1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: The man in the Hat had a name. It took 3 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: some time, but after I witnessed the vision of his death, 4 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: I returned home and began to research who he was. 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,479 Speaker 1: Spurred by his tragic demise, I wanted to get to 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: the bottom of why he was there, and perhaps see 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: if there was anything I could do to help him. 8 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: He may have haunted my childhood, but if I could 9 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: ease his suffering in any way and release the darkness's 10 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: hold on him, perhaps I could do the same for Leny. 11 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: I wasn't there for her as I should have been 12 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: in life, but perhaps in death I could change that. 13 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: Record Keeping wasn't a forte in the early days of 14 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: the Lighthouse, apparently, but with some diligent work and persistence 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: with bureaucracy at town Hall, I was able to find him. 16 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: The man in the hat had a name, and his 17 00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: name was Alexander Blythe Alexander worked for my father his 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: family before my father was born. When the Hollises built 19 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: Lighthouse on the bluff, taking over the land that the 20 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: lighthousekeeper lived on, They also built a small apartment within 21 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: the lighthouse itself. While the lighthouse was still in operation, 22 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: the keeper also acted as the groundsman for the property. 23 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: Alexander Blythe was one such groundsman. He worked hard for 24 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: the Hollis family for a little over a year, his 25 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: family living in the modest apartment in the lighthouse. From 26 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,040 Speaker 1: what I could find, he was a good, honest worker 27 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: who loved his job and his family. The Hollises seemed 28 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: to like him as well. According to the newspaper reports 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: I found, he unexpectedly sent his young daughter away to 30 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: visit his brother one summer's day. Later, on that night, 31 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 1: he murdered his wife and then took his own life. 32 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: I thought back to the photo of him Leani and 33 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: I found all those years ago within the dark room. 34 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: It was dated nineteen twenty nine, the same year he 35 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: hung himself inside the lighthouse. Who knew how long he 36 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: had known about the darkness within the house before he 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: had no choice but to do what he did when 38 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: that photo was taken. Was his mind already made up? 39 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: After I saw the man in the hats death, I 40 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: did not see him again outside of lighthouse for some time, 41 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: perhaps because I had learned his fate, or because I 42 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,399 Speaker 1: knew of his history. Now he stayed away and gave 43 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: me a bit of peace for once. But when he 44 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: did appear again, it was to take everything from me. 45 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: But that came later. Before that came something else. Lighthouse, 46 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: Chapter eight, two thousand and one. I left Lighthouse on 47 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: that day after my sister's suicide and seeing the death 48 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: of the man in the Hat, knowing full well that 49 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: I would have to return. My mother needed help. Confined 50 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: to a wheelchair and addicted to the bottle, she was 51 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: unable to do much for herself. Lighthouse was big, too 52 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: big for two people when my sister was still alive, 53 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: and now that she was gone, its vastness was going 54 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: to be lonely for my mother. We hadn't spoken much 55 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: since she said such hurtful things to me, but I 56 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: still wanted to help as best I could. Using what 57 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: little extra money I had, I hired an aid for her. 58 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: At first, she visited my mother only twice a week, 59 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: taking care of essentials and whatever odds and ends needed 60 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: to be done around the house. But as the years 61 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: were on and my mother became less and less capable, 62 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: the aid became a full time companion for her. When 63 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: the sensury turned into the year two thousand, my mother 64 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: became ill. We thought it was a simple cold at 65 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: first when the aid called me during a weekly check in, 66 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: but as the weeks were on and she didn't get 67 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: any better, it turned into something much more serious. Her 68 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: years of drinking and neglecting her own health had taken 69 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: its toll on her. My mother was dying. Her kidneys 70 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: were failing, and because of the condition of her body 71 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: and her age, replacement was not an option. The full 72 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: time aid turned into a living nurse as she required 73 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: constant care. I wanted to visit, but any time the 74 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: subject was brought up, my mother refused me. The nurse 75 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: thought it was just the pain and agony of her 76 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 1: predicament and treatments, but I knew that wasn't the case. 77 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: My mother just did not want to see me. Of course, 78 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: I was sad and heartbroken about did the spider strained relationship. 79 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: She was still my mother and I loved her, But 80 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: deep inside, a part of me was thankful, thankful that 81 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,479 Speaker 1: I didn't have to return to Lighthouse to face its ghosts, 82 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,359 Speaker 1: and thankful that once she was gone, I would have 83 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: nothing tying me there and truly wouldn't have to go 84 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: back ever again. I hated myself for thinking that. In 85 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: the early months of two thousand one, my mother took 86 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: a turn for the worse. She was put on hospice care, 87 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: and though she remained steadfast on not wanting me there, 88 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: I had to see her say goodbye. I never got 89 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: a chance to do so for Leny, and I regretted 90 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: that every day I wouldn't make the same steak for 91 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: my mother. Sarah, the living nurse, met me outside when 92 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: I arrived, a welcome side compared to what usually greeted me. 93 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: After only speaking with her over the phone for a 94 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: few months, it was nice to finally meet her in person. 95 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: Are you hungry, she asked, making her way toward the kitchen. 96 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: I was just about to make some lunch, and I'd 97 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: be happy to make some for you, I told her. 98 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: I was starved and thankful for the invitation. As it 99 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: turned out, Sarah made a delicious tomato soup complimented by 100 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: grilled cheese sandwiches. My mother couldn't handle solids anymore, she explained, 101 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: so it was mostly soup to keep up her strength, 102 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: while the sandwiches were solely for us. We ate mostly 103 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: in silence for a bit until Sarah got a strange 104 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: look on her face. Can I ask you something? She said, 105 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: looking unsure of herself. Of course, I told her as 106 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: I put my sandwich down, sensing what she was about 107 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,919 Speaker 1: to say. This is going to sound silly. Have you 108 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: ever seen anything in this house? I mean, I was 109 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: unsure of how much or little to tell her. With 110 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: my mother on her final days, maybe even hours, I 111 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: didn't want to send this poor girl screaming from the house. 112 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: Let's just say that Lighthouse has seen its share of 113 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: inhabitants over the years, some of which didn't leave. She's 114 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: mile nodded and laughed a little. Again. I've been around 115 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: death long enough not to be surprised by much, she said, 116 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: but sometimes this house surprises me. I like your mom, 117 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: but I'll be glad to be gone. Nothing more needed 118 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: to be said, an unspoken agreement placed between us. I 119 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: hoped for her sake that Lighthouse did not take a 120 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: hold of her like it did most others, and that 121 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: she could leave the place soon. Sarah cleaned up her 122 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: dirty plates and went to go check on my mother. 123 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: I needed to brace myself for seeing her, so I 124 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,119 Speaker 1: went outside for a quick walk around the grounds, Needing 125 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: a bit of fresh air. It was nice out there, 126 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,679 Speaker 1: different than the stuffy feeling within the walls of the house. 127 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: I walked toward the bluff itself, the ocean looking strikingly 128 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: gorgeous that day. With the lighthouse off to my right, 129 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,679 Speaker 1: the view looked like a postcard. I looked up towards 130 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: the beacon, hoping I would not see it light up 131 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: during my stay, anxious to stay far far away at 132 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: this time. Around on the opposite end of the bluff. 133 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: Standing on the other side of the lighthouse was the 134 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: apparition of the sailor I sometimes saw wandering the grounds. 135 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: I only ever had one bad encounter with him, when 136 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: I got too close to him as a child, and 137 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: he bellowed like a roaring ocean. He mostly kept to himself, 138 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: staring off to sea, much like he was doing now. 139 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: The sunlight shone through him, giving off the illusion that 140 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: he was glowing. He looked almost peaceful, as if an 141 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: eternity spent tied here was of no bother to him. 142 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: He turned to look toward me, and the serenity was 143 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: ruined by the appearance of the gaping hole where his 144 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: right eye used to be. Though uncommon on the east coast. 145 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: I silently prayed for an earthquake to loosen the ground 146 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: around the bluff, sending both the lighthouse and him sprawling 147 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: into the ocean, never to be seen again. I was 148 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: brought out of my day dream by Sarah, hearing a 149 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 1: call from me back from the house. My mother was 150 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,839 Speaker 1: likely awake waiting for me. Back inside, Sarah was taking 151 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: care of some laundry and directed me toward my mother's room. 152 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: As I ascended to the second story, it dawned on 153 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: me that I hadn't been in my parents room for 154 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: a long long time, since I was a little girl. 155 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: Heading there made me feel like I was getting in 156 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: trouble in a way I was. My mother, even on 157 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: her deathbed, was sure to tell me how much she 158 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: didn't care to see me. I reached the top and 159 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: turned the corner to the long hallway where her room 160 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: was located. Even outside the doorway, I could hear the 161 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,839 Speaker 1: various apparatuses inside keeping her alive. When I turned the 162 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,439 Speaker 1: knob and opened the door, I was taken back by 163 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: just how many machines were in there and how little 164 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: the woman in the bed resembled my mother. Dominated on 165 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: each side by large medical equipment. My mother looked small 166 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: and fragile, tucked into the bed. Her skin was sickly yellow, 167 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:52,319 Speaker 1: and her facial features looked sunken. Her eyes were open, 168 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: looking in my direction, but I was unsure if she 169 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,560 Speaker 1: actually saw me. I carefully made my way to her bedside, 170 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: trying not to trip over any of the assorted wires 171 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: on the floor. Pulling over a chair to sit next 172 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: to her, I faltered before reaching out to grab her hand. 173 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: It was like holding onto a skeleton, nothing left but 174 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: skin and bone. She turned to look at me, and 175 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: for the first time I entered the room, it seemed 176 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: like she truly saw me. Her grip tightened in my 177 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: hand and tears welled up in her eyes, catching me 178 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: by surprise. It was a very rare show of affection. 179 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: Tera she managed to say, her voice a raspy whisper 180 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: of what it once was. I'm so glad you came. 181 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: The tears came from me as years of pent up 182 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: emotion released in that instant. Hi, Mum, I said, holding 183 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: her hand tighter. I'm so happy to see you. She 184 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,320 Speaker 1: smiled at me, before the happiness in her eyes became sad. 185 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: There was already a gauntlet of emotions I was running 186 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: through at the moment, all of which were unexpected, so 187 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure what had happened. Instead of asking, I 188 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: leaned in to hug her, the type of embrace I 189 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: had not enjoyed with my mother for many years. She 190 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: returned it as best she could, and she cried in 191 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:14,679 Speaker 1: my ear. I'm so sorry, she whispered, holding me tight, 192 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: so very sorry. Confused, I moved back to look at 193 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,640 Speaker 1: her and asked her what she meant for everything. She replied, 194 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: for pushing you away, for treating you so poorly. It's okay, 195 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,719 Speaker 1: I told her, completely taken by surprise by this admission. 196 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't the best daughter to you. It wasn't that, 197 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: she assured me, not at all. I was trying to 198 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: protect you. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, 199 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 1: and it rendered me speechless for a few moments. Protect me, 200 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: I asked, from what the house from the darkness that 201 00:11:53,960 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: lives here, Because it's coming for me next. Lighthouse will 202 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: return after these messages, and now back to Lighthouse. Not once, 203 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: in all my years living at Lighthouse or even after, 204 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: did my mother ever acknowledge the darkness that called it home. 205 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: Not once did she ever let on that she believed 206 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: my sister or my cries for help or safety from 207 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: the man in the hat, or the maid, or even 208 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 1: the body hanging in the tree. I don't know when 209 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: that changed or how long she even was aware of 210 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: the things going on here, but it was surprising to 211 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: hear her admit it. But when she was laying on 212 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: her deathbed, my mother told me things she had wanted 213 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: to for years but never had the courage to. Despite 214 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: her flaws and her own shortcomings, my mother really was 215 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: trying to save me. She didn't let on as to 216 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: when she first noticed the darkness and what it was doing, 217 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: but she was aware. For her, it wasn't the man 218 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 1: in the hat that haunted her, but rather the servant 219 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: that I often saw in the spare bedrooms upstairs, and 220 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: the maid from the kitchen. They would appear to her 221 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 1: when she was alone and most vulnerable. She tried to 222 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: ignore the most times, avoiding looking in the direction, but 223 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: sometimes she couldn't help herself. They both taunted her in 224 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: their own unique ways. She told me she would sometimes 225 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: check on us at night while we were asleep in 226 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: our beds, and one of the two specters would often 227 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: be by our side, leering at us like a predator 228 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: eyeing its prey. Other times they would simply stand in 229 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: the darkness, watching her with wide eyes. She admitted that 230 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: the maid was the worst, as the blood streaming from 231 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: her eyes gave off a ghastly appearance that was too 232 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: much to handle. She even heard whispers in the dark 233 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: of the night, especially when lying in her own bed 234 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,680 Speaker 1: sleeping next to our father mother. She never knew for 235 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: sure if he was talking back to them, but it 236 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: terrified her all the same. At first, she believed it 237 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: was manageable. She loved her family and her husband, and 238 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: she thought she could keep it all at bay because 239 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: of our strong family bond. The first time my father 240 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: hit her was when she realized how wrong she was. 241 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: By that point, it was too late. They had spent 242 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: most of the inheritance money on paying off debts and 243 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: were stuck with nowhere else to go. She did her 244 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: best to keep my father's ire off of us and 245 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: focused on her, and for the most part, she did 246 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: a good job. But knowing that she spent years directing 247 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: his rage in her own direction so my sister and 248 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: I would be safe from it was almost too much. 249 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: To bear. She told me that she kept that up 250 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: for as long as she could, but as it began 251 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: to take its toll on her, she turned to drinking. 252 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: She had watched it consume my father, much like the 253 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: darkness had, but she couldn't help herself. It helped dull 254 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: the pain and take away her bad thoughts. She had 255 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: no idea how caught up in it she became. The 256 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: night my father went mad and Lini had to kill 257 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: him was the night my mother knew we were cursed, 258 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: cursed with the darkness and the burden of Lighthouse. She 259 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,160 Speaker 1: was stubborn. Though Lighthouse was her home, it was supposed 260 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: to be her new beginning, our new beginning. She would 261 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: stay and defend it as long as she could, keeping 262 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: the darkness at bay for as long as possible. And 263 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: she knew that Lini was trapped. To her allegiance to 264 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: Abigail and the fact that she had killed our father. 265 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: Told my mother that a part of the darkness had 266 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: already worked its way inside of her. I was different. 267 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: She saw that I had fought back against the darkness, 268 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: unconsciously or not. Ever since we moved into that house, 269 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 1: I still had light in my soul and my mother 270 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: recognized that she wanted to get me away from the house, 271 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: needed me to be safe, because in her eyes, I 272 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: was the only one of us that still had a 273 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: chance of surviving the darkness. She did the one thing 274 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: that she felt she had to do in order to 275 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: save me. She pushed me away. Looking back on everything, 276 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: it made perfect sense. Her constant coldness towards me, or 277 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: berating of my actions when we did speak, did create 278 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: a distance between us, effectively breaking down our relationship. I 279 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: had admitted as much already that the distance between my 280 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: mother and I had been a reason I kept away 281 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: from Lighthouse all those years, but learning that it was 282 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 1: intentional on her part, that it was not out of 283 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: hate but out of love, broke my heart. I spent 284 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: years mad at her for treating me that way. If 285 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: we had only talked sooner, tried to bridge that gap 286 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: between us, than maybe, just maybe I could have saved 287 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: everyone a lot of heartbreak in the long run. Maybe 288 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: I could have saved my sister. Now I could have 289 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: even saved my mother. She told me not to think 290 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: of it that way, told me that the past was 291 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: the past, and while she did regret hurting me, she 292 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: didn't regret keeping me safe, and now, as she lay 293 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: dying in front of me, she wanted me to know 294 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 1: the truth before the end came. I wanted to take 295 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,679 Speaker 1: her from this place, take her somewhere else so she 296 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,919 Speaker 1: didn't have to die in the place that had ruined 297 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: our family and consumed her soul, but she refused. She 298 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: was stubborn. She still saw Linie's ghost within the house, 299 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: and she didn't want to leave her alone. She also 300 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: had her own private battle with the darkness at the 301 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: heart of Lighthouse, one I had never known about, and 302 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: she wanted to fight it until her dying breath, and 303 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: perhaps even in death, she could keep it at bay 304 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: for some one else. I loved my mother more in 305 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 1: that moment than I ever had before. It radiated off 306 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: of me, and I knew she could feel it. She 307 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: looked alive again, full of life and ready to face 308 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: the world, but that soon more off and she grew 309 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: weak again. She kissed my hand and told me she 310 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: needed to rest. She was tired, but she asked me 311 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: to come back later. I didn't want to leave her side, 312 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: especially after everything she revealed. Sarah came into the room, 313 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: declaring that it was time for my mother's medication. She 314 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: escorted me out so she could do her job, and 315 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: thus I was left alone in the hallways of lighthouse 316 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,160 Speaker 1: yet again. The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. 317 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: Over dinner, Sarah continued to fill me in on my 318 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: mother's condition. I was polite, engaging in the small talk 319 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: to make conversation with the woman who had taken care 320 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: of my mother over the last few months, but I 321 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 1: wasn't invested in what she had to say. I was 322 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,199 Speaker 1: too busy thinking about my mother and her revelations. I 323 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: went to see her again that evening, but she was 324 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: still too weak to talk again. With nothing else to do, 325 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: I decided to turn in for the night. I felt 326 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 1: strange to be back in my old room yet again, 327 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: but thankfully I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly. I 328 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: awoke in the middle of the night to a light 329 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 1: filling my room. I didn't have to open my eyes 330 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: to know what it was that sleep beacon of the 331 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: lighthouse shining bright once again. Last time I felt it 332 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: call out to me, but this time I felt like 333 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: something was wrong. An uneasy feeling sat on my chest 334 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: and it worried me. I sat up, looking around for 335 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,919 Speaker 1: any sign of trouble, but found nothing. My ears perked 336 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: up as I heard some sort of mournful cry. My 337 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: younger self would have just thrown the blanket over my head, 338 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: wishing the night away, But now, as a grown woman 339 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: who had seen and had enough of what the house 340 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: had to offer, I wasn't going to back down. I 341 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,160 Speaker 1: got up from the bed, throwing on a pair of slippers, 342 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: and opened my door. The hallway was dark and quiet, 343 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: the only light coming from the phantom lighthouse behind me. 344 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 1: There was nothing in sight here either, but I did 345 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: notice that the door to my mother's room was ajar. 346 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: I heard a gentle sob again and realized it was 347 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,120 Speaker 1: coming from that direction. I sprinted down the hall toward 348 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: her room and threw open the door. My mother's room 349 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: was dark, almost too dark. She laid still in her bed, 350 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: her eyes wide open, as if fixated on the ceiling. 351 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: Another cry emanated from her throat, and I thought she 352 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: might be dreaming. But as my eyes adjusted to the 353 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: blackness of the room, I could see that we were 354 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: not alone. It blended in at first, but now I 355 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,120 Speaker 1: could see the different shades of darkness hovering over my mother. 356 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: It was the shadowy thing. I watched as it bulged 357 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,680 Speaker 1: from the wall behind her bed, stretching it to unheard 358 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: of proportions. As it disengaged itself from it, It made 359 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: a sickening sound as it did so, the wall snapping 360 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: back into place like an elastic band. It's nebulous shapes 361 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: straddled her, dark extensions of itself acting as arms and legs, 362 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: holding her down. Her already fragile body couldn't do much 363 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: to struggle against it. It leaned in close the place 364 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,560 Speaker 1: where its mouth should have been, trying to draw in 365 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: her final breaths. Her body seized beneath it. I ran 366 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: to her side and tried to push it off, anger 367 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: rising inside me, but my hands went right through it. 368 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: It looked in my direction and one of its limbs 369 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: lashed out at me, striking me in the chest, knocking 370 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: me to the floor. I tried to regain my footing, 371 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: but it held me down. It turned back to my 372 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: mother and sucked in again, as if to take what 373 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: little life she had left in her Again, her body seized, 374 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: convulsive under its spell. I struggled to get up, but 375 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: its strength was too much for me to fight against. 376 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,959 Speaker 1: I tried and I tried, but I could do nothing 377 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: but watch, and that's exactly what it wanted me to do, 378 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: to watch as it took my mother from me, just 379 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,359 Speaker 1: as it had taken the rest of my family. The 380 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: shadowy thing was enjoying this. As she drifted away towards 381 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: her final sleep. My mother managed to look at me 382 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: and show one last feat of strength to say three 383 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: small words, I love you. This enraged the shadowy thing 384 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: as it went in again, covering her face completely, pulling 385 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: the last breath from her chest. Her body spasm for 386 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: only a moment, her back arching upwards before dropping back 387 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: to the bed. She was gone. Sated and satisfied, the 388 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 1: shadow let go of her and turned back to me. 389 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: I still struggled beneath its limbs, the pressure pushing down 390 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: on me. There was no clear face to see within 391 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: its darkness, but there was an impression of something there, 392 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: some sentience that knew exactly what it was doing. If 393 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: I didn't know any better, I would say it was 394 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 1: smiling at me with spring voices filled my ears, becoming 395 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:45,399 Speaker 1: so loud that they were deafening within the small confines 396 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: of the room. The shadow thrived off of them, growing 397 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: larger by the second a creature of mighty proportions. It 398 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: coiled more limbs around my body, squeezing the air from 399 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,360 Speaker 1: my lungs, toying with me. The nebulous shape where its 400 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: face should have been continued to smile as it came 401 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 1: for me. Right before everything went black. Lighthouse were returned 402 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:24,679 Speaker 1: after a word from our sponsors, and now Lighthouse continues. 403 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 1: The next thing I remembered, it was the next morning, 404 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,119 Speaker 1: and I was in a place I didn't expect. I 405 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 1: was in the lighthouse, not in the small apartment I 406 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: had seen during my previous visit, but outside on the 407 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: balcony area that surrounded the window panes where the beacon sat. 408 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: I had no recollection of how I got there or 409 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: why I was even there, and that scared me. As 410 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 1: the sun rose over the ocean, I tried to piece 411 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 1: together what had happened the day before, my mother confiding 412 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,880 Speaker 1: in me being awakened in the night by the light, 413 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,680 Speaker 1: and the shadowy thing taking the last of my mother's life. 414 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: My mother was dead, another victim of Lighthouse's darkness. I 415 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: stood my legs wobbily and leaned against the balcony's railing 416 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: as I looked out over the ocean. I remembered, this 417 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,359 Speaker 1: is where my sister had died, where she had thrown 418 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: herself to her death on the rocks below. A shudder 419 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,919 Speaker 1: ran through me. Not wanting to think about that, I 420 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 1: turned to leave to find my way back down. When 421 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: I caught my reflection in the glass. I looked lost, broken, even, 422 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 1: but somehow younger. A strand of hair dangled in front 423 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: of my face, and I went to move it away, 424 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: when I realized my reflection did not follow suit. Instead, 425 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: it just stood there, staring at me. It dawned on 426 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: me then that this was not my reflection. It was Lini. 427 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: Lini's ghost watched me from within the lighthouse, standing guard 428 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: next to the beacon. She watched me as I found 429 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 1: the doorway back inside and went to her. Lenie. I asked, 430 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: hoping for some kind of response, Lenie, why am I here? 431 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 1: She smiled sadly at me, still clinging onto that teddy bear. 432 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,640 Speaker 1: I didn't say a word. She merely continued to stare, 433 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:24,359 Speaker 1: our eyes locked together. Eventually, I sat, unable to stand 434 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: any longer, but not wanting to leave her. She may 435 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: have been gone, but at least right now, in some way, 436 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 1: we were able to enjoy each other's company, a bright 437 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,160 Speaker 1: spot in a long line of terrible ones. I don't 438 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: know how long we stood like that, simply watching each other, 439 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: waiting for the other to move. The sun moved across 440 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: the sky, and when it sat overhead, Leonie began to 441 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 1: slowly fade. The fainter she grew, the more sad she became, 442 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: as if there was something she wanted to do but 443 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: was unable to. Just before she faded from view completely, 444 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: she lifted her free hand and pointed toward a cabinet 445 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: beneath the beacon itself. It was latch closed, but as 446 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: she faded away, I opened it. Inside was the old 447 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: real to real player we had found in the dark 448 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: room when we were younger. Sitting on top of it 449 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,680 Speaker 1: was a book of matches, a single match taken from inside. 450 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: But of more interest was the circular object wrapped in 451 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: a cloth sitting next to it. I removed it from 452 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 1: its packaging and found it to be a metal canister, 453 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 1: when containing a recording written in Leni's handwriting on a 454 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: piece of tape was a single word goodbye. I left 455 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: the lighthouse, real to reel and canister in hand, slowly 456 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: making my way through the living quarters, down the winding staircase, 457 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: and into the clearing. I went back to the house 458 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: to find Sarah leaning over my mother, tears in her eyes. 459 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 1: She apologized for my loss and told me if I wanted, 460 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,439 Speaker 1: she would begin to make arrangements for her instead. I 461 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: thanked her for all her hard work these past few months, 462 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,120 Speaker 1: but that she needed to leave immediately. I didn't want 463 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 1: Lighthouse to take a hold of her too. She left, 464 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: and I sat with my mother's corpse, thinking back on 465 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: the previous evening. Lighthouse had been fed. It's hunger sated 466 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: for now, but I knew it was only a matter 467 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: of time before it needed to claim another soul. But 468 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: this time things would be different. This time, the only 469 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: thing left for it was me. With my mother gone, 470 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: I was now the sole owner of Lighthouse. It's fate 471 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,680 Speaker 1: was mine and mine alone to decide. A stronger woman 472 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: would have had it torn down, leveling the land, making 473 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: sure nothing was built there ever again. But not me. 474 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: I prove vindictive. Over the years, Lighthouse had taken so 475 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,159 Speaker 1: much from me, had ruined my family and our life. 476 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: It was time for me to pay that back in kind. 477 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: I was content to make it suffer, just as it 478 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 1: had done to for so long. I was going to 479 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: walk out of Lighthouse later that day and leave it 480 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: to rot. No more would a living soul occupy its halls, 481 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,399 Speaker 1: giving it a chance to prey on them. Instead, it 482 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: would sit empty and alone on the bluff, forgotten and suffering. 483 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: As long as I had life to live, I meant 484 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:23,040 Speaker 1: to leave Lighthouse alone to wither away and die. And 485 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 1: for almost twenty years, that is exactly what I did. 486 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: And then the Man in the Hat came back for me. 487 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. 488 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: Chapter eight featured the voice of Ali Trash, written and 489 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: directed by Jeff Heimbug Audio Engineering, an original musical score 490 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: by Corey Celeste. Production assistance by Alex Gona. Executive produced 491 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: by Holly Fry. Questions comments, you can reach us at 492 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 1: The Man in the Hat is Watching at gmail dot com. 493 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening.