WEBVTT

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Welcome to Endo the night. I'm
Narri your guide on today's excursion down a

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twisted path. Be careful not to
get lost, be it dark or light.

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It's easy to lose your way.
Are you ready, then let's begin.

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See you on the flip side.
Traveling through familiar countryside, Cannon McLeod

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watched through the train window, deep
in thought. The vibrant blue of the

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sky and the bright reds, yellows
and oranges of a lovely autumn splashed along

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the sides of the tracks like an
impressionist painting. He'd longed for home,

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but in some ways he felt as
though he'd never left it. So much

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in his life had changed. However, even though he knew this route well,

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he still felt somewhat out of place. Love has a way of doing

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that to a Personson. His grandmother
once told him. At the time,

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he hadn't understood her wise words.
One look at Audrey Mason changed all that

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in an instant. He knew everything
changed when they had that chance encounter while

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he traveled for work. Finding love
never entered into his plans, and falling

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in love with Audrey certainly complicated everything
he thought he knew about life. Audrey

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brought an immediate light to his otherwise
narrow existence. The sound of her voice,

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the scent of her perfume, and
the vitality she exuded intoxicated Canon.

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He'd never met anyone like her.
She makes me feel more like me.

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A chance meeting at a place neither
expected to be brought them together. Once

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they started talking, they didn't want
to stop. Bumping into a stranger who

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feels like a good friend is amazing, Yes, amazing. As Cannon stared

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out the window, the blue sky
reminded him of her eyes. I don't

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think I'll ever go anywhere without something
reminding me of you, Audrey. He

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pictured the moment he met her in
his mind. He could hear her voice,

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sultry yet sweet. Their first conversation
lasted hours. They walked around the

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park where they met until nightfall,
followed by dinner out, then a drive

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to a scenic overlook to stare at
the stars. Even the stars shine brighter

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when I'm with Audrey. Their initial
meeting turned into days, then weeks.

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Canon admitted that he neglected his work, and his bosses had every right to

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be angry when he returned nearly empty
handed, but Audrey was all he could

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think about. She's all I'll ever
think about. Their connection, undeniable to

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both Canon and Audrey, drew them
headlong into an intense love affair. Inseparable.

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They allowed themselves to be vulnerable.
They each had their own reasons,

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but vulnerability never came easily in the
past. I feel safe when I'm with

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you, Canon, I know what
you mean. I've spent my entire life

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guarding myself against the world, but
with you, I only want to share

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everything about me. Given that feeling
of total freedom to be oneself, they

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shared details about themselves that no one
else ever knew. One night, as

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they held each other under the multitude
of stars that twinkled in the dark sky

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above them, their conversation turned to
their work. Audrey was a child psychologist

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at a local school district. The
pay is decent and I have summers off,

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but my biggest reward is helping the
kids. So many of them carry

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burdens no one their aige should have
to, and then they lash out in

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the classroom. I help them work
through their anger issues and their trauma.

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My mom was a school counselor in
Chicago for years before we moved to the

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country and she became a stay at
home mom. She'd love you. You're

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both so much alike. Funny you
should mention it, but I know my

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family would love you too. I
don't go back to Montana as often as

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I should, but I miss it. They'd probably never want you to leave

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once they met you. Tell me
about your family. Well, my mom

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is an artist. She has her
own gallery. My dad is a civil

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engineer. I have three brothers,
Todd, Matt, and Travis. They're

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all older than I am. I
also have a little sister named Emily.

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For the next hour, Audrey told
him funny stories from when she grew up.

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Her sense of humor and adventure were
infectious, and both were qualities that

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immediately attracted Cannon to her. You
told me you're a scientist. Tell me

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more about that. Well, I
study the environment and take notes to see

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if I find any information that could
help preserve our ecosystem. So you're an

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ecologist of sorts. I've always loved
animals and the environment. Growing up in

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Montana, it was hard not to
fall in love with nature. The winters

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are brutal, but the views are
incredible and the summers are stunning. My

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family went to Montana one summer on
vacation when I was about nine. Ah,

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just think we could have met each
other back then. Her eyes sparkled

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at the thought. Yeah, that
would have been great. Cannon stared at

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the sky. You're awfully quiet.
Did I say something wrong? What are

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you talking about, Audrey? Well, you haven't said anything for five minutes,

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not a word since you said it
would have been great to meet as

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kids. Was it that long?
I'm sorry, I was just daydreaming.

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I guess about what that would have
been like. He leaned over and gently

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kissed her. No need to worry. I'd love to have had you in

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my life all this time. Time. You're the most remarkable person I've ever

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met. She smiled and ignored his
strange silence from a moment before, and

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they spent a magical night together.
Cannon's eyes searched the view outside the train

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for any sign of something he didn't
recognize. Nothing caught his eye, and

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he knew he was on the same
route he traveled home a thousand times.

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His thoughts returned as they probably always
would to Audrey. Their days, weeks,

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and months together were the happiest of
their lives. I don't want to

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jump the gun on this. But
I can see us growing old together with

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our grandchildren and great grandchildren, playing
in our yard and sitting in our laps.

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Her blue eyes looked up into cannons
as they lounged on a blanket at

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the same park where they met.
His heart leapt. There's nothing I want

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more than that. Every fiber of
his being wanted to anchor himself to Audrey.

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He could see the life she described, and it brought a bittersweet smile

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to his lips. Audrey sat up. You sound like you don't think it's

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possible, though, Canon, there's
something you're not telling me. He opened

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his mouth to protest. No,
Canon, it's true. I've felt it

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for a long time, and I've
given you time to tell me on your

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own. I'm done waiting. I
want answers. He set up, but

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hunched his shoulders over, trying to
give himself more time before he had to

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face her. Canon. I deserve
to know, yes, you do.

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He sat straight and looked into her
eyes, searching for forgiveness. I should

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have told you from the beginning,
but I haven't wanted to risk losing any

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moment with you. What's the truth? Her voice was no longer sultry and

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sweet but defensive. I know you've
been lying to me. I haven't lied

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to you. I just haven't told
you the whole truth. She sat silent,

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waiting. This is going to sound
impossible to you. Everything I've told

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you is true. My family lived
in Chicago and then moved to the country.

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I went to Montana when I was
a boy. I didn't accuse you

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of lying about those things. But
those are part of the lie, even

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though they are true. Canon enough
of the riddles and wordplay. Tell me

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what's going on. He took an
anxious breath and took her hand in his.

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My Chicago and my Montana are not
the same as yours. I don't

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understand. It's hard to but hear
me out. I told you, I'm

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a scientist, an ecologist of sorts. Audrey nodded. She took shallow breaths,

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and her heart rates sped. I
am a scientist, and I was

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sent on this mission mission. Yes, I was sent here to study and

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learn what I could, even though
I haven't done my job while here,

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I was supposed to collect data to
take home. He paused, and they

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watched each other's faces while each tried
to navigate this conversation. My home isn't

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exactly like your home, but in
some ways it's exactly like yours. Audrey

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stood to walk away. Don't go. I told you to stop with the

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word games. Damn it. I
want answers. I've given you everything I

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have, and this is the best
you can give me. I thought better

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of you. Canon. He reached
for her hand and stood, you're right.

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I need to just tell the truth. Our worlds are parallel universes.

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We are happening at the same time, most likely even in the same space,

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but neither is aware of the other
universe. Normally, you exist here

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and I exist there. I was
sent here to prove a theory, and

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I have. You exist and I
exist at the same time, but in

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a different yet same place. He
put his arms around her, and she

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looked away. I don't expect you
to understand it at all. I don't

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understand it at all. I don't
think even the professors who sent me here

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completely understand. All I know is
that I'm here and I love you.

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But you can't stay, can you. You can't have a life with me?

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Ever, His face winced in pain. No, I can't. You

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should have told me before I fell
in love with you. Audrey, you

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know is well as I do,
that neither of us could have stopped our

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love. The moment we saw each
other, we knew. Tears rolled down

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her cheeks. Slowly, she nodded, you're right, We've always known.

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She held him. What now I
have to go back? No, I

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have to. I don't want to. I can feel it. Though part

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of me is crumbling. I can't
explain it, but part of me is

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coming apart. I'm being stretched too
thin remaining here. I don't want to

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leave you, Audrey. If you
want me to stay here, I will

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for whatever time I have left.
His sobs broke her. She held him

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and smoothed his hair with her hand. I believe you. You have to

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go back, though I could never
live with myself if I chose for you

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to die. They clung to each
other, tears mingling with tears. I

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will never forget you. You are
my very heart and soul, I swear,

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Audrey. I will work to find
a way to come back to you.

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I know I'll never love anyone else. No matter where we are,

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you will be the only one I
love. Come back to me if you

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can, She stepped away from him
as he stood broken in front of her.

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Go Canon, you need to go. I'll never forget you. She

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turned and walked away as the autumn
leaves swirled down around her in a gust

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of October wind. After watching her
go, Canon looked out at a place

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he loved and would miss. He
pulled a small device from his coat pocket.

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It resembled a detonator with a button
eye at the top. He twisted

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the knob, the button sprang up, and he pushed it while clenching his

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eyes tight. Audrey's face was all
he saw as he spun through the mysteries

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of time and space, finding himself
in the laboratory at the university where he'd

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begun his journey. After a few
weeks of debriefing, he was granted a

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leave of absence. Now sitting on
a train heading through a place that was

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both home yet never would be again, he closed his eyes and cried,

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thank you for joining me. For
this episode of the Into the Night Anthology

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podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco,
narrated by Nari Quak, Theme music by

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Nico Rodriguez, all other original music, sound design and editing by Omenhawk Studios.

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You can find our links in the
show notes. Into the Night is

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on your favorite podcatcher, so make
sure to like, subscribe, and leave

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a five star review to help other
excursionists to join us. I'll see you

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next time, and remember, whether
in the shadows or in the daylight,

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all twisted paths lead you into the
night. Into the Night Anthology is a

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creative typo entertainment production