Terrifying & True | Flannan Isles Lighthouse — Three Keepers Vanished in 1900

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For a very long time. Workers
at lighthouses all over the world have been

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depicted as lonely men ready to go
mad at any time. But where did

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that come from? Where did that
cliche start? Well, it may have

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started in nineteen hundred in Scotland on
the Flannin Isles, where fact is scarier

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than fiction. What you were about
to spile based on witness accounts, testimal

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piece and public record, this is
terrifying and true. True. Hello,

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my dear friends. I was just
on the road in Chicago, Illinois,

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having some film related fun and work
along the way. Being away from home

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was refreshing, so I felt like
our creepy class tonight will take place on

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a distant aisle, the Lonely Flanin
Isles, a collection of isolated islands off

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the coast of Scotland, where the
mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers triggered one

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of the longest running mysteries in maritime
history and sent chills down the spines of

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so many people. So make sure
you're comfortable and also get your sea legs

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ready. We'll learn all about this
story after these quick messages. Imagine the

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year is nineteen hundred and a dark, blustery and chilly December night, the

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Flannin Isles Lighthouse stands tall as a
beacon of hope amid perilous seas. The

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lighthouse keepers, on the other hand, mysteriously vanish on this infamous night,

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leaving behind a chilling trail of unanswered
questions and terrifying possibilities. James Ducat,

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Thomas Marshall, and Donald MacArthur,
three seasoned keepers in charge of the lighthouse's

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operation, start our tail. Their
job was to keep the light on and

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make sure that passing ships and their
crews were safe. But they had no

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idea that their every day routine would
soon turn into a mystery that has baffled

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investigators and captured the imaginations of so
many for more than a century. On

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the day that they vanished, the
flan And Aisles were approached by a steamer

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with the name S. S.
Arcter on its way to the shores of

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the United States. The lighthouse was
completely dark, an absolute departure from its

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normal operation, surprising the crew aboard. Concerned Chief James Harvey and his team

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set foot on the island to examine
it. They were mortified by what they

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found. Unsettling evidence of the keeper's
absence was the wide and unlocked entrance gate

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to the compound. The beds were
empty, the fireplace was cold, and

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personal belongings were all over the place, but the keepers seemed to vanish into

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thin air, both inside the light
house and across the rocky terrain. A

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meticulous search followed. There were no
signs of fighting, struggle, or foul

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play. The eerie silence and ominous
atmosphere were left behind by what appeared to

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be the keeper's inexplicable departure from their
position. As news of the disappearance spread,

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theories and speculation emerged. Some suggested
that a violent storm had swept the

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keepers away, claiming their lives.
Others proposed more sinister possibilities, supernatural forces,

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clandestine activities hidden beneath the lighthouses,
seemingly innocuous facade, and even alien

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abductions. One of the most haunting
clues in this enigma was an entry in

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the lighthouse log book, believed to
be written by James du Cat. It

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detailed a severe storm raging outside like
no other. Ducat described strange sounds echoing

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across the island and the waves crashing
against the rocks. With an other worldly

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force. The logbook's final entry,
written on December fifteenth, nineteen hundred,

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sent shivers down the spines of those
who discovered it. Ducat's words ominously stated,

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storm ended sea, calm, God
is overall. It was as if

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he had foreseen their fate, or
perhaps he was trying to convey a deeper

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hidden message. While the lighthouse log
book held valuable information leading up to the

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disappearance, there were missing pages that
raised suspicion. These missing pages contained crucial

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entries covering the days immediately prior to
the incident. Their absence has fueled speculation

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of a deliberate cover up or the
removal of evidence that could shed light on

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what truly transpired on the Flannin Niles. Could someone have tampered with the log

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book to hide the truth. In
the aftermath of the disappearance, investigators uncovered

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cryptic messages scribbled on the margins of
official documents within the lighthouse. These unsettling

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writings contained fragmented phrases and disjointed sentences, hinting at a growing sense of dread

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and an ominous presence haunting the keepers. Lines like whispers in the night,

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eyes in the shadows and the lighthouse
holds secrets were scrawled in a frenzied manner.

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Were these messages the desperate cry of
disturbed minds or clues left behind by

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the keepers as they unraveled the mysteries
of the island. The mystery didn't stop

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there. During the initial investigation,
peculiar footprints were discovered on the muddy path

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leading from the lighthouse to the rocky
cliffs. The prints appeared to be larger

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and more deformed than those of any
human or animal. Some experts theorized that

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these tracks belonged to an unknown creature, while others suggested they might have been

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distorted by the relentless weather conditions.
The existence of these bizarre footprints only added

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to the sense of foreboding surrounding the
case. What creature or entity could have

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left such haunting prince behind. Investigators
also uncovered a series of clandestine letters exchanged

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between one of the keepers and an
unknown recipient. The content of these letters

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was cryptic and laced with a sense
of urgency, alluding to hidden truths and

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dangerous knowledge. They spoke of forbidden
discoveries, a mysterious presence lurking in the

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shadows, and the need to protect
the world from an ancient evil. Who

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was the recipient of these letters and
what secrets were they trying to safeguard.

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Could these correspondences hold the key to
understanding the Flannin Isle's enigma. Over the

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years, numerous theories have emerged to
explain the Flannin Isles lighthouse disappearances, each

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one more strange engine eerie than the
last. Some believe that the keepers fell

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victim to the wrath of vengeful spirits
haunting the desolate island. Locals whispered tales

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of ghostly apparitions wandering the rocky shores, their tormented souls forever tied to the

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lighthouse. Others speculate that the keepers
stumbled upon something sinister, something that required

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their silence. They may have unknowingly
stumbled upon a clandestine operation, a secret

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rendezvous, smuggling activities, or even
a hidden treasure buried deep within the rocky

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cliffs of the island. But perhaps
the most unnerving theory of all is that

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the keepers succumbed to a force beyond
human comprehension, a malevolent entity lurking in

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the darkness, waiting to claim its
victims. Some believe that the Flannin Isles

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Lighthouse has always been a beacon for
the supernatural, a nexus where the boundaries

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between our world and the unknown intertwine. This is backed up by the fact

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that alongside the disappearance of the lighthouse
keepers, witnesses from nearby vessels reported peculiar

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lights emanating from the direction of the
flan And Isles Lighthouse on the night of

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the incident. Some describe them as
flickering ethereal lights that danced in the darkness,

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while others claim to have seen a
single intense beam of light shooting into

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the sky before abruptly vanishing. These
sightings have fueled speculation about possible extraterrestrial involvement

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or a connection to some kind of
other worldly phenomena. Additionally, in the

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days leading up to the disappearance,
there were reports of unusual malfunctions with the

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lighthouse equipment. Some accounts mentioned erratic
behavior of the light itself, with it

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flickering at irregular intervals or even going
out completely for brief periods. Other keepers

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from neighboring lighthouses reported experiencing similar issues
during the same time frame. Could these

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equipment malfunctions be a clue to an
underlying problem or a sign of outside interference.

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The vanishing of the flanton Isle's beacon
guardians stays inexplicable right up till now,

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leaving us with substantially more questions than
answers. Were they indeed swept away

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by the unforgiving sea as a result
of a tragic accident, Did they experience

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a power so unnerving that they were
headed to escape their post, abandoning their

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lives. Or did they discover something, a secret that caused their demise.

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We hope to uncover the mystery surrounding
this haunting case as we delve deeper into

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the archives and read accounts of those
who dared to look into the mystery of

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the Flannin Islands. So let's go
on an eerie journey through the unknown,

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where whispers of the lighthouse's secrets have
echoed throughout history. The Flanin Isle Lighthouse,

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according to some, is cursed because
of an ancient darkness that has stained

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its foundations. The island's turbulent history. Accounts of wrecks, puzzling vanishings,

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and frightful happenings add fuel to these
unpleasant cases. In the days leading up

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to the lighthouse keeper's disappearance. Conversations
with people who interacted with them also revealed

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startling discrepancies in their memories. While
some witnesses insisted that everything appeared to be

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perfectly normal, others mentioned a sense
of unease or unusual behavior on the part

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of the keepers. Questions about what
might have transpired in the days leading up

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to the fateful event are raised by
these contradictory accounts. Are the keepers just

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unfortunate victims of circumstance, or were
they acting out of character indicating a forthcoming

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tragedy. But as we navigate the
treacherous waters of speculation, we must also

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consider far more rational explanations. Perhaps
it was a violent storm that did claim

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the lives of the keepers, sweeping
them away in a tragic accident that left

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no trade behind. Or maybe a
series of unfortunate events unfolded leading to their

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disappearance, a sudden illness, a
fatal accident, or an unfortunate encounter with

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a rogue wave. Adding to that, life as a lighthouse keeper was known

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to be a mentally and emotionally demanding
occupation. The isolated nature of the job,

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combined with the relentless nature of the
elements often took a toll on one's

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psyche. Reports suggested that the keepers
on the flannin Asle had been showing signs

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of increasing stress and fatigue in the
months leading up to their disappearance. Some

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theorize that the extreme conditions, combined
with their prolonged seclusion, pushed them to

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the brink of sanity. Could this
psychological strain have led them to unravel,

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ultimately culminating in a tragic end.
Yet, as the years passed and the

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Flanninisle Lighthouse continued to stand as a
solitary sentinel in the vast ocean, the

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true fate of James Ducat, Thomas
Marshall, and Donald MacArthur remains a mystery.

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Their names etched into the annals of
the paranormal and the unsolved, a

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testament to the mysteries that defy explanation. Soon the years turned into decades,

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and the enigma of the flannin Isle
Lighthouse faded from the public consciousness, but

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it never truly vanished. The lighthouse, perched on its lonely island, became

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a haunting symbol of the mysteries that
lie beneath the surface of our world.

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In nineteen seventy one. Over seventy
years after the vanishing, a group of

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lighthouse keepers stationed on the neighboring alien
Moore Island reported a chilling encounter. They

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claimed to have heard disembodied voices carried
by the wind calling out names that were

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eerily familiar Ducat Marshal MacArthur. The
experience terrified them and reignited public interest in

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the unsolved case. Many speculated that
the spirits of the lost keepers still wandered

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the desolate Flannin Isle, trapped between
worlds eternally searching for answers. Another occurrence

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linked to the case as that of
a local fisherman who came forward years after

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the incident claiming to have seen an
unfamiliar boat anchored near the Flannin Isles during

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the time of the lighthousekeeper's disappearance.
According to his account, the boat appeared

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to be abandoned, with no signs
of life on board. The fishermen reported

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feeling a sense of unease and opted
to steer clear of the mysterious vessel.

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Could this boat have any connection to
the vanishing of the lighthousekeepers? Did they

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encounter someone or something on that boat
that led to their disappearance. In recent

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years, modern investigators have revisited the
Plan and Isles lighthouse disappearance, armed with

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advanced technology and fresh perspectives. They've
explored theories of paranormal activity, examined meteorological

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records, and scoured historical documents,
all in the search of truth. Some

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researchers argue that the log book entries
and the peculiar weather conditions on that stormy

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December night point to a phenomenon known
as rogue waves. These massive, unpredictable

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waves can appear seemingly out of nowhere
and engulf even the sturdiest vessels. Could

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such a wave have swept away the
keepers, leaving no trace behind. Others

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suggest that the lighthouse keepers, burdened
by the isolation and harsh conditions, succumbed

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to madness and desperation. The unrelenting
winds, the ceaseless pounding of the waves,

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and the complete and utter solitude may
have eroded their mental fortitude, leading

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them to make irrational choices. Yet, for all the theories and investigations,

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the true fate of James Ducat,
Thomas Marshall, and Donald MacArthur remains elusive.

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Their disappearance stands as a chilling reminder
of the vastness and unknowability of our

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world, a reminder that some secrets
may forever be locked away in the depths.

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This is a solid, good old
fashioned mystery, one that really makes

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you wonder and also pulls you into
its ambience. The idea of a lighthouse

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on a little island in the middle
of the ocean. That's the stuff of

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fantasy and of horror. In many
ways, it's a holdover to all the

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maritime fear that occurred throughout human history. It's impossible to count how many times

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people went off in boats and ships, never to return and with no one

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ever knowing what happened. And while
the ocean is considered soothing by many,

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something that can be calming and joyful
can slowly break away at your mindset.

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Hearing waves crashing over and over and
over may sound like the perfect situation for

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a nap, but try that for
six months straight. Eventually the sound of

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the waves changes to you. It
starts to sound like something else, something

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calling to you. Madness is a
strange thing, But what do you think

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out there? Do you think they
simply went mad, or do you think

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something deeply nefarious went down or hell? Could it be space Aliens? I

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want to know what you think more
than anything. Terrifying and True is narrated

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00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:52.920
by Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced
by Rob Fields, produced by Daniel Wilder,

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00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.880
with the original theme music by Ray
Maddis. If you have a story

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00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:00.359
you'd like us to cover on the
program, send us an email at Weekly

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00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.720
Spooky at gmail dot com. And
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For as little as one dollar a
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say a big thank you to our
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a little bit more to hear their
names on the show. And they are

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boble Topia, Megan Hua, Julia
Kirsh, Christopher Sullivan, Brent McCollough,

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weeme At, Jack Kerr and Craig Cohen.

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Thank you all so very much and
we'll see you next Monday.