WEBVTT
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Children are vanishing from homes beside the woods, and FBI
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agent Franny Carter thinks she finally knows who's taking them.
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Her investigation leads to a circle of mushrooms, a doorway
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into another world, and a beautiful queen whose idea of
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the Fair Folk is not like a bedtime story. What's that?
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You want to be scared? Come with me. You will
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experience tales of horror, ghosts, and death. It is not
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recommended for the weak at.
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Heart.
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Listen in the dark. It's more fun that way. This
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is Weekly Spooky.
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Hello, my spookies. It's Wednesday, and you know what that means.
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It's time for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm
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your host and narrator, Enrique Couto, and tonight we're heading
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into a bit of the old world of folklore. Certainly
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a grim fairy tale, if you know what I mean.
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But before we get to all that, I want to
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say thank you all so much for joining me as
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spooky season is basically already here, although the calendar is
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getting in the way. Before you know it, we'll have
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extra special Halloween bonus shows all week long. You'll want
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to tune in and make sure you're subscribed to never
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miss one of the bonus scares you might get any
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given day of the week on top of the weekly
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spooky fun you can expect every day of the week.
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So make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast app.
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And if you want to help us out in a
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way that costs you nothing but a moment of your time,
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head to your Spotify's and iHeartMedia's and Apple Podcasts and
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leave us a five-star rating so other spookies like us
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will know they're in the right place and they'll get
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a scare that cares. And if you want exclusive stories, audiobooks,
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and so much more, head to weeklyspooky.com slash join, where
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for your support of as little as $ 1 a month
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makes a huge difference at weeklyspooky.com slash join. But now,
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as for tonight, there are some places in the woods
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we're told not to disturb. Strange circles of mushrooms, little...
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Clearings where the air feels different. Places where old stories
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say the fair folk gather after dark. Most of us
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stopped believing those stories a long time ago. But FBI
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agent Franny Carter never had that luxury. Children have been
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disappearing from their homes and every strange clue points towards
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something impossible. Fairy rings, another realm, and creatures beautiful enough
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to make you forget that beauty has never meant kindness.
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So keep away from the mushrooms, my spookies. The Fair
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Folk by Tyler Belmont There's nothing more distressing than... The
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pleas of a desperate parent. Another child has been reported missing.
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A crying mother breaks down in front of an FBI
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agent named Francesca Carter. The mother pleads with the agent
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in desperation. Please save my baby! Francesca took the distressed
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mother's hand and looked into her eyes. I will find
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your missing daughter. You have my word. After returning to
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the office, Francesca stared at the wall behind her desk.
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It was covered in newspaper clippings with various pictures of
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missing children and highlighted text. Red strings were covering the
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wall like a spider web. Francesca, or Franny as she
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preferred to be called, was a twenty-year-plus veteran, She's gained
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a reputation for solving nearly all unsolved files that were
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filed under... Well, I'm sure you probably know which files
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I'm talking about. The weird kind that can't be explained.
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This one was the big one that Franny was desperate
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to solve. From all her research, all the signs pointed
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to the best possible suspect being... Elves. Now, these aren't
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your typical elves you find in Santa's Workshop or even
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Tolkien's Middle Earth. No, these were nasty buggers. On the surface,
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they look human-like and can appear as the most beautiful
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creature you've ever laid eyes on. But they are not human.
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They are devoid of empathy and imaginations. They can't produce
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art of any kind on their own, but they can
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give the illusion of it with their singing, which to
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humans sounds like a divine work of art, but their
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songs are hypnotic, meant to deceive and use. For several months,
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Franny has been searching for where these creatures are coming from.
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It is said they live in a realm separate from
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ours called fairyland. She believes she may have finally found
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its location. Every location for all these abductions has taken
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place in a suburban house near a small forest. Each
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one was different, so it could be safe to assume
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that these things can travel through any location that involves
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a fairy ring. Franny happens to live near a nature
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reserve area called Lynch Park. It was a lavished foreset
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with trail paths, creeks, and wetland places located right near
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the Lynch Elementary School. Franny decided that later tonight she'll
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go to Lynch Park, find the fairy ring, retrieve the
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missing children, and leave. Late at night, the stars shined
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brightly with the full moon staring down at the park,
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lighting the way through the lone road to lead down
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the hill towards the entrance of Lynch Park. Franny parked
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her car outside the entrance, a lone bridge standing as
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a gateway to the forest. She wears a black overcoat
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over a dress shirt, a horseshoe pendant around her neck.
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pants and black army boots. She steps onto the bridge
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and crosses into the woods with fierce determination in her eyes.
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Franny's flashlight illuminates the woods around her. Night always adds
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a sense of tension to the environment, but there is
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a beauty to it as well. The sounds of crickets
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and owls make their presence known, as they tend to
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do at this hour. Twigs snap with each footstep as
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Franny shines her light across the various trees and plants,
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searching for anything that might resemble a fairy ring. The
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thing about fairy rings is that they tend to form
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arcs or circles of mushrooms. Depending on who you ask,
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they're either used by the witches of the devil or
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bring good fortune. As the path leads to a field
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of long grass, Franny's attention is caught by a group
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of Singapore trees huddled together. The light shines below the trees,
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revealing a circle of mushrooms. There you are, Franny says calmly.
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She steps forward and waves her arm across the circle
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to no effect. Deep in thought, she knows that This
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is the way in. But how is she supposed to
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gain entrance? She reaches into her coat and pulls out
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a plastic bag containing a lone safflower, known as a
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botanical symbol for a warm welcome. She tosses the flower
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into the circle and shines her flashlight on it. The
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flower disappears as a calm, Heavy, low, buzzing sound surrounds Franny.
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She looks around before returning her attention to the fairy ring,
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where what can only be described as a transparent, wavering
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curtain appears. It has no visible color and blends into
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the scenery. Franny takes a deep breath and steps into
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the circle as the world around her shifts from a
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warm summer night to a dark autumn evening. It's still night,
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but the world seems brighter, as if someone has turned
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up the opacity to make everything clearer. Franny looks back
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to see the transparent curtain still present, along with the circle.
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In front of her is a clear path of dirt
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and grass leading toward a stretch of white ground. Franny
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approaches it and realizes it's snow. The sky above is
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gray as snow begins to fall gently. Her eyes scan
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the area and find nothing but snow-covered trees. The FBI
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agent draws her pistol without hesitation. She stares into the woods,
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looking in every direction. Who's out there? Distant footsteps, deliberate
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and powerful, approach the agent. Well, this is certainly a surprise,
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says a mysterious voice that is undeniably female. From the
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shadows steps a tall, thin woman with a triangular face.
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She wears a blue Victorian velvet dress and a copper crown,
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and in her arms is a sleeping human baby. Franny,
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seeing the child, lowers her gun. A gentle smile appears
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on the mysterious visitor. There is an aura of certainty
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surrounding her that Franny knows not to trust. That child
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doesn't belong to you. Oh? You know this for certain?
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replies the woman. You're the Queen, are you not? Very perceptive,
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aren't you? Yes, I am the Queen of the Fae,
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with many names, but you may address me as Your
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Royal Highness, says the Queen. I don't think I'm going
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to do that, Franny snarks. The smile vanishes as a
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look of discontent appears. on the queen's face. You have
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come for the child, have you not? The queen asks.
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I've come for more than just one child. I am
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here for at least three of them. Where are the
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other two? The queen holds the baby with loving care
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as it continues to sleep soundly in her arms. The
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other two were given away as offerings. while I am
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keeping this one to raise as my own. An offering
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for what? The queen remains silent and simply ignores Franny.
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I won't ask again, she says as she raises her gun.
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That would be unwise. The sounds of footsteps and breaking
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branches echo through the woods. Franny turns to see several
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elves spread out among the trees, with bows drawn and
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arrows pointed directly at her. You do not seem to
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understand that you are powerless here in my realm. the
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queen gloats. I want that child, Franny replies calmly. The
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queen shows slight annoyance, but not quite enough to lose
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her calm demeanor. Very well, then. Kill her, shouts the queen.
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Arrows fly as Franny dashes toward the woods, narrowly avoiding
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every one that comes her way. She fires three shots,
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taking down every elf she spots. Taking cover in the woods,
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she turns her attention back to the queen, who is
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no longer standing there. Damn. The queen is too fast
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and already on the move. Franny keeps both hands steady
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on her gun, her eyes scanning her surroundings. She can
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hear distorted voices that sound like children laughing and crying Normally,
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as stoic as they come, Franny finds the voices are
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starting to get to her. She can't help but wonder
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how long this has been going on. How many children
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have had their lives taken from them before they even
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get the opportunity to truly live? Franny turns and fires
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her gun at the queen. only to find her holding
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the infant child in front of her as a shield. No!
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Franny drops to her knees in utter defeat as the
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realization of what she's just done washes over her. Tears
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begin to fall from her eyes as she stares down
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at the small puddle of water beneath her. How could you?
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she asks. You were the one with the weapon. You
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knew I'm carrying the child. Well, was, says the queen.
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Franny looks at the queen, confused. Where's the... A sharp
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blade pierces Franny's chest. She coughs up blood. The queen
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holds the blade. Franny stares down at it. then slowly
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looks up to see that the queen is still holding
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the infant, who is very much alive. I thought I...
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Did you really think I was going to allow you
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to harm them? says the queen. The queen pulls the
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blade from Franny's chest. Franny presses her hand against the wound,
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hoping she can stop the bleeding. You must see that
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you are no match for me. You are finished. I
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would love to keep you alive and perhaps make you
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a toy for my other subjects, but I really must
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be going, the queen says. Franny clutches her chest tightly
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with one hand as the queen walks away. She raises
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her other hand. Just one more thing. Your Highness, Franny says.
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Speak if you can, the queen replies. I have a
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special gift for you. A gift? Yes, it's a special
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necklace passed down through generations in my family. I think
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you should have it, and if I may, I would
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like to place it on you myself if you could
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Allow someone as unworthy as me to do so. Hmm,
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you seem to finally know your place very well. Place
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the necklace onto me. The queen closes her eyes. She
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stands still as the necklace is placed around her neck. Suddenly,
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she feels an intense burning sensation. She opens her eyes
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to find, to her horror, that an iron horseshoe is
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wrapped around her neck. What is this? The queen looks
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up to find Franny. Looking down at her, the baby
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in one arm and the gun pointed at her face.
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Not so loud. You don't want to wake the baby,
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Franny whispers. You parasite. I'll have your head for this.
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The queen shouts. She struggles to remove the horseshoe, but
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it is useless. The burns are too intense for her
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to get a grip. Guards! Guards! But no one comes. Franny,
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carrying the baby in her arms, walks out of the
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cold winter wonderland, leaving the queen for dead. I will...
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The queen cannot finish her sentence because the intense heat
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from the iron is burning through her skin. She holds
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out her arms. arms and watches in horror as they
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dissolve into orange embers. The fire consumes the rest of
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her body. All she can do is stare into the distance,
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watching this insolent mere human walk away with what is nothing.
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rightfully hers until her vision blurs and darkness takes her.
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Franny falls to her knees, clutching her chest and taking
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deep breaths as she tries to keep herself together. She
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looks down at the sleeping baby in her arms. Pursing
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her lips, she pulls herself up through sheer willpower and
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continues walking up the steep hill. Finally, she reaches the
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transparent curtain and can almost breathe a sigh of relief.
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From a distance, she hears screaming. Others are likely finding
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the remains of their queen. As she turns, an arrow
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strikes her in the back, taking her breath away. Elves
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in the distance charge up the hill. Franny screams as
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she manages to stand and walk through the transparent door. Finally,
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she returns to the realm of humans. The door disappears
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behind her. Franny steps outside the fairy circle and collapses
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onto her side, still clutching the baby, who has woken
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up and started crying. Red, white, and blue lights flash
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bright in the distance. Franny tries to stay awake but