WEBVTT - Chapter 8 - 2001 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:04.960 Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:10.080 The man in the Hat had a name. It took 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:13.600 some time, but after I witnessed the vision of his death, 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:16.560 I returned home and began to research who he was. 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:20.479 Spurred by his tragic demise, I wanted to get to 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:23.840 the bottom of why he was there, and perhaps see 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:26.440 if there was anything I could do to help him. 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:28.920 He may have haunted my childhood, but if I could 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:31.800 ease his suffering in any way and release the darkness's 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:35.080 hold on him, perhaps I could do the same for Leny. 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:37.680 I wasn't there for her as I should have been 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:41.440 in life, but perhaps in death I could change that. 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:45.120 Record Keeping wasn't a forte in the early days of 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:48.920 the Lighthouse, apparently, but with some diligent work and persistence 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:52.519 with bureaucracy at town Hall, I was able to find him. 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.960 The man in the hat had a name, and his 0:00:55.080 --> 0:01:00.200 name was Alexander Blythe Alexander worked for my father his 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:03.360 family before my father was born. When the Hollises built 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:05.760 Lighthouse on the bluff, taking over the land that the 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:09.360 lighthousekeeper lived on, They also built a small apartment within 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:13.040 the lighthouse itself. While the lighthouse was still in operation, 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.400 the keeper also acted as the groundsman for the property. 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:20.760 Alexander Blythe was one such groundsman. He worked hard for 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:23.360 the Hollis family for a little over a year, his 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.800 family living in the modest apartment in the lighthouse. From 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:30.040 what I could find, he was a good, honest worker 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:33.840 who loved his job and his family. The Hollises seemed 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.120 to like him as well. According to the newspaper reports 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.440 I found, he unexpectedly sent his young daughter away to 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:43.800 visit his brother one summer's day. Later, on that night, 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:47.039 he murdered his wife and then took his own life. 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:50.200 I thought back to the photo of him Leani and 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.480 I found all those years ago within the dark room. 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.240 It was dated nineteen twenty nine, the same year he 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:01.200 hung himself inside the lighthouse. Who knew how long he 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.760 had known about the darkness within the house before he 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:06.800 had no choice but to do what he did when 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.960 that photo was taken. Was his mind already made up? 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:13.160 After I saw the man in the hats death, I 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.200 did not see him again outside of lighthouse for some time, 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.040 perhaps because I had learned his fate, or because I 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:23.399 knew of his history. Now he stayed away and gave 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:26.360 me a bit of peace for once. But when he 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.880 did appear again, it was to take everything from me. 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:55.000 But that came later. Before that came something else. Lighthouse, 0:02:55.880 --> 0:03:17.960 Chapter eight, two thousand and one. I left Lighthouse on 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:22.120 that day after my sister's suicide and seeing the death 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.040 of the man in the Hat, knowing full well that 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:29.320 I would have to return. My mother needed help. Confined 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:31.800 to a wheelchair and addicted to the bottle, she was 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:36.240 unable to do much for herself. Lighthouse was big, too 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.640 big for two people when my sister was still alive, 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:41.720 and now that she was gone, its vastness was going 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.280 to be lonely for my mother. We hadn't spoken much 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:48.040 since she said such hurtful things to me, but I 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.200 still wanted to help as best I could. Using what 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.240 little extra money I had, I hired an aid for her. 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.680 At first, she visited my mother only twice a week, 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.640 taking care of essentials and whatever odds and ends needed 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.280 to be done around the house. But as the years 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.040 were on and my mother became less and less capable, 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.840 the aid became a full time companion for her. When 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:13.800 the sensury turned into the year two thousand, my mother 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:16.640 became ill. We thought it was a simple cold at 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:19.039 first when the aid called me during a weekly check in, 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:21.960 but as the weeks were on and she didn't get 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.480 any better, it turned into something much more serious. Her 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.400 years of drinking and neglecting her own health had taken 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:32.320 its toll on her. My mother was dying. Her kidneys 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.560 were failing, and because of the condition of her body 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.400 and her age, replacement was not an option. The full 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:41.080 time aid turned into a living nurse as she required 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:45.000 constant care. I wanted to visit, but any time the 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:49.039 subject was brought up, my mother refused me. The nurse 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:51.400 thought it was just the pain and agony of her 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:55.039 predicament and treatments, but I knew that wasn't the case. 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:58.599 My mother just did not want to see me. Of course, 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:02.440 I was sad and heartbroken about did the spider strained relationship. 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:05.560 She was still my mother and I loved her, But 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:09.520 deep inside, a part of me was thankful, thankful that 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:12.479 I didn't have to return to Lighthouse to face its ghosts, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:16.359 and thankful that once she was gone, I would have 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.280 nothing tying me there and truly wouldn't have to go 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:23.960 back ever again. I hated myself for thinking that. In 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:27.080 the early months of two thousand one, my mother took 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:30.159 a turn for the worse. She was put on hospice care, 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.520 and though she remained steadfast on not wanting me there, 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.400 I had to see her say goodbye. I never got 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.680 a chance to do so for Leny, and I regretted 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.200 that every day I wouldn't make the same steak for 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:45.560 my mother. Sarah, the living nurse, met me outside when 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:49.200 I arrived, a welcome side compared to what usually greeted me. 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:51.839 After only speaking with her over the phone for a 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:54.719 few months, it was nice to finally meet her in person. 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:58.800 Are you hungry, she asked, making her way toward the kitchen. 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:01.640 I was just about to make some lunch, and I'd 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:03.960 be happy to make some for you, I told her. 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:07.479 I was starved and thankful for the invitation. As it 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:11.120 turned out, Sarah made a delicious tomato soup complimented by 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:15.720 grilled cheese sandwiches. My mother couldn't handle solids anymore, she explained, 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.320 so it was mostly soup to keep up her strength, 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:22.560 while the sandwiches were solely for us. We ate mostly 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:25.719 in silence for a bit until Sarah got a strange 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:29.640 look on her face. Can I ask you something? She said, 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:33.200 looking unsure of herself. Of course, I told her as 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.719 I put my sandwich down, sensing what she was about 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.919 to say. This is going to sound silly. Have you 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:43.000 ever seen anything in this house? I mean, I was 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.279 unsure of how much or little to tell her. With 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:49.280 my mother on her final days, maybe even hours, I 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:51.800 didn't want to send this poor girl screaming from the house. 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.680 Let's just say that Lighthouse has seen its share of 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:59.880 inhabitants over the years, some of which didn't leave. She's 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:03.800 mile nodded and laughed a little. Again. I've been around 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:07.200 death long enough not to be surprised by much, she said, 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.840 but sometimes this house surprises me. I like your mom, 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.440 but I'll be glad to be gone. Nothing more needed 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:18.040 to be said, an unspoken agreement placed between us. I 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:20.920 hoped for her sake that Lighthouse did not take a 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:23.120 hold of her like it did most others, and that 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.120 she could leave the place soon. Sarah cleaned up her 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:28.440 dirty plates and went to go check on my mother. 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:32.320 I needed to brace myself for seeing her, so I 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:35.119 went outside for a quick walk around the grounds, Needing 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:38.080 a bit of fresh air. It was nice out there, 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.679 different than the stuffy feeling within the walls of the house. 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:44.560 I walked toward the bluff itself, the ocean looking strikingly 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.720 gorgeous that day. With the lighthouse off to my right, 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:50.679 the view looked like a postcard. I looked up towards 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.280 the beacon, hoping I would not see it light up 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.960 during my stay, anxious to stay far far away at 0:07:57.000 --> 0:07:59.800 this time. Around on the opposite end of the bluff. 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.560 Standing on the other side of the lighthouse was the 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.600 apparition of the sailor I sometimes saw wandering the grounds. 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:08.960 I only ever had one bad encounter with him, when 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:11.720 I got too close to him as a child, and 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:15.400 he bellowed like a roaring ocean. He mostly kept to himself, 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.000 staring off to sea, much like he was doing now. 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:21.280 The sunlight shone through him, giving off the illusion that 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.680 he was glowing. He looked almost peaceful, as if an 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.600 eternity spent tied here was of no bother to him. 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.200 He turned to look toward me, and the serenity was 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.320 ruined by the appearance of the gaping hole where his 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:37.840 right eye used to be. Though uncommon on the east coast. 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:40.920 I silently prayed for an earthquake to loosen the ground 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:44.440 around the bluff, sending both the lighthouse and him sprawling 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:47.600 into the ocean, never to be seen again. I was 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:49.920 brought out of my day dream by Sarah, hearing a 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:52.839 call from me back from the house. My mother was 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.839 likely awake waiting for me. Back inside, Sarah was taking 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.000 care of some laundry and directed me toward my mother's room. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.920 As I ascended to the second story, it dawned on 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:05.160 me that I hadn't been in my parents room for 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:08.520 a long long time, since I was a little girl. 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.400 Heading there made me feel like I was getting in 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:15.960 trouble in a way I was. My mother, even on 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.360 her deathbed, was sure to tell me how much she 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.000 didn't care to see me. I reached the top and 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:23.760 turned the corner to the long hallway where her room 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.960 was located. Even outside the doorway, I could hear the 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.839 various apparatuses inside keeping her alive. When I turned the 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:34.439 knob and opened the door, I was taken back by 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.920 just how many machines were in there and how little 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:41.440 the woman in the bed resembled my mother. Dominated on 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.480 each side by large medical equipment. My mother looked small 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:48.360 and fragile, tucked into the bed. Her skin was sickly yellow, 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:52.319 and her facial features looked sunken. Her eyes were open, 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:55.000 looking in my direction, but I was unsure if she 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:58.560 actually saw me. I carefully made my way to her bedside, 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:01.280 trying not to trip over any of the assorted wires 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.680 on the floor. Pulling over a chair to sit next 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:07.120 to her, I faltered before reaching out to grab her hand. 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:11.120 It was like holding onto a skeleton, nothing left but 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:14.560 skin and bone. She turned to look at me, and 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.400 for the first time I entered the room, it seemed 0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:20.400 like she truly saw me. Her grip tightened in my 0:10:20.480 --> 0:10:23.520 hand and tears welled up in her eyes, catching me 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:27.679 by surprise. It was a very rare show of affection. 0:10:28.800 --> 0:10:33.240 Tera she managed to say, her voice a raspy whisper 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:36.400 of what it once was. I'm so glad you came. 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.040 The tears came from me as years of pent up 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:44.320 emotion released in that instant. Hi, Mum, I said, holding 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:48.040 her hand tighter. I'm so happy to see you. She 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:51.320 smiled at me, before the happiness in her eyes became sad. 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:55.080 There was already a gauntlet of emotions I was running 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.200 through at the moment, all of which were unexpected, so 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.520 I wasn't sure what had happened. Instead of asking, I 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:04.480 leaned in to hug her, the type of embrace I 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.480 had not enjoyed with my mother for many years. She 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.600 returned it as best she could, and she cried in 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:14.679 my ear. I'm so sorry, she whispered, holding me tight, 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:19.840 so very sorry. Confused, I moved back to look at 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:24.640 her and asked her what she meant for everything. She replied, 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:29.720 for pushing you away, for treating you so poorly. It's okay, 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.719 I told her, completely taken by surprise by this admission. 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:37.080 I wasn't the best daughter to you. It wasn't that, 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.440 she assured me, not at all. I was trying to 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.760 protect you. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:48.680 and it rendered me speechless for a few moments. Protect me, 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:53.880 I asked, from what the house from the darkness that 0:11:53.960 --> 0:12:05.480 lives here, Because it's coming for me next. Lighthouse will 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:21.640 return after these messages, and now back to Lighthouse. Not once, 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:25.360 in all my years living at Lighthouse or even after, 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.880 did my mother ever acknowledge the darkness that called it home. 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:32.240 Not once did she ever let on that she believed 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.360 my sister or my cries for help or safety from 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:37.840 the man in the hat, or the maid, or even 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:40.440 the body hanging in the tree. I don't know when 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:42.920 that changed or how long she even was aware of 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:45.640 the things going on here, but it was surprising to 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:48.240 hear her admit it. But when she was laying on 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:51.640 her deathbed, my mother told me things she had wanted 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:55.800 to for years but never had the courage to. Despite 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.960 her flaws and her own shortcomings, my mother really was 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.560 trying to save me. She didn't let on as to 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.520 when she first noticed the darkness and what it was doing, 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:08.920 but she was aware. For her, it wasn't the man 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:11.559 in the hat that haunted her, but rather the servant 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:15.080 that I often saw in the spare bedrooms upstairs, and 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.960 the maid from the kitchen. They would appear to her 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.440 when she was alone and most vulnerable. She tried to 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:24.840 ignore the most times, avoiding looking in the direction, but 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:29.000 sometimes she couldn't help herself. They both taunted her in 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:32.120 their own unique ways. She told me she would sometimes 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:34.120 check on us at night while we were asleep in 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.000 our beds, and one of the two specters would often 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.000 be by our side, leering at us like a predator 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:43.640 eyeing its prey. Other times they would simply stand in 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.320 the darkness, watching her with wide eyes. She admitted that 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:50.280 the maid was the worst, as the blood streaming from 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.000 her eyes gave off a ghastly appearance that was too 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:56.200 much to handle. She even heard whispers in the dark 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:58.800 of the night, especially when lying in her own bed 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:01.680 sleeping next to our father mother. She never knew for 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:04.080 sure if he was talking back to them, but it 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:07.520 terrified her all the same. At first, she believed it 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:10.679 was manageable. She loved her family and her husband, and 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:12.960 she thought she could keep it all at bay because 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:16.520 of our strong family bond. The first time my father 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.720 hit her was when she realized how wrong she was. 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:22.840 By that point, it was too late. They had spent 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:26.120 most of the inheritance money on paying off debts and 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.000 were stuck with nowhere else to go. She did her 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:31.640 best to keep my father's ire off of us and 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:34.600 focused on her, and for the most part, she did 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:38.520 a good job. But knowing that she spent years directing 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.040 his rage in her own direction so my sister and 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:43.400 I would be safe from it was almost too much. 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:46.240 To bear. She told me that she kept that up 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:48.920 for as long as she could, but as it began 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.600 to take its toll on her, she turned to drinking. 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.080 She had watched it consume my father, much like the 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:59.080 darkness had, but she couldn't help herself. It helped dull 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:02.600 the pain and take away her bad thoughts. She had 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:05.160 no idea how caught up in it she became. The 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:07.960 night my father went mad and Lini had to kill 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.280 him was the night my mother knew we were cursed, 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:16.080 cursed with the darkness and the burden of Lighthouse. She 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:20.160 was stubborn. Though Lighthouse was her home, it was supposed 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:23.920 to be her new beginning, our new beginning. She would 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.280 stay and defend it as long as she could, keeping 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.200 the darkness at bay for as long as possible. And 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.440 she knew that Lini was trapped. To her allegiance to 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:34.880 Abigail and the fact that she had killed our father. 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:37.280 Told my mother that a part of the darkness had 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.720 already worked its way inside of her. I was different. 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.720 She saw that I had fought back against the darkness, 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:46.840 unconsciously or not. Ever since we moved into that house, 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.520 I still had light in my soul and my mother 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:53.000 recognized that she wanted to get me away from the house, 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.160 needed me to be safe, because in her eyes, I 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.320 was the only one of us that still had a 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:01.720 chance of surviving the darkness. She did the one thing 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:03.680 that she felt she had to do in order to 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.360 save me. She pushed me away. Looking back on everything, 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:12.120 it made perfect sense. Her constant coldness towards me, or 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:15.240 berating of my actions when we did speak, did create 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:19.560 a distance between us, effectively breaking down our relationship. I 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.240 had admitted as much already that the distance between my 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.640 mother and I had been a reason I kept away 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:27.240 from Lighthouse all those years, but learning that it was 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.600 intentional on her part, that it was not out of 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.280 hate but out of love, broke my heart. I spent 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.240 years mad at her for treating me that way. If 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.360 we had only talked sooner, tried to bridge that gap 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.160 between us, than maybe, just maybe I could have saved 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:44.320 everyone a lot of heartbreak in the long run. Maybe 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.840 I could have saved my sister. Now I could have 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:50.160 even saved my mother. She told me not to think 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:52.440 of it that way, told me that the past was 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.720 the past, and while she did regret hurting me, she 0:16:55.760 --> 0:16:58.720 didn't regret keeping me safe, and now, as she lay 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.120 dying in front of me, she wanted me to know 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:04.119 the truth before the end came. I wanted to take 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:06.679 her from this place, take her somewhere else so she 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:08.919 didn't have to die in the place that had ruined 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:14.080 our family and consumed her soul, but she refused. She 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:18.280 was stubborn. She still saw Linie's ghost within the house, 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:21.240 and she didn't want to leave her alone. She also 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:23.840 had her own private battle with the darkness at the 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:27.520 heart of Lighthouse, one I had never known about, and 0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:32.040 she wanted to fight it until her dying breath, and 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.680 perhaps even in death, she could keep it at bay 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:39.159 for some one else. I loved my mother more in 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:43.480 that moment than I ever had before. It radiated off 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:45.960 of me, and I knew she could feel it. She 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.280 looked alive again, full of life and ready to face 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:53.000 the world, but that soon more off and she grew 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:56.440 weak again. She kissed my hand and told me she 0:17:56.480 --> 0:17:59.480 needed to rest. She was tired, but she asked me 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.119 to come back later. I didn't want to leave her side, 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:06.480 especially after everything she revealed. Sarah came into the room, 0:18:06.560 --> 0:18:09.679 declaring that it was time for my mother's medication. She 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:12.320 escorted me out so she could do her job, and 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:15.320 thus I was left alone in the hallways of lighthouse 0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:19.160 yet again. The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.000 Over dinner, Sarah continued to fill me in on my 0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:26.040 mother's condition. I was polite, engaging in the small talk 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:28.800 to make conversation with the woman who had taken care 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:31.080 of my mother over the last few months, but I 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:33.720 wasn't invested in what she had to say. I was 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:37.199 too busy thinking about my mother and her revelations. I 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:39.480 went to see her again that evening, but she was 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:43.080 still too weak to talk again. With nothing else to do, 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:45.919 I decided to turn in for the night. I felt 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:48.280 strange to be back in my old room yet again, 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.919 but thankfully I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly. I 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:54.800 awoke in the middle of the night to a light 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:58.119 filling my room. I didn't have to open my eyes 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.000 to know what it was that sleep beacon of the 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:05.359 lighthouse shining bright once again. Last time I felt it 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:08.760 call out to me, but this time I felt like 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.639 something was wrong. An uneasy feeling sat on my chest 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:15.639 and it worried me. I sat up, looking around for 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:18.919 any sign of trouble, but found nothing. My ears perked 0:19:19.000 --> 0:19:23.000 up as I heard some sort of mournful cry. My 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:25.840 younger self would have just thrown the blanket over my head, 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:28.520 wishing the night away, But now, as a grown woman 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:31.240 who had seen and had enough of what the house 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.240 had to offer, I wasn't going to back down. I 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:37.160 got up from the bed, throwing on a pair of slippers, 0:19:37.200 --> 0:19:40.520 and opened my door. The hallway was dark and quiet, 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:44.080 the only light coming from the phantom lighthouse behind me. 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:47.240 There was nothing in sight here either, but I did 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:49.840 notice that the door to my mother's room was ajar. 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:53.600 I heard a gentle sob again and realized it was 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.120 coming from that direction. I sprinted down the hall toward 0:19:57.200 --> 0:19:59.960 her room and threw open the door. My mother's room 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:04.760 was dark, almost too dark. She laid still in her bed, 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:08.320 her eyes wide open, as if fixated on the ceiling. 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:12.000 Another cry emanated from her throat, and I thought she 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:14.800 might be dreaming. But as my eyes adjusted to the 0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:17.720 blackness of the room, I could see that we were 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:21.600 not alone. It blended in at first, but now I 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:25.120 could see the different shades of darkness hovering over my mother. 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:29.480 It was the shadowy thing. I watched as it bulged 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:32.680 from the wall behind her bed, stretching it to unheard 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:36.040 of proportions. As it disengaged itself from it, It made 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:39.000 a sickening sound as it did so, the wall snapping 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:43.320 back into place like an elastic band. It's nebulous shapes 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:48.000 straddled her, dark extensions of itself acting as arms and legs, 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.800 holding her down. Her already fragile body couldn't do much 0:20:51.880 --> 0:20:55.480 to struggle against it. It leaned in close the place 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:58.560 where its mouth should have been, trying to draw in 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.960 her final breaths. Her body seized beneath it. I ran 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:05.000 to her side and tried to push it off, anger 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:09.160 rising inside me, but my hands went right through it. 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:11.399 It looked in my direction and one of its limbs 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:14.000 lashed out at me, striking me in the chest, knocking 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:16.800 me to the floor. I tried to regain my footing, 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.080 but it held me down. It turned back to my 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:21.920 mother and sucked in again, as if to take what 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:26.120 little life she had left in her Again, her body seized, 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:29.840 convulsive under its spell. I struggled to get up, but 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:32.400 its strength was too much for me to fight against. 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:35.959 I tried and I tried, but I could do nothing 0:21:36.000 --> 0:21:39.600 but watch, and that's exactly what it wanted me to do, 0:21:40.560 --> 0:21:44.399 to watch as it took my mother from me, just 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:47.359 as it had taken the rest of my family. The 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:51.760 shadowy thing was enjoying this. As she drifted away towards 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:54.600 her final sleep. My mother managed to look at me 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:57.639 and show one last feat of strength to say three 0:21:57.800 --> 0:22:03.280 small words, I love you. This enraged the shadowy thing 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:06.320 as it went in again, covering her face completely, pulling 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:09.480 the last breath from her chest. Her body spasm for 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:12.760 only a moment, her back arching upwards before dropping back 0:22:12.760 --> 0:22:18.520 to the bed. She was gone. Sated and satisfied, the 0:22:18.560 --> 0:22:20.880 shadow let go of her and turned back to me. 0:22:21.480 --> 0:22:24.960 I still struggled beneath its limbs, the pressure pushing down 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:27.680 on me. There was no clear face to see within 0:22:27.760 --> 0:22:31.119 its darkness, but there was an impression of something there, 0:22:31.359 --> 0:22:34.520 some sentience that knew exactly what it was doing. If 0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:36.960 I didn't know any better, I would say it was 0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:42.200 smiling at me with spring voices filled my ears, becoming 0:22:42.280 --> 0:22:45.399 so loud that they were deafening within the small confines 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:48.600 of the room. The shadow thrived off of them, growing 0:22:48.720 --> 0:22:52.280 larger by the second a creature of mighty proportions. It 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:55.960 coiled more limbs around my body, squeezing the air from 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:59.360 my lungs, toying with me. The nebulous shape where its 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:02.520 face should have been continued to smile as it came 0:23:02.600 --> 0:23:15.440