WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>I was looking back toward my roommate with her hand

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<v Speaker 1>over her mouth as she tried to hold in her laughter.

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to laugh too, but managed to hold it in.

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<v Speaker 1>As I stepped closer to Amanda's door. It was dark inside,

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<v Speaker 1>and all I could see was a blue light from

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<v Speaker 1>the outside seeping in through the blind Amanda had no

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<v Speaker 1>curtains in her room except for the blinds given to

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<v Speaker 1>us from the university housing department, but she kept them open.

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<v Speaker 1>I looked at the door handle on the inside of

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<v Speaker 1>her room and took a half step inside. I grabbed

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<v Speaker 1>onto it and was about to pull it when I

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<v Speaker 1>saw a tall sillow wet standing in front of the

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<v Speaker 1>window by her bed. Amanda was tall, but this one

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<v Speaker 1>had broad shoulders and what appeared to be a large coat,

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<v Speaker 1>and most distinctly, a hat. Had frozen plays and stared

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<v Speaker 1>right at it, completely ignoring the whispers from the other

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<v Speaker 1>roommate down the hall. She wasn't laughing anymore. My name

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<v Speaker 1>is Edwin, and here it's a scary story. I felt

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<v Speaker 1>a hand grip around my arm and pull me toward

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<v Speaker 1>the hallway. What happened I could hear like on delay.

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<v Speaker 1>My mind was racing to catch up to what I

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<v Speaker 1>had just seen. She was being serious now as we

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<v Speaker 1>both looked at the wide open door down the hall.

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<v Speaker 1>It was supposed to be a dare, a silly card

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<v Speaker 1>game when everyone else went out to parties while we

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<v Speaker 1>stayed in. Amanda liked to sleep with her door wide open,

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<v Speaker 1>and it wasn't like we cared for understanding why or anything.

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<v Speaker 1>We actually didn't like her very much, but her little

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<v Speaker 1>rules kept getting in the way of everything. Her dishes

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<v Speaker 1>were to be kept separately. She said something about an

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<v Speaker 1>allergy that nobody quite understood. The community adviser from the

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<v Speaker 1>university had a meeting with us and Amanda's parents to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about it, and all we did after that was

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<v Speaker 1>laugh and complained to our other friends about the whole conversation.

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<v Speaker 1>They had requested so many things, including removing Amanda's door,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was a rule from the fire marshal to

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<v Speaker 1>keep it on noise levels. Smells and even visits to

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<v Speaker 1>our unit were discussed, and we came out with a

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<v Speaker 1>contract type of thing. But I'll tell you neither me

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<v Speaker 1>or the other roommate, her name was Denise liked it

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<v Speaker 1>in a way. That's how we became friends. Hating on Amanda,

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<v Speaker 1>I felt bad for her in the beginning. Then I

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<v Speaker 1>understood why she was bullied. She was annoying, complained about

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<v Speaker 1>everything that the strangest things that annoyed the heck out

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<v Speaker 1>of us. That night, the night of the day, when

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<v Speaker 1>I tried to close the door, everything changed though, And

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<v Speaker 1>it was the first time I had seen the figure

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<v Speaker 1>by the window, the same one that Denise had been

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<v Speaker 1>talking about for months, almost immediately after we moved in.

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<v Speaker 1>You see, the unit had four rooms, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>divided into two, so the two of us would share

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<v Speaker 1>one bathroom and Amanda would have the other bathroom to herself.

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<v Speaker 1>One room remained completely empty, no bed, she or anything,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was on her side. That's the room where

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<v Speaker 1>Denise had claimed to see someone standing in the door

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<v Speaker 1>faced a living area and we could see right in.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't believe Denise, and up until that night I

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<v Speaker 1>thought that it had been a type of a prank.

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<v Speaker 1>After all, Denise had a problem with keeping a straight face.

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<v Speaker 1>So we walked right back to the living room area

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<v Speaker 1>and sat down quietly as I gathered my words to

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<v Speaker 1>explain what I had seen. In her excitement, Denise waved

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<v Speaker 1>her arms and kept interrupting me to say that it

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<v Speaker 1>matched exactly what she had seen. What if it's her,

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<v Speaker 1>she asked, and I stopped talking and waited for her

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<v Speaker 1>to continue, like what if she's haunted or something? I

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<v Speaker 1>gave her a little more silence before we both let

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<v Speaker 1>out our laughter. The idea sounded so absurd, and we

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<v Speaker 1>had no better solution than to laugh. That was a mistake.

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<v Speaker 1>Amanda rushed out of her room silently like she used

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<v Speaker 1>to roam around the house without making a noise, and

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<v Speaker 1>stared at us. Then her mouth opened, did you know

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<v Speaker 1>what time it is? We both stayed quiet, and then

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<v Speaker 1>Denise pointed at the clock. Freaking Denise, We both started

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<v Speaker 1>laughing again. It was ten thirty. By the way, Amanda

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<v Speaker 1>tried to give us that stare that she always did,

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<v Speaker 1>the one that showed us how much she wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>punch our faces but would get in trouble if she

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<v Speaker 1>did so. Plus, she was so thin that she would

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<v Speaker 1>probably tumble over like a falling tree with a single push.

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<v Speaker 1>Just remember the contract, okay, she said, rushing back to

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<v Speaker 1>her room. This is the part where you would normally

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<v Speaker 1>hear a door slam, but instead nothing. The door stayed

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<v Speaker 1>wide open, just like it always did. Remember the contract,

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<v Speaker 1>Denise murmured, making the stretched out horse face that Amanda

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<v Speaker 1>would do when she would get mad at us. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>remember the contract, she said, looking at me, and then

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<v Speaker 1>cracking up again, covering our mouths one more time. We

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<v Speaker 1>continued with her card game, stopping briefly to bring up

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<v Speaker 1>what we had just seen. I was wondering if we

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<v Speaker 1>were just going to pretend that neither of us had

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<v Speaker 1>ever seen a strange, dark figure roaming around the unit.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that maybe it was the reason why the

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<v Speaker 1>room was empty, that maybe something had happened there, and

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<v Speaker 1>that no student ever wanted to stay there because of

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<v Speaker 1>a ghost that would haunt it. And yet I knew

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<v Speaker 1>that the money hungry institution would find a way to

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<v Speaker 1>rent it out either way. It was almost midnight and

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<v Speaker 1>we were both on our phones when the topic of

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<v Speaker 1>Amanda's door came back up. Denise wasn't having it. I

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<v Speaker 1>knew she hated being told what to do and always

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<v Speaker 1>held something against Amanda even more than I did. But then,

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<v Speaker 1>without saying a word, she got up, rushed toward Amanda's room,

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<v Speaker 1>grabbed the door handle, and closed it shut. I stared

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<v Speaker 1>from the living area, not believing what I had just seen.

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<v Speaker 1>There's your contract, Denise said, laughing again. But almost immediately

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<v Speaker 1>we heard a loud scream coming from Amanda's bedroom. It

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<v Speaker 1>was shrill and terrifying, loud, like from an animal, things

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<v Speaker 1>that neither of us had ever heard before. We stared

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<v Speaker 1>at each other with white eyes, not knowing what to do.

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<v Speaker 1>As the screams intensified, we could hear Amanda banging on

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<v Speaker 1>her door, crying and yelling. I didn't know what to do,

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<v Speaker 1>so I ran tow her door to open it. When

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<v Speaker 1>there was another knock on her front door, I asked

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<v Speaker 1>the niece to open it while I continued to Amanda's

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<v Speaker 1>and grabbed onto the doorknob. It swung inside without even trying,

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<v Speaker 1>and suddenly Amanda went quiet. She went toward the window

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<v Speaker 1>and crouched under it. Next to her was that same

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<v Speaker 1>tall figure. But I wasn't going to wonder anymore. I

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<v Speaker 1>reached for the switch and flicked it on. There was

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<v Speaker 1>no one next to her. Out in the living room,

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<v Speaker 1>I could hear two other voices, God one of the

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<v Speaker 1>community advisers and one of the other residents of the building.

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<v Speaker 1>Who we knew. They went to speak with Amanda while

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<v Speaker 1>Denise and I sat in the living room for a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of hours. Eventually, Amanda's parents arrived and then the

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<v Speaker 1>resident director. They moved Amanda's things out without saying a

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<v Speaker 1>word to us. We didn't get to see Amanda leave.

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<v Speaker 1>Within two weeks, we had two new roommates and our

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<v Speaker 1>unit seemed somewhat normal. But during one of the meetings,

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<v Speaker 1>I asked the community adviser about Amanda and what had happened,

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<v Speaker 1>and obviously he couldn't say much to Denise and I

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<v Speaker 1>about what it was, but did tell us that Amanda's

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<v Speaker 1>housing contract had included two rooms, one to be kept

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<v Speaker 1>empty as part of her co signers agreement, which I'm

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<v Speaker 1>assuming were her parents a room for that thing. Denise

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<v Speaker 1>asked as if the CA would know what she was

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<v Speaker 1>talking about. He stayed quiet for a bit and then

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<v Speaker 1>asked us about it. We told him about the dark

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<v Speaker 1>figure that we had seen in the unit. He took

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<v Speaker 1>a note of it, saying that the housing director had

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<v Speaker 1>asked him to let him know of Amanda's roommates, which

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<v Speaker 1>were us ever mentioned something strange in the unit, that

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<v Speaker 1>it was all he knew and all he could tell us.

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<v Speaker 1>We never found out what was up with Amanda, And

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<v Speaker 1>every time we tell the story, someone has a new

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<v Speaker 1>theory or a new idea to share with us about it.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what to believe anymore. When someone tells

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<v Speaker 1>me a story of a dark figure standing by the bed,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe them. I don't know who or what they are,

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<v Speaker 1>but I've seen them. Denise has seen them, and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure Amanda, wherever she may be, I had seen them too.

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<v Speaker 1>I spent a lot of time writing for editors who

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<v Speaker 1>genuinely care about my work. They have lately taken the

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<v Speaker 1>role of keeping tabs on how I'm doing. Let's just

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<v Speaker 1>say I had some problems at home, things that everyone

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<v Speaker 1>else found out before I did. My wife left me

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<v Speaker 1>with the guy from work. My adult children don't even

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<v Speaker 1>know or care that I got a number. But even

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<v Speaker 1>though I had a small bar made in the basement

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<v Speaker 1>of the house for friends that I no longer had,

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<v Speaker 1>all the bottles and glasses were intact, gathering some dust, sure,

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<v Speaker 1>but I hadn't touched any of it. That was part

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<v Speaker 1>of that. It seemed like I had to convince everyone

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<v Speaker 1>of that, though, But I'm being straight with you when

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<v Speaker 1>I tell you that I was fairly all right, just

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<v Speaker 1>things that happened. I guess there was one thing that

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<v Speaker 1>was bothering me, and it made convincing my editors a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit tougher. You see, some of the writing gigs

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<v Speaker 1>I get are fourteen fiction, sometimes horror books and magazines.

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<v Speaker 1>So I get sent to a lot of gifts, creepy

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<v Speaker 1>posters and independent movies on DBD, candles and books, the

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<v Speaker 1>whole thing. But there was one thing that never quite

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<v Speaker 1>felt right. Small doll made of composite material that came

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<v Speaker 1>with a note in this note. This letter said that

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<v Speaker 1>her name was Veronica, and according to the letter, she

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<v Speaker 1>had been involved in the success of several poets and

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<v Speaker 1>songwriters over the years. Her name Veronica Porto, was how

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<v Speaker 1>she was credited in some works and had even listened

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<v Speaker 1>to them back in the day. Famous stuff things that

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<v Speaker 1>you have probably heard about. The thought of crediting an

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<v Speaker 1>object for a creation of something, some material like that

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<v Speaker 1>that became so famous seemed absurd, and I thought it

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<v Speaker 1>was an interesting joke when I read it, and I

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<v Speaker 1>guess that's what writers are supposed to love, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>that kind of stuff, and I did so I kept

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<v Speaker 1>it and I set Veronica high up on a shelf

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<v Speaker 1>with some of the many books that had been sent

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<v Speaker 1>to me from where I worked. I would get to

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<v Speaker 1>see her by turning my neck a little bit to

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<v Speaker 1>the left. She had dark green eyes, rare in a

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<v Speaker 1>doll like that. Normally they would pick blue and make

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<v Speaker 1>the eyes extra shiny, but these were deep and dark.

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<v Speaker 1>It would be green only around five or six in

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon when the light hit the shelf. The doll

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<v Speaker 1>had been giving to me Right around the same time

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<v Speaker 1>when I was awarded the John L. Marx Award for

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<v Speaker 1>writing at the University. Many contracts came from that, and

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<v Speaker 1>one of them had been for a new piece for

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<v Speaker 1>a major motion picture company. Thinking that they needed to

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<v Speaker 1>convince me, they sent it along with a box, and

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<v Speaker 1>in that box it was Veronica. The contract eventually fell apart,

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<v Speaker 1>not on my end but on the companies restructuring or whatever,

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<v Speaker 1>and I wasn't a buying to turn over the words.

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<v Speaker 1>I had already started with them because I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>keep them for myself. They were good, some of the

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<v Speaker 1>best writing I had ever made. But after a firm

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<v Speaker 1>letter from a lawyer I turned everything in. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>strange feeling when you make something that you genuinely like.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like a sense of pride, mostly followed by the

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<v Speaker 1>fear of never being able to make something like it,

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<v Speaker 1>a feeling that makes you selfish and wanting to keep

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<v Speaker 1>everything to yourself, never accepting another contract again, and working

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<v Speaker 1>on your own. But they get the buyers. They know

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<v Speaker 1>how to distribute what you make, and it's a necessary evil,

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<v Speaker 1>if you will. But back to my problem, that one

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<v Speaker 1>I was telling you about in the beginning, This doll

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<v Speaker 1>Veronica didn't belong with me. There had been a short

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<v Speaker 1>request through the text messages made by one of the

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<v Speaker 1>many numbers that reached out to me during the times

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<v Speaker 1>of those contracts. One of them said, return Veronica, and

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<v Speaker 1>that was that. Now I didn't know to whom or

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<v Speaker 1>how to do so, and I for sure didn't want

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<v Speaker 1>to reach out to the company again, bitter from what

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<v Speaker 1>they had done. But days went by and it was forgotten,

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<v Speaker 1>lost among the rest of the messages filling up my phone.

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<v Speaker 1>Story circled in my head, stories that told me that

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<v Speaker 1>Veronica was unhappy on that shelf as she wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>go back. That would turn my head to the left

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<v Speaker 1>every once in a while during my writing sessions, and

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<v Speaker 1>I would see her an uncomfortable, vengeful face for making

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<v Speaker 1>her sit there. I thought it would end there, But

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<v Speaker 1>as time passed, I kept noticing small changes, little things

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<v Speaker 1>like the position of her arm or the strands of

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<v Speaker 1>her hair. Could the wind be so strong to move

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<v Speaker 1>it away from her eyes and then back again? I

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<v Speaker 1>thought I was losing it. And yeah, the contracts kept coming,

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<v Speaker 1>and the book sales increased. Editors kept pushing for more.

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<v Speaker 1>Their publishing companies were raking it in big time, and

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<v Speaker 1>I was out there struggling to understand where all of

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<v Speaker 1>these tales were coming from. And then one day I

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<v Speaker 1>felt compelled to write, and right at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>a poetry piece for Homeword Magazine, a special thank you

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<v Speaker 1>I wrote to Veronica Porto. Immediately, I had my editor

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<v Speaker 1>call me and tell me that he had reached out

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<v Speaker 1>to the magazine to have that last line removed from

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<v Speaker 1>the online and the print editions, warning me to never

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<v Speaker 1>put such a thing in the credit, that the works

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<v Speaker 1>are mine and mine only. But I disagreed. The stories

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<v Speaker 1>I was able to write were nothing even close to

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<v Speaker 1>my own experiences. There were trails of sentences that I

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<v Speaker 1>would watch after my fingers typed them, and in astonishment,

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<v Speaker 1>I kept reading as these beautiful, dark works of art

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<v Speaker 1>kept appearing on my word document stories of love and loss,

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<v Speaker 1>strong descriptions of people I've never met, and clothing I

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<v Speaker 1>had never seen before being described perfectly in words right

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<v Speaker 1>in front of me. Of course, I don't want you

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<v Speaker 1>to think that I've lost it too, just like my editors.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you believe me? Right? I'm all right? Trust me?

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<v Speaker 1>What's that? All right? Okay, all right, hold on, I

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<v Speaker 1>gotta go back to writing. Scary Story podcast is written

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by me Edwin Kovarubiez. Thank you for your

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<v Speaker 1>recent messages and dms. I was out due to the

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<v Speaker 1>passing of my best friend. It was a time for

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<v Speaker 1>stories that turned to memories and some I hadn't heard

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<v Speaker 1>for the first time. We're also remembering other stories and

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<v Speaker 1>memories that we had made together. It was a rough time,

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<v Speaker 1>and I mentioned this on my channel on Instagram that

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<v Speaker 1>friends or family that we get to choose, So I

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<v Speaker 1>just want to remind you call them up every once

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<v Speaker 1>in a while. Life cannot get in the way when

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<v Speaker 1>they're a part of it already. Thank you for showing

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<v Speaker 1>up once again. I appreciate you so much, and I'll

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

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<v Speaker 1>Keep it scary everyone, Seya soon