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Speaker 1: When I was fourteen, my dad would drive me out

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to my friend's house to play airsoft in the woods

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near Wells, Maine. We would go into the woods behind

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the sand pit that was right behind his house, where

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we built a pretty decent fort that was surrounded by

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a knee high wall. Inside the fort, we'd made fox

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holes and we had a fire pit in the middle.

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We had a lot of fun spending nights out there

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and doing the stupid things that kids do, like shooting

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each other with our air guns and throwing CO two

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canisters in the fire. On more than one occasion, we

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spent the whole night huddled up by the fire. We

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were freezing and waiting for the sun to come up

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and thaw us out. My friend Greg, he and I

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had been at the Sea Cadet program together for several years.

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The Sea Cadets is a youth program for the next

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that was similar to the Boy's Scouts. He would later

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serve several years in the military. He was a no

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nonsense person and that kind of guy, and you could

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trust your life with him. That's only one reason why

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I ended up believing him when he told me this story.

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On one of the occasions when we were hanging out

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in our fort with a few of our friends. We

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decided to do a night maneuver operation. At that age,

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darkness was our friend, or so we thought. Darkness is

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never your friend, though. It creeps over the woods and

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it puts an extra blanket of protection on those things

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that can hurt you, while leaving mere humans more vulnerable

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and in greater danger. During our operation, my squad was

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in charge of guarding the fort while Greg and his

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squad spread out and they went around the sand pit

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and then circled back to try to lay waste to

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our defense. It was just me and my other friend

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and we were sitting there waiting for a while. We

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knew it would take Greg and his squad a little

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time to circle around the sand pit. I was in

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the forward fox hole, but something drew my attention to

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the rear. I looked back and I saw what looked

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like a human being crawling over the knee wall at

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the back of the fort. It was too dark to

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make out who it was, but when it stood up,

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I decided that it couldn't be Greg. It didn't look right.

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Its arms were too long for its body, and as

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I watched it stood there and silently watched back. I

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didn't move or speak a word, and neither did this thing. Eventually,

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it dropped back down on all fours, and it silently

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moved off into the woods. I never once believed it

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was Greg. It didn't match his silho wet, and nor

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did I think it was any of the other kids

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that we were out there with. That's why I never

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raised my airgun and shot at it. Several long minutes later,

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we heard and his groove walking down the path from

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the sand pit. The game continued, and I pushed the

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incident to the back of my mind. Some time later,

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Greg came to me with a drawing he'd made. It

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was a black humanoid figure with what looked like dreadlocks

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hanging off the back of its head. He said he'd

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seen it in the woods. I didn't believe him, but

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Greg wasn't the kind of makeup stories, and besides, I

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was reminded of something I'd seen crawling over the knee wall.

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How could I deny Greg's story when I had one

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of my own. I ask him then if he or

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any of the others were trying to pull a prank

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on us that night, and he swore that it wasn't

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him or anyone else in his group. Over the years,

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I've asked him several more times, thinking maybe with time

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he would admit it was a joke. But he's never

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changed his story. Neither has he ever changed his story

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about the thing he drew in the picture. I don't

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know what lives around Wells, Maine. It's an isolated spot

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with places that only ten people in one hundred would

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ever explore. The forests go for miles. I live in

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Michigan now, and I work with the Coastguard. I don't

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get back there much, but sometimes late at night, when

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I'm alone, I can't help but wonder what I saw

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croll over the knee wall that night, and if it

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was the same thing Greg had drawn in that picture.

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There once was a line from a play written by

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poet William Concreve in sixteen ninety seven that states music

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hath charms to soothe a savage beast, to soften rocks,

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or bend a knotted oak. The phrase ended up in

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the movie King Kong. Roughly translated, it means music has

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the power to calm even the angriest of beasts, including Bigfoot.

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I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California,

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and I've acquired what some would describe as a lifetime

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of unusual encounters. Some stories involve wild animals, they're easy

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to identify, while others are chilling and difficult to put

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into words. I often joked that I could write a

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fiction story and it would not be as crazy as

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my actual life experiences. My family camped a lot when

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I was a small child, although very rarely in campgrounds.

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We packed in and packed out, hopeful to eat fish

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and otherwise forage for our meals, but we also came

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prepared with rice and other staples. If necessary, We hiked

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into places that had fresh water sources clean enough to drink.

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I was curious about the Tibetaneti from a very young age,

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even before I could read. My father told me about

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sasquatch and suggested to me that they are likely the

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same species. When I was fourteen, my mother and I

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went to a weekend bigfoot seminar hosted by a well

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known indigenous elder. In addition, I happened to be seated

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next to another popular researcher in the field of cryptid studies,

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and I found out that both men had a long

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standing working relationship. Their stories fascinated me and kind of

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colored the way I see cryptids in general. Years later,

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I was in Sedona, Arizona, enjoying my youngest child's first

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camping trip. We were at a place that was really

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an RV resort with a tent camping area that was

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beautiful and wild. I surveyed our surroundings. There was a

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fence that was mostly overgrown with scrub oak. The meadow

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on the other side was a vibrant and seemingly untouched green,

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flourishing and impressive. I could see a huge living cottonwood

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about two hundred yards away, and there was a thick

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and wild forested area to the east with remnants of

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cave dwellings that remained from a First Nations tribe that

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disappeared without a trace centuries ago. Well, we carried on

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until about ten PM. My dog, a sharp ee Cody

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mix that I named Augie, had run off from the area.

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As we were the only tent campers in the place.

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I could hear the jingle from her tags, and I

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decided to pull out my dejura. Do think that's how

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you pronounced that that I had required on one of

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my many adventures. Now, de juri, do did youI a doo?

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Digi a doo? That's how you said. Digi a doo

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is a flute like musical instrument that produces a long,

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single note drone. The sound can be high or low

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in tone, depending on the length of the instrument. It

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was developed by the Aboriginal people in northern Australia one

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thousand years ago. If you're really good at it, you

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can add vocal textures to it, similar to an animal sound,

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and it takes a lot of oxygen through the mouth

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and knows. They refer to the technique as circular breathing.

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I played and suddenly heard Augie running into the campsite

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at full tilt. She curled up in a tight ball

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at my feet as close as she could get to

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the fire. This was abnormal. Something definitely had spooked her,

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and she expected me to protect her. I went back

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to playing my music. After fifteen minutes, I smell something

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that resembled a skunk. Now, usually a skunk scent does

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not bother me, but this was offensive and it was

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faint on the wind. The odor became stronger and playing

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the digiid requires one to breathe in deeply through the nose.

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Close to midnight, I heard some snapping in the scrub

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oak about fifty feet away. Perhaps my music was being

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appreciated by whatever was keeping watch on my camp site.

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Now obliged heartily, but after a while decided fifty feet

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was close enough. I moved my kiddo into the tent

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and went to extinguish the fire, and a chill ran

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through me. So I decided to allow the fire to

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burn down, and I went back inside the tent, and

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I zumped only the mosquito netting so I could keep

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an eye on the flames well. I lie down and

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closed my eyes, and at that moment I became aware

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of a distant drum beat with a rhythm resembling the

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steady pulse of a heartbeat. It was emanating from across

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the meadow, and the drum beat did not waver or

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stop until sunrise, when it ended. I have never known

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a human to keep a simple beat for four or

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five hours without a pause or a break. I felt

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like it was in response to the music that I

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had offered earlier. It didn't occur to me what I

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had experienced that night until I documented it many weeks

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later in my journal, writing it was like a skunk,

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but predatory. I looked at my sentence and then drew

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an arrow down to the bottom of the page and wrote,

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in big letters, skunk ape. Veronica Amber had no recollection

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of her first encounter with the wisps. They came as

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inconspicuous and unexpected, like flurries of indoored dust that float

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and fly when bathed by a sheen of sunlight. At

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the beginning of their residence at three point fifteen Copacitic Lane,

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just before their street transitioned into the main road in town.

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Her home knew a time when it was vacant of

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the wisps, and the only specters filling the inside of

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their projections from the old films that her father would

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display on dark velvet walls of the house. The walls

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of their victorian used to hold no haunting tendrils of

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their existence. The hallways heard no shrills or cuttle walls

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from a life silenced by death, and the marble floor

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of their historic home at one point had less of

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a tendency to send shivers up one's another regions and

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into the spine. The wisps were invisible inhabitants of their home,

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but to the rest of the world they were simply

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called ghosts. Veronica Amber's acquaintance with them was far from

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the horror filled nonsense she'd read about in books and

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watched in movies. For the more the whists made themselves

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known to her, the more annoyed she became. It seemed

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they were always around, causing mischief, popping out at the

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most inconvenient times, and filling her ears with macabre groans

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in the dark in an attempt to inflict fear into

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her soul when she only wanted to have a good

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night's sleep, and since then she had scarcely known a

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moment's peace. Veronica Amber, or Vam as she liked to

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be called, awoke on Halloween morning with an abrupt opening

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of her eyes. She lay on her back in her

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attic room, watching the warmth of the dawning sun changed

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the color of her slanted ceiling. She heard a shuffling

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of feet, moved her eyes to the foot of the bed,

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and there stood a lady Wisp looking at her with

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a cocked head, her spaghetti strands of hair falling on

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to a ghostly shoulder where the clavical and humorous were

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exposed underneath decayed and stretched out torn skin. This particular

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wisp never bothered Vam like the others did, but the

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gaze she gave her always made her feel uncomfortable because

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she knew the apparition was trying to say something through

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those glassy, unblinking eyes. Perhaps it was due to the

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dislocated jaw and missing tongue that kept her from saying

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what was on her mind, but regardless, Vam had no

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time to feel sorry for something that had the same

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design as a fart in the wind. It's Halloween today,

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Paprika Vam said, lifting her head from the pillow and

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using her elbows to hold her up as she faced

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the wisp. A Vam named all the wisps after spices,

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and Paprika happened to fit this specific one. Not only that,

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but it's my last time as host now that I'm eighteen.

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After this, I'm relieved of all duties. Vam gave a

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quick stretched and moved her body into a sitting position

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on the side of her bed. She felt the moist

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hot fogs around her feet, and when she looked down,

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she glanced at the open mouth of a Regano, an

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older Wisp who was bodyless and used his old man

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head to roll around their home. His gurgly, foaming mouth

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was stretched wide in an expression that would make any

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normal humans soil themselves in fright. His cracky lips clung

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around Vam's feet, leaving strands of ghostly saliva on her ankles.

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Fam rolled her eyes and wiggled her toes, visible through

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the rotted eyelids of his head, and she kicked him,

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making him vanish into nothing. You're disgusting, she muttered, moving

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toward the bathroom. Before she reached the toilet, time, a

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young boy Whisp who looked about six or seven, popped

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up from the floor and shrieked like a banshee. She

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gasped more from the suddenness of it than from fright,

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as his face collided into hers, and before she had

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a moment to swat him away, he disappeared. Time was

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the one who bothered her the most, and as many

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endeavors to frighten her and failing to do so, it

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made him the one she also felt closest to, almost

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like a little annoying brother, but with maggots crawling out

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of his nose and ears. It was in the alone

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hours of the morning that Vam fell the most connected

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00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,879
to the house. Her parents, who taught night classes at

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Nickt University, remained asleep for the majority of the day,

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and it was in their solitude that she learned to

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speak to the house. Just one touch to a chimney

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stone or a beam of wood was enough for the

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house to remind and speak to her about how it

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was before their wisps had occupied the space. She would

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get images of her mother and father, and their pale

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faces contrasted with the black exterior of the home. The

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oldest and most abandoned, neglected house on Copaestic Lane was

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the one they had imprinted on. Could it be genetics,

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00:15:42,679 --> 00:15:47,200
her father, Professor Victor Ambrose Pror, asked one night during

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dinner over his stake Flombay, many years ago, when Vam

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had confided in him about the wisps. When we adopted you,

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we knew at some point your health would become a

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source of worry for us. He said, well, that is

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00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,919
a possibility, my dear, but we must also not reule

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out the screen time. Her mother, doctor Vivian Amelia Pryor,

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had said, placing a cold, pale hand on Vam's forehead.

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That new iPad we got you for Christmas has become

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a bit of an addiction for you, darling. Are you

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00:16:19,639 --> 00:16:24,639
sure you aren't hallucinating these images? A young Vam had

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00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:28,480
smiled at them, half lovingly and half disappointed that her

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parents couldn't see the wisps, She shook her head. No, mother,

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I'm not imagining them. Theyre as real as you and

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I father. I can touch them, I can smell them,

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00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:44,519
but when I try to scream, they disappear. At this point,

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being scared isn't an option. I just want them to

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leave me alone. Her mother's plum lipstick stained mouth formed

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00:16:53,279 --> 00:16:57,279
a sympathetic frown. I'm so sorry, dearest, I wish there

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00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,360
was something we could do to make it go away.

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That had been many years ago, and since then numerous

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00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:08,039
wisps had appeared to her, as real and as vexatious

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as ever, for better or for worse, but not for long.

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00:17:12,279 --> 00:17:16,000
Comes springtime, when Van was due to graduate, she'd leave

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her home, seething with wisps, to start a new life

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and leave the nest, a phrase her father despised and

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00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:28,279
regarded with contempt. Pishposh, he always said when that phrase

278
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,920
was uttered. We aren't eagles, for goodness' sake, So I

279
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,920
want no more talk about leaving nest and whatnot. Now, Vam,

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my darling, I couldn't be prouder of the person that

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you become and the one you are yet to be.

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And like any father, I'm disconsolate at the idea of

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00:17:45,279 --> 00:17:49,000
seeing you go, but exhilarated at the prospects that await you.

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Not flesh of our flesh, nor blood of our blood,

285
00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,039
but once you were handed into our arms, the darling

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00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,240
child with the eyes as dark as coal, who appeared

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00:17:59,279 --> 00:18:03,279
to us as a stranger, suddenly became the most beloved daughter.

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A most beloved daughter rang in Vam's head, and she

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00:18:08,839 --> 00:18:13,799
dressed herself for the day. In the mirror, a young girl, Wisp,

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00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:19,359
whom Vam had named Coriander, manifested herself beside Vam. She

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00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,720
opened her mouth and let out a shrill scream that

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00:18:21,839 --> 00:18:25,960
penetrated the ear drums with a searing intensity, and Vam

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00:18:26,079 --> 00:18:29,519
covered her ears, but ignored her, and quickly placing a

294
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clip on her hair before making her way downstairs to

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00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:37,880
finish the preparation for the night's Halloween party. A most

296
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,799
beloved daughter, she thought to herself again, and a most

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00:18:41,799 --> 00:18:45,599
beloved host. And when Vam was a young girl, shortly

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00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,720
after the Priors had adopted her, she was given the

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responsibility of hosting a Halloween evening in their home. Mommy

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00:18:53,039 --> 00:18:56,319
and Daddy have to sleep, dearest, and can only join

301
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,240
later in the evening. Once we awaken, who will be

302
00:18:59,279 --> 00:19:02,119
there to entertain? Ain't our guest? Well, that is where

303
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,920
you come in, said her mother. But I'm only a child,

304
00:19:06,039 --> 00:19:09,680
Vam had objected, Well, that works to our advantage, darling,

305
00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,839
her mother had said, kneeling to her level and pressing

306
00:19:12,839 --> 00:19:16,640
her pale forehead to Vams, they are more likely to

307
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:21,720
trust you, and so they did. Every Halloween evening, the

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00:19:21,759 --> 00:19:25,359
Priors would appoint Vam to welcome guests and passing trigger

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00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,319
treats to their home. At the beginning, guests would question

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00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:32,000
her on the whereabouts of her parents, to which Vam

311
00:19:32,039 --> 00:19:35,279
would reply, no worries, they are resting and we'll be

312
00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,720
with you shortly for dinner. In the kitchen, Vam started

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00:19:39,759 --> 00:19:43,920
the ord'eures baked brye made to look like mommy, and

314
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,480
she's in cracker platter, with bat and Jack o' lantern cutouts,

315
00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,079
a bowl of checks mix and candy for a monster munch,

316
00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:54,640
and guacamole with vegetables arranged to look like the face

317
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,759
of a witch. It was all coming together, and it

318
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,160
was still hours to go until lunch time. By the

319
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,079
time it was sundown, Vam had decorated and set the

320
00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,200
food in the dining room. A meat loaf shaped to

321
00:20:08,279 --> 00:20:11,440
resemble the anatomy of a human body was left cooling

322
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,839
on the counter when she went upstairs to change, and

323
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,960
she opted for a simple black dress that hugged her

324
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,880
slender frame. And putting on the final touches of her makeup,

325
00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,720
she heard a wheezing, echoey sound behind the curtain of

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00:20:25,799 --> 00:20:30,640
her shower. Pushing the curtain back, Time jumped at her,

327
00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:33,519
squealing and laughing. As she went through her body and

328
00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:38,519
exited out the bathroom door, another wisp, A young looking

329
00:20:38,559 --> 00:20:42,480
male around Vam's age, stood staring at her underneath the showerhead.

330
00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,640
A harsh cut to the throat revealed a sliced trachea.

331
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,680
Vam sighed and crossed her arms. Do you think you

332
00:20:50,759 --> 00:20:53,960
can keep it down, Nutmeg? Our guests are due to

333
00:20:54,079 --> 00:20:58,960
arrive soon, and the wheezing is distracting. Nutmeg said nothing

334
00:20:59,079 --> 00:21:03,160
but nodded, watching Vam roll her tube of lipstick back in.

335
00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,039
You're lucky. You're a handsome one, even more of a looker.

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00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:10,559
Before Vam turned back to him, her hand on the

337
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,960
light switch of the bathroom. You know, she used her

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00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,880
index finger to swipe under her throat in a slashing manner.

339
00:21:19,759 --> 00:21:22,440
The sound of the doorbell below made Vam return to

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00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,640
her responsibilities, and with a clap of her hand, she

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00:21:25,759 --> 00:21:28,759
turned off the light and clambered down the stairs, remembering

342
00:21:28,799 --> 00:21:33,039
the meat loaf and placing it on the table. Before

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00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:36,400
reaching the entrance, she stopped in the fourier, where above

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the grinning candlelight Jack o' lantern hung pictures of the

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00:21:39,599 --> 00:21:44,359
hosts that came before her, The other priors, her sisters,

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00:21:45,039 --> 00:21:48,440
the sisters she had never met, the sisters who had

347
00:21:48,519 --> 00:21:50,880
left to start a new life at eighteen once the

348
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:55,000
new host was chosen, just like she would in the springtime,

349
00:21:56,039 --> 00:21:58,839
The sisters who had taken the same val their parents

350
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had taken when they were each adopted into the family.

351
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,920
We will take care of you if you will take

352
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,440
care of us, they had said. None of the previous

353
00:22:08,519 --> 00:22:12,039
prior daughters had been hosts at three point fifteen Copestic

354
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:16,200
Lane when their nomadic parents staked a claim on the property.

355
00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:20,079
Vam had been the first one. With each passing year

356
00:22:20,079 --> 00:22:23,079
of Vam's life, she was slowly coming to terms with

357
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,119
the truth about why the wisps were part of their

358
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:30,519
home and why they were visible only to her. Vam

359
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:34,279
doesn't remember her first encounter with a wisp, but she

360
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:39,160
remembers when Peperika, who in her previous life was called Monica,

361
00:22:39,559 --> 00:22:42,799
entered in her fleshly human form as a guest in

362
00:22:42,839 --> 00:22:47,200
their home. And Oregano, who was once Mister Franks her

363
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,440
English teacher time, used to be Spencer, a classmate she

364
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,240
would play with in elementary school, and was the first

365
00:22:54,279 --> 00:22:57,960
guest she entertained in her first year as a host.

366
00:22:58,839 --> 00:23:02,680
Nutmeg was a package delivery worker who thought Vam looked

367
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,920
rather pretty standing on the porch of her house in

368
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,599
her black dress. Last Halloween. He went up the steps

369
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,319
to introduce himself and entered, and unbeknownst to him that

370
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:17,440
he would not be coming back out. The whiffs were

371
00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,559
who they were because they had all made the decision

372
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:25,200
to be guests at three point fifteen Copacetic Lane. What

373
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,799
bound them together other than death was their decision to

374
00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:33,039
trust Vam. Another ring of the doorbell sounded in the

375
00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:39,079
furyer coming, Vam called out, straightening her dress. Opening the door,

376
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,920
she came face to face with a group of tricker treaders,

377
00:23:42,079 --> 00:23:46,640
young and old, friend groups and families. No one wanted

378
00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,000
to miss out on the opportunity to sneak a peek

379
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:52,200
inside the old, creepy Victorian house that sat like a

380
00:23:52,319 --> 00:23:58,240
tempting siren on Copastic Lane. Hello, she exclaimed, putting on

381
00:23:58,319 --> 00:24:02,319
an unnaturally inviting as she opened the door. We've got

382
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,920
candy for your buckets, and if you'd like to stay,

383
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,160
we have snacks and food. We hope you can join

384
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,920
us for a while this evening. Stepping aside, she allowed

385
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:15,759
the group of guests to walk into the fourrier, directing

386
00:24:15,759 --> 00:24:18,400
them with her arm toward the parlor in the formal

387
00:24:18,519 --> 00:24:23,519
dining room. A murmur of excitement washed over the crowd,

388
00:24:23,559 --> 00:24:26,200
and they stepped over each other and pushed bodies away

389
00:24:26,279 --> 00:24:29,400
to be the first one to explore the house, and

390
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,359
within a few minutes the parlor was full of guests

391
00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:36,920
socializing with each other, stuffing their faces with Vams snacks

392
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,880
and cooked meals and taking pictures with their phones of

393
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,319
the interior of the house and ooing and eyeing like

394
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,200
museum lovers. Vam stood and watched the energy that filled

395
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,440
the room, and with no friends or relatives to invite over,

396
00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:55,599
the prior house was for the most part empty and

397
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,680
deprived of visitors. Halloween night was the only time when

398
00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:05,559
people wilfully invited themselves over without arousing suspicion. Outsiders who

399
00:25:05,799 --> 00:25:08,160
saw the crowd beckoning to the front door of the

400
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,279
prior house didn't have to think twice about coming to

401
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,400
a conclusion to explain the number of people entering the abode.

402
00:25:16,079 --> 00:25:19,920
It's Halloween, they'd say, with a shrug. Halloween's for friends

403
00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,400
and strangers to come. A knocking a perfect cover up.

404
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,480
As many of the moocher played in the room, causing

405
00:25:27,519 --> 00:25:31,640
an uproar with people singing along, Vam slinked away from

406
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,079
the parlor and ambled over to a door leading to

407
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,519
the basement. Pitch black darkness swallowed up any traces of

408
00:25:38,559 --> 00:25:41,440
the light from the main floor as she squinted in

409
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,960
her eyes to see what was below. Father, Mother, she

410
00:25:46,079 --> 00:25:49,640
called out quietly, it's time to wake up. Our guests

411
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,519
are here. The early bat catches the worm. She heard

412
00:25:54,519 --> 00:25:59,319
a stirring in the darkness, and then heard her father speak, Hello, darling.

413
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,519
Is the black tarp laid out in the parlor? Yes, sir.

414
00:26:03,599 --> 00:26:06,200
Every year I get compliments about the noise that it

415
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,359
makes when they walk on top of it, But no

416
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,240
grievances from this group so far. They're a pretty good crowd.

417
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,160
Not a drop of blood will make its way to

418
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:20,240
the marble floors and the doorbell, camera and projector. Have

419
00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:24,319
you tested that out? It works like a charm. I

420
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,559
tried it earlier, and the projection of myself passing the

421
00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:31,759
sidewalk and coming up the steps was reversed perfectly to

422
00:26:31,799 --> 00:26:35,359
make it look like I came back down. Anyone watching

423
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,240
our home, we'll see our guests leave after the evening

424
00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:42,519
is over. Her mother spoke, now, have you prepared the

425
00:26:42,559 --> 00:26:46,559
needles and the collection bags? Yes, mother, they're beside the

426
00:26:46,559 --> 00:26:50,759
plastic bins that hold the peroxide, bleach and enzyme solvents

427
00:26:50,799 --> 00:26:54,039
we use for cleanup. All the backup freezers have been

428
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,279
up and running since this morning. I counted at least

429
00:26:57,319 --> 00:27:01,319
forty people who arrived once we break apart ligaments. It

430
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,720
should be enough to fit everyone without tacking up space

431
00:27:04,799 --> 00:27:08,119
in the basement. It's quite a bit of Burger's and

432
00:27:08,319 --> 00:27:11,720
steak flambays ready for us to enjoy for another year.

433
00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:14,839
I hope we have more oh negatives than we did

434
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:18,759
last Halloween. The flavor and the sauces we made just

435
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:23,000
wasn't the same without their kick. Her father gave out

436
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,160
a dark chuckle. Should we wear the fangs I got

437
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,720
for us three years ago? My love? He spoke to

438
00:27:28,759 --> 00:27:32,200
his wife. Why ever would we want to do that?

439
00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:36,519
She responded. Vam couldn't see her father shrug, but felt

440
00:27:36,559 --> 00:27:40,119
him do. So. It's Halloween. If the people want to

441
00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:43,200
see Count Dracula, then who am I to deny them

442
00:27:43,279 --> 00:27:49,039
that pleasure? They'll be busy screaming, Dearest Veronica Amber. Has

443
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:54,440
everyone sipped their refreshments, Vam nodded yes. Mother. In about

444
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,000
three minutes, the anesthetic solution will take full effect. If

445
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,279
you and father want to make a show of your entrance,

446
00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,640
it had better be quick before you lose them. Well

447
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,839
that's a good girl. Now run along and see that

448
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,240
our guest are enjoying. The party will be there very soon.

449
00:28:11,599 --> 00:28:14,440
Vam closed the door, and walked to the kitchen. She

450
00:28:14,519 --> 00:28:17,039
opened a drawer that held all the knives she had

451
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,319
used in previous years. She grabbed a hold of a

452
00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:24,119
meat cleaver. This baby was her favorite, made it easier

453
00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:27,759
to cut through the skin and bone. She glanced over

454
00:28:27,799 --> 00:28:30,519
her shoulder and saw that the wisps of her home

455
00:28:30,599 --> 00:28:34,039
had gathered around her, all the ones she conjured by

456
00:28:34,039 --> 00:28:37,000
the work of her own hands. She gave them a

457
00:28:37,079 --> 00:28:43,319
sly smile, ready for some new roomies. Shutting the drawer

458
00:28:43,359 --> 00:28:47,079
with her hip, she walked past the wisps who were protesting.

459
00:28:47,839 --> 00:28:50,599
Hiding the meat cleaver behind her, she clenched it behind

460
00:28:50,599 --> 00:28:53,839
the shoulder blades of her back, used her free hand

461
00:28:53,839 --> 00:28:57,039
a mute the music. All the eyes of her guests

462
00:28:57,039 --> 00:29:01,039
looked at her, with their ears perkedin bodies frozen. Vam

463
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,279
smiled at them and gave her final announcement of the night.

464
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,359
I just wanted to give you all the big thanks

465
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,200
and a grand welcome to our humble little home. My

466
00:29:11,319 --> 00:29:14,960
name is Van Pryor, and I'll be your host for

467
00:29:15,039 --> 00:29:15,680
the evening.