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<v Speaker 1>It was raining the last Christmas we spent with our father. Technically,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the last one we spent with my mother too.

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<v Speaker 1>She was the one who knew how to call him.

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<v Speaker 1>A stubborn man. He was who had only listened to

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<v Speaker 1>what she said. We all used to say that he

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<v Speaker 1>was afraid of her. She turned him around. Mother would

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<v Speaker 1>often say, otherwise he would be out drinking, and if

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<v Speaker 1>it weren't for her, he would be out in the

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<v Speaker 1>streets begging for coins to get a beer out of

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<v Speaker 1>the refrigerated section of the local Utahns and expired food store.

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<v Speaker 1>Not expired, just not optimal, my father would say. But

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<v Speaker 1>they loved each other in their own ways. He would

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<v Speaker 1>bring her the groceries and his paycheck. Every Monday meant

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<v Speaker 1>every single Monday we would have chicken soup, no matter

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<v Speaker 1>the weather or the time of the year. No one

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<v Speaker 1>else liked it as much as my father did. It

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<v Speaker 1>was how they fell in love, he would say, when

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<v Speaker 1>he was feeling talkative. It's how we knew that he

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<v Speaker 1>was a softie behind that tough skin. And they had

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<v Speaker 1>been traveling between cities that year to be home just

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<v Speaker 1>in time to spend Christmas with her parents. But they

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<v Speaker 1>got stuck due to a storm that year and had

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<v Speaker 1>to stay at one of my father's uncle's homes along

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<v Speaker 1>the way. They hadn't to frosted the chicken. The gas

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<v Speaker 1>lines were stuck. My mother had gotten everything together, grabbing

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<v Speaker 1>some of the frozen vegetables and starting chopping up onions

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<v Speaker 1>and searching through the spice cabinet something that would work.

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<v Speaker 1>The water they had was poured into a pot and

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<v Speaker 1>the wood was fired up outside. It was the best

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<v Speaker 1>chicken soup I've ever had. He would say. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a story we had heard many times, but my sisters

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<v Speaker 1>and I liked the way that he would tell it.

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<v Speaker 1>There she was my future wife, making it work with

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<v Speaker 1>what little we had. That's when I knew that I

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<v Speaker 1>loved her. We would all whisper along with him, and

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<v Speaker 1>we would all laugh together at how cheesy it sounded,

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<v Speaker 1>and yet we couldn't wait for the next time he

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<v Speaker 1>would tell us that same story all over again. My

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<v Speaker 1>mother loved the way that he waited for Mondays. She

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<v Speaker 1>loved how he took care of us growing up. She

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<v Speaker 1>had grown up without a father, and she would let

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<v Speaker 1>him know too strict she was around the house, but

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<v Speaker 1>she had a strong, silent love and respect for him.

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<v Speaker 1>One of my sisters and I talk about their love

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<v Speaker 1>for each other. We can't quite explain it to other

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<v Speaker 1>people except with these stories. Sure they had their arguments,

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<v Speaker 1>but they knew how to fix things. If you can

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<v Speaker 1>fix your own boat, you can float forever. My father

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<v Speaker 1>would tell us, usually with a wrench in his hand,

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<v Speaker 1>when he was fixing something around the house. I think

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<v Speaker 1>he applied it to our family too. It was especially

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<v Speaker 1>tough when he passed. We had all moved out of

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<v Speaker 1>the house by that point, and we would call him

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<v Speaker 1>about once a week to check up on how he

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<v Speaker 1>was doing. But one day my mother called to give

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<v Speaker 1>us the news that he had been hospitalized. It wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>long after we arrived when we had to see goodbyes.

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<v Speaker 1>It was like watching a bird try to fly with

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<v Speaker 1>one wing, circling the same spot in the dried grass

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<v Speaker 1>until it grew tired, full of hope that it would

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<v Speaker 1>fly again, that only a few more seeds would give

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<v Speaker 1>it that final push into the clouds, Like those days

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<v Speaker 1>when the sun struggled to shine through the orange dust

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<v Speaker 1>in the sky, full of a different light that wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>warm anymore, Like a pot of delicious chicken soup waiting

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<v Speaker 1>in a cold, dark kitchen, no eager spoon waiting just

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<v Speaker 1>a few steps away. A few years passed, and before

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<v Speaker 1>we knew it, it was Christmas again, nineteen ninety five,

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<v Speaker 1>a Monday. Her sisters had brought it the list that

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<v Speaker 1>had been taped to the old refrigerator. It had where

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<v Speaker 1>to get the whole chicken from, little notes in case

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<v Speaker 1>a certain spice had run out. We all knew that

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<v Speaker 1>chicken soup would be on the menu, even if we

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<v Speaker 1>did have everything else you would expect at a Christmas table.

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<v Speaker 1>Children were with us for the first time, asleep by eight,

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<v Speaker 1>fortunately with the promise of presents in the morning. Together

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<v Speaker 1>we walked up to the Christmas tree, set a tiny

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<v Speaker 1>table with the bowl, like we had done for years.

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<v Speaker 1>We brought out Mom's candles and books, photographs and waited

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<v Speaker 1>for her to start. I don't know how she got

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<v Speaker 1>so good at this. I remember the way she would

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<v Speaker 1>bring over a really old lady to the house every

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<v Speaker 1>once in a while, Berta was her name. She would

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<v Speaker 1>come in dressed in white and they would sing, or

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<v Speaker 1>at least that's what we thought it was, as kids

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<v Speaker 1>never thought anything weird of it, and my mother started singing.

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<v Speaker 1>Then soon the words change into something else, sounds like

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<v Speaker 1>multiple voices in unison. As we all closed her eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>we got in a circle on our knees and the

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<v Speaker 1>tiny table by the tree. My mother cried, and she

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<v Speaker 1>called out my father's name, softly at first, then she

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<v Speaker 1>started yelling and anger. That's why they say that he

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<v Speaker 1>was afraid of her. It's out of love, she would say.

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<v Speaker 1>She was used to mondays waiting for my father, and

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<v Speaker 1>my father waiting for her. And then the table rattled,

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<v Speaker 1>The lights on the tree flickered, and a window opened

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<v Speaker 1>up from behind us. The cold wind rushed in and

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<v Speaker 1>turned off the candle. As we grew silent, we smiled,

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<v Speaker 1>we cried, We stayed still until we saw it with

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<v Speaker 1>our own eyes. The spoon began to move to the

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<v Speaker 1>opposite side of the bowl, the vapor that came out

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<v Speaker 1>of the soup remaining perfectly still just above it. Then

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<v Speaker 1>the light stayed on and still and silent. The wind stopped.

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<v Speaker 1>We all looked at each other and smiled at my mother.

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<v Speaker 1>She smiled back. Before spring arrived. That year, Mom passed away,

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<v Speaker 1>we all gathered to make that bowl of chicken soup.

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<v Speaker 1>Earlier that morning a Monday, save a little for your father,

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<v Speaker 1>her last words. The alarm had gone off for the

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<v Speaker 1>second time that night. The cameras showed no one, not

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<v Speaker 1>even a hint of movement anywhere in the mall. These

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<v Speaker 1>places had been empty for some time, especially by that

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<v Speaker 1>point in January, when everyone had everything they wanted already. Besides,

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<v Speaker 1>Hooverstone Mall was one of those places, the ones that

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<v Speaker 1>got stuck in time. The only people who actually enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>themselves there were the old people who would buy their

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<v Speaker 1>shoes and suits for the department stores. Even Bridge Burger

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<v Speaker 1>had left the food court after decades of being the

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<v Speaker 1>last remaining attraction. It was hard to think that anyone

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<v Speaker 1>would want to rob this place at night. It was

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<v Speaker 1>way easier during the day. Still, when the alarm went off,

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<v Speaker 1>I was to go to the location and press a

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<v Speaker 1>security button to mark that I visually inspected it technology right,

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<v Speaker 1>making it hard to slack off. So with a heavy

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<v Speaker 1>sigh and a flashlight on my right hand, I started

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<v Speaker 1>making my way down to the last hallway, the one

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<v Speaker 1>by the playpen at the end of the mall. My

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<v Speaker 1>door echoed along those shiny tiles. You could barely see

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<v Speaker 1>the end of it. And that night, in particular, we

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<v Speaker 1>had a full moon just above the place. The skylight,

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<v Speaker 1>now yellow during the day, was bright blue at night.

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<v Speaker 1>In the silence of the mall, I picked up the

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<v Speaker 1>radio and pressed the button. Stephen Yo heading over to

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<v Speaker 1>the last wing. He was supposed to know in order

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<v Speaker 1>to go to a set of cameras and monitor them.

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<v Speaker 1>But we knew that in the four or so years

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<v Speaker 1>we had been working together, it would be pointless. Those

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<v Speaker 1>screens might as well have been photographs. You could be

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<v Speaker 1>replaced and no one would notice an alarm go off.

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<v Speaker 1>I heard back a concerned voice. I almost didn't recognize him. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to go turn off the tracker. What he

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<v Speaker 1>said next is what made me stop completely in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the food court. I'm coming too. He saw

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<v Speaker 1>some movement around that side of the lot where are

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<v Speaker 1>you used to take turns being outside and the axis

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<v Speaker 1>door was by the docks area, near where the alarm

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<v Speaker 1>had sounded by the food court, which you see, I

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<v Speaker 1>asked and waited for his answer. A little while later,

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<v Speaker 1>Mondo I heard it was an echo from the deep

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<v Speaker 1>side of the deliveries. He was running toward me. I

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<v Speaker 1>could see a silhouette waving, but he didn't stop running.

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<v Speaker 1>I was supposed to be going toward him, and not

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<v Speaker 1>the other way around. It was only when he was

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<v Speaker 1>closer when I saw that he was telling me to

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<v Speaker 1>turn back and run. I didn't hesitate and started running,

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<v Speaker 1>slow enough for him to catch up, and then we

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<v Speaker 1>picked up. We rushed past the last shop of the

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<v Speaker 1>food court and toward the seating areas by the gardens,

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<v Speaker 1>but finally stopped at the bathrooms and back up storage areas.

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<v Speaker 1>What happened? I yelled, and he shushed me right away.

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<v Speaker 1>We were both sweating, not used to running around, as

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<v Speaker 1>you might have guessed. He opened up the storage area

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<v Speaker 1>and we rushed inside, shutting the door tightly. The closet

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<v Speaker 1>still had those old tiny chains hanging from the ceiling

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<v Speaker 1>to turn the lights on, and he got to it first.

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<v Speaker 1>I could tell from his face that something had scared him.

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<v Speaker 1>He had been working security ever since he graduated in

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<v Speaker 1>high school and was used to seeing just about everything.

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<v Speaker 1>I had never seen himself scared. We were still catching

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<v Speaker 1>our breaths when I saw him grip the handle to

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<v Speaker 1>the door and start pulling on it ood he heard.

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<v Speaker 1>I still can't find the words to describe. I had

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<v Speaker 1>never heard anything like it, and still to this very

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<v Speaker 1>day after that it's been about ten years, I still

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what it was. I want you to imagine

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<v Speaker 1>a deep wind so sharp that it whistles, and a

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<v Speaker 1>manic laughter in a whisper. I know it sounds bizarre,

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<v Speaker 1>but we were both looking at each other with wide eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for it to pass. I could tell Stephen's hands

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<v Speaker 1>was shaking, and knew that he was holding his breath.

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<v Speaker 1>We were there for about ten minutes. After the sounds faded,

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<v Speaker 1>blending into the darkness of the place, I cracked the

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<v Speaker 1>door open and felt the soft breeze of cold air

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<v Speaker 1>begin to circulate inside the storage closet. Hey man, do

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<v Speaker 1>you want to go? I waited for his answer. He

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<v Speaker 1>looked at me and nodded. He didn't want to leave,

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<v Speaker 1>but the mall was silent again. I stepped out first,

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<v Speaker 1>afraid of seeing something just around the corners of those

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<v Speaker 1>dark bathroom hallways. But all I could see was the

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<v Speaker 1>dim light of the elevator button by the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the gray and purple light, and one that was coming

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<v Speaker 1>from the ceiling windows straight toward the shiny floors That

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<v Speaker 1>was almost by the end of the hallway. When Stephen

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<v Speaker 1>stepped out and we both walked back to a station

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<v Speaker 1>by the parking lot in silence. It was like we

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<v Speaker 1>were processing what had just happened, or if it had

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<v Speaker 1>ever happened at all. Nobody had access to the inside

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<v Speaker 1>of them all, not even the delivery people. All dock

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<v Speaker 1>areas were blocked off from the sales floors. We both

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<v Speaker 1>knew that, but we also knew that it was the

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<v Speaker 1>least of our concerns. Who might have been in There

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<v Speaker 1>was the bigger question, what was it? More? Alarms had

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<v Speaker 1>been set off when we were in the building. It

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<v Speaker 1>was normal when we did our walk through that we

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<v Speaker 1>would set off the motion detectors, but we always set

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<v Speaker 1>them to silence when we did. Several detectors had gone

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<v Speaker 1>off near the storage closets, the food court, and all

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<v Speaker 1>along the wing where we had been. Stephen noticed something else.

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<v Speaker 1>The motion sensors had also gone off sporadically throughout the mall,

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<v Speaker 1>with one as far as the east entrance. The timestamps

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<v Speaker 1>didn't match up to the locations. Nobody could run that

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<v Speaker 1>fast or be in several locations at one time. Huddling

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<v Speaker 1>towards the screen, Stephen found the footage to rewatch. He

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<v Speaker 1>started by watching the outdoor camera. When Stephen leaves a

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<v Speaker 1>booth from the outside, a large dog like creature seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to crawl from one of the trees towards the delivery docks.

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<v Speaker 1>He moved like a stain on the ground and then disappeared.

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<v Speaker 1>The motion sensor goes off the one I initially responded to,

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<v Speaker 1>that's when we see Stephen going to the entrance. We

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<v Speaker 1>replayed the footage. Excited for it now looking at how

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<v Speaker 1>this thing was going into the mall. You see that?

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<v Speaker 1>You see that, That's what I was talking about. You

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<v Speaker 1>were going to go to Stephen paused. He looked back

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<v Speaker 1>at the screen. Look, look, it's going the other way now.

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<v Speaker 1>His fingers were smudging the old screen as he traced it,

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<v Speaker 1>rushing toward the other entrance. Within a few seconds, Stephen

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<v Speaker 1>was on screen going through the lot and into the

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<v Speaker 1>building to meet up with me. You have the internal DBR, right,

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<v Speaker 1>he asked. We couldn't see the inside of the mall

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<v Speaker 1>from the outside booths. With a silent glance over the outside,

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<v Speaker 1>we stepped out. Now, I make it seem like we

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<v Speaker 1>weren't scared, but it must have been the adrenaline that

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<v Speaker 1>made us look past our shaky voices and sweaty faces.

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<v Speaker 1>As we made our way back inside, we looked around

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<v Speaker 1>the area. It was a normal night, cool wind brushing

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<v Speaker 1>past the dying trees in the parking lot. Everything inside

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<v Speaker 1>was the same silent. As we were getting to the

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<v Speaker 1>security office, Stephen stood still. He pointed to over the

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<v Speaker 1>last wing of the mall. His lips were trembling and

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<v Speaker 1>his knees were failing him as he started hitting the floor.

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<v Speaker 1>I looked in the direction he was pointing to, and

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<v Speaker 1>I saw what I can only describe as a glitch,

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<v Speaker 1>A patch of darkness, darker than the dark, like a

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<v Speaker 1>dark puddle, crawl along the depths of that dark structure

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<v Speaker 1>that vanished near the old shops. At the end, I

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<v Speaker 1>reached towards Stephen, who was trying to get back up

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<v Speaker 1>on his own, and we made it to the office.

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<v Speaker 1>We replayed the footage and watched ourselves rushed over the

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<v Speaker 1>storage closet. We could only see the camera go dark

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<v Speaker 1>and then back to normal, as if the night vision

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<v Speaker 1>had stopped working. For instance, at a time because of

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<v Speaker 1>certain areas of the screen would stay the same. The

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<v Speaker 1>light from the ceiling a few tables from the food

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<v Speaker 1>court in the distance. There it is, Stephen yelled. I

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<v Speaker 1>looked over the screen and could find absolutely nothing. My

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<v Speaker 1>face was surging through the monitor ice, twitching from side

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<v Speaker 1>to side as it looked for the thing. But Steve

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<v Speaker 1>and kept tapping on my shoulder, yelling near my ear. Look, look, look.

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<v Speaker 1>He presses back against the wall behind me hard as

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<v Speaker 1>he kept yelling. I can't find it. I yelled, losing

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<v Speaker 1>my patience, and just then, out of the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>my eye, from the window that looked at the interior

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<v Speaker 1>of the mall, I saw it right outside the office.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a hooded figure, the thing rising from the floor.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't tell in what direction it was looking, but

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<v Speaker 1>I stepped back, hearing the motion detectoral arms go off.

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<v Speaker 1>Inside that office, the live cameras could catch it. They

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<v Speaker 1>were recording. I was frozen completely as the thing started crawling,

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<v Speaker 1>no floating toward us along the floor, was only about

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<v Speaker 1>ten feet away. Steven started whispering what I thought were prayers,

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<v Speaker 1>but all I could do was stare afraid. That if

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<v Speaker 1>I blinked, it would end up inside. And next to us,

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen was on the floor, his hands on the opposite

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<v Speaker 1>sides of his head, covering his ears. The thing was approaching,

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<v Speaker 1>and soon it started making the same sound as before,

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<v Speaker 1>that loud, inexplicable sound that had scared us earlier. It

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<v Speaker 1>got louder and louder, and then stopped. I watched it

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<v Speaker 1>crawled or slide or whatever along the floor and disappear

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<v Speaker 1>into the last wing of them. All the motion detectors

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<v Speaker 1>all stopped right then. Before we realized it, it was

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<v Speaker 1>five in the morning and our shift had ended. Light

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<v Speaker 1>was beginning to filter in through the glass panes, and

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<v Speaker 1>neither of us made a motion to even begin to

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<v Speaker 1>look at the footage. Had been a long night already,

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<v Speaker 1>and we both just wanted to get out of there.

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen reported it, or at least he said he did,

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<v Speaker 1>but there were no records of it. When we asked

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<v Speaker 1>one of our supervisor about it, he told us to

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<v Speaker 1>stop messing around and that we were going to get

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<v Speaker 1>them fired. We stuck around for a couple more years

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<v Speaker 1>until it shut down, and never saw anything similar to it.

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<v Speaker 1>Since the footage we caught was the same, the night

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<v Speaker 1>vision option resetting over and over again, and Steven and

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<v Speaker 1>I talked about it. We would remember other little details

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<v Speaker 1>of that night, the sounds of the motion detectors and

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<v Speaker 1>the silence. Steven tried to draw it, but only got

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<v Speaker 1>sort of close to it. The real fear started when

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<v Speaker 1>we read about similar incidents not too far from where

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<v Speaker 1>we were. Two people had been waiting outside a Burger

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<v Speaker 1>fast food restaurant when they claimed to have seen a

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<v Speaker 1>creature coming out from the woods across the street. It

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<v Speaker 1>rushed past them, making a sound that sounded like a

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<v Speaker 1>howl in a windstorm. Who knows if it was the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing. To this day, It's a story that Steven

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<v Speaker 1>and I tell in the new place where we work.

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<v Speaker 1>He got me another security job through his agency, still

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<v Speaker 1>at night, but with more guards. Not a single incident

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<v Speaker 1>since I hope it stays that way. So I was

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<v Speaker 1>asked about some of the background for some of the stories,

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<v Speaker 1>so I'm going to add a little bit of information

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<v Speaker 1>about the stories themselves. So our first story, Soup Mondays,

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<v Speaker 1>was originally meant to be a story of a family.

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<v Speaker 1>They have strange habits of invoking or calling spirits around

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<v Speaker 1>a certain time of the year, something completely normal to

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<v Speaker 1>them and strange to the rest of the world. But

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<v Speaker 1>as the story started writing, you know, started moving along.

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<v Speaker 1>As I was writing it, the cult thoughts of someone

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<v Speaker 1>missing in the house during the holidays, that's a gob

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<v Speaker 1>So it changed into a story of longing and love

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<v Speaker 1>along with supernatural elements of some through through some of

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<v Speaker 1>the emails that you send that some of my stories

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<v Speaker 1>seem to do that, you know, the angle that we

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<v Speaker 1>can spot in some of the stories that I've shared

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<v Speaker 1>over the years, kind of darkness and tragedy and sadness

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<v Speaker 1>kind of combined. And I'm not sure what we call

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<v Speaker 1>that genre, but anyway is what the story ended up being.

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<v Speaker 1>For the second one that was written in creepy pasta

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<v Speaker 1>format is about two security guards on a formal, like

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<v Speaker 1>an informal a normal night who can't understand what's going on.

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<v Speaker 1>And for this one, imagine the setting right. There's an old,

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<v Speaker 1>run down mall in the middle of a small town,

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<v Speaker 1>empty parking lots, with a cracking asphalt and dead trees,

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<v Speaker 1>and these two security guards are trying to make it

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<v Speaker 1>work with faulty equipment, old fashioned incident reporting, and their

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<v Speaker 1>bored out of their minds. That's how this story is

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<v Speaker 1>set up, and the idea was sent in by who

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<v Speaker 1>I'm assuming was a young listener who wanted a five

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<v Speaker 1>Nights at Freddy's story. Now there are no animatronics here. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll tell you that I played that game and was

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<v Speaker 1>only able to beat it after looking up some tips.

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<v Speaker 1>It's pretty difficult to get the hang of it. Anyway.

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<v Speaker 1>The whole theme of five Nights at Freddie's fell apart

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<v Speaker 1>there as well, but we ended up with a strange

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<v Speaker 1>mystery at work type of story. Anyway. In our community

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<v Speaker 1>on Spotify and Apple podcast, we've received some comments. This

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<v Speaker 1>one's from Ruby Hanna, who says, I love this podcast

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<v Speaker 1>so much. I honestly fall asleep to it. So call

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<v Speaker 1>me and I wouldn't blame you. It's it's it's there's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people who say that they listened to

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<v Speaker 1>to fall Asleep surprised you know that you don't have nightmares,

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<v Speaker 1>but yeah, it's a it's a common thing and I

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<v Speaker 1>like that actually. Marchea Davis, Kaylee and her boys who

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<v Speaker 1>will listen and broken heart emojis say that they love

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<v Speaker 1>the stories as well. So thank you so much for that,

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<v Speaker 1>ney a Vir and Jillian. Thank you for your comments

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<v Speaker 1>as well. I got through them. I was. I was

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<v Speaker 1>going through the comments recently and I found yours, so

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<v Speaker 1>that means a lot. Thank you. Thank you for commenting

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<v Speaker 1>on here. As always, you know where to find me

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<v Speaker 1>in case you want to get in touch thanks to

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<v Speaker 1>everything or in the description of this episode, and if

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<v Speaker 1>you have ideas for stories, make sure you send them

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<v Speaker 1>my way. Scary Story podcast is written by me Edwin

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<v Speaker 1>Kobarubias and if you're subscribed, I'll be back next week

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<v Speaker 1>with more stories. Thank you very much for listening. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>it scary everyone, see us soon.