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<v Speaker 1>I've been hiking, hunting, and fishing the New Hampshire Wilderness

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<v Speaker 1>my entire life. It's a small state, but eighty three

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<v Speaker 1>percent of it is covered in forest. There are no

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<v Speaker 1>big cities here. The population of the ten largest city

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<v Speaker 1>combined does not equal even a half a million people.

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<v Speaker 1>Mostly it's miles and miles of woods with no signs

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<v Speaker 1>of humans. In late spring of twenty and seventeen, two

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<v Speaker 1>of my friends and I were driving a back road

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere in Strafford County. We were using a spotlight to

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<v Speaker 1>look for deer and other wildlife that inhabited the area.

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<v Speaker 1>We were not illegally poaching the deer, We were just

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<v Speaker 1>looking for them. By the way, if you even shine

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<v Speaker 1>a light down here in Mississippi, you're going to jail.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether you have a life with you or not. You

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<v Speaker 1>can't spotlight down here. I don't know what the laws

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<v Speaker 1>are of there. Nobody rides around the woods shining lights

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<v Speaker 1>in fields and woods around here because you going to jail. Brother. Anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>on with the story. At around eleven thirty PM, we

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<v Speaker 1>came to a valley where we could get out and

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<v Speaker 1>stretch our legs next to a swamp surrounded by young oaks, maples,

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<v Speaker 1>beech trees, and pines. My friend Dan had to relieve

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<v Speaker 1>himself and went over to the edge of the swamp

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<v Speaker 1>out of sight. My other friend, Andrew and I were

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<v Speaker 1>considering pranking Dan by driving off and leaving him in

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<v Speaker 1>the dark for five minutes when we heard something rounding

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<v Speaker 1>the other side of the swamp. It was clearly walking

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<v Speaker 1>on two feet, and we thought it was Dan. Why

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<v Speaker 1>the heck did you go out that far? We shouted,

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<v Speaker 1>and the walking stop. I'm only over here, Dan answered,

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<v Speaker 1>as he approached us from the opposite direction. I quickly

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<v Speaker 1>grabbed the blot light and scanned the other side of

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<v Speaker 1>the swamp at our one o'clock. The light reflected two

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<v Speaker 1>auburn eyes that were almost completely concealed by cattail, reeds

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<v Speaker 1>and saplings. We figured it was some kind of predator,

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<v Speaker 1>but we weren't sure. Well the heck is that, Andrew asked.

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<v Speaker 1>The words had barely left his mouth when the thing

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<v Speaker 1>stood up. Our view of the thing was still mostly

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<v Speaker 1>blocked by the trees and leaves, but now we could

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<v Speaker 1>see a silhouette of a large upright figure. The eyes

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<v Speaker 1>were still shining at us through the leaves, though much

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<v Speaker 1>higher up. At this point, the only clearly visible part

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<v Speaker 1>of it were two black tree trunk sized legs, and

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<v Speaker 1>then it took a step back and it melted into

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<v Speaker 1>the trees. For the next ten to fifteen seconds, we

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<v Speaker 1>could hear it crashing and stomping deeper into the forest

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<v Speaker 1>at what seemed like an almost supernatural speed, and then

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<v Speaker 1>the sound was gone. We all looked at each other

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<v Speaker 1>in amazed silence. What did we just see? I ask everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>It definitely wasn't a bear. The sheer size and speed

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<v Speaker 1>at which it moved eliminated the possibility of it being

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<v Speaker 1>a human. We debated the possibilities during the car ride home,

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<v Speaker 1>but we never came to any logical conclusion as to

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<v Speaker 1>what it might be. Two months later, a coworker who

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<v Speaker 1>lives near that spot told me that her husband had

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<v Speaker 1>seen a bigfoot cross the road on Christmas Eve two

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<v Speaker 1>years before. It was less than a mile from where

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<v Speaker 1>my friends and I had seen this creature. Since then,

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<v Speaker 1>I have accepted that we saw bigfoot that night. Sadly,

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<v Speaker 1>Andrew died in a car accident in twenty eighteen, but

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<v Speaker 1>the subject has now become a hobby for me and

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<v Speaker 1>my friend Dan. We now spend a great deal of

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<v Speaker 1>time looking out for the elusive creature. I have one

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<v Speaker 1>other encounter, along with some other occurrences I would love

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<v Speaker 1>to share. Since our state doesn't have any established research

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<v Speaker 1>organizations on the subject, it doesn't matter to me if

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<v Speaker 1>you ever used this story on your channel. It's not

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<v Speaker 1>a Bigfoot story. It's just something I was thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>and I felt like talking kind of straightened it out

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<v Speaker 1>in my own mind, I suppose, so I decided to

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<v Speaker 1>write it down. By all accounts, my grandfather was not

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<v Speaker 1>a very nice man. He was a strict disciplinarian, a

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<v Speaker 1>man who beat his wife and kids. By today's standards,

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<v Speaker 1>he'd be a criminal. But I think maybe he was

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<v Speaker 1>a victim of his times. Born somewhere around eighteen eighty,

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<v Speaker 1>he was of a time when it was the job

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<v Speaker 1>of the man to keep his house in order. A

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<v Speaker 1>man who failed to keep his house in order could

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<v Speaker 1>not be the deacon of a church, and was looked

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<v Speaker 1>upon as week. Any failings in his family would have

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<v Speaker 1>been his fail as a man. Now I'm not making

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<v Speaker 1>excuses for him. God knows I have my own reasons

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<v Speaker 1>to question his actions, and I try not to view

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<v Speaker 1>him too harshly. My grandfather died when I was two.

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<v Speaker 1>I was the only grandchild that he lived to see,

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<v Speaker 1>and by all accounts, in my one memory of him,

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<v Speaker 1>he loved me very much and he was very proud

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<v Speaker 1>of me, even though at the time my greatest achievement

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<v Speaker 1>was in having been born. Mama told me that he

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<v Speaker 1>died lying on the sofa in the living room of

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<v Speaker 1>the house he built and owned. He owned and built

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<v Speaker 1>another home for my uncle and his wife just behind us.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's no small feet for a black man born

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<v Speaker 1>only sixteen years after slavery. On the day he died,

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<v Speaker 1>the corner was playing golf and no one could move

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<v Speaker 1>the body until the corner pronounced him dead. And this

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<v Speaker 1>house was out in the country, and the corner didn't

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<v Speaker 1>see any and to interrupt his golf game, after all,

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<v Speaker 1>Granddaddy wasn't going anywhere. And he laid there for hours,

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<v Speaker 1>and finally the corner showed up and verified the obvious,

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<v Speaker 1>and the funeral home was called. And while they waited

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<v Speaker 1>for the hers, Grandpa sat up. Everybody in the house

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<v Speaker 1>saw it. He stood up, and he walked over to

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<v Speaker 1>his rocking chair. He sat down in it. And started rocking,

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<v Speaker 1>and after a few minutes of rocking, the chair slowed

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<v Speaker 1>to a stop. A little while later, the funeral home

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<v Speaker 1>picked him up from that chair, and when they got there,

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<v Speaker 1>everybody told them what had happened, and the director nodded,

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<v Speaker 1>and he says, these things can happen sometimes. That should

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<v Speaker 1>have marked the end of my time with my grandfather,

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<v Speaker 1>but that was not the case. When I was three

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<v Speaker 1>or four, I was playing in the dirt in the

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<v Speaker 1>front yard when someone blew in my ear. First, I

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<v Speaker 1>was engrossed in my game and I didn't paying much mine.

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<v Speaker 1>As it happened again and again. I tried to absently

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<v Speaker 1>to brush it away, and finally I stopped playing entirely,

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<v Speaker 1>and I looked around. It now had my full attention.

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<v Speaker 1>I knew this wasn't the wind. For one thing, the

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<v Speaker 1>air was still in For another, the wind doesn't blow

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<v Speaker 1>directly into your ear. There was no one there. I

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<v Speaker 1>stood up and I ran in the house and I

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<v Speaker 1>told my grandmother that someone was blowing in my ear,

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<v Speaker 1>but nobody was there. Oh, that's just your grandfather, She said,

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<v Speaker 1>don't worry, he won't hurt you. Well. I was shocked,

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<v Speaker 1>and I tried to process that information. I knew my

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<v Speaker 1>granddaddy was dead and he didn't have any business blowing

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<v Speaker 1>in my ear, But mother acted as if it was normal,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was used to taking my cue from her,

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<v Speaker 1>and I decided to let it go. But it troubled me,

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<v Speaker 1>and I didn't go back outside all day. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>know then that my grandmother was both right and wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>It wouldn't hurt me, but he would most definitely try.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, he would try to kill me. For the

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<v Speaker 1>most part, the things that happened during my years of

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<v Speaker 1>being shadowed by my grandpa's ghost were innocuous. Once, when

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<v Speaker 1>I was turning flips on the sofa, I heard a

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<v Speaker 1>voice that sounded just like my uncle, my grandfather's brother,

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<v Speaker 1>say stop that right now. I looked over and no

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<v Speaker 1>one was there. There wasn't even a car in the yard.

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<v Speaker 1>I found my grandmother in the back of the house

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<v Speaker 1>hanging out the wash, and I stayed outside with her.

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<v Speaker 1>Another time, it got into my head to try to

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<v Speaker 1>see my face in the bottom of the well. I

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<v Speaker 1>was about six at the time, and I noticed that

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<v Speaker 1>I could see a round circle of blue sky in

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<v Speaker 1>the dark depths of the well. I figured if I

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<v Speaker 1>could lean over far enough I could see my face

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle of that Sir. Now, I knew I

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<v Speaker 1>might fall, and I knew I couldn't swim. So I

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<v Speaker 1>let the bucket down into the water, believing that I

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<v Speaker 1>could grab the rope and scream until my grandmother came

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<v Speaker 1>and found me. But it never occurred to me that

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<v Speaker 1>I could hit my head on the way down, or

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<v Speaker 1>that the rope may come loose when I grabbed it.

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<v Speaker 1>I scrambled my way up the side of the well

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<v Speaker 1>and I leaned over, and I couldn't see my face.

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<v Speaker 1>I needed to get higher, and I pushed and scraped

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<v Speaker 1>and pulled my way up the stone sides, and I

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<v Speaker 1>still wasn't high enough. I took a deep breath and

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<v Speaker 1>I tried again. This time I heard a loud, stern

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<v Speaker 1>voice shout, get down. I let go of the well

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<v Speaker 1>and I dropped back to the ground, fully expecting to

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<v Speaker 1>get a good chewing out from my uncle, But there

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<v Speaker 1>was nobody. I didn't learn until a few months ago

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<v Speaker 1>that my baby brother had also heard the same voice,

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<v Speaker 1>and he too thought it was our uncle. The last

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<v Speaker 1>thing to happen before my grandfather's force departure happened in

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<v Speaker 1>front of my friends, Brenda and Benny, who lived up

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<v Speaker 1>the hill. My mother was friends with their mother, and

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<v Speaker 1>one day she walked up to the hill to visit,

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<v Speaker 1>and I went with her. We were playing on the

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<v Speaker 1>swing set in their yard while our mothers talked outside.

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<v Speaker 1>They were both older than me, and they could swing

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<v Speaker 1>higher than me, and I was desperate to get as

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<v Speaker 1>high as they did. But no matter how hard I tried,

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<v Speaker 1>I just couldn't do it. And then suddenly my swing

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<v Speaker 1>froze in mid air. The chain attached to the seat

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<v Speaker 1>was outstretched and taut. Brenda and Bennie jumped off their

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<v Speaker 1>swings and stared up at me, and I looked down

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<v Speaker 1>at them, and I needed a lighter or something, and

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<v Speaker 1>my swing went four feet higher, and I started to

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<v Speaker 1>kick and scream, and my swing came loose from whatever

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<v Speaker 1>force held it, and I swooped backwards through the air.

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<v Speaker 1>More than anything in the world, I did not want

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<v Speaker 1>that swing to go up again, and I dug my

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<v Speaker 1>feet in the dirt to stop it, while my friends watched,

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<v Speaker 1>wide eyed and frozen. And when I managed to get off,

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<v Speaker 1>we all stood there, looking at the swing, in each

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<v Speaker 1>other and in the way of children who have just

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<v Speaker 1>experienced something they know adults will not believe. We went

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<v Speaker 1>and played somewhere else. We never got back on that swing,

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<v Speaker 1>not that day, not ever, And that brings me to

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<v Speaker 1>the culmination of these events. My grandfather's house was in

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<v Speaker 1>a small country town where there wasn't much by the

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<v Speaker 1>way of employment. A granddaddy had been a farmer, an

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<v Speaker 1>occupation my father had no interest in continuing, so Daddy

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<v Speaker 1>and Mama both worked in the larger town about an

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<v Speaker 1>hour away, and sometimes they stayed there, and sometimes they

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<v Speaker 1>came home, and on this night they were home. But

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<v Speaker 1>I was used to my grandmother taking care of me,

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<v Speaker 1>so when I woke up in pain that night, I

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<v Speaker 1>tried to wake her. There were sharp pains in my stomach,

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<v Speaker 1>as if my intestines were being pulled out of my body.

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<v Speaker 1>I shook my grandmother and I called her, but I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't wake her, and this was unusual because Grandmother was

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<v Speaker 1>a very light sleeper. And finally I gave up and

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<v Speaker 1>got out of bed and went to the door of

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<v Speaker 1>the room where my parents were sleeping. And I was

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<v Speaker 1>crying when I opened the door, and Mama heard me

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<v Speaker 1>immediately what's wrong, she asked, Sleepy, I told her my

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<v Speaker 1>stomach hurts, and I was crying from the ache and

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<v Speaker 1>tears were streaming down my face. Mama threw back the

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<v Speaker 1>covers and got out of bed. They went to the

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<v Speaker 1>bathroom and pulled a peptipismo from the medicine cabinet, and

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<v Speaker 1>we went to the kitchen for a spoon and sat

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<v Speaker 1>down on the sofa in the living room, and she

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<v Speaker 1>gave me a dose from the bottle, and I fell

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<v Speaker 1>asleep with my head in her lap. I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>how long I slept, but she woke me up and

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<v Speaker 1>sent me off to bed, saying, you'll feel better, now,

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<v Speaker 1>go get some rest. I did feel better, but not

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<v Speaker 1>for long. As soon as I climbed into bed, the

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<v Speaker 1>horrible jerking and pulling pain started again. I felt as

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<v Speaker 1>if I was dying, and I sat up in bed crying,

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<v Speaker 1>and I saw Mother struggle to open her eyes, but

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<v Speaker 1>she fell back to sleep. It was the only time

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<v Speaker 1>in my life that I felt she didn't really care

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<v Speaker 1>about me, but I knew that wasn't true, so I

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<v Speaker 1>thought she must really be tired. I didn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>go back to Mama's room, but I didn't have a choice.

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<v Speaker 1>This happened a time when television played the Star Spangled

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<v Speaker 1>Banner when it went off at night, and I never

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<v Speaker 1>thought of sitting up in the dark alone. Now opened

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<v Speaker 1>the bedroom door, hoping that Mama wouldn't get impatient with me.

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<v Speaker 1>It still hurts, I said again. Mama threw back the covers,

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<v Speaker 1>and I heard Daddy Mama, what's wrong with her? She says,

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<v Speaker 1>she's sick. Mama answered. This time Daddy got up and

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<v Speaker 1>came with us. We were all in the living room

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<v Speaker 1>and I was sniffling on the sofa with Mama rubbing

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<v Speaker 1>my stomach. Daddy was sitting in a chair, skimming through

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<v Speaker 1>a magazine and talking to Mama, And after a while

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<v Speaker 1>I went to sleep, listening to the soft sound of

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<v Speaker 1>their voices as they whispered back and forth. I was

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<v Speaker 1>later shaken awake by Mama, who was telling me to

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<v Speaker 1>go back to bed, and I looked around and I

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<v Speaker 1>saw that Daddy was gone. I didn't want to go

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<v Speaker 1>back to bed. Something was happening in that bed, and

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<v Speaker 1>every time I got into bed, those horrible pains would start.

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<v Speaker 1>I walked slowly down the hallway to my grandmother's room

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<v Speaker 1>as soon as I was back in the bed, the

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<v Speaker 1>torture and my stomach began again. I held it, curling

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<v Speaker 1>into a ball and willing it to stop, willing myself

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<v Speaker 1>to be stronger so that I could endure it. That

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<v Speaker 1>is the first time I heard the voice. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a man's voice, and it seemed to be speaking to

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<v Speaker 1>me telepathically. I had no idea at the time what

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<v Speaker 1>telepathy was, but someone was talking to me inside my head. Again,

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<v Speaker 1>I was six or seven years old. I didn't question that.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the same way we didn't question it when that

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<v Speaker 1>swing stopped in mid air and the voice told me

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<v Speaker 1>that my grandfather wanted to take me with him. You

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<v Speaker 1>have to stay awake, it said. I spoke back to

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<v Speaker 1>it the same way it spoke to me, with a thought.

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<v Speaker 1>But I have to sleep, I said. I can't stay

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<v Speaker 1>awake forever, and he'll get me. He only has tonight,

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<v Speaker 1>the voice answered, If you'll live till the morning, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>live well. I wanted to ask why he had any

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<v Speaker 1>time at all, but Mama had taught us about messing

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<v Speaker 1>in grown folks business, and this seemed to be grown

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<v Speaker 1>folks business. If ever, there was any besides the voice,

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<v Speaker 1>could read my mind too. It knew the question I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to ask, and it had not answered, and I

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<v Speaker 1>decided to leave well enough alone. Crying loudly now from

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<v Speaker 1>the pain in my stomach, I struggled out of bed.

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<v Speaker 1>This time. Mama met me at the door to her room,

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<v Speaker 1>Margaret in She said, why is it that you only

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<v Speaker 1>seem to be sick when you go back to bed,

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<v Speaker 1>As long as you're in the living room, you seem fine.

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to ask her, well, if you know that,

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<v Speaker 1>why do you keep sending me back to bed? But

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<v Speaker 1>I knew better than to say that. She might consider

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<v Speaker 1>it back talking and send me to bed, saying and

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<v Speaker 1>you better not get up again, which would probably be

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<v Speaker 1>the end of me. So I stood there silently, staring

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<v Speaker 1>up at her while she looked down into my tears

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<v Speaker 1>stained face, and finally she sighed and took me back

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<v Speaker 1>into the living room again. I went to sleep. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know how long we were there, but she woke

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<v Speaker 1>me up, saying, it's almost day. Go back to bed now.

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<v Speaker 1>I got up, and as we walked through the still

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<v Speaker 1>dark house, I looked toward the kitchen window, which faced east.

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<v Speaker 1>I could just make out a pencil edge of daylight

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<v Speaker 1>on the horizon. The sun was coming up. Wouldn't be

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<v Speaker 1>much longer. The voice had told me that he had

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<v Speaker 1>till morning. So I climbed back in bed next to

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<v Speaker 1>my grandmother, and immediately the pain in my stomach began

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<v Speaker 1>even harder than before, and I buried my face in

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<v Speaker 1>my pillow and I cried while I held my stomach,

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<v Speaker 1>and I tried not to go back to my parents' room.

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<v Speaker 1>The sun was coming up fast now, and soon the

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<v Speaker 1>pain began to go away, And as it drifted away,

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<v Speaker 1>I drifted off to sleep. I never saw or heard

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<v Speaker 1>from my grandfather after that. In later years, I read

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<v Speaker 1>something in the Bible that said, when the silver cord

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<v Speaker 1>is loosed, the connection between life and after life. I

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<v Speaker 1>also heard someone speaking on an astral projection talk about

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<v Speaker 1>silver chords connecting the spirit body to the physical body,

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<v Speaker 1>and when it comes loose, that's the end of life

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<v Speaker 1>in this world. He said that it seemed to be

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<v Speaker 1>around the navel or in the stomach area. I wonder

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<v Speaker 1>about that and that horrible pulling. But more than that,

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<v Speaker 1>I wondered why my grandfather would try to kill me.

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<v Speaker 1>He could have just let me fall into the well

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<v Speaker 1>years before. I've come to the conclusion that he wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to take me because he loved me and he wanted

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<v Speaker 1>me to be with him. I don't think he really

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<v Speaker 1>believed Mom and Daddy would take care of me. He

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<v Speaker 1>did know my grandmother would, which is why I think

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<v Speaker 1>she wasn't allowed to wake up that night. Granddaddy was

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<v Speaker 1>certain the family would fall apart without him, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>why he fought so hard to live, and that's why

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<v Speaker 1>his spirit reanimated his dead body. But he couldn't make

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<v Speaker 1>it live. He could only make it move in a way.

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<v Speaker 1>He was right. My uncle and his wife divorced shortly

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<v Speaker 1>after his death, and my parents divorced five years later.

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<v Speaker 1>If he had lived, could he have stopped all that?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think so. He may have delayed it, but

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<v Speaker 1>it would have happened anyway. That was the whole point.

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<v Speaker 1>That was what the owner of that voice I heard

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<v Speaker 1>was trying to teach him. People are in charge of

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<v Speaker 1>their own destinies. He could even control a seven year

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<v Speaker 1>old girl. And as for that voice, I still hear

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<v Speaker 1>it sometimes. When I do, I always listen