1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. 2 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: The date is August fifteen. Time is three pm. This 3 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: is Dr Albright interviewing patient to file zero three two 4 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: one to seven, Madeleine, Madeleine, Do you know who I am? No, 5 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: I'm Dr Albright, but you can call me Malcolm. Malcolm 6 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: is a funny name. It is. It was my grandfather's name, Madeleine. 7 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: Do you know why I'm here to play with? From where? 8 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: Tell me about what you're doing this? I can see that. 9 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: Does your doll have a name? What a pretty name? 10 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: And it starts with the letter M, just like your name, Mary, Madeleine. 11 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: Sounds silly like that. They certainly do, Madeline. Your parents 12 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: are very worried about you, Madeline. Did you hear me? 13 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: They're worried about you. How come well because of some 14 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: of the things you've been saying and the things you've 15 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: been doing. And I'm here to help make sure that 16 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: you're being safe and that you're not really a danger 17 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: to yourself. I'm safe. He keeps me safe? Who keeps 18 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: you safe? Madeleine? Your your daddy? You're funny? Will you 19 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: tell me who keeps you safe? Did you see it. 20 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: See what the right? Yes I did. You can't miss 21 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: it when you come out here. I'm sure it was 22 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: quite beautiful back in its day when it was still operational. 23 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: Did you see it? The light inside it goes for 24 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: me sometimes? Who keeps you safe? Will you tell me? Nope? No, no, no, no, nope? 25 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: Why not? It's a secret. Well will you tell me 26 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: about the people you see? What people in the house? 27 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: You're my friends? Your friends? Well? What are their names? Um, 28 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: I'm not supposed to tell you. And why is that? 29 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: He doesn't walk rim? Person? Who keeps you safe? Well? 30 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: What can you tell me? I don't know? What else? 31 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,839 Speaker 1: Did they tell you? All sorts of things? What kind 32 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: of things? Some things? And what kind of games do 33 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: you play with them? Hi didn't seek I'm really good. 34 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: That is a very fun game. Do they say anything else? 35 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: I'm not supposed to say because it's a secret. You 36 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: can trust me, Madeline. I'm a doctor, Remember, I don't know. 37 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: I am very good at keeping secret. You promise not 38 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: to tell I promise. Well, they tell me they want 39 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:12,119 Speaker 1: to bring me somewhere. Where is that away in the dark? 40 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: What's in the dark? That's where they live? He wants 41 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: to show me. But he can't. How come? Because he said, 42 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: I have to do something for them first. The man 43 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: who keeps you safe said this, What does he want 44 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: you to do? Well? I think they are bad things? 45 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: Does he want you to hurt people? Know? Just to 46 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: make sure they're sleeping? He tells me to put them 47 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: to sleep. How does he want you to do that? 48 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: He said, Mommy and Daddy only pretend to sleep at night, 49 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: that they lay down and close their eyes. But they're 50 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: just pretending. He said, he should go in the kitchen 51 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: and take a knife from the jar, one of the 52 00:03:53,400 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: sharp ones. That's very dangerous if we want you to 53 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: do with the knife. He told me to go into 54 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: their room and play the up and down game with them, 55 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: to put them asleep. The up and down game? What's that? 56 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: You know? Will you take something in your hand? And 57 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: you will? And Madeline, you know that will hurt your parents? Right? No, 58 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: it won't. It will just make sure they're sleeping. Silly, No, Madeline, 59 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: that will hurt them, maybe even kill them, and they 60 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: will sleep forever. Oh, what's wrong, Madeline? He says he 61 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: doesn't like you. Dr Albright, who doesn't The man who 62 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: keeps you safe is he here now. He says it's 63 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: time for you to go away. Tell him that I will, 64 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: but only when I finish helping you. He says, I 65 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: should make you go away myself. Does he know? Did 66 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: he tell you how he did? And what did he say? 67 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: He said, I should take your pen and shove it 68 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: in your eye into a public a balloon. Isn't he funny? 69 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: Dr all right? Lighthouse Chapter one. Your home is a 70 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: safe haven. It's more than just a warm bed and 71 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: a comfy couch. It's love, it's security, it's connection. It's 72 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: familiar place to retreat to when things get too rough, 73 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: for when you're feeling lonely. It's a place you go 74 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: to be with those closest to you, where they can 75 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: wrap you in a blanket of their love. Home isn't 76 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: a place as much as it is a feeling homes 77 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:21,239 Speaker 1: where this story begins. I do not have a home. Instead, 78 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: I only have pain, heartbreak, and a piece of myself 79 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: missing that I can never get back. There's a darkness 80 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: that dwells in the center of the world, that seeps 81 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: its way up through the ground and forces itself into 82 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: our lives. It hides in any place that can crawl into, 83 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: hiding away as it grows and thrives, surrounding itself in gloom. 84 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: This darkness isn't the kind that comes from the absence 85 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: of light. It's the kind where malevolent forces flourish. It's 86 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: the kind that make up the nightmares that keep you 87 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 1: awake as a child, clutching your blanket as you cry 88 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: for your parents. It's the kind that infects everything it touches. 89 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: It's vile, icy fingers tightening around your throat, stifling your screams. 90 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 1: It's the kind you cannot escape, no matter how hard 91 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: you try. The unlucky few that discover the darkness hiding 92 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: place get caught in its everlasting grip. It works its 93 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: way into their soul, slowly corrupting them from the inside out, 94 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: until it ultimately consumes them, leaving nothing but an empty, 95 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: hollow shell in its wake. Lighthouse is one of those 96 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: hiding places. It's a place where good people are forced 97 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: to do bad things, and we're bad people do even worse. 98 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: Lighthouse is my home. For years, I've hidden myself away 99 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: from the outside world, afraid of allowing the darkness that 100 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: dwells here and inside me to escape. Despite my best efforts. 101 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: I've become the very thing I swore not to hermited 102 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: away from everything and everyone I ever loved, or at 103 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: the very least the ones I had not yet managed 104 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: to destroy. This house, my family, and even myself have 105 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: become the subject of rumor. There are whispered secrets and 106 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: gossip running wild in the town, with each repeating of 107 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: the story compounded by another embellishment, another exaggeration, another lie. 108 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: I admit, yes, some of what has been said is 109 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: the truth. But it's the story of me, the story 110 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: of why, the story of Lighthouse. My name is Tara 111 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: Marie Hollis. I was born in Hayworth, New Jersey. My sister, 112 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: Eileen or Leni for short, was born four years later. 113 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: I don't remember much about my early years, just what 114 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: was told to me. Life was difficult for us. My 115 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: father was a salesman who worked hard to provide for 116 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: his family. While he wasn't the best at his job, 117 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: he did the best he could. It was rough, particularly 118 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: because through a series of failed investment opportunities and jobs 119 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: that didn't quite work out, our family was constantly on 120 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: the move, traveling from place to place. While my parents 121 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: tried to make ends meet. The other part was my fault. 122 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: Before my sister was born, I was ill for most 123 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: of my childhood. I don't remember much about it, but 124 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,559 Speaker 1: what I do remember was painful. A series of tests, 125 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: long stretches in and out of the hospital, and lots 126 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: of doctors, not just medical ones, but plenty of psychiatrists 127 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: and psychologists too. I was too young to understand it 128 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: at the time, but they were concerned that something was 129 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: wrong with my brain. It was too complicated for me 130 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: to understand, but it boiled down to the fact that 131 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: I saw things. There was some brief talk of being hereditary, 132 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: coming from my father's side. There was also talk of 133 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: a tumor pressing up against my brain causing them function. 134 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: There were even long stretches of me not remembering anything 135 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 1: at all, a sort of blackout. However, I do know 136 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: by the time I was six, all seemed to be 137 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: better because I no longer saw the doctors or the psychiatrists, 138 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: or even the inside of a hospital again. These medical 139 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: issues they strained my parents finances. We didn't have much, 140 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: but we had each other and that's what mattered. The 141 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: memories I do have of my early years are happy ones. 142 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: My sister and I kept each other occupied while my 143 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,479 Speaker 1: parents did what they could to make sure we were surviving. 144 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: They didn't have any family that they could ask for help, 145 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: as my mother's side disowned her for marrying my father, 146 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: and my father's family was mostly deceased. His only living 147 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: relative was his grandmother, an eccentric, elderly recluse that he 148 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: rarely spoke of and that I'd never met. I wasn't 149 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: aware of it at the time, but things started to 150 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: get dire for our family. Money was stretched thin and 151 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: my parents had too many outstanding debts to keep us 152 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: all afloat. We weren't quite at rock bottom yet, but 153 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: we were mere inches away from it. However, just before 154 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: all was lost, something serendipitous happened. My father's grandmother passed away. 155 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: Not that her passing was something to celebrate, but it 156 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:16,719 Speaker 1: was a blessing in disguise. Not only did she leave 157 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 1: a sizeable amount of money to my father, she also 158 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: left him their ancestral family home. I was eleven years 159 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 1: old when I first laid my eyes on Lighthouse. My 160 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: parents had argued for weeks leading up to it, as 161 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 1: the decision to move there wasn't an easy one to make. 162 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: My father was vehemently against it, and an argument about 163 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: it was the first time I truly remember him losing 164 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: his temper. He wanted nothing to do with the house, 165 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 1: offering to sell it to the bank at an incredibly 166 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: low price just to get rid of it and use 167 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: the rest of the inheritance to buy us a more 168 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: modest home elsewhere. My mother wanted him to be more 169 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: sensible about it. Why waste money on a new home 170 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: when there was a perfectly good one waiting for us 171 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: that we could use. My father thought about it for 172 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 1: a long time, rubbing an old scar he had on 173 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: his right palm. Eventually he yielded to her and we 174 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: began the journey to our new home. It was a 175 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: warm winter day in nineteen sixty three when we finally arrived. 176 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 1: As our car pulled through the massive entry gates, I 177 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: caught my first glimpse of Lighthouse. My mind couldn't fully 178 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: comprehend it. It It was like something out of a fairy 179 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 1: tale or an old story, even at such a distance. 180 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: It was the biggest house I had ever laid eyes on, 181 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: and my breath caught in my throat as I craned 182 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: my neck to see it. All we drove closer, but 183 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: the driveway seemed to stretch on forever, giving the house 184 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 1: a sense of isolation. The front of the house was 185 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: mostly barren from years of neglect, with a sea of 186 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: dead grass surrounding it. The only other thing visible from 187 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: the front was an ancient red oak tree, as if 188 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: it was standing guard over the house. The house itself 189 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: had three stories that loomed over the grounds, with its 190 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: unique Torrean style being nothing like I'd ever seen before. 191 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: It seemed more like a castle than a house, with 192 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: a tower that reached for the sky on the left 193 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,679 Speaker 1: side of the house, with steep gabled roofs surrounding it. 194 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: My eyes were pulled up further as the complex roofline 195 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 1: seemed more for visual effect than practical design. The windows 196 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: all seemed to be their own distinct shape and size 197 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: as you went up. The first floors were larger, with 198 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: bay windows and a large hilarium making up most of them. 199 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: The second floor had more eyebrow windows with curve shapes 200 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: about the traditional windows, while the third floor got a 201 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: bit smaller. I could see a hint of stained glass 202 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: on the right side and was thrilled to finally see 203 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: something so wonderfully beautiful in person. Directly over the entry, though, 204 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: were two large windows that gave the impression that the 205 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: house was looking back at me. Below those windows was 206 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: a set of stairs which led up to the front door, 207 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: which itself was an ornate affair made of solid wood. 208 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: It surrounded a stained glass fixture with the letter L 209 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 1: at its center, giving it a more regal appearance. The 210 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: wraparound porch stretched to both ends of the house and 211 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: around the back as well. Beyond the house was the 212 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean, miles and miles of it, spreading out as 213 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: far as the eye could see. Lighthouse was so named 214 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: because it sat on Lighthouse Point. The entire grounds was 215 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: located on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Years before 216 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: the house was built, the sole occupant of the bluff 217 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: was an actual lighthouse built in the eighteen hundreds. It 218 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: was a beacon of hope for ships on those dark 219 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: New Jersey nights long before my father was born. His 220 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: family served as its keeper for years, diligently keeping watch 221 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: to make sure those out at sea did not meet 222 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: the same fate as their predecessors. Though it was still 223 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: standing not too far from our house itself, the lighthouse 224 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: set unused. Years of neglect reduced it to an unsafe, 225 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: crumbling mess. Lighthouse was originally a more modest home, merely 226 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: a dwelling for a lighthousekeeper and his family to live. 227 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: But over the years, when my great great and father 228 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: had an investment payoff handsomely, the modest home was torn 229 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: down and lighthouse was built, a grand structure for a 230 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: proud man, and now it was ours. Before we came here, though, 231 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: my father made it very clear to us that while 232 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: we were welcome to roam free and explore the grounds 233 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: as we pleased, the lighthouse itself was strictly off limits. 234 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: But that didn't matter, because the house lighthouse view it 235 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. As we 236 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: drove down the driveway getting closer, I remember feeling the 237 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: pit in the bottom of my stomach began to rise, 238 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 1: my head began to swim as a slight wave of 239 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: nausea overtook me for a few moments. Whether I was 240 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: just nervous about the new chapter in our lives or 241 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: it was a subconscious warning as to what awaited us, 242 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: I'll never know. However, I wasn't the only one to 243 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: feel uneasy as we pulled in front of the stairs. 244 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: My father stopped the car. I got out and went 245 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: around to lean eyside to help her. But I noticed 246 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: she looked a bit green as well. What's wrong, I 247 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: asked her, hoping she was not carsick from her long journey. 248 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: Her eyes were locked upward, as if she was an 249 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: intense staring contest with someone or something. There's a man 250 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: in the window up there, she said, a man wearing 251 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: a hat. Don't be silly. The house has been empty 252 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: for months. No one lives here but us. Now it's 253 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: not empty. Look she pointed upward, and I looked in 254 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: that direction, toward the window on the third story that 255 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: looked like eyes. I couldn't see anything. My sister, whether 256 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: from an overactive imagination or not, was often prone to 257 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: seeing things. A few years ago, I taught her a 258 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: trick to try to help with this, to distinguish reality 259 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: from otherwise. What did I teach you about when you 260 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: see things that might not really be there, I asked her, 261 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: reminding her of a technique a psychiatrist taught me years ago. 262 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: To close my eyes and count to five, she said, 263 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: and then I pushed further and then open him again. 264 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: And it will be gone. I smiled at her, Glad 265 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: she remembered trying now, I suggested Leny squeeze her eyes 266 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: shut and began to count to five, one, two, three, 267 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:22,679 Speaker 1: four five. A moment after she finished, she opened her 268 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: eyes again, looking back toward the window. It didn't work, Tara, look. 269 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: I took another look, but this time it was different. 270 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 1: Hiding behind the sheer curtains, I could make out a 271 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: shape standing there. At first I thought it was just 272 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: a coat rack or a piece of furniture, but then 273 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 1: I watched as it pulled the curtains back. There was 274 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 1: a man wearing a hat standing at the window, and 275 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: with a ghastly smile, he was staring directly at us. 276 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: Lighthouse will return after these messages, and now back to lighthouse. 277 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: The man stared down at us, a terribly creepy smile 278 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,919 Speaker 1: across his lips, and I screamed. My sister, startled by 279 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: my screaming, began to do so herself. My parents, so 280 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: halfway up the stairs, already dropped everything and ran back 281 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: to us. My mother consoled me, wrapping me in a 282 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: tight hug. As she held me, my father frantically asked 283 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: what was wrong? There's someone in the house, I told him. 284 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 1: He looked at me bewildered as my sister and I 285 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,440 Speaker 1: pointed toward the window. However, the man wasn't there. Now. 286 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,719 Speaker 1: What did he look like? My father asked, my sister explained, 287 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: and he went white as a ghost. My mother, concerned 288 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: for everyone's safety, told my father to go inside and check. 289 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: He was caught off guard at first and seemed uneasy 290 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: with the idea, but he relented, as he often did 291 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,919 Speaker 1: with her, and carefully made his way to the front door. 292 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: Before he went inside, he looked to us nervously, with 293 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,439 Speaker 1: a slight nod of his head, disappeared into the house. 294 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,479 Speaker 1: The minutes that followed were tense, as we saw nor 295 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: heard anything from inside the house. It only took a 296 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: minute or two before my mother thought better of sending 297 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,640 Speaker 1: him in there and called out to him to return. Unfortunately, 298 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: there was no response. Henry. She called again, Henry, come back, 299 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: Still there was nothing. A sense of dread fell over 300 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,119 Speaker 1: us all like a blanket. Did we unwittingly send my 301 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: father to face off against an intruder? Was he okay? 302 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: Why wasn't he? Answering us? She called out one final time, 303 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:52,199 Speaker 1: Please Henry. We waited. The seconds turned into a minute, 304 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: then two. It was unbearable for us. My mother was anxious, 305 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: ready to run in herself. And then he appeared at 306 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 1: the window where we spotted the man in a hat earlier. 307 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: My father looked down at us. He under the latch, 308 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: opened the window and called down to us. All clear, 309 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: he said, with only a slight hint of unease in 310 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: his voice. Moments later he rejoined us outside. As it 311 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,239 Speaker 1: turns out, my first instinct was correct. There was a 312 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,640 Speaker 1: coat rack near the window, a trick of the light. 313 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: He told us, your mind fooled you. Despite his saying that, 314 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:35,440 Speaker 1: I couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling building within me. However, 315 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: he was quiet on the matter after that, instead asking 316 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 1: for my help and bringing the bags in. I did 317 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 1: as I was told. But my sister, however, sat outside, 318 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: her gaze never wavering from the window. Lifting one of 319 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 1: my bags, I made my way up the steps toward 320 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: the house, my sense of foreboding slowly dissipating by the 321 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: sheer size of what lay before me, only seeing it 322 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: from the distance earlier. The front door was more decorative 323 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: than I originally thought. The letter l in the center 324 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: of the stained glass obviously stood for light, but it 325 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 1: also contained smaller imagery lighthouses standing on guard on both 326 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,160 Speaker 1: sides of the letter itself, a black cloud escaping from 327 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: what looked to be a well, a sea of blue 328 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 1: along the bottom, with a full moon lording over it all. 329 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: I pushed the door open further and took my first 330 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: steps in. The inside of lighthouse was just as impressive 331 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: as out, albeit a bit dustier. The vestibule made way 332 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,919 Speaker 1: into the main hall, with a grand staircase being the 333 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 1: focal point of the room. It stretched upward to the 334 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: second floor before branching off towards the third. Above my head, 335 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: Leany came up behind me, silent in her approach, and 336 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,880 Speaker 1: startled me out of my awestruck daydream. Is all this hours? 337 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: She asked me. I looked at her and smiled, It 338 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 1: is now. She grabbed my hand and took off down 339 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: the hall, the need to discover the house and all 340 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 1: its glory overtaking her fear from a few short minutes ago. 341 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: I dropped my bags somewhere during our expedition as the 342 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: ground floor opened before us, two young girls exploring uncharted territory. 343 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,959 Speaker 1: Since the first floor was meant as a living space 344 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: of the home. It had more wide open spaces than most. 345 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: A formal dining room was next to the kitchen, while 346 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: a parlor was just beyond that. It's high vaulted ceilings 347 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: and tasseled draperies giving it a sense of grandeur. The 348 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: silarium gave way to the side yard, its glass windows 349 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,640 Speaker 1: allowing the sun to shine in brightly on the various 350 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:42,679 Speaker 1: plant life, with seating areas all around to enjoy the 351 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: ocean view it afforded. On the other end of the 352 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 1: house was the library, It's two sprawling floors of dark wood, 353 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: allowing for a vast selection of books, complete with an 354 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: ornate fireplace to cozy up next to. A metal spiral 355 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: staircase in the center allowed for easy access to all. 356 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: It was a place I imagined I would spend a 357 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: lot of time in. I took a moment to take 358 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 1: it all in, the musty smell of old books, the 359 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: vast collection of them before me, and also a melody 360 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: wafting in from somewhere beyond. And my parents decided to 361 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: play a record elsewhere in the house. We had only 362 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: just arrived, and I was sure that even if they 363 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,920 Speaker 1: had come across a record player. Unpacking would be their 364 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: first order of business. I strained my ears trying to 365 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: place the song, or even just its point of origin. 366 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: It felt like it was coming from everywhere at once, 367 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,920 Speaker 1: while also nowhere at all. It had a haunting quality 368 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,919 Speaker 1: about it, and I could feel myself getting lost in 369 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: its music. Seeing my state of distraction, Lenie sees the 370 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: opportunity for a game. Catch me if you can, she 371 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: yelled as she wasted no time in running up the 372 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: spiral staircase, excited, running from shelf to shelf for a 373 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: quick glance at all the dusty volumes that sat untouched 374 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: for years. It wasn't long before she threw open a 375 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: door and ran off to explore the rest of the 376 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: second story. By the time I reached the door she 377 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: disappeared behind, she was long out of sight. I found 378 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 1: myself staring down a long hallway. The walls here were 379 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: decorated with dark wood panels with detailed interior trim that 380 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: went from the floor till about halfway up, where old 381 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: and curling wallpaper took over before reaching the ceiling. The 382 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: hallway itself seemed impossibly long, with a multitude of doors 383 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,680 Speaker 1: on either side until splitting off in both directions at 384 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: the end. For a moment, it almost seemed to sense 385 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: my disorientation and stretched itself even further. However, a quick 386 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: shake of my head with close eyes jostled that vision away, 387 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: and I began to search for my sister. While I 388 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 1: did not find her, what I did find were more 389 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: rooms that I could grasp. Multiple rooms, some even with 390 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: balconies overlooking the grounds, were among my discoveries. I also 391 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: found double doors leading to common rooms and plenty of 392 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: hidden nooks for someone to hide away in. I was 393 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 1: overwhelmed by the house is almost rambling complexity, and felt 394 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: more as if in the Minotaurs maze than my new 395 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: family home. Most rooms were already furnished, with furniture still 396 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: covered in thin white sheets from days long before us 397 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: occupying the rooms. When I did finally discover Leni's hiding place, 398 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: it was amongst a horride of dolls in one of 399 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,920 Speaker 1: the bedrooms, her face barely sticking out from behind them 400 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 1: as she pretended to be one of them. It played 401 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: along at first declaring loudly that I wondered where she 402 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: could be, causing her to fall into a fit of giggles. 403 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: If she knew what awaited us that night, she wouldn't 404 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: have laughed. Lighthouse were returned after a word from our sponsors, 405 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 1: and now lighthouse continues. Leni later declared to our parents 406 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: that the very room she was hiding in was to 407 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: be her bedroom. Receiving no opposition from them, she moved 408 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,040 Speaker 1: her things into it immediately. Wanting to be a good sister, 409 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: I chose the room across the hall, which was well 410 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: suited for me, complete with a reading nook and balcony 411 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: overlooking the front yard. It received plenty of natural light. 412 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: Not to mention, it was twice as big as my 413 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: sister's I wish I could say that that first night 414 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 1: in our new home was uneventful. After hours of unpacking 415 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 1: and settling in, we were all thoroughly exhausted from our 416 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: long day. I fell asleep almost instantly, my body sinking 417 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: into the bed with ease. I don't recall the exact 418 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,360 Speaker 1: time it happened, but I awoke to Leni climbing into 419 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,879 Speaker 1: bed with me. I assumed she was a bit nervous 420 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,399 Speaker 1: about sleeping alone in a new house, but when I 421 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: heard a soft sob, I knew it was something else. 422 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: What's wrong, I said to her, and she buried her 423 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: head in my pillow. I saw him again, she replied, 424 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: fighting back tears. So I asked, not fully comprehending what 425 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 1: she meant, the man in the hat. As soon as 426 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,480 Speaker 1: the words escaped from her lips, I felt a chill 427 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: run down my spine. He was standing in my doorway, 428 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 1: watching me sleep. When I asked my hackles raising, concerned 429 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: that there was an intruder in her home just now, 430 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: I closed my eyes and counted to five until he 431 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 1: was gone, And when he was I ran here. Even 432 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: in the darkness, I could feel her eyes welling with 433 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: tears as she stared at me. Despite the fact that 434 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 1: our father did not find anyone earlier, I felt the 435 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: need to check for myself. At the very least, I 436 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,919 Speaker 1: needed to tell my parents. After I reassured her that 437 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: everything was going to be okay and crept to the door, 438 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: the hallway was empty, the shadows my only companion. Looking 439 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,720 Speaker 1: toward my right was a bit easier, as my mother 440 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: had enough foresight to plug in a nightlight earlier. This 441 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,040 Speaker 1: turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, 442 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,920 Speaker 1: because as my eyes adjusted, I made out a dark 443 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: shape toward the end of the hall. At first I 444 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 1: thought it was a trick of the light, but movement 445 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,560 Speaker 1: caused me to realize otherwise. Coming out of the darkness 446 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: was exactly what my sister exclaimed it to be, a 447 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:40,120 Speaker 1: man wearing a hat. Though down the hall, I could 448 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 1: tell that he was dressed almost in Edwardian fashion, with 449 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: a bowler hat atop his head, and his feet didn't 450 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: seem to touch the floor. Instead, he gently floated a 451 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: few inches above it. I instinctively leaned back, startled at 452 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: the sight before me. This couldn't be real, This couldn't 453 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 1: be happening. Using my own advice, closed my eyes and 454 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: I counted five, one, two, three, four five. I hesitated 455 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: only a moment before taking another look, and I regretted 456 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: it as soon as I did. The man in the 457 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 1: hat was still there. He was now standing before my 458 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: parents bedroom, and I watched in horror as he reached 459 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 1: out to open it. Startled by this, I fell back 460 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: against the door frame. I tried to be silent, but lighthouse, 461 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: being as old as it was, wasn't conducive to being quiet. 462 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: My foot landed on an old floorboard and it creaked. 463 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:51,080 Speaker 1: A panic set over me as I saw the man 464 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: in the hat's head began to turn in my direction. 465 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: Without wasting any time, I slammed my door shut and 466 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: shoved the bolt into lock position. I ran to my bed, 467 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 1: jumped in next to my sister, and pulled the covers 468 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: up over my head. Lenny could tell I was terrified, 469 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: and she responded in kind. Tera what's wrong, she asked, 470 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: in a panic. Be quiet, I hissed, and she was. 471 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: Both of us sat there, holding each other in the 472 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: darkness beneath the sheets, hoping against all hope that whatever 473 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: that thing was would pass us by. Every second we 474 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: waited seemed to stretch on for an hour. Every slight 475 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: rustle of the sheets was like a deafening roar. After 476 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: what felt like days, I poked my head out. I 477 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,280 Speaker 1: was greeted only by silence. Stealing a quick glance, I 478 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: could see the night light from the hall spilling in 479 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,960 Speaker 1: from beneath my door, a small triangle of hope and 480 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 1: the darkness of night. My sister took a peek as well. 481 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: We were safe. We relaxed A tiny bit coming out 482 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 1: from beneath the blanket, the threat of the man in 483 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: the hat came from the door. My eyes were drawn 484 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: to the night outside my win nose. Beyond the balcony 485 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: stood the lighthouse. It stood silently in the darkness, a 486 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:11,600 Speaker 1: long dormant guardian until it wasn't. A dim glow appeared 487 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: in the night atop the lighthouse, as if someone had 488 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 1: lit a candle up there. I gasped silently, confused, much 489 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: like the house, it was to be empty, not just 490 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: because my grandmother's death, but because it was no longer 491 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: in use. I was about to get up and take 492 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: a closer look, and then I heard the floorboard creak. 493 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 1: My eyes grew wide as I watched the light outside 494 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: my door disappear as a long shadow cut into it. 495 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: I could almost see the feet that belonged to the 496 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: man in the hat in the gap between my door 497 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: frame and the floor, as they floated just above it. 498 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: The feeling of dread I felt earlier as we drove 499 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: up to lighthouse returned weighing heavy on my chest. I 500 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 1: held my breath in terror. So my door knob began 501 00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 1: to turn slowly first, but with more force it made 502 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,719 Speaker 1: a full rotation. Something pushing against it trying to get in. 503 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 1: As my sister let under yelp. I covered my mouth 504 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: with my hand, eyes never leaving the door's handle, thankful 505 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: thought to lock it earlier, but the locked door did 506 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 1: not stop that thing outside. Instead, it doubled its efforts, 507 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: jiggling the knob harder and faster, trying as best as 508 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: it could to force its way in. We threw the 509 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: covers back overhead, both of us crying out for our parents, 510 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: hugging each other closer, waiting for the assault to end. 511 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: The door rattled and its frame beneath it's might, shuddering 512 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 1: with every jolt as we both waited for the one 513 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: that would eventually take it off its hinges and into 514 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 1: my room. That went on and on and on, never 515 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: ending in our minds, driving us to the edge of 516 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 1: our sanity, until eventually subsided. Neither of us moved a 517 00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: muscle even well after it ended. We were both too 518 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: scared and too tired to even consider it. At some point, 519 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: I'm not sure when we both drifted off to sleep, 520 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: still holding each other close beneath the covers. It should 521 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:15,040 Speaker 1: come of no surprise that I didn't sleep well, tossing 522 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 1: and turning until the sun made its first appearance on 523 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: the horizon. Its first rays of warm light, or a 524 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 1: welcome respite from the night. In the clarity of the morning, 525 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: it almost seemed like the terror from the night before 526 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 1: wasn't as bad as we remembered it to be. Perhaps 527 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: it was nothing more than an incredibly vivid dream. Deep inside, 528 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: I knew that wasn't the truth. Even after my sister awoke, 529 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: her face still streaked with tears of terror, I knew 530 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: what we had experienced was real. I should have savored 531 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: that night. I should have enjoyed what little sleep we 532 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 1: did manage to get. I should have told my parents 533 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 1: as soon as it happened, and not waited until the 534 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: next day. But I didn't any of those things, which, 535 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,080 Speaker 1: despite my youth, made me complicit. And what was to come, 536 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,440 Speaker 1: because now that Lighthouse had us in its grasp, it 537 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:37,680 Speaker 1: wasn't going to let us go. Lighthouse is a production 538 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. Chapter one featured 539 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:47,680 Speaker 1: the voices of Ali Trasher, John McCormick, and Paulina Logan. 540 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: Written and directed by Jeff Himbuck, Audio engineering and original 541 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 1: musical score by Corey Celeste. Production assistants by Alex Gona. 542 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: Executive produced by Holly fry, questions, comments, You can reach 543 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 1: us at the Man in the Hat is Watching at 544 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Thank you for listening. M.