1 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:12,759 Speaker 1: The Church Factor, written by Neoma Finn. I used to 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,000 love going to all those silly little festivals held in 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,879 small towns and villages throughout the countryside, you know the ones. 4 00:00:21,199 --> 00:00:24,600 They're nearly always named after a fruit or a vegetable 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,280 that grows in that part of the world. They consist 6 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,920 of contests themed after the said fruit or vegetable, and 7 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,560 food is baked with the same fruit or vegetable as 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,799 the main ingredient. A few of them might be named 9 00:00:37,799 --> 00:00:40,920 after a flower or an animal, but they all involve 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,960 the same types of activities, and they almost always culminate 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,280 in a street dance. And I love those darn things. 12 00:00:49,359 --> 00:00:52,039 I'd get off work on Friday night and drive halfway 13 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:54,880 across the country. If I had to, I'd spend the 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,399 night nearby and do my best to be the first 15 00:00:57,439 --> 00:01:01,159 one to arrive the next morning. They were a piece 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:06,439 of Americana that doesn't exist anymore, the epitome of wholesomeness 17 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,079 and honor. And I loved them right up until the 18 00:01:09,159 --> 00:01:12,640 last one I went to. I was in my twenties 19 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,040 back then and a bit reckless. It never occurred to 20 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,560 me to tell anyone where I was going or when 21 00:01:18,599 --> 00:01:21,879 I would return, nor did it ever cross my mind 22 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,640 to ask anyone to come with me. I can't count 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,000 the times when I'd be watching a bunch of kids 24 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,319 race each other on pedal tractors, or a group of 25 00:01:31,359 --> 00:01:34,079 adults with their hands tied behind their backs and their 26 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:38,079 faces planted in plates of blueberry pie, and I think, 27 00:01:38,519 --> 00:01:41,439 you know, so and so would have really loved this, 28 00:01:42,519 --> 00:01:44,519 But by then I was there and it was too 29 00:01:44,599 --> 00:01:47,480 late to ask. I would have given my right arm 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,560 if I had only asked a friend to go with 31 00:01:49,599 --> 00:01:54,400 me to this last festival. It was October, my favorite 32 00:01:54,439 --> 00:01:57,159 month of the year. In fact, it was my favorite 33 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,239 day of the year, October twenty first. I had read 34 00:02:01,239 --> 00:02:04,879 somewhere about a pumpkin festival in a small town miles 35 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,400 from anywhere that hosted the most amazing jack o lantern 36 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:12,800 carvings anyone had ever seen. All day long. Aside from 37 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,240 the traditional vendors and events that can be found at 38 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,120 all of these types of festivals, people were invited to 39 00:02:20,159 --> 00:02:25,080 carve pumpkins alongside the villagers. Those who visited were always 40 00:02:25,159 --> 00:02:28,280 amateurs compared to the natives, but they were allowed to 41 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,599 enter their jack o' lanterns in the parade that always 42 00:02:31,599 --> 00:02:36,240 took place after sunset. At that point, the car pumpkins 43 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,240 would always be placed on hay racks pulled by Clydesdale's 44 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,840 and Belgians, and everyone would get to see the artwork. 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,400 There would be the normal array of costumed participants who 46 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,639 threw candy out to the children, along with a variety 47 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,919 of floats decorated to celebrate Halloween, which would be celebrated 48 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,919 in Earnest less than a fortnight later. Meanwhile, pumpkin pies 49 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,280 and pumpkin butter, and pumpkin bars and pumpkin anything else 50 00:03:04,319 --> 00:03:09,000 would be served from the booths, alongside apple cider, apple pies, 51 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:13,560 apple crisps, and caramel apples. Sounded like heaven to me. 52 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,800 I was surprised by how remote albert Landing was. We 53 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,680 were in the last decades of the twentieth century by then, 54 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,759 and most towns were either easily accessible via the interstate 55 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,479 or at the very least a main highway, or they 56 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,680 had become ghost towns. Neither was the case here. I 57 00:03:33,719 --> 00:03:36,319 had to find a county road that wasn't clearly marked 58 00:03:36,319 --> 00:03:39,719 and then turned down a one lane, unmarked blacktop. It 59 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,159 took me four miles through winding hillsides before it came 60 00:03:43,199 --> 00:03:46,240 to a covered bridge, and even though I had left 61 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,639 my hotel early, I didn't arrive until nearly ten am 62 00:03:49,759 --> 00:03:52,639 that day. I had to park my truck in a 63 00:03:52,719 --> 00:03:55,960 field and walk across the bridge. I doubt my truck 64 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,199 would have made it through the bridge anyway, but a 65 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,520 friendly man sitting in a launch by the road stopped 66 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,319 me and let me know that there would be no 67 00:04:03,439 --> 00:04:06,639 place to park after I crossed the river. Well, I 68 00:04:06,719 --> 00:04:10,000 didn't mind. The bridge looked like something out of a postcard, 69 00:04:10,599 --> 00:04:13,599 and the river that flowed under it was almost magical. 70 00:04:14,199 --> 00:04:18,360 It was like walking into a Disney movie. The bridge 71 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:22,839 was nothing short of a portal to another world. The 72 00:04:22,879 --> 00:04:27,120 citizens of Alberth Landing were awfully vested in their festival. 73 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,519 Most of them, or maybe even all of them, were 74 00:04:30,639 --> 00:04:34,639 dressed in colonial American clothing, and each of the houses 75 00:04:34,639 --> 00:04:37,279 along the street had the appearance of being well over 76 00:04:37,319 --> 00:04:40,959 two hundred years old. A woman was standing in the 77 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,480 sideyard of the first house I came to, casting grain 78 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,639 to her Rhode Island red hens, and they were pecking 79 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,680 at it hungrily. Another woman was sitting on her porch 80 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,360 churning butter in an old fashioned butter churn, and the 81 00:04:55,439 --> 00:04:58,279 next property had an open sided shd where a man 82 00:04:58,439 --> 00:05:02,240 was practicing the art of black sss. The main part 83 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,920 of town was positioned in the crook of the river, 84 00:05:05,079 --> 00:05:08,439 so that as the road I was walking on turned 85 00:05:08,439 --> 00:05:11,680 and became main street, it was taking me right to 86 00:05:11,759 --> 00:05:14,639 the river bank. Ahead of me, I could see a 87 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,600 park where booths were set up to sell handmade and 88 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,839 home baked items. Although I was certain I was on 89 00:05:21,879 --> 00:05:25,000 the main street, it was nothing to indicate a business 90 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,040 district outside of four buildings where the road I was 91 00:05:28,079 --> 00:05:31,439 walking cross the only other road that didn't look like 92 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,519 a cow path. The four buildings that stood on the 93 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,560 four street corners struck me as odd. The first business 94 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,439 was the post office. Despite being housed in a building 95 00:05:43,519 --> 00:05:46,399 that looked like it had stood since long before Paul 96 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,920 Revere took up horseback riding, it had all the modern 97 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,759 day signage of the United States Postal Service in the windows. 98 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,360 The signs looked out of place, but not nearly as 99 00:05:57,399 --> 00:06:00,439 inappropriate as the gas station across the road from it. 100 00:06:01,399 --> 00:06:05,439 The glass front and store windows full of signs advertising lottery, 101 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,480 tickets and slurpies felt like a time traveler sent back 102 00:06:09,519 --> 00:06:12,079 from the future to warn the world of the hideous 103 00:06:12,079 --> 00:06:16,800 fate that awaited us. Opposite the post office, the catty 104 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,120 corner from the gas station, was the only one of 105 00:06:19,199 --> 00:06:22,519 four buildings that appeared to fit in It was a tavern. 106 00:06:23,639 --> 00:06:26,279 Other than the paps blue ribbon sign in the front 107 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:29,519 window that struggled to stay lit. It could have been 108 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,720 an old inn, with bar maids wearing dust caps and 109 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,879 patrons slashing down tankards of ale while they waited for 110 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,720 fresh team of horses to be hitched to their coach. 111 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,279 There was a certain comfort in that building, even with 112 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,079 the flickering light. It felt as rooted as the oak 113 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,519 trees that bordered the park ahead of me, And somehow 114 00:06:50,759 --> 00:06:54,480 the thought that it felt unnatural made me feel unnatural, 115 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:59,040 as if I didn't belong there. A voice from somewhere 116 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,040 deep inside me whispered that I should turn around and leave. 117 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,439 And since that day, whenever that voice has spoken, no 118 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,720 matter how quietly, I have listened and obeyed. But this day, however, 119 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,079 I did not. It was the fourth and final structure 120 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,759 at that intersection that was the most bizarre, because little 121 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,240 festivals like this one put on by small towns everywhere 122 00:07:22,639 --> 00:07:25,879 had been a passion of mine for several years. I 123 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,560 had seen my share of out of the way places 124 00:07:29,279 --> 00:07:33,600 like snowflakes. No two towns are exactly alike. It can 125 00:07:33,639 --> 00:07:36,480 feel like they are at times, but there is always 126 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,920 something that will set each one apart. It may be 127 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,040 a flea market housed in an old gas station, or 128 00:07:43,079 --> 00:07:46,600 a specialty store where the town creative types make leather 129 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,279 goods while the locals watch. Or maybe it's a house 130 00:07:50,319 --> 00:07:53,000 on a hilltop where the founders once lived, or a 131 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,079 local cafe that serves a certain dish unmatched anywhere else. 132 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:02,800 Or wherever it is, there is always likewise, there is 133 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,519 one thing that every town of certain size has in 134 00:08:05,639 --> 00:08:09,639 common with every other town of that size. More appropriately, 135 00:08:09,839 --> 00:08:14,000 there are four things. While the typical blink and you'll 136 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,920 miss it wide spot in the highway will certainly have 137 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,360 only one or two of these. Any town large enough 138 00:08:20,399 --> 00:08:22,720 to form more than a few city blocks will have 139 00:08:22,759 --> 00:08:26,920 a post office, at least one gas station, one tavern, 140 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,480 and one church, and many towns like this one will 141 00:08:31,519 --> 00:08:34,840 have all four at the same intersection. But where a 142 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,960 church should have stood in this town was a big 143 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:43,919 red barn. It was in immaculate condition. Not one board 144 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,159 was out of place. It had a fresh coat of 145 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,759 paint with a gleaming white trim, and the front consisted 146 00:08:50,799 --> 00:08:53,919 of a ground level set of doors that slid open 147 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,000 along the wide metal track, directly under the set of 148 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,519 loft doors, over which on a pulley foringing up the 149 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,600 hay that would surely be stored there. Between the loft 150 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:08,279 doors and the pulley was a gorgeously painted Amish heck 151 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,639 sign in brilliant greens, blues and golds. Along the side 152 00:09:12,639 --> 00:09:15,480 that was visible to me were square windows that were 153 00:09:15,519 --> 00:09:18,879 closed off by hen shutters marked with a white trimmed 154 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,919 axe pattern. The barn could have come straight out of 155 00:09:22,919 --> 00:09:27,799 a children's book. Despite its natural beauty, its location in 156 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,440 the middle of town, right where I had expected a 157 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,799 church to be was a bit unsettling. That there was 158 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,159 a rope draped across the front doors with a sign 159 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,799 that said no admittance didn't help. I made my way 160 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,399 down to the park. I passed a man who was 161 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,320 standing in front of a massive iron kettle making kettle corn, 162 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,600 and whose wife was busy scooping the finished product into 163 00:09:50,639 --> 00:09:54,639 bags and labeling them. A woman was carting wool a 164 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:57,399 few doors down in front of a yard full of 165 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,519 tables loaded with baskets of yarn and wide variety of colors. 166 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,440 Beyond that was a stand where a young couple was 167 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,919 selling homemade root beer, the old fashioned carbonated by way 168 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,679 of fermentation variety. I had to stop for a bottle. 169 00:10:14,799 --> 00:10:16,919 The closer I got to the park, the more there 170 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:21,360 were people like me, dressed in twentieth century apparel. There 171 00:10:21,399 --> 00:10:23,879 was a family of four waiting in line so the 172 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,919 kids could have a turn on the pony ride. A 173 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,320 young couple obviously deeply in love, paid no attention to 174 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,440 anything or anyone except each other, and older couples walked 175 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,279 hand in hand, enjoying the memories of youth that must 176 00:10:37,279 --> 00:10:41,919 have been stirred by the nostalgia of the event. One lady, 177 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:46,080 whose white roots were showing under her harshly dyed red hair, 178 00:10:46,799 --> 00:10:49,159 was holding up a quilt at a booth and telling 179 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,399 the withered old man beside her how her grandmother had 180 00:10:52,399 --> 00:10:56,080 made a quilt using the same pattern and nearly identical 181 00:10:56,159 --> 00:10:59,320 colors for her when she was a little girl, and 182 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:02,919 the man was already pulling out his wallet to purchase 183 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:07,720 it for her. In nervous anticipation, she wiped her hands 184 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,840 down the front of a gaudy white top with large 185 00:11:10,879 --> 00:11:14,840 turquoise flowers printed on it. Near the center of the 186 00:11:14,879 --> 00:11:19,080 park was where the real activity was taking place. Children 187 00:11:19,159 --> 00:11:24,320 were gathered around long makeshift tables and carving pumpkins. Adults 188 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,600 walked all along the line and offered guidance wherever possible. 189 00:11:28,279 --> 00:11:31,960 Moms and dads cringed at the messes their children were making, 190 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,440 before smiling brightly and congratulating them on their jobs well done. 191 00:11:37,519 --> 00:11:41,200 And then another adult dressed in appropriate period clothing would 192 00:11:41,279 --> 00:11:44,120 come along and direct them away from the table to 193 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:48,480 a place where presumably the children could enter their masterpieces 194 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,799 in the contest that was to be judged later in 195 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:55,399 the afternoon. Now this was paradise. I couldn't believe how 196 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,000 fortunate I was to have found such a festival. It 197 00:11:59,039 --> 00:12:03,679 was everything dreamed of. Booth after booth sold to items 198 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:08,080 that had been made by hand and were surprisingly reasonably priced. 199 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,759 Along the far edge of the park was a row 200 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,360 of gaming booths where visitors were encouraged to try their 201 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,919 hand at balloon darts, the duck pond and a ring toss. 202 00:12:19,919 --> 00:12:22,039 At the end of the boost was a dunk tank, 203 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,720 where the town's mayre was perched precariously on a lever 204 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,240 that would drop him into the water below if the 205 00:12:28,279 --> 00:12:32,200 person throwing the ball hit the target. Periodically, a man 206 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,080 driving a horse drawn wagon would make his way through 207 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,840 the crowd, with a handful of children sitting in the back, 208 00:12:38,399 --> 00:12:42,039 and another man towered over everyone on stilts hidden under 209 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,440 extra long pant legs. I saw a tent with a 210 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:49,200 sign that offered palm readings, beside another tint from which 211 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,759 I could hear music. Now this wasn't the typical bar 212 00:12:52,799 --> 00:12:56,559 brown howling out of painful renditions of Lenyard skinnered songs, 213 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:00,759 or making poor attempts at being Janis Joplin. The music 214 00:13:00,799 --> 00:13:05,000 from that tent was old beyond my memories. The melodies 215 00:13:05,039 --> 00:13:11,159 were both familiar and strange, alluring and menacing. I visited 216 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:15,039 every booth and examined every piece of merchandise, and purchased 217 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,159 more than I could comfortably carry, and I ate more 218 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,639 than my stomach had room for. I visited the game 219 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:24,759 booths and took a shot at dunking the mayor before 220 00:13:24,799 --> 00:13:28,480 winning a stuff bear at the ring tossed. My legs 221 00:13:28,519 --> 00:13:31,159 ached and my arms were loaded down By the time 222 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,399 I made my way back over to where the children 223 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:38,360 were carving pumpkins, more and more adults were taking seats 224 00:13:38,399 --> 00:13:41,320 at the table and trying their hand at carving. A 225 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,639 young girl approached me and asked if I'd like to 226 00:13:43,639 --> 00:13:46,639 buy a pumpkin to carve. I was young, and my 227 00:13:46,799 --> 00:13:50,279 job paid well, and my bills were paid. I wasn't married, 228 00:13:50,279 --> 00:13:53,600 and I had no children. This was what money was 229 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:57,440 made for. I thought, yes, please, I said. A letter 230 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,440 lead me to an empty spot at the table, and 231 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,120 someone held open a bag and suggested I put my 232 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,080 merchandise sent it and set it under the table, and 233 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:10,639 I obediently did as I was instructed. The young girl 234 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,039 brought me a tall pumpkin and took my payment. She 235 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,000 pointed out the carving instructions in jaws in front of 236 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,279 me and asked if I needed any help. I assured 237 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:23,559 her that I was an old hand at this, and 238 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,960 I thanked her before she went off to find someone 239 00:14:26,039 --> 00:14:29,480 to fill the empty spot beside me. I had already 240 00:14:29,519 --> 00:14:32,159 cut open the top of my pumpkin and was scooping 241 00:14:32,159 --> 00:14:35,320 out the seeds when the lady with the garnish red 242 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:39,720 hair sat down beside me. She flashed me a tobacco 243 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,039 stained grin through lips stained with a bright pink lipstick 244 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:48,000 that was bleeding down the creases of her mouth. Hazel, 245 00:14:48,399 --> 00:14:52,320 she said, excuse me, I answered, unsure of why she 246 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:57,519 was calling me Hazel. Well, my name is Hazel. What's yours? Oh, 247 00:14:57,679 --> 00:15:00,679 I'm Charlie. I told her. Nice to me, you, Charlie. 248 00:15:00,759 --> 00:15:03,600 Have you ever been to this thing before? The young 249 00:15:03,639 --> 00:15:06,480 girl who helped me sat a small, squat pumpkin in 250 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,840 front of Hazel, and it suddenly struck me that she 251 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,440 was matching pumpkin shapes to body types. No, I haven't. 252 00:15:13,679 --> 00:15:17,120 I didn't know it existed until a week ago. Well, 253 00:15:17,159 --> 00:15:20,120 me neither. If I'd known they did this, i'd come 254 00:15:20,159 --> 00:15:23,879 every year. I was struck by the little girl quality 255 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,679 in her voice. I'm Martin. Over there, that's my husband, 256 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,679 She gestured over to where the withered old man was 257 00:15:30,759 --> 00:15:34,080 nodding off on a park bench. Martin never likes to 258 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,840 go to these things, but he's had so much fun today. 259 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,000 He's like a kid again. And she giggled, and I 260 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,240 decided that I liked Hazel. He says we can come 261 00:15:43,279 --> 00:15:46,600 back next year if I want to. Well, that's nice, 262 00:15:46,759 --> 00:15:49,200 I offered, because I didn't know what else to say. 263 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,200 I looked over at her sleeping husband. He wasn't an 264 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,360 attractive old man. I highly doubted that he had been 265 00:15:56,399 --> 00:15:59,200 handsome in his youth. He bore a full set of 266 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,159 acme scar on each cheek, and his mouth seemed too 267 00:16:02,279 --> 00:16:05,039 wide for his thin face, and his nose was long 268 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:09,039 and hooked. However, I remembered how he had pulled out 269 00:16:09,039 --> 00:16:11,559 his wallet and purchased the quilt for his wife, and 270 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,679 I decided I liked him too. We carved our pumpkins, 271 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,159 trading suggestions and offering support as we did so. Hazel 272 00:16:20,279 --> 00:16:24,440 didn't stop talking. She told me about her children and grandchildren. 273 00:16:24,919 --> 00:16:27,720 She talked about a son who died in Vietnam, and 274 00:16:27,759 --> 00:16:31,279 another who lives somewhere out west now but who always 275 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,399 comes home for Thanksgiving. She told me about the quilt 276 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,080 she'd purchased and how much it reminded her of a 277 00:16:38,159 --> 00:16:40,440 quilt her grandmother had made for her when she was 278 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,879 a little girl. And then she told me how she 279 00:16:43,919 --> 00:16:47,320 and Martin had always planned to travel after he retired 280 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,480 from the factory where he had worked for nearly thirty years, 281 00:16:50,799 --> 00:16:53,480 but that they had robbed him of his pension, and 282 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,559 now they couldn't afford to do much more than go 283 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,320 to little festivals like this. And by the time the 284 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,480 young girl came around and led us over to the 285 00:17:01,559 --> 00:17:05,480 judging table, I knew almost everything a body could know 286 00:17:05,759 --> 00:17:09,519 about an elderly couple leaving Social Security check to check. 287 00:17:10,799 --> 00:17:13,240 There must have been a hundred pumpkins on the hay 288 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,960 racks behind the judges booth. They were separated into categories 289 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,359 by the age of the artist. We were handed cards 290 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,119 on which to write our names, and when we handed 291 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,799 them back, they stuck a sticker on each card with 292 00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:29,599 a number and handed us each a ticket with a 293 00:17:29,599 --> 00:17:33,480 corresponding number. The judging would take place in a few 294 00:17:33,519 --> 00:17:36,400 more hours, and if we placed, we would be invited 295 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,480 to ride on the float and carry our pumpkins. I 296 00:17:40,559 --> 00:17:43,000 said my goodbyes to Hazel, and I wished her and 297 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:45,400 Martin good luck, and I went to find more food 298 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,759 to eat. When I finally sat down on the bench 299 00:17:48,799 --> 00:17:51,519 where Martin had been napping earlier, I took a long, 300 00:17:51,599 --> 00:17:56,000 hard look around. Most of the pumpkin carvers were adults. Now. 301 00:17:56,559 --> 00:18:00,640 The simple, toothless grins created by the children were gone. 302 00:18:00,799 --> 00:18:04,599 Older minds were cutting out more devious looking faces with evil, 303 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:09,039 frowning eyes and pointed, jagged teeth. I watched as first 304 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:13,079 one person in twentieth century apparel, and then another was 305 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,839 replaced by someone who dressed in their period clothing, began 306 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:21,160 to carve with amazing precision. The initial works were not 307 00:18:21,279 --> 00:18:24,799 much more impressive than anyone else's, but little by little, 308 00:18:25,039 --> 00:18:29,880 simple eye holes and gaping mouths were disappearing. Whole faces 309 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,000 were being carved in with tools that weren't on the table, 310 00:18:33,279 --> 00:18:37,079 but were being pulled from inside of pockets. I was 311 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:41,160 amazed at how realistic those faces began to look. A 312 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:45,160 few were whimsical, but mostly they were frightening. I saw 313 00:18:45,279 --> 00:18:48,039 one carve to look like an angry sea captain, into 314 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,240 whose mouth the artist shoved a pipe when he was finished, 315 00:18:51,759 --> 00:18:55,880 And another face resembled a witch. It looked so alive 316 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,839 that I could almost see her meeting with her sisters 317 00:18:58,839 --> 00:19:02,640 in the open scene of Beth. Then I saw a 318 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,599 beastly face. The eye was popped out and dangling by 319 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,880 cords of pumpkin guts, Its cheeks were modeled as if 320 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,240 scarred by smallpox, and it was spewing more pumpkin guts 321 00:19:14,279 --> 00:19:17,640 from its fat lips. It looked like blood was trickling 322 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,559 from its nose, and I couldn't help but feel that 323 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:24,359 I had seen that face somewhere, maybe not such a 324 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,039 hideous version of it, but definitely that face, and I 325 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:31,799 decided it must be the artist rendition of Charles Lofton 326 00:19:32,039 --> 00:19:36,160 as the hunchback of Notre Dame. I was beginning to 327 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,279 get tired. Too much food, too many bottles of the 328 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:42,319 overly sweet root beer, and too many glasses of apple 329 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,119 cider were taking their toll. The judge wasn't due to 330 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,400 start for another hour, but I was imagining my warm, 331 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,200 comfortable hotel room and thinking that no parade would match 332 00:19:53,279 --> 00:19:57,880 the joy of crawling into bed. Another completed pumpkin was 333 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:02,319 placed beside the dangling eyep can. This one had been 334 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:05,759 painted with pink lipstick and wore a mop of bright 335 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,599 red hair. I looked at the little squinting eyes and 336 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,400 thought how funny it was that the two pumpkins, side 337 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:15,880 by sides looked so much like Hazel and Martin. And 338 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,839 it occurred to me then that it must be a 339 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,720 tradition to find people in the crowd, and the car 340 00:20:20,759 --> 00:20:24,359 faces to resemble theirs. I looked up and down the 341 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,799 line of the artists to see if anyone was carving 342 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,519 my face. None of the pumpkins looked anything like me. 343 00:20:32,079 --> 00:20:36,119 Will you come with me please? I looked around, and 344 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,599 the voice that seemed to be whispering in my ear, 345 00:20:39,599 --> 00:20:42,480 the young girl who had sold me the pumpkin, was 346 00:20:42,559 --> 00:20:45,880 bending over the back of my bench. Are you talking 347 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,319 to me? I asked, yes, Can you please come with me? 348 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:54,559 She was beckoning for me to follow her. Exhaustion was 349 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,640 winning the day. I couldn't imagine where I would ever 350 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,200 find the energy to stand up, much less wine. I 351 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,880 shook my head no, unable to find the worst to 352 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:08,119 explain that I was too tired. You've won a price, 353 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,200 she said, you have a spot on the float. Her 354 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:16,079 smile felt more like a leer. All around us, lights 355 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:19,839 were being lit, or perhaps torches were being ignited. I 356 00:21:19,839 --> 00:21:24,519 couldn't tell which voices were fading in and out. People 357 00:21:24,519 --> 00:21:27,680 were moving about, but it looked more like they were swaying. 358 00:21:28,759 --> 00:21:31,799 I felt dizzy. If you'll follow me, I'll take you 359 00:21:31,839 --> 00:21:35,039 to the float, she said. I don't know if I 360 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,359 was too exhausted to move or too exhausted to disobey, 361 00:21:39,079 --> 00:21:41,319 I sat straight up on the bench and I reached 362 00:21:41,319 --> 00:21:44,799 for my bag. My body was making up my mind 363 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:49,000 for me. It apparently thought I had enough energy to follow. 364 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,240 My hand reached the spot where my bag should have been, 365 00:21:52,319 --> 00:21:55,079 but there was nothing there. I have your bag, if 366 00:21:55,079 --> 00:21:58,400 you will follow me, the young girl said. Her voice 367 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,640 had a strange, ethereal sound that matched the music that 368 00:22:01,759 --> 00:22:05,039 was still coming from the tent. Come on, she coaxed. 369 00:22:05,079 --> 00:22:09,720 It's this way. The world tilted sideways as I gained 370 00:22:09,759 --> 00:22:12,640 my fee, but I quickly righted myself and I took 371 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,400 the first step forward. She was directly in front of me. 372 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,960 Her long brown hair fell down her back in soft waves. 373 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:25,599 Such pretty hair, I heard myself mutter. We walked through 374 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,640 the crowd single file, and every now and then she 375 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:30,720 would stop and look back to make sure I was 376 00:22:30,759 --> 00:22:35,039 still there. Somehow I was. My head was spinning and 377 00:22:35,039 --> 00:22:38,000 my eyes were losing focus. I was certain that I 378 00:22:38,079 --> 00:22:40,920 was going to pass out, but my feet kept moving forward. 379 00:22:41,599 --> 00:22:43,559 We made our way back up the street to the 380 00:22:43,599 --> 00:22:49,559 big red barn. In here, she said, sliding the door 381 00:22:49,599 --> 00:22:52,519 open wide enough for me to step through. It was 382 00:22:52,599 --> 00:22:56,319 warm inside. It had been a relatively warm day, but 383 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,440 the night. At some point, and I can't remember when 384 00:23:00,079 --> 00:23:03,839 it had become nigh, the night air chilled everything, including me. 385 00:23:05,319 --> 00:23:08,920 The interior of the barn glowed with a golden hue 386 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,599 that one hundred lit candles or a blazing fire would create. 387 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:17,039 That people were moving around inside. They were all dressed 388 00:23:17,079 --> 00:23:21,039 in colonial attire. In front of me was a woman. 389 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,720 Her clothes were from my century, and it told me 390 00:23:24,799 --> 00:23:28,599 that she was not local. She turned to look at me, 391 00:23:28,759 --> 00:23:32,319 and we were both startled to see the disoriented exhaustion 392 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,799 in each other's faces. A voice from somewhere deep inside 393 00:23:36,839 --> 00:23:41,119 me whispered, I told you to leave, now, it's too late. 394 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:48,160 I felt sick. There was a strange, nauseating smell hanging 395 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,720 in the air, and I couldn't quite place it. It was 396 00:23:51,799 --> 00:23:54,839 thick and metallic in nature, with undertones of something I 397 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:59,000 could not identify. I closed my eyes for just a moment. 398 00:23:59,559 --> 00:24:02,640 The thud of something heavy hitting the dirt floor somewhere 399 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,200 near me brought me wide awake, and I focused on 400 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,599 the spot where the woman had stood only a moment before, 401 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,799 but she was gone. Automatically, I stepped forward to take 402 00:24:13,839 --> 00:24:16,960 her place in line, and as I did so, I 403 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,640 tripped over her body. I need help, someone was saying. 404 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:25,759 It was the blacksmith I had seen earlier. This one 405 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,839 passed out. Someone helped me lift her. I watched as 406 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:32,920 two other men came over and half dragged, half carried 407 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,839 the woman away. I heard the sound of a blade 408 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,279 swishing through the air in the split of something viscous. 409 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,599 The line moved forward another step. My body ached for release. 410 00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:50,799 My eyes wouldn't stay open. There are always gluttons, someone 411 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,599 was saying. Every year there are those who drink too 412 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,640 much root beer and they pass out. It's always the same, 413 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,039 too much root beer. What did he mean? Root Beer 414 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:05,160 is an alcoholic. It shouldn't make anyone pass out. I 415 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,200 tried to count the number of bottles I had drank 416 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:12,000 that day, Three maybe four. Another swish of a blade 417 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:16,599 and another splaight of thick fluid. The line moved forward 418 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:21,839 another step, and I followed suit. My mind was telling 419 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:26,119 me to focus. Now. That little voice wasn't whispering anymore. 420 00:25:26,519 --> 00:25:29,519 It was screaming at me to get out and run, 421 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:33,319 or you're going to die. I forced my eyes open 422 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,880 and took in my surroundings, and people were moving around, 423 00:25:37,079 --> 00:25:42,000 stacking large objects into piles. That little voice was telling 424 00:25:42,039 --> 00:25:44,640 me what I was looking at, but my mind couldn't 425 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:51,039 accept it. The objects were mannequins, I thought, headless mannequins, 426 00:25:51,839 --> 00:25:55,079 and then I recognized a gaudy white blouse with big 427 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:59,279 turquoise flowers on it. The head was gone, but I 428 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:01,559 knew if it did been there, it would have had 429 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:07,400 harshly dyed red hair. There were people everywhere around me. 430 00:26:08,039 --> 00:26:10,720 I didn't know what to do. I swallowed a scream, 431 00:26:10,759 --> 00:26:14,720 and I forced myself to stand perfectly still. The adrenaline 432 00:26:14,759 --> 00:26:19,240 rush completely erased my confusion. With every ounce of strength 433 00:26:19,319 --> 00:26:22,880 I possessed, I forced myself to quit trembling. I had 434 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,599 to get out of there. Another swipe of the blade 435 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,960 meant another step forward, and I moved aside and allowed 436 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,039 the man who was behind me to step forward in 437 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:36,480 my place. No one noticed. I stepped back another step 438 00:26:36,519 --> 00:26:39,920 and let the woman behind him step up. No one 439 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,839 saw me. The blade took another head, and the line 440 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:48,920 stepped forward, and everyone except me. With each beheading, I 441 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,200 moved backwards, and finally I was at the door, and 442 00:26:52,279 --> 00:26:54,359 when it opened, the young girl who had brought me 443 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,839 there was pushing another victim through. Now worried that she 444 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,759 might have seen me, but she didn't, and the door 445 00:27:00,839 --> 00:27:05,119 closed too quickly. Anyway, the front wall of the barn 446 00:27:05,319 --> 00:27:07,559 was dark, not a sight of My only hope was 447 00:27:07,559 --> 00:27:10,640 to fade into the shadows. If I could keep hidden, 448 00:27:10,759 --> 00:27:14,400 maybe I would find another way out. I slept backwards, 449 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,200 and I pressed my whole body into the shadows. And 450 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,200 a few minutes later the door opened again and another 451 00:27:20,279 --> 00:27:24,799 victim stepped inside. I had stood beside that man at 452 00:27:24,799 --> 00:27:27,799 the ring toss. He looked at me, but he was 453 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,359 in too deep of a stupor to recognize me. And 454 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:34,680 as I stared at him, something behind him caught my eye. 455 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:39,680 It was the stairs leading to the hayloft. In every 456 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:44,039 horror movie I've ever watched, the biggest mistake is always 457 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:48,079 to go up when running from the monster. Don't climb 458 00:27:48,079 --> 00:27:51,359 the stairs, don't climb the ladder, and don't climb the tree. 459 00:27:51,799 --> 00:27:53,839 I knew that, but I also knew there was no 460 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:58,599 other escape. Clinging tight to the dark wall, I made 461 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:03,200 my way over and quickly ascended the loft. Halfway up, 462 00:28:03,319 --> 00:28:05,599 I got a glimpse of the front of the line. 463 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:10,519 There was an altar. I wondered if I could stay 464 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,640 up in the loft for the night and make my 465 00:28:12,799 --> 00:28:16,440 escape the next morning. I felt safe for now. My 466 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,319 adrenaline levels were dropping, and I was beginning to feel 467 00:28:19,319 --> 00:28:23,920 the exhaustion seep in again. The hay looked soft and inviting. 468 00:28:24,559 --> 00:28:26,880 I could have fallen to my knees and slept for 469 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:32,559 days weeks. Even A voice behind me erased that thought 470 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,759 there are more bags up here, it was saying, as 471 00:28:35,759 --> 00:28:39,960 it climbed up the stairs behind me. Quickly, I dove 472 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,839 behind a stack of haybelles, and I held my breath. 473 00:28:43,799 --> 00:28:46,720 The owner of the voice was directing another voice to 474 00:28:46,759 --> 00:28:50,200 look at the back of the waft, then rummaged around 475 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,640 while I laid as still as I could, And by 476 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,279 the time they found what they were looking for, it 477 00:28:55,319 --> 00:28:58,119 was all I could do to stay awake. Sleep was 478 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,000 all I wanted. Once they were gone, I made my 479 00:29:02,079 --> 00:29:04,279 own way to the back of the barn, and, to 480 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,400 my everlasting joy, there was a door there. I slipped 481 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,359 it open and I peeked out. Thankfully, no one was 482 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,119 back there. However, there was no way to get down either, 483 00:29:15,599 --> 00:29:18,039 and whatever was in that root beer was playing havoc 484 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,920 on my cognitive reasoning, the hay was calling me back 485 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,319 to sleep and my body was doing its best to 486 00:29:24,319 --> 00:29:27,920 betray me. But I had to escape. I looked around 487 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,440 the loft for something, anything, to help me get down. 488 00:29:32,039 --> 00:29:34,039 There was a rope on top of the pile of 489 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,359 bags the two voices had come up to get and 490 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:39,559 I slid the door open as wide as I dared, 491 00:29:39,599 --> 00:29:42,079 and I dropped the rope down, hoping there wasn't a 492 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,079 window below me that would reveal the rope and give 493 00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:50,079 me away. I've never been the athletic type. Combined with 494 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,759 the overwhelming desire to sleep, I don't know how I 495 00:29:53,839 --> 00:29:56,920 managed to get down, and when my feet were firmly 496 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:58,920 on the ground, I took off at a dead run 497 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:02,119 for the covered bridge. I didn't care at that point 498 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,279 who saw me. I just needed to get away. I 499 00:30:06,359 --> 00:30:09,119 was running at what felt like a breakneck speed, but 500 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,920 in reality it was little more than a crawl. Street 501 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,799 Lights or torches let my path. As I ran along 502 00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:19,519 the street toward the bridge, it was getting closer and 503 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,599 freedom was seconds away. And I knew when I got 504 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,599 to my truck that I wouldn't be going back to 505 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:28,359 my hotel room. I was going home. I was going 506 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,319 to put as much space between me and this horrible place, 507 00:30:31,519 --> 00:30:36,200 these monstrous people, as I possibly could. I took my 508 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,880 first step onto the bridge deck. A relief flooded my body. 509 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:42,759 My truck was on the other side, just over the water. 510 00:30:43,799 --> 00:30:46,799 I could do this. My hand reached down to feel 511 00:30:46,799 --> 00:30:49,400 for my keys in my front pocket, and there they were. 512 00:30:50,119 --> 00:30:53,599 The bridge was dark, but moonlight illuminated the opening at 513 00:30:53,599 --> 00:30:56,359 the far end. I was going to be safe soon. 514 00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,920 I burst through the portal that had led me to 515 00:31:00,119 --> 00:31:04,000 that awful place and came to a staggering halt. My 516 00:31:04,119 --> 00:31:07,839 truck wasn't parked in the field, No vehicles were parked there. 517 00:31:08,599 --> 00:31:13,240 The entire field was empty. Overwhelmed by confusion, I looked 518 00:31:13,279 --> 00:31:15,960 back across the river at the little town, and a 519 00:31:16,039 --> 00:31:18,599 mass of fire burned now in the middle of the park. 520 00:31:19,799 --> 00:31:23,599 Strange music drifted through the air, bringing with it uncertainty. 521 00:31:24,599 --> 00:31:27,319 Was this all a bad dream? When was I going 522 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,200 to wake up? Could I wake up? I turned back 523 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:33,559 to the field where my truck should have been, and 524 00:31:33,599 --> 00:31:36,680 then down the road where freedom waited. I thought that 525 00:31:36,839 --> 00:31:40,119 was running through my mind was too horrible to accept. 526 00:31:41,079 --> 00:31:43,440 Even as I rejected it, I slid down the river 527 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,400 bank and began to quietly make my way along it, 528 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,720 hidden from view by underbrush and overgrown trees, and back 529 00:31:50,759 --> 00:31:54,839 to the park, where the fire burned. From behind one 530 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,319 of those tall oak trees that bordered the park, I 531 00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:03,440 watched the festivities. The townspeople were dancing around a massive 532 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:08,319 bonfire where the pumpkin carving tables had been. All around 533 00:32:08,319 --> 00:32:11,039 the fire, on the ground were the headless bodies of 534 00:32:11,079 --> 00:32:15,519 a hundred or more out of towners. Where their heads 535 00:32:15,519 --> 00:32:19,559 had once been, jack o lanterns were now perched. I 536 00:32:19,599 --> 00:32:22,559 saw the bodies of Hazel and Martin, and the man 537 00:32:22,599 --> 00:32:26,079 who stood beside me at the ring toss, the family 538 00:32:26,119 --> 00:32:28,960 of four and their two children, and the young couple 539 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:33,640 in love. Each pumpkin was a grotesque replica of the 540 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:37,400 head it had replaced. The smell of their body slowly 541 00:32:37,559 --> 00:32:42,440 roasting bold in the pit of my stomach. The kettlecorn 542 00:32:42,519 --> 00:32:45,599 man was at the center of the activities. He was 543 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,440 dressed now in a white robe with a hood reminiscent 544 00:32:48,599 --> 00:32:51,440 of the types of hoods worn by the ku Klux Klan. 545 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:55,759 He held up ahead and said something strange over it 546 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,720 before casting it into the fire. I recognized it by 547 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:04,559 the shit jock of red hair, and everyone cheered. The 548 00:33:04,599 --> 00:33:09,200 Feast of Albreth, by all blessings be bestowed. The man 549 00:33:09,359 --> 00:33:14,319 called the Feast of Albreth, answered his followers. There were 550 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:19,200 more cheers. He picked up Martin's head and repeated the ritual, 551 00:33:19,559 --> 00:33:21,799 And I watched as he picked up head after a 552 00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:25,119 head and repeated his prayer and cast it into the 553 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,279 fire again and again. The villains cheered, and the smell 554 00:33:29,319 --> 00:33:32,359 of burning flesh was so overpowering that I began to 555 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,960 feel sick. But at last I emptied the contents of 556 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:39,480 my stomach out onto the dark grass behind the tree. 557 00:33:39,559 --> 00:33:43,519 I had seen enough. That was a blessing. The medicated 558 00:33:43,599 --> 00:33:48,079 root beer came up with the food, sobering me. With 559 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,640 no truck, I saw no reason to go back the 560 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,519 way I came. I knew the river would take me 561 00:33:53,599 --> 00:33:58,079 back to civilization. I had only to follow it. It 562 00:33:58,119 --> 00:34:00,960 took me three days before I saw anything that looked 563 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,640 remotely like the world I had left behind when I 564 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:07,160 crossed that bridge for the first time. I hadn't dared 565 00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:11,039 leave the river until then. I had drank river water 566 00:34:11,119 --> 00:34:14,639 and gone without food, but I had gotten away that 567 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:19,199 was all that mattered now. I reported my truck as stolen, 568 00:34:19,519 --> 00:34:22,440 and I received an insurance check that was big enough 569 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,760 to put a down payment on another one. It wasn't 570 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,280 as nice as the first, but I didn't need a 571 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,440 better truck. I wouldn't be traveling around the country to 572 00:34:31,519 --> 00:34:36,280 festivals anymore. My world would never expand beyond my own 573 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:37,719 backyard again