WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Would you raise a family in a house haunted by

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<v Speaker 1>your father? Since one man's legacy leave scars and shadows

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<v Speaker 1>beneath an ancient oak tree. My name is Edwin, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's a scary story. The oak tree in front of

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<v Speaker 1>the house had always been a witness to death. It

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<v Speaker 1>stood there still on most days around the property, taking

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<v Speaker 1>over everything inside of it, including me, especially on dark

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<v Speaker 1>nights like the one who were about to have. I

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<v Speaker 1>stood there watching it from the road during the day.

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<v Speaker 1>As I heard the school bus approaching, James came running

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<v Speaker 1>up to me from the school bus, just like he

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<v Speaker 1>always did, a little project or a gift in his

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<v Speaker 1>hands that he usually wanted to show his mom and

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<v Speaker 1>talk about it before getting ready to have dinner with us.

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<v Speaker 1>I waved to the bus driver and he sped off

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<v Speaker 1>into the twisting hills to leave the other two kids,

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<v Speaker 1>some that lived even farther out into the woods. Beatrice,

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<v Speaker 1>my wife, didn't like us living so far, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was a large plot of land, only taxes and bills

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<v Speaker 1>to pay on it and nothing else. It was all

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<v Speaker 1>my dad had left me. A successful business man who

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<v Speaker 1>hated well, didn't like being around other people. He would

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<v Speaker 1>often say to never trust anyone. James had a drawing

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<v Speaker 1>in his hand, something he had exchanged with another kid

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<v Speaker 1>from his class. Henry has a swing set in his

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<v Speaker 1>house now, he said, stretching out his hand and giving

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<v Speaker 1>me a piece of paper. He had a phone number

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<v Speaker 1>on it, Henry's mother, asking about James going over to

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<v Speaker 1>play at his house. Up until that point, I had

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<v Speaker 1>been very careful with James, never letting him out of

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<v Speaker 1>my sight, except for when he went to school and

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<v Speaker 1>my wife caught on right away. Nothing's going to happen

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<v Speaker 1>to him, she would say, it'd be fine. I walked

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<v Speaker 1>behind James as he ran up to the house through

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<v Speaker 1>the long pathway to the porch. I passed by the

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<v Speaker 1>oak tree while they thinking about my son and how

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<v Speaker 1>quickly he started going to kindergarten. So many things that

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<v Speaker 1>happened in that property, and how I was that oak

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<v Speaker 1>tree that had seen it all. Looks like James made

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<v Speaker 1>a friend. I said. They want him to go play

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<v Speaker 1>after school tomorrow, something about his swing set. That's great,

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<v Speaker 1>Beatrice said. She was walking up to us, wiping her

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<v Speaker 1>hands on her shirt as she grabbed the note from

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<v Speaker 1>James and read it out loud. She looked at me

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<v Speaker 1>right away, smiling, reassuring me that he would be fine.

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<v Speaker 1>So she grabbed the phone and called the number on

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<v Speaker 1>the piece of paper, and almost immediately. Maybe it's a

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<v Speaker 1>mom thing, but she got along great with the woman

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<v Speaker 1>on the other line. They agreed that we would go

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<v Speaker 1>pick him up. She wrote down the address and everything

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<v Speaker 1>was ready into the woods. Or is she from town?

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<v Speaker 1>She's from town, not far, just down the hill over

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<v Speaker 1>there by the Hudson Ranch, she said. Hudson Ranch was

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<v Speaker 1>quite a distance away. I thought to myself, looking for

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<v Speaker 1>excuse to change my mind about the whole thing. We

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<v Speaker 1>had already talked about this among ourselves, that I had

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<v Speaker 1>to start letting go. But I know that James had

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<v Speaker 1>already talked about some of the things that I used

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<v Speaker 1>to mention to my father when I was growing up.

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<v Speaker 1>The strange figures out by the yard at night, visible

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<v Speaker 1>from the room that James was now living in. They

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<v Speaker 1>would crawl from that oak tree in the front, and

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes they would scream, others they would cry. James had

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<v Speaker 1>run into her room crying, saying that he had seen

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<v Speaker 1>a man by his window, much older, a grandpa, he said.

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<v Speaker 1>He said that the old man tapped on the window

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<v Speaker 1>and walked out toward the tree. That night, I ran

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<v Speaker 1>out there like a maniac, straight to the oak tree,

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<v Speaker 1>the source of everything I experienced. Out there, I looked

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<v Speaker 1>up at the branches, the markings of ropes from many

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<v Speaker 1>years before, and I felt the chill of the shade

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<v Speaker 1>of that tree, even at night, much colder than the

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<v Speaker 1>other areas of that grassy field. I ran my fingers

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<v Speaker 1>over the three tally marks carved on the trunk of it,

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<v Speaker 1>the ones that haunted me almost every night when I

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<v Speaker 1>thought of Dad. I stood out there for a while

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<v Speaker 1>until Beatrice walked up and asked me to come back inside.

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<v Speaker 1>It was nothing, she said, Maybe James was streaming. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I sighed as I faked the smile, and yet I

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<v Speaker 1>knew that they weren't dreams. When do you pick up James,

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<v Speaker 1>I asked Beatrice the next morning, once he had been

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<v Speaker 1>picked up at the school bus out by the road

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<v Speaker 1>at five, just in time for dinner, she said. I

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<v Speaker 1>looked at my watch, seven forty seven am. This is

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be fine, she said, and I knew that nothing

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<v Speaker 1>was gonna happen to him. Everything would be the same.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think part of Beatrice understood how the words

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<v Speaker 1>of my dad had gotten to me over the years,

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<v Speaker 1>not to trust those from town, to always lock your door,

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<v Speaker 1>and to keep a loaded done right by the doorframe.

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<v Speaker 1>The distrusting man, if that's even a word, paranoid even

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<v Speaker 1>And I was about to say something about the address

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<v Speaker 1>when Beatrice snapped and looked me right in my eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>asking how long I was planning on doing this, What

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<v Speaker 1>did I want out of my experiences around the house,

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<v Speaker 1>And what was I gonna do about James being afraid

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<v Speaker 1>to go outside at night? But he shouldn't go out

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<v Speaker 1>at night, I yelled, that's the whole point. No, right,

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<v Speaker 1>the shadows, the ghosts that roam around the house, isn't it.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't want to start a fight that early in

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<v Speaker 1>the morning. But she was wrong. She thought they were

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<v Speaker 1>bears or some other animals around the yard, because even

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<v Speaker 1>she had seen them too, silhouettes of humans floating across

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<v Speaker 1>our fields. It bothered me so much that I set

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<v Speaker 1>out trail cameras out there with clear views of the

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<v Speaker 1>dark fields the trees on the outside of the property,

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<v Speaker 1>but I could not get myself to put one near

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<v Speaker 1>the oak tree in the front. If there was one

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<v Speaker 1>thing I could prove to Beatrice that there were no

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<v Speaker 1>bears out there and no creatures large enough to match

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<v Speaker 1>what we had seen. I think she was mostly worried

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<v Speaker 1>about how all of these would affect James with his

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<v Speaker 1>experience of seeing quote a grandpa. Beatrice was getting worried

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<v Speaker 1>that maybe all of my fear was somehow being passed down,

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<v Speaker 1>even though I never even came close to talking about

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<v Speaker 1>these experiences in front of him. I walked out toward

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<v Speaker 1>the porch and stood there, procrastinating about taking out the

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<v Speaker 1>scrap metal I was clearing out from the shed from

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<v Speaker 1>where the truck was. It was four point thirty when

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<v Speaker 1>I pulled up to the house. Beatrice was still in

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<v Speaker 1>the garage when I honked for her to come out.

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<v Speaker 1>I know she always took forever to come outside, but

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<v Speaker 1>every minute had the wait of an hour that evening.

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<v Speaker 1>James was going to be ready very soon, and we

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<v Speaker 1>had to be there to get him. The drive was

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<v Speaker 1>as you could imagine it, Beatrice trying to lecture me

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<v Speaker 1>on things while being careful enough to not let me

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<v Speaker 1>shut down completely. Although it could have gone much worse,

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<v Speaker 1>we got there in one piece. James was excited when

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<v Speaker 1>he got back in the car and told us all

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<v Speaker 1>about what they did and played at the house. We

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<v Speaker 1>got burgers, he said, you got bert, I started, James,

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<v Speaker 1>your mom made dinner for us. Beatrice shot me a

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<v Speaker 1>stare that I could feel as I looked at James

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<v Speaker 1>in the rear mirror. He stated quiet. Beatrice asked him

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<v Speaker 1>some more about the games that he played, and he

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<v Speaker 1>came around again. When we got back, James jumped out

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<v Speaker 1>of the car, singing something he had learned at a

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<v Speaker 1>stranger's house. He walked inside and put his backpack down

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<v Speaker 1>by the hallway. I stood by the doorway as Beatrice

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<v Speaker 1>walked over to James. So many thoughts thrilling like smoke

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<v Speaker 1>around me, stinking my eyes and making it hard to breathe.

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<v Speaker 1>I walked back outside. The sun had started its golden routine.

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<v Speaker 1>As I leaned against the truck, the light beginning to

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<v Speaker 1>dip between the branches of the oak tree. He ate

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<v Speaker 1>dinner at a stranger's house with people from town. I

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<v Speaker 1>thought of Dad's warnings. Why you always ate the same

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<v Speaker 1>things at home. Why the only person to ever come

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<v Speaker 1>over was his business partner Lewis. Why their meetings were

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<v Speaker 1>always out in the yard or in the car, and

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<v Speaker 1>why Mom always stayed out of everything. So many memories

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<v Speaker 1>turning into life lessons that I couldn't get rid of.

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<v Speaker 1>As I looked out at the darkness of that oak tree,

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<v Speaker 1>I made up my mind that I would slow down

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<v Speaker 1>and let those memories catch up with me. Finally, Beatrice

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<v Speaker 1>was right. I didn't want this for James. I looked

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<v Speaker 1>at the dark silhouette of the oak tree as I

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<v Speaker 1>leaned on my truck, the wind picking up just a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit, bringing alive part of the thing that terrified

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<v Speaker 1>my father. You see that thing out there, my dad

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<v Speaker 1>asked early one evening, just like this one. I nodded.

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<v Speaker 1>That tree has a few things, and one day that

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<v Speaker 1>thing will end up taking me too. The thing the tree,

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<v Speaker 1>when it was getting dark out, looked menacing from my room,

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<v Speaker 1>like a monster that would release one of its own.

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<v Speaker 1>Every night, I could swear that I saw those strange

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<v Speaker 1>silhouettes crawling out of it, things floating underneath its branches.

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<v Speaker 1>But Dad was the only other member of the household

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<v Speaker 1>that would talk about them with me. Had I sat

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<v Speaker 1>with him during the heated meetings with others. The way

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<v Speaker 1>he spoke of the people from town with such hate

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<v Speaker 1>in his voice. One morning, the sound of Dad's truck

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<v Speaker 1>approached my side of the house and he rushed inside.

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<v Speaker 1>He grabbed something from the safe and got to the

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<v Speaker 1>room we were not allowed in, and he dialed the number.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember only part of his words, but exactly his

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<v Speaker 1>tone during the call. Thieves, don't change, he yelled in anger,

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<v Speaker 1>Bring her here. All I remember from that night were

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<v Speaker 1>the crowds of people that surrounded our fields, the way

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<v Speaker 1>Dad told all of us in the house to stay inside,

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<v Speaker 1>as we grabbed onto Mom's skirt and tried to distract ourselves.

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<v Speaker 1>In the kitchen, she was going to bake a cake.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody got to eat it. Mom had forgotten an ingredient

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<v Speaker 1>in all the commotion, but refused to step closer to

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<v Speaker 1>the refrigerator by the window. She just continued with the recipe.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a moment when everyone got louder outside, a

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<v Speaker 1>group of well over thirty people. Mom looked over the

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<v Speaker 1>field for just an instant and brought us closer to her,

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<v Speaker 1>and after only a few minutes it was completely quiet outside.

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<v Speaker 1>Mom ran to the window and I watched as the

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<v Speaker 1>group left and Dad was left standing there by the tree,

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<v Speaker 1>carving something into it with a knife, writing something on

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<v Speaker 1>the trunk. Mom started waking up its screams in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the night for some time, and my dreams

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<v Speaker 1>turned into nightmares. Whenever the curtains in my room were open,

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<v Speaker 1>I could see figures swinging on the branches like upside

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<v Speaker 1>down ears of corn from the ropes. I could hear

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<v Speaker 1>the creaks crying, as if at any moment there were

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<v Speaker 1>thud against the ground and begin to crawl. But I

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<v Speaker 1>used to tell Dad all about this, and he would

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<v Speaker 1>smile as he listened to me, asking me details about

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<v Speaker 1>what they looked like, asking if it was a man

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<v Speaker 1>or a woman out there, how many and what they

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<v Speaker 1>were wearing. A man showed up to the house once

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<v Speaker 1>with a box truck and parked it by the porch.

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<v Speaker 1>He stepped out, and Dad ran out there. I watched

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<v Speaker 1>him drag the man all the way to the tree,

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<v Speaker 1>and they yelled at each other. I couldn't do anything

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<v Speaker 1>else but stare in disbelief. Thinking back on it, I

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<v Speaker 1>should have gotten Mom or one of my brothers to help,

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<v Speaker 1>but I just stared at a distance from the window

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<v Speaker 1>of my bedroom as a rope went up on one

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<v Speaker 1>of the branches. I shut my eyes and heard the

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<v Speaker 1>squeak the same cries from the rope as it stretched

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<v Speaker 1>and then swinged from side to side until it came

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<v Speaker 1>to a near complete stock, woken up only by the

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<v Speaker 1>soft wind that came through the property in the early evenings.

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<v Speaker 1>It was almost dark out when he came back to

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<v Speaker 1>the house. He went straight into this room with the telephone,

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<v Speaker 1>and within five minutes two cars had arrived and taken

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<v Speaker 1>the ropes off the tree and drove away. Back then,

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<v Speaker 1>I had no idea what was happening, But as I

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<v Speaker 1>grew older and things became more apparent, I learned of

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<v Speaker 1>things hidden deep in my memories that showed that Dad

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<v Speaker 1>was not a good person. The night Mom was found

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<v Speaker 1>was the beginning of the end. The police was unwilling

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<v Speaker 1>to help us at first, and we were invisible to

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<v Speaker 1>those town for weeks. We would go out at night

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<v Speaker 1>as I sat in the car, riding by dried up

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<v Speaker 1>rivers and dirt roads with flashlights with my aunts and uncles,

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<v Speaker 1>people I would only see on my mom's birthday for Dad.

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<v Speaker 1>It ended with my dad calling over his friend and

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<v Speaker 1>business partner, Lewis, to the house, only to carry him

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<v Speaker 1>by himself away from the tree sometime in the middle

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<v Speaker 1>of the night. For me, it hasn't ended yet. Dad

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<v Speaker 1>would speak of the shapes at night, the ones that

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<v Speaker 1>would whisper his name through the darkness of the fields.

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<v Speaker 1>He would look tover the tree and let a manic

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<v Speaker 1>laughter out, suddenly stopping what he was doing and sitting

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground to look toward it. He would tell

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<v Speaker 1>my brothers and I the stories of that tree. The

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<v Speaker 1>woman who stole, the man who lied, and the one

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<v Speaker 1>who killed. Everyone must pay was his lesson. But Dad

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<v Speaker 1>was too far gone by this point. His sentences stopped

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<v Speaker 1>making sense. Sometime around when my brothers went off to

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<v Speaker 1>college and I was just getting into high school. I

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<v Speaker 1>had learned to take care of myself by that point,

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<v Speaker 1>and I didn't need him anymore. And he knew that

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<v Speaker 1>the things that would come from the trees would remain

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<v Speaker 1>outside most days and wouldn't bother me, though I wish

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<v Speaker 1>I could have said the same for Dad. I heard

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<v Speaker 1>the door open one night, and I walked over to it,

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<v Speaker 1>only to see Dad walking out to the tree. It

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<v Speaker 1>didn't surprise me anymore. He would often talk about wanting

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<v Speaker 1>to confront everything himself and rush out there, sometimes spending

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<v Speaker 1>hours under the branches of the oak tree. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a haunted one. His conscience, as I now understand, was

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<v Speaker 1>too much to bear. That night was his last. I

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<v Speaker 1>walked out there before the sun came out to see

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<v Speaker 1>the familiar shape of a large ear of corn like

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<v Speaker 1>a sack, hanging from the tree. The police actually showed

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<v Speaker 1>up that time and took care of the rest. From

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<v Speaker 1>that point forward, things were silent for a while. I

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<v Speaker 1>would be on my own from that point forward. All

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<v Speaker 1>of this I remembered as I stood there, leaning on

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<v Speaker 1>the truck in front of the dark oak tree, as

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<v Speaker 1>the sun faded into the horizon behind the house, the

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<v Speaker 1>darkness that was that tree now swallowing up the property.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought of James and the real fear that I

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<v Speaker 1>felt about losing him for one of my choices, or

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<v Speaker 1>losing him to one of the many things he said

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<v Speaker 1>he would see roaming around that house. And end to

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<v Speaker 1>all of this was what we needed. Beatrice was right.

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<v Speaker 1>She always mentioned how our lives would be better outside

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<v Speaker 1>of that property, that memories become real far too often,

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<v Speaker 1>that I was beginning to turn into someone else, and

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<v Speaker 1>so I brushed toward the tree that night, now in

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<v Speaker 1>complete darkness, as I felt the shape swoshed by my sides,

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<v Speaker 1>the cries and the wailing of the ropes as they

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<v Speaker 1>feared getting snapped into the deep growl, slowly turning into

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<v Speaker 1>the final gasps of air the lives he had taken them.

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<v Speaker 1>I felt the roots of that monster in front of

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<v Speaker 1>me when I got close, nearly tumbling to the ground

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<v Speaker 1>before I felt the rough side of the trunk against

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<v Speaker 1>my hand. It twisted and turned hungry for what it

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<v Speaker 1>thought I was about to offer. I searched with the

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<v Speaker 1>tips of my fingers for the markings on that tree,

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<v Speaker 1>high up there where Dadd used to carve them. One, two,

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<v Speaker 1>three tally marks on the tree. I took the knife

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<v Speaker 1>out of my pocket, unfolded it, and right next to

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<v Speaker 1>the fingers of my left hand, I started carving the

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<v Speaker 1>last of them. I could feel the wind against the

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<v Speaker 1>oak tree and circling every part of my being as

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<v Speaker 1>it prepared for my climb. But it was not for me.

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<v Speaker 1>The fourth mark, long forgotten and missing, was for my father.

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<v Speaker 1>Four tally marks, four lives the tree would ever feel

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<v Speaker 1>against its surface. It was as though every scratch of

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<v Speaker 1>that knife against the wood meant so much more than

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<v Speaker 1>his very name on his headstone, A proper goodbye. I

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<v Speaker 1>finally pulled away from the oak tree and ran back

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<v Speaker 1>to the house. I stood still on that porch, the

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<v Speaker 1>light buzzing with mosquitoes by the doorframe, when I heard

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<v Speaker 1>it squeak open, Dad, Can we get a swing set,

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<v Speaker 1>James asked, startling me. Thought of someone swinging from a

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<v Speaker 1>set of ropes, and it chilled on my spine for

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<v Speaker 1>the last time. We'll get one for the new house,

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<v Speaker 1>I said, just as Beatrice stepped out toward the doorway.

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<v Speaker 1>We stood there for a bit and I looked at

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<v Speaker 1>her in the eyes before her smile faded. The wind

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<v Speaker 1>picked up and we all heard a deep hum coming

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<v Speaker 1>from the direction of the oak tree. We ran inside

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<v Speaker 1>as quickly as we could shut the door behind us.

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<v Speaker 1>Scary Story Podcast is written and produced by me Edwin

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<v Speaker 1>Kowar Robes. You can find me on social media and

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<v Speaker 1>on my website Scary Story podcast dot com. Links to everything,

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<v Speaker 1>including how to join Scary Plus, are in the description

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<v Speaker 1>of this episode. Thank you very much for listening. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>it scary everyone, See you soon.