WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:09.359 A kind and brilliant boy, a strange obsession with dolls, 2 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:13.320 and a story that still gives me chills to this day. 3 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:21.679 My name is Edwin, and here is a scary story. 4 00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:27.000 Like with every job I had up until that point, 5 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:31.199 it started with desperation. The homecoming dance was coming up 6 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:33.000 and I needed to get enough money to buy a 7 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.880 dress and shoes. And everything I had done up until 8 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:40.119 that point was get babysitting gigs here and there. Normally, 9 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.399 these would be friends of my family who would ask 10 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:44.439 me to watch their kids while they went out on 11 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:46.759 date night or during the day when there was a 12 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:50.280 work event where their children couldn't go. But this one 13 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:54.520 was different. Back then, with house phones, we had Mom 14 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:56.880 be the one who picked up the phone all the time. 15 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:00.439 But on this particular night, I happened to Anne from 16 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:04.879 the kitchen. It was for me, not unusual. This is 17 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:06.959 how our friends or anyone really would get a hold 18 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.480 of us, except for a few who had cell phones already. 19 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:12.760 It was a woman named Elizabeth who asked for me 20 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:16.120 by name, saying that she had these appointments every Thursday 21 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:19.040 evening for a recurring commitment at work, and that until 22 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.159 they got a replacement. They needed a babysitter only until 23 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:25.719 her and her husband got home, typically around seven pm 24 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:31.439 on those days. Would eighty bucks be all right? Of 25 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:35.400 course it would, especially back then this was good money. 26 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:38.040 I would only have to work a day and be 27 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:40.280 able to afford most of what I would need and 28 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:43.599 needed to pay for as a high school kid. There 29 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.560 was one bus that would take me there. It drove 30 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.000 down one of the side streets by the highway and 31 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.239 take me straight to the small valley just over the 32 00:01:51.319 --> 00:01:54.400 hill that the entire town could see from pretty much anywhere. 33 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.120 Rock Hill, we called it, although it had a name 34 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:01.599 that I only found after getting on that bus, drew 35 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:05.359 Berry Viewpoint, as a driver announced once I got to 36 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.960 the stop. But still I kept calling it rock Hill. 37 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:13.319 It sounded better. The house was one of the few 38 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:18.360 in the area, typical rich person home, two stories, porch 39 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:21.960 all around the exterior, and acres of land behind it, 40 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:26.199 trees that created a little forest back there. The inside 41 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:29.280 was modern open space, and the smell of baked breads 42 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.439 or cookies seemed to be absorbed into the curtains and couches. 43 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:36.240 When I showed up, the mother was waiting for me 44 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:38.639 by the porch walking up to me as soon as 45 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:40.280 you saw me come through the gate at the front 46 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:44.199 of the property. I hated that awkward walk toward each other, 47 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:46.360 whether it was a friend of mine coming up to 48 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:49.280 me down a hallway or a stranger on a sidewalk. 49 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.759 But there we were, trying to decide when to greet 50 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:59.479 each other until she finally did Are you Emma? She asked, yelling, 51 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:02.479 had pretended not to hear her, and then followed up 52 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:08.439 with a oh, yeah, Elizabeth, right, how are you? Both 53 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:10.599 of us yelling at each other, trying to make small 54 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:14.879 talk until we weren't anymore. That was early, so I 55 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:17.240 was surprised that she was ready for me, but I 56 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.400 was glad to be able to get inside right away. 57 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.120 As he walked in, she introduced me to her husband, 58 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.439 who was holding a broom in his hand, sweeping up 59 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:28.680 some large blocks like legos, but the ones that a 60 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.400 baby couldn't swallow. He set it off to the side 61 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:36.680 and walked up toward me, smiling. How was the right 62 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:40.560 over you hopped on the twenty four bus, Elizabeth? I 63 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:42.520 should have told me to go get you, he said, 64 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:45.120 not really sure if he meant it, but the bus 65 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:48.120 wasn't too bad anyway. I smiled and tried to say 66 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:52.719 something else, but instead found myself being quiet again. They 67 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:57.240 soon started explaining everything and we got along great. Might 68 00:03:57.240 --> 00:03:59.319 always get there early, and they would always pay me 69 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.759 right when I after house. Elizabeth and her husband David 70 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:07.560 were kind and very respectful of everything, including giving me 71 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.919 money for food, and often asked what I wanted to 72 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.879 have stocked in the fridge for me, always welcoming me 73 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:15.080 to bring along a friend if I got bored, and 74 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.800 that they had cable TV, which was huge for me 75 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:21.600 at the time. Reality TV shows were more like contests 76 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.720 than Mom would never let me watch them, especially the 77 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:29.800 dating ones. But that house, my god, it was quiet 78 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:33.240 with the television off. And oh, the child, how could 79 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:37.040 I forget? The kid was an angel? Well, at least 80 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.800 in the beginning. They thought that this is what I 81 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:43.000 wanted to do as a career choice. Baby sitting one 82 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:45.160 oh one, I would joke to myself as I made 83 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:49.040 up what the lessons would be. His name was Chris, 84 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:53.439 seven years old and very smart for his age. He 85 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:56.120 would ask me questions about high school and love talking 86 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.720 about the things that he learned in school, what his 87 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:02.800 homework was about pretty much everything. She prepared his own 88 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.839 sandwiches and cereal whenever he got hungry. On the weeks, 89 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:09.079 when I finished my own homework and he finished his, 90 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:11.639 he would end up watching television in the living room, 91 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.480 the History Channel mostly, But one thing that always bothered 92 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:18.079 me was just how suddenly he would get up and 93 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:21.240 without saying a word, it would go up to his room. 94 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.319 The first time, it threw me off. I thought I 95 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.279 had said something or that the show we were watching 96 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:31.560 upset him. I was warned about this by his father, 97 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:34.720 that he liked to be alone with his thoughts sometimes. 98 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.519 I'm sure you've met some children like these before, some 99 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.040 that seem like they are adults already in the way 100 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:44.000 they act or behave. Maybe it's something in their eyes 101 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:47.160 that give it away. But although I've experienced it several 102 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.600 times after meeting Chris, it has never been in the 103 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:54.959 exact same way. Chris liked to be alone, except for 104 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:57.279 when he would come down and flick on the television. 105 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:01.959 I don't think he liked watching it alone. His comments 106 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:06.079 on the documentaries, observations on historical figures or theories about 107 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:09.519 the past, the way he would focus. I don't know 108 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:13.600 something about it just made him seem much older than seven. 109 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:18.120 Did you know that the Great Wall of China doesn't 110 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.360 actually cover the entire country's border, and that it's broken 111 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:25.319 down in certain parts. I acted like I knew what 112 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:27.319 he was talking about. But the more and more he 113 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:29.800 told me, the more I thought that maybe I should 114 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:33.480 have paid more attention in history class. He told me 115 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:37.279 how the Constitution was drafted, who Benjamin Franklin was, and 116 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:41.639 how the Second World War ended. Of course, he also 117 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:45.040 had his childlike obsessions, just like every other kid, and 118 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:48.439 for Chris, it was drawing. The times I would go 119 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:50.639 up to his room to get him to come downstairs, 120 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:52.439 or to let him know that his parents were home, 121 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:55.240 I would catch glimpses of his drawings up on the walls. 122 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.720 He would often replace them, but there were dozens of them, 123 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.879 making me wonder how many he would make on any 124 00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:05.800 given day. There was one that really caught my eye, 125 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.279 and it was of the building the church La Sagrada Familia, 126 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:11.560 which I came to learn was an old church in 127 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:15.040 Spain that took forever to build, along with its many towers. 128 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:20.560 I don't think it's finished yet. His parents had books, 129 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:23.079 a ton of them all along the last hallway near 130 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:26.360 the back of the house. The shelves reached the ceiling, 131 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:29.120 which some of them turned sideways to ensure they filled 132 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.319 every space available. Most were in English, but I also 133 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.240 remember seeing some in Spanish, Portuguese and French. I often 134 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:40.240 wondered how they kept the place from smelling like an 135 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:43.600 old library, you know what I'm talking about, the smell 136 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:47.519 of old paper and dusty carpets. And all this time 137 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:51.240 I never questioned how Chris knew all this stuff. I 138 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.519 could usually see what spot he would put the stool 139 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.120 or step ladder he would lean against the bookshelves. He 140 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:00.000 would almost always go for a book with pictures or illustrates, 141 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:04.759 and those were usually the bigger ones. Once he was finished, 142 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:06.800 he would bring them right back to where they had been, 143 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:09.720 and I would sometimes push in the books a little 144 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:12.240 bit more into the shelf, just to tidy it up. 145 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.480 One afternoon, I showed up early again and Elizabeth, Chris's mother, 146 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:21.759 walked up toward me when I was going through the gate. 147 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.959 How are you, she asked, a worried look on her face. 148 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.000 We wanted to stake Chris with us today. I don't 149 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.320 think he's feeling well, but he refused. He wanted to 150 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:38.039 stay and wait for you. We were coming into the 151 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:40.039 house by this point, and I was trying to catch 152 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:42.240 my breath after trying to keep up with Elizabeth on 153 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:45.440 the walk up to the porch. David met us at 154 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.320 the doorway, greeting me and asking Elizabeth if she had 155 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:54.840 told me. She nodded, be ready. He asked her. Something 156 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.840 was a little bit different about them that day, and 157 00:08:57.879 --> 00:08:59.919 it wouldn't take very long for me to catch onto 158 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:03.919 what was going on. But it wasn't a problem with them. 159 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.840 It was Chris and what he wanted to tell me. 160 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.360 The hundreds of drawings all over his room I saw 161 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:13.279 when I walked up to it, and I can't clearly 162 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:21.480 remember it too. I heard laughter from his room, the 163 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.519 first time I had heard something like that. So I 164 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.480 did my usual knock aty knock knock on his door, 165 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:31.240 and he became quiet. I opened the door. He was 166 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.840 sitting on the round rug on the floor, bright green 167 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:40.120 against the rest of it. His back was turned toward me. Chris. 168 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:42.759 I asked him, expecting him to turn around with his 169 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:48.120 usual high and brief smile, but instead he sat still, 170 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:52.360 frozen in place. I could tell by the direction of 171 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:55.720 his nose that he was looking towards the window. His 172 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.039 right hand, that held a pencil he was drawing with, 173 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:03.159 was completely still against the spiral notebook. I started walking 174 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:13.360 toward him. Chris, he didn't budge. Chris. He set his 175 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.840 pencil down. I looked away from the window. His eyes 176 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:19.320 slowly turned toward me as the chill of the cold 177 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:28.559 air outside started drifting in. Okay, they left, he whispered. 178 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.159 I looked around the room and walked toward the window 179 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.200 to shut it. The sun was setting, so the sky 180 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:40.240 was a darker blue outside. I looked at his drawings 181 00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:42.840 as I always did, but held my breath as I 182 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:47.519 saw his new ones, dozens of them, dolls on a 183 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.120 window frame in each of the white sheets of paper, 184 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:54.480 all lined up against his wall. I was standing in 185 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.320 Chris's room, trying to decipher what had just happened, so 186 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:06.200 I asked the obvious question, who left? Who are they? 187 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.799 He looked at me. I could tell he was already 188 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:13.120 wondering if I would believe the next words out of 189 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.360 his mouth, and I got a chill down my spine 190 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:19.720 when I heard him say, with a slight nervousness in 191 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:37.960 his voice, the dolls. I stared at him in silence. 192 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.399 This kid was far too smart to joke around like that, 193 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.399 enough to know that it would be hard to believe 194 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:49.840 at least the dolls, I asked, not whispering anymore, as 195 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:55.000 I looked toward the window again. Yes, he said, a 196 00:11:55.080 --> 00:12:00.360 tear sliding down and around his nose. Can we can 197 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:03.240 we go watch TV? He asked as he stood up. 198 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:07.200 I followed him out of the room and down the stairs. 199 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:10.799 I grabbed the remote and flicked it on. The show 200 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:14.440 The Amazing Race was on. I had so many questions 201 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.039 zooming around my brain that I honestly can't remember how 202 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:20.559 long we were watching before he decided to speak up again. 203 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:24.559 I would recall this lesson of babysitting one O one 204 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:32.919 as patience, Wait and listen. They have a game, he said. 205 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.559 I lowered the volume on the TV. It's like a secret, 206 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.879 he continued, similar to when he was telling me about 207 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.960 something he watched or read about. The Last time he 208 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:47.240 sounded like this was when he mentioned the CIA and 209 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:49.840 some of their secret missions that were in secrets anymore. 210 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:55.720 They said, I can't tell my mom and dad, and 211 00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:03.879 then he whispered, but they didn't say anything about you. Okay, 212 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:08.360 I caught myself whispering, who are they? And what are 213 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:13.200 you talking about? What? Games? I was impatient. I don't 214 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:17.200 think he had ever seen me like that. Okay, he 215 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:22.960 started the shaking of his voice. Was gone. Four nights ago. 216 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.159 A thing woke me up, A tapping on my window. 217 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:30.919 He went on to tell me one of the most 218 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:35.000 terrifying stories I'd ever heard, although I must admit I 219 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.759 think it was because it was coming from him, the 220 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:40.480 boy who was so involved in facts and thoughts in 221 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:44.679 his own little world. He told me he was woken 222 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:47.399 up by this tapping on the window, but I hadn't 223 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:50.120 woken him up completely. When he felt the bed sheet 224 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:53.879 vibrating from the left side, the side closest to the window. 225 00:13:55.679 --> 00:13:58.759 At first he thought it was just his imagination, but 226 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:03.120 then he felt it tug, similar to when you're fishing. 227 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:07.519 You ever been fishing, he asked. I nodded, even though 228 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.480 I had no idea what fish felt. At the end 229 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:14.159 of a line. He sat up, unable to scream, but 230 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:17.840 wide awake when he saw a small ball of dark 231 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:23.000 hair leaning over the edge of the bed. Chris always 232 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.159 had a tiny night light on in the shape of 233 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:28.080 a shell against the wall right next to his bed, 234 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.840 with his eyes wide open in disbelief. He saw it 235 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:37.519 as it climbed up, a doll, one that would reach 236 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:40.080 up to his knees if he were standing up. He said, 237 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:45.080 it was pretty large. It dragged itself up toward his 238 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.679 stomach as he held his breath. It put its hand 239 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.240 up to its mouth and shushed him in a distant whisper. 240 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:59.360 It blinked its large eyes, and that's all he remembered. 241 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.600 He woke up early the next morning, cold from the 242 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:06.720 window that had been left open from the night before. 243 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.360 He drowsily stepped over to it. It was a foggy morning, wet, 244 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.919 he said. The window was dirty and with tiny hand 245 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:20.960 marks from the outside. He stopped talking for a second. 246 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:25.159 You can probably still find them. I want to see, 247 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:29.519 he asked, quickly changing his mind, nervous about what he 248 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.200 was telling me, waiting for me to tell him something. 249 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.120 What did you do, I asked him. I was going 250 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.320 to tell mom, he said, But I already knew what 251 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:45.639 she was going to tell me, so I didn't. I 252 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.720 kind of understood the mom was a kind that was 253 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:53.360 worried all the time about everything. I later learned that 254 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:55.399 she had threatened to take away the step ladder from 255 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:57.360 him so he wouldn't be reaching for books on the 256 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:02.039 high shelves. Apparently it had all because of the curious 257 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.000 things he would say. I'm using her own words here. 258 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:08.759 She was trying to get him to stop reading all 259 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:13.159 those books, and I forgot to mention her interesting list 260 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:16.639 of instructions about it limiting TV time, not letting him 261 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.240 draw so much, and that if he started acting like 262 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:22.000 a weird kid, she said to just have him tell 263 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:28.039 me a story. Weird advice, I guess, and that's actually 264 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:32.440 how I ended up hearing so many. But this one, well, 265 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:36.759 this one was different. Let's see them, I told him, 266 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.559 in a tone that I wanted to sound like I 267 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:41.840 wasn't scared inside, but I messed up and instead sounded 268 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:47.360 overly happy. We walked upstairs again. The door to his 269 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:49.960 room had been left open, and he walked in and 270 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:53.320 over to the bright green rug in the center. I 271 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:57.519 followed close behind. He stretched his arm out toward the 272 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.480 window and I could see them. Although I can't say 273 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:03.440 I had ever seen dull hand prints on anything else before, 274 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.640 they looked more like scratches and yes, I hated it, 275 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:12.160 but it made sense. Plastic Hans probably wouldn't leave anything 276 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:18.799 other than scratches on glass. Chris, I'm gonna talk to 277 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.680 you like I would to have grown up, all right. 278 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.880 He looked at me with white eyes, which you're telling 279 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:29.279 me is crazy. But first I want to hear what happened, 280 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:31.880 the full story. You saw the hand marks, and you 281 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:36.359 decided not to tell your mom what happened next this 282 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:39.640 part of babysitting one O one I would call detective 283 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:44.880 techniques how to get the truth. Chris had stayed up 284 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:47.279 for part of the night, this time waiting for these 285 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.759 things to come by the window again. The light from 286 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:53.880 under the window shined perfectly against the wall by his bed, 287 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:57.079 and he looked at that near perfect square of light 288 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:00.799 against the wall for two more nights, thinking that he 289 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.160 would see the silhouettes of the dolls climbing over the 290 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:07.240 window frame. I would have been too scared to stay 291 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:10.680 in that room. But like I said, this kid was different. 292 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:13.960 The way he told me about what he did in 293 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:17.119 this situation with the dolls, it was like hearing it 294 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:19.960 from a long time writer where an old uncle who 295 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.559 lived out in the woods. But anyway, the kid didn't 296 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:29.559 see them again, so they're gone, I concluded for him, 297 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:34.880 but he continued, well, I didn't see them alive, like 298 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:38.880 here in my room. I saw them in my dreams. 299 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:47.039 He paused for a moment, sort of like dreams. I 300 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.079 sat down on the floor as he explained what he 301 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:53.319 went through for those remaining nights. He had woken up 302 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:56.720 in an old house, a cabin, he said, and his 303 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:59.880 eye started glazing over everything, as though he was reliving 304 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:04.880 every second. I sat there on a chair as it 305 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.799 came up to me, twisted my arms and told me 306 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:11.480 to stay still. One of them in particular, seemed to 307 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.279 be the leader of the group. She put an empty 308 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:16.599 cup in front of me on the floor and asked 309 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.519 me to drink from it, tilting it up toward my 310 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.359 face so hard that I could feel the ceramic against 311 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.880 my nose, And when I tried to move, she would 312 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:29.720 yell words I'm not allowed to say, right, Can I 313 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:33.599 say them? I looked at him, not done, imagining what 314 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:39.519 he had just told me. Yes, I said. He struggled 315 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:41.640 to get the words out of his mouth, but to 316 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:45.519 spare you the details, he was called names, horrible things 317 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:50.039 and insults, things that had never even heard my mother say, 318 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:55.480 and that should tell you something. On the second night, 319 00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:58.880 he said, he met other dolls, all of them sitting 320 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.960 with him on the floor, on chairs, and on risky 321 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:06.000 places like the edge of a table, on shelves. But 322 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.440 in all of them he could hear their voices, come 323 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:17.279 play with me, come play with me, and then instructions 324 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:21.920 over and over again for their creepy games, all in 325 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:28.400 their distant voices like adults, blank pretend tea parties, story time, 326 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:34.200 and singalongs. And he could tell by the laughter that 327 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:37.079 would break out in the end, like when an actor 328 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:45.200 breaks character taunting him. I would cry, he said, But 329 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:50.400 then I would be here in my room again. The 330 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:54.799 boy was sad. He looked down with a frown, lost 331 00:20:54.880 --> 00:21:00.240 and nowhere no one to turn to for help. Can 332 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.000 I tell your parents? What about your dad? Let's lock 333 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:05.880 up your windows? I don't know. Don't stay here, I said, 334 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.160 admitting that I believe him now. When I yelled for 335 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:12.920 them over there, the doll said that they were my 336 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:19.960 parents now, and they got angry. They hurt me. I 337 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:23.119 decided to stop asking questions at this moment, but I 338 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:24.720 knew that I had to talk to them to at 339 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:26.519 least let them know of what he had told me. 340 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:30.799 Listening to a kid, one that had no reason to 341 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:34.200 lie like this cry real tears of pain at remembering 342 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:39.519 something was beyond anything I had ever experienced. We both 343 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:43.559 walked downstairs again and sat in silence, the television on 344 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:47.200 volume level two until his dad showed up, greeted us 345 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:50.240 as always, paid me, and walked with me toward the 346 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:56.119 front gate. And the days that followed, I kept thinking 347 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:59.000 of how I could tell them such a story, one 348 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.599 that no one would ever believe, dolls that are coming 349 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:06.680 after Chris, and that he has nowhere to turn to. 350 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:10.720 And I was just about to gather the courage to 351 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:13.720 pick up the phone. It took a lot more back then. 352 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:20.200 When I got a call from Elizabeth and a shaky voice, 353 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:22.440 She asked me if I knew of any of Chris's 354 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:27.079 friends hints clues about where he could have gone. David 355 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:29.400 took the phone over and begged for me to please 356 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:34.359 tell him if I remembered anything. The police showed up 357 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:37.440 within half an hour. They were waiting for me outside 358 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:40.759 along with my mom by the front door. I thought 359 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.279 I was in trouble. I had heard about this before. 360 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.640 If I couldn't help, they would blame me. At least 361 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:50.480 that's what some of my friends talked about. Chris had 362 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:54.759 gone missing after dinner. He went upstairs to finish some 363 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:57.200 of his drawings, and when his parents went up to 364 00:22:57.240 --> 00:23:02.359 check on him a little bit later on, they searched 365 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:05.359 all over for him and only found his pencils out 366 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:08.079 of place and the bookmark he was making for himself 367 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:12.440 out on his little table. It was the last that 368 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:16.680 was known of him. I went over to visit them 369 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:19.799 before the year was over. Maybe this time I would 370 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:23.200 tell them about Chris's dreams. I had held on to 371 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:26.839 them long enough, maybe something that would at least explain 372 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:29.519 what the scratches on the window had been, the ones 373 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:33.400 that the police had found. But David got to the 374 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:37.599 door and Elizabeth started screaming, crying when she saw me. 375 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:46.519 She wasn't ready, he said. David started apologizing. I understood. 376 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:51.960 I walked back out over the front gate in silence, 377 00:23:53.960 --> 00:24:08.160 wondering what the lesson here would be. Scary Story podcast 378 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:12.119 has written and produced by me Edwin Kobarrubias. Take It 379 00:24:12.200 --> 00:24:14.279 in Touch check out the links in the description of 380 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:16.640 this episode, and if you want to support the stories. 381 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:20.119 Try out scary Plus over on scaryplus dot com. You 382 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.200 can also drop some stars from me in the reviews, 383 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:25.039 and if you have a true story that you want 384 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:28.960 me to read, email me Edwin at scarystory dot com 385 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:31.680 or use a contact form on our website. Let's see 386 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:35.720 if we can put together a Listener Stories episode. Anyway, 387 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:39.720 thank you very much for listening. Keep it scary everyone, 388 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:41.599 See you soon.