1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: Warning. This episode contains descriptions of domestic violence. Listener discretion 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: is advised. Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: and Bamfor Productions. For six long years after the night 4 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: of my twelfth birthday, I lived in a constant state 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: of fear. After we opened the dark room, the man 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: in the hat made more frequent appearances. He didn't visit 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: every night, but I was always afraid he would. I 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: tossed and turned in my bed, restless, afraid that every 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: creak of the settling house, every banging of the pipes, 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: every gust of wind outside was him coming for me. 11 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: On the nights he did come, the ritual was always 12 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: the same, his shadow blocking the tiny bit of light 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: spilling into my room from under my door. He would 14 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: turn the knob, jiggling the handle, trying to open it. 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: When the lock prevented him from doing so, he tried 16 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: to force his way in, banging against it with such 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: force that I was sure he would tear from its frame. 18 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: I cried myself to sleep those nights, often curled up 19 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: with my sister by my side, eyes closed tight, slowly 20 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: counting to five over and over again, wishing him away. However, 21 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: the man in the Hat was only the beginning. Though 22 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: his presence was often seen. He was nothing more than 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: a malevolent spirit that used us as ponds to unleash 24 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: something else upon our house that had long since been 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: sealed away. We did not realize it at the time, 26 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: but when we opened the dark room, we freed something 27 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: from a prison that should not have been unlocked, something 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: that was set loose upon the halls of Lighthouse once again, 29 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: and we my family or its prey, pray that it 30 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: toyed with and tormented endlessly. For six long years. Lighthouse 31 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: became my prison. The darkness that lived within its walls 32 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: had us in its grasp, and it wouldn't let us 33 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: go until it tore my family apart. Lighthouse Chapter three. 34 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: Conditions in the house steadily declined over those six years, 35 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: not only mentally but also physically. The first time I 36 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: truly realized how bad things were getting was when I 37 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: was thirteen. Yes, the nightly torment from the man in 38 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: Hat was gnawing away at my nerves, and things we 39 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: set loose from the dark room were slowly beginning to 40 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: make their presence known. But things took a turn for 41 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: the worse the first time my father hit my mother. 42 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: Since moving into Lighthouse, my father began to transform into 43 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: someone else. Though his initial hesitation about moving in went 44 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: unheard by my mother, it was beginning to become apparent 45 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 1: that it was for a good reason. He never shared 46 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: much about his childhood and his family home with us, 47 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: but it was clear that his time in the Lighthouse 48 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: was not a pleasant one. Being surrounded by his past 49 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: memories of a place he once escaped but was now 50 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: trapped in again took a toll on him. Once we 51 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: settled into Lighthouse, he took a job at a local 52 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: factory that manufactured plastic products. With most of the inheritance 53 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: from my grandmother's passing now gone, used to pay off 54 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: their outstanding debts and for living expenses over the past years, 55 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: we desperately needed money to survive again. How they had 56 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: dwindled away so much so quickly was lost to me 57 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: at the time, but my mother's lavish spending habits were 58 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: likely part of the problem. She only wanted the best 59 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: for our family, though, and now that she was finally 60 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: able to provide that, who can fault her for some 61 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: extravagant spending. It fell on my father, though, to pick 62 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: up the slack, hence his job. A naturally thin man, 63 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: the job demanded a lot of physical labor that he 64 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: was just not suited for. But a job was a job, 65 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: and he took it in stride. Every day, he left 66 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: early in the morning before we awoke, and didn't come 67 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: home until after nightfall. All evenings and week ends used 68 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: to be reserved for family time. He now spent his 69 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: free moments sitting in his study, staring at his old 70 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: family portrait hanging above the fireplace, drinking. He started to deteriorate, 71 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: and all the time alone in his study was not helping. 72 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: One evening, when dinner was ready, my mother called out 73 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: to him from the dining room. Leaney and I were 74 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,279 Speaker 1: already seated, awaiting the oka to begin eating, but my 75 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: mother insisted we wait for him. When he still didn't 76 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 1: respond after the second and third time, she stood up 77 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: to fetch him. Leny and I waited and waited and waited, 78 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: But then they're raised. Voices began to float down the 79 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: hall toward us. We couldn't quite make out what they 80 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: were saying, but as curiosity got the better of us, 81 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: we both got out of our seats to see The 82 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: study door was cracked ajar, but we stayed out of sight. 83 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 1: We used the tiny crack between the door and the 84 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: wall so we could peek into the room without risk 85 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,119 Speaker 1: of being spotted. What we saw was my father, still 86 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: slumped over in his chair, drink in hand, while my 87 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,799 Speaker 1: mother stood over him. It was obvious from their body 88 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 1: language and their voices that their conversation was heated and 89 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: my mother was upset. The exact specifics of what they 90 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: were saying have long been lost in my memory, but 91 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: what is forever etched there was the moment when my mother, 92 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: in an impassioned flash, knocked the drink out of my 93 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: father's hand. The sound of shattering last stunned both my 94 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: sister and I as we froze as still as statues. 95 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: We watched intensely to see what would happen next. We 96 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: could see my father finally rise from his chair. As 97 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: my mother began to apologize, she was caught off mid 98 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: sentence by the unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh. He 99 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: hit her so hard, the back of his hand connecting 100 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: with her face, that she fell to the ground. The 101 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: sound echoed within the house, Hanging in the air for 102 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: what seemed like an eternity. The silence was only broken 103 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,279 Speaker 1: by the gasp that escaped her lips. My father didn't 104 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: say anything else after that. He merely stared hard at her, 105 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,840 Speaker 1: rubbing his old scar before sitting back down in his chair. 106 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 1: My mother, stunned, slowly got back to her feet and 107 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: walked out, holding her face, where a red mark began 108 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: to form on her cheek. She didn't register our presence 109 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: as she stormed away towards her bedroom. Leaney took off 110 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: a few secon games later in the opposite direction, sobbing. 111 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: That night, I saw the dim glow from atop the 112 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: lighthouse again, the first time since the night we had 113 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: moved in. I watched it from my bed and fell 114 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: asleep while wondering what it was. While the opening of 115 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: the dark room may have set the darkness loose upon 116 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: the house, what my father did to my mother emboldened it. 117 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,559 Speaker 1: The man in the hat had friends, and they wanted 118 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: to make themselves known. The first did so in a 119 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: most unexpected way. During one of my many many sleepless nights, 120 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: I laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Thankfully, the 121 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: man in the hat did not pay a visit that evening, 122 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: but something far worse did. As I tossed and turned, 123 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: I heard the music box in Lini's room begin to play. 124 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: What was once a comforting sound for me had since 125 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: turned into a waking nightmare. I found that the haunting 126 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: melody was often a precursor to a visit from the 127 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: man in the Hat. With the music wafting from my 128 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: sister's room into mine, I decided I was in no 129 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: mood to listen to his assault of my doorstep that night. Instead, 130 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: I opted to do something I started a few weeks prior. 131 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: I gathered my blanket and pillow, opened my balcony doors, 132 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: and created a makeshift bed out there. My hope was 133 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: always that the night air would drown out the cacophony 134 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: of noise caused by the man in the Hat, and 135 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: while that theory didn't always work, being out there did 136 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: calm my nerves a bit. As I stepped out on 137 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: to the balcony, I felt an immediate chill run through 138 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: me as wind from the ocean blew in my direction. 139 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: I didn't mind, just held my night gown around me 140 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: closer to fight some of it off. The dark shape 141 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: of the lighthouse loomed in the distance. The glow not 142 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: making an appearance. That night, clouds blanketed the sky, allowing 143 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: only small slivers of light to touch the ground. In 144 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: these small patches of moonlight, I could see our vast 145 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: yard stretching out in all directions. I leaned against the 146 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: railing and I breathed in the cold air, stinging my lungs. 147 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: For a moment, it was quiet outside, more so than usual. 148 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: Crickets usually saying their symphony by this time, helping me 149 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: to block out other noise, But this night was devoid 150 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: of life. I thought nothing of it, though, just glad 151 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: to be out of the house for a few brief moments. 152 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: As my eyes adjusted to the dark, they fell upon 153 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: the red oak tree. I wondered how long it had 154 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: been there. It's massive and gnarled branches sprung off in 155 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: many directions, creating its own labyrinth maze of limbs. As 156 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 1: another soft gust of wind blew, I noticed an odd shape, 157 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: something I had never seen before, swaying among the shadows 158 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: of the tree. I assumed it was a dead branch, 159 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: hanging on its last vestiges of life, soon to become 160 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: another stick in the yard. The clouds above shifted, allowing 161 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: more moonlight to shine through, and the shadowy thing came 162 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: into a clearer view. It was a body hanging from 163 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: the trees limbs. I stumbled backwards, shocked by the sight. 164 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: I tried to turn away, but my eyes would not 165 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: listen to my brain. Instead, they continued to stare as 166 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 1: every gruesome detail came into focus. An old knotted noose 167 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: was wrapped around its neck. The body swayed in the 168 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: light breeze as I could see that the clothing was 169 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: nearly unrecognizable, rotted away, as if he had been hanging 170 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: there for some time. The flesh peeking out from behind 171 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: it hung loosely, giving it a sickly appearance. Thankfully, I 172 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: burn up bag covered the face, saving me from seeing 173 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: anything worse. I could only imagine the face decomposed over time, 174 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: the empty eye sockets burning in whatever direction they faced. 175 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: I saw the head begin to turn in my direction. 176 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: It was too much for me to bear. I quickly 177 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: ran back into my bedroom and closed the balcony doors 178 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: as fast as I could. I jumped into my bed, 179 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: and I pulled the covers over me. When I did 180 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: finally sleep, I had a nightmare about its dead lifeless 181 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: eye is trying to see through the gaps in the 182 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,560 Speaker 1: burlap to catch a glimpse of me, before somehow cutting 183 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: itself loose and hurrying down the tree to get me. 184 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: I never used that balcony at night again. Lighthouse will 185 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: return after these messages, and now back to lighthouse. As 186 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,680 Speaker 1: my father began to drink more and more over the years, 187 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: the beatings he laid upon my mother got worse. What 188 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: started as a slap across the face here and they 189 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: are soon turned into a black eye or a broken limb. 190 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: Though these things were never done. When Leaney and I 191 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,719 Speaker 1: were present, we often saw the immediate aftermath. Sometimes one 192 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: of us would come across her, laying at his feet, 193 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 1: victim to a recent strike. Other Times it would be 194 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: her hiding her injury as best as she could, though 195 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 1: we could always see right through her reception. He never 196 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 1: struck us like he did her, but we felt his 197 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: wrath in other ways, mostly when he yelled. His temper 198 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: became short, and his tolerance for his family grew thinner 199 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: by the day. The smallest thing would irritate him, sending 200 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: him into a tailspin of anger that resulted in us 201 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: running off to cry. As these instances increased, my sister 202 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: began to change, not in the prepubescent sense that everyone 203 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: goes through, but in mannerism send the way she held herself. 204 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: She used to run into my father's arms when he 205 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: came home from work, anxious to tell him about her day. 206 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: Now she ran in the opposite direction, often hiding somewhere 207 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: in the house for hours before making an appearance again. 208 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 1: It was months before I discovered her secret hideaway, and 209 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: I was shocked when I realized where it was. It 210 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: was late one summer afternoon and I was hungry, so 211 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: I went to check the pantry for snack. To my surprise, 212 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: I found the basement door open. A bit worried, I 213 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,439 Speaker 1: started to close it when I heard a voice make 214 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: its way up from its depths. It sounded suspiciously like Lini. 215 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: I hadn't been down there since we discovered the dark room, 216 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: but I was a bit worried that if it was Lini, 217 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: she could be in trouble. Against my better judgment, I 218 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: crept down a few steps and looked into the basement. 219 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: The light was on down there, so I assumed that 220 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: one of my parents had replaced the burnt out bulb 221 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: At some point. I listened intently again, and there was 222 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: no mistake. Leoni was down there somewhere. I made my 223 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: way through the basement carefully, even though the light was 224 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: shining bright. My previous experience was not one I wanted 225 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: to relive. I followed the sound of her voice as 226 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: I continued to get closer. It sounded as if she 227 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 1: was talking to someone. What did you use it for? 228 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,079 Speaker 1: I heard her ask. I stopped and tried to listen 229 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: for a response. Instead, she started giggling. A few seconds later, 230 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: my heart dropped as I turned a corner and realized 231 00:13:55,800 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 1: where her voice was coming from the dark room. I 232 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: hurriedly walked to the small doorway to find Lini sitting 233 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,080 Speaker 1: cross legged on the floor, facing the back wall under 234 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: the glowing red light. Lini, I called out, startling her 235 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: and immediately feeling bad about it. She turned toward me 236 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:17,599 Speaker 1: and smiled. Dara. She squealed, did you come to play too? 237 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: What are you doing down here? I asked her. It's dangerous. No, 238 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: it's not, she told me matter of factly. I always 239 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: come down here now, it's my secret spot. I was 240 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: surprised by this, of course, because I had avoided the 241 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: dark room and the entire basement since the day we 242 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 1: found it. I was under the assumption that she did 243 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: as well. I pushed the memory of my first and 244 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: only visit out of my head for now, though, for 245 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: fear of conjuring any unwanted attention. While I was down 246 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: there still, Who are you talking to, Lini? Oh, it's 247 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: my friend, Abigail, she said. My heart dropped and my 248 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: blood ran cold. There was no one else with her 249 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: but an old, dirty, teddy bear. When she held out 250 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: to me in greeting, I immediately recognized it as the 251 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: one that once sat on the top shelf in this 252 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: very room when we first opened the door. It was 253 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: too far out of reach for either of us to grab. 254 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: Then I silently wondered how Leni got her hands on it, 255 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: and also wondered if that is who she meant as Abigail. 256 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: The implications of her making a new friend down in 257 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: the dark room were too much for me to comprehend 258 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: in that small, darkened space at the moment. Very nice 259 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: to meet you, I stammered, starting to feel a bit dizzy. 260 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: A familiar feeling of unease washed over me. And look 261 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: what she found, Lenie exclaimed, as she showed me something else. 262 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: It took a moment for it to register in my brain, 263 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: but she held an old hunting knife in her hand. 264 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: My eyes grew wide, and I quickly snatched it away 265 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: from her. Lee that's dangerous. It's not a toy. You 266 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: shouldn't be playing with that. Sorry, she said, looking sheepishly 267 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: at the floor. Abigail said it was okay. The dizziness 268 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 1: was getting worse, and this Abigail was making me nervous. 269 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: Who was she and why was LINI treating the teddy 270 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: bear like a person? Regardless, this was not the place 271 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: to discuss it. Come back upstairs, please, I told her, 272 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 1: we have chores. That was a lie, but I had 273 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: to get out of there, and the thought of leaving 274 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 1: her alone in the dark room was not one I 275 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: was going to entertain. Reluctantly, she got up, brushed the 276 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: dirt off her dress, and grabbed the teddy Bear. Come along, Abigail, 277 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: she said, moving past me into the basement. Before I followed, 278 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: I took the knife I had taken from her and 279 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: looked for a good hiding spot for it. Taking a 280 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: quick glance under the bench, I saw a small alcove 281 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: in there, one that someone wouldn't normally see unless they 282 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: were looking for it. I placed the knife there, hopeful 283 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: that it would be enough to keep it out of 284 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: Linie's hands. I took one last look inside the dark 285 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: room before reaching for the chain and turning off the 286 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: red light. I couldn't get out of the basement fast enough. 287 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: H Lighthouse were returned after a word from our sponsors, 288 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: and now Lighthouse continues. Despite my protests, Lenie began to 289 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: spend more and more time in the dark room. Her 290 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,159 Speaker 1: own bedroom was often neglected in favor of it, and, 291 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: much like my father with the study, she would disappear 292 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,159 Speaker 1: for hours at a time down there. Her continued insistence 293 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: on playing with this Abigail was worrisome for me, but 294 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: my mother didn't seem to mind. In fact, if Lenie 295 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: was occupied elsewhere, that meant less work my mother had 296 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: to do. It also meant more time for her to 297 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: be alone with her thoughts, which in turn left me 298 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: alone with my own. The man in the hat, the 299 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: person hanging from the tree, Abigail, all of them were 300 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: just a small portion of the things I saw lurking 301 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: in Lighthouse. There were so many more things I saw 302 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: once or twice, things I only caught the briefest of 303 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: glimpses of things that were almost as common as the 304 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: man in the hat. One of those things was the 305 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: maid in the kitchen. I often saw her hurrying herself 306 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,919 Speaker 1: in there, perhaps preparing phantom meals. Dressed in a simple 307 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: black dress with a small ornamental apron. She only registered 308 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: my presence once, when I bumped the table and knocked 309 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: a fork from its place setting. She turned to me 310 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: as I saw tears of blood staining her porcelain cheeks. 311 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: There was also the servant in one of the spare 312 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: bedrooms upstairs, wearing dark gray trousers a high buttoned black 313 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 1: coat with a dark tie. He busied himself with keeping 314 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: the room tidy, awaiting orders from the master of the house. 315 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: There was a rust colored stain that spread on the 316 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: back of his coat as he worked. An old sailor, 317 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 1: likely a pirate from the early days of sailing along 318 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 1: the bluff, occasionally made appearances on the grounds. That gaping 319 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:06,159 Speaker 1: hole where his right eye socket used to be dominated 320 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: by his face. In the attic, there was an old 321 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 1: woman who sat in a darkened corner, rocking back and 322 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,679 Speaker 1: forth in her chair, her face covered in a shawl. 323 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,679 Speaker 1: She didn't do anything else but sit there day in 324 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: day out. Whenever I saw her, there was a man 325 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: with some sort of file, maybe a doctor, paying attention 326 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: to her comings and goings, writing down notes about what 327 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 1: he was observing. There's a little boy often seen outside 328 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: on the grounds, who moved with an unnatural gait and 329 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: whose teeth never stopped chattering. Not all of the entities 330 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: made their physical presence known. Some of them were content 331 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: to open doors and cabinets, move valuable objects to different places, 332 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: and just generally cause unseen havoc. And Lighthouse one waited 333 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: until the dark early hours of the night to whisper 334 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 1: indiscernible words to me in a chorus of gentle saying 335 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: song voices from the events. There were many things slowly 336 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: tormenting us in Lighthouse, but none of them were as 337 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,439 Speaker 1: terrifying as the shadowy thing. Whatever it was, I had 338 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: never actually seen its full form. I named it for 339 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: its black, shadowy shape that kept its form nebulous, often 340 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 1: appearing just out of the corner of my eyesight, but 341 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: making it known that it was present. I was certain 342 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: it was the very same thing that chased us from 343 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: the dark room on the day we opened it, less 344 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: person and more thing. I came to think of it 345 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 1: as the very darkness living in the heart of lighthouse. 346 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:39,879 Speaker 1: I mean it quite literally when I say it was 347 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: living within the walls of the house. I sometimes saw 348 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: it slithering behind the wallpaper, a bulging shape protruding from 349 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: the hallway, giving the appearance that the house itself was alive. 350 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 1: I tried to avoid it at all costs, especially after 351 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,919 Speaker 1: the night I saw it with my father. Unlike the 352 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: rest of my family, I didn't try to avoid him 353 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:05,120 Speaker 1: like they did. Despite his temper, I made a concentrated 354 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: effort to try to keep connected, to make sure he 355 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:09,600 Speaker 1: knew that I was there for him and that he 356 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: was loved. One relatively calm evening, where I had gone 357 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: an entire day without seeing or hearing from one of 358 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: the many inhabitants of the house, I had an uneasy 359 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: feeling that I was overdue for a visit. As my 360 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: bedside clock struck three am, I realized how right I 361 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: was when the whispering voices began to call out from 362 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: my vend again. I tried not to listen to their 363 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 1: hushed words, But sometimes the more you try to block 364 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: something out the more your brain allows it. In this time, 365 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: instead of just words, I could not make out, there 366 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 1: was something else coming through the cacophony. They were calling 367 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: out my name. I was immobilized because this was the 368 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: first time that anything had addressed me by my name. 369 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: It knew who I was. My fear overtook me, and 370 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 1: every rational part of my brain told me to stay 371 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: where I was, But my body was not my own. 372 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: Then it was in some sort of trance against my will. 373 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,159 Speaker 1: I found my legs swinging over the edge of my 374 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: bed and then walking along the floor outside my bedroom. 375 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: I supposed, despite all my terror, the lizard part of 376 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 1: my brain could not resist the call of whatever it 377 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: was out in the hall. It continued, much like the 378 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,120 Speaker 1: music box. I followed it down the stairs and onto 379 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: the first floor of the house. It beckoned me, the 380 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: voice drawing me towards my father's study. As I got closer, 381 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: I found the door jar again, the light spilling into 382 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:57,360 Speaker 1: the hallway like a beacon night. The closer I got 383 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: to the door, the more my anxiety grew. My footsteps 384 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: slowed as another part of my brain was fighting against 385 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: whatever was calling out to me in that room. But 386 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: it was too late. I was too close to the doorway, 387 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 1: and I had no choice but to give into my 388 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: instincts and look inside. Was a scene I had laid 389 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: eyes on many times before. My father sat in his 390 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 1: favorite chair in front of the fireplace and family portrait, 391 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,199 Speaker 1: with his back towards me. In his hand was a 392 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: glass of whiskey, with a nearly empty bottle sitting on 393 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 1: a table nearby. But as my eyes grew accustomed to 394 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:31,640 Speaker 1: the bright light of the room, there was a dark 395 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: spot in my vision that refused to go away, a 396 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: shadow that was cast in the room by an unseen object. 397 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: My brain tried to make sense of it, but there 398 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: was no sense to be had, because this was not 399 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: something that human eyes were meant to see. It wasn't 400 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,119 Speaker 1: a trick of the light. It was a piece of 401 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: living darkness that had lodged itself in the middle of 402 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,360 Speaker 1: the room, sucking all the light and life away from 403 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: where it stood. The shadowy things stood tall over my 404 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 1: father and leaned in close, whispering to him. But these 405 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,160 Speaker 1: whispers were not the same ones that lured me here. 406 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: These whispers were dark and full of malice. Whatever brought 407 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,959 Speaker 1: me here, it wasn't one and the same. Whatever it was, 408 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: it wanted me to see this. It wanted me to 409 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: see this malicious thing leaching into my father and filling 410 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: his head with dark thoughts. It wanted to show me 411 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 1: what was happening. I took a step back, and a 412 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:26,400 Speaker 1: floorboard creaked. Almost immediately, the shadowy thing turned its rough 413 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,119 Speaker 1: approximation of a head toward me, hissing in anger. My 414 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: father sat unmoving as the shadow coiled itself up like 415 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,439 Speaker 1: a compressed spring and then leapt in my direction. I 416 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: took off at full run, my trance broken, and made 417 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: for the stairs. I could hear it behind me, hissing 418 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: and fury because I had interrupted its carefully planned interaction 419 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: with my father. When I reached the top of the stairs, 420 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: I chanced to look over my shoulder, only to see 421 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: the darkened creature wrapping its slithering form around the banister 422 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 1: as it raced up after me. A dark appendage reached 423 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: out to grab me and just barely gray my arm. 424 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: As I picked up speed, I ran down the hallway 425 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: toward my bedroom, the shadow jumping from the stairs to 426 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: the walls, its form bulging from the wallpaper, scurring beneath 427 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: it like an oversized cockroach. I didn't let up until 428 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: I was back within the safety of my room, slamming 429 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: the door shut behind me. I thought myself safe. For 430 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 1: a moment, I was. It slammed into my door, forcing 431 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,479 Speaker 1: me away from it and down to my knees. As 432 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: I crawled across the floor backwards, the shadowy thing wasted 433 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: no time in trying to get through my door, the 434 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 1: wood distending inward towards me in an unnatural way. It 435 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: seeped out of the wood, forming its black in shape 436 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: in the middle of my room, its form becoming less 437 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,639 Speaker 1: nebulous and more beast like. It hissed and ungodly sound 438 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: as I screamed and it swirled around me. It covered 439 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,479 Speaker 1: me in its darkness, the blackest black that I had 440 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: ever seen. As it felt I was no longer within 441 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: my room, but within a dark, never ending void of 442 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: her I screamed and screamed and screamed, but the world 443 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: was gone, and all that was left was me and 444 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: the everlasting darkness. I awoke the next day in my bed, 445 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 1: my body drenched in sweat and my energy depleted. I 446 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: didn't leave my room for three days. But worse was 447 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: that I didn't know what was scarier the fact that 448 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: the thing attacked me, or that no one seemed to notice. 449 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 1: I was confined to my bed for so long. My 450 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 1: father stayed in his study whatever dark secrets that thing 451 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,919 Speaker 1: whispered to him in casing his mind. My mother, beaten 452 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,879 Speaker 1: down by my father both physically and mentally, was not 453 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: even aware. And my sister, my little LENI, was too 454 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: busy spending her days in the dark room to know 455 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: that her sister needed her. I do not know what 456 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 1: the shadowy thing did to me, but I knew after 457 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: that moment I had to do everything in my power 458 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: to leave Lighthouse. And when I was eighteen, I finally 459 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,880 Speaker 1: got my chance. Desperate to start my own life out 460 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: from under the oppressing nature of the house and my family, 461 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: I applied for college. He was on a whim at 462 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 1: the encouragement of my guidance counsel or at school, who 463 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: saw potential in me. I had taken quite a few 464 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 1: photography classes during my high school career, and the camera 465 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: I found in the dark room helped me along in 466 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:26,679 Speaker 1: that I used it sparingly, never developing the film I 467 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 1: had used since I was too afraid to use the room. 468 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,680 Speaker 1: But once I realized that technology had evolved drastically since 469 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: that camera was made. I began to use ones that 470 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: the school had on hand. Recognizing a talent in me 471 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: and an eye for photography, Mrs Brown all but forced 472 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 1: me to apply for program. I didn't tell my parents 473 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: at first because I knew how the conversation would go. 474 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: Money was tight and we couldn't afford to send me away, 475 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,640 Speaker 1: especially since my father had an incident at the factory 476 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: the year before which left him unable to work. He 477 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,679 Speaker 1: was currently on disability and spent his days in his 478 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 1: rual spot in the study. But when I was accepted 479 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: and the prospect of being somewhere else grew more real 480 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: I formulated a plan. I saved my own money from 481 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: working at the local grocer over the past few years, 482 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 1: and researched bank loans. I was confident I would be 483 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: able to do it on my own, and now that 484 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 1: I was eighteen, I realized I didn't need their blessing. 485 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: I was an adult. I had the ability to make 486 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,479 Speaker 1: my own decisions, make my own way, and despite whatever 487 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: they said, I was leaving. In a rare instance where 488 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,400 Speaker 1: I was able to get my father out of his study, 489 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: I sat both him and my mother down to present 490 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:42,240 Speaker 1: my plans. When I was done, my father merely grumbled 491 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: something that sounded like don't expect any help from me, 492 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 1: and left the room. But my mother, I could tell 493 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: by looking in her eyes that she was heartbroken. Though 494 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: the years had not been kind to her and she 495 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: was a mere shell of the strong, confident woman she was, 496 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: she was still my mother, and she loved me dearly. 497 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: The thought of her firstborn moving away out from under 498 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: her supposed protective wing was devastating, but deep inside I 499 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: think she saw it for exactly what it was, an escape. 500 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: Three weeks later, I found myself climbing into a taxicab, 501 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: two suitcases full of belongings in the trunk, ready to 502 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 1: start my new life. The time flew by in a heartbeat, 503 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: and though I tried my best to spend those last 504 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: few days with my family to regain some semblance of 505 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: what we once were, things were just not the same. 506 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,800 Speaker 1: A part of me felt pained pain that I was 507 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: leaving my family, especially leaning in an unsafe situation. I 508 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: don't know why, but I had fared better than all 509 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: of them by not falling into the clutches of lighthouse 510 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 1: and yet a part of me felt bad because of that. 511 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: I tried my very best to help them climb out 512 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 1: of that hole, but they just seemed to dig themselves 513 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: deeper despite my best efforts. My father did not acknowledge 514 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 1: my goodbye. I couldn't tell if my mother's tears were 515 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: of joy or sadness. And Leni, well, our relationship had 516 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: declined since she found a friend in Abiil. She wasn't 517 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,360 Speaker 1: fond of my leaving, so she hit away and refused 518 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: to accept it. A soft rain began to fall as 519 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,959 Speaker 1: I closed the taxis door, the droplets creating a hazy 520 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: view of lighthouse. As the driver began to pull away, 521 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: I looked through the rear window one last look at 522 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: the place I had called home for six years. How 523 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: stood out among the dark clouds, the lighthouse looming in 524 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: the distance like a guardian keeping watch. Regardless of all 525 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: its ups and downs, it was still home. Leni appeared 526 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: on the porch, teddy Bear in hand, staring at me 527 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: as the cab made its way down the driveway. A 528 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 1: sad smile formed on her face as she raised her 529 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: hand goodbye. I waked back, matching her sad smile with 530 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: my own. In a sudden flash of lightning, the Teddy 531 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: Bear was gone, replaced by another figure at Leaney's side. 532 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 1: In my rapidly shrinking view of the porch, I could 533 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: see that whomever it was was younger than Leaney, closer 534 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: to eight years old, wearing a pale blue dress and pigtails. 535 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: Her eyes stared hard at me as I tried to 536 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: make sense of what I was seeing. This figure was Abigail, 537 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 1: and the smile she gave me chilled me to the 538 00:31:38,320 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: very core Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio 539 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: and Bamford Productions. Chapter three featured the voice of Ali Trasher, 540 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: written and directed by Jeff Himbuck audio engineering, an original 541 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: musical score by Corey Celeste. Production assistance by Alex Gona. 542 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: Executive produced by Holly Fry. Questions comments, you can reach 543 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: us at the Man in the Hat is Watching at 544 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Thank you for listening.