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Speaker 1: Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions.

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Speaker 1: Lighthouse revealed a secret to us that warm summer's day

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Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty six, one that began to make the

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Speaker 1: pieces clicked together. When that recording ran out and the

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Speaker 1: real to real player was left spinning an empty spool,

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Speaker 1: my mind reeled from the revelation. My father had a sister,

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Speaker 1: a sister that had died in the very same room

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Speaker 1: he was. In a way, it was almost poetic, if

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Speaker 1: not horrifying. But this sister, Madeline, also was a race

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Speaker 1: from the family's history. Thinking back, my father had never

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Speaker 1: spoken about her. Even the painting in his former study

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Speaker 1: excluded her from the family portrait. She was the secret

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Speaker 1: shame whitewashed away in an effort to forget. But she

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Speaker 1: wouldn't be forgotten. Consumed by the darkness both in life

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Speaker 1: and in death, she had returned with the other entities

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Speaker 1: of the house. Lini's imaginary friend, Abigail was one and

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Speaker 1: the same as Madeleine. The darkness that lived in Lighthouse

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Speaker 1: had corrupted her, and now she had latched onto Leani

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Speaker 1: for who knows what purpose. Hearing all this, it was

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Speaker 1: too much to bear. While I stood there captivated, fingers

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Speaker 1: digging into my palms when it was playing. Once the

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Speaker 1: recording had run its course, I ran from the dark room.

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Speaker 1: I bounded up the stairs, through the pantry and the

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Speaker 1: rest of the house, straight outside, leaning against the ancient

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Speaker 1: red oak tree. I was sick to my stomach. I

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Speaker 1: hadn't eaten all day, so nothing came up with bile,

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Speaker 1: and it burned my throat, as if my body was

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Speaker 1: trying to expel what I had just learned. I looked

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Speaker 1: back to the house. I saw the man in the

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Speaker 1: hat standing in the window on the third floor, in

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Speaker 1: the same place I had first seen him all those

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Speaker 1: years ago. He smiled, knowing that he had helped expose

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Speaker 1: me to a secret that the family had tried to forget.

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Speaker 1: I couldn't stand it anymore. Lighthouse was a stain on

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Speaker 1: the soul of the world, and I had to get away.

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Speaker 1: I had to keep my family away, to keep them safe.

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Speaker 1: I would move to the ends of the earth if

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Speaker 1: I had to, and keep moving to stay ahead of

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Speaker 1: the man in the hat and whoever else the house

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Speaker 1: sent for me. I ran. I ran back to my car,

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Speaker 1: and when it didn't start because it was still overheated,

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Speaker 1: I kept running. I ran until I eventually found my

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Speaker 1: way back home days later, and hucked my son until

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Speaker 1: Chris had to pry me off. I was never going

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Speaker 1: back to Lighthouse again. But that's not how it works,

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Speaker 1: does it. On that day in it was thirteen years

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Speaker 1: since my father died, thirteen years since Lighthouse had claimed

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Speaker 1: another soul, and it was hungry again. But the house

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Speaker 1: was patient. It bided its time until the moment was right.

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Speaker 1: It reached its tendrils into its next victim, continuing to

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Speaker 1: claw its way inside until finally I snapped. On a

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Speaker 1: cold winter's day in, I came back to Lighthouse. Seven

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Speaker 1: years had passed, and though I swore never to return,

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Speaker 1: something tragic happened that caused me to break myself imposed exile.

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Speaker 1: Leaney was dead. Lighthouse, Chapter seven. Lighthouse never left my mind.

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Speaker 1: During those years away. I stayed in contact with my sister,

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Speaker 1: more so than I had previously. I had gone dark

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Speaker 1: for a few months, but called the house late one

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Speaker 1: night check on her. Thankfully it was her that picked

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Speaker 1: up the phone and not my mother. I wasn't sure

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Speaker 1: I would be able to face her after I left

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Speaker 1: without saying goodbye, but Leni was always thrilled to hear

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Speaker 1: from me. Since my mother was somehow intercepting her mail,

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Speaker 1: we decided on an alternate route. I would establish a

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Speaker 1: PO box in Leni's name in town, away from my

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Speaker 1: mother's overbearing eyes, where I would be able to send

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Speaker 1: her letters. Lenie had already established a habit of long walks,

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Speaker 1: disappearing from the house for hours at a time, so

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Speaker 1: mother was never suspicious of the days she visited the

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Speaker 1: post office to receive our secret communications. Most times her

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Speaker 1: letters were a childlike the way I had come to

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Speaker 1: know her. But other times it was as if my

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Speaker 1: sister had an air of clarity about her, like the

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Speaker 1: fog in her mind cleared and she was herself. She

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Speaker 1: seemed normal, normal for her age. I mean, those letters

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Speaker 1: were more coherent focused. It was incredible. But unfortunately, these

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Speaker 1: moments came and went quickly, and she always reverted back

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Speaker 1: to the way I remember her being. So it went

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Speaker 1: for years. We traded letters secretly back and forth. I

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Speaker 1: spoke of my family in the outside world, while she

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Speaker 1: wrote innocently of her long days spent within the house.

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Speaker 1: Of color she had painted her bedroom, how the flowers

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Speaker 1: were growing in the garden, how the ocean was rough

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Speaker 1: that day. She never complained, but there was always a

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Speaker 1: hint of sadness in her letters, maybe even regret, regret

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Speaker 1: for not leaving Lighthouse and regret for me not being

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Speaker 1: in her life. More from her letters, I could tell

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Speaker 1: my mother was demanding much of her and often treated

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Speaker 1: her as a child. It was as if they were

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Speaker 1: both stuck in a perpetual state of when Leni was

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Speaker 1: still a young girl. This point was driven home, even

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Speaker 1: more so by the drawings she sometimes included, similar to

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Speaker 1: that birthday card she gave me all those years ago.

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Speaker 1: I often begged her in my letters to come visit,

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Speaker 1: to get away from Lighthouse and from our mother, but

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Speaker 1: she always ignored these requests. Those last few months, her

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Speaker 1: letters grew shorter. There was less about her comings and goings,

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Speaker 1: and more about how happy she was that I was

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Speaker 1: having a good life. These were worrying, of course, as

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Speaker 1: she seemed to be drawing inward. I tried to follow

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Speaker 1: up each of these with a phone call, but most

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Speaker 1: of the time they went unanswered. All this was concerning,

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Speaker 1: to say the least, and I doubled my efforts to

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Speaker 1: invite Leny to visit us, or at the very least,

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Speaker 1: start seeing someone. I sent a letter detailing my concern,

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Speaker 1: asking her to spend Christmas with us, a letter which

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Speaker 1: went unreturned. This was sometimes common, as getting to town

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Speaker 1: and away from mother did not happen as much as

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Speaker 1: she would have liked. But when the next letter, and

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Speaker 1: then when after that went with no response, I grew

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Speaker 1: more worried. I spent many sleepless nights thinking of her,

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Speaker 1: often waking from a nightmare that would not let me

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Speaker 1: fall back to sleep. In it, I saw the lighthouse,

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Speaker 1: the dim glow atop it, steadily growing brighter and brighter again,

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Speaker 1: until I could see nothing but the blinding brilliance emanating

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Speaker 1: from it. I received the call a few days before Christmas.

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Speaker 1: It was from an old friend from high school, when

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Speaker 1: I kept in contact with sporadically over the years, who

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Speaker 1: was offering her condolences. I was confused at first, thinking

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Speaker 1: that she perhaps had dialed the wrong person, but she

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Speaker 1: soon realized that I was not yet informed and broke

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Speaker 1: down telling me the news. Lenny had gone missing a

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Speaker 1: few days before. She had left lighthouse to go grocery

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Speaker 1: shopping alone. Since the weather was inclement, it wasn't until

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Speaker 1: two days later that my mother, coming out of a

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Speaker 1: drunken stupor, realized that she had never returned home. The

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Speaker 1: police searched the town and surrounding areas for her, but

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Speaker 1: to no avail. There was no trace of her, no, no, nothing,

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Speaker 1: until her body had washed up on shore a few

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Speaker 1: days later. Eventually, the police found her jacket in the lighthouse.

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Speaker 1: The prevailing theory was that she climbed to the top

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Speaker 1: and jumped over the edge of the bluff to her death,

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Speaker 1: down to the ocean below. As I listened to my

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Speaker 1: friend tell me the story, I was in a state

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Speaker 1: of shock. I gripped the phone in my hand until

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Speaker 1: my knuckles turned white and my teeth ground against each other.

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Speaker 1: When she ended the connection, I stood there, my mind

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Speaker 1: trying to process all that she said, until it all

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Speaker 1: weighed down on me and I could not hold it

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Speaker 1: together any longer. I collapsed. I lost all track of time.

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Speaker 1: Chris found me there much later, furious at me from

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Speaker 1: missing several phone calls and for not picking up Kevin

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Speaker 1: from school. And when the initial shock of her death

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Speaker 1: finally wore off, the anchor set in. I was furious

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Speaker 1: with my mother for not letting me know Leni was dead,

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Speaker 1: let alone missing. I was furious at Leni for not

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Speaker 1: reaching out for help during the time that she so

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Speaker 1: desperately needed it, But most of all, I was furious

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Speaker 1: at myself for not being there for her, for not

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Speaker 1: making a better effort, and for letting this happen to

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Speaker 1: begin with. I tried calling my mother for further details

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Speaker 1: on arrangements, but like usual, the phone just rang and rang.

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Speaker 1: I eventually mustered up the guts to call the funeral

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Speaker 1: home in town and got the details from them. The

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Speaker 1: service was happening the next day, so I quickly packed

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Speaker 1: the bag and once again I found myself back on

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Speaker 1: the road to Lighthouse. Chris wanted to join me to

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Speaker 1: provide the emotional support that I so desperately needed, but

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Speaker 1: I refused. I wanted to keep both him and Kevin

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Speaker 1: as far away from there as possible. The snow was

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Speaker 1: coming down heavily by the time I made it to town. Thankfully,

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Speaker 1: I did not miss the viewing, as there wasn't one.

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Speaker 1: Apparently the result of her jump was too grisly for one.

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Speaker 1: But I drove as quickly as I could to make

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Speaker 1: it in time for the service. The roads were slippery,

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Speaker 1: making my progress slow, but I pulled into the cemetery

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Speaker 1: just as Leney was being loaded out of the hearse

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Speaker 1: and toward her grave site. Bracing myself against the cold,

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Speaker 1: I pulled my coat tight or on me and climbed

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Speaker 1: out of the car. The wind was bitter, assaulting my

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Speaker 1: face and making my eyes tear immediately. My shoes were

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Speaker 1: not made for these conditions, but I trecked a few

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Speaker 1: inches of snow on the ground as the minister's voice

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Speaker 1: drifted towards me. He began his eulogy to an empty audience.

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Speaker 1: My mother sat solemnly in her wheelchair, the only soul

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Speaker 1: in attendance. I walked up beside her, placing my hand

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Speaker 1: on her shoulder, but she didn't react. Instead, her eyes

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Speaker 1: were focused on her daughter's final resting place. The minister

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Speaker 1: spoke of Leni as if he hadn't really known her

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Speaker 1: at all. He said she was a happy woman, living

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Speaker 1: of fulfilling and rewarding life that went through a rough patch,

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Speaker 1: but now it was in a better place. I could

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Speaker 1: have laughed, if not for how sad I was. My

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Speaker 1: own thoughts drowned him out. As I continued to blame

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Speaker 1: myself for what had happened. I couldn't help but feel

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Speaker 1: like it was my fault that Leanie was dead because

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Speaker 1: I didn't do enough to help her. The tears began

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Speaker 1: to flow as I considered how I could have taken

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Speaker 1: her away from this place ages ago, given her a

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Speaker 1: better life, one that was not marred by lighthouse and

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Speaker 1: are past. Would that even have been possible? Was she

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Speaker 1: so far gone by then that it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

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Speaker 1: It wasn't until my mother began to wheel away that

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Speaker 1: I realized they were lowering the coffin. She grabbed a

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Speaker 1: handful of dirt and tossed it on the casket. She

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Speaker 1: rolled away toward a limousine waiting for her, and I

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Speaker 1: watched her go without saying a word to me. I

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Speaker 1: thanked the priest for his kind, if untrue words, and

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Speaker 1: dropped my own handful of dirt into Lini's grave. With

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Speaker 1: my mother gone and me on my way back to

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Speaker 1: my car, they didn't waste any time in starting to

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Speaker 1: fill in her plot. Each shovelful of dirt striking the

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Speaker 1: casket was like a knife through my heart. A period

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Speaker 1: accentuating the end of her chapter. I got in my

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Speaker 1: car and watched them as they worked. It was grueling,

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Speaker 1: especially in this weather, but they looked like a well

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Speaker 1: oiled machine working together to get it done, with the

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Speaker 1: snow swirling around, giving everything in the area a natural

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Speaker 1: white coat. I didn't notice the little girl standing beyond

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Speaker 1: them at first. She was wearing a short white dress

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Speaker 1: that made her blend into the scene. Her pigtails were

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Speaker 1: the only splash of color aside from her eyes, which

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Speaker 1: were focused on Leni's grave site. I was concerned at

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Speaker 1: first because she wasn't wearing a coat, which in this

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Speaker 1: weather it could be the death of anyone. But then

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Speaker 1: I saw she was holding onto a teddy bear, one

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Speaker 1: that looked very familiar. There was no question about who

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Speaker 1: it was. It was Abigail paying her last respects to Lenie.

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00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:57,720
Speaker 1: I drove away before she finished Lighthouse will return after

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Speaker 1: these messages and now back to Lighthouse. Since my mother

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Speaker 1: did not acknowledge me at the funeral, I was ready

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00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,200
Speaker 1: to drive back home to Chris and to Kevin, to

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Speaker 1: the life I had made away from this wretched place.

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Speaker 1: But despite her cold shoulder, I knew my mother was hurting,

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Speaker 1: especially now that she was alone I made my way

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00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:33,400
Speaker 1: back to Lighthouse. The falling snow made it seem less menacing,

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Speaker 1: but the familiar feeling of dread reared its ugly head

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00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,520
Speaker 1: as soon as it came into view. My plan was

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Speaker 1: to pay my respects to my mother, see if I

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Speaker 1: could set her up with any help, and get out

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Speaker 1: of there as soon as possible. The limousine that had

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Speaker 1: taken her from the cemetery was leaving the gates as

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Speaker 1: I pulled up to them. I envied the person behind

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00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,280
Speaker 1: the wheel as they were leaving Lighthouse behind a speck

235
00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,880
Speaker 1: in their rear view mirror. I parked avoiding a gla

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Speaker 1: said the third story window, afraid that the apparition of

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00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,720
Speaker 1: the man in the hat would be there to greet me. Instead,

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00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,160
Speaker 1: I focus solely on the front door, and I went

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00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,120
Speaker 1: inside to get out of the unpleasant weather. At least

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00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:14,040
Speaker 1: it was warmer here, the only thing going for it.

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00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,320
Speaker 1: With the door shut behind me, the silence of the

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00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,960
Speaker 1: house was striking. If it wasn't for the limousine I

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00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,800
Speaker 1: saw dropping my mother off, I could have sworn no

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00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,720
Speaker 1: one was home. I didn't bother to call out for

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00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,280
Speaker 1: my mother as she rolled into the main hall, bottle

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00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,840
Speaker 1: of scotch in hand. She continued on past me, content

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Speaker 1: to ignore my presence until I called out to her.

248
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,360
Speaker 1: When I did, she stopped, but didn't bother to turn

249
00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,800
Speaker 1: around to face me. Instead, she merely tilted her head

250
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:46,960
Speaker 1: back in my direction. What do you want? She said.

251
00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,480
Speaker 1: I didn't know what to say. I came here to

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00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,040
Speaker 1: comfort her, to help her through a difficult time, and

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00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,080
Speaker 1: she was treating me this way. I came to say

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Speaker 1: goodbye to Leni, I started before she cut me off,

255
00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,400
Speaker 1: and you did. Now what do you want? She still

256
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,760
Speaker 1: wouldn't look at me, and it was clear that I

257
00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,240
Speaker 1: was keeping her from her busy schedule of getting so

258
00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,880
Speaker 1: drunk she forgot how sad she was. I don't want anything,

259
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,080
Speaker 1: I told her, I just want to be there for you.

260
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,720
Speaker 1: She turned her wheelchair around so she could finally look

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00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,440
Speaker 1: me in the eyes. Why now, you weren't there for me,

262
00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,000
Speaker 1: and you weren't there for her, so why bother? Now?

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00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,120
Speaker 1: Go home? Tara. You made it clear you didn't want

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00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,760
Speaker 1: anything to do with us, and now I don't want

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00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,720
Speaker 1: anything to do with you. She turned again, wheeling herself

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00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,800
Speaker 1: out of the room before stopping once more. I left

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00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,440
Speaker 1: some things for you upstairs in your room, she called

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00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,360
Speaker 1: over her shoulder. Take them, leave them. I don't care,

269
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Speaker 1: but after that, I want you gone. I was speechless,

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00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,800
Speaker 1: standing there, all alone in a house I hated, with

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Speaker 1: a mother who hated me. The tears began to form,

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00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,680
Speaker 1: but I held them back. I didn't want to give

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00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,400
Speaker 1: her the satisfaction. Instead, I made my way upstairs, anxious

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00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,360
Speaker 1: to see what she left so I could get out

275
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,840
Speaker 1: of there as soon as possible. I stood in the

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00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,880
Speaker 1: doorway of my old room, my eyes searching every corner

277
00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,400
Speaker 1: before entering, just to make sure there was nothing lurking

278
00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:13,680
Speaker 1: in there. My eyes fell upon the bed, where a

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00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,200
Speaker 1: cardboard box was waiting for me. My name was scrawled

280
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,080
Speaker 1: across the side hastily with a black marker, and when

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00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:23,120
Speaker 1: I opened it, I could tell she haphazardly threw things

282
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,960
Speaker 1: inside to rid herself of them. There were a few

283
00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,000
Speaker 1: things from my childhood and there, including my old camera,

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00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:30,920
Speaker 1: the one I had found in the dark room all

285
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,920
Speaker 1: those years ago. Sitting on top of it was the

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00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,880
Speaker 1: very first photograph I ever took with it, the one

287
00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,880
Speaker 1: from my twelfth birthday, where my parents and Leany sat

288
00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:43,680
Speaker 1: around the table eating cake. I took it out studying it,

289
00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,720
Speaker 1: and while I remembered my father wandering off to the

290
00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,040
Speaker 1: study shortly after it was taken, I also remembered being

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00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:54,000
Speaker 1: happy in those few moments. It was the last true

292
00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,400
Speaker 1: memory I had of all of us together as a

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00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,200
Speaker 1: family that I enjoyed. That moment was marred, though, by

294
00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,120
Speaker 1: the appearance of a dark shadow crossing my father's face

295
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:06,080
Speaker 1: in the photo. Whether a flaw of the camera or

296
00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,880
Speaker 1: a harbinger of things yet to come, it cast him

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00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,920
Speaker 1: in a darkness that reflected what was invading his soul.

298
00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:15,879
Speaker 1: Placing the photo aside, I reached deeper inside the box

299
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,359
Speaker 1: and felt something soft, pulling it out, I saw it

300
00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,920
Speaker 1: was a teddy bear Abigails, the one Leonie had grown

301
00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,639
Speaker 1: so attached to, despite my aversion to it all those years.

302
00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,480
Speaker 1: It was the only real piece of Leanie. I had.

303
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,679
Speaker 1: The bear, and Abigail had meant the world to her,

304
00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,440
Speaker 1: and now here it was discarded. I pulled the bear

305
00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,840
Speaker 1: close to my chest and sat on the bed. I

306
00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,919
Speaker 1: could fight the tears no longer, so they flowed freely.

307
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,840
Speaker 1: I cried and cried until I tired myself out so

308
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,840
Speaker 1: much that I fell asleep. I awoke hours later, my

309
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,960
Speaker 1: room as dark as the night outside. I jolted out

310
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,280
Speaker 1: of bed, unsure of how long I had slept and

311
00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,080
Speaker 1: wanting to get out of there immediately. I grabbed the

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00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:00,800
Speaker 1: box of things and ran down the stairs. The house

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00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,840
Speaker 1: was dark and quiet still. The only sound drifting through

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00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,159
Speaker 1: the air was my mother's gentle snoring. I opened the

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00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,879
Speaker 1: front door and was immediately battered by the cold winter

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00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,679
Speaker 1: night air. It had gotten worse than the time I

317
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,639
Speaker 1: was out. My car was covered, and I did my

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00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,320
Speaker 1: best to clear its windshield so I could see. It.

319
00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:20,760
Speaker 1: Took a few minutes to actually open the driver's side door,

320
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:22,920
Speaker 1: but once I was able to, I threw the box

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00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,800
Speaker 1: inside and followed suit, wasting no time. I turned it on,

322
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,240
Speaker 1: thankful for the blast of hot air that was to

323
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,840
Speaker 1: follow shortly, and shifted into drive, pressing lightly on the

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Speaker 1: gas pedal. The car didn't move fine, I thought, it

325
00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,199
Speaker 1: just needs a little more gas. I applied more pressure

326
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,800
Speaker 1: to it, but still nothing. The car tried to lunch forward,

327
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,280
Speaker 1: but the snow was piled too high, not giving way.

328
00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,720
Speaker 1: I cursed loudly, hitting my hands against my steering wheel

329
00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:55,359
Speaker 1: and anger before trying again. Still the car did not move.

330
00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,919
Speaker 1: My eyes looked ahead traveling down the driveway, and I

331
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,080
Speaker 1: realized it was rootless. The storm had blocked me in

332
00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,800
Speaker 1: for the night. I was stuck. I cursed again, hating

333
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:07,600
Speaker 1: that I was going to be forced to stay the night,

334
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,280
Speaker 1: and placed my head in my hands. I leaned against

335
00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,240
Speaker 1: the steering wheel, frustrated and wondering what I was going

336
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,520
Speaker 1: to do despite the night, my car was suddenly filled

337
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,080
Speaker 1: with light. I looked up, hopeful that it was a

338
00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,399
Speaker 1: snow plow making a path for me to leave this

339
00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:28,080
Speaker 1: dreadful place. Instead, the light was coming not from the driveway,

340
00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,919
Speaker 1: but from off to the side, closer to the ocean,

341
00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:35,480
Speaker 1: from the lighthouse. The glow from the top, the one

342
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,639
Speaker 1: that haunted my dreams. It was there, beckoning me. It

343
00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,360
Speaker 1: was brighter than I had ever seen before, so much

344
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,399
Speaker 1: so that I had to use my hand to shield

345
00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,520
Speaker 1: myself from it. And as it grew so bright reflecting

346
00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,280
Speaker 1: up the snow that I felt it was going to

347
00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,760
Speaker 1: blind me, started to fade away until it was nothing

348
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,320
Speaker 1: at all. The dark of the night returned, leaving me terrified.

349
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,840
Speaker 1: It was getting cold and I needed to get back

350
00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:01,639
Speaker 1: inside before I froze of death. Out there, I opened

351
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:03,200
Speaker 1: the car door, ready to make a run for the

352
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,240
Speaker 1: front door. When the light returned, it grew brighter and

353
00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:09,560
Speaker 1: brighter again, illuminating everything it touched, making me want to

354
00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,600
Speaker 1: scream and terror. But as I watched it go bright,

355
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,320
Speaker 1: I understood what was happening. There wasn't a mysterious light

356
00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:20,800
Speaker 1: atop the lighthouse. It was a lighthouse itself, despite sitting

357
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:25,919
Speaker 1: in neglect for over seventy five years, it was somehow operational. Confused,

358
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,600
Speaker 1: I stood transfixed, watching the light go round and round again,

359
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,560
Speaker 1: calling out to the night. I wanted to run back

360
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,040
Speaker 1: to the house, wanted to hide somewhere under the covers

361
00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:36,920
Speaker 1: and wait for the first light so I could call

362
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,000
Speaker 1: for a plow so I could get back home. But

363
00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:42,879
Speaker 1: I knew deep inside that wouldn't happen. I knew that

364
00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,159
Speaker 1: the things in the house would not let me be

365
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,080
Speaker 1: and would come after me, assaulting my senses all night

366
00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,520
Speaker 1: long until I did something. I bundled my jacket up

367
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,320
Speaker 1: tighter and made for the lighthouse, It's light illuminating my path,

368
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:57,879
Speaker 1: my only hindrance being the mounds of snow that I

369
00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,439
Speaker 1: trudged through. Though it was not too far from the

370
00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,760
Speaker 1: house itself. The weather made my journey long and arduous,

371
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,159
Speaker 1: and by the time I reached the clearing where it stood,

372
00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:10,439
Speaker 1: sweat dripped off me. Despite the cold. Long ago we

373
00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,399
Speaker 1: would play here in the shadow of the lighthouse and

374
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,520
Speaker 1: never once paid at any mind. We were forbidden to

375
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,960
Speaker 1: go inside, and with the door padlock shut, we didn't

376
00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,679
Speaker 1: bother to try. But now the door was wide open.

377
00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:26,480
Speaker 1: A flickering light invited me to step inside. I was

378
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:30,200
Speaker 1: eventually going to have to anyway. It was also freezing outside,

379
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,080
Speaker 1: and I wouldn't last much longer in the cold. I

380
00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,680
Speaker 1: stepped in and instantly felt a wave of heat, despite

381
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,640
Speaker 1: the weather outside. I shrugged my coat off a bit

382
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,800
Speaker 1: and looked around. This bottom floor of the lighthouse was

383
00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,000
Speaker 1: mostly barren. On the hard concretes at a few old

384
00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,560
Speaker 1: wooden boxes rotting from the inside out. A melting candle

385
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,879
Speaker 1: sat on one. A large, frayed length of heavy duty rope,

386
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,520
Speaker 1: the kind of big ship might use to tie itself

387
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,600
Speaker 1: to a dock, sat on the floor. The end looked

388
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,760
Speaker 1: like it was hacked off to whatever it was originally

389
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,399
Speaker 1: attached to. A spiral metal staircase was attached to the wall,

390
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:11,119
Speaker 1: winding its way up to the very top of the lighthouse.

391
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,400
Speaker 1: There was a vague hint of a heavy, intoxicating smell

392
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,240
Speaker 1: as well, gasoline. Perhaps. I looked up, hoping to catch

393
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,920
Speaker 1: a glimpse of what awaited me up there, but there

394
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,600
Speaker 1: was not much to see. The stairs continued upward into

395
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,760
Speaker 1: the darkness, but ended a few stories up when they

396
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:35,000
Speaker 1: disappeared into another concrete level. The wind howled outside, battering

397
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,440
Speaker 1: against the walls, but beneath that sound was something else,

398
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:45,920
Speaker 1: something unearthly, something whispering. Much like the voice I once

399
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,800
Speaker 1: heard coming from the vents, I could hear someone calling

400
00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,200
Speaker 1: out to me from the upper level of the lighthouse,

401
00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:03,560
Speaker 1: It's words mixing in with the wind. I didn't want

402
00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,720
Speaker 1: to obey, but I found myself doing so anyway, perhaps

403
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,320
Speaker 1: out of a morbid curiosity. This place had been closed

404
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,720
Speaker 1: off to me my entire life, and after all this time,

405
00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:17,280
Speaker 1: I deserved to know what secrets it held. I took

406
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,800
Speaker 1: the candle from the box, thinking it was left for me,

407
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,119
Speaker 1: and began to climb the stairs. I went slow at first,

408
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:25,399
Speaker 1: my strength still weak from the trek through the snow,

409
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:27,920
Speaker 1: But as it returned to me and I felt more

410
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,880
Speaker 1: confident that the stairs were sturdy enough not to collapse

411
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 1: under my weight. I went faster, much like the light itself.

412
00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,040
Speaker 1: Round and round I went, circling the cylinder shape of

413
00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,840
Speaker 1: the building to the top. The higher I climbed, the

414
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:46,560
Speaker 1: louder the whispered voices became. Their words became less distinguishable

415
00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,200
Speaker 1: and more cacophony of sound, and such a chill through me.

416
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,480
Speaker 1: But still I continued. There are a few times I

417
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,720
Speaker 1: passed small windows along the stairs, looking out to the

418
00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:01,240
Speaker 1: outside world. At first they showed me actually what I expected.

419
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,280
Speaker 1: The beacon from above lit up the massive grounds of lighthouse,

420
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:07,720
Speaker 1: filled with snow as it continued to fall from the

421
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:11,879
Speaker 1: sky and droves. But as I got further up, looking

422
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,879
Speaker 1: out the window revealed a different scene altogether. The winter

423
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 1: weather seemed to melt away. Before I reached the next floor.

424
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,600
Speaker 1: I took a quick glance out the window and was

425
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,760
Speaker 1: surprised by what I saw. There was no more snow,

426
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,760
Speaker 1: no more winter. Instead, it resembled a cool summer's night.

427
00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:32,800
Speaker 1: But I had no time to ponder that. Now I

428
00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:36,439
Speaker 1: was at the top. Another candle flickered above me, joining

429
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,760
Speaker 1: my own. As I took the final step off the staircase,

430
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,840
Speaker 1: I found myself in a small room just below the

431
00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,359
Speaker 1: very top of the lighthouse. Though the room was dark,

432
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,919
Speaker 1: the other candles sat on a table pushed against the

433
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,119
Speaker 1: far wall. I thought I was alone at first, but

434
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,680
Speaker 1: then a shadow shifted near the table, and I realized

435
00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,440
Speaker 1: someone was sitting there. His face was heard by the

436
00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,200
Speaker 1: darkness of the room, but he turned to face my direction.

437
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:10,560
Speaker 1: Who are you, I asked, but he didn't say anything. Instead,

438
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:14,639
Speaker 1: he stood I asked who he were, an edge in

439
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,880
Speaker 1: my voice, but still he remained quiet. Instead, he took

440
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:23,040
Speaker 1: a step towards me, and then another. On his third

441
00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,199
Speaker 1: his face came out of the darkness and into the

442
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,440
Speaker 1: light of my candle. It was the man in the hat.

443
00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:44,639
Speaker 1: Lighthouse were returned after a word from our sponsors, and

444
00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 1: now lighthouse continues. The man in the hat came for me,

445
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,400
Speaker 1: his long strides crossing the room in no time at all.

446
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:02,240
Speaker 1: He was upon me, ready to strike, and then he didn't. Instead,

447
00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,240
Speaker 1: he walked right past me toward a cabinet attached to

448
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 1: the wall. He opened it, pulled out a bottle, and

449
00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:13,159
Speaker 1: walked back to the table. I called out to him again,

450
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,119
Speaker 1: trying to figure out what I was doing here, what

451
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,359
Speaker 1: he was doing For that matter, but instead he ignored me.

452
00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,160
Speaker 1: I walked over to the table, where I watched him

453
00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,639
Speaker 1: sit and cork the bottle before taking a swig of

454
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:27,359
Speaker 1: whatever it was. I went to grab his shoulder to

455
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,720
Speaker 1: make him face me, but instead my hand went right

456
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,640
Speaker 1: through him. Confused, I moved closer and waved my hand

457
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,359
Speaker 1: in front of his face instead of acknowledging it. He

458
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,800
Speaker 1: continued to drink. For some reason, he couldn't see me,

459
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,040
Speaker 1: and now that I thought about it, he was walking.

460
00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,600
Speaker 1: I had never seen the man in the hat walk before,

461
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,080
Speaker 1: but here in the lighthouse he was more human than

462
00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:55,200
Speaker 1: I had ever seen him. The walking and not being

463
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,720
Speaker 1: able to see me, the winter weather, no longer being

464
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 1: out the window, I had a sinking feeling that I

465
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,479
Speaker 1: was no longer where I came from. As crazy as

466
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:07,200
Speaker 1: it sounded, I was seeing something else, perhaps a memory

467
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,679
Speaker 1: of the past, an impression of an event that came before.

468
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,439
Speaker 1: I watched as the man in the Hat, in his

469
00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,080
Speaker 1: human form, continued to drink right up until he drowned

470
00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,960
Speaker 1: every last drop of the bottle. I saw a pain

471
00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,040
Speaker 1: in his eyes, one I had never seen before, and

472
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,040
Speaker 1: all those other times he had appeared to me, it

473
00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,800
Speaker 1: nearly broke my heart, if not for the fact that

474
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,639
Speaker 1: this was a man who had terrified me throughout my

475
00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,879
Speaker 1: entire life. He abruptly stood again, walking back to the

476
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 1: other end of the room. He stood before what I

477
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,000
Speaker 1: had earlier thought was a chest, but was actually a

478
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,679
Speaker 1: small bed. I got up to join him, looking at

479
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,199
Speaker 1: what he was seeing. Sleeping in the bed soundly was

480
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,040
Speaker 1: a beautiful woman. The man in the hat looked at her,

481
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,600
Speaker 1: his right hand, finding his left spinning a ring that

482
00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,080
Speaker 1: was there a wedding ring. The woman in the bed

483
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,720
Speaker 1: was his wife. He looked at her longingly and leaned

484
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,200
Speaker 1: over to gently brush some hair away from her face.

485
00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:08,080
Speaker 1: After he did, he kissed her forehead, and she smiled

486
00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,520
Speaker 1: in her sleep. Despite the darkness of the room, I

487
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,960
Speaker 1: could see a tear fall from his eye. Still leaning

488
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,199
Speaker 1: over her, the man in the hat took one of

489
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 1: the pillows from beside his wife's head and forcibly put

490
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:25,120
Speaker 1: it over her face. She didn't struggle at first, then

491
00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 1: she did. She tried to get up, but he held

492
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,240
Speaker 1: her down, held the pillow in place. She kicked and clawed,

493
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 1: her screams muffled by the pillow he held against her.

494
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,159
Speaker 1: As the man in the hat continued to cry. My

495
00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,400
Speaker 1: brain wanted me to do something, but my heart knew

496
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,680
Speaker 1: it would be useless. This was in the past, it

497
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 1: had already happened, and even if I wanted to do something,

498
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,440
Speaker 1: I couldn't. The ordeal went on for far too long,

499
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,680
Speaker 1: and I grew more uncomfortable watching it play out before me.

500
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 1: But I could not look away. My eyes were fixated

501
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 1: on his actions, his remorse, and her struggle to break free.

502
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:04,800
Speaker 1: Soon her movements subsided, and then she went limp. He

503
00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,240
Speaker 1: held the pillow there as if to make sure that

504
00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,280
Speaker 1: it was over, and when he realized it was, he

505
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:15,440
Speaker 1: let go. He sank to the floor, his head in

506
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,560
Speaker 1: his hands, and he sobbed loudly. The man in the

507
00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,320
Speaker 1: hat he killed his wife. But why he didn't look

508
00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 1: like he was consumed by the darkness like my father was.

509
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,760
Speaker 1: Why did he do this despite the fact that he

510
00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,040
Speaker 1: had just murdered his wife. I wanted to console him

511
00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,680
Speaker 1: and was about to when he stood again. He went

512
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,200
Speaker 1: to another cabinet and took out a rope from inside,

513
00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:41,800
Speaker 1: one that looked very similar to the one I saw downstairs.

514
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,360
Speaker 1: The man in the hat wounded around his wrists, tugging

515
00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,680
Speaker 1: testing its strength. Satisfied, he tied a noose with it.

516
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,680
Speaker 1: He strode past me towards the staircase, and I followed.

517
00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:56,640
Speaker 1: I expected him to walk all the way to the bottom,

518
00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,520
Speaker 1: but instead he stopped a few steps below the ceiling.

519
00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,280
Speaker 1: It was here that he reached out over the edge

520
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,040
Speaker 1: of the railing toward a hook attached there. It was

521
00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,200
Speaker 1: originally intended to help hoist large, heavy objects up to

522
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 1: the small apartment above us, but now he seemed to

523
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,360
Speaker 1: have a more sinister purpose for it. He wound the

524
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:18,280
Speaker 1: rope around the hook, tying it tight. He left a

525
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:20,600
Speaker 1: length of it out, giving it a bit of slack,

526
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,720
Speaker 1: before taking the noose and wrapping it around his own neck.

527
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: The tears falling from his eyes, I gasped as I

528
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,840
Speaker 1: watched him take a step over the railing, and then another.

529
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:33,959
Speaker 1: He stood facing the hook, his back toward me, and

530
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,920
Speaker 1: held on. His sobs echoed, bouncing off the bottom floor

531
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:43,440
Speaker 1: and back up toward us, along with something else, whispers

532
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,240
Speaker 1: much like the ones that lured me up there, but

533
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,520
Speaker 1: somehow more sinister in their intent. I thought it was

534
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,040
Speaker 1: my imagination at first, until my eyes looked down to

535
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,720
Speaker 1: the entrance to the lighthouse. The shadowy thing was there,

536
00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:58,560
Speaker 1: coming up the stairs, making straight for the men in

537
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,280
Speaker 1: the hat. It lunged in and out of the walls,

538
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,240
Speaker 1: stretching them into unnatural shapes and sizes in a desperate

539
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,560
Speaker 1: attempt to get to us. The man in the hat

540
00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,040
Speaker 1: saw it coming for him and readied himself. I could

541
00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:11,640
Speaker 1: do nothing but listen as I heard him speak only

542
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:16,440
Speaker 1: two words, forgive me. With that he let go, his

543
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,600
Speaker 1: body falling from the railing, plummeting down to the floor below.

544
00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:23,400
Speaker 1: I watched it slow motion as the shadowy thing leapt

545
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 1: out straight into the screaming open mouth of the man

546
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,160
Speaker 1: in the hat. It forced its way inside him. As

547
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,520
Speaker 1: he fell, his skin pushed and pulled in every direction,

548
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,840
Speaker 1: much like my father's had. The rope ran out its length,

549
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,680
Speaker 1: and when it pulled taut, I heard a sickening snap.

550
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,000
Speaker 1: His neck had broken, and while for most that would

551
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,800
Speaker 1: have put an end to it, but for him it

552
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,320
Speaker 1: only made it worse. I hurried down the steps to

553
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,600
Speaker 1: get close to him, as if my mere proximity would

554
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,120
Speaker 1: help comfort him in some way, but it did nothing

555
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:53,960
Speaker 1: but a nerve me. His body convulsed as a rope

556
00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:57,760
Speaker 1: pulled tighter his lungs no longer receiving oxygen. He struggled

557
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,920
Speaker 1: for air, but none came, and his black is consumed

558
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,920
Speaker 1: by the darkness, bulged out of his head. His neck

559
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,400
Speaker 1: bent at such an angle that I could almost see bone.

560
00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,440
Speaker 1: I wanted to reach out, just to let him know

561
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,160
Speaker 1: he was not alone in those final moments, but I couldn't.

562
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,480
Speaker 1: Soon he stopped struggling, and I watched as the life

563
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:22,720
Speaker 1: left his eyes. The man in the hat was dead.

564
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,000
Speaker 1: I ran from the lighthouse down the stairs, faster and faster,

565
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:29,440
Speaker 1: as the world outside the window turned from a clear

566
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:32,440
Speaker 1: summer night to a winter wonderland all over again, the

567
00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,720
Speaker 1: sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. When I reached the bottom,

568
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,200
Speaker 1: I looked up, I found that the body was gone.

569
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:42,280
Speaker 1: I hurried back toward the house, my mind racing why

570
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:44,800
Speaker 1: was I meant to see that? What did it mean?

571
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,480
Speaker 1: And who was showing it to me? A pain in

572
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,640
Speaker 1: his eyes, the way he tried to complete his task

573
00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,680
Speaker 1: before the shadowy thing arrived told me everything I needed

574
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:58,800
Speaker 1: to know. Killing his wife had been a mercy, saving

575
00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 1: her from being consumed by the darkness of the house,

576
00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,600
Speaker 1: and his own death was a lastic effort to escape

577
00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,720
Speaker 1: it as well, but the darkness had taken him in

578
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:12,200
Speaker 1: his final moments, claiming it another life. With the lighthouse

579
00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:14,720
Speaker 1: no longer showing me a vision of the past, the

580
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:18,080
Speaker 1: glow from the top was gone, thankfully, the sun coming

581
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,320
Speaker 1: over the horizon lit my way. When I arrived back

582
00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,680
Speaker 1: to my car, I saw that at some point during

583
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,400
Speaker 1: my journey to the past, the road had been plowed.

584
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 1: Who knew how long I was stuck in that vision,

585
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:33,080
Speaker 1: but who cared? I was free, free to leave this

586
00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,280
Speaker 1: place again. I didn't bother to say goodbye to my mother.

587
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,600
Speaker 1: What could would that do? I wasted no time in

588
00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,720
Speaker 1: leaving lighthouse that day. As I drove away, I glanced

589
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:47,320
Speaker 1: in my rear view mirror, watching the house receipt there.

590
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:50,720
Speaker 1: I nearly drove off the road when I saw what

591
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,200
Speaker 1: was on my porch. I could see Leny standing there

592
00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 1: on our left was a little girl, Abacail. They both

593
00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:04,480
Speaker 1: smiled me as someone stepped out of the darkness behind them.

594
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,160
Speaker 1: It was the man in the hat, not the one

595
00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:10,200
Speaker 1: I had seen earlier that evening in the lighthouse, but

596
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,360
Speaker 1: the one that had stopped me in my entire life,

597
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:17,799
Speaker 1: the one consumed by the darkness. He smiled as he

598
00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:21,840
Speaker 1: took Cleany's hand in his own. His message was clear.

599
00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:49,000
Speaker 1: She belonged to the darkness Now. Lighthouse is a production

600
00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:54,000
Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. Chapter seven featured

601
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,040
Speaker 1: the voice of Ali Trasher, written and directed by Jeff

602
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:03,319
Speaker 1: Himbuck audio engineer, ring an original musical score by Corey Celeste.

603
00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:09,320
Speaker 1: Production assistance by Alex Gona. Executive produced by Holly Fry.

604
00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:13,360
Speaker 1: Questions comments, you can reach us at the Man in

605
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,600
Speaker 1: the Hat is Watching at gmail dot com. Thank you

606
00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:34,120
Speaker 1: for listening. M