WEBVTT - S02 Episode 5: Roads to Knowhere

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<v Speaker 1>Tales of haunted roads and vanishing hitchhikers are among the

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<v Speaker 1>more ubiquitous of ghost story tropes to be found throughout

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<v Speaker 1>the world. In a classic sense, the notion might bring

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<v Speaker 1>to mind Washington Irving's headless horsemen from his gothic and

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<v Speaker 1>satirical masterpiece The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and although not

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<v Speaker 1>a ghost in the regular sense, you'd be hard pushed

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<v Speaker 1>to find a more iconic incarnation of the mysterious roadside

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<v Speaker 1>wanderer than the eponymous hitchhiker from HBO's Darkened Trashy anthology series.

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<v Speaker 1>The prevalence of such stories has been clearly aided by

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<v Speaker 1>the growth of the automobile industry and the frequency with

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<v Speaker 1>which people might, as a result, find themselves driving alone

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<v Speaker 1>through eerie nights on deserted roads, miles from familiar surroundings,

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<v Speaker 1>in other words, the perfect environment for a spectral encounter.

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<v Speaker 1>And it is this the basic utility of the humble road,

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<v Speaker 1>or any other thoroughfare for that matter, that for me

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<v Speaker 1>makes it in many ways the most apt location for

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<v Speaker 1>a haunting. Not only is the path a metaphor with

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<v Speaker 1>multiple applications, but also literally, it is the pathway's basic

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<v Speaker 1>function to deliver you from one place to another, a

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<v Speaker 1>journey that often involves traveling through the unfamiliar places rarely

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<v Speaker 1>experienced only glimpsed in passing, and often at speed from

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<v Speaker 1>inside the relative comfort of a moving vehicle. On the

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<v Speaker 1>fifteenth of May two thousand and nine, in London, work

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<v Speaker 1>began on a major transport project to construct to high

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<v Speaker 1>speed rail link traveling east and west through the heart

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<v Speaker 1>of the city. In March two thirteen, construction workers tunneling

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<v Speaker 1>deep below the ground found the remains of twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>skeletons in a small five meter wide shaft. The remains,

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<v Speaker 1>found to be almost seven hundred years old, were later

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<v Speaker 1>discovered to have been victims of the Black Death, a

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<v Speaker 1>plague that swept through Europe in the fourteenth century. The

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<v Speaker 1>discovery is one of many extraordinary archeological finds uncovered by

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<v Speaker 1>excavations for the New Line, including a number of similar

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<v Speaker 1>burial sites with some dating as far back as seven

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<v Speaker 1>thousand to BC, as well as the discovery of over

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<v Speaker 1>ten thousand artifacts spanning across thirty different sites throughout the city.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only does the revelation of the burial site bring

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<v Speaker 1>to mind Nigel Neels wonderful Sci Fi Cereal, Quatermat and

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<v Speaker 1>the Pit. But it also serves as a gruesome reminder

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<v Speaker 1>of those that have walked the paths before, and perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>in some ways still do. It certainly begs the question that,

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<v Speaker 1>even when traveling the most seemingly deserted of roads, are

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<v Speaker 1>we ever truly alone? You're listening to Unexplained and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Richard McClean smith. The A six one six is a

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<v Speaker 1>road that begins just to the north of the town

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<v Speaker 1>of Newark on Trent in the county of Nottinghamshire in

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<v Speaker 1>the East Midlands. Tracing a path northwest through the country.

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<v Speaker 1>The road bends round Sherwood Forest, crossing the border into

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<v Speaker 1>Derbyshire at the town of Cresswell, before disappearing into the

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<v Speaker 1>concrete vortex of the M one motorway, and then, as

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<v Speaker 1>if by some mysterious process of refractive urban planning, it

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<v Speaker 1>appears again some fifty miles further up, now in Yorkshire,

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<v Speaker 1>sprouting westward from junction thirty five just above the city

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<v Speaker 1>of Sheffield. Prior to nineteen eighty eight, the road continued

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<v Speaker 1>on through the town of Stocksbridge at the northern fringe

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<v Speaker 1>of the Peak District, before eventually coming to an end

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<v Speaker 1>at the city of Huddersfield. In nineteen eighty seven. However,

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<v Speaker 1>building began on a small stretch of the road that

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<v Speaker 1>would later become known as the Stocksbridge Bypass, a stretch

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<v Speaker 1>of road now generally regarded as one of the most

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<v Speaker 1>haunted in the whole of the UK. The years since

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<v Speaker 1>the construction of the bypass have seen a highly unusual

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<v Speaker 1>amount of strange sightings and sounds that remained to this

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<v Speaker 1>day unexplained. It began on a warm September evening in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty seven when two security guards, Stephen Brooks and

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<v Speaker 1>David Goldthorpe, were patrolling the building site of the unfinished bypass.

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<v Speaker 1>The men employed by the reputable ratherum based firm Constant Securities,

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<v Speaker 1>were both well experienced and would often work the night

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<v Speaker 1>shift together. Just to the south of the bypass lay

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<v Speaker 1>the white, low rise hangars and dusty roads of the

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<v Speaker 1>Stocksbridge Steelworks, and to the north, stretching for miles nothing

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<v Speaker 1>but open fields and farm land. It is hard to

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<v Speaker 1>resist the strange energy of such places. The concrete byway

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<v Speaker 1>separate from the town but not fully removed, forming an

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<v Speaker 1>unnatural threshold between the urban and the pastoral. It is

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<v Speaker 1>in such locations we often find those most peculiar of places,

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<v Speaker 1>the siding, unfrequented, almost forbidden, pockets of land where wild

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<v Speaker 1>flowers and grass compete with the cast off detritus of

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<v Speaker 1>modern life. Running almost parallel to the road was the

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<v Speaker 1>usual chain of electricity pylons, their spindly metal arms and

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<v Speaker 1>drooping cables, just visible in the moonlight as they stretched

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<v Speaker 1>off towards the dark moors of the Peak District. Cruising

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<v Speaker 1>round the site in their van, on the night of

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<v Speaker 1>Tuesday eighth, Stephen and David were nearing the newly constructed

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<v Speaker 1>p Roid Bridge when they spotted something peculiar. It was

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen who noticed it first, some sort of movement at

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<v Speaker 1>the base of a pylon near to the approach road

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<v Speaker 1>to the bridge. As they got closer, Stephen couldn't quite

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<v Speaker 1>believe what he was seeing. The movement appeared to be

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<v Speaker 1>a group of young children playing and dancing at the

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<v Speaker 1>base of the pylon. It was odd, to say the least.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only had it gone past midnight, but there were

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<v Speaker 1>no houses anywhere nearby. And then David noticed something strange

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<v Speaker 1>about the children's clothes, how old fashioned they were, but

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<v Speaker 1>before they could get a closer look, the children completely vanished.

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<v Speaker 1>The two guards immediately pulled up and got out of

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<v Speaker 1>the van. More than a little unsettled, they made their

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<v Speaker 1>way to where the children had been dancing only moments before,

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<v Speaker 1>but found no footprints or any other sign that anyone

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<v Speaker 1>had been there at all, and all around the air

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<v Speaker 1>was still save for the quiet hum of the electricity

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<v Speaker 1>pylon overhead. Confused, the men returned to the van and

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<v Speaker 1>continued their patrol, but no sooner had they reached the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom of the bridge, Stephen caught sight of something else peculiar.

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<v Speaker 1>Look there, he said, pointing to the top of the bridge.

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<v Speaker 1>What on earth is that? David pulled up the van

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<v Speaker 1>and looked out at the windscreen. It appeared to be

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<v Speaker 1>the silhouette of a man wearing a hooded cloak. Together

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<v Speaker 1>they called out to the man to leave the site,

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<v Speaker 1>but the figure did not reply and remained frozen on

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<v Speaker 1>the bridge. Assuming they were the victims of a practical joke,

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen got out of the van, keeping an eye on

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<v Speaker 1>the figure as David drove the van to the opposite

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<v Speaker 1>side of the bridge and switched the lights on. Too

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<v Speaker 1>full beam Stephen watched in horror from the other side

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<v Speaker 1>as the light shone straight through the body the figure.

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<v Speaker 1>But what was more terrifying was that whatever it was

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<v Speaker 1>appeared to be missing its head. Moments later, the figure disappeared.

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<v Speaker 1>Constant security director Mike Lee had been sound asleep when

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<v Speaker 1>he received a panicked call at four thirty am requesting

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<v Speaker 1>he head out immediately to the building site. When he arrived,

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<v Speaker 1>he found both Stephen and David waiting for him in

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<v Speaker 1>a state of abject fear. The guards proceeded to describe

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<v Speaker 1>to Mike what they had seen that night, and from

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<v Speaker 1>the tone of their voices, it was clear to Mike

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<v Speaker 1>that this was no joke. Mike knew the men as

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<v Speaker 1>two down to earth, tough South Yorkshire lads, a rugby

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<v Speaker 1>player and weightlifter, but now what he saw in front

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<v Speaker 1>of him were two frightened boys shaking with shock, with

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen even being reduced to tears as he recounted the

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<v Speaker 1>knight's events. Are you always taking care of your family?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you often take care of others and not yourself?

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<v Speaker 1>Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make

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<v Speaker 1>time for you. You deserve it. Teledoc gives you access

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<v Speaker 1>Download the app or visittelldoc dot com forward slash Unexplained

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<v Speaker 1>podcast today to get started. That's t e ladoc dot

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<v Speaker 1>com slash Unexplained podcast. The following afternoon, a call came

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<v Speaker 1>in to nearby Deep Car Police Station. Police Constable Dick

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<v Speaker 1>Ellis answered the phone to find a trembling voice on

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<v Speaker 1>the other end of the line. It was Stephen calling

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<v Speaker 1>from home, desperate for any kind of help, but there

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<v Speaker 1>was little that Pcllis could do other than to suggest

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<v Speaker 1>that Stephen tried contacting his local church, and so it

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<v Speaker 1>was with some surprise that the next day Dick received

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<v Speaker 1>another phone call about the same matter, only this time

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<v Speaker 1>it was from a priest. He said that he was

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<v Speaker 1>calling on behalf of two men security guards from the

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<v Speaker 1>Stocksbridge Bypass construction site. He explained that they had come

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<v Speaker 1>to see him in a state of deep distress. The

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<v Speaker 1>men had requested an exorcism of the road, worried that

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps a graveyard had been disturbed in the construction of it.

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<v Speaker 1>So convinced of the men's stories, or at the very

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<v Speaker 1>least convinced of their fear, the priest asked PC Ellis

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<v Speaker 1>if he could investigate the site before he started making

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<v Speaker 1>any cause to the Vatican. The following day, on the

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<v Speaker 1>evening of Friday, September the eleventh, PC Dick Ellis and

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<v Speaker 1>Special Constable John beat got into their regulation Fiat Panda

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<v Speaker 1>patrol car and made their way towards the construction site.

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<v Speaker 1>Before long, they passed the quiet and deserted steelworks on

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<v Speaker 1>the edge of town and pulled into the building site

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<v Speaker 1>just at the foot of Proid Bridge. A short time later,

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<v Speaker 1>the men were sat with the engine and lights turned off,

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<v Speaker 1>admiring the bright full moon hanging in the sky above them,

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<v Speaker 1>while the radio crackled intermittently in the background. The men

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<v Speaker 1>agreed to give it a few more minutes before calling

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<v Speaker 1>it a night and heading back to the station. But

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<v Speaker 1>then something caught the eye of pc Ellis. Turn off

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<v Speaker 1>the radio, he said to John, what is that up

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<v Speaker 1>there on the bridge. John could see it too, some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of shadow moving about in front of a set

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<v Speaker 1>of large palletts. John tried flashing the car lights to

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<v Speaker 1>get a better sense of it, but the angle wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>quite right. Stay here, said Dick, as he got out

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<v Speaker 1>of the car made his way over to the boxes

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<v Speaker 1>to investigate. Despite all his experience and training, a peculiar

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<v Speaker 1>feeling had begun to settle over PC Ellis, a feeling

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<v Speaker 1>of dread that seemed to wrap itself around him, tightening

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<v Speaker 1>as he drew nearer to the pallets. And there it

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<v Speaker 1>was again, the shadow, moving quickly in front of him.

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<v Speaker 1>He called out, but there was no reply. Slowly he

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<v Speaker 1>continued forward until finally he could see it clearly, just

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<v Speaker 1>a loose sheet of polythene partially ripped from the pallet

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<v Speaker 1>and flapping about in the wind. With some relief, Ellis

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<v Speaker 1>returned to the vehicle and relayed the news to John.

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<v Speaker 1>The two men couldn't help but laugh and decided to

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<v Speaker 1>call it a night. But something wasn't quite right. Despite

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<v Speaker 1>uncovering the true cause of the mysterio his figure on

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<v Speaker 1>the bridge, Ellis couldn't quite shake that lingering feeling of dread.

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<v Speaker 1>Now back in the car, it seemed to be intensifying.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't a fear as such, but more of a

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<v Speaker 1>sudden sense of impending and inevitable doom. Ellis wound down

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<v Speaker 1>the window to get a little air and looked out

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<v Speaker 1>again across the deserted site, and then Ellis noticed something else.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite the warmth of the night, the temperature in the

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<v Speaker 1>car had dropped dramatically, and now Ellis had the distinct,

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<v Speaker 1>unmistakable feeling that he was being watched. But what was

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<v Speaker 1>really terrifying was the dark shape that had just then

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<v Speaker 1>appeared standing right outside his open window. Ellis froze and

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<v Speaker 1>slowly turned his head head to face the figure, but

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<v Speaker 1>when he looked out of the window, it had gone.

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<v Speaker 1>John screamed as there now standing on John's side of

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<v Speaker 1>the car was the same shadowy figure, but this time

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<v Speaker 1>John could see it clearly. At first he saw an

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<v Speaker 1>old fashioned waistcoat and some sort of cravat, and then

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<v Speaker 1>he lifted his eyes for a moment he caught a

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<v Speaker 1>glimpse of a face, its blank eyes staring directly at him,

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<v Speaker 1>before it vanished again. The men leapt immediately from the vehicle,

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<v Speaker 1>convinced someone was messing with them, But as they looked

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<v Speaker 1>frantically around the car, there was little to be seen

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<v Speaker 1>save for the soft yellow lights of nearby Stocksbridge and

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<v Speaker 1>the bright full moon hanging high above them in the sky.

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<v Speaker 1>After a quick search of the surrounding bankside, the pair,

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<v Speaker 1>now deeply rattled, returned to the car to mount a

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<v Speaker 1>proper search of the area. Unable to find any one,

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<v Speaker 1>they returned to the bottom of the bridge, pulled up

0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:14.639
<v Speaker 1>the car and attempted to radio back to base, only

0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:21.560
<v Speaker 1>the radio wouldn't turn on. Suddenly, two loud bangs rang

0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:24.280
<v Speaker 1>out from the back of the car, as if something

0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.920
<v Speaker 1>was pounding on the roof with all its might. John,

0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:33.560
<v Speaker 1>now shaking, turned the ignition, but the engine refused to start.

0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:40.880
<v Speaker 1>The thumps came again. John hurriedly tried the key once more,

0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:45.520
<v Speaker 1>and this time the engine sputtered into life. He shifted

0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:48.960
<v Speaker 1>the car into gear, turned it around and sped off

0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:59.560
<v Speaker 1>back to the safety of Stocksbridge. The following day, both men,

0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:04.840
<v Speaker 1>despite the obvious potential for ridicule, reluctantly reported their accounts

0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:08.520
<v Speaker 1>of the previous night, with Ellis putting the incident down

0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:15.479
<v Speaker 1>to inexplicable phenomena. Unsurprisingly, the two officers were roundly mocked

0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:19.440
<v Speaker 1>by many of their colleagues, and the story inevitably found

0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:24.920
<v Speaker 1>its way to the local paper, The Sheffield Evening Star. Incredibly,

0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:29.520
<v Speaker 1>as writer Dave Clark noted having investigated the story years later,

0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:34.560
<v Speaker 1>both the officers stuck rigidly to their story, with Ellis

0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:39.120
<v Speaker 1>maintaining there was definitely something there, but I can't explain it.

0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:43.040
<v Speaker 1>I might have dismissed it as my imagination, but my

0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.560
<v Speaker 1>partner saw it and had the identical eerie feeling at

0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:51.120
<v Speaker 1>the same time. It was definitely unnerving, and it wasn't

0:18:51.119 --> 0:18:54.840
<v Speaker 1>a publicity stunt, as was claimed at the time. We

0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.359
<v Speaker 1>don't do that sort of thing in the police force.

0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:03.480
<v Speaker 1>As for the security guards, Stephen Brooks and David Goldthorpe,

0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.800
<v Speaker 1>neither stepped foot on the site again, and one of

0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.600
<v Speaker 1>the men is believed to have since moved to Canada

0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:15.080
<v Speaker 1>partly due to the stress caused by the event, and

0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:19.800
<v Speaker 1>it was only the beginning. Soon many more sightings and

0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:24.680
<v Speaker 1>strange occurrences would come to light. John Holmes, a lorry

0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:28.359
<v Speaker 1>driver from Hillsborough, reported pulling into a depot close to

0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:31.919
<v Speaker 1>the bypass late one evening when he became aware of

0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:36.560
<v Speaker 1>childish voices. After a moment, he realized they were singing,

0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:41.160
<v Speaker 1>but there was no sign of children anywhere. The voices

0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:46.800
<v Speaker 1>seemed to be emanating from a nearby wood. Sometime later

0:19:46.840 --> 0:19:49.760
<v Speaker 1>in the autumn of that year, Graham Brooke and his

0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:52.919
<v Speaker 1>fourteen year old son Nigel were running close to the

0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:58.520
<v Speaker 1>bypass construction site when they too saw something strange. Graham,

0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:02.200
<v Speaker 1>a seasoned runner training for the London Marathon, had a

0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:05.600
<v Speaker 1>regular route running from his home in northwest of Sheffield

0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.120
<v Speaker 1>up to the village of Wortley, located close to where

0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:13.840
<v Speaker 1>the bypass would eventually be built. After roughly forty five

0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:18.240
<v Speaker 1>minutes of running, with dusk quickly descending, Graham, who was

0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:21.200
<v Speaker 1>a short distance ahead of his son, was approaching a

0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:23.919
<v Speaker 1>lay by on his way into the village when he

0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:27.520
<v Speaker 1>caught sight of something unusual. It was the figure of

0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:30.119
<v Speaker 1>a man who appeared to be walking with his back

0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:34.720
<v Speaker 1>towards the oncoming traffic. When Nigel finally caught up with

0:20:34.760 --> 0:20:38.480
<v Speaker 1>his dad, he too saw the reckless man wandering along

0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:42.159
<v Speaker 1>the road. The figure, who was no more than fifty

0:20:42.200 --> 0:20:44.879
<v Speaker 1>yards away, appeared to be dressed in some sort of

0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:49.359
<v Speaker 1>cloak with a dark brown hood. They noticed too that

0:20:49.440 --> 0:20:52.240
<v Speaker 1>it was dragging some kind of bag attached to a

0:20:52.320 --> 0:20:57.359
<v Speaker 1>chain along the ground. But what was most peculiar was

0:20:57.400 --> 0:20:59.719
<v Speaker 1>that the legs of the figure looked as though there

0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:04.280
<v Speaker 1>were sunk into the road. As they stared in disbelief,

0:21:04.840 --> 0:21:07.040
<v Speaker 1>they moved along the road to get a look at

0:21:07.040 --> 0:21:10.760
<v Speaker 1>the man's face. It seemed to be covered in soot,

0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:15.919
<v Speaker 1>with two dark sockets where the eyes should be. The

0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:20.359
<v Speaker 1>figure drew nearer and nearer until a huge lorry swept past,

0:21:20.720 --> 0:21:24.000
<v Speaker 1>right into the path of the man. As the lorry

0:21:24.000 --> 0:21:30.560
<v Speaker 1>continued down the road, the figure had completely disappeared. The

0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:34.720
<v Speaker 1>bypass would eventually be opened the following year, on Friday

0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:39.159
<v Speaker 1>the thirteenth in May of nineteen eighty eight, and the

0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:45.240
<v Speaker 1>sightings would keep coming. In July nineteen ninety, Judy Simpson

0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.160
<v Speaker 1>and her husband David were driving close to the village

0:21:48.160 --> 0:21:51.920
<v Speaker 1>of Wartley alongside the bypass when they both caught sight

0:21:52.040 --> 0:21:54.600
<v Speaker 1>of someone jogging in the middle of the field to

0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:58.560
<v Speaker 1>the left of the road, but looking closer. Although the

0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:02.440
<v Speaker 1>jogger had the shape of a David and Judy realized

0:22:02.560 --> 0:22:05.639
<v Speaker 1>with amusement that the figure appeared to be more like

0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:10.359
<v Speaker 1>an outline of a person. What's more, it was moving

0:22:10.400 --> 0:22:15.760
<v Speaker 1>about three feet above the ground. Suddenly, the figure leapt

0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:19.639
<v Speaker 1>from the field over an embankment up ahead and landed

0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:23.600
<v Speaker 1>straight in the middle of the road. Judy and David

0:22:23.920 --> 0:22:27.960
<v Speaker 1>both braced for an impact, but there was nothing. It

0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:30.600
<v Speaker 1>was as if the figure had melted into the vehicle.

0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:35.720
<v Speaker 1>The car skidded to a halt, clambering out to search

0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:38.720
<v Speaker 1>for whatever it was that they hit, there was nothing

0:22:38.920 --> 0:22:45.360
<v Speaker 1>to be seen. Seven years later, on New Year's Eve,

0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:48.959
<v Speaker 1>twenty eight year old Paul Ford and his wife Jane

0:22:49.440 --> 0:22:54.280
<v Speaker 1>drove to Jane's sisters home in Stocksbridge to attend a party.

0:22:54.320 --> 0:22:57.399
<v Speaker 1>They had just moved on to the bypass when Paul

0:22:57.880 --> 0:23:01.680
<v Speaker 1>looked up to see a dark cloak clad figure standing

0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:05.680
<v Speaker 1>in the road right in front of him. He immediately

0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:09.080
<v Speaker 1>swerved and slammed on the brakes, wrestling with the steering

0:23:09.080 --> 0:23:11.960
<v Speaker 1>wheel as the car came to a judging halt by

0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:16.160
<v Speaker 1>the side of the road, but again when they looked

0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.400
<v Speaker 1>for the figure afterwards, it was nowhere to be seen.

0:23:31.200 --> 0:23:35.080
<v Speaker 1>Since such sightings have been recorded throughout the world, often

0:23:35.080 --> 0:23:39.159
<v Speaker 1>with surprisingly similar details, there is the temptation to label

0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:43.760
<v Speaker 1>such events as urban myths, and yet rarely does one

0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:48.679
<v Speaker 1>particular location garner such a collection of similar sightings, and

0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:52.119
<v Speaker 1>over time a number of suggestions have been put forward

0:23:52.280 --> 0:23:57.720
<v Speaker 1>to explain the strange events. During the Industrial Revolution, the

0:23:57.880 --> 0:24:01.479
<v Speaker 1>area surrounding the Stocksbridge Bypass and the A six one

0:24:01.600 --> 0:24:04.760
<v Speaker 1>six road had flourished as a hub of the British

0:24:04.760 --> 0:24:09.880
<v Speaker 1>coal mining industry. Up until the mid nineteenth century. It

0:24:09.920 --> 0:24:12.720
<v Speaker 1>was common for children as young as five years old

0:24:13.160 --> 0:24:16.920
<v Speaker 1>to be sent down the coal pits to work. Jobs

0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:21.320
<v Speaker 1>undertaken by children included pulling the loaded carts along the

0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:25.639
<v Speaker 1>small tunnels of the mine, or if you were really lucky,

0:24:25.760 --> 0:24:28.960
<v Speaker 1>you might get a job as a trapper, opening small

0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:33.719
<v Speaker 1>doors along the tunnels to let the air in. Often

0:24:34.000 --> 0:24:37.159
<v Speaker 1>trappers would work for up to eighteen hours at a time,

0:24:37.800 --> 0:24:40.960
<v Speaker 1>sat alone in the dark, with only the flickering light

0:24:41.400 --> 0:24:47.360
<v Speaker 1>of a solitary candle for company. Naturally, accidents and deaths

0:24:47.560 --> 0:24:53.160
<v Speaker 1>were a regular occurrence, perhaps, as some have suggested, one

0:24:53.240 --> 0:24:57.800
<v Speaker 1>such fatal accident occurred in the Stocksbridge region, giving rise

0:24:57.880 --> 0:25:01.520
<v Speaker 1>to the ghostly apparitions of the large and dancing children.

0:25:04.480 --> 0:25:07.600
<v Speaker 1>Another local tale of law details the story of a

0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:11.440
<v Speaker 1>monk who had rejected his monastery and as a result,

0:25:11.760 --> 0:25:16.040
<v Speaker 1>after he passed away, had been buried in unconsecrated ground.

0:25:17.040 --> 0:25:20.160
<v Speaker 1>Perhaps this was the very same ground that had been

0:25:20.160 --> 0:25:26.000
<v Speaker 1>so brutally disturbed by the construction of the bypass. However,

0:25:26.560 --> 0:25:31.520
<v Speaker 1>despite the local fondness for such explanations, no substantial evidence

0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:35.359
<v Speaker 1>has been found to corroborate either of these tantalizing stories,

0:25:37.440 --> 0:25:40.720
<v Speaker 1>and it is merely a coincidence, no doubt that the

0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:44.600
<v Speaker 1>number six one six is considered by many scholars to

0:25:44.720 --> 0:25:58.719
<v Speaker 1>be the original number of the beast. Whatever you believe,

0:25:59.040 --> 0:26:01.720
<v Speaker 1>it is difficult not to at least think upon the

0:26:01.800 --> 0:26:05.439
<v Speaker 1>possible traces and ghostly echoes that we traverse as we

0:26:05.520 --> 0:26:09.479
<v Speaker 1>make our way from A to B to wonder whose

0:26:09.480 --> 0:26:13.640
<v Speaker 1>pasts and whose buried secrets do we callously smother with

0:26:13.680 --> 0:26:19.920
<v Speaker 1>our grit and tarmac. What ancient grounds, once considered consecrated,

0:26:20.320 --> 0:26:23.600
<v Speaker 1>are now to be ripped apart by diggers and drills

0:26:23.640 --> 0:26:28.800
<v Speaker 1>loud enough to wake the dead. Many years from now,

0:26:29.240 --> 0:26:32.719
<v Speaker 1>a new generation of Planners will come across the remnants

0:26:32.720 --> 0:26:37.439
<v Speaker 1>of an archaic pathway buried deep below the Earth, with

0:26:37.560 --> 0:26:41.200
<v Speaker 1>nothing to discern its purpose save for a rusted sign

0:26:41.520 --> 0:26:46.560
<v Speaker 1>buried near by, bearing a strange, cryptic alphanumeric code that

0:26:46.720 --> 0:26:54.080
<v Speaker 1>read simply A six one six. And what then if,

0:26:54.240 --> 0:26:57.439
<v Speaker 1>in the words of the illustrious Douglas Adams, it is

0:26:57.440 --> 0:27:00.720
<v Speaker 1>decided one day that the entire planet is to make

0:27:00.760 --> 0:27:06.560
<v Speaker 1>way for a hyper space bypass. Perhaps future intergalactic travelers

0:27:07.000 --> 0:27:10.280
<v Speaker 1>will too feel that strange shiver as they make their

0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:15.119
<v Speaker 1>way between Venus and Mars, turning to each other to say,

0:27:15.200 --> 0:27:19.159
<v Speaker 1>I heard there were people here once, and sometimes you

0:27:19.240 --> 0:27:29.919
<v Speaker 1>can almost feel them. This episode and episode five extra,

0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:33.440
<v Speaker 1>due out in a couple of weeks, concludes season two

0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:36.720
<v Speaker 1>of Unexplained. So I just wanted to take a moment

0:27:37.040 --> 0:27:40.119
<v Speaker 1>to once again thank everyone for listening to the show

0:27:40.560 --> 0:27:44.960
<v Speaker 1>and for all your support. It's been incredible, And to

0:27:45.040 --> 0:27:47.920
<v Speaker 1>everybody that has made a donation, I really can't thank

0:27:47.960 --> 0:27:50.879
<v Speaker 1>you enough, and I look forward to putting your donations

0:27:50.920 --> 0:27:53.840
<v Speaker 1>to good use on season three. For which I may

0:27:53.920 --> 0:27:56.359
<v Speaker 1>have a few changes in store, and I hope you

0:27:56.440 --> 0:27:59.760
<v Speaker 1>enjoy them. For anyone else who might like to do

0:28:00.200 --> 0:28:02.679
<v Speaker 1>to the show, you can find the support page on

0:28:02.720 --> 0:28:09.280
<v Speaker 1>the website at Unexplained podcast dot com, forward slash Support. Finally,

0:28:09.720 --> 0:28:12.840
<v Speaker 1>I'd also just like to thank listener Emma Bruce for

0:28:13.000 --> 0:28:15.920
<v Speaker 1>bringing the story of the Stocksbridge Bypass to my attention.

0:28:22.000 --> 0:28:25.520
<v Speaker 1>All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard Acclaimed Smith.

0:28:25.840 --> 0:28:28.320
<v Speaker 1>Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel

0:28:28.320 --> 0:28:30.520
<v Speaker 1>free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas

0:28:30.520 --> 0:28:33.639
<v Speaker 1>regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you

0:28:33.720 --> 0:28:35.640
<v Speaker 1>have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.

0:28:36.400 --> 0:28:39.160
<v Speaker 1>You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com

0:28:39.280 --> 0:29:05.000
<v Speaker 1>or on Twitter at Unexplained Pod. Now it's time to

0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:09.320
<v Speaker 1>take care of yourself. To make time for you, teledoc

0:29:09.440 --> 0:29:12.400
<v Speaker 1>gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you

0:29:12.440 --> 0:29:15.800
<v Speaker 1>get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed

0:29:15.880 --> 0:29:19.680
<v Speaker 1>therapist by phone or video any time between seven am

0:29:19.840 --> 0:29:23.800
<v Speaker 1>to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc

0:29:23.880 --> 0:29:28.200
<v Speaker 1>Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the

0:29:28.240 --> 0:29:32.400
<v Speaker 1>app or visit teledoc dot com. Forward slash Unexplained Podcast

0:29:32.560 --> 0:29:36.680
<v Speaker 1>Today to get started. That's t E la d oc

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