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Speaker 1: Stone River by Neoma, finn For the most part, all

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American towns are the same. That can be split into

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small villages and towns, medium sized cities, and large metropolis,

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But no matter how you slice them, the similarities are obvious.

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Each town, of course, has its own traditions or claim

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to fame that will make it unique in one way

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or another, But for the most part, all American towns

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are the same. Like most towns. Where I live, we

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have a carnival every spring, a fair each summer, and

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a harvest festival in the fall. They're no different and

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generally not as impressive as the carnivals, fairs, and festivals

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held in any of our neighboring towns. Every December of

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the mayor's office decorates main street with lights and glittery

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images of snow men, reindeer, and Santa Claus, and there

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is a Christmas parade. All of our neighboring towns do

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the same. When I was a kid, my parents would

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take me down to the town square so that we

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could walk from storefront to storefront looking at the animatronic elves,

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building toys and dioramas of Santa's workshop, or wintery images

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of forest animals decorating living Christmas trees in the woods.

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I would ooh and a, and the shop owners would

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give me a candy cane for my efforts with the

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advent of shopping malls in political correctness. Even in a

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town as isolated as ours, that is all now a

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thing of the past. The nearest shopping mall is thirty

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miles away, but people would rather go there than enjoy

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the small shops owned by locals. It isn't any of

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these things that make our town unique. Our town is

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unique because in Stone River we have rules. Don't leave

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the house alone after dark or before dawn. Lock all

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the doors and windows every night, never leave a window open,

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don't camp out. Farmers should always put livestock inside barns

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at night, never leave them to graze in the pasture.

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Travel in pairs, never alone, And before you leave home,

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call ahead to let them know you're coming, and when

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you get there, call home to let them know you've arrived.

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These rules, and the dozens of variations of them, are

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what we live by in Stone River. When the occasional

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stranger moves to town, here or she will inevitably break

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those rules out of ignorance, we have a welcoming committee

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here for the express purpose of letting the stranger know

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as soon as possible about our rules. But without a

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clear understanding of why we have such rules, they generally

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ignore them, sometimes until it's too late. We could tell

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them while we have rules. It's just that explaining our

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reasoning isn't as easy as it might seem. After all,

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how do you tell a stranger that monsters live in

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our woods and they have a preference for human flesh.

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I don't know when the rules began. I'm almost sixty

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three years old, and as far back as I can remember,

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those rules have existed. My grandmother, however, was fond of

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talking about a time before the rules. She was born

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in nineteen nineteen, and that means they were set in

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place sometime during the twentieth century. That isn't when the

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monsters first appeared. Local lore indicates that they were here

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long before Europeans arrived. The earliest tales came from the

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native people who lived here. They spoke of wolves that

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would come into their camps at night and steal away

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children and the elderly and the weak. In these stories,

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the wolves hunted in packs like other wolves, but on

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two legs like a man. That's how we know it's

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the same creature that hunts our woods. Today they're all

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on two legs, and they no longer hunt in packs.

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Maybe they've advanced beyond pack mentality. Maybe they've become so

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aggressive that they can't get along with each other, so

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they have to remain solitary. Or maybe there aren't enough

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of them left out there to form packs. That is

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our town's one great hope. Maybe they're dying out, going extinct.

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Maybe someday we'll be free of them until such a

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day as the two legged wolves disappear. Forever, we keep

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our rules. Every child born in Stone River knows them

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by heart before they enter school. Every newcomer is worn

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and prayed for, and every visitor is watched over. Even so,

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there are some who don't survive. My grandmother was fond

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of telling her stories. A favorite one was the story

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of the man who came through Stone Rivers shortly after

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World War II ended. It may have been before the rules.

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I couldn't say. He was a wealthy man and a

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bit full of himself, grandmother would tell us. She described

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him as a big dresser. Now, I used to imagine

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a man as a tall piece of bedroom furniture when

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I was little. It wasn't until I was fifteen or

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so that I realized that she meant that his clothes

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were fancy. His suits were clearly tailored to fit his

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broad physique, and his shoes were polished to a brilliant shine,

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and he wore a fedora cocked sideways on his head.

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In addition to this, he kept a cigar firmly gripped

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between his teeth at all times. No one ever forgot

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the man's name, because he walked around in town introducing

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himself constantly. His deep booming voice reverberated up and down

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the streets as he reached out a big hand and

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violently shook the unsuspecting hand of whomever he crossed paths with.

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How do you do? He'd say? Names, Parker, Everett, Gordon, Parker,

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Folks call me EG for short. The poor fool who

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allowed him to virtually shake an arm off would then

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be forced to listen while he regalled him or her

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with stories of a resort. He planned a bill outside

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the town. He assured everyone that it would bring wealth

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and prosperity to our little village, and everyone would thank

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him for it. Later E. G. Parker brought a small

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crew of men to look over the land shortly after

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he arrived. There were four of them. Two were surveyors,

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one was an engineer, and the other was from the

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bank that was helping to finance this magnificent resort. They

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all arrived on a Friday and checked into the local hotel.

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That night, they ate a big dinner at Belitera, a

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fancy little Italian restaurant down on Third. The next morning

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they got up and headed out to the woods. Grandma said,

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the men drove out of town in the kind of

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maroon station wagon with wood panel doors that people used

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to call woodies. When everyone saw the camping gear piled

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on the roof, they knew these men wouldn't be coming back. Well,

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why didn't anyone stop them? They used to ask at

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this point, But Grandma would shake her head mournfully and say,

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who would have believed them? A week later, some men

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decided to go out to the woods to try to

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find them. They found the campsite, They found the woody.

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They found all the camping tools and the surveying tools,

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in a good supply of food, most of which was

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never touched. They even found a chewed up cigar on

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the ground with a single tooth embedded in it, but E. G.

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Parker and the crew were gone. When they walked around

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to the far side of the tents, they discovered torn

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shreds like some kind of an animal had clawed its

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way in, dried blood stained the tattered edges of the canvas.

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Any other evidence of what might have happened was gone

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a race by rainstorm earlier in the week. Grandma said

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the old cor could still be found in the woods

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by anyone brave enough to venture out there. There aren't

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many who will go into the woods around our town

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each fall. There are a few determined deer hunters. In

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every spring at least two or three turkey hunters wander

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out there, but most of us are too afraid. I

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can still remember what happened back in the early nineteen

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seventies to Alan Finnegan and Lisa Tinsdale. Alan and Lisa

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were the darlings of Stone River High School. He was

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a star running back of the football team and a

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captain of the basketball team. He was a cheerleader and

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president of the Future Homemakers of America club. To No

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one's surprised they were crowned King and Queen of the Homecoming.

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It said that they would have been crowned King and

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Queen of Prom too if they had lived. Who knows

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what made them think that they would be okay to

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go parking in the woods that night. The general consensus

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is that they weren't parking at all, at least not intentionally.

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Lisa lived on a farm at the edge of the woods,

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and Allen lived in town. The popular theory indicates that

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they were most likely driving around and spending every last

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minute together that they could before Lisa had to be

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home for curfew. They probably didn't notice that the gas

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tank was nearly empty. The car was out of gas

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when they found it, but the ignition was on, so

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it might not have run out of gas until after

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they were gone. That's only speculation. The morning after the

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kids I didn't come home, both sets of parents called

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the police. A search party was formed to comb the

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town in all of the surrounding woods. It didn't take

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long to find them, less than a mile from Lisa's

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family's farm, on a narrow gravel road that cut through

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the woods down to the river. Allen's in nineteen sixty

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eight green Mustang Fastback sat alone. It looked as though

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the kids had parked it and decided to go for

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a stroll. Anywhere else on earth that might have been

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a consideration, but not in the Stone River. Children no

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more than five, no better than to get out of

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a car and walk through the woods at night in

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Stone River. Bob Dettweller, the deputy in charge, claimed to

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have nightmares about that day for the rest of his life.

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It was his group that first discovered the car, and

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when they walked around to the passenger side, it was

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clear that the window on that side was broken out.

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Little rivers of blood traced their way down shards of

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glass and dried in mid flow before reaching the bottom.

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Ted Brenner covered his nose and hissed at the acrid

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odor that drifted out of the vehicle. Smells like something

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marked it's turf here, he said, through a handkerchief that

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he pulled from his pocket. Everyone around him stopped and

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turned to look into the dense woods around them. Over there,

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Charlie Henderson cried, pointing at something that could have been

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nothing more than a pile of discarded clothing. The men

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walked the twenty five feet to the clothes and stared

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down at it. Bob Datweller knelt down on one knee

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and pushed at a piece of cloth. It flopped to

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the side, revealing Alan's sightless eye. Someone gasped, and someone

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else's gagged. Another person issued a horrified oh my God,

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and still another said what in the hell. Deputy debt

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Weller pulled the material back a little further and revealed

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what was left of Alan's face. His jaw had been

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partially ripped off, and the tip of his nose looked

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as though it had been bitten off, and his tongue

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was gone. When Bob poked around the materials some more

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and realized that only Alan's head was under this pile,

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he quickly looked around for more. Fifteen or twenty minutes later,

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and partially buried under some dried leaves, they found Alan's torso.

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It had been disemboweled. The autopsy report would indicate that

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all major organs were missing. His legs and arms were

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found scattered about the forest floor within one hundred feet

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of the torso. Debt Weller called in there fine and

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requested the corner, and then he looked around for the

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female body. When Lisa didn't immediately reveal herself on that

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side of the road, the men crossed over and began

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to search the woods on the opposite side, and that's

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where they found her. I was an adult before I

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learned the full details in the condition of her body,

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and to this day I can't bring myself to describe it.

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My eyes always glaze over when I think about it,

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and by all wells up in my belly and I

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have to stop. There's a corner's report on record at

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the courthouse. I'm told it includes photographs, and it isn't

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something that I want to see. The hunters who go

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into the woods sometimes don't come back, and those who

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do tell horrific tales of being stalked, or give descriptions

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of tall, wolf headed animals on two legs, howling and

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sometimes growling at them. Once in a while, a hunter

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will bring something out of the woods with him that

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will explain this disappearance or that. One man found a

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doll that belonged to a little girl who disappeared out

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of her backyard. Another brought out parts of a bicycle

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that looked like the one ridden by a teenage boy

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who had vanished. These are the reasons why we have

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rules in Stone River. It's just too bad that sometimes,

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and through no fault of our own, those rules have

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to be broken. I would never have broken any of

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them if I could have helped it, I certainly never

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meant to. It just happened. My grandson turned seven years

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old last year. He is the light of my existence.

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When my son and his wife decided to move away

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from here, I thought I'd die of loneliness until I

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realized that they wouldn't have rules where they moved to. However,

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in order to spend my grandson's birthdays with him, I

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have to drive sixteen hours. Last year, I went out

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on a Monday intent on spending the entire week with

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my grandson. We were going to visit the zoo, go fishing,

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and watch TV together. It was his week and anything

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he wanted was all right with me. On Thursday, I

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got a phone call that I would cut my visit short.

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My little brother was in the hospital and he was

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barely hanging on to life. He had apparently had a

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heart attack. And even though we have never been especially close,

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00:15:21,759 --> 00:15:24,480
he's eight years younger than I am. He was my

241
00:15:24,559 --> 00:15:28,919
little brother when we were younger. Despite our age difference,

242
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,480
we were close. However, his wife never approved of me.

243
00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,679
She's better educated and probably a great deal more intelligent.

244
00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,600
His job with the city was a lot more impressive

245
00:15:40,679 --> 00:15:44,000
than mine at the factory. Well, none of that mattered now.

246
00:15:44,399 --> 00:15:46,320
My sole thought was to get home and to be

247
00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,840
with him. I was nearly all the way there when

248
00:15:50,879 --> 00:15:53,360
my sister in law phoned to let me know that

249
00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:57,759
he didn't make it. I was too late. We spoke

250
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,600
for quite a while. It was a close she and

251
00:16:00,679 --> 00:16:04,559
I had ever come to having a real conversation. She

252
00:16:04,679 --> 00:16:08,240
expressed her plans for his funeral and burial, and I

253
00:16:08,279 --> 00:16:10,240
told her that I would do whatever I could do

254
00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,080
to help. Well. She thanked me and asked me if

255
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,200
I thought our church would be willing to host the

256
00:16:15,279 --> 00:16:18,720
dinner afterward. I said I was sure it would, and

257
00:16:18,759 --> 00:16:22,159
that I would contact our pastor in the morning. We

258
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,919
hung up and I pulled over for a minute. I

259
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,480
tried not to cry. I'm old fashioned that way. Men

260
00:16:28,559 --> 00:16:33,360
don't cry. I cried that night. Once I was in

261
00:16:33,399 --> 00:16:35,879
control of myself again, I got back on the road

262
00:16:35,919 --> 00:16:38,679
and headed home. I knew I would have to call

263
00:16:38,759 --> 00:16:42,360
my son in the morning. For now, I simply wanted

264
00:16:42,399 --> 00:16:45,759
to go to bed. My phone beeped a short, high toned,

265
00:16:45,879 --> 00:16:49,559
ringing sound. I picked it up and stared at the screen.

266
00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,720
It didn't appear that there was any reason for it

267
00:16:52,799 --> 00:16:56,279
to do that. Another ten miles and I would be

268
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,360
off the interstate, and then it would be seven miles

269
00:16:59,399 --> 00:17:02,200
to town, three or four minutes to cross it in

270
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,799
two more miles to my house on the other side.

271
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,160
My phone made that strange beeping sound again, and I

272
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,799
picked it up, and I stared at the screen, and

273
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,319
again there didn't seem to be a reason for it

274
00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,079
to do that. I was off the interstate and on

275
00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,079
the highway to town when my phone made that strange

276
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,720
sound again, and once again there was nothing to indicate

277
00:17:24,759 --> 00:17:28,119
what that sound meant. It occurred to me that I

278
00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,720
had heard it making that sound once or twice while

279
00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:33,960
I was speaking with my sister in law. The last

280
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,000
thing I needed was for my phone to give out

281
00:17:36,039 --> 00:17:38,960
on me. Now. I didn't want to make the forty

282
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,640
mile drive to Springfield to get it fixed or to

283
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,079
buy a new one. And for the love of Pete,

284
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:49,680
why why now? Irrational anger was taking over when that

285
00:17:49,759 --> 00:17:54,799
sound happened one last time before my truck died for

286
00:17:54,839 --> 00:17:57,519
the first time in hours. I glanced down at the

287
00:17:57,599 --> 00:18:00,839
dashboard and I coasted to a star as my eyes

288
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:05,039
fixed on the little red gas indicator. It wasn't my

289
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,039
phone that had been beeping at me. It was my

290
00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:10,440
truck telling me that I hadn't put gas in it

291
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,799
for some three hundred and fifty miles. How could I

292
00:18:13,839 --> 00:18:17,519
have been so stupid? As late as it was, I

293
00:18:17,599 --> 00:18:20,440
knew there wouldn't be any open gas stations in town.

294
00:18:21,079 --> 00:18:24,720
We have rules in Stone River. Even if there were

295
00:18:24,839 --> 00:18:27,640
an open gas station, how was I going to get there?

296
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:34,240
Walk alone at night? Not in Stone River. I ran

297
00:18:34,279 --> 00:18:37,279
through the list of rules that had regulated my entire

298
00:18:37,319 --> 00:18:41,759
existence since birth. What should I do? My mind was

299
00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:44,880
mired in a fog of exhaustion from the long driving,

300
00:18:45,039 --> 00:18:48,680
sorrow from my loss. I couldn't seem to remember what

301
00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,000
I should do, So I decided the best thing for

302
00:18:51,079 --> 00:18:54,559
me to do would be to sit still. Certainly the

303
00:18:54,559 --> 00:18:57,880
police would be out on patrol. My phone told me

304
00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,240
it was eleven thirty PM. I sat it down on

305
00:19:01,319 --> 00:19:03,480
the seat beside me and took a deep breath and

306
00:19:03,559 --> 00:19:07,920
exhaled slowly. Why couldn't I focus enough to know what

307
00:19:08,079 --> 00:19:12,680
to do. Minutes later, it occurred to me that I

308
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,880
should use my phone to call the police if I

309
00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,079
needed further proof of my mental exhaustion. Not thinking to

310
00:19:20,079 --> 00:19:23,319
make a simple phone call would have been it. I

311
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:25,720
reached down to pick it up, and of course I

312
00:19:25,799 --> 00:19:29,720
knocked it onto the floorboard. It's sixty one. The thought

313
00:19:29,759 --> 00:19:32,119
of squirming around in my seat to reach down and

314
00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:36,359
pick up made my bones hurt, so before doing so,

315
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,559
I reached up and flipped on the interior light so

316
00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:42,720
I could see it. It had slid all the way

317
00:19:42,759 --> 00:19:46,680
across the passenger door. I sighed, and I lifted my

318
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,960
arm rest out of the way and bent over and

319
00:19:49,039 --> 00:19:53,160
stretched out my arm. My fingers barely touched the phone,

320
00:19:53,759 --> 00:19:56,200
and little by little I managed to work it toward

321
00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,240
me until I could get a good grasp on it. Now,

322
00:20:00,279 --> 00:20:03,000
the blood had rushed to my face, and my lungs

323
00:20:03,039 --> 00:20:06,200
felt deprived of oxygen, and a muscle on my left

324
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,160
side was threatening to cramp. I sat up and flipped

325
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,119
off the overhead light and stared at the wolf that

326
00:20:13,279 --> 00:20:15,839
was now standing at the front of my truck, staring

327
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:20,920
back at me. The ridiculous image of bugs Bunny doing

328
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,720
battle with the big bad wolf flashed through my mind.

329
00:20:24,559 --> 00:20:28,640
It was everything I had ever imagined. It was large

330
00:20:28,759 --> 00:20:32,000
and had upright ears and red glowing eyes and a

331
00:20:32,039 --> 00:20:35,559
mouthful of sharp, jagged teeth, and it was standing on

332
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:40,599
two legs like a man. There was something malevolent in

333
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,880
that creature's expression. Even more frightening was the level of

334
00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:50,200
intelligence that I could see. White hot anger permeated the

335
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,240
air around it in the form of steam that rose

336
00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,759
off its heavy muscle fur covered body and swirled in

337
00:20:56,839 --> 00:21:00,839
the beams of my headlights. Our eye eyes were locked

338
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,519
in a silent battle. The physical fight would be useless.

339
00:21:05,599 --> 00:21:09,200
Somewhere deep inside my conscious mind, I felt some primal

340
00:21:09,319 --> 00:21:14,240
voice screaming for flight. That too, would end badly. I

341
00:21:14,279 --> 00:21:17,640
wasn't going to outrun this thing at the height of

342
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,359
my youth, when my body was at its finest. I

343
00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,240
would not have outrun this monster at my current age.

344
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:26,640
I wasn't sure that I could even slide to the

345
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,599
other side of the truck. My hand ran along the

346
00:21:30,759 --> 00:21:33,039
arm rest on the door to find the lock button,

347
00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,799
and I hit it and then jumped. When that thing

348
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:41,480
reacted to the clicking sound with deliberate movements that I

349
00:21:41,559 --> 00:21:45,000
was sure were meant to instill absolute terror in me.

350
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,119
It turned and began to make its way around the

351
00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,640
side of my truck. Oh my god, it was coming

352
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,039
to the driver's window. I remembered that Lisa's car window

353
00:21:56,079 --> 00:21:59,920
had been shattered all those years ago. The screeching sound

354
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,599
one of the long claws being dragged along the side

355
00:22:02,599 --> 00:22:05,519
of my truck rang in my ears, and I realized

356
00:22:05,519 --> 00:22:08,359
then that my heart was beating against my ribs, like

357
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:13,319
a moth against a screen window. No, I yelled, but

358
00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,920
I'm not sure if I did so out loud. Somewhere

359
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,039
in the back of my mind, A voice was calmly saying,

360
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,519
call the police. Your phone is in your hand, Call

361
00:22:24,759 --> 00:22:28,920
the police. And my hands obeyed, even when my mind

362
00:22:29,039 --> 00:22:33,039
could not nine one one. What is your emergency? A

363
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:37,640
voice said, I'm broke down on Highwaii nineteen. I answered,

364
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,240
there's a I suddenly didn't know what to call it.

365
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,039
What did we call them in Stone River? It occurred

366
00:22:45,039 --> 00:22:47,039
to me that no one had ever given them a name.

367
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,839
These days, people would say dog man. I didn't remember

368
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,359
anyone in Stone River ever using that word. It was

369
00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,200
now staring at me through the driver's side window. What

370
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:05,160
are you, I ask in a small, pathetic voice. At

371
00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,039
any other moment, under any other circumstances, I would have

372
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,720
laughed at myself for being so ludicrous, Sir. The voice

373
00:23:13,759 --> 00:23:16,599
on the other end of the phone asked, is someone

374
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:22,279
else there? Yes, I said meekly. Is that person threatening you?

375
00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:29,119
She asked, yes, No, yes, it's not a person, I stuttered,

376
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:34,319
not a person. The panic I was already fighting increased

377
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:38,440
exponentially with the realization that I might not have connected

378
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,119
with a local nine to one one operator. A local

379
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,880
operator would not have sounded quite so shocked at the

380
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:49,160
words not a person. It's a I tried to say.

381
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:54,519
It growled fogging the thin sheet of glassed between us. Oh,

382
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:58,200
she said when she heard the sound. Thank god it

383
00:23:58,279 --> 00:24:01,359
was a local operator. She knew what I was dealing with.

384
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,880
Help me, I said, shaking. It's right outside my window.

385
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,759
Can you get away? She asked, Now, my vehicle's out

386
00:24:10,759 --> 00:24:13,960
of gas. Do you know what my marker your own?

387
00:24:14,759 --> 00:24:18,200
I don't. Looking around, I tried to find a landmark

388
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,440
to indicate how far I was from town. The world

389
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,440
around me was nothing but black, dense woods to my

390
00:24:24,599 --> 00:24:28,680
right and an empty corn fill to my left. Maybe

391
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,119
I'm three or four miles out of town, I offered,

392
00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:35,400
never mind, she said, I pinged your cell phone. There's

393
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,200
a patrol car minutes from you. Help us on the way.

394
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,680
The loud pop of breaking glass shocked me out of

395
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,440
a microsecond of relief that I felt. I saw a

396
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,599
spider web of cracks, behind which I was sure that

397
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,119
face was laughing in victory. I slid as far from

398
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,400
the window as I could, and I turned to reach

399
00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,279
for the opposite door. Was I really going to jump

400
00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,799
out of this truck? Beside me? I heard another loud

401
00:25:02,839 --> 00:25:05,920
pop and felt the force of more glass begin to shadow.

402
00:25:06,599 --> 00:25:09,240
Oh Lord, help me. I began to pray as I

403
00:25:09,279 --> 00:25:14,319
crawled across the seat like a frightened toddler. Behind me,

404
00:25:14,559 --> 00:25:17,720
an arm reached in and grabbed my leg. I felt

405
00:25:17,759 --> 00:25:21,119
the searing pain of its claws sinking into my flesh,

406
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:23,559
and I felt the hot blood soak my pant leg,

407
00:25:23,839 --> 00:25:28,920
and I felt my bladder release. No, this time, I knew.

408
00:25:29,039 --> 00:25:31,720
I said it out loud, and I spun around hard

409
00:25:31,759 --> 00:25:35,039
and began to kick at the beast. It swiped back,

410
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,920
opening another set of wounds, but it failed to get

411
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:42,000
a firm grasp on me. A siren rang in the distance.

412
00:25:42,519 --> 00:25:45,640
I kicked harder and screamed louder. I was not going

413
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,599
to give up without a fight. And again and again

414
00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,279
I kicked at this thing. Again and again. I felt

415
00:25:51,319 --> 00:25:55,000
my flesh tear away in its claws, and then I

416
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,559
felt its hand wrap around my ankle. It had me.

417
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,519
I reached out to grab anything to keep it from

418
00:26:01,559 --> 00:26:04,720
pulling me out of my truck. There wasn't much but

419
00:26:04,799 --> 00:26:07,200
what I could find I held on to as tightly

420
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:11,480
as I could. My free leg made contact with its face,

421
00:26:11,599 --> 00:26:15,119
and it released a furious howl. Dear God, help me,

422
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:21,359
I screamed. Don't let this thing get me. Flashing lights

423
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,680
lit up the road ahead of me. I don't want

424
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,680
to die, I screamed. It managed to get me back

425
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,160
across the cab to the window. Now I was fighting

426
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,119
to keep it from pulling me all the way out

427
00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,720
of the vehicle. I screamed and cussed at it. My

428
00:26:36,839 --> 00:26:40,920
free leg kicked and my arms flailed. Everything inside me

429
00:26:41,039 --> 00:26:44,680
fought to survive. Glass ripped through my back as it

430
00:26:44,759 --> 00:26:48,400
hauled me across the broken window, and the world turned

431
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,240
upside down as it lifted me by my ankle into

432
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,319
the air. With its free hand, it was trying to

433
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,319
get a hold of my head so it could turn

434
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,920
me over. I wasn't done fighting the My other foot

435
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,519
planted itself into the thing's face, and it howled again.

436
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,519
I knew I was losing the fight. I knew I

437
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,839
wasn't going to survive this night. I knew that I

438
00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,279
would be with my brother soon. But in defiance of

439
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,400
this knowledge, my body twisted and writhed to keep the

440
00:27:19,519 --> 00:27:23,720
end from coming. The creature's free hand wrapped itself around

441
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:27,119
my neck. It dropped my leg and lifted me high

442
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:31,240
into the air with its teeth bared as it opened

443
00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,240
its mouth wide to clamp down on my throat. I

444
00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:38,519
knew I was going to die. I don't know where

445
00:27:38,559 --> 00:27:42,400
the deputy aimed his gun when he fired. I assumed

446
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,160
that he fired into the air. How could he do

447
00:27:45,279 --> 00:27:48,680
otherwise without the risk of hitting me. But the next

448
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,240
thing I knew I was being thrown aside. My body

449
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:57,359
was literally thrown six feet into the road. More gunshots

450
00:27:57,359 --> 00:27:59,559
filled the air as it turned and moved toward the

451
00:27:59,559 --> 00:28:03,200
squad car. I was struggling to get to my feet

452
00:28:03,279 --> 00:28:06,920
when I heard someone yell stay down, so I obeyed.

453
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,799
I was too weak to get up anyway. How long

454
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,039
I lay there while they shot at the beast, I

455
00:28:14,039 --> 00:28:16,839
don't know. Time has a way of slowing to a

456
00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,640
crawl in moments like this. I couldn't count the bullets.

457
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:23,680
The headlights of the patrol car blinded me from seeing

458
00:28:23,799 --> 00:28:28,039
much more than shadows and silhouettes. And I heard it howling,

459
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,799
and I saw well enough to know that it suddenly

460
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:35,559
turned and jumped into the woods. An arm reached out

461
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,400
from the haze of light and pulled me to my feet.

462
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:42,440
That same arm went around me and allowed me to

463
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,079
sack against it. I was walked to the squad car

464
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,640
and pushed into the back seat. The siren rang out

465
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:54,079
again as I slipped into unconsciousness. When I woke up,

466
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,640
it was a day later. My body was covered in bandages,

467
00:28:57,759 --> 00:29:00,000
and I later learned that I had over five hundred

468
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,920
stitches in my legs and back. There had been two

469
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,359
cops in that squad car. If there had only been one,

470
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,480
I doubt either of us would have survived. I should

471
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:15,240
have known that a primary rule in Stone River is

472
00:29:15,279 --> 00:29:19,680
to never go out alone. I was fortunate to be

473
00:29:19,799 --> 00:29:22,920
released from the hospital in time for my brother's funeral.

474
00:29:23,759 --> 00:29:27,720
My sister in law was surprisingly forgiving of my inability

475
00:29:27,799 --> 00:29:31,759
to help with the plans. It could have been compassion

476
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:36,000
on her part, or maybe it was all After all,

477
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,240
I'm now the only person in the history of Stone

478
00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:42,440
River to have been attacked by one of those things

479
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:52,279
and survive. The Binding Watch by Greg Ballin. I was

480
00:29:52,319 --> 00:29:56,440
fourteen years old that summer afternoon in nineteen seventy two.

481
00:29:56,599 --> 00:29:59,359
I was fishing in a small lagoon below the Monkey

482
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:04,440
Bridge with few friends. The Monkey Bridge is simply three old,

483
00:30:04,559 --> 00:30:09,240
rusty pieces of cabling strung across two telephone poles, with

484
00:30:09,319 --> 00:30:13,559
some scattered old wood every few feet, fastened with rusty bolts.

485
00:30:14,559 --> 00:30:17,519
One had to be either part monkey or part insane

486
00:30:17,599 --> 00:30:21,680
to attempt crossing such a rickety structure. This bridge hung

487
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,279
ominous over a lagoon inlet, home to the best fishing

488
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:30,039
along the Chaws River. I was hoping to hook into

489
00:30:30,039 --> 00:30:33,240
some serious action and pass another summer day free from

490
00:30:33,359 --> 00:30:38,240
chores and schoolwork. My third cast snacks some deep bottom weeds,

491
00:30:38,799 --> 00:30:41,440
and after ten minutes of a struggle, I was able

492
00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:45,440
to reel in five pounds of muck weeds and lagoon bottom.

493
00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:48,680
My friends enjoyed a good life at the large circle

494
00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:52,160
of crap i'd captured. Now, I began the messy task

495
00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,319
of locating and freeing my favorite lure from the mess.

496
00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:59,480
In the minutest of foraging through the gunk, my fingers

497
00:30:59,519 --> 00:31:03,279
found a solid, round to object. I tugged on it

498
00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:07,079
a bit and managed to pull the encrusted thing free.

499
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,440
I rinsed it in the water and was surprised to

500
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,759
see an old watch emerged from the filth. The timepiece

501
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,720
was remarkably preserved, but the leather belt loop was half

502
00:31:17,799 --> 00:31:22,359
rotted and soggy. The once polished chain was pitted and

503
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:26,519
rust covered, and as my friends hooked into fish after fish,

504
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,839
I continued to clean my treasure with a wet nap

505
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:34,680
I had in my backpack. My friends glanced wide eyed

506
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,400
at my treasure as I tucked it into my jeans

507
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,359
and went back to fishing. We cast our lines for

508
00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,039
another hour, but the fish stopped biting as suddenly as

509
00:31:43,079 --> 00:31:47,279
they had started. The afternoon sun dipped below the treeline,

510
00:31:47,319 --> 00:31:51,480
casting long shadows across the black water. We packed our

511
00:31:51,519 --> 00:31:54,000
gear ready for the mild trek through the woods toward

512
00:31:54,079 --> 00:31:57,039
our neighborhood, and as we made our way through the

513
00:31:57,079 --> 00:32:00,400
thick canopy of oaks and elm forest. The ground behind

514
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,519
us crunched with faint footfalls. Nearby branches rustled with no

515
00:32:05,799 --> 00:32:09,559
errant breeze. On more than one occasion, I'd glanced back,

516
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:14,160
expecting to see deer or some other woodland creature disturbed

517
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:18,720
by our passing. My friends also peeked back every so often,

518
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,720
or they'd glance up at the canopy of branches. We

519
00:32:22,839 --> 00:32:25,240
heard something, but none of us felt the need to

520
00:32:25,279 --> 00:32:29,160
share that observation. I'd never felt comfortable in the woods

521
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,119
behind my house, but I was relieved to finally see

522
00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:37,079
the main trail heading back to our neighborhood. After dinner,

523
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,160
I showed my prize to my father and my grandfather,

524
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,160
and my grandfather studied the watch. Gray eyes went in

525
00:32:44,279 --> 00:32:48,079
behind heavy glasses. He said the watch was made by

526
00:32:48,079 --> 00:32:51,839
a company back in eighteen seventy one. He said these

527
00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:54,759
watches were carried by the upper class of that era.

528
00:32:55,799 --> 00:33:00,519
Graps wound the mechanism and his jaw dropped watch began

529
00:33:00,599 --> 00:33:03,960
to tick and the second hand moved. After several years

530
00:33:04,039 --> 00:33:07,480
being in that lagoon, he took the watch to his

531
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,200
bedroom and was gone for several minutes while I wolfed

532
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,559
down my dessert, and as I finished the last bite,

533
00:33:13,759 --> 00:33:16,559
my grandfather presented me the watch, with a new leather

534
00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,880
loop and a silver carry chain. He had polished the

535
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:24,480
timepiece and the glass casing, making it look almost good

536
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,000
as new. The metal had some tarnish and the glass

537
00:33:28,039 --> 00:33:31,880
still had a few deep scratches, but it was mine.

538
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,720
I felt drawn to this timepiece, something old and valuable.

539
00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:39,880
I'd rescued from oblivion with one cast of my fishing pole.

540
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,799
That night, I put the watch on my dresser and

541
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,559
happily went to bed, looking forward to more adventures with

542
00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:51,119
my friends. I don't remember falling asleep. I was back

543
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:55,079
at the lagoon, but it seemed different. The monkey bridge

544
00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:58,920
was there, only in much better shape. I was climbing

545
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,160
the metal pegs in a large pole, carefully making my

546
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,519
way to the top, where thin wooden cross pieces formed

547
00:34:05,559 --> 00:34:09,639
the first part of the bridge. Unbridled waves of fear

548
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,880
crashed through my body as I glanced down into the lagoon.

549
00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:17,440
Several of my friends shouted encouraging me. At least I

550
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,840
thought they were my friends. I scarcely recognized a single

551
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,280
soul urging me out on that swinging bridge of horror.

552
00:34:26,519 --> 00:34:29,519
I tried to stop myself from stepping on that first cable,

553
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,639
but I couldn't control my legs. My arms stretched for

554
00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:37,400
the nearest cable to pull myself up. I placed my

555
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:41,400
foot on the lower cable. The arrangement of wooden steel

556
00:34:41,559 --> 00:34:45,519
shimmied side to side like a rodeo bull. Both of

557
00:34:45,519 --> 00:34:48,679
my hands gripped the top cable, and my knuckles white

558
00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:52,920
from such a firm clasp. I eased my way over

559
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:56,719
the lagoon, inch by inch, sliding each foot along the

560
00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,519
separate steel wire, only finding a solid foothole where a

561
00:35:00,559 --> 00:35:06,519
section of old planking remained unbroken. Rhythmic thumping grew louder

562
00:35:06,559 --> 00:35:09,719
and faster. It was the sound of my heart beating,

563
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,679
fueled to this frenzy by my own fear. I tried

564
00:35:13,679 --> 00:35:16,360
to turn around, but had no control of my body.

565
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,440
I kept inching forward until I was out in the

566
00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:24,000
middle of the lagoon. The bridge swayed and bowed under

567
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,920
my weight, threatening to toss me like a man would

568
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,880
do to an errant fly or a mosquito. My eyes

569
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,079
fell upon the watch. It looked brand new, not a

570
00:35:34,119 --> 00:35:37,840
scratch or mark on it. As I took the next step,

571
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,159
my right foot slipped, and in my angst I lost

572
00:35:41,199 --> 00:35:44,559
my grip on the cable. My head cracked on something

573
00:35:44,599 --> 00:35:47,480
as I fell backward, and my body plunged into the

574
00:35:47,559 --> 00:35:52,119
ice cold water. The dark lagoon swallowed me into its

575
00:35:52,199 --> 00:35:56,000
murky depths. I tried to swim and force my limbs

576
00:35:56,039 --> 00:35:58,960
to move, but they failed to respond, and my lamp

577
00:35:59,079 --> 00:36:03,920
body settled on the lagoon bottom. Wet clothing clung, encasing

578
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,639
me like a mummy. I came to rest on a

579
00:36:07,679 --> 00:36:12,039
sunken section of treefall, and my left wrist was entangled

580
00:36:12,039 --> 00:36:15,760
in a network of branches. Swam damn it, I screamed

581
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,039
in my head, but all I could feel was the

582
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,760
icy cold water and the cold muck of the lagoon

583
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:26,199
as it claimed me. The black water blanketed me, scorching

584
00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:30,719
my lungs as I inhale the fetid liquid. I woke

585
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:34,559
screaming in terror. My head shot from my pillow as

586
00:36:34,639 --> 00:36:38,440
if fired from a cannon. The dark lagoon water gave

587
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,480
way to the darkness of my basement bedroom. My head tingled,

588
00:36:42,599 --> 00:36:44,599
and the hair on my arms and neck stood up.

589
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:47,840
Standing at the foot of my bed was a boy

590
00:36:48,079 --> 00:36:52,599
my age. He was reaching out to me. Vacant, hollow

591
00:36:52,639 --> 00:36:57,239
eyes studied me. I could see through his body. I

592
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:00,239
opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out, a

593
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:04,519
muted gasp of silent terror. The boy was reaching to me.

594
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:10,039
He was pointing, help me. The words weren't mine, but

595
00:37:10,119 --> 00:37:13,400
they came from my mouth. The voice wasn't me either.

596
00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:17,920
I could smell the musty, dank odor of Briar's Lagoon.

597
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,119
The scent of the river water was all over my body,

598
00:37:21,519 --> 00:37:24,960
embedded in the very sweat pouring from me like a fountain,

599
00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:30,519
and something warm ran down my thighs. I just wet myself.

600
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:34,880
The embarrassment of suling myself shook me off the terror,

601
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,440
and I felt the growing stain of pea in my pajamas.

602
00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:43,599
And I blinked once, and the boy was gone. Between shivers,

603
00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:47,159
I managed to turn on my nightstand lamp, dispersing the

604
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:51,199
darkness with a sixty white bulb. I glanced over at

605
00:37:51,199 --> 00:37:54,639
the dresser and saw my watch. It was shiny but worn.

606
00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:59,079
I reached over from my prize possession and the second

607
00:37:59,159 --> 00:38:04,519
hand had stopped, and the time read four eighteen. I

608
00:38:04,519 --> 00:38:07,719
stared at the glowing amber hands on my alarm clock.

609
00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:11,559
It was just before one in the morning. This can't

610
00:38:11,599 --> 00:38:14,679
be right. The watch was working fine before I went

611
00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:19,079
to bed. The methodical ticking helped me drift off into

612
00:38:19,119 --> 00:38:22,280
a slumber. How could it be reading this time? Now?

613
00:38:23,519 --> 00:38:27,639
General ticking broke the silence. A fresh wave of goosebumps

614
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,880
raised up my spine and down my arms, and the

615
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:33,840
hairs on the nape of my neck stood as I shivered.

616
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:37,960
My watch now read twelve forty five, and it was

617
00:38:38,079 --> 00:38:42,679
running again. What just happened? Had I really seen someone

618
00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,760
in my room and did the watch stop? I must

619
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,719
have still been dreaming. I began the process of changing

620
00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:54,760
my underwear and pajama bottoms, thinking fate that my mattress

621
00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:59,000
and bedding were dry. The embarrassment of telling my mom

622
00:38:59,039 --> 00:39:02,119
I went to bed would have been too much. I

623
00:39:02,159 --> 00:39:05,159
stared at the lamp from the comfort of my mattress,

624
00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:08,719
wondering if the darkness would again summoned the boy specter.

625
00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:12,800
It had to just be part of a dream. My

626
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,199
hand trembled, reaching for the lamp cord, hesitating as my

627
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,360
fingertips rested on the small string. It was a dream.

628
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:25,639
I pulled a cord. Darkness surrounded me. I put my

629
00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:28,000
head on a pillow and curled up in a ball

630
00:39:28,079 --> 00:39:31,239
and did my best to dismiss the terror as a

631
00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:36,599
simple nightmare from eating too much pepperoni pizza. I woke

632
00:39:36,639 --> 00:39:41,159
early the next morning. Last night's episode was forgotten. I

633
00:39:41,199 --> 00:39:44,159
had no luck fishing yesterday, but today would be different.

634
00:39:44,679 --> 00:39:47,840
I bring in a string of keepers. I ate my

635
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:51,280
breakfast quickly and rushed to gather my fishing tackle, and

636
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,320
I walked the mile of woodland paths, alarmed at the

637
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:59,519
unusual silence. The normal background noise of birds and squirrels

638
00:39:59,519 --> 00:40:03,760
and grass was missing. But through the silence, a set

639
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:09,119
of footsteps followed me, loud yet annoying and untraceable. The

640
00:40:09,199 --> 00:40:12,800
tingling and goosebumps soared through my body, and I picked

641
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,320
up a fair sized rock and patted the fishing knife

642
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:19,239
hanging off my belt. If that's you, Mike, it's not funny,

643
00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,960
I shouted into the silent woods, hoping my friend would

644
00:40:23,039 --> 00:40:26,039
materialize from behind one of the many large oak trees,

645
00:40:26,119 --> 00:40:32,320
laughing at my discomfort. Silence was my only answer. I

646
00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:36,320
took several stealthy steps and was rewarded with more nothing.

647
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,360
I gave up and headed back for the lagoon. The

648
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,719
comforting sound of bird song and the annoying whine of

649
00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:48,719
horseflies returned. The annoying buzz around my head replaced the

650
00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:54,679
eerie silence. These flying pests became welcome company. I assumed

651
00:40:54,679 --> 00:40:57,800
a code was nearby looking for its breakfast, and the

652
00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:02,119
large predator so close accounted for the eerie silence and

653
00:41:02,159 --> 00:41:06,679
the footsteps shadowing me. Obviously, I wasn't a rabbit or

654
00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:10,320
a deer, so the canine quickly lost interest and moved on.

655
00:41:12,119 --> 00:41:16,360
I approached the lagoon, my eyes transfixed on the monkey bridge.

656
00:41:17,039 --> 00:41:19,599
I looked up at the rusted and weathered death trap,

657
00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:24,639
recalling the vivid images from my dream. A force compelled

658
00:41:24,679 --> 00:41:27,880
me to walk over to that large support pole. I

659
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,000
found myself standing at the base of the main support post,

660
00:41:31,039 --> 00:41:35,320
looking thirty feet up at the wooden cross pieces. The

661
00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:39,039
rusted pegs invited me to ascend and embark on the

662
00:41:39,119 --> 00:41:43,559
journey of my dream. Faint echoes of voices surrounded me,

663
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:48,079
urging me on, daring me to across the lagoon. I

664
00:41:48,119 --> 00:41:51,800
reached for the first rusted peg. The voices around me

665
00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:56,360
grew louder, faint wisps of shapes darting back and forth

666
00:41:56,440 --> 00:42:00,440
compelled me. I placed my foot on a peg, hefted

667
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:04,320
myself off the ground. Mother hand grasped a higher peg

668
00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,920
while my legs stretched upward and found a solid foothold,

669
00:42:08,599 --> 00:42:11,119
and I slowly climbed to the top of the thirty

670
00:42:11,119 --> 00:42:14,079
foot pole, gazing up at the lower cross support of

671
00:42:14,119 --> 00:42:17,360
the monkey bridge, just as I had done in my dream.

672
00:42:19,079 --> 00:42:21,679
The wood was green with mold, and I could see

673
00:42:21,679 --> 00:42:26,320
the visible rot engulfing the age structure. Still, I reached

674
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,119
up to the highest peg and I pulled my body

675
00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:33,679
up the last five feet with one strong jerk. A

676
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:38,239
chill surrounded me. My breath a white vapor as I exhaled.

677
00:42:39,199 --> 00:42:42,840
It was mid July. This kind of cold was impossible.

678
00:42:44,239 --> 00:42:48,039
He appeared from a mist, a boy my age, standing

679
00:42:48,079 --> 00:42:51,559
directly in front of me. I looked again, and he

680
00:42:51,679 --> 00:42:55,199
was transparent. I could see through his body, as if

681
00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:58,719
he wasn't really there, and the whispers I heard were

682
00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:02,679
now clear. There were loud chants. I could see the

683
00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:06,519
other boys, just like in my dream, But these boys

684
00:43:06,559 --> 00:43:10,280
weren't cheering. They were mocking him, daring him to do

685
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:15,400
this foolish feat. The names they shouted were cruel and vile.

686
00:43:16,039 --> 00:43:19,880
His fear and shame coursed through me, pulsing in my veins,

687
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:24,920
just like a dream. No don't, I whispered, shaking my head,

688
00:43:25,239 --> 00:43:29,039
you'll fall in. The boy looked at me and his

689
00:43:29,159 --> 00:43:32,719
face was filled with terror. He turned back toward the

690
00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:35,719
bridge and took a step out, and then another step in.

691
00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:40,639
Another come back, you'll fall please, But the phantom boy

692
00:43:40,679 --> 00:43:45,360
didn't hear me. The bridge changed, as did the world

693
00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:49,039
around me. I was reliving my dream, only I could

694
00:43:49,039 --> 00:43:53,159
have sworn I was awake. The bridge looked newer as

695
00:43:53,199 --> 00:43:55,400
it had in my dream, and the boys on the

696
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:59,400
ground were no longer boys. There were dark specters, the

697
00:43:59,519 --> 00:44:05,360
denisen of gloom and despair. These phanfasms were urging him on,

698
00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:09,000
playing on his ego, hoping he'd go on and fail.

699
00:44:09,559 --> 00:44:12,559
And I shouted again, pleading with the boy to come back.

700
00:44:13,599 --> 00:44:15,480
One of the things on the ground looked up at

701
00:44:15,519 --> 00:44:17,800
me as if it saw me for the first time.

702
00:44:18,639 --> 00:44:22,400
It was then that I saw its true form, blood

703
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:27,519
red eyes, charcoal flesh, and pearl white horns. It was

704
00:44:27,559 --> 00:44:30,920
something dark and foul. But to the boy on the bridge,

705
00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:34,239
it was one of his so called friends, urging him

706
00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:38,920
to his death. I shouted again for the boy to return,

707
00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:42,679
and the dark beast hissed a sound so evil and

708
00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,840
foul that I trembled in fear. My arms wrapped around

709
00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:50,800
the pole, terrified hands clung to rusty pegs and a cable,

710
00:44:51,199 --> 00:44:54,880
and fingers pale white from my death grip. Too terrified

711
00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:58,239
to move a muscle, I watched in horror as the

712
00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:01,079
boy slept as I had, I slipped in my dream,

713
00:45:01,599 --> 00:45:04,280
and he fell backward and his head slammed into one

714
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:08,320
of the cross members. I watched helpless as his lamp

715
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:12,320
body slipped below the surface of the lagoon. The dark

716
00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:17,039
things laughed and giggled. Demonic cackles tore through my body,

717
00:45:17,159 --> 00:45:21,760
sapping my strength and will. My stomach wretched and turned,

718
00:45:22,199 --> 00:45:26,760
and I felt myself vomiting, uncontrollably, clinging to the rotted pole,

719
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:31,000
and they danced together in a circle, chanting and laughing

720
00:45:31,079 --> 00:45:35,920
a ghoulish cackle. My flesh trembled, my whole body shook

721
00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:38,639
with fear. As I heaved the last of my breakfast,

722
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:43,239
and before the poor boy was completely swallowed by the

723
00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,559
dark waters, I noticed the expensive silver watch clutched in

724
00:45:47,639 --> 00:45:50,920
his right hand. It was the same watch I had

725
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:55,480
looped around my pants securely tucked in my pocket. I

726
00:45:55,519 --> 00:45:58,519
saw an image of another young boy crossing a fast

727
00:45:58,599 --> 00:46:01,599
moving creek on the opposite end of the rapid torrents

728
00:46:01,599 --> 00:46:05,719
of water. Were these the same two grimlins, urging the

729
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,760
boy further and further into danger. The boy had a

730
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,559
silver pocket watch, my watch. I was sickened as he

731
00:46:13,639 --> 00:46:17,199
slipped and his skull fractured against a nearby stone, and

732
00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:21,079
the scene repeated over and over again, each time a

733
00:46:21,119 --> 00:46:25,679
different victim. How many lives have been claimed by this trinket?

734
00:46:26,639 --> 00:46:30,000
I was crying and praying these horrid visions would stop.

735
00:46:31,159 --> 00:46:34,679
This watch killed whoever was unlucky enough to find it,

736
00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:37,239
and the watch always seemed to be found by another

737
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:42,760
young boy, another innocent victim of these two things. I

738
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:46,039
hadn't been lucky to find this watch. I had been cursed.

739
00:46:46,760 --> 00:46:48,719
I was the next in line of boys to be

740
00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:53,039
claimed by these creatures. I hid my eyes for several

741
00:46:53,119 --> 00:46:56,039
seconds in the chill finally passed, and I found the

742
00:46:56,039 --> 00:46:59,960
courage to look up. The woods were calm and tranquil.

743
00:47:00,559 --> 00:47:04,119
A sparrow chirped, flying over the lagoon, chasing a horse fly.

744
00:47:05,159 --> 00:47:07,880
The monkey bridge was back to being old and rusted

745
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,920
and tattered. I looked down by my fishing gear and

746
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:14,880
I saw my pals, Mike and Gary exhaled a great

747
00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:18,639
sigh of relief. Did they see the ghuls or the boy?

748
00:47:19,639 --> 00:47:23,159
I was desperate to seek comfort from my friends. Go on,

749
00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:25,840
you big whoosy, we know you're afraid to cross it.

750
00:47:26,079 --> 00:47:30,400
Gary shouted, you, big wamp, go on. Michael laughed a

751
00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:34,079
sick cackle, rolling his eyes at me. You were always

752
00:47:34,079 --> 00:47:38,960
a coward. Shame washed over me. The words cut into

753
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:43,000
my boyish pride, and my muscles tensed, forcing down the panic.

754
00:47:44,159 --> 00:47:48,079
A stubborn determination filled my body. I was no wamp.

755
00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:51,679
I could do this. I reached for the top cable

756
00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:55,000
with my right arm. The watch fell from my pocket,

757
00:47:55,079 --> 00:47:58,639
glistening in the sunlight. Dangling from the heavy silver chain

758
00:48:00,199 --> 00:48:04,719
struck my eyes, blinding me for an instant. Opened my

759
00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:07,480
eyes and blinked a few times as more emotion welled

760
00:48:07,519 --> 00:48:10,920
up inside me. Only a fool would try to cross

761
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:14,960
this bridge. I didn't want to do this. An unknown

762
00:48:15,039 --> 00:48:19,840
power was pushing me forward, praying on my insecurity. I

763
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:23,239
glanced down at my friends and they seemed different. They

764
00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:27,760
were different. They were the grimlins fishing for their next victim,

765
00:48:28,159 --> 00:48:32,239
and I was falling into their trap. I closed my eyes,

766
00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,880
forcing the voices out of my head. Go away, I

767
00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:40,400
screamed with all of my remaining strength, leave me alone.

768
00:48:41,119 --> 00:48:44,239
Opened my eyes and forced myself to look at the shoreline.

769
00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:48,360
The gremlins were gone. I glanced down at the watch

770
00:48:48,760 --> 00:48:53,239
and then it stopped at four eighteen. I knew that

771
00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:55,880
was the exact time of death of the boy who

772
00:48:55,920 --> 00:48:59,760
died here so many years ago. I managed to climb

773
00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:03,760
down on the pole without an incident, unsheathing my fishing knife,

774
00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:06,480
not really knowing what a tiny blade could do against

775
00:49:06,519 --> 00:49:10,000
such creatures. I looked back up at the monkey bridge

776
00:49:10,039 --> 00:49:12,320
and I could see the shadow respecter of the boy

777
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,199
that fell to his death, and he looked down at me.

778
00:49:16,599 --> 00:49:20,440
His expression was one of grief and sorrow. That boy's

779
00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:23,920
spirit was chained to the spot, bound to the watch

780
00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:27,679
that hung from my belt loop. How many lives had

781
00:49:27,679 --> 00:49:32,559
this watch claimed? How many unwilling, innocent victims were tricked

782
00:49:32,559 --> 00:49:36,840
into terrible deaths? I was next on the list. I

783
00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,519
wanted to fling the watch back into the lagoon and

784
00:49:39,599 --> 00:49:43,320
part with it forever, but throwing it away helped me. Now,

785
00:49:44,159 --> 00:49:46,800
had I been chosen just by freeing the cursed thing?

786
00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:51,199
What could I do? Who could I tell? No one

787
00:49:51,199 --> 00:49:56,199
would believe my tale. I arrived home and saw my grandfather.

788
00:49:56,679 --> 00:49:59,400
The old man knew something was wrong because I never

789
00:49:59,519 --> 00:50:02,159
came home early in the summer unless it was raining

790
00:50:02,559 --> 00:50:06,440
or I'd gotten in trouble. He asked me what I'd

791
00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:10,440
done wrong, assuming the worst, and I started crying. I

792
00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:13,920
don't know why, I just couldn't stop myself. I told

793
00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:17,159
him of the terrors I'd witnessed, perched thirty feet up

794
00:50:17,199 --> 00:50:20,840
on that pole on the monkey bridge. My grandfather helped

795
00:50:20,840 --> 00:50:23,280
me as I perched my grief, and he studied the

796
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:29,000
watch he'd so meticulously restored. The time still read four eighteen.

797
00:50:30,679 --> 00:50:33,519
He motioned me to follow him into his room, and

798
00:50:33,559 --> 00:50:36,920
he took the warm, rotted strapping and rusty links he'd

799
00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:40,800
removed yesterday and placed the fragments in a cloth bag

800
00:50:40,880 --> 00:50:44,599
along with the watch. He sat down in his rocker

801
00:50:44,639 --> 00:50:46,519
and he told me a story of a boy my

802
00:50:46,639 --> 00:50:52,159
age named Timothy Burns. Timothy came from a wealthy family

803
00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:54,719
and would have worn a watch like the one I found.

804
00:50:55,679 --> 00:50:59,599
Timothy Burns drowned in Briar's Lagoon over thirty years ago.

805
00:51:00,119 --> 00:51:04,079
His death was a very big mystery. My grandfather got

806
00:51:04,159 --> 00:51:08,000
up and gestured for me to follow him. We went

807
00:51:08,039 --> 00:51:11,239
to the local library and he began wading through several

808
00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:16,880
pieces of microfish that contained years of newspaper archives. He

809
00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:20,639
called me over and pointed to a particular picture. It

810
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:25,199
was a cover of a society page of the Sunday Globe.

811
00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:29,360
I saw an extravagant family portrait of people that radiated

812
00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:32,960
wealth in high society. Now recognized the boy from my

813
00:51:33,119 --> 00:51:37,119
dream and earlier that day. That's him, the boy from

814
00:51:37,159 --> 00:51:40,559
the bridge in my room. My flesh crawled as I

815
00:51:40,599 --> 00:51:45,239
spotted the watch he was holding. Gramps nodded. He looked

816
00:51:45,239 --> 00:51:48,039
through a few more papers and then motioned me along

817
00:51:48,079 --> 00:51:51,320
to another library aisle. He told me to wait while

818
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:54,960
he thumbed through a dusty old book. Come here, Grap's

819
00:51:55,039 --> 00:51:57,840
motion toward me as he placed the large book on

820
00:51:57,920 --> 00:52:01,239
a table. Is this what you saw at the lagoon?

821
00:52:02,199 --> 00:52:07,000
I followed his pointed finger to the very large yellowed page.

822
00:52:07,119 --> 00:52:10,800
There were two ghouls drawn in black ink, performing that

823
00:52:10,920 --> 00:52:14,840
same horrid dance over the hastily sketched body of a soldier.

824
00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:19,280
My skin crawled and I shivered just looking at the picture.

825
00:52:20,119 --> 00:52:25,000
I held my gramps shaking, yes, tears of fears streamed

826
00:52:25,039 --> 00:52:30,679
down my cheek. This was really happening. Monsters did exist.

827
00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:36,639
Gramps slammed the book shut, his face grimaced in seam,

828
00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:40,639
set in stone. What are they, Gramps? You act like

829
00:52:40,679 --> 00:52:44,920
you know them personally, he shook his head. No, sun,

830
00:52:45,079 --> 00:52:50,360
not personally. I've seen them in war, after particularly gruesome battles.

831
00:52:50,719 --> 00:52:54,800
They filled some soldiers into getting themselves shot up. We

832
00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:57,360
were warned about them, but nothing prepares you for that

833
00:52:57,480 --> 00:53:02,800
kind of encounter. Handballed into a fist. So this is

834
00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:06,760
what they do in between wars for kicks. Gramps eyes narrowed.

835
00:53:07,400 --> 00:53:09,760
I don't want to die, Gramps. What am I gonna do?

836
00:53:10,559 --> 00:53:12,920
You're not going to do anything but what I tell you.

837
00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:16,800
I'm gonna put young Master Burns and countless other souls

838
00:53:16,840 --> 00:53:21,880
to rest and in this string of torment. Hopefully. We

839
00:53:21,960 --> 00:53:24,679
climbed back into his car and made a forty minute

840
00:53:24,760 --> 00:53:28,000
drive to a remote cemetery. What are we doing here?

841
00:53:29,320 --> 00:53:32,599
Gramps been over and looked directly into my eyes. I

842
00:53:32,679 --> 00:53:34,880
need you to be very brave right now and do

843
00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,960
exactly as I tell you. Can you do that? Son?

844
00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:43,159
I swallowed hard and I nodded. I followed my grandfather

845
00:53:43,239 --> 00:53:47,360
as he walked toward a rather large headstone. The name

846
00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:51,639
Burns was etched on the marker. The temperature dropped noticeably

847
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:57,000
as we approached. Talk to him. He'll hear you and

848
00:53:57,079 --> 00:54:00,320
be compelled to come. The watch binds you to him

849
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:04,159
and other victims. I didn't know what to say to

850
00:54:04,239 --> 00:54:07,199
a dead person, and I simply looked at the grave.

851
00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:13,239
There's not much time, so unhurry, he urged Tim. I whispered,

852
00:54:14,079 --> 00:54:17,639
I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve to die that way.

853
00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:21,800
I hope you can finally rest after Gramps does whatever

854
00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:26,559
it is he's going to do. A chilling wind struck us.

855
00:54:26,599 --> 00:54:31,199
As I finished, we were being watched. Two dark shadows

856
00:54:31,199 --> 00:54:34,719
hovered in the distance. My grandfather saw them, but there

857
00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:37,639
was no fear in him. He seemed made of the

858
00:54:37,679 --> 00:54:41,639
strongest steal. At this moment, I could hear those vile

859
00:54:41,719 --> 00:54:45,079
things talking to him and threatening him with untold torments

860
00:54:45,119 --> 00:54:50,159
and horrors. Gramps never flinched or wavered. He shot the

861
00:54:50,159 --> 00:54:52,840
ghuls of look that even to this day, I'll never

862
00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:56,760
forget the look of a man protecting his grandson, a

863
00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:01,519
mighty lion protecting his pride. Look of love and compassion

864
00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:06,639
against the face of evil. You chose wrong this time.

865
00:55:07,119 --> 00:55:10,519
You can't have my grandson tell the devil that I

866
00:55:10,599 --> 00:55:15,679
sent you. His voice was loud and powerful, and it

867
00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:19,599
echoed off the gravestones, trumpeting over the threats and hisses.

868
00:55:20,519 --> 00:55:23,719
Gramps looked over at me and he smiled. His total

869
00:55:23,880 --> 00:55:27,800
like of fear gave me strength. I watched spellbound as

870
00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:30,320
he took out the small cloth sack that contained the

871
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:34,119
watch and the original loop and chain go back to Hell.

872
00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:40,079
Gramps smashed the object against the granite headstone. A moaning

873
00:55:40,199 --> 00:55:44,159
wail that must have echoed for miles shattered the silent cemetery.

874
00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:49,079
The two dark shadows withered and melted away, their screams

875
00:55:49,119 --> 00:55:53,400
of despair echoing behind them. He doused the sack with

876
00:55:53,519 --> 00:55:56,599
lighter flood, and he set it ablaze, and the flames

877
00:55:56,639 --> 00:56:00,320
were a sick, unearthly hue of red and purple. Watch

878
00:56:00,360 --> 00:56:05,719
fragments hissed angrily as they were consumed. My grandfather whispered

879
00:56:05,719 --> 00:56:08,719
a silent blessing over the flames, and they seemed to

880
00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:12,639
waver and then burn more like a natural fire. After

881
00:56:12,760 --> 00:56:17,800
five brief minutes, the flames sputtered and died. I stared,

882
00:56:18,119 --> 00:56:21,639
stunned as he buried the watch ashes and the charred

883
00:56:21,719 --> 00:56:26,760
fragments next to the grave. You can rest now, Master Timothy,

884
00:56:27,199 --> 00:56:32,239
be with God, he whispered, struggling to his feet. We

885
00:56:32,320 --> 00:56:35,440
both looked up and saw the spirit of Timothy Burns,

886
00:56:35,639 --> 00:56:40,960
along with other boys, approach a glowing vortex. Timothy turned

887
00:56:40,960 --> 00:56:44,679
toward my grandfather and me, and he smiled. He simply

888
00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:47,440
waved back, and we watched him pass on to his

889
00:56:47,519 --> 00:56:51,440
final resting place. I looked at my grandfather with a

890
00:56:51,480 --> 00:56:54,639
sense of pride and awe. My dad told me stories

891
00:56:54,679 --> 00:56:57,920
about him before he moved in with us, how he'd

892
00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:01,119
been through two wars, and about how brave and courageous

893
00:57:01,159 --> 00:57:04,519
he was. I saw the medals and the ribbons on

894
00:57:04,599 --> 00:57:08,440
his dresser, but I never understood their meaning. I never

895
00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:11,639
saw that part of him until today. I just knew

896
00:57:11,679 --> 00:57:14,559
Gramps was the silent man who moved in with us

897
00:57:14,679 --> 00:57:18,159
last year, not the hero of two wars or the

898
00:57:18,320 --> 00:57:21,960
twenty year beat cop. I don't know what I would

899
00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:25,360
have done without him there to help me. I looked

900
00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:28,119
up at him, amazed at his courage and iron will,

901
00:57:28,760 --> 00:57:31,119
and he stared down the face of evil and mocked

902
00:57:31,119 --> 00:57:35,679
the denizens of darkness as they threatened his life. Is

903
00:57:35,719 --> 00:57:39,559
it over, Gramps, Are they really gone? He looked down

904
00:57:39,559 --> 00:57:42,559
at me, gently placing his hand on my shoulder for

905
00:57:42,639 --> 00:57:46,360
you and I, Yes, it's over, he pointed toward the car.

906
00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:50,519
But the war goes on, young man, Graham sighed. His

907
00:57:50,639 --> 00:57:53,400
face was sad for a second as he walked together.

908
00:57:54,119 --> 00:58:00,239
The war always rages on. I am an old man now,

909
00:58:00,639 --> 00:58:05,000
a veteran of two wars plus multiple police actions, and

910
00:58:05,079 --> 00:58:09,400
a proud grandfather of a fine young boy. I too,

911
00:58:09,559 --> 00:58:12,199
live with my son in a small corner bedroom of

912
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:16,559
his house. I am the silent old man, and I

913
00:58:16,639 --> 00:58:19,519
keep a constant vigil, hoping the boy never brings home

914
00:58:19,559 --> 00:58:23,119
any strange objects, and I always let him bend my

915
00:58:23,280 --> 00:58:27,639
ear for any reason. I realized during my first taste

916
00:58:27,679 --> 00:58:30,519
of combat that there were more grimlins in the world.

917
00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:33,519
I fought them on the battlefield as they stole the

918
00:58:33,559 --> 00:58:37,199
lives of both friend and foe. Evil doesn't care about

919
00:58:37,239 --> 00:58:41,000
the moral calls or the mortal conflict. Evil only cares

920
00:58:41,000 --> 00:58:46,039
about killing, indifferent to what uniform you wear. We live

921
00:58:46,079 --> 00:58:50,679
in an age of scientific marvels, computers, phones, accomplished things

922
00:58:50,719 --> 00:58:55,719
I've never imagined possible. Within this technology, evil has found

923
00:58:55,719 --> 00:59:00,000
a home. The boys aren't drawn to shiny watches anymore,

924
00:59:00,119 --> 00:59:04,079
drawn to the dark web and the cyber underworld. In

925
00:59:04,119 --> 00:59:07,639
this age of new fangal technology, evil comes in several

926
00:59:07,679 --> 00:59:11,920
appealing packages. Only those who have experienced the horror of

927
00:59:12,039 --> 00:59:15,199
war know about the soul gremlins, and we don't speak

928
00:59:15,239 --> 00:59:19,679
of it even amongst ourselves. We're old men who watch

929
00:59:19,719 --> 00:59:23,159
in silence, as my grandfather did so many years ago.

930
00:59:24,239 --> 00:59:27,599
Darkness never rests or sleeps, not when there are so

931
00:59:27,679 --> 00:59:32,159
many victims right for the taking. The war does rage on,

932
00:59:32,880 --> 00:59:35,800
not fought on a battlefield, but wage through the computer

933
00:59:36,039 --> 00:59:40,159
or handheld device. The prize is still the same. The

934
00:59:40,199 --> 00:59:43,280
souls are the innocent, but the tactics are far more

935
00:59:43,360 --> 00:59:48,159
subtle and perverse in this age of expanding darkness. All

936
00:59:48,159 --> 00:59:50,360
I can do is stand fast and be a beacon

937
00:59:50,400 --> 00:59:53,719
of light. From my grandson, That's all any man can do.

938
00:59:54,239 --> 00:59:57,000
Be a beacon of light and hope and serve as

939
00:59:57,039 --> 00:59:59,800
an example of good, and pray that our kids have

940
01:00:00,239 --> 01:00:04,719
the gilded cyber net cast into the electronic ocean. The

941
01:00:04,800 --> 01:00:06,960
war rages on, always,