.400 --> 01:04:48.760
name, get the fuck in the
bottle. The creature's flesh vibrated, shifted,

803
01:04:48.760 --> 01:04:53.159
and burst into a cloud of brackish
smoke that swirled around the neck of

804
01:04:53.199 --> 01:04:57.480
the ornate glass vessel. Penn stuffed
the cork into the top, sealing the

805
01:04:57.519 --> 01:05:00.360
effort within. His head thumped against
the hire and he hugged head close.

806
01:05:01.320 --> 01:05:06.679
I'm sorry, I was late,
kid. Janet adjusted the flowers in their

807
01:05:06.760 --> 01:05:11.760
vases. Her hands shook as much
from stress and heartache as from the lack

808
01:05:11.800 --> 01:05:15.679
of a drink. She hadn't had
a drop since Penn returned without her son.

809
01:05:15.559 --> 01:05:20.159
She wouldn't touch it ever again.
Ed only ever had one friend,

810
01:05:20.639 --> 01:05:25.840
but the flowers seemed to come from
everywhere. Even some lady in New York

811
01:05:25.920 --> 01:05:30.320
sent some. It seemed all the
time Janet spent in a bottle, her

812
01:05:30.360 --> 01:05:33.920
son spent touching the lives of others. None of them were his friends,

813
01:05:35.079 --> 01:05:41.159
just Penn. The rest sent cards
explaining how Ed helped them, how the

814
01:05:41.199 --> 01:05:45.039
words and smile he shared touch them. She reread the cards and broke down

815
01:05:45.079 --> 01:05:50.039
in tears again. Penn placed a
hand on her shoulder. She slapped it

816
01:05:50.079 --> 01:05:54.840
away. I never knew what he
was doing when I'd send him away,

817
01:05:55.360 --> 01:05:59.119
she said, holding up the cards. Penn took them and flipped through the

818
01:05:59.159 --> 01:06:03.760
stack. He'd read all of them
several times. Ed told me magic is

819
01:06:03.800 --> 01:06:09.119
just a toy without a battery.
He set the cards next to the flowers

820
01:06:09.199 --> 01:06:12.880
and took a bag of gummy worms
from his pocket. He'd picked all the

821
01:06:12.880 --> 01:06:16.360
other colors out to leave only Ed's
favorite red and green ones. He put

822
01:06:16.400 --> 01:06:21.119
one between his teeth and slurped it
up before offering them to Janet. She

823
01:06:21.280 --> 01:06:27.559
smiled softly and plucked one from the
bag. What's that even mean, she

824
01:06:27.679 --> 01:06:32.320
asked. Ed shared his magic with
people that needed it. He got that

825
01:06:32.440 --> 01:06:36.159
from somewhere. Maybe you fucked up
and how you showed it, but you

826
01:06:36.199 --> 01:06:40.719
still loved him, or you wouldn't
be crying in a bag of gummy worms

827
01:06:40.760 --> 01:06:46.079
with me. That was the battery
to his magic love. They still don't

828
01:06:46.119 --> 01:06:51.400
know what happened, Janet said,
severe allergic reaction, a small Middle Eastern

829
01:06:51.480 --> 01:06:56.559
man said, from behind oversized glasses. He stepped into the room and slapped

830
01:06:56.559 --> 01:07:00.239
the iPad against his palm. Possibly
something found in these second hand moving blankets

831
01:07:00.239 --> 01:07:06.679
inside mister Pennington's truck. Pennington,
Janet glanced up at Penn. Pen pointed

832
01:07:06.679 --> 01:07:12.400
at the man. You're the cook, obviously not since I am clearly the

833
01:07:12.480 --> 01:07:16.320
doctor. He nodded happily. And
you are Casper Marian Pennington. Are you

834
01:07:16.440 --> 01:07:23.159
not wow? Your parents hated you, Janet said, yeah. Penn pinched

835
01:07:23.159 --> 01:07:27.199
the bridge of his nose. I
am you should be more careful of the

836
01:07:27.199 --> 01:07:30.519
things you allow a boy to play
with, The doctor scolded him. Ed

837
01:07:30.639 --> 01:07:34.760
turned away from the harsh glare of
the overhead florescence with a groan. Mom,

838
01:07:35.639 --> 01:07:41.159
Pen, about damn time you woke
up, kid, Pen rubbed head's

839
01:07:41.199 --> 01:07:45.719
shaved head. How are you feeling
like I was in a car crash?

840
01:07:45.760 --> 01:07:49.039
The doctor cleared his throat. Penn
squinted at him, then turned his attention

841
01:07:49.079 --> 01:07:53.440
back to Ed. Janet shoved him
out of the way and snuggled her son.

842
01:07:54.119 --> 01:07:56.760
Penn sat on the corner of the
bed and dug in his pockets with

843
01:07:56.800 --> 01:08:00.199
a groan. The skin grafts were
tight and pinched. Ed pushed his mother's

844
01:08:00.199 --> 01:08:04.719
hair out of his face. Mom, you're smothering me. I'm sorry,

845
01:08:04.760 --> 01:08:10.920
baby. She kissed his cheek for
so much. Penn put his hand on

846
01:08:10.960 --> 01:08:15.320
her shoulder again, and this time
she let it stay. Good thing you

847
01:08:15.360 --> 01:08:19.399
woke up when you did, Penn
said, why's that? Ed asked as

848
01:08:19.399 --> 01:08:25.600
excitedly as the recently resuscitated could,
Because you almost missed the coolest, most

849
01:08:25.600 --> 01:08:29.920
fun holiday there is. He handed
Ed a narrow box with a ribbon around

850
01:08:29.920 --> 01:08:33.079
it, ed, opened the box
and smiled, holding up the prize inside.

851
01:08:33.760 --> 01:08:39.439
I can't believe I forgot. That's
right, kid, it's National Kazoo

852
01:08:39.520 --> 01:08:54.039
Day. The end. The Chupacabra
is one of the more interesting cryptids to

853
01:08:54.199 --> 01:08:59.239
me, because you see, it
didn't really come on the scene until nineteen

854
01:08:59.399 --> 01:09:04.279
ninety five in Puerto Rico. But
since then, the legendary goat Sucker has

855
01:09:04.319 --> 01:09:13.640
captured the imaginations of millions upon millions
worldwide, and especially in the Hispanic communities

856
01:09:13.960 --> 01:09:19.560
of the United States. We have
a very fun story all about the bloodthirsty

857
01:09:19.640 --> 01:09:26.760
creature. It's the Beast of Rocco
Divaca, written by Morgan Moore, and

858
01:09:26.880 --> 01:09:31.720
it's a scary one. It's ready
for you, and it's waiting in the

859
01:09:31.760 --> 01:09:42.640
woods with glowing red eyes. After
these words from our sponsors, The Beast

860
01:09:43.279 --> 01:09:51.680
of Rocca Divaca by Morgan Moore,
All right, kids, everybody going to

861
01:09:51.760 --> 01:09:58.119
Ranch Rocca Divaca beyond the bus in
five minutes, the teacher shouted through a

862
01:09:58.159 --> 01:10:01.640
megaphone to a parking lot of kids
and their parents. This year, the

863
01:10:01.680 --> 01:10:05.359
decision for a class trip included a
weekend at a ranch to learn more about

864
01:10:05.359 --> 01:10:11.239
agriculture and the kind of self operated
business that were most common in the surrounding

865
01:10:11.279 --> 01:10:15.640
area. While there were a number
of ranches within the same area, Ranch

866
01:10:15.760 --> 01:10:19.399
Rocco Divaca stood out for being run
by immigrants from Puerto Rico. To both

867
01:10:19.439 --> 01:10:24.199
the parents and the teachers, this
meant the kids could learn not only about

868
01:10:24.199 --> 01:10:29.560
agriculture, but also about another culture
as well. In the hustle and bustle

869
01:10:29.600 --> 01:10:32.479
of all the kids and adults getting
everything ready, Patrick Adams stood with a

870
01:10:32.479 --> 01:10:36.640
group of his friends. Patrick was
excited to go on the trip, especially

871
01:10:36.680 --> 01:10:42.000
since it gave him a weekend away
from his parents. He loved his parents,

872
01:10:42.000 --> 01:10:45.119
but he was also twelve years old
and was at that age when he

873
01:10:45.199 --> 01:10:47.479
needed time away from his folks to
be on his own every so often.

874
01:10:48.079 --> 01:10:51.600
Man, I can't wait to get
out of this parking lot no parents for

875
01:10:51.680 --> 01:10:57.039
a whole weekend, Sean, one
of Patrick's friends, said, with excitement.

876
01:10:57.600 --> 01:11:01.279
Yeah, but we'll have mister Osborne
and mister Riley as chaperones, plus

877
01:11:01.560 --> 01:11:05.359
all the people at the ranch.
Tommy, another friend, mentioned, Hey,

878
01:11:05.840 --> 01:11:09.880
I'll take it. At least they'll
let us explore and have fun,

879
01:11:10.439 --> 01:11:15.600
unlike our parents. Sean replied,
guys, guys, Patrick started to say,

880
01:11:15.720 --> 01:11:19.159
a smile on his face. It
doesn't matter who is or isn't with

881
01:11:19.279 --> 01:11:25.960
us. All that matters is no
classes and no parents for the next four

882
01:11:26.079 --> 01:11:30.720
days. His friends shrugged and nodded
their heads in agreement. The three of

883
01:11:30.760 --> 01:11:33.279
them knew they'd do some schoolwork over
the course of the trip, but the

884
01:11:33.439 --> 01:11:38.920
knowledge that it wouldn't completely be like
school was something they were happy about.

885
01:11:39.199 --> 01:11:43.399
It was a kid's dream. Last
call, everybody on the bus, if

886
01:11:43.399 --> 01:11:46.000
you want to go to the ranch. Another announcement came from the teacher,

887
01:11:46.079 --> 01:11:50.760
getting the attention of everybody in the
lot. Parents gave their children final farewells,

888
01:11:50.800 --> 01:11:55.760
as well as telling them to have
fun and be safe. Patrick and

889
01:11:55.800 --> 01:11:59.560
his friends said their goodbyes to their
parents and started to head towards the bus.

890
01:12:00.239 --> 01:12:02.119
The right to the ranch took a
couple of hours, and once there,

891
01:12:02.159 --> 01:12:05.680
the children were directed over to an
area by a barn. In front

892
01:12:05.680 --> 01:12:10.560
of the barn stood an older man
dressed in traditional ranching garb, with a

893
01:12:10.600 --> 01:12:15.119
dog sitting beside him. Hello,
everybody, my name is Michael, and

894
01:12:15.199 --> 01:12:18.880
this here is Picasso. Welcome to
Ranch Rocco Divaca. We are excited to

895
01:12:18.920 --> 01:12:21.279
have you all here, and we
hope that you will all have a fun

896
01:12:21.279 --> 01:12:27.720
time. The kids cheered loudly with
excitement as the teachers clapped and cheered with

897
01:12:27.760 --> 01:12:31.439
them, though not as energetic.
Michael smiled and bowed his head in thanks,

898
01:12:32.000 --> 01:12:35.439
thank you very much. Now,
before we get all you kids settled

899
01:12:35.479 --> 01:12:39.520
into your rooms, we just want
to set a few ground rules. First

900
01:12:39.520 --> 01:12:42.279
of all, you can see this
is a big area with a lot of

901
01:12:42.319 --> 01:12:45.960
open land. We ask that while
you stay with us, you not explore

902
01:12:45.000 --> 01:12:48.560
outside of the fenced areas at all, and that if you must venture out

903
01:12:48.600 --> 01:12:51.600
that way for any reason, make
sure you have an adult with you.

904
01:12:53.039 --> 01:12:56.319
Being outside at night goes with that
as well. Other than that, I

905
01:12:56.359 --> 01:12:59.359
hope that you all have a good
time and will see you later tonight for

906
01:12:59.439 --> 01:13:03.760
a camp Once night had fallen,
everybody met back up at the location Michael

907
01:13:03.800 --> 01:13:08.319
told them to for the camp fire. It was a fun time with hot

908
01:13:08.359 --> 01:13:12.119
dogs, s'mores, roasted corn,
perfect for kids that had been cooped up

909
01:13:12.159 --> 01:13:15.560
all day with just snack food.
Picasso went up to everybody and sniffed at

910
01:13:15.560 --> 01:13:19.079
them, trying to get some food
before Michael called him back to his side.

911
01:13:19.439 --> 01:13:23.680
After everybody had eaten, Michael stood
up from his seat and whistled,

912
01:13:23.880 --> 01:13:28.880
calling all the children to attention,
you guys, enjoy dinner, he asked,

913
01:13:28.960 --> 01:13:31.920
getting a thunderous applause and return,
Well, I'm glad to hear that.

914
01:13:32.359 --> 01:13:38.199
Would you all like a story,
assuming y'all can handle it? The

915
01:13:38.319 --> 01:13:42.359
kids screamed at the man in front
of them, demanding the story and promising

916
01:13:42.640 --> 01:13:45.760
that they wouldn't be scared. After
a minute or two, the kids quieted

917
01:13:45.760 --> 01:13:50.239
down, ready for the story they
were promised. Many years ago, back

918
01:13:50.279 --> 01:13:55.199
in Puerto Rico, on a ranch
not too different from this one, my

919
01:13:55.319 --> 01:14:00.359
grandpa started to lose some of his
livestock. Goats, cows, pigs,

920
01:14:00.760 --> 01:14:04.239
just about everything he had started to
disappear, and when the animals would be

921
01:14:04.279 --> 01:14:11.640
found, they were dead and drained
of blood. A couple weeks later,

922
01:14:11.720 --> 01:14:14.640
my grandpa went out with some buddies
one night, who also happened to be

923
01:14:14.760 --> 01:14:17.720
ranchers. As the night went on, my grandfather asked if any of them

924
01:14:17.720 --> 01:14:21.520
had experienced anything similar to what was
going on at his ranch. To his

925
01:14:21.640 --> 01:14:26.359
surprise, they all had been dealing
with the same things. Well, at

926
01:14:26.399 --> 01:14:30.279
least one of his friends had an
idea. He claimed that it was a

927
01:14:30.319 --> 01:14:34.439
monster. Now, as one might
expect. Everybody in the room laughed at

928
01:14:34.479 --> 01:14:38.920
that point, but he stuck to
it, saying that this sort of thing

929
01:14:39.000 --> 01:14:45.359
happened years ago, but suddenly stopped
because of its affinity for goats. He

930
01:14:45.520 --> 01:14:50.880
named the beast El Chupacabra, the
goat sucker. Sure enough, the animals

931
01:14:50.960 --> 01:14:56.359
suddenly stopped disappearing. Now, for
me, I'm not too sure about it

932
01:14:56.399 --> 01:15:00.560
all, but you never know.
After all, why do you think we

933
01:15:00.600 --> 01:15:03.960
don't want you guys going out alone
at night? Michael grinned as he finished

934
01:15:04.000 --> 01:15:08.560
his story, and an animal howled
in the distance. The kids looked,

935
01:15:08.560 --> 01:15:13.279
shaken a bit. The teachers too. A moment later came another howl cutting

936
01:15:13.279 --> 01:15:16.000
through the night air, which caused
the group to jump. Their host and

937
01:15:16.079 --> 01:15:20.279
storyteller laughed a little at the reaction
the kids had from the multiple howls.

938
01:15:21.399 --> 01:15:25.960
No need to worry about those howls, boys and girls. That's the dogs

939
01:15:26.000 --> 01:15:30.039
we keep on the ranch to keep
the animals in line. Noel Chupacabra's here.

940
01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:32.760
Taking his words to heart, everybody
got up and headed off to bed.

941
01:15:32.800 --> 01:15:36.840
After taking care of the fire.
The next day brought hours of learning

942
01:15:36.840 --> 01:15:42.319
how the farm was run. A
huge lunch spread and hours of horseback riding,

943
01:15:42.359 --> 01:15:45.880
after which everyone was excited for another
campfire. But once they got close

944
01:15:46.000 --> 01:15:50.079
enough to the ranch, everyone could
see that something wasn't quite right. A

945
01:15:50.239 --> 01:15:55.640
ranch hand ran over to Michael,
distraught, Boss, it's terrible, just

946
01:15:55.840 --> 01:16:00.880
terrible, the ranch hand blurted out, feverishly. What is it? Michael

947
01:16:00.960 --> 01:16:04.000
replied, his voice remaining calm.
There's a hole in the fence where the

948
01:16:04.039 --> 01:16:09.560
goats and the pigs sleep, and
and the workers spurted out in a slight

949
01:16:09.640 --> 01:16:13.000
mumble. Well, come on,
what is it? Michael said, in

950
01:16:13.039 --> 01:16:15.880
a tone that was both commanding and
now starting to be tinged with concern.

951
01:16:17.079 --> 01:16:23.319
They're dead, all dead, he
spat out. Michael found himself dumb struck,

952
01:16:23.560 --> 01:16:28.600
and the kids were speechless, their
faces twisting into horrific expressions. Without

953
01:16:28.600 --> 01:16:31.359
hesitating, Michael rode off towards the
area the ranch hand had described, while

954
01:16:31.399 --> 01:16:35.600
the hand motioned the children towards the
stable and instructed them to return to their

955
01:16:35.640 --> 01:16:41.920
rooms. Patrick was very concerned.
After all, animals just dropping dead wasn't

956
01:16:41.960 --> 01:16:45.840
something that happened every day. He
shared his concerns with Sean and Tommy,

957
01:16:45.880 --> 01:16:48.359
and while they did find it strange, it didn't seem to bother them or

958
01:16:48.439 --> 01:16:54.840
make them feel as weird as Patrick. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

959
01:16:55.119 --> 01:16:58.640
Unfortunately, for Patrick and the rest
of the class, it was not

960
01:16:58.720 --> 01:17:01.720
a better day. All activities were
canceled and the children were confined to the

961
01:17:01.800 --> 01:17:06.399
large dining area. Patrick managed to
sneak away at one point an eavesdrop on

962
01:17:06.439 --> 01:17:11.199
his teachers, Michael and some of
the ranch staff standing just outside an open

963
01:17:11.239 --> 01:17:15.840
window. What are we going to
do? Mister Osborne asked, is there

964
01:17:15.880 --> 01:17:18.840
any way you and the children could
leave early? A female ranch and ask

965
01:17:19.399 --> 01:17:25.239
no, mister Riley started, Unfortunately, the bus won't be back until tomorrow

966
01:17:25.239 --> 01:17:29.239
morning. Unless you have something to
transport all the kids and make the one

967
01:17:29.279 --> 01:17:31.840
hundred mile round trip. We have
to stay until seven in the morning.

968
01:17:32.680 --> 01:17:35.800
Well that settles it, then,
doesn't it? Keep the children in their

969
01:17:35.840 --> 01:17:39.960
rooms for the remainder of the day, only let them out for dinner.

970
01:17:40.359 --> 01:17:43.199
I'll have some of the workers stand
guard by the doors. That way,

971
01:17:43.199 --> 01:17:45.039
if a child needs to go to
the bathroom they can have a chaperone.

972
01:17:45.399 --> 01:17:48.159
Tonight, me and some of the
other workers will stay up to keep watch

973
01:17:48.159 --> 01:17:54.680
over the ranch. Michael spoke calmly
but seriously the teachers nodded, and Michael

974
01:17:54.720 --> 01:17:58.920
and his staff turned and left.
I cannot believe this is happening. I

975
01:17:58.960 --> 01:18:01.279
thought the school set, everything about
this place checked out perfectly fine, mister

976
01:18:01.359 --> 01:18:05.439
Osborne asked his colleague. It did
from what I saw. Besides, you

977
01:18:05.439 --> 01:18:11.359
can't control what goes on in nature, mister Riley replied with a sigh.

978
01:18:11.439 --> 01:18:15.239
You're right, but still he would
think they'd have this more under control.

979
01:18:15.880 --> 01:18:21.760
Almost all the animals are dead,
drained of their blood. It's just weird,

980
01:18:23.319 --> 01:18:28.199
mister Osborne mused. You've got that
right, mister Riley said. The

981
01:18:28.279 --> 01:18:31.520
two then walked off, continuing to
talk as they went. No way,

982
01:18:31.560 --> 01:18:36.039
Tommy said, after Patrick finished telling
him and Sean what he'd overheard. Yeah,

983
01:18:36.079 --> 01:18:40.800
Patrick, there's no way a monster
is responsible for everything going on.

984
01:18:41.119 --> 01:18:44.640
Sean chimed in, Come on,
guys, it would be one thing if

985
01:18:44.640 --> 01:18:47.600
they dropped dead, But I heard
them say there was no blood at all.

986
01:18:47.960 --> 01:18:53.159
Patrick retorted, it could just be
some wild animal that broke in.

987
01:18:53.520 --> 01:18:58.239
Sean offered as a potential explanation.
Okay, so it is a wild animal,

988
01:18:58.279 --> 01:19:00.560
but the fences are made up of
barbed wire. If any animal broke

989
01:19:00.600 --> 01:19:03.159
in to kill the livestock. It
would have been cut from the wire,

990
01:19:03.840 --> 01:19:09.399
no blood, remember, Patrick shot
back, all right, so it is

991
01:19:09.439 --> 01:19:13.520
that Choopa cabra monster. Why does
it matter to us? If we're just

992
01:19:13.600 --> 01:19:16.159
going to be stuck here all day, then we'll be safe, Tommy said,

993
01:19:16.880 --> 01:19:21.319
Because wouldn't it be cool to say
you saw a monster? Patrick asked,

994
01:19:23.000 --> 01:19:26.520
I mean yeah, but nobody would
believe us. You would have to

995
01:19:26.560 --> 01:19:30.920
have photographic proof. Wait, no
way, Patrick, Tommy said, figuring

996
01:19:30.960 --> 01:19:34.319
out his friend's plan. Come on, Tommy, it's simple. We just

997
01:19:34.399 --> 01:19:38.760
hide after dinner so we don't get
locked in here. We bring your camera

998
01:19:38.800 --> 01:19:41.600
with us, and we go on
a little monster hunt. Once we get

999
01:19:41.640 --> 01:19:45.199
our proof, we run off and
sneak back into our room. There's nothing

1000
01:19:45.199 --> 01:19:49.359
to worry about, Patrick explained to
the two of them. Pat that sounds

1001
01:19:49.359 --> 01:19:54.359
really dangerous. I mean, if
there is a monster, what could it

1002
01:19:54.399 --> 01:19:57.279
do to us? Plus we get
in loads of trouble if any of the

1003
01:19:57.359 --> 01:20:01.600
ranchers caught us, Sean mused,
going back tomorrow, what possible trouble could

1004
01:20:01.600 --> 01:20:05.000
we get in? I think you
guys are just scared. You guys want

1005
01:20:05.000 --> 01:20:08.399
to join me and have some fun
before we go home? Or do you

1006
01:20:08.439 --> 01:20:11.880
want to just stay in here,
bored out of your minds, Patrick asked.

1007
01:20:12.359 --> 01:20:15.840
His friends looked at him and then
at each other. After a few

1008
01:20:15.880 --> 01:20:19.199
minutes of silence, the two spoke
up together, Okay, we're in.

1009
01:20:20.399 --> 01:20:25.279
That night, the boys put their
plan into action. The tricky part was

1010
01:20:25.319 --> 01:20:28.880
figuring out how to stay under the
radar so that they didn't get sent back

1011
01:20:28.920 --> 01:20:31.840
to their room after dinner. Patrick, Tommy, and Sean decided to leave

1012
01:20:31.880 --> 01:20:36.159
dinner early and head back to their
rooms ahead of everybody else. Once they

1013
01:20:36.159 --> 01:20:40.479
were outside, the three boys carefully
made their way into one of the barns

1014
01:20:40.520 --> 01:20:44.479
and hid by a pile of hay
and began to wait. Through the cracks

1015
01:20:44.479 --> 01:20:46.359
in the walls of the barn,
they could see the light shining in from

1016
01:20:46.359 --> 01:20:51.640
outside, and once the light faded
completely into darkness, they emerged from their

1017
01:20:51.680 --> 01:20:56.720
hiding spot. When they exited the
barn, the calmness of the night sent

1018
01:20:56.720 --> 01:21:00.560
a shiver down their collective spines.
None of them were afraid of the dark,

1019
01:21:00.640 --> 01:21:04.199
but being on the ranch at night
while a monstrous creature might be on

1020
01:21:04.279 --> 01:21:09.600
the prowl, was something that put
all three of them on edge. Patrick

1021
01:21:09.680 --> 01:21:13.800
took the lead, brandishing a flashlight. He swiped earlier from a storage closet

1022
01:21:13.800 --> 01:21:15.840
in the building where the rooms were. He turned it on and looked at

1023
01:21:15.880 --> 01:21:20.199
Tommy and Sean, who returned his
gaze. The three boys nodded and then

1024
01:21:20.239 --> 01:21:25.479
started to make their way around the
ranch. They moved slowly and carefully,

1025
01:21:25.880 --> 01:21:30.680
making sure they weren't spotted by any
workers, but also making sure they didn't

1026
01:21:30.720 --> 01:21:35.760
miss anything. This is boring,
Sean whispered, be quiet. Tommy whispered

1027
01:21:35.800 --> 01:21:42.000
back back at you. Sean responded, both of you shut up. Patrick

1028
01:21:42.079 --> 01:21:45.399
shot at the two of them.
The trio continued to make their way around

1029
01:21:45.399 --> 01:21:48.600
the ranch, not wanting to potentially
have missed anything. After the second walk

1030
01:21:48.640 --> 01:21:53.239
through, they agreed that there was
clearly nothing going on and decided it was

1031
01:21:53.279 --> 01:21:57.000
time to head back. When they
reached the front of their building, they

1032
01:21:57.039 --> 01:22:01.680
stopped for a bit. Well that
was a whole lot of moving, Sean

1033
01:22:01.760 --> 01:22:06.880
stated, yawning afterwards. I gotta
admit, Pat, that was pretty pointless.

1034
01:22:08.319 --> 01:22:10.760
Look, I know the way those
animals died is weird, but we

1035
01:22:10.800 --> 01:22:15.239
searched the whole ranch twice. It
isn't a monster, Tommy said. Patrick

1036
01:22:15.319 --> 01:22:19.840
sighed and shrugged a little bit.
I guess you guys were right. Sorry,

1037
01:22:19.840 --> 01:22:24.359
I kept you both up, but
hey, at least we didn't get

1038
01:22:24.359 --> 01:22:28.439
into trouble. Let's go to bed. The three boys started to open the

1039
01:22:28.479 --> 01:22:31.880
door, but they stopped when a
horrible shriek filled the night. They looked

1040
01:22:31.880 --> 01:22:35.159
at each other in shock. Without
hesitating, they raced to where they thought

1041
01:22:35.199 --> 01:22:39.560
the noise originated from. As they
got closer, Patrick went to raise the

1042
01:22:39.600 --> 01:22:43.119
flashlight, stopping in sudden terror when
he saw what was in front of him.

1043
01:22:43.640 --> 01:22:46.800
The suddenness of his stopping caused Sean
and Tommy to crash into him.

1044
01:22:47.079 --> 01:22:50.840
The trio tumbled to the ground,
sending the flashlight rolling away. When they

1045
01:22:50.840 --> 01:22:55.800
looked up towards where the light shone, all three of them started in terror.

1046
01:22:56.319 --> 01:23:00.840
In front of them was a creature
squatting over a dog, licking its

1047
01:23:00.920 --> 01:23:04.079
lips. The beast looked like a
mutated mixture of a wolf and a bat,

1048
01:23:04.319 --> 01:23:09.960
a sharp spikelike spine poking out from
its back, its eyes glowing deep

1049
01:23:10.079 --> 01:23:17.199
crimson. This creature, this thing
matched Michael's description of l chupacabra. Patrick,

1050
01:23:17.319 --> 01:23:21.640
Sean, and Tommy stood up slowly, fear taking over their bodies.

1051
01:23:21.960 --> 01:23:26.960
The monster roared and started towards the
boys. They ran, taking off as

1052
01:23:26.960 --> 01:23:30.399
fast as they could, l Chupacabra
roaring again and gaining on them quicker than

1053
01:23:30.439 --> 01:23:34.479
they expected, so quick in fact, it passed them and stopped in front

1054
01:23:34.479 --> 01:23:39.359
of them, standing up in its
full height, drooling and growling like a

1055
01:23:39.439 --> 01:23:44.600
dog interrupted from eating. All three
boys stopped suddenly again sweating bullets with every

1056
01:23:44.680 --> 01:23:47.840
nerve in their body on full alert. The monsters started to walk towards them,

1057
01:23:47.880 --> 01:23:55.119
slowly, eyeing up its new prey. They wanted to run, They

1058
01:23:55.199 --> 01:23:59.079
needed to run, but the fear
paralyzed them in place. Tommy, Sean

1059
01:23:59.199 --> 01:24:02.119
and Patrick could think of nothing,
do nothing. They were simply stuck with

1060
01:24:02.159 --> 01:24:06.840
the towering, unholy creature in front
of them. Suddenly, Picasso came rushing

1061
01:24:06.880 --> 01:24:10.640
from behind them and jumped on the
beast. The dog bit into the neck

1062
01:24:10.680 --> 01:24:13.560
of its enemy and shook its head, digging in as much as it could.

1063
01:24:13.760 --> 01:24:15.800
It seemed to work, as El
chuo Picabra cried out in pain.

1064
01:24:16.600 --> 01:24:20.000
However, it didn't work for long, as it ripped the dog away from

1065
01:24:20.000 --> 01:24:24.800
its neck before taking a bite out
of it. El chu Picabra threw the

1066
01:24:24.840 --> 01:24:28.560
dog away like a piece of garbage. Picasso hit the wall of the building

1067
01:24:28.760 --> 01:24:34.600
and fell to the ground, staying
there motionless. The beast turned its eyes

1068
01:24:34.680 --> 01:24:39.319
back towards the boys. This time, though they had enough of their wits

1069
01:24:39.319 --> 01:24:44.520
about them to start running again.
The monster chased after them. Everywhere they

1070
01:24:44.560 --> 01:24:47.279
went, the monster followed, cutting
them off time after time. Patrick,

1071
01:24:47.359 --> 01:24:51.079
Shawn, and Tommy somehow managed to
always pivot at the last minute, the

1072
01:24:51.119 --> 01:24:56.039
beast, shrieking in anger each time. Barks soon began to fill the night

1073
01:24:56.159 --> 01:24:59.880
as the sound of the beast stirred
the security dogs, soon joined by voices

1074
01:25:00.039 --> 01:25:04.079
echoing behind them in Spanish. We
need to get inside anywhere, Tommy screamed

1075
01:25:04.079 --> 01:25:08.319
feverishly at his friends. The boys
darted into the first building they saw,

1076
01:25:08.479 --> 01:25:12.600
a small barn filled with farming equipment. L Chu Picabra stormed in after them,

1077
01:25:12.680 --> 01:25:15.880
ripping the doors off their hinges.
It roared at them and once more

1078
01:25:15.920 --> 01:25:18.279
began to move towards them. Patrick
and his friends backed away from it,

1079
01:25:18.359 --> 01:25:23.399
slowly grabbing anything they could to throw
at what was in front of them,

1080
01:25:23.600 --> 01:25:28.039
though none of it had any effect
on the monster. Soon they found themselves

1081
01:25:28.039 --> 01:25:30.640
backed against a table, each boy
feeling around for something to use as a

1082
01:25:30.640 --> 01:25:34.960
weapon. Though their efforts proved fruitless. With the creature almost right in their

1083
01:25:35.000 --> 01:25:40.159
faces, they came to the conclusion
that this was it. This was where

1084
01:25:40.159 --> 01:25:45.039
everything was to end. A bang
shot through the barn and El Chu Picabra

1085
01:25:45.119 --> 01:25:48.479
swung its body around. Michael stood
there holding a shotgun aimed at the monster.

1086
01:25:48.720 --> 01:25:53.159
It rushed at Michael and slammed him
down to the ground, then kicked

1087
01:25:53.199 --> 01:25:56.920
him away. Michael crashed into the
metal wall of the building, leaving behind

1088
01:25:56.920 --> 01:26:00.000
a dent. As the creature was
about to go in for the final blow,

1089
01:26:00.439 --> 01:26:02.880
Picasso slammed into the leg of the
beast and started tearing at its leg.

1090
01:26:03.079 --> 01:26:08.039
The dog let go and backed up
as its opponent shrieked. Picasso rushed

1091
01:26:08.079 --> 01:26:10.840
at the thing, and the two
went tumbling to the ground, biting at

1092
01:26:10.840 --> 01:26:15.720
each other ferociously. Sean and Tommy
sprinted over towards Michael, screaming out for

1093
01:26:15.760 --> 01:26:18.640
help. Patrick, however, ran
after the two fighting animals. He found

1094
01:26:18.640 --> 01:26:21.840
where they were, but was unable
to see the combat clearly thanks to the

1095
01:26:21.840 --> 01:26:26.720
frenzy. Growls, barks, shrieks, and cries filled the air in equal

1096
01:26:26.760 --> 01:26:30.439
measure as dirt flew everywhere. Finally, they backed away from each other wheezing

1097
01:26:30.439 --> 01:26:35.159
and breathing heavily, staring each other
down before exploding into violence once more.

1098
01:26:35.520 --> 01:26:40.079
Patrick cried out and ran back to
where Michael and his friends were. Once

1099
01:26:40.119 --> 01:26:42.960
there, he found Michael was on
his feet, Sean and Tommy by his

1100
01:26:43.039 --> 01:26:45.640
side. The workers are calling the
police and arming themselves. Come on,

1101
01:26:45.720 --> 01:26:49.359
let's get through safety, Michael told
the boys. But what about Picasso.

1102
01:26:49.520 --> 01:26:55.199
He's still fighting that thing. Patrick
stammered out in a worried tone. Michael

1103
01:26:55.239 --> 01:26:58.640
looked at him, gulping a bit. He had forgotten that his dog had

1104
01:26:58.640 --> 01:27:01.359
saved him from certain doom. The
man knew he had to get to safety

1105
01:27:01.600 --> 01:27:06.359
to get the boys to safety,
but he couldn't just abandon his friend without

1106
01:27:06.399 --> 01:27:10.760
any more thought. Michael picked up
the shotgun and ran off towards where Patrick

1107
01:27:10.840 --> 01:27:14.000
had come from. Patrick and the
boys followed after him. They stopped once

1108
01:27:14.000 --> 01:27:16.880
they got to where Michael was standing, clearly in shock. When the boys

1109
01:27:16.920 --> 01:27:21.920
looked where he was, they too
became shocked. In front of them stood

1110
01:27:21.960 --> 01:27:27.840
Picasso, covered in dirt, wounded
and weak. On the ground was the

1111
01:27:27.880 --> 01:27:34.239
monster, the Beast, l Chupacabra
defeated. The next morning, the kids

1112
01:27:34.279 --> 01:27:38.640
lined up to get on the bus
to take them back home. Patrick and

1113
01:27:38.680 --> 01:27:42.760
his friends stood beside Michael, who
was all smiles and warm spirits as he

1114
01:27:42.760 --> 01:27:46.079
said goodbye and waved at the various
children. Picasso stood next to them as

1115
01:27:46.079 --> 01:27:50.159
well, bandaged from his fight.
When it came time for Sean, Tommy,

1116
01:27:50.199 --> 01:27:55.079
and Patrick to board the bus,
Michael looked at them, his smile

1117
01:27:55.199 --> 01:28:00.000
still there, but he now appeared
weary than boys. For all your help,

1118
01:28:00.439 --> 01:28:04.159
Michael told them, Hey, it's
thanks to you and Picasso that we

1119
01:28:04.159 --> 01:28:09.600
were even able to be any help. Patrick responded, patting Picasso's head.

1120
01:28:10.520 --> 01:28:14.560
Yeah, but what happened? You've
sent us back to our room before the

1121
01:28:14.560 --> 01:28:18.520
police or your workers came to help. Did they see the monster? Tommy

1122
01:28:18.600 --> 01:28:25.279
asked curiously. As Sean nodded in
agreement. Michael's smile faded and he took

1123
01:28:25.279 --> 01:28:30.399
a deep breath. They didn't.
I told Picasso here to drag the body

1124
01:28:30.399 --> 01:28:32.439
away. When they were out of
sight, I fired my gun and told

1125
01:28:32.479 --> 01:28:35.399
everybody that it was a wolf.
I said, I shot at it and

1126
01:28:35.439 --> 01:28:40.840
that it ran off afterwards. But
what about the damage to the barn and

1127
01:28:40.960 --> 01:28:45.600
the wall, Sean questioned. I
told them that the wolf and Picasso caused

1128
01:28:45.640 --> 01:28:48.479
the damage with how violently they were
fighting. As for the wall, well,

1129
01:28:48.840 --> 01:28:51.720
a wolf charging at you at full
speed and slamming you into a wall

1130
01:28:51.840 --> 01:28:56.199
is going to leave some kind of
an impact, especially considering how big I

1131
01:28:56.239 --> 01:28:59.960
am. Besides, that was an
older building, so it's walls weren't as

1132
01:29:00.039 --> 01:29:03.479
strong as the others. Anyways,
after the police came and everything died down,

1133
01:29:03.640 --> 01:29:08.039
I had Picasso showed me where he
took the thing and buried it myself,

1134
01:29:08.560 --> 01:29:13.119
Michael explained. Last call, all
students on the bus, pronto,

1135
01:29:13.640 --> 01:29:17.640
mister Osborne announced through a megaphone.
Michael patted the boys on their respective shoulders.

1136
01:29:18.159 --> 01:29:21.039
Go on, now, you don't
want to be late. He smiled

1137
01:29:21.079 --> 01:29:26.000
at them as he spoke. They
smiled back and picked up their bags and

1138
01:29:26.079 --> 01:29:30.399
started to walk towards the bus.
When they got there, Sean entered first,

1139
01:29:30.399 --> 01:29:33.399
and then Tommy Patrick started to enter
the bus, but stopped. He

1140
01:29:33.520 --> 01:29:39.520
turned around and waved at Michael again. Patrick's eyes then moved downwards to Picasso,

1141
01:29:39.800 --> 01:29:43.520
and he smiled at the dog.
The dog wagged its tail and barked

1142
01:29:43.560 --> 01:29:47.159
happily at the boy. But as
Patrick started to turn back around, he

1143
01:29:47.239 --> 01:29:54.079
stopped. Something caught his eye.
He turned back around and looked once more

1144
01:29:54.079 --> 01:30:00.920
at Picasso, and his eyes widened
in surprise and growing horror. Casso's eyes

1145
01:30:00.520 --> 01:30:15.239
glowed a deep crimson. Many cryptids
go way back to before Europe had even

1146
01:30:15.319 --> 01:30:23.239
reached the America's ancient evils written about
by Native Americans, things that seem almost

1147
01:30:23.359 --> 01:30:28.560
alien to us if we're not familiar
with their culture. But one thing is

1148
01:30:28.640 --> 01:30:34.479
definitely certain about these ancient spirits that
roam the lands of the Americas, and

1149
01:30:34.640 --> 01:30:43.359
that is they demand your reverence and
your respect. This story is about one

1150
01:30:43.439 --> 01:30:47.199
such creature, written by our good
buddy, splattered Joe Salmo, and it

1151
01:30:47.239 --> 01:30:54.880
does not disappoint. Prepare yourself to
meet Old Bones, as he's waiting in

1152
01:30:54.920 --> 01:31:00.279
a clearing in the woods just for
you. After these quick words, our

1153
01:31:00.279 --> 01:31:14.880
sponsors Old Bones by Joe Salma.
Old Bones is what my grandpa used to

1154
01:31:14.920 --> 01:31:18.920
call him back in the days of
black and white TVs. I've never seen

1155
01:31:19.000 --> 01:31:25.520
him myself, but I was sure
he existed. Nothing scared my grandfather,

1156
01:31:26.159 --> 01:31:30.479
nothing but Old Bones. That is. Most of the local folk will tell

1157
01:31:30.560 --> 01:31:35.479
you they seen Old Bones here or
there, but most of them are full

1158
01:31:35.479 --> 01:31:40.560
of shit. For a while,
one of them TV crews came in and

1159
01:31:40.640 --> 01:31:45.439
filmed the town telling stories, but
that's all they were shit. Even farmer

1160
01:31:45.520 --> 01:31:48.960
Kendrick over on Route seventy had a
story, and that son of a bitch

1161
01:31:49.239 --> 01:31:55.319
never left his house. His fields
were all overgrown like seventies bush. Our

1162
01:31:55.399 --> 01:32:00.399
family and the neighbor's next door we
had a special deal. My grandfather said.

1163
01:32:00.560 --> 01:32:03.479
Our lands butted up with the state
forest, but Pappy called that his

1164
01:32:03.880 --> 01:32:09.000
territory. He told us we could
hunt in there, but we had to

1165
01:32:09.079 --> 01:32:15.199
leave the first kill for old bones, kind of a sacrifice of sorts and

1166
01:32:15.439 --> 01:32:18.199
offering. So we would leave us
alone when we were out there, as

1167
01:32:18.239 --> 01:32:23.880
long as we didn't cross the markings
along the creek. We would shoot a

1168
01:32:23.960 --> 01:32:27.680
nice buck and have to leave it
in the clearing. It pissed me off,

1169
01:32:28.239 --> 01:32:31.880
but not enough to cross old bones. Usually a day or so later

1170
01:32:31.960 --> 01:32:35.800
we'd find the carcass, most of
the meat gone, strung up in the

1171
01:32:35.920 --> 01:32:41.680
damned trees. Of all places.
Could it be a mountain lion? They

1172
01:32:41.720 --> 01:32:45.199
are around, but rare, and
I've never seen one in these parts,

1173
01:32:45.840 --> 01:32:50.760
but I have seen the tracks of
old bones left under the tree. I

1174
01:32:50.760 --> 01:32:56.840
would ask my grandfather all the time, what old bones looks like he'd always

1175
01:32:56.840 --> 01:33:00.359
say, if I ever saw him, I was sure to ship my pants

1176
01:33:00.359 --> 01:33:04.760
and run if I was lucky.
Not very descriptive, I know. I

1177
01:33:04.880 --> 01:33:10.920
pressed him once when he took me
hunting on my sixteenth birthday. He had

1178
01:33:10.960 --> 01:33:14.520
gotten me a nice thirty at six
and we had sighted it in the night

1179
01:33:14.560 --> 01:33:17.920
before. He had gone hunting without
me two days prior and gave up an

1180
01:33:17.960 --> 01:33:24.880
offering to Old Bones so my kill
would be ours. We reached the tree

1181
01:33:24.920 --> 01:33:28.680
where he had lain our buck,
and we saw the tracks come into the

1182
01:33:28.720 --> 01:33:33.880
clearing as fresh as this morning,
big tracks, looking like a giant moose's

1183
01:33:33.960 --> 01:33:39.960
print. We get moose now and
again in northern New York, but I've

1184
01:33:40.000 --> 01:33:44.359
never seen a bull that big.
The tracks were over a foot long,

1185
01:33:45.119 --> 01:33:48.600
twice as big as I've ever seen
myself in these here woods. Is Old

1186
01:33:48.600 --> 01:33:54.239
Bones just a big moose? Is
that what you're afraid of? I asked

1187
01:33:54.279 --> 01:33:58.119
him. Don't be simple boy.
There ain't a moose i'd run from when

1188
01:33:58.159 --> 01:34:01.640
I got a loaded rifle, was
his reply. As I studied those tracks,

1189
01:34:02.399 --> 01:34:05.800
the left track had a bit of
a crack in it, like the

1190
01:34:05.880 --> 01:34:10.920
foot had an old injury. The
right one dragged just a bit in the

1191
01:34:11.000 --> 01:34:17.359
dirt. Then it hit me,
there were only two legs. He stands

1192
01:34:17.439 --> 01:34:21.000
up like we do, I asked, looking at the circular hole in the

1193
01:34:21.000 --> 01:34:26.640
ground an inch or so deep.
There seemed to be one every twenty feet

1194
01:34:26.720 --> 01:34:30.039
or so. Sometimes there was a
little bit of a drag there as well.

1195
01:34:31.319 --> 01:34:36.000
What could it be? Never mind
how he stands, Just give him

1196
01:34:36.000 --> 01:34:41.000
no reason to come looking for you, and you'll be just fine, he

1197
01:34:41.159 --> 01:34:44.960
told me as he placed his hand
on my shoulder. He had lost a

1198
01:34:44.960 --> 01:34:48.079
foot a long time ago, and
the artificial one never quite was comfortable for

1199
01:34:48.159 --> 01:34:53.359
him, but it wasn't an inconvenience
enough for him to keep from taking care

1200
01:34:53.399 --> 01:34:57.680
of the deal with Old Bones.
I kept my eyes peeled that trip,

1201
01:34:57.920 --> 01:35:00.800
but never got a peek at Old
Bones, even though I got the feeling

1202
01:35:00.920 --> 01:35:06.319
something was peeping on me. But
then again, I always got that feeling

1203
01:35:06.359 --> 01:35:12.000
when I was in those woods.
The deeper in the darker the forest got.

1204
01:35:12.560 --> 01:35:16.119
Some of those trees were hundred feet
taller more. The old growth forest

1205
01:35:16.239 --> 01:35:20.840
kept out all but the most persistent
sunlight. It was the best hunting ground

1206
01:35:20.920 --> 01:35:25.920
most of the time, but once
in a while there wouldn't be a damned

1207
01:35:25.960 --> 01:35:32.000
thing around. No birds, no
game, nothing, just dead silence in

1208
01:35:32.039 --> 01:35:36.560
the forest. On those trips,
we learned to give up early and come

1209
01:35:36.640 --> 01:35:42.399
home. We'd have better luck another
time. My uncle Jim once said he

1210
01:35:42.439 --> 01:35:45.199
caught a glimpse of what had to
be Old Bones. It was a foggy

1211
01:35:45.279 --> 01:35:50.439
morning, and he said the forest
just got real quiet like He stood still

1212
01:35:50.479 --> 01:35:55.399
as the hair raised on the back
of his neck. He said he knew

1213
01:35:55.439 --> 01:35:59.800
Old Bones was near because the rest
of the animals had the good sense to

1214
01:36:00.079 --> 01:36:04.760
fuck off somewhere else. He stood
there, peering into the forest, and

1215
01:36:04.880 --> 01:36:10.880
he said, standing next to a
large pine tree was Old Bones, about

1216
01:36:10.920 --> 01:36:15.840
fifty yards out, barely perceptible in
the fog. He said, it slid

1217
01:36:15.880 --> 01:36:20.960
through the forest, its great limbs
having no problem as it traversed the uneven

1218
01:36:21.039 --> 01:36:27.239
forest floor. He was too scared
to get a closer look. He said.

1219
01:36:27.239 --> 01:36:30.640
It stopped between the trees and sniffed
the air for a moment, two

1220
01:36:30.920 --> 01:36:36.680
large sniffs, before turning to face
my uncle. He said, its eyes

1221
01:36:36.880 --> 01:36:43.279
smoldered even in the fog. Cutting
through it stared a hole into him for

1222
01:36:43.359 --> 01:36:47.800
about ten seconds or so, before
nodding and moving on through the forest.

1223
01:36:48.560 --> 01:36:53.319
Uncle Jim said he sat there waiting
for Old Bones to go on about his

1224
01:36:53.399 --> 01:36:58.319
business. Whether he was too scared
or was playing it smart was anyone's guess.

1225
01:36:59.039 --> 01:37:02.960
He listened as the thing moved through
the forest, creaking branches and heavy

1226
01:37:03.000 --> 01:37:09.880
footfalls fading into the distance. He
told me Old Bones was tall, like

1227
01:37:10.479 --> 01:37:14.800
really tall, and if he didn't
move, he would have mistaken him for

1228
01:37:14.840 --> 01:37:17.640
a tree at that distance. I
asked him if he saw a bigfoot,

1229
01:37:17.680 --> 01:37:21.039
and he told me it was nothing
like that. He said it was something

1230
01:37:21.119 --> 01:37:28.760
older, much older. Now I
must tell you Uncle Jim was a drinker,

1231
01:37:29.319 --> 01:37:31.640
but we'd like to give him the
benefit of the doubt since he doesn't

1232
01:37:31.720 --> 01:37:36.399
usually drink in the am. He
died about a month after that, so

1233
01:37:38.319 --> 01:37:42.800
we can't ask him now. The
neighbor boy Neil, saw him once.

1234
01:37:43.279 --> 01:37:45.199
We didn't believe him at first on
account of the kid is slow in the

1235
01:37:45.239 --> 01:37:49.680
head, but I guess his eyes
worked just fine. His daddy came running

1236
01:37:49.760 --> 01:37:54.600
over all excited to talk to my
father about it. I watched him from

1237
01:37:54.600 --> 01:37:58.720
the doorway to my room because it
was past my bedtime. It was the

1238
01:37:58.800 --> 01:38:02.039
second week of deer season, but
neither family had managed to get out there

1239
01:38:02.159 --> 01:38:06.239
yet. He said Neil was out
back of the house putting away his toys

1240
01:38:06.319 --> 01:38:10.960
because a fog had rolled in and
his mother was worried he would get lost

1241
01:38:11.000 --> 01:38:15.520
out there. Said it was standing
there next to the barn, looking at

1242
01:38:15.600 --> 01:38:23.560
him, its eyes burning straight into
his soul. Neil pissed himself and started

1243
01:38:23.600 --> 01:38:28.039
to cry. I listened as he
described Old Bones to my dad. From

1244
01:38:28.079 --> 01:38:31.399
Neil's account, it was almost as
tall as the gable roof on the old

1245
01:38:31.439 --> 01:38:38.079
two story barn. They had said
it just stared at him until his mom

1246
01:38:38.239 --> 01:38:43.399
came out of the screen door looking
for him. That thing hadn't been oiled

1247
01:38:43.399 --> 01:38:46.640
in ages. The creek probably scared
him off, if he asked me.

1248
01:38:47.640 --> 01:38:53.119
Anyway, They said it took long
strides and moved off into the woods,

1249
01:38:53.119 --> 01:38:56.800
past the field behind the barn,
taking one of their sheep with it,

1250
01:38:57.479 --> 01:39:00.800
held it in one large hand.
That was the last time one of our

1251
01:39:00.840 --> 01:39:05.159
families didn't get Old Bones some meat
on opening day. Let me tell you,

1252
01:39:05.920 --> 01:39:10.720
it didn't hurt to offer up some
other times as well. It never

1253
01:39:10.760 --> 01:39:15.880
went to waste. Old Bones always
found what we left for him. Was

1254
01:39:15.920 --> 01:39:19.319
it a creature or a man?
I may never find out myself, and

1255
01:39:19.399 --> 01:39:24.039
I think I'm okay. With that. I was fascinated as a kid,

1256
01:39:24.640 --> 01:39:29.199
but after everyone's stories, I think
I'm good. You know, as an

1257
01:39:29.239 --> 01:39:31.760
adult, I really don't want nothing
to do with it. But that's not

1258
01:39:31.840 --> 01:39:35.640
always my choice, now, is
it. I wanted to let you know

1259
01:39:35.960 --> 01:39:40.920
that about ten or so years ago, there was a couple of campers that

1260
01:39:41.000 --> 01:39:45.199
went out there and went too far
cross an Old Bones creak without any regard

1261
01:39:45.399 --> 01:39:50.000
or offering. They really didn't know
any better, mind you. Like they

1262
01:39:50.039 --> 01:39:56.960
say, ignorance is no excuse.
The search party never found them, but

1263
01:39:57.079 --> 01:40:01.439
we sure did. Can you guess
where? No? Up in the goddamn

1264
01:40:01.560 --> 01:40:06.640
trees. I just wanted to let
you know that you ain't the first I

1265
01:40:06.760 --> 01:40:11.920
looked over at the unlucky camper.
He came to my door an hour ago

1266
01:40:12.000 --> 01:40:15.800
seeking help because something got his friend
out in the woods. I knew what

1267
01:40:15.840 --> 01:40:20.640
it was, Old Bones. I
almost felt bad for the guy until he

1268
01:40:20.680 --> 01:40:26.840
told me his story. You crossed
the creek your fair game, but even

1269
01:40:26.920 --> 01:40:31.000
that wasn't enough for this guy.
You see, there are these totems out

1270
01:40:31.039 --> 01:40:36.119
there. They kind of mark Old
Bones sacred grounds. This guy comes to

1271
01:40:36.199 --> 01:40:42.319
my door seeking help and says they
burned some weird carved wood for warmth last

1272
01:40:42.399 --> 01:40:45.319
night. It had to be one
of the totems, for sure. These

1273
01:40:45.439 --> 01:40:49.479
dumb pricks. Now, I got
to march this asshole back into the woods

1274
01:40:49.479 --> 01:40:54.920
at gunpoint because there's no reasoning with
him. Got to get him to the

1275
01:40:54.960 --> 01:40:58.479
clearing and let old Bones take him. You got a second gear there.

1276
01:40:58.960 --> 01:41:02.159
You're awfully slow, I said,
I don't understand why you're doing this.

1277
01:41:02.479 --> 01:41:05.239
If you didn't want to help me, I could have gone somewhere else.

1278
01:41:05.680 --> 01:41:11.520
The camper said to me, you
gotta learn that's not an option. You

1279
01:41:11.560 --> 01:41:15.640
know what got your buddy. It
was old Bones, and Old Bones has

1280
01:41:15.640 --> 01:41:17.760
a certain way of doing things.
And damned if I'm going to be the

1281
01:41:17.800 --> 01:41:24.399
one to cross him. I've heard
too many stories about what happens. I

1282
01:41:24.520 --> 01:41:30.159
explained, what's old Bones? The
camper asked, It's everything. It's older

1283
01:41:30.199 --> 01:41:35.560
than the forest. It is the
forest. It's an inescapable hunger that roams

1284
01:41:35.600 --> 01:41:40.439
these here woods. I told him, yeah, but what is it?

1285
01:41:40.920 --> 01:41:45.079
The annoying fuck asked? Around here, we say it's a god, we

1286
01:41:45.199 --> 01:41:48.840
revere it, we take care of
its needs, and it lets us hunt

1287
01:41:48.880 --> 01:41:55.399
his land to feed our families.
It really ain't nothing personal. I gotta

1288
01:41:55.479 --> 01:41:58.640
make it right with Old Bones.
I don't hate you or nothing, I

1289
01:41:58.720 --> 01:42:01.920
said to the guy. Don't hate
me. You're bringing me out into the

1290
01:42:01.920 --> 01:42:05.319
woods at gunpoint to feed me to
something you call a forest. God.

1291
01:42:05.920 --> 01:42:10.800
Don't hate me, but you're gonna
just kill me, the camper yelled.

1292
01:42:11.479 --> 01:42:14.880
First of all, I don't like
that tone, and second of all,

1293
01:42:15.079 --> 01:42:17.800
I don't have no choice in the
matter. Old Bones will want the trespassers

1294
01:42:17.800 --> 01:42:23.199
who entered his sacred groves and disturbed
his totem. You sealed your own fate

1295
01:42:23.199 --> 01:42:27.039
when you crossed the creek, I
said, just let me go. I

1296
01:42:27.159 --> 01:42:29.960
got eight hundred dollars in cash in
my wallet. It's yours if you just

1297
01:42:30.039 --> 01:42:33.600
let me go, the camper said. I shook my head at his stupidity.

1298
01:42:34.439 --> 01:42:39.119
That money is already mine. Old
Bones has no use for it.

1299
01:42:39.640 --> 01:42:43.760
Handed over, I said, pointing
the barrel of that thirty OT six I

1300
01:42:43.800 --> 01:42:47.760
got so long ago at him.
He sighed and handed over the cash.

1301
01:42:48.640 --> 01:42:54.159
What did we learn here today,
I asked. He just stared back at

1302
01:42:54.199 --> 01:42:59.359
me with anger. We learned to
keep our mouths shut, I finished for

1303
01:42:59.520 --> 01:43:03.119
him. We walked further down the
path my grandpa walked all those years ago,

1304
01:43:03.720 --> 01:43:08.359
I knew it pretty well, but
he knew it inside out. It's

1305
01:43:08.359 --> 01:43:12.439
a shame he's gone. He would
have gotten a kick out of this camper's

1306
01:43:12.479 --> 01:43:15.840
predicament. I could hear the sound
of the creek now we were close.

1307
01:43:16.760 --> 01:43:20.279
Once we reached it, the path
followed it south for about a mile or

1308
01:43:20.319 --> 01:43:27.560
so. Then comes the clearing.
What's going to happen to me? The

1309
01:43:27.680 --> 01:43:31.600
camper asked, now that he had
calmed down. Well, Old Bones will

1310
01:43:31.640 --> 01:43:34.600
take you and open you up,
gobble up the bits he wants, and

1311
01:43:34.840 --> 01:43:40.039
whatever's left till toss into the trees. Why he does that, I don't

1312
01:43:40.079 --> 01:43:43.680
know. Maybe to feed the birds. They got to eat too, you

1313
01:43:43.720 --> 01:43:47.039
know, I explained, matter of
factly to the camper, whose eyes grew

1314
01:43:47.159 --> 01:43:53.720
larger with every word. You're joking, right, he asked me. I

1315
01:43:53.840 --> 01:43:57.840
stopped on the trail and gave him
a look. What did Old Bones do

1316
01:43:57.920 --> 01:44:02.520
to your friend, I asked him. He it pulled him right out of

1317
01:44:02.520 --> 01:44:05.680
our tent. It was dark.
I just heard the screaming. By the

1318
01:44:05.720 --> 01:44:12.159
time I found the flashlight, there
was nothing but a blood trail. I

1319
01:44:12.279 --> 01:44:15.560
followed it for a bit, but
then it just ended. The camper said,

1320
01:44:15.960 --> 01:44:19.720
forlorn, did you look up in
the trees, I asked him.

1321
01:44:20.159 --> 01:44:25.119
Why the fuck would I do that? He queried, I bet that's where

1322
01:44:25.119 --> 01:44:29.000
old Bones stuck him, had his
fill and tossed him to the clouds like

1323
01:44:29.079 --> 01:44:32.079
the early season stags we leave for
him. Your friend is up in the

1324
01:44:32.119 --> 01:44:36.800
branches. I'd bet you well.
I'll bet you eight hundred dollars, I

1325
01:44:36.920 --> 01:44:43.079
joked with a camper. You're demented. You know that right, There's something

1326
01:44:43.199 --> 01:44:46.560
off in your brain, the camper
said. I smacked him with the barrel

1327
01:44:46.560 --> 01:44:50.199
of the rifle and pointed it down
the trail. For a second, I

1328
01:44:50.279 --> 01:44:55.600
thought he was going to try something, but he gave up and started walking

1329
01:44:55.640 --> 01:45:00.319
off. Why should I keep going, he said defiantly, and stopped in

1330
01:45:00.319 --> 01:45:03.479
the path A moment later. I'm
gonna die either way. I'd rather get

1331
01:45:03.520 --> 01:45:09.840
shot than ripped apart, he reasoned. Well, it ain't your choice,

1332
01:45:09.880 --> 01:45:13.800
son, I explained, and pointed
yonder with the barrel of my gun.

1333
01:45:14.399 --> 01:45:17.000
The clearing was just ahead. He
looked like he was going to make a

1334
01:45:17.079 --> 01:45:20.640
run for it, but I kept
the barrel pointing right between his eyes.

1335
01:45:21.399 --> 01:45:27.199
I figured he was bluffing anyway.
I took him for a coward and eight

1336
01:45:27.279 --> 01:45:32.119
hundred bucks. Get on in there
by that stump, I commanded him.

1337
01:45:32.239 --> 01:45:36.600
He waited a second or so before
following his orders. I took the rope

1338
01:45:36.600 --> 01:45:41.399
from my pocket and followed him over. I tied him up against the stump,

1339
01:45:41.479 --> 01:45:45.520
eyeing the carvings on it. Grandpa
said it was the natives that lived

1340
01:45:45.520 --> 01:45:49.239
here a long time ago that carved
into the stump. It sure was weathered

1341
01:45:49.319 --> 01:45:55.079
enough, Grandpa said. The carvings
tell how to leave offerings for old bones.

1342
01:45:55.680 --> 01:45:59.760
It's how our family figured it all
out. Live food gets tied up,

1343
01:46:00.039 --> 01:46:03.560
the dead won't run away. I've
never left live food before, but

1344
01:46:03.600 --> 01:46:09.159
there's always a first time. I
remember my grandpa telling my father how to

1345
01:46:09.239 --> 01:46:13.560
do it when we came across a
stag with a broken leg. It was

1346
01:46:13.640 --> 01:46:16.399
crazy to try to grab the thing, but it had to have been struggling

1347
01:46:16.439 --> 01:46:20.279
for days and was just tuckered out. We got it to the clearing,

1348
01:46:20.359 --> 01:46:25.159
then they told me to leave,
to go home and tell mom they'd be

1349
01:46:25.199 --> 01:46:30.279
back soon. I can still see
my grandpa pointing to this very stump and

1350
01:46:30.319 --> 01:46:34.079
explaining to my dad what to do. I first made the camper tie up

1351
01:46:34.079 --> 01:46:38.680
his own feet at gunpoint. I
didn't want him to kick me, after

1352
01:46:38.760 --> 01:46:42.800
all, that's what my kin did
with the stag so many years ago.

1353
01:46:43.479 --> 01:46:46.600
Then I tied his arms around the
stump, with his chin resting on top

1354
01:46:46.640 --> 01:46:53.199
in a little groove facing deeper into
the forest. I made sure he was

1355
01:46:53.319 --> 01:46:57.159
good and tight before I stepped back
and gave the clearing a look over.

1356
01:46:58.079 --> 01:47:02.039
Only one more step left. I
drew my knife and came up behind the

1357
01:47:02.119 --> 01:47:08.039
hiker. You're just going to leave
me here with that thing in the woods,

1358
01:47:08.560 --> 01:47:13.880
the camper asked, Yeah, that's
the plan. Haven't you been paying

1359
01:47:13.920 --> 01:47:17.039
attention. Look, man, I
told you it's nothing personal. If I

1360
01:47:17.039 --> 01:47:20.840
don't get the transgressor to Old Bones, then my family'll pay. And I

1361
01:47:20.880 --> 01:47:25.880
can't have that, I said,
as I sliced into his flesh. Not

1362
01:47:26.039 --> 01:47:30.560
too deep, not in a vital
spot, mind you, just enough to

1363
01:47:30.640 --> 01:47:33.960
make him bleed, to get the
scent out into the air, to let

1364
01:47:34.000 --> 01:47:41.600
Old Bones know we were ready.
You're a murderer, the camper yelled out.

1365
01:47:42.119 --> 01:47:45.159
I ain't going to murder you.
That's for Old Bones to do,

1366
01:47:45.600 --> 01:47:50.319
I explained. Leaving me here is
murdering me. I ain't arguing semantics with

1367
01:47:50.359 --> 01:47:56.239
a person that got himself tied up
I told him, all you're saying is

1368
01:47:56.239 --> 01:47:59.760
what you ain't going to do.
Well, what are you going to do

1369
01:47:59.800 --> 01:48:04.680
that? The camper asked me,
followed by an exasperated sigh. Just then,

1370
01:48:05.279 --> 01:48:10.920
Old Bones made himself known with a
cry out in the forest, followed

1371
01:48:10.920 --> 01:48:15.000
by the boom of a large footfall. I moved in front of the camper.

1372
01:48:15.920 --> 01:48:19.720
I'm going to take my leave,
give my regards to Old Bones,

1373
01:48:20.119 --> 01:48:26.159
I said, and turned towards the
trail back home. Don't fucking leave me,

1374
01:48:26.720 --> 01:48:30.439
he yelled. As I left the
clearing, I stopped and turned around.

1375
01:48:30.079 --> 01:48:35.960
The footfalls from Old Bones were getting
closer really quick. I got myself

1376
01:48:35.960 --> 01:48:42.039
an idea and ducked down in the
small bushes that lined the clearing, peeking

1377
01:48:42.079 --> 01:48:46.039
through at my offering, this might
be a good chance to finally see what

1378
01:48:46.159 --> 01:48:50.920
Old Bones looks like. I listened
to the sound of the trees creaking,

1379
01:48:51.279 --> 01:48:56.279
as if they were making way for
Old Bones to walk among them. In

1380
01:48:56.359 --> 01:49:01.720
the distance, he could see the
branches sway. He could be here any

1381
01:49:01.800 --> 01:49:06.239
moment. The hair on the back
of my neck stood as a wave of

1382
01:49:06.319 --> 01:49:12.920
chills ran through me. The camper
started to scream as the primordial aura of

1383
01:49:13.000 --> 01:49:17.439
Old Bones took over the clearing.
All those years of wondering, all the

1384
01:49:17.560 --> 01:49:23.159
stories from the townsfolk, even the
bits and pieces of information I got from

1385
01:49:23.159 --> 01:49:27.239
my own family, couldn't prepare me
for what I saw step into the clearing.

1386
01:49:28.039 --> 01:49:31.920
It stood almost twenty feet tall,
standing like a person. Wood thick

1387
01:49:32.039 --> 01:49:38.319
muscles adorned its body. There were
parts where white bone was exposed in holes

1388
01:49:38.359 --> 01:49:43.000
in the flesh. Its huge feet
were cloven, just like the prince I

1389
01:49:43.039 --> 01:49:48.239
had saw so long ago. The
long arms were thin but strong. The

1390
01:49:48.359 --> 01:49:53.960
left pushed off the trunk of a
pine tree. The right clutched a gnarled

1391
01:49:54.000 --> 01:49:59.800
walking staff made from some ancient wood. Resting on top of its shoulders was

1392
01:49:59.840 --> 01:50:04.680
a huge head, a moose's head, scarred and scraped with countless years of

1393
01:50:04.720 --> 01:50:12.279
existence. The large antlers had stains
and scrapes as well. I tried to

1394
01:50:12.319 --> 01:50:16.720
take it all in, but my
eyes kept focusing on its gaze. The

1395
01:50:16.880 --> 01:50:21.479
fires of Prometheus burned in the orbs. As it looked down on the offering

1396
01:50:21.560 --> 01:50:26.520
before it. It was like looking
at a whacked out moose version of a

1397
01:50:26.720 --> 01:50:30.960
minotaur. Old bones had a smell
about him, like fresh turned dirt,

1398
01:50:31.600 --> 01:50:35.600
just an earthy smell about him.
It was like he was part of the

1399
01:50:35.640 --> 01:50:43.399
forest. He blended in so well, except for those eyes currently focused on

1400
01:50:43.479 --> 01:50:48.000
the camper. It cocked its large
head like a dog and raised the staff

1401
01:50:48.039 --> 01:50:54.399
in the air. Old Bones poked
the camper with the weathered end. When

1402
01:50:54.399 --> 01:50:59.840
the campers screamed out in terror,
Old Bones raised an eyebrow. He seemed

1403
01:51:00.079 --> 01:51:03.640
pleased by the live offering. Even
from my position, I could smell the

1404
01:51:03.720 --> 01:51:10.359
piss on the camper. How disrespectful. With a large hand, Old Bones

1405
01:51:10.439 --> 01:51:14.880
grabbed the camper and raised him into
the air, snapping my ropes like they

1406
01:51:14.920 --> 01:51:19.159
were nothing. He opened his large
moose jaw. Inside weren't the teeth of

1407
01:51:19.199 --> 01:51:25.720
a mouse, but sharp fangs of
a carnivore. It bit off the camper's

1408
01:51:25.760 --> 01:51:29.800
head in a snap, and I
nearly lost my lunch. I would have

1409
01:51:29.840 --> 01:51:33.840
been sad too. My wife makes
a mean chicken salad. I watched his

1410
01:51:33.960 --> 01:51:38.600
blood poured out the side of his
mouth. He chewed on the head for

1411
01:51:38.680 --> 01:51:43.920
a few seconds and swallowed. He
huffed twice into the air. With a

1412
01:51:44.000 --> 01:51:47.640
pointed finger. He dug into the
chest and ate the organs by dumping the

1413
01:51:47.720 --> 01:51:54.479
chest out all over his head into
his mouth. A lung mist and splattered

1414
01:51:54.520 --> 01:51:59.520
on the ground. It exploded like
a water balloon. I wretched and tried

1415
01:51:59.560 --> 01:52:03.800
to keep it down. Old Bones
must have heard me. Our eyes met

1416
01:52:03.840 --> 01:52:10.680
for a second. The eons of
burning earth before it had cooled branded my

1417
01:52:10.760 --> 01:52:15.359
brain. I felt the ebb and
flow of the magma below the crust.

1418
01:52:15.119 --> 01:52:18.840
I thought I was going to die. That Old Bones was going to kill

1419
01:52:18.880 --> 01:52:23.800
me. My own stupid need to
see him was going to do me in.

1420
01:52:24.880 --> 01:52:29.239
He tossed the camper's corpse into the
air. It landed in the branches

1421
01:52:29.279 --> 01:52:32.279
of the large pine trees. He
picked up his staff and took a step

1422
01:52:32.319 --> 01:52:36.000
towards me. I didn't have it
in me to move. I was just

1423
01:52:36.079 --> 01:52:42.039
trying not to break down. He
took a massive step and was now in

1424
01:52:42.079 --> 01:52:46.960
front of me. Mortal Old Bones
muttered. He commanded my attention. His

1425
01:52:47.159 --> 01:52:51.680
voice came from nowhere, but from
everywhere. At the same time, the

1426
01:52:51.840 --> 01:52:58.800
ember stair burned into my head.
I thank you for the offering. It

1427
01:52:58.920 --> 01:53:04.560
has been some time since I have
had flesh of a man. I think

1428
01:53:04.600 --> 01:53:10.960
I would like some more. I
forgot the taste of the arrogance of the

1429
01:53:11.079 --> 01:53:15.920
young race. We need to amend
the deal it spoke into my brain.

1430
01:53:16.600 --> 01:53:20.039
No, humans are hard to get
a hold of, and it's wrong,

1431
01:53:20.520 --> 01:53:28.520
I replied. I can't do it, shame mortal. If I do not

1432
01:53:28.680 --> 01:53:32.840
receive a live offering of man flesh
by the longest day of the year,

1433
01:53:33.720 --> 01:53:42.079
then I shall take my payment from
the farms. Anything else. Please don't

1434
01:53:42.119 --> 01:53:47.680
ask this of me, I begged. I have spoken, full Bone said,

1435
01:53:48.159 --> 01:53:53.279
and turned from me. He walked
into the woods without another word.

1436
01:53:53.960 --> 01:53:58.800
I looked at the camper in the
trees, almost envying him if I was

1437
01:53:58.920 --> 01:54:03.159
being honest. Now I had to
go home and explain to our families the

1438
01:54:03.239 --> 01:54:10.119
new terms. We dare not go
against Old Bones, not if we want

1439
01:54:10.119 --> 01:54:14.800
to protect our loved ones. At
least now I know what Old Bones looks

1440
01:54:14.840 --> 01:54:18.520
like. If only I had left
the clearing, I never would have seen

1441
01:54:18.560 --> 01:54:26.800
Old Bones or interacted with him.
Everyone that has seen Old Bones has had

1442
01:54:26.840 --> 01:54:35.800
to pay a price, and mine
will be paid in man flesh. Well,

1443
01:54:35.920 --> 01:54:43.039
my spooky friend, it looks like
you've survived five terrifying stories of cryptid

1444
01:54:43.199 --> 01:54:47.159
terror for now, But make sure
you keep an eye out when you're hiking

1445
01:54:47.199 --> 01:54:53.960
in the woods or heading up a
trail that maybe you don't really know and

1446
01:54:54.119 --> 01:54:58.960
who knows where it may lead.
I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Couto,

1447
01:54:59.439 --> 01:55:01.840
and I want to say an extra
special thank you to our Patreon podcast

1448
01:55:01.880 --> 01:55:05.520
boosters, folks who pay just a
little bit more to hear their names on

1449
01:55:05.560 --> 01:55:11.479
the show. And they are Bobbletopia
dot com, Megan Hua, Julia Kersh,

1450
01:55:11.520 --> 01:55:15.039
Brent McCollough, Geno Lyon, Steve
King, Karen we Met, Jack

1451
01:55:15.159 --> 01:55:17.560
Kerr and Craig Cohen. If you
want to join them, go to Weekly

1452
01:55:17.600 --> 01:55:21.680
Spooky dot com and click on Patreon. For as little as one dollar a

1453
01:55:21.760 --> 01:55:28.000
month, you can guarantee that the
Spooky keeps going and going. But now

1454
01:55:28.039 --> 01:55:32.039
it's time for me to retreat until
the next time. For our executive producer

1455
01:55:32.119 --> 01:55:35.960
Rob Fields, our producer Dan Wilder, and our composer Ray Maddis, I

1456
01:55:36.000 --> 01:55:39.279
will talk at you very soon.