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Speaker 1: Lighthouse is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions.

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Speaker 1: The light from the beacon is blinding tonight. It's been

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Speaker 1: glowing for hours, steadily getting brighter, and I know that

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Speaker 1: means my time is finally come. The darkness means to

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Speaker 1: finish this. For most of my life, I've been plagued

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Speaker 1: by the darkness that lives here. It could be argued

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Speaker 1: that I was a victim of circumstance, doomed to face

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Speaker 1: the horrors within because of my family's history with the house,

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Speaker 1: born and built of their money, their sweat, their blood.

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Speaker 1: Has sometimes occurred to me that perhaps the house had

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Speaker 1: trapped the holliest family in a cycle, one that allowed

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Speaker 1: them moments of hope of getting away until they were

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Speaker 1: forced back into its grasp, so it could continue to

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Speaker 1: feed on their suffering until it stripped them defenseless before

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Speaker 1: ending them. Certainly felt that way for us, But truth

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Speaker 1: be told, I felt that it didn't care who it

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Speaker 1: fed on, just as long as it continued to feed,

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Speaker 1: sustaining itself over and over again, presumably until the end

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Speaker 1: of time. Did a toy with us to make its

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Speaker 1: meal taste better? Did it enjoy our suffering? Or was

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Speaker 1: it more mindless than that, just eating away until it

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Speaker 1: was ready to burst, lying and wait until it's hunger

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Speaker 1: reared its ugly head again at the end of the day.

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Speaker 1: Whatever its reasons, it didn't matter. It just needed to stop.

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Speaker 1: It tortured me while I lived here, and then followed

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Speaker 1: me beyond. No matter what I did or how far

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Speaker 1: away I ran, it always managed to catch up to me.

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Speaker 1: Over the years, it managed to take everything from me,

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Speaker 1: my father, my mother, my sister, and now my own family.

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Speaker 1: But I've had enough. I'm going to finish what my

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Speaker 1: sister started and do what no one else has managed

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Speaker 1: to do. And all the houses long storied past, It's

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Speaker 1: time to fight back. It's time for this to end.

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Speaker 1: It's time for Lighthouse to die. Lighthouse, Chapter ten. When

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Speaker 1: my mother died and I left the house to rot,

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Speaker 1: everything went according to plan for a long time. I

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Speaker 1: went home, I hugged my husband and my son, and

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Speaker 1: life went on. As much as I wanted to, I

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Speaker 1: couldn't bring myself to listen to Lini's goodbye. Hearing her

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Speaker 1: suicide note in her own words felt like too much,

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Speaker 1: And with the house locked up and abandoned, I didn't

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Speaker 1: think I needed to, so the canister containing her final manifesto,

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Speaker 1: along with the box of things she left me, like

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Speaker 1: her teddy bear, sat in my closet unheard. If I

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Speaker 1: had been braver listened to it, sooner, one of what

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Speaker 1: happened after would have come to pass. I was too stubborn,

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Speaker 1: too afraid to listen. Instead, much like the house, I

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Speaker 1: let it sit and rock until I lost My son.

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Speaker 1: Kevin had grown up and made us proud. He was

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Speaker 1: a wonderful young man and even went off to start

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Speaker 1: a family of his own. His wife, Meredith was lovely,

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Speaker 1: and my grandson Ben was our I'd enjoy. We didn't

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Speaker 1: get to see them much as they moved to the

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Speaker 1: West Coast, but when we did, my husband Chris and

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Speaker 1: I spoiled Ben and gave him the world. They came

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Speaker 1: to visit us last year, their first visit in a

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Speaker 1: few months. Ben had just turned three, and we went

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Speaker 1: out to dinner for his birthday. The meal was delightful.

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Speaker 1: After we all piled into the car for the drive home,

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Speaker 1: Chris drove and Kevin sat in the front up with him,

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Speaker 1: while myself, Meredith and Ben sat in the back. We laughed,

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Speaker 1: sang songs, together, and we're having a wonderful time until

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Speaker 1: we were wrapped around a telephone pole. It happened too

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Speaker 1: quickly at the time, but looking back later on, I

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Speaker 1: can see every single detail in slow motion. Chris didn't

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Speaker 1: see the man in the intersection until it was too late.

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Speaker 1: He came out of nowhere, and Chris swerved at the

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Speaker 1: last moment, avoiding a collision with the man, but not

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Speaker 1: with the pole. We hit it going far too fast,

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Speaker 1: and my world changed in a second by some small miracle.

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Speaker 1: Ben was bruised and scared, but otherwise all right. Meredith

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Speaker 1: wasn't as lucky. She spent two weeks in the I

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Speaker 1: c U, where it was touch and go for a while.

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Speaker 1: Chris's airbag sustained most of his damage, but his back

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Speaker 1: would never be the same. But Kevin. They found Kevin

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Speaker 1: a few yards from the car. He was thrown through

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Speaker 1: the windshield. No one seemed to question the fact that

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Speaker 1: his seatbelt was on and secure. They just told us

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Speaker 1: that these things happened sometimes. As for the man in

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Speaker 1: the intersection, he was gone. The police thought maybe he

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Speaker 1: got scared and took off, not wanting to stick around

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Speaker 1: for the aftermath of his wrongdoing. He was walking through

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Speaker 1: an intersection illegally after all, but playing it all back

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Speaker 1: in my mind over and over again, I knew the truth.

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Speaker 1: I saw the man in the intersection before we swerved

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Speaker 1: to avoid hitting him. I saw the way he looked

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Speaker 1: right at me and smiled. I saw him tip his

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Speaker 1: hat as he watched us crash. I saw him, and

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Speaker 1: he saw me. The man in the intersection was Alexander

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Speaker 1: blythe a man in the hat. I had not seen

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Speaker 1: him since that night in the lighthouse where I saw

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Speaker 1: a vision of his death all those years ago. I thought,

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Speaker 1: perhaps now that I knew his secret, his death, he

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Speaker 1: would be gone forever. I was wrong. I didn't know

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Speaker 1: why he appeared now after so long. In the intervening

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Speaker 1: years after my mother's death, I finally broke down and

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Speaker 1: told Chris about the house and all I had been through.

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Speaker 1: He didn't know how to take it, but promised to

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Speaker 1: be there for me if I ever needed him. That

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Speaker 1: was a lie, though. Days after the accident, I told

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Speaker 1: Chris who the man in the intersection was, and he

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Speaker 1: thought I was being irrational, mad with grief. He called

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Speaker 1: it feeling guilty over the death of our son and

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Speaker 1: looking for an explanation, and where there was none to

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Speaker 1: be had, my brain just connected the dots. He brought

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Speaker 1: up my past, when I was taken to all those doctors,

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Speaker 1: when I saw things that weren't there. He was sure

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Speaker 1: that was it my mind trying to make sense of

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Speaker 1: a senseless situation. He didn't have to say it out loud,

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Speaker 1: but I know what he was thinking. My husband thought

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Speaker 1: I was crazy, but I knew the truth why the

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Speaker 1: man in the hat had come back. Because no matter

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Speaker 1: how far you run, or how over you think things,

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Speaker 1: maybe Lighthouse will never let you go, not until it

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Speaker 1: gets what it wants. And after all this time, all

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Speaker 1: these years, it still wanted one thing me. The way

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Speaker 1: I saw it, it wasn't going to stop until it

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Speaker 1: got me. I'm sure the darkness could have easily picked

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Speaker 1: me off anywhere in the world if it really wanted to.

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Speaker 1: But that wouldn't do, would it. It needed me home,

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Speaker 1: back at Lighthouse, and it would do everything it could

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Speaker 1: to get me to return, everything including destroying my family.

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Speaker 1: It had already killed the family I was born into,

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Speaker 1: and now it was coming for the one I had made.

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Speaker 1: This car accident, the loss of Kevin. It was a message,

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Speaker 1: and it wouldn't stop until I obeyed. The crash drove

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Speaker 1: me to break down and finally listened to Leni's message.

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Speaker 1: I clutched the Teddy Bear as it played. The recording

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Speaker 1: warped and bent, but I heard her. After all these years,

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Speaker 1: I heard what she had to say. On the night

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Speaker 1: of her death. Learning that she did not kill herself

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Speaker 1: as everyone thought showed me that this was not over,

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Speaker 1: that it would never be over until I stopped it.

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Speaker 1: I left Chris a week to Kevin's funeral. It broke

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Speaker 1: my heart to push him away, but I had no choice.

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Speaker 1: I didn't want to lose him, or Ben or even Meredith.

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Speaker 1: If I had stayed, I would have lost them all.

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Speaker 1: Lighthouse would see to that. I couldn't stand to let

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Speaker 1: anyone else get hurt, so I left. I left a

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Speaker 1: note telling them not to look for me, that this

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Speaker 1: was something I had to deal with on my own.

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Speaker 1: I told Chris. I knew he didn't understand, that he

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Speaker 1: couldn't I didn't expect him to, but this needed to

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Speaker 1: be done, and that one day I hoped to come

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Speaker 1: back to him. I knew that was a lie. There

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Speaker 1: was no coming back, not with what I had planned.

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Speaker 1: It took me two days to make it back to lighthouse.

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Speaker 1: I traveled by buses and taxis, using only cash, not

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Speaker 1: wanting Chris to find out where I had gone. Three

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Speaker 1: times on my journey I came across the man in

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Speaker 1: the hat. He looked sad, but still smiled at me,

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Speaker 1: nodding as if please with my decision to return home.

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Speaker 1: I hated him for that. I hitchhiked on the final

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Speaker 1: leg and had the driver dropped me off a mile

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Speaker 1: away from the house so to not arouse suspicion. I

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Speaker 1: didn't mind walking the rest of the way. It helped

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Speaker 1: clear my head and mentally prepare myself further to be back.

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Speaker 1: The entry gates were locked tight when I arrived, decorated

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Speaker 1: by an old keep out sign that had been placed

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Speaker 1: there under my direction years ago. Despite the sign and

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Speaker 1: the locked entry, I was sure that intrepid explorers of

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Speaker 1: abandoned places had been here over the years. I could

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Speaker 1: see the house as I walked down the driveway. It

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Speaker 1: was the same as it had always been, large and foreboding,

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Speaker 1: but now with more rot and deterioration, it still stood, unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: but it was clearly neglected. It was falling apart, deserted

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Speaker 1: for years. Paint per old windows were broken, and there

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Speaker 1: was even graffiti strewn across one side. It made me

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Speaker 1: happy to see it in such a state. The inside

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Speaker 1: was just as bad as out. Wayward teenagers had obviously

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Speaker 1: been here amongst other transients, partying hard and leaving their mark,

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Speaker 1: and the house was in shambles. Colorful drawings and language

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Speaker 1: decorated the walls, Furniture was broken, and an awful smell

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Speaker 1: permeated from somewhere deep within. I smiled. Despite this one

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Speaker 1: a year history of neglect and abuse that Lighthouse had suffered,

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Speaker 1: I still felt that it wasn't enough. I still wanted

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Speaker 1: it to suffer. My plan originally was to arrive, do

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Speaker 1: what needed to be done, and be finished with it.

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Speaker 1: But now I wanted more. I wanted to extend that

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Speaker 1: pain it went through. I wanted it to feel what

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Speaker 1: I had felt. My plan of all in my head.

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Speaker 1: What if I stayed for a bit, What if I

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Speaker 1: made it think it had finally gotten to me, driven

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Speaker 1: me mad, and I had returned to Lighthouse to live

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Speaker 1: out my final days. What if I let it think

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Speaker 1: it had won, had finally broken me? That way when

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Speaker 1: I struck back, it would not suspect a thing dangerous. Yes, stupid, absolutely,

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Speaker 1: but with what I planned on doing anyway, there was

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Speaker 1: no other option. And when the darkness thought it had

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Speaker 1: me right where it wanted me, I would burn it

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Speaker 1: to the ground. Lighthouse will return. After these messages, and

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Speaker 1: now back to Lighthouse. I have been back at Lighthouse

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Speaker 1: for six months now. I've been living with no power,

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Speaker 1: no water, no means of communication with the outside world.

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Speaker 1: I've got nothing but my own wits and the ghosts

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Speaker 1: to keep me company, and books, plenty of books. Despite

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Speaker 1: the years of neglect to the house, the library was

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Speaker 1: in surprisingly good condition. I spend my days in other worlds,

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Speaker 1: fictional ones, and rediscovered old favorites along with some new classics.

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Speaker 1: I made use of the reading nooks throughout the house,

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Speaker 1: hiding away to immerse myself in the books. If not

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Speaker 1: for being in Lighthouse, it would have been perfect. As expected.

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Speaker 1: Rumors began to spread throughout the town. How could they not,

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Speaker 1: The once long abandoned house was showing signs of life again.

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Speaker 1: Candles were seen to be lit at night, Shadowy figures

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Speaker 1: roam the halls, sightings of an eccentric old woman were reported.

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Speaker 1: The house was already the source of urban legends, but

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Speaker 1: my sporadic appearances only added fuel to that fire. I

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Speaker 1: didn't mind let them talk. Rumors only helped my case,

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Speaker 1: especially after a few enterprising teenagers paid me a visit

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Speaker 1: to see if the stories were drew. A few rattling

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Speaker 1: chains and scary noises later, I became a ghost of

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Speaker 1: sorts myself. I didn't get any more visitors after that,

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Speaker 1: ones that were alive anyway. The ghosts of Lighthouse were

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Speaker 1: always around, keeping an eye on me, and it was

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00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:58,040
Speaker 1: already perfectly clear what they wanted. But like a greedy child,

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00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,360
Speaker 1: they wanted to see me suffer to ripen their meal

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Speaker 1: until the darkness was ready to strike. I played my part.

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00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,960
Speaker 1: When the thing in the tree appeared, its neck straining

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Speaker 1: against the ropes and its eyes bulging from beneath the sack,

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Speaker 1: I screamed. When the servants stalked from room to roam,

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Speaker 1: the rust colored stain forming on his back, I ran

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Speaker 1: from him. When the maid's eyes ran red as she

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Speaker 1: approached me, I covered my own eyes and counted to five.

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Speaker 1: Despite the show I made of it inside, I was

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Speaker 1: no longer afraid of them. What was the point of

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Speaker 1: being afraid. If I had nothing left to lose, if

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Speaker 1: I didn't even fear the end of my own life,

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00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,280
Speaker 1: I could never know that though, where all would be

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Speaker 1: for not. During these six long months, I wandered the house.

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00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,800
Speaker 1: I visited rooms I hadn't seen years. I spent time

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Speaker 1: reacquainting myself with its nooks and crannies, and most of all,

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00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,560
Speaker 1: made mental notes of every square inch of it, including

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Speaker 1: the lighthouse. The sea air did not help its already

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Speaker 1: crumbling state, but that was to be expected, considering how

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Speaker 1: close to the edge of the bluff it was. The walls,

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00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:16,280
Speaker 1: once strong and sturdy, were now falling to pieces. The

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00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,720
Speaker 1: windows along the sides were now joined by large gaping

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00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,440
Speaker 1: holes where the stone had fallen away. It's a wonder

240
00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,480
Speaker 1: it was still standing to begin with, but somehow, perhaps

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00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:31,240
Speaker 1: through sheer stubbornness, it did it's time. When I made

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Speaker 1: the trek to its top, there were no visions of

243
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Speaker 1: the past, no big revelations or hidden recordings, just a

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00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,760
Speaker 1: spectacular view of the Atlantic, marred only by the presence

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Speaker 1: of the house itself. I often found myself in a

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Speaker 1: room I never spent much time, and as a kid

247
00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:56,560
Speaker 1: my father's old study. The once vibrant room was in

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00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:01,560
Speaker 1: shambles these days. However, the fire place still worked just fine,

249
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,320
Speaker 1: and his old easy chair was quite comfortable, so it

250
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,520
Speaker 1: made for the perfect area to sit unbothered for a bit.

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00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,119
Speaker 1: I read there a lot, mostly the fictional tales that

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Speaker 1: stock the library, but I also read up on local

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Speaker 1: history of the area. The library had plenty of books

254
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,160
Speaker 1: of this nature, and I learned quite a bit about

255
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,200
Speaker 1: the town and its surrounding areas, including my family history.

256
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,239
Speaker 1: Tuck deep within the stacks was a handwritten tone by

257
00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:33,960
Speaker 1: a distant relative, one that tracked the Hollest family and

258
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,560
Speaker 1: its fortunes. Reading it, the question that still lingered in

259
00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,399
Speaker 1: my mind was about the construction of the house itself.

260
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Speaker 1: It made sense for the lighthouse to be on the bluff,

261
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,080
Speaker 1: as it was a perfect vantage point for the ocean.

262
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,640
Speaker 1: But as for the house, why why did the Hollest

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00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,520
Speaker 1: family choose here? Why did my family think that this

264
00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,399
Speaker 1: was the perfect location for their stately manner? What attracted

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Speaker 1: them to it? The Hollies family was already rich before

266
00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,040
Speaker 1: lighthouse was built, and they used their vast fortune to

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Speaker 1: buy the land. My great great grandfather James Hollis, while

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00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,399
Speaker 1: a brilliant business man, apparently had a bit of a

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00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:21,000
Speaker 1: mean streak within him. He was a miserable bastard. It

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00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:23,720
Speaker 1: was heavily implied that he was somewhat of a sadist.

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00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,359
Speaker 1: The Hollis family was engrossed with scandal since coming to

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Speaker 1: the area. It seemed. News clippings told of affairs, money launderings,

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00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,040
Speaker 1: and servant girls that had gone missing over the years

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00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:39,639
Speaker 1: while working at lighthouse. While James Hollis was never directly

275
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:45,040
Speaker 1: connected to any of them, the timing was suspicious. My

276
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:49,280
Speaker 1: great great grandfather was no saint, but he clearly did

277
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Speaker 1: not bring the darkness with him. Perhaps it called out

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00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,119
Speaker 1: to him. It sendsed him out in the world and

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00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,800
Speaker 1: beckoned him like a beacon in the night, much like

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Speaker 1: the lighthouse itself. And once he set foot on the land,

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00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:08,159
Speaker 1: the seed was planted, and the darkness would have him.

282
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,280
Speaker 1: It was pure conjecture, of course, but in its own

283
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:17,320
Speaker 1: way made sense. It was while I was engrossed with

284
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,080
Speaker 1: these thoughts one evening that I received a visitor I

285
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 1: did not expect. I was standing in front of the fireplace,

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00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:28,080
Speaker 1: looking into my father's painted eyes, lost in thought, When

287
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,200
Speaker 1: I heard a noise behind me, I assumed I was

288
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,080
Speaker 1: about to come face to face with one of the

289
00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:35,640
Speaker 1: many ghosts of the house I've encountered over the years.

290
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,800
Speaker 1: But when I turned, I found someone else entirely sitting

291
00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:45,080
Speaker 1: in the easy chair. My father. Hello, Terra, he said,

292
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,840
Speaker 1: causing me to scream, my first legitimate scream since returning home.

293
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,760
Speaker 1: Not only had I not seen my father since the

294
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,920
Speaker 1: night he died, but this was also the first time

295
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,560
Speaker 1: one of the ghosts of Lighthouse spoke. It caught me

296
00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,679
Speaker 1: so off guard that I stump mold backward into the fireplace,

297
00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,840
Speaker 1: catching myself only at the last second before I fell. Thankfully,

298
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,679
Speaker 1: he appeared before me, as he had in life and

299
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,360
Speaker 1: not in his final moments. The thought of seeing him

300
00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:14,520
Speaker 1: with a knife plunged into the back of his head

301
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,960
Speaker 1: made me sick to my stomach, and it was not

302
00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,239
Speaker 1: something I could handle. I thought I was prepared for

303
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:22,879
Speaker 1: everything the darkness could throw at me, but the appearance

304
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,400
Speaker 1: of my father was an unexpected wrinkle, one that bent

305
00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:31,720
Speaker 1: my resolve. However, I steeled myself against the mantel, ready

306
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:36,080
Speaker 1: to face it. I've missed you, he said, a drink

307
00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:39,840
Speaker 1: suddenly appearing in his hand. He took a sip, licking

308
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,520
Speaker 1: his ghostly lips before setting it down on the table

309
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:47,040
Speaker 1: next to him. Well what do you want, I asked,

310
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,160
Speaker 1: trying to hide the tremble in my voice. This house,

311
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,200
Speaker 1: it really gets to you. That's why after my sister died,

312
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,920
Speaker 1: I knew I had to leave as soon as I could.

313
00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,840
Speaker 1: But it has ways of bringing us back, doesn't it.

314
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,600
Speaker 1: He smiled, one that was not unlike the man in

315
00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:11,080
Speaker 1: the hat. What do you want? I asked again, more forcefully,

316
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,080
Speaker 1: this time not hiding the anger in my voice. It's

317
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:20,040
Speaker 1: not what I want. It's what it wants, what it

318
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:24,920
Speaker 1: always wanted. He stood from his chair and I fell backwards, startled.

319
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,080
Speaker 1: He stood over me, looking down at his little girl,

320
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,679
Speaker 1: now a grown woman that he had never got to

321
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 1: see grow up. I'm a lost cause, he said, as

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00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:38,399
Speaker 1: he rubbed the scar on his ghostly palm. No hope

323
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:42,359
Speaker 1: from me. It took me long before we even came back.

324
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:48,360
Speaker 1: Please don't, I muttered, as he leaned down, getting closer.

325
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:53,200
Speaker 1: Please just go away. I know what you're trying to do.

326
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,560
Speaker 1: Tera I froze, thinking that my plan was found out,

327
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,760
Speaker 1: my chances for survival over. But then he smiled at me.

328
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:07,160
Speaker 1: This one was kinder, warmer than before. His hand caressed

329
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,800
Speaker 1: my cheek, and though I couldn't feel it, a shiver

330
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:14,920
Speaker 1: ran through me. I won't stop you, he said. You're

331
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,199
Speaker 1: a brave girl, much stronger than I ever was. He stood,

332
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,800
Speaker 1: walking back to his easy chair before he sank down

333
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:26,160
Speaker 1: into it again. Do what I couldn't save your mother

334
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:30,480
Speaker 1: and sister for me, he continued, taking one final drink

335
00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:35,679
Speaker 1: from the glass. I'm sorry, he whispered as he faded away.

336
00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,840
Speaker 1: I cried myself to sleep that night. The Darkness hadn't

337
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,760
Speaker 1: sent my father, but instead he came of his own

338
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,960
Speaker 1: accord and an act of redemption, not for himself but

339
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,200
Speaker 1: for me. After that night, I knew it was all

340
00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,159
Speaker 1: coming to a head. He must have sensed it and

341
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,760
Speaker 1: appeared to give me the final push I needed to

342
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,600
Speaker 1: ready myself. But he wasn't the only one herd at work.

343
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,280
Speaker 1: The Darkness was ever present during these last few days.

344
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,920
Speaker 1: It stalked me from a distance, its form bulging from

345
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 1: the walls, floors, and ceilings as it followed my every move.

346
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,919
Speaker 1: At night, it stood over me, its shimmering blackness, unmoving

347
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,960
Speaker 1: as it savored every moment of my suffering. Its suffering

348
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:34,400
Speaker 1: would be worse. Lighthouse will return after a word from

349
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:52,240
Speaker 1: our sponsors, And now lighthouse continues. So now here I am,

350
00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,480
Speaker 1: after all these years recording my story. Will I think

351
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:03,200
Speaker 1: anyone will ever hear this? No, not likely. I'll perish

352
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,800
Speaker 1: like everything else in the end. I'm surprised this old

353
00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,520
Speaker 1: reel to reel even lasted this long, considering all it's

354
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,320
Speaker 1: been through. But getting it off my chest, hearing it

355
00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,760
Speaker 1: in my own words for the first time, just getting

356
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,080
Speaker 1: it out there in the world makes me feel better,

357
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:25,639
Speaker 1: especially about what I'm about to do. You see, I

358
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,600
Speaker 1: learned something from Leny, especially from her goodbye. She wasn't

359
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,879
Speaker 1: wrong about what needed to be done, but she was

360
00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:35,480
Speaker 1: wrong with how she went about it. It's not just

361
00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:41,879
Speaker 1: the lighthouse that needs to burn, it's everything. In order

362
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,919
Speaker 1: for the fire to cleanse, to burn out the evil

363
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,240
Speaker 1: that lives here, the house needs to go too. Hell,

364
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,760
Speaker 1: the whole damn property needs to be raised. And with

365
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 1: any luck, when it's all gone, we'll be free. Every

366
00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,080
Speaker 1: spirit trapped in that house, every entity walking the grounds,

367
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:06,480
Speaker 1: and every bit of family I lost, all free, like

368
00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,000
Speaker 1: a phoenix rising from the ashes. Hopefully a new story

369
00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 1: can be told here, one filled with good and light

370
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:18,119
Speaker 1: instead of darkness. But in order for that to happen,

371
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,400
Speaker 1: to give it a chance, it all needs to go.

372
00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,400
Speaker 1: That's why I set fire to lighthouse a few minutes ago.

373
00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:30,920
Speaker 1: What did you think I was just going to talk

374
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:35,159
Speaker 1: about it without doing it. I know how the darkness operates,

375
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,040
Speaker 1: and even the slightest hint of my plan it would

376
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:42,000
Speaker 1: have tried to stop me. So I told my story

377
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 1: and let it listen, and before I wrapped it up,

378
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,120
Speaker 1: I snuck into the house and did it. It wasn't easy.

379
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,160
Speaker 1: I've spent the last day or so dousing the house

380
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 1: in gasoline, slowly but deliberately, every single room, wall to

381
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,000
Speaker 1: wall to make sure it would all go. I didn't

382
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,720
Speaker 1: stop there either. The red oak out front, the porch,

383
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:11,000
Speaker 1: everything covered in gasoline. I know it doesn't last long.

384
00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,960
Speaker 1: It would eventually dry out and become useless, but the

385
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,760
Speaker 1: cold winter weather kept it long enough for my plan

386
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 1: to work. And just now, before coming back here, I

387
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,000
Speaker 1: set it a fire right where it started for us,

388
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,199
Speaker 1: to right where I thought it would hurt it the most.

389
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:34,840
Speaker 1: In the dark room here I stand on the balcony

390
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:38,160
Speaker 1: at the top of the lighthouse. Watching my old home burn,

391
00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:44,119
Speaker 1: seeing it engulfed in flames is very emotionally satisfying for me.

392
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,960
Speaker 1: I can tell you that it's almost out of a dream,

393
00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:52,359
Speaker 1: very happy, strange dream. But I know my job isn't done.

394
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,880
Speaker 1: There's still one thing left to burn, left to destroy

395
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,639
Speaker 1: before the darkness gets to me. Below me, those old

396
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 1: wooden boxes that Leoni dragged into the lighthouse are still there,

397
00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:08,520
Speaker 1: but this time covered in gasoline too, So is the

398
00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:12,760
Speaker 1: apartment below. Even the beacon itself, its phantom light is

399
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,680
Speaker 1: shining bright, like a cry for help, as if it

400
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,200
Speaker 1: knows the fate that it's about to befall. The smell

401
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,280
Speaker 1: of smoke coming off the house almost chokes me, but

402
00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:26,679
Speaker 1: I hold on, still, knowing that this last act is

403
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:30,840
Speaker 1: one of redemption. The match I hold in my hand

404
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,119
Speaker 1: is ready to strike, eager to set this structure ablaze,

405
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:38,040
Speaker 1: and its moment is finally here. I can see the

406
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,600
Speaker 1: shadowy thing coming from me now, darting out of the house,

407
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,240
Speaker 1: just like it did for Leni all those years ago.

408
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,680
Speaker 1: Do you hear its whispers? Do they sound pained? It's

409
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,199
Speaker 1: like music to my ears, like that music box we

410
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,240
Speaker 1: loved and then came to hate for what it represented.

411
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,840
Speaker 1: The Shadow isn't alone either. I can see all the

412
00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,520
Speaker 1: others now too, joining it. The servant, the maid, the

413
00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,840
Speaker 1: chattering little boy, the thing in the tree, all of them.

414
00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:09,520
Speaker 1: They're coming for me. And as the Shadow rushes past them,

415
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:13,080
Speaker 1: it consumes them, drawing on their power, adding to its own,

416
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:15,919
Speaker 1: trying to get the strength it's so desperately needs to

417
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,840
Speaker 1: stop me. But this time I'm ready for it, ready

418
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,160
Speaker 1: for all of them, ready to strike back and take

419
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,399
Speaker 1: them down. There's a darkness that dwells in the center

420
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,919
Speaker 1: of the world, that seeks its way up through the

421
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,440
Speaker 1: ground and forces itself into our lives. But now it's

422
00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,880
Speaker 1: time to force it back. I can hear the darkness

423
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 1: below me crashing through the door at the bottom of

424
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,240
Speaker 1: the lighthouse, forcing its way up towards me through the

425
00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:46,160
Speaker 1: crumbling structure. And yet still I wait, holding the match,

426
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,400
Speaker 1: wanting it to see me strike it as I bring

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00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,440
Speaker 1: the world down around it. I turned my back to

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00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 1: the house, looking at the stairwell where I came from,

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00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,880
Speaker 1: and I'm not surprised by what I see. The man

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00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,840
Speaker 1: in the hat is there with me now watch, Only

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00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,280
Speaker 1: this time it's not like before, he's not the ghastly

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00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,720
Speaker 1: apparition that haunted my life. This time, he's only Alexander.

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00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:12,920
Speaker 1: Blythe he nods and his sad smile tells me he's

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00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:16,440
Speaker 1: ready for the end, just like me. I'm ready leaning

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00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,280
Speaker 1: I'm scared in these final moments. I'm more scared than

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00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,920
Speaker 1: I have ever been in my entire life. I close

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00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,800
Speaker 1: my eyes, but instead of wishing it all away, I

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00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:31,000
Speaker 1: wish for it to end once and for all one.

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00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:33,360
Speaker 1: I can hear the whispers now, the voices of a

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00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:36,600
Speaker 1: thousand doomed souls consumed by the darkness. All of them

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00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:40,800
Speaker 1: cry out at once, to their voices ring in my ear,

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00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,480
Speaker 1: louder and louder. As the darkness gets closer, I can

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00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:47,160
Speaker 1: hear its fury as it races towards me up the stairs.

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00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:51,240
Speaker 1: As I light the match against the wall three, I

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00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,760
Speaker 1: can feel something take my hand, as if to reassure

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00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:55,400
Speaker 1: me that it's going to be all right, and I

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00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,719
Speaker 1: pray that it's you, Lany. I hope that it is.

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00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,760
Speaker 1: I refuse to open my eyes to see because I'm

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00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,080
Speaker 1: afraid if I do, I will lose my nerve and

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00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 1: all these will be for not for the darkness is here.

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00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,240
Speaker 1: I can hear its shadowy form snaking up the stairs

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00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,600
Speaker 1: around the beacon, ready to pounce and consume me, to

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00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:16,040
Speaker 1: finally take me as as prize, to devour my soul.

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00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:24,000
Speaker 1: But five it's too late. I already dropped the match

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00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:25,960
Speaker 1: to the puddle of gas at my feet, and my

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00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,760
Speaker 1: world suddenly turns into an explosion of heat and light.

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00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,480
Speaker 1: I can feel the intensity of the fire as strongly

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00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,040
Speaker 1: as I can hear the darkness scream. It burns and

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00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,680
Speaker 1: it hurts, and I can feel myself give way toward

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00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,080
Speaker 1: the darkness, not the one I have feared my entire life,

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00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:48,320
Speaker 1: but one with the warm embrace of death. It wraps

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00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:52,200
Speaker 1: its arms around me and takes me away, far away,

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00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,840
Speaker 1: to finally be rid of the shadow that has chased us.

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00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,600
Speaker 1: With my final moments, I opened my eyes to see

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Speaker 1: the house engulfed in aimes lighthouse burning around me, in

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00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,880
Speaker 1: the darkness itself, raging in the firelight, a smile as

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00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:13,160
Speaker 1: it suffers. There's a darkness that dwells in the center

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00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: of the world, and I killed it. I didn't leany

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Speaker 1: I finished what you started. We're free. Goodbye. M Lighthouse

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00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:01,240
Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions.

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00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:06,280
Speaker 1: Chapter ten featured the voices of Ali Trasher, Alyssa Rose,

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00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:11,240
Speaker 1: and Matthew Tyler. Voice written and directed by Jeff Heimbuck

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00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:16,920
Speaker 1: Audio engineering in original musical score by Corey Celeste, Production

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00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 1: assistance by Alex Gona. Executive produced by Holly Fry. Questions comments,

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00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,480
Speaker 1: you can reach us at the Man in the Hat

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00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,960
Speaker 1: is Watching at gmail dot com. Thank you for listening.

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00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,200
Speaker 1: And in local news, a mysterious fire at a local landmark,

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00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,640
Speaker 1: Miranda Cole has the story. Miranda, thanks Jim. For years,

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00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:00,400
Speaker 1: the abandoned property on Lighthouse Point has intrigued locals, spawning

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Speaker 1: scores of urban legends and ghost stories. Now we can

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00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,920
Speaker 1: add mysterious fire to that list, as one broke out

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00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,200
Speaker 1: over the weekend, a fire that engulfed much of the property,

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00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 1: including the residential building and the lighthouse. It was first

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00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,600
Speaker 1: reported after midnight on Saturday, and as it grew out

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00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:19,880
Speaker 1: of control, local firefighters were aided by their colleagues from

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00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:24,160
Speaker 1: surrounding areas like Brick Point, Pleasant and Melancholy Falls to

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00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,720
Speaker 1: fight it. Thankfully, just before dawn it was contained. Fire

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00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,600
Speaker 1: Chief Gona had this to say, thanks to the valiant

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00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,200
Speaker 1: efforts of my team and our friends from neighboring towns,

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00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:35,440
Speaker 1: we were able to prevent a tragedy and stop the

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00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,920
Speaker 1: fire before it spread beyond Lighthouse Point. Despite the intensity

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00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,520
Speaker 1: and length of the blaze, we were miraculously able to

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00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,840
Speaker 1: save both buildings with minimal structural damage to both. We've

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00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,720
Speaker 1: all heard the rumors of someone living on the property

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00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:48,160
Speaker 1: of the past few months, and we did take that

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00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,840
Speaker 1: into consideration. While the cause of the fire is still

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00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,680
Speaker 1: under investigation, authorities did make a thorough sweep of the

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00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,720
Speaker 1: property after it was contained, and thankfully no casualties were reported.

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Speaker 1: I'm not taking any questions at this time. The land

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00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,520
Speaker 1: is owned by Tara Hollis, but will soon pass into

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00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 1: township domain due to zoning laws. Since she has been

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00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:10,040
Speaker 1: reported missing over six months ago. Town officials have already

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00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,200
Speaker 1: started discussions about whether to just condemn the area or

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00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,399
Speaker 1: repair both structures and open the property as a public park.

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Speaker 1: More as it develops, but for now, I'm mirandical and

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Speaker 1: this is Action six News