WEBVTT - Chapter 1 - 1963 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:04.960 Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:19.360 The date is August fifteen. Time is three pm. This 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:23.720 is Dr Albright interviewing patient to file zero three two 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:30.680 one to seven, Madeleine, Madeleine, Do you know who I am? No, 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:35.640 I'm Dr Albright, but you can call me Malcolm. Malcolm 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:41.159 is a funny name. It is. It was my grandfather's name, Madeleine. 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:45.200 Do you know why I'm here to play with? From where? 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:56.040 Tell me about what you're doing this? I can see that. 0:00:56.960 --> 0:01:00.600 Does your doll have a name? What a pretty name? 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:07.000 And it starts with the letter M, just like your name, Mary, Madeleine. 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:13.800 Sounds silly like that. They certainly do, Madeline. Your parents 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:18.720 are very worried about you, Madeline. Did you hear me? 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:22.800 They're worried about you. How come well because of some 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.360 of the things you've been saying and the things you've 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:27.959 been doing. And I'm here to help make sure that 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.760 you're being safe and that you're not really a danger 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:35.160 to yourself. I'm safe. He keeps me safe? Who keeps 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:39.959 you safe? Madeleine? Your your daddy? You're funny? Will you 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:42.400 tell me who keeps you safe? Did you see it. 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:47.000 See what the right? Yes I did. You can't miss 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:48.680 it when you come out here. I'm sure it was 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:51.400 quite beautiful back in its day when it was still operational. 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:56.200 Did you see it? The light inside it goes for 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:03.040 me sometimes? Who keeps you safe? Will you tell me? Nope? No, no, no, no, nope? 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:07.160 Why not? It's a secret. Well will you tell me 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:10.480 about the people you see? What people in the house? 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:17.639 You're my friends? Your friends? Well? What are their names? Um, 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:20.280 I'm not supposed to tell you. And why is that? 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:29.000 He doesn't walk rim? Person? Who keeps you safe? Well? 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.799 What can you tell me? I don't know? What else? 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.839 Did they tell you? All sorts of things? What kind 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:40.320 of things? Some things? And what kind of games do 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:44.040 you play with them? Hi didn't seek I'm really good. 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:47.200 That is a very fun game. Do they say anything else? 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:53.200 I'm not supposed to say because it's a secret. You 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:57.239 can trust me, Madeline. I'm a doctor, Remember, I don't know. 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:01.600 I am very good at keeping secret. You promise not 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:06.760 to tell I promise. Well, they tell me they want 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:12.119 to bring me somewhere. Where is that away in the dark? 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.840 What's in the dark? That's where they live? He wants 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:19.600 to show me. But he can't. How come? Because he said, 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.840 I have to do something for them first. The man 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.880 who keeps you safe said this, What does he want 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:31.320 you to do? Well? I think they are bad things? 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.920 Does he want you to hurt people? Know? Just to 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.000 make sure they're sleeping? He tells me to put them 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.360 to sleep. How does he want you to do that? 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:44.960 He said, Mommy and Daddy only pretend to sleep at night, 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:48.040 that they lay down and close their eyes. But they're 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:51.120 just pretending. He said, he should go in the kitchen 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:53.360 and take a knife from the jar, one of the 0:03:53.400 --> 0:04:00.720 sharp ones. That's very dangerous if we want you to 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:04.120 do with the knife. He told me to go into 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:06.480 their room and play the up and down game with them, 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.640 to put them asleep. The up and down game? What's that? 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:13.880 You know? Will you take something in your hand? And 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:20.200 you will? And Madeline, you know that will hurt your parents? Right? No, 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:26.839 it won't. It will just make sure they're sleeping. Silly, No, Madeline, 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:29.600 that will hurt them, maybe even kill them, and they 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:36.040 will sleep forever. Oh, what's wrong, Madeline? He says he 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:39.920 doesn't like you. Dr Albright, who doesn't The man who 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:43.440 keeps you safe is he here now. He says it's 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:46.320 time for you to go away. Tell him that I will, 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:48.960 but only when I finish helping you. He says, I 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.400 should make you go away myself. Does he know? Did 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:56.000 he tell you how he did? And what did he say? 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:59.479 He said, I should take your pen and shove it 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:04.520 in your eye into a public a balloon. Isn't he funny? 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:50.839 Dr all right? Lighthouse Chapter one. Your home is a 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:54.039 safe haven. It's more than just a warm bed and 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:59.880 a comfy couch. It's love, it's security, it's connection. It's 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.880 familiar place to retreat to when things get too rough, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.120 for when you're feeling lonely. It's a place you go 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:08.400 to be with those closest to you, where they can 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.680 wrap you in a blanket of their love. Home isn't 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:15.080 a place as much as it is a feeling homes 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:21.239 where this story begins. I do not have a home. Instead, 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.480 I only have pain, heartbreak, and a piece of myself 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:27.800 missing that I can never get back. There's a darkness 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:31.159 that dwells in the center of the world, that seeps 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:33.839 its way up through the ground and forces itself into 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.520 our lives. It hides in any place that can crawl into, 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:43.120 hiding away as it grows and thrives, surrounding itself in gloom. 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.800 This darkness isn't the kind that comes from the absence 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:50.680 of light. It's the kind where malevolent forces flourish. It's 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:53.760 the kind that make up the nightmares that keep you 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.159 awake as a child, clutching your blanket as you cry 0:06:57.360 --> 0:07:01.480 for your parents. It's the kind that infects everything it touches. 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:07.120 It's vile, icy fingers tightening around your throat, stifling your screams. 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:12.560 It's the kind you cannot escape, no matter how hard 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:17.240 you try. The unlucky few that discover the darkness hiding 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:22.640 place get caught in its everlasting grip. It works its 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:26.960 way into their soul, slowly corrupting them from the inside out, 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:31.360 until it ultimately consumes them, leaving nothing but an empty, 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:35.960 hollow shell in its wake. Lighthouse is one of those 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.880 hiding places. It's a place where good people are forced 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:43.720 to do bad things, and we're bad people do even worse. 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:51.640 Lighthouse is my home. For years, I've hidden myself away 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.920 from the outside world, afraid of allowing the darkness that 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:59.280 dwells here and inside me to escape. Despite my best efforts. 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.000 I've become the very thing I swore not to hermited 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:05.800 away from everything and everyone I ever loved, or at 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:09.400 the very least the ones I had not yet managed 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:14.520 to destroy. This house, my family, and even myself have 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:18.360 become the subject of rumor. There are whispered secrets and 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.680 gossip running wild in the town, with each repeating of 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:26.920 the story compounded by another embellishment, another exaggeration, another lie. 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.240 I admit, yes, some of what has been said is 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:34.000 the truth. But it's the story of me, the story 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:40.520 of why, the story of Lighthouse. My name is Tara 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:46.679 Marie Hollis. I was born in Hayworth, New Jersey. My sister, 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:50.080 Eileen or Leni for short, was born four years later. 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:53.880 I don't remember much about my early years, just what 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.640 was told to me. Life was difficult for us. My 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.280 father was a salesman who worked hard to provide for 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:02.920 his family. While he wasn't the best at his job, 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.640 he did the best he could. It was rough, particularly 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:10.080 because through a series of failed investment opportunities and jobs 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:13.440 that didn't quite work out, our family was constantly on 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:16.360 the move, traveling from place to place. While my parents 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:19.440 tried to make ends meet. The other part was my fault. 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.880 Before my sister was born, I was ill for most 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:25.920 of my childhood. I don't remember much about it, but 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:29.559 what I do remember was painful. A series of tests, 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.520 long stretches in and out of the hospital, and lots 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:37.720 of doctors, not just medical ones, but plenty of psychiatrists 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.920 and psychologists too. I was too young to understand it 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:42.959 at the time, but they were concerned that something was 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:46.320 wrong with my brain. It was too complicated for me 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.280 to understand, but it boiled down to the fact that 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:54.240 I saw things. There was some brief talk of being hereditary, 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.160 coming from my father's side. There was also talk of 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.480 a tumor pressing up against my brain causing them function. 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:04.120 There were even long stretches of me not remembering anything 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.679 at all, a sort of blackout. However, I do know 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:10.320 by the time I was six, all seemed to be 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:13.880 better because I no longer saw the doctors or the psychiatrists, 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:17.240 or even the inside of a hospital again. These medical 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:21.760 issues they strained my parents finances. We didn't have much, 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:25.240 but we had each other and that's what mattered. The 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.120 memories I do have of my early years are happy ones. 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.680 My sister and I kept each other occupied while my 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:33.479 parents did what they could to make sure we were surviving. 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:36.440 They didn't have any family that they could ask for help, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.400 as my mother's side disowned her for marrying my father, 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:43.160 and my father's family was mostly deceased. His only living 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:47.280 relative was his grandmother, an eccentric, elderly recluse that he 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:51.120 rarely spoke of and that I'd never met. I wasn't 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.320 aware of it at the time, but things started to 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.200 get dire for our family. Money was stretched thin and 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.920 my parents had too many outstanding debts to keep us 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:02.200 all afloat. We weren't quite at rock bottom yet, but 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:05.760 we were mere inches away from it. However, just before 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:10.800 all was lost, something serendipitous happened. My father's grandmother passed away. 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:13.840 Not that her passing was something to celebrate, but it 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.719 was a blessing in disguise. Not only did she leave 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:19.440 a sizeable amount of money to my father, she also 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:24.400 left him their ancestral family home. I was eleven years 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:28.200 old when I first laid my eyes on Lighthouse. My 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:31.640 parents had argued for weeks leading up to it, as 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.000 the decision to move there wasn't an easy one to make. 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.760 My father was vehemently against it, and an argument about 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.520 it was the first time I truly remember him losing 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:43.640 his temper. He wanted nothing to do with the house, 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:46.200 offering to sell it to the bank at an incredibly 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:48.040 low price just to get rid of it and use 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:49.960 the rest of the inheritance to buy us a more 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:53.360 modest home elsewhere. My mother wanted him to be more 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.520 sensible about it. Why waste money on a new home 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.920 when there was a perfectly good one waiting for us 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.760 that we could use. My father thought about it for 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:04.840 a long time, rubbing an old scar he had on 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:08.520 his right palm. Eventually he yielded to her and we 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:12.000 began the journey to our new home. It was a 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:15.800 warm winter day in nineteen sixty three when we finally arrived. 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:19.840 As our car pulled through the massive entry gates, I 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:24.320 caught my first glimpse of Lighthouse. My mind couldn't fully 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:26.680 comprehend it. It It was like something out of a fairy 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:29.920 tale or an old story, even at such a distance. 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.520 It was the biggest house I had ever laid eyes on, 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.560 and my breath caught in my throat as I craned 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:38.440 my neck to see it. All we drove closer, but 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.959 the driveway seemed to stretch on forever, giving the house 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:44.840 a sense of isolation. The front of the house was 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.679 mostly barren from years of neglect, with a sea of 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:50.520 dead grass surrounding it. The only other thing visible from 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.400 the front was an ancient red oak tree, as if 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.240 it was standing guard over the house. The house itself 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.319 had three stories that loomed over the grounds, with its 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:03.360 unique Torrean style being nothing like I'd ever seen before. 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:06.520 It seemed more like a castle than a house, with 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.520 a tower that reached for the sky on the left 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.679 side of the house, with steep gabled roofs surrounding it. 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.520 My eyes were pulled up further as the complex roofline 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:20.840 seemed more for visual effect than practical design. The windows 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.280 all seemed to be their own distinct shape and size 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.160 as you went up. The first floors were larger, with 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:29.480 bay windows and a large hilarium making up most of them. 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.840 The second floor had more eyebrow windows with curve shapes 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.920 about the traditional windows, while the third floor got a 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.560 bit smaller. I could see a hint of stained glass 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:40.880 on the right side and was thrilled to finally see 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:44.800 something so wonderfully beautiful in person. Directly over the entry, though, 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.880 were two large windows that gave the impression that the 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.160 house was looking back at me. Below those windows was 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:53.880 a set of stairs which led up to the front door, 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.120 which itself was an ornate affair made of solid wood. 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:59.800 It surrounded a stained glass fixture with the letter L 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:03.080 at its center, giving it a more regal appearance. The 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:05.800 wraparound porch stretched to both ends of the house and 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:08.400 around the back as well. Beyond the house was the 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:12.199 Atlantic Ocean, miles and miles of it, spreading out as 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:14.920 far as the eye could see. Lighthouse was so named 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:18.200 because it sat on Lighthouse Point. The entire grounds was 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:21.840 located on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Years before 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:24.200 the house was built, the sole occupant of the bluff 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.560 was an actual lighthouse built in the eighteen hundreds. It 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:29.880 was a beacon of hope for ships on those dark 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.920 New Jersey nights long before my father was born. His 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:36.800 family served as its keeper for years, diligently keeping watch 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.080 to make sure those out at sea did not meet 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:41.920 the same fate as their predecessors. Though it was still 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:45.760 standing not too far from our house itself, the lighthouse 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:50.000 set unused. Years of neglect reduced it to an unsafe, 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:54.320 crumbling mess. Lighthouse was originally a more modest home, merely 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.280 a dwelling for a lighthousekeeper and his family to live. 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.480 But over the years, when my great great and father 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:04.240 had an investment payoff handsomely, the modest home was torn 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:08.360 down and lighthouse was built, a grand structure for a 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:13.080 proud man, and now it was ours. Before we came here, though, 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.920 my father made it very clear to us that while 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:18.520 we were welcome to roam free and explore the grounds 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:22.160 as we pleased, the lighthouse itself was strictly off limits. 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:28.120 But that didn't matter, because the house lighthouse view it 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.240 was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. As we 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:34.280 drove down the driveway getting closer, I remember feeling the 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:36.720 pit in the bottom of my stomach began to rise, 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:39.920 my head began to swim as a slight wave of 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:43.000 nausea overtook me for a few moments. Whether I was 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:46.320 just nervous about the new chapter in our lives or 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.040 it was a subconscious warning as to what awaited us, 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:52.760 I'll never know. However, I wasn't the only one to 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.480 feel uneasy as we pulled in front of the stairs. 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:57.680 My father stopped the car. I got out and went 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:00.440 around to lean eyside to help her. But I noticed 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:03.640 she looked a bit green as well. What's wrong, I 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:07.040 asked her, hoping she was not carsick from her long journey. 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.480 Her eyes were locked upward, as if she was an 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:13.640 intense staring contest with someone or something. There's a man 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.480 in the window up there, she said, a man wearing 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.920 a hat. Don't be silly. The house has been empty 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.400 for months. No one lives here but us. Now it's 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:27.760 not empty. Look she pointed upward, and I looked in 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.160 that direction, toward the window on the third story that 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:34.000 looked like eyes. I couldn't see anything. My sister, whether 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.320 from an overactive imagination or not, was often prone to 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:40.120 seeing things. A few years ago, I taught her a 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.680 trick to try to help with this, to distinguish reality 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:47.000 from otherwise. What did I teach you about when you 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:49.520 see things that might not really be there, I asked her, 0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:52.640 reminding her of a technique a psychiatrist taught me years ago. 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:56.120 To close my eyes and count to five, she said, 0:16:56.880 --> 0:17:00.760 and then I pushed further and then open him again. 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.240 And it will be gone. I smiled at her, Glad 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:09.040 she remembered trying now, I suggested Leny squeeze her eyes 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:15.840 shut and began to count to five, one, two, three, 0:17:17.640 --> 0:17:22.679 four five. A moment after she finished, she opened her 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:27.440 eyes again, looking back toward the window. It didn't work, Tara, look. 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:33.800 I took another look, but this time it was different. 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:36.879 Hiding behind the sheer curtains, I could make out a 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:40.160 shape standing there. At first I thought it was just 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.639 a coat rack or a piece of furniture, but then 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:47.399 I watched as it pulled the curtains back. There was 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:50.879 a man wearing a hat standing at the window, and 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:55.400 with a ghastly smile, he was staring directly at us. 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:08.040 Lighthouse will return after these messages, and now back to lighthouse. 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:18.040 The man stared down at us, a terribly creepy smile 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:21.919 across his lips, and I screamed. My sister, startled by 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:24.720 my screaming, began to do so herself. My parents, so 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:27.440 halfway up the stairs, already dropped everything and ran back 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:30.200 to us. My mother consoled me, wrapping me in a 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:33.760 tight hug. As she held me, my father frantically asked 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:37.800 what was wrong? There's someone in the house, I told him. 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.479 He looked at me bewildered as my sister and I 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.440 pointed toward the window. However, the man wasn't there. Now. 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:47.719 What did he look like? My father asked, my sister explained, 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:51.680 and he went white as a ghost. My mother, concerned 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.480 for everyone's safety, told my father to go inside and check. 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:57.120 He was caught off guard at first and seemed uneasy 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.720 with the idea, but he relented, as he often did 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:03.919 with her, and carefully made his way to the front door. 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.520 Before he went inside, he looked to us nervously, with 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.439 a slight nod of his head, disappeared into the house. 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.479 The minutes that followed were tense, as we saw nor 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.800 heard anything from inside the house. It only took a 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:20.200 minute or two before my mother thought better of sending 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.640 him in there and called out to him to return. Unfortunately, 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:30.040 there was no response. Henry. She called again, Henry, come back, 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:34.760 Still there was nothing. A sense of dread fell over 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:38.119 us all like a blanket. Did we unwittingly send my 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:41.800 father to face off against an intruder? Was he okay? 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:45.520 Why wasn't he? Answering us? She called out one final time, 0:19:46.240 --> 0:19:52.199 Please Henry. We waited. The seconds turned into a minute, 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:58.280 then two. It was unbearable for us. My mother was anxious, 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:02.920 ready to run in herself. And then he appeared at 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.359 the window where we spotted the man in a hat earlier. 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:08.080 My father looked down at us. He under the latch, 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:11.280 opened the window and called down to us. All clear, 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:15.399 he said, with only a slight hint of unease in 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:19.639 his voice. Moments later he rejoined us outside. As it 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:23.239 turns out, my first instinct was correct. There was a 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:26.640 coat rack near the window, a trick of the light. 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:31.400 He told us, your mind fooled you. Despite his saying that, 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:35.440 I couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling building within me. However, 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:39.240 he was quiet on the matter after that, instead asking 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:41.680 for my help and bringing the bags in. I did 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:44.919 as I was told. But my sister, however, sat outside, 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:48.720 her gaze never wavering from the window. Lifting one of 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:50.800 my bags, I made my way up the steps toward 0:20:50.880 --> 0:20:53.919 the house, my sense of foreboding slowly dissipating by the 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:56.919 sheer size of what lay before me, only seeing it 0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:59.720 from the distance earlier. The front door was more decorative 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:03.040 than I originally thought. The letter l in the center 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.439 of the stained glass obviously stood for light, but it 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:11.440 also contained smaller imagery lighthouses standing on guard on both 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:15.160 sides of the letter itself, a black cloud escaping from 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:18.000 what looked to be a well, a sea of blue 0:21:18.119 --> 0:21:21.200 along the bottom, with a full moon lording over it all. 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:24.760 I pushed the door open further and took my first 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:28.879 steps in. The inside of lighthouse was just as impressive 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:33.160 as out, albeit a bit dustier. The vestibule made way 0:21:33.200 --> 0:21:35.919 into the main hall, with a grand staircase being the 0:21:35.960 --> 0:21:38.959 focal point of the room. It stretched upward to the 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:42.240 second floor before branching off towards the third. Above my head, 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:45.720 Leany came up behind me, silent in her approach, and 0:21:45.880 --> 0:21:49.880 startled me out of my awestruck daydream. Is all this hours? 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:54.520 She asked me. I looked at her and smiled, It 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:57.560 is now. She grabbed my hand and took off down 0:21:57.600 --> 0:22:00.119 the hall, the need to discover the house and all 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:03.760 its glory overtaking her fear from a few short minutes ago. 0:22:04.200 --> 0:22:07.159 I dropped my bags somewhere during our expedition as the 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:13.840 ground floor opened before us, two young girls exploring uncharted territory. 0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:16.959 Since the first floor was meant as a living space 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:20.720 of the home. It had more wide open spaces than most. 0:22:21.440 --> 0:22:24.320 A formal dining room was next to the kitchen, while 0:22:24.400 --> 0:22:28.320 a parlor was just beyond that. It's high vaulted ceilings 0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:32.600 and tasseled draperies giving it a sense of grandeur. The 0:22:32.680 --> 0:22:36.600 silarium gave way to the side yard, its glass windows 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:39.640 allowing the sun to shine in brightly on the various 0:22:39.680 --> 0:22:42.679 plant life, with seating areas all around to enjoy the 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:45.520 ocean view it afforded. On the other end of the 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:50.159 house was the library, It's two sprawling floors of dark wood, 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:53.800 allowing for a vast selection of books, complete with an 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:58.080 ornate fireplace to cozy up next to. A metal spiral 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:01.560 staircase in the center allowed for easy access to all. 0:23:02.119 --> 0:23:04.240 It was a place I imagined I would spend a 0:23:04.280 --> 0:23:07.160 lot of time in. I took a moment to take 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.639 it all in, the musty smell of old books, the 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:16.440 vast collection of them before me, and also a melody 0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:21.560 wafting in from somewhere beyond. And my parents decided to 0:23:21.560 --> 0:23:24.240 play a record elsewhere in the house. We had only 0:23:24.280 --> 0:23:26.520 just arrived, and I was sure that even if they 0:23:26.560 --> 0:23:29.920 had come across a record player. Unpacking would be their 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:34.240 first order of business. I strained my ears trying to 0:23:34.280 --> 0:23:37.400 place the song, or even just its point of origin. 0:23:38.000 --> 0:23:41.240 It felt like it was coming from everywhere at once, 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:44.920 while also nowhere at all. It had a haunting quality 0:23:44.960 --> 0:23:47.919 about it, and I could feel myself getting lost in 0:23:47.960 --> 0:23:52.040 its music. Seeing my state of distraction, Lenie sees the 0:23:52.080 --> 0:23:55.240 opportunity for a game. Catch me if you can, she 0:23:55.359 --> 0:23:57.960 yelled as she wasted no time in running up the 0:23:57.960 --> 0:24:01.600 spiral staircase, excited, running from shelf to shelf for a 0:24:01.640 --> 0:24:04.840 quick glance at all the dusty volumes that sat untouched 0:24:04.840 --> 0:24:07.760 for years. It wasn't long before she threw open a 0:24:07.840 --> 0:24:09.720 door and ran off to explore the rest of the 0:24:09.760 --> 0:24:12.919 second story. By the time I reached the door she 0:24:13.040 --> 0:24:17.280 disappeared behind, she was long out of sight. I found 0:24:17.320 --> 0:24:21.920 myself staring down a long hallway. The walls here were 0:24:21.960 --> 0:24:25.960 decorated with dark wood panels with detailed interior trim that 0:24:26.080 --> 0:24:29.320 went from the floor till about halfway up, where old 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:33.359 and curling wallpaper took over before reaching the ceiling. The 0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:37.600 hallway itself seemed impossibly long, with a multitude of doors 0:24:37.640 --> 0:24:40.680 on either side until splitting off in both directions at 0:24:40.680 --> 0:24:44.600 the end. For a moment, it almost seemed to sense 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:48.840 my disorientation and stretched itself even further. However, a quick 0:24:48.840 --> 0:24:51.879 shake of my head with close eyes jostled that vision away, 0:24:52.160 --> 0:24:55.000 and I began to search for my sister. While I 0:24:55.080 --> 0:24:57.680 did not find her, what I did find were more 0:24:57.800 --> 0:25:01.560 rooms that I could grasp. Multiple rooms, some even with 0:25:01.680 --> 0:25:05.760 balconies overlooking the grounds, were among my discoveries. I also 0:25:05.800 --> 0:25:08.879 found double doors leading to common rooms and plenty of 0:25:09.000 --> 0:25:11.919 hidden nooks for someone to hide away in. I was 0:25:11.960 --> 0:25:15.359 overwhelmed by the house is almost rambling complexity, and felt 0:25:15.480 --> 0:25:17.960 more as if in the Minotaurs maze than my new 0:25:18.000 --> 0:25:22.000 family home. Most rooms were already furnished, with furniture still 0:25:22.000 --> 0:25:24.800 covered in thin white sheets from days long before us 0:25:24.840 --> 0:25:28.840 occupying the rooms. When I did finally discover Leni's hiding place, 0:25:29.200 --> 0:25:31.560 it was amongst a horride of dolls in one of 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:34.920 the bedrooms, her face barely sticking out from behind them 0:25:34.920 --> 0:25:37.240 as she pretended to be one of them. It played 0:25:37.240 --> 0:25:40.359