WEBVTT - Season 6 Episode 13: A Place of Forgetting

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<v Speaker 1>In eighteen ninety eight, a story was published in London's

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<v Speaker 1>Belgravia magazine titled A House of Horrors. Written by author

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<v Speaker 1>Andrew Merry. It told the tale of one Captain Kenneth

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<v Speaker 1>Gordon and his terrifying stay at Kilman Castle in Ireland,

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<v Speaker 1>the home of his cousin Betty O'Connell and her husband Morris.

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<v Speaker 1>The story was later expanded on and republished in The

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<v Speaker 1>Occult Review in December nineteen o eight, after which it

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<v Speaker 1>was discovered that author Andrew Merry was in fact a

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<v Speaker 1>woman called Mildred Derby, who herself lived in a castle

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<v Speaker 1>in Ireland, not Kilman Castle but let Castle in County Offy.

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<v Speaker 1>Derby had been forced to use a pseudonym partly because

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<v Speaker 1>being thought of as a man was considered by publishers

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<v Speaker 1>to be more appealing to readers, but also because her

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<v Speaker 1>husband was embarrassed by her ghostly writings, worried that people

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<v Speaker 1>might start thinking his home was truly haunted. Mildred, who

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<v Speaker 1>many believed was the real Betty O'Connell as depicted in

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<v Speaker 1>her story, later claimed that not only was Lep Castle wanted,

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<v Speaker 1>but that it was quite possibly the most haunted castle

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<v Speaker 1>in all of Ireland, and everything she depicted in her

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<v Speaker 1>story about it was completely true. You're listening to Unexplained,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm Richard McClain Smith. It was early in November

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen ninety seven, and the captain, recently returned to England

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<v Speaker 1>from India, had traveled to Ireland to spend the weekend

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<v Speaker 1>with his cousin, Mildred Derby and her husband Jonathan. The

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<v Speaker 1>temperature had dropped considerably since he'd boarded in Dublin, causing

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<v Speaker 1>his breath to billow out in large clouds. He watched

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<v Speaker 1>it for a moment as it danced and swirled in

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<v Speaker 1>the air before dissipating under the soft orange light of

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<v Speaker 1>the station's single gas lamp. He took receipt of the

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<v Speaker 1>last of his bags from the attendant, then stood back

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<v Speaker 1>as the man slammed the carriage door shut and with

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<v Speaker 1>a quick, sharp blow of his whistle, signaled for the

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<v Speaker 1>driver to leave. The whistles piercing shrill hung in the

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<v Speaker 1>air as the wheels began to creak and roll, while

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<v Speaker 1>thick plumes of gray smoke trailed up into the sky

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<v Speaker 1>and the train hissed and chugged out at the station

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<v Speaker 1>left alone in the ensuing silence, The captain looked about

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<v Speaker 1>hopefully for any sign of greeting party, but saw only

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<v Speaker 1>a few stone buildings dotted about in the fading light.

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<v Speaker 1>While surrounding him on all sides, endless rolling fields stretched

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<v Speaker 1>out to each horizon, their hedgerows and trees steadily turning

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<v Speaker 1>darker under the purple and violet sky. About a mile away,

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<v Speaker 1>a copse perched on a hilltop was gradually being consumed

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<v Speaker 1>by a thick fog rolling in from the east, while

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere in the distance a fox screeched. A short, pale

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<v Speaker 1>faced man dressed in black and wearing a gray woolen

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<v Speaker 1>cap appeared suddenly on the platform and promptly set about

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<v Speaker 1>gathering the captain's bags. It was the Darby's porter who'd

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<v Speaker 1>been sent out to collect him. After grabbing the last

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<v Speaker 1>of the captain's things, the porter led him out of

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<v Speaker 1>the station to where a horse and a carriage was waiting.

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<v Speaker 1>The captain took his seat in the back while the

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<v Speaker 1>porter stowed away the bags, then jumped up into the

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<v Speaker 1>driver's seat. Then, as the distant fog drew ever closer,

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<v Speaker 1>the porter gave a flick of the reins, and the

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<v Speaker 1>carriage slowly moved off. It was almost dark by the

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<v Speaker 1>time they arrived at the castle entrance, though still light

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<v Speaker 1>enough to discern its grandstone archway and battlement topped walls,

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<v Speaker 1>and the endless tendrils of ivy that clung greedily to

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<v Speaker 1>its surface. Beyond that, however, with the fog having by

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<v Speaker 1>then completely settled in around them, little else could be

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<v Speaker 1>seen until a few minutes later, further up the drive,

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<v Speaker 1>the captain caught sight of two faint, ghostly yellow lights

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<v Speaker 1>materializing from out of the mist, like the eyes of

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<v Speaker 1>some vast vespertin creature, and then the castle's looming silhouette

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<v Speaker 1>began to take shape around them, like something out of

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<v Speaker 1>a dark fairy tale. It was comprised of a central

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<v Speaker 1>rectangular keep, complete with arrow slits and more battlements that

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<v Speaker 1>extended three stories high. Two grand wings to its north

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<v Speaker 1>and south had been built onto it in a slightly

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<v Speaker 1>more Gothic style, while a further building known as the

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<v Speaker 1>Priest's House was also connected to its northern side. No

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<v Speaker 1>sooner had the carriage stopped, the castle's heavy oak doors

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<v Speaker 1>were flung open to reveal the captain's cousin Mildred, or

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<v Speaker 1>Milly as she was known to her friends, surrounded by

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<v Speaker 1>numerous dogs that spilled out onto the driveway and pattered

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<v Speaker 1>eagerly about her feet. The thirty year old Milly, still

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<v Speaker 1>as slight and willowy as the captain remembered her through

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<v Speaker 1>her arms open wide, and bade him aloud welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>her home. Ever since she and her husband Jonathan, first

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<v Speaker 1>moved there ten years before, she'd been trying to convince

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<v Speaker 1>her cousin to visit, and was plainly overjoyed that he'd

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<v Speaker 1>finally made it. After some brief pleasantries, Mildred led the

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<v Speaker 1>captain into the high ceilinged entrance hall. He took a

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<v Speaker 1>moment to take it all in. Regal black and white

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<v Speaker 1>tiles lined the floor, while either side of them, on

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<v Speaker 1>the walls, an endless stretch of portraits had been hung

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<v Speaker 1>depicting members of the Derby family, stretching all the way

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<v Speaker 1>back to the sixteenth century. It was then that Milly's husband,

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<v Speaker 1>Jonathan's ancestor, John Derby of Leicester, an ardent participant of

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<v Speaker 1>the English colonialization of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I, was

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<v Speaker 1>first linked with the castle, having once been the home

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<v Speaker 1>of the Irish O'Carroll clan. It was captured and recaptured

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<v Speaker 1>a number of times over the next hundred odd years.

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<v Speaker 1>In sixteen forty one, as the English Crown attempted to

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<v Speaker 1>strengthen its grip on the island, an army led by

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<v Speaker 1>a young Oliver Cromwell captured Lep Castle again for the English.

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<v Speaker 1>The building and its land was then taken from its

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<v Speaker 1>Irish owners and handed to the Derby family for their

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<v Speaker 1>services to Queen Elizabeth under the newly established laws of

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<v Speaker 1>the Invading Power. It had remained the Derby's property ever since,

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<v Speaker 1>and in the late eighteen eighties, by virtue of nothing

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<v Speaker 1>other than the fortune of birth and family lineage, it

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<v Speaker 1>passed into the possession of Milly's husband. Having retired to

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<v Speaker 1>the main hall to drink coffees and whiskey, the captain

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<v Speaker 1>regaled Milly and Jonathan with stories of as many escapades

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<v Speaker 1>in exotic, far off lands. As the house staff silently

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<v Speaker 1>tended to the fire and topped up their glasses. It

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<v Speaker 1>had just gone eleven thirty when a strange, mournful cry

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<v Speaker 1>was heard. It came from the couple's sizable dear hound

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<v Speaker 1>that was sleeping in the corridor. As Jonathan explained wearily,

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<v Speaker 1>it happened the same time every night for some unknown reason,

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<v Speaker 1>before turning to his wife and baiting her playfully about

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<v Speaker 1>how she was convinced that ghosts were to blame. The

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<v Speaker 1>Captain couldn't help but laugh at the ludicrous suggestion, but

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<v Speaker 1>Milly was undeterred. That had been all manner of strange

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<v Speaker 1>occurrences since they'd moved in, she insisted, from the unusual

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<v Speaker 1>cries heard coming from vacant rooms at night to the

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<v Speaker 1>constant sound of footsteps padding along the empty corridors. She

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<v Speaker 1>didn't mind it, though, she said. As Jonathan rolled his eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>it was all nonsense, he said, clearly the house staff

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<v Speaker 1>had been playing tricks on her. Later, with Millie already

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<v Speaker 1>retired to bed, the Captain shared a final nightcap with Jonathan.

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<v Speaker 1>Then together they made their way up the wide oak staircase,

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<v Speaker 1>with Jonathan leading the way, oil lamp in hand as

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<v Speaker 1>he pushed back the shadows. Moving through into a wide gallery,

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<v Speaker 1>they continued on to a door at the bottom of it,

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<v Speaker 1>behind which was a short, narrow corridor that led directly

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<v Speaker 1>to the Captain's room. Jonathan wished his guest a pleasant night,

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<v Speaker 1>then retreated to his own quarters at the far end

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<v Speaker 1>of the castle. The room was oddly elongated, but homely enough,

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<v Speaker 1>complete with the double bed and a small dressing table

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<v Speaker 1>on which a wash basin full of recently heated water

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<v Speaker 1>had been placed, and at the far end a lit

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<v Speaker 1>fire was busily heating the room. After washing his face,

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<v Speaker 1>the captain changed quickly into his nightclothes. Then, after lighting

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<v Speaker 1>a candle, he blew out the room single oil lamp

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<v Speaker 1>and laid the candle on his bedside table. Looking at

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<v Speaker 1>the door and the key in its lock, he thought

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<v Speaker 1>back on what Jonathan said about the staff playing tricks

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<v Speaker 1>on Mildred, and decided it best he locked the door

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<v Speaker 1>lest they be tempted to try anything on him. Then

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<v Speaker 1>he hopped into bed and blew out the candle. No

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<v Speaker 1>sooner had his head hit the pillow, however, he became

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<v Speaker 1>aware of a wet, gurgling sound. It was coming from

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<v Speaker 1>under the bed. Hello, he said, suddenly, feeling a little

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<v Speaker 1>exposed in the pitch black of the night, the captain

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<v Speaker 1>hurriedly lit the candle and jumped out of the bed.

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<v Speaker 1>Stepping nimbly to the fireplace, He grabbed a poker and

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<v Speaker 1>swished it about in the space underneath the mattress. It

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<v Speaker 1>connected with something lumpen and soft. It emitted a short

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<v Speaker 1>yelp before scurrying out from underneath. It was now the

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<v Speaker 1>Darby's white Fox terrier. The captain cursed her as she

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<v Speaker 1>trotted over to the fireplace and curled up in front

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<v Speaker 1>of it. Not having the heart to throw her out,

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<v Speaker 1>the captain returned the poker to its holder, then got

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<v Speaker 1>back into bed and blew out the candle. It was

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<v Speaker 1>some time later that the captain woke with a start

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<v Speaker 1>in the frigid night air, with a seemingly terrified knell

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<v Speaker 1>pouring manically at its chest. Throwing the dog to the floor,

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<v Speaker 1>he scolded her for waking him, then turned wearily on

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<v Speaker 1>to his side and closed his eyes. Seconds later, the

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<v Speaker 1>dog was up at him again, whimpering now and clawing

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<v Speaker 1>at the sheets, desperate to get under them. Her legs

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<v Speaker 1>were trembling. Grabbing the dog again, he threw her heavily

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<v Speaker 1>to the floor, causing her to whimper and scurry off

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<v Speaker 1>under the bed. Feeling suddenly guilty for the harsh treatment,

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<v Speaker 1>the captain called out for nell in the dark to

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<v Speaker 1>come back to him, but the dog wouldn't move. Calling

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<v Speaker 1>out again, he reached his hand down into the gap

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<v Speaker 1>under the bed and held it out in a modest

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<v Speaker 1>show of supplication. Having held it there for the best

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<v Speaker 1>part of a minute to no avail, he was just

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<v Speaker 1>about to draw it back when he felt a cold

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<v Speaker 1>hand slip into it. The captain pulled back in terror

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<v Speaker 1>and stared in disbelief at his hand. Then he heard

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<v Speaker 1>the sound of something slumping to the floor at the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the bed. Hurriedly, lighting the candle once more,

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<v Speaker 1>he jumped from the bed, relieved to find he was

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<v Speaker 1>completely alone in the room. Then he looked down to

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<v Speaker 1>check underneath the bed, only to find his view obscured

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<v Speaker 1>by a sheet now dangling over the side of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Taking a deep breath, he readied himself, then took hold

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<v Speaker 1>of the sheet and with one hand, flung it back

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<v Speaker 1>in one quick motion. There was no one there either,

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<v Speaker 1>believing it must have been a trick of the mind.

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<v Speaker 1>It was only then that he became aware of what

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<v Speaker 1>sounded like a voice, quickly repeating words over and over

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<v Speaker 1>again from somewhere in the middle of the room. The

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<v Speaker 1>dog shot out from under the bed and began clawing

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<v Speaker 1>at the walls, startling him all over again. Then he

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<v Speaker 1>saw the stain on the floor boards at the foot

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<v Speaker 1>of the bed. Convinced it had not been there before,

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<v Speaker 1>he knelt down for a closer look. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>dark burgundy in color and seemed to glisten under the

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<v Speaker 1>candle light, and when he touched it, his finger tips

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<v Speaker 1>came away wet and red. He looked up at the ceiling,

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<v Speaker 1>but saw no sign that anything had leaked through it.

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<v Speaker 1>He then checked the door, both relieved and perturbed to

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<v Speaker 1>find it was still locked, just as before. Confused, he

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<v Speaker 1>washed his hands in the basin. Then, after satisfying himself

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<v Speaker 1>that he was truly alone, he returned once more to

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<v Speaker 1>bed and blew out the candle. What makes a Murderer's

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<v Speaker 1>Mind tick? Killer Psyche is a true crime podcast from

0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:14.280
<v Speaker 1>Wandry that explores these types of questions about the crimes

0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:18.600
<v Speaker 1>that killers and criminals commit. Killer Psyche covers high profile

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<v Speaker 1>cases that shocked the world, and host Candice de Long

0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:26.120
<v Speaker 1>uses her five decades of experience as a clinical psychiatric

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<v Speaker 1>nurse and FBI criminal profiler to dissect the motivations and

0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:34.640
<v Speaker 1>behaviors of the most terrifying felons in history, and you'll

0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:37.400
<v Speaker 1>definitely want to listen to a recent episode of Killer

0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:41.640
<v Speaker 1>Psyche where Candice looks into the mysterious murder of Ted Ammon,

0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:45.480
<v Speaker 1>a wealthy Wall Street financier. Ted had been going through

0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:49.120
<v Speaker 1>a divorce with his wife of thirteen years, Generosa, and

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<v Speaker 1>child custody and millions in assets were at stake. Generosa

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<v Speaker 1>and her new boyfriend Danny Pelosi were the prime suspects,

0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:01.960
<v Speaker 1>but Generosa died of cancer before police could prove her involvement.

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<v Speaker 1>In twenty four Danny was convicted of second degree murder,

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<v Speaker 1>but still maintains his innocence. How does hatred drive a

0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.640
<v Speaker 1>person to murder the father of their children. Listen to

0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.280
<v Speaker 1>Kill a Psyche on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or you

0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:20.560
<v Speaker 1>can listen to one week and free by joining Wandry

0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:30.120
<v Speaker 1>Plus in the Wandry app Oh that, said Milly, after

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<v Speaker 1>the captain inquired about the unusual stain he was certain

0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.800
<v Speaker 1>he'd seen, which come the morning had vanished completely. We

0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:43.240
<v Speaker 1>have no idea where it comes from. However, as she

0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:47.040
<v Speaker 1>went on to explain, some staff had taken to calling

0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:51.320
<v Speaker 1>that bedroom the murder room since one of the macaul brothers,

0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:54.040
<v Speaker 1>who once owned the castle, was said to have been

0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:57.760
<v Speaker 1>stabbed to death in there. Perhaps the events were linked,

0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:02.640
<v Speaker 1>suggested Milly, but the captain, not quite yet willing to

0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:07.080
<v Speaker 1>believe her tales of ghosts, could only smile politely in reply.

0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:12.320
<v Speaker 1>Later that day, Milly gave the captain a tour of

0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:15.959
<v Speaker 1>the house, including a thorough account of all the additions

0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:19.240
<v Speaker 1>they'd made to the original property, not least of all

0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:24.520
<v Speaker 1>the north and south wings. During their construction. Many strange

0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:27.159
<v Speaker 1>things had been pulled out at the mortar of the

0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:32.719
<v Speaker 1>original walls, from human hair to shards of bone, and

0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:38.080
<v Speaker 1>even the odd skull. To finish off, she took him

0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.680
<v Speaker 1>to the highest room of all the castle's old chapel,

0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:45.679
<v Speaker 1>located on the third floor of the keep. It was

0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:49.720
<v Speaker 1>here that they discovered the ubliette, she said, pointing to

0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:54.480
<v Speaker 1>a large pit in the northeastern corner of the room,

0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:58.080
<v Speaker 1>Taken from the French word meaning the place of forgetting.

0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:02.840
<v Speaker 1>In English, a nubliet is a secret dungeon over which

0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.840
<v Speaker 1>hapless victims would be made to stand before they realized

0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:10.200
<v Speaker 1>what they were standing on was in fact a trap door.

0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:14.640
<v Speaker 1>When the door was released, the victim would then plunge

0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:18.480
<v Speaker 1>to their death, either becoming impaled on spikes at the

0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.280
<v Speaker 1>bottom of the pit or simply falling so heavily they

0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:26.080
<v Speaker 1>would be unable to escape and eventually starved to death.

0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:30.720
<v Speaker 1>They knew it had been a newbliette because three cart

0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:34.200
<v Speaker 1>loads of bones had been found crushed into the floor

0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:38.679
<v Speaker 1>of it. As Milly went on to explain, it was

0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.960
<v Speaker 1>in the chapel that another of the McCarroll clan, who

0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:46.320
<v Speaker 1>was a priest, decided to begin mass one afternoon before

0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:50.560
<v Speaker 1>his brother was in attendance. When the brother with whom

0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:53.480
<v Speaker 1>the priest was fighting with the ownership of the castle,

0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:58.080
<v Speaker 1>eventually arrived, he promptly stabbed the priest through the heart

0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:09.400
<v Speaker 1>and left him bleed to death on the altar. Later

0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:13.320
<v Speaker 1>that night, the Darbies and the Captain, having been joined

0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:17.119
<v Speaker 1>by more friends of Mildred's and Jonathan's, gathered together in

0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.960
<v Speaker 1>the main hall for a night of drinks and songs,

0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:24.960
<v Speaker 1>and once again, at eleven thirty pm, they were interrupted

0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:29.320
<v Speaker 1>by the sound of their deerhound wailing. Bale flee outside

0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:33.959
<v Speaker 1>in the corridor, having requested a different room for the evening.

0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:37.840
<v Speaker 1>After retiring to bed for the night, the Captain found

0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:42.600
<v Speaker 1>himself in a room adjacent to the chapel. Not thrilled

0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:45.720
<v Speaker 1>at the prospect of sleeping alone, he brought Nell the

0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:50.440
<v Speaker 1>terrier to join him once again. Having ushered her inside

0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:53.160
<v Speaker 1>and locked the door behind him, he placed a rug

0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:56.639
<v Speaker 1>by the fire and invited Nell to make herself comfortable.

0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:01.000
<v Speaker 1>After taking a seat in an armchair beside her, he

0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:03.960
<v Speaker 1>set about composing a number of letters he'd been meaning

0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:07.920
<v Speaker 1>to write for some time. A good hour had passed

0:20:07.920 --> 0:20:11.639
<v Speaker 1>by with the Captain deep in thought, when he looked

0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:15.000
<v Speaker 1>up to see the fire had almost entirely gone out.

0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:19.800
<v Speaker 1>After throwing another block of peat onto the smoldering ashes,

0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.480
<v Speaker 1>it was only then that he noticed Nell was no

0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:27.920
<v Speaker 1>longer lying on the rug beside him. The Captain looked

0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:30.879
<v Speaker 1>up and whistled for the dog to come back, but

0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:36.240
<v Speaker 1>heard nothing in reply. Getting up to investigate, he quickly

0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:40.040
<v Speaker 1>spotted her wist firmly underneath a desk at the far

0:20:40.240 --> 0:20:43.919
<v Speaker 1>end of the room. Though she resisted at first, he

0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.959
<v Speaker 1>was eventually able to coax her out and brought her

0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:49.879
<v Speaker 1>back to the fire, where she soon settled once again.

0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:55.280
<v Speaker 1>Seconds later, however, she was up on her legs staring

0:20:55.320 --> 0:21:00.760
<v Speaker 1>at the door with her ears pinned right back. Then

0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:05.160
<v Speaker 1>the captain heard it too, like something was scratching at

0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:10.199
<v Speaker 1>the wood from the other side. By now thoroughly convinced

0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:12.680
<v Speaker 1>it was the staff playing tricks on him after all,

0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.240
<v Speaker 1>the captain decided to give them a taste of their

0:21:16.240 --> 0:21:21.159
<v Speaker 1>own medicine. He grabbed his revolver, then marched straight up

0:21:21.200 --> 0:21:25.159
<v Speaker 1>to the door and turned the key. Then, with the

0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:29.080
<v Speaker 1>gun in his hand, he swiftly opened the door, only

0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:34.879
<v Speaker 1>to find nothing but the empty corridor beyond. With the

0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:38.120
<v Speaker 1>light from his room being enough to illuminate the corridor

0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:41.320
<v Speaker 1>or the way to the end, he could see also

0:21:41.440 --> 0:21:46.120
<v Speaker 1>the door there was slightly ajar beyond which only the

0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.680
<v Speaker 1>pitch black darkness of the gallery behind it could be seen.

0:21:51.080 --> 0:21:54.400
<v Speaker 1>With his gun trained on that far door, he stood

0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:57.720
<v Speaker 1>fixed to the spot as he stared into the blackness

0:21:57.760 --> 0:22:03.040
<v Speaker 1>of the gallery, waiting for any sign of movement. After

0:22:03.080 --> 0:22:05.800
<v Speaker 1>a few more minutes of nothing, he took the lit

0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:09.760
<v Speaker 1>candle from his bedside table and stepped out into the corridor.

0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:20.720
<v Speaker 1>I know you're there, said the captain glumly, as he

0:22:20.760 --> 0:22:25.800
<v Speaker 1>continued on his way, taking slow, short steps, being careful

0:22:26.040 --> 0:22:30.200
<v Speaker 1>not to let the flame go out. Finally, he reached

0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:33.800
<v Speaker 1>the door and pushed it wider, holding the candle in

0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:37.240
<v Speaker 1>front of him to light the room behind, but that

0:22:37.320 --> 0:22:42.280
<v Speaker 1>room too was completely empty. Annoyed at having let himself

0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:46.080
<v Speaker 1>get worked up for nothing, the captain turned and hurried

0:22:46.119 --> 0:22:49.959
<v Speaker 1>back to his room, locking the door behind him, before

0:22:50.000 --> 0:22:54.560
<v Speaker 1>returning to his chair by the fire, with now joining him.

0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:57.920
<v Speaker 1>Soon after, he turned his attention back to the letters,

0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:01.280
<v Speaker 1>but just as he was at to start another one,

0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:05.320
<v Speaker 1>the most horrid, thunderous bang was hurt from the other

0:23:05.359 --> 0:23:10.439
<v Speaker 1>side of the door, startling him from his chair. After

0:23:10.480 --> 0:23:13.520
<v Speaker 1>taking a moment to gather himself, he grabbed for the

0:23:13.560 --> 0:23:17.160
<v Speaker 1>revolver once more and demanded to know who on earth

0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:21.240
<v Speaker 1>was bothering him at this hour, but his demand was

0:23:21.320 --> 0:23:26.439
<v Speaker 1>met with only silence. Then the scratching started up again,

0:23:27.640 --> 0:23:32.040
<v Speaker 1>the clear sound of something scraping at the wood, softly

0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:36.720
<v Speaker 1>at first, then growing steadily in intensity, louder and louder,

0:23:37.320 --> 0:23:41.440
<v Speaker 1>until having heard enough, the captain raced to the door,

0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:46.120
<v Speaker 1>turned the key and flung it wide open, but once

0:23:46.160 --> 0:23:52.200
<v Speaker 1>again there was only the empty corridor beyond. The captain

0:23:52.320 --> 0:23:55.240
<v Speaker 1>peered out for a few more seconds, then was just

0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:58.480
<v Speaker 1>about to close the door when he caught the faint

0:23:58.520 --> 0:24:02.359
<v Speaker 1>whiff of something put tried in the air, like warm

0:24:02.480 --> 0:24:06.800
<v Speaker 1>meat that had been left out to rot, And from

0:24:06.840 --> 0:24:10.200
<v Speaker 1>somewhere in the darkness beyond the door to the gallery

0:24:10.720 --> 0:24:16.679
<v Speaker 1>came a strange, leaden shuffling sound. Again, the captain stood

0:24:16.720 --> 0:24:21.439
<v Speaker 1>his ground, waiting expectantly for whoever it was, to show themselves.

0:24:23.000 --> 0:24:27.000
<v Speaker 1>That's it, he said, angrily, too, can play at this game.

0:24:28.200 --> 0:24:32.000
<v Speaker 1>He slammed the door shut, but this time remained standing

0:24:32.040 --> 0:24:35.800
<v Speaker 1>behind it with revolver in hand as he waited for

0:24:35.840 --> 0:24:40.639
<v Speaker 1>the strange noises to begin again. Sure Enough, a short

0:24:40.680 --> 0:24:46.400
<v Speaker 1>time later, the weird shuffling started up again, approaching from

0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:50.399
<v Speaker 1>the far end of the corridor, now began to growl

0:24:50.440 --> 0:24:54.639
<v Speaker 1>by the fire. The captain turned to her, holding a

0:24:54.760 --> 0:24:58.359
<v Speaker 1>finger to his lips, then, with the revolver ready in

0:24:58.440 --> 0:25:02.800
<v Speaker 1>his other hand, back to the door as that eerie sound,

0:25:03.400 --> 0:25:06.439
<v Speaker 1>as though someone were pulling their entire body along the

0:25:06.520 --> 0:25:10.720
<v Speaker 1>floor with only their arms, drew ever nearer to the door.

0:25:11.840 --> 0:25:16.159
<v Speaker 1>Closer and closer it came, until with one final drag,

0:25:16.720 --> 0:25:21.560
<v Speaker 1>whatever it was stopped right outside the door. Then the

0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:26.159
<v Speaker 1>handle began to rattle violently, and the entire door began

0:25:26.200 --> 0:25:31.520
<v Speaker 1>to shake in its frame, enough, said the captain, as

0:25:31.520 --> 0:25:36.199
<v Speaker 1>he flung the door wide open and screamed with unbridled

0:25:36.200 --> 0:25:47.480
<v Speaker 1>horror at the terrible sight of what stood before him.

0:25:47.520 --> 0:25:52.240
<v Speaker 1>As Mildred Darby herself described it, the thing, which was

0:25:52.320 --> 0:25:57.280
<v Speaker 1>no more than three feet tall, was thin, gaunt, and shadowy,

0:25:58.119 --> 0:26:01.960
<v Speaker 1>its face a little more than a vile replica of human,

0:26:02.440 --> 0:26:07.080
<v Speaker 1>with large holes of blackness for eyes, loose slobbery lips,

0:26:07.600 --> 0:26:11.840
<v Speaker 1>and a thick, saliva dripping jaw which sloped back into

0:26:11.840 --> 0:26:15.399
<v Speaker 1>its neck. Where its nose ought to have been was

0:26:15.520 --> 0:26:20.000
<v Speaker 1>nothing but a vast, cancerous cavity that had spread across

0:26:20.040 --> 0:26:24.720
<v Speaker 1>its face, into which seemed to be continually expanding and contracting.

0:26:25.680 --> 0:26:29.920
<v Speaker 1>A coarse dark hair covered its head, neck, and body,

0:26:30.040 --> 0:26:33.560
<v Speaker 1>while at the end of its upper limbs, bony, clawlike

0:26:33.760 --> 0:26:39.359
<v Speaker 1>fingers scratched at the air. The captain stared into the black,

0:26:39.480 --> 0:26:43.679
<v Speaker 1>cavernous eyes as the putrid stench of it flooded his nostrils,

0:26:43.760 --> 0:26:47.360
<v Speaker 1>causing him to wretch and gag, and only then did

0:26:47.400 --> 0:26:51.159
<v Speaker 1>he notice the transparency of its lower half, as if

0:26:51.160 --> 0:26:56.920
<v Speaker 1>it were caught somewhere between emerging and evaporating. In one

0:26:57.080 --> 0:27:01.959
<v Speaker 1>swift movement, the creature leapt forward causing the captain to

0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:06.240
<v Speaker 1>stumble back before he gathered himself and pointed his revolver

0:27:06.320 --> 0:27:11.360
<v Speaker 1>at it, shooting repeatedly to no effect. The last thing

0:27:11.400 --> 0:27:15.640
<v Speaker 1>he remembered was the thing flicking out a limb toward

0:27:15.720 --> 0:27:21.919
<v Speaker 1>his head, and then everything went black. The next morning,

0:27:22.440 --> 0:27:25.639
<v Speaker 1>he awoke as a doctor tended to a large gash

0:27:25.680 --> 0:27:29.560
<v Speaker 1>on his temple, while Mildred and Jonathan looked on with

0:27:29.640 --> 0:27:35.199
<v Speaker 1>grave concern. When asked what on earth had happened, the

0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:40.480
<v Speaker 1>captain struggled to piece it all together. Remembering now, he

0:27:40.600 --> 0:27:44.960
<v Speaker 1>asked if she was okay. Milly, through a concerned glance

0:27:45.000 --> 0:27:49.399
<v Speaker 1>at Jonathan, then looked back to the captain. The dog

0:27:49.480 --> 0:27:57.760
<v Speaker 1>had sadly not survived the night. If you enjoy Unexplained

0:27:57.760 --> 0:27:59.800
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0:28:23.080 --> 0:28:26.320
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0:28:26.600 --> 0:28:29.920
<v Speaker 1>Richard McClain Smith. Please subscribe and rate the show wherever

0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:32.600
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