1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: I was finishing up my afternoon shift at the gas 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:09,880 station when the power flickered once twice, then diet for good. 3 00:00:11,359 --> 00:00:14,160 The store went silent except the hum of the old 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:18,600 drink fridge winding down, and outside, the entire street had 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:24,160 begun melting into darkness. For a moment, I stood behind 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,480 the cash register, staring at the dead monitors, thinking about 7 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,239 how I'd be leaving this place for college in two weeks, 8 00:00:31,879 --> 00:00:34,920 thinking about how small and heavy it felt to still 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,840 be here. By the time I logged up and stepped 10 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,560 into the fading sunlight, candle light was already blooming in 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:47,520 windows up and down Main Street. Tiny flames flickered behind 12 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,880 lace curtains and line porch railings, glowing against the dark 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 like cautious eyes. That was just what people did here 14 00:00:56,159 --> 00:00:59,840 whenever the power failed. It didn't matter if it was 15 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,119 a two minute brown out or an overnight storm outage. 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,239 Candles came out fast. No one ever explained it to 17 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,519 me in words that made sense. I just grew up 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,079 knowing that when the lights went out, he lit a 19 00:01:14,159 --> 00:01:17,920 candle for them. No one really said who they were, 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,280 no one wanted to. I've always gone along with it 21 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,280 habit mostly maybe a bit of fear too, if I'm honest, 22 00:01:28,879 --> 00:01:33,920 But nothing deeper than that. Grandma was the believer. She 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,640 would hum under a breath, low and tuneless, as she 24 00:01:37,719 --> 00:01:41,159 lit each wick in the living room. Her hands would 25 00:01:41,159 --> 00:01:44,719 tremble as she moved from candle to candle, whispering prayers. 26 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:49,159 I never fully understood the prayers meant to keep us safe, 27 00:01:49,239 --> 00:01:52,680 she said. I used to watch her and wonder if 28 00:01:52,719 --> 00:01:55,719 she really believed in what she was doing, or if 29 00:01:55,799 --> 00:01:59,280 believing was just easier than asking questions. No one had 30 00:01:59,319 --> 00:02:03,799 answers for. All I knew was that every window in 31 00:02:03,879 --> 00:02:06,879 our street would glow. By the time the first hour 32 00:02:06,959 --> 00:02:11,360 of the blackout passed, every porch would have a candle burning, 33 00:02:11,759 --> 00:02:16,159 and every family would stay inside, quiet, waiting for the 34 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,919 power to come back on. I joked the short distance home, 35 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,120 my trainers slapping the pavement in the hush, there was 36 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,840 just enough daylight left to make it home. Without the 37 00:02:28,879 --> 00:02:32,960 street lights, the neighborhood felt swallowed by the sky, leaving 38 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,400 only small islands of flickering light in the windows. Every 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,479 porch had its candle lentence burning. Some families set out 40 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,520 mason jars with tea lights lining their walkways, flames bending 41 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,759 and trembling in the spring wind. It was beautiful in 42 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,960 a way if I didn't think too hard about why 43 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:58,240 we did it. No one was outside, not even porch 44 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:03,319 smokers or gossiping neighbors leaning on rails. Windows were curtain tightly. 45 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,520 The only movement came from the restless flames themselves, stretching 46 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,840 shadows across gardens and driveways. When I was little, I 47 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,240 used to think the candles made the town look warm 48 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,159 and alive. Grandma would tell me stories about how our 49 00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:24,000 own mother lit them every blackout, whispering that they kept 50 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,240 the watchers calm. At school, teachers never spoke about it. 51 00:03:30,199 --> 00:03:32,599 My friends and I would joke that the candles were 52 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,199 just a hillbilly blackout tradition, something to make us feel 53 00:03:36,199 --> 00:03:42,400 special when power companies ignored us. But I still lit them. 54 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,080 We all did. Even the new families who moved here 55 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,080 eventually fell in line. No one wanted to be the 56 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,759 only house dark during an outage. Our house sat at 57 00:03:54,759 --> 00:03:58,159 the end of Sycamore Lane, as sagging one story with 58 00:03:58,319 --> 00:04:02,639 pealing blue trim. It was smaller than most, with two 59 00:04:02,719 --> 00:04:07,719 thin porch posts wrapped in chipped plastic. Ivy Grandmarow said 60 00:04:07,759 --> 00:04:10,439 she liked being at the edge, away from the busier 61 00:04:10,479 --> 00:04:15,000 parts of town, fewer eyes watching at every move. She'd 62 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,480 whisper with a smile, though I never understood what that meant. 63 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,000 I pushed through the gate and up the front steps, 64 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 two at a time, the wood creaking under my weight. 65 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,759 My fingers shook as I thumbed the keys from my pocket. 66 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,959 I wanted to see a silhouette in the window, rocking 67 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,519 slowly in a chair, candle light pulling around a lined 68 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,920 face as she mouthed prayers into the quiet. That was 69 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,959 how it always was, even when the power returned. She 70 00:04:47,079 --> 00:04:50,360 lit the candles burn down to wax puddles before blowing 71 00:04:50,399 --> 00:04:55,879 them out, just to be sure. Inside the living room 72 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,879 smelled of lavender wax and melted paraffin. Dozens of tea 73 00:05:00,079 --> 00:05:03,800 lights flickered along the windowsill, and the old bugshelves crammed 74 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,920 with worn cookbooks and yarn baskets. But there was no 75 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,199 humming to greet me, no whispered psalms or half forgotten 76 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:19,079 lullabies weaving through the candle lit shadows. Grandma was slumped 77 00:05:19,079 --> 00:05:23,560 in a rocking chair, head leaning against the shoulder. Her 78 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,560 eyes were open, staring at nothing. The glow of the 79 00:05:27,639 --> 00:05:31,879 candles lit her face from below, deepening every wrinkle into 80 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,279 something hollow and waxen. Her chest rose and fell in shadow, 81 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:43,199 uneven breath that rattled in a throat. Grandma, My voice 82 00:05:43,199 --> 00:05:46,000 cracked as I crossed the room, dropping my bag by 83 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:50,800 the door, I crouched beside her, gripping her wrist. Her 84 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:55,319 skin felt cold and damp. She didn't blink, Her breathing 85 00:05:55,399 --> 00:06:01,000 fluttered like a candle about to go out. For a 86 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,240 long moment, I knelt there, listening to the ticking of 87 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,519 the wind up clock and the bug shelf, and the 88 00:06:07,639 --> 00:06:13,279 soft hiss of candlewicks burning low outside. The street was silent, 89 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:18,680 holding its breath under the blackout sky. Emergency services never 90 00:06:18,759 --> 00:06:21,680 came out during a blackout. Whether it was due to 91 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:26,079 tradition or religistical reason, I never knew. But what I 92 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:31,279 did know was it was useless to try. My chest tightened, 93 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,959 I stood and moved to the candle shelf, pulling down 94 00:06:34,959 --> 00:06:39,079 the box of fresh votives. If Grandma couldn't finish them 95 00:06:39,079 --> 00:06:43,199 to night, I would. I didn't know what else to do. 96 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,920 All I could think was keep them burning, keep her safe. 97 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,240 Keep whatever weighted in the dark from thinking our house 98 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,160 was empty. I moved through the house with a box 99 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,759 of motives balanced against my hair, placing candles in every room. 100 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,399 The kitchen counters were already lined with wax stained sauces 101 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,720 from past blackouts, each ready to cradle her flickering flame. 102 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:15,160 I lit one beside the sink, another on the breakfast table, 103 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,720 near Grandma's half finished crossword. Her pencil rested diagonally across 104 00:07:19,759 --> 00:07:24,480 the grid. It's a razor worn down to metal. In 105 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,800 the hallway, I set a stubby pillar candle atop the 106 00:07:27,839 --> 00:07:33,480 shoe cabinet, its orange glows stretching toward the bedrooms. Shadows 107 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:38,040 danced across the peiling floral wallpaper, blooming and shrinking in 108 00:07:38,079 --> 00:07:43,920 the shifting light. Each flicker made me flinch. I kept 109 00:07:43,959 --> 00:07:47,240 listening for Grandma's voice, hoping she would call out to me, 110 00:07:47,839 --> 00:07:50,439 ask what I was doing, or tell me I missed 111 00:07:50,439 --> 00:07:54,519 the spot. But the house stayed silent, apart from the 112 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:59,279 quiet hiss of wicks catching fire at the bathroom door, 113 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,759 the checker breathing again. From the hallway, I could see 114 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:10,160 her chest rising and falling, slow and uneven, relieved in 115 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,639 the tightness in my throat. For a moment, I whispered 116 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,480 a quick prayer word she used to say when I 117 00:08:16,519 --> 00:08:20,720 was scared of thunder. Keep her safe, keep them away, 118 00:08:21,279 --> 00:08:26,120 Bring back the sun. The last candle sat on the 119 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,439 living room window ledge. I knelt and held the match 120 00:08:29,519 --> 00:08:33,799 to the wick. For a moment, the flame flared bright, 121 00:08:34,279 --> 00:08:39,679 illuminating the frost wet glass. My reflection glowed, their skin 122 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,759 pale under the candle's bloom. I moved to blow out 123 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:50,000 the match, but something beyond the window caught my eye. 124 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,799 A figure stood at the edge of the yard, where 125 00:08:53,799 --> 00:08:58,480 the candlelight faded into darkness. She wore her cotton house 126 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,000 dress with a hymn that rushed her ankles, and her 127 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,600 hair was pinned back neatly from her face. The woman's 128 00:09:05,639 --> 00:09:09,159 shoulders were straight, her head tilted slightly to one side. 129 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:14,399 Even from where I knelt, I could see her smile. 130 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:21,600 My heart thumped so loud I couldn't breathe. It was Grandma. 131 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,879 She raised one hand and curled her fingers in a gentle, 132 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:34,440 beckoning motion, inviting me out into the darkness beyond the candles. 133 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,120 My hands fumbard from my phone as I packed away 134 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:42,679 from the window. Emergency services were no help, but maybe 135 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,840 someone from the town knew what to do. The screen 136 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:51,039 lit up blue and empty, no bars, no emergency signal. 137 00:09:52,039 --> 00:09:55,480 I tried again, pressing the numbers harder, as if force 138 00:09:55,519 --> 00:09:59,759 alone could push the call through. Each veiled attempt made 139 00:09:59,759 --> 00:10:03,320 my chest tighten until I felt I couldn't draw breath 140 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:08,519 at all. Come on, come on, my voice, shoot in 141 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,600 the quiet room. The only answer was the low hiss 142 00:10:12,639 --> 00:10:17,279 of the candles burning along the shelf. I shoved the 143 00:10:17,279 --> 00:10:20,120 phone into my pocket and turned a check on Grandma. 144 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,840 For a moment, I thought she was still there in 145 00:10:23,879 --> 00:10:28,279 a chair. The shadows clung thick around the cushions, curling 146 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:34,080 into shapes I almost recognized. I stepped closer, hard, pounding 147 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:38,519 so hard I could feel it in my teeth. The 148 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,080 chair was empty. The front door stood open, letting in 149 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,879 a chill breeze that carried the faint scent of damp 150 00:10:45,919 --> 00:10:50,120 earth and blown out matches. The candles by the entry 151 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:55,159 had been extinguished, wax pooling around blackened wicks. The smoke 152 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:01,799 coiled upward in thin gray ribbons that faded into the dark. Grandma, 153 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:07,279 My voice cracked. I rushed through the doorway and peered outside. 154 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:12,279 The street stretched silent under the blackout sky, only lit 155 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:16,639 by the flickering candles in windows and porches. I stepped 156 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,360 onto the porch boards, clutching the frame to keep my 157 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:25,200 knees from buckling. Grandma, I shouted again, louder this time. 158 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:32,360 My voice echoed off quiet houses, then fell flat. At 159 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,639 the far end of the street, shadows flickered at the 160 00:11:35,759 --> 00:11:40,039 edge of the driveway. They were tall, thin shapes, standing 161 00:11:40,279 --> 00:11:44,360 just beyond the candle light's reach. They didn't move, they 162 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,600 didn't speak, but I could feel their attention pressing against 163 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:54,200 my skin, pricking cold and sharp. As sleet lights glowed 164 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,799 behind curtained windows, I saw a neighbor across the street 165 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,120 pull back a lace curtain with two fingers, her eyes 166 00:12:01,159 --> 00:12:06,080 wide and round in the dimness, our gazes met. She 167 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,960 shook her head once in a quick, desperate motion, before 168 00:12:10,039 --> 00:12:14,919 letting the curtain fall back into place. Another window brightened 169 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,200 as someone flicked on a flashlight, only to click it 170 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:25,600 off immediately, leaving candle flames to flutter alone. Please, I whispered, 171 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,799 Though I didn't know who I was asking, I remembered 172 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:34,559 Grandma's old warning, the one she always made me repeat 173 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:39,639 before bed during storms when the lights flickered, Never go 174 00:12:39,759 --> 00:12:44,759 outside drawing a blackout without a single lit candle. They 175 00:12:44,799 --> 00:12:49,679 can't see you if you carry the light. My hands 176 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:54,080 were empty. I was standing barefoot in the dark, nothing 177 00:12:54,159 --> 00:13:00,559 but silent watchers between me and the rest of the world. 178 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:05,679 I stepped off the porch, the chill grass flattening under 179 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:10,200 my bare feet. My eyes darted across the yard, scanning 180 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,600 for any sign of her. The shadows at the end 181 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,799 of the street still stood, silent and watchful. I forced 182 00:13:17,799 --> 00:13:21,759 myself to look away, focusing instead on the ground directly 183 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:26,759 before me. Half way to the garden bed, a faint 184 00:13:26,759 --> 00:13:31,720 glimmer caught my eye. I moved closer, hard, thooding against 185 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,440 my ribs so hard it hurt. There nestled among the 186 00:13:36,519 --> 00:13:41,440 dandelion stalks and damp earth lay Grandma's old brass candle holder. 187 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,240 Its curved handle rested on a patch of flattened grass, 188 00:13:45,879 --> 00:13:50,000 wax pooled and solidifying around the wick. I crouched and 189 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:55,080 touched it with trembling fingers. The wax was still warm, 190 00:13:55,879 --> 00:13:59,120 the scent of lavender clung to it, soft and sweet 191 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:04,399 in the cold air. Tears prickled in my eyes. She 192 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,720 never let this candle go out, not once in all 193 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,240 my years living with her, constantly replacing it when it 194 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:14,879 got low. She kept it by a chair every night, 195 00:14:15,519 --> 00:14:19,120 even when there was no black out, flame flickering against 196 00:14:19,159 --> 00:14:24,559 the dark until dawn came back. I clutched the holder 197 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,000 to my chest and stood, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. 198 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,240 The street felt wrong in its silence. My gaze drifted 199 00:14:33,279 --> 00:14:36,519 past the fences and rooftops toward the tree line at 200 00:14:36,519 --> 00:14:40,879 the far edge of town, beyond the open fields, In 201 00:14:40,919 --> 00:14:43,759 the dense clutch of old pines and bare boned oaks, 202 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,960 hundreds of tiny lights flickered between the trunks. Pin pricks 203 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:54,279 of gold hovered in the dark, steady and silent. They 204 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:59,879 weren't fireflies. The lights didn't barble bounce. Each remained thick, 205 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,879 instead a different height, some low to the ground, others 206 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:10,240 near the canopy, spread among the trees in careful, unnatural patterns. 207 00:15:10,919 --> 00:15:15,240 My breath caught. I could almost see shapes holding them, 208 00:15:15,559 --> 00:15:19,440 figures with edges blurred by shadow, each carrying a pale, 209 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:24,600 unwavering flame inside them. They stood in silent rows, face 210 00:15:24,639 --> 00:15:29,240 in my direction, though I couldn't see their eyes. The 211 00:15:29,279 --> 00:15:32,279 sight made my skin tighten until I felt I might 212 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:36,679 crawl out of it just to escape the feeling. I 213 00:15:36,759 --> 00:15:41,080 realized then why it never made sense before growing up, 214 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,919 I always thought the candles were for us. They kept 215 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,759 bad things away and kept our homes safe until the 216 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:52,679 power returned. That's what everyone said, even if they never 217 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,919 explained how. But no one ever talked about the woods. 218 00:15:57,639 --> 00:15:59,879 No one ever spoke about what the candles were keeping 219 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,240 it for. It was a gap I never noticed because 220 00:16:04,279 --> 00:16:07,480 I didn't want to, because the thought with the lights 221 00:16:07,519 --> 00:16:11,799 weren't barriers, but invitations felt too heavy to hold as 222 00:16:11,799 --> 00:16:17,240 a child, so I never asked. None of us did. 223 00:16:17,919 --> 00:16:22,120 A memory rose sharp and sudden. Grandma's voice low and 224 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,960 quivering as she cleaned and trimmed the old wicks. They 225 00:16:27,039 --> 00:16:30,159 need light to find their way home. If we don't 226 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,440 give it to them, they'll look for another glow to follow. 227 00:16:35,879 --> 00:16:38,799 I pressed the hand over my mouth, fighting the nausea 228 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:43,000 climbing up my throat. The candles weren't meant to keep 229 00:16:43,039 --> 00:16:46,399 spirits away. They were to guide them back to wherever 230 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,600 they came from, to keep them moving past us without 231 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,000 the light showing them the path they'd find another source, 232 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:58,279 another warmth, another living glow, to carry them through the 233 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:05,920 dark and to night. The only other light left was me. 234 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,759 My breath rasped in my throat, shallow and quick, but 235 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:17,680 I forced myself to move slowly, rushing but only make 236 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:21,400 the candle flicker harder with how close I was getting. 237 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,640 If it went out, I knew I would not be 238 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,680 able to relight it in time. The closer I drew 239 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,480 to the tree line, the colder the air became. My 240 00:17:32,519 --> 00:17:36,200 bare arms prickled with goose bumps, and sweat cooled against 241 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,680 the back of my neck. The pine trunks rose tall 242 00:17:39,759 --> 00:17:43,759 and silent before me, their branches clawing at the dark sky. 243 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,599 Between them, the flickering lights spread deeper, forming rows and 244 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,720 clusters among the shadows. I paused at the edge of 245 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,119 the woods, the scent of damp needles and rotting leaves 246 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,799 curling into my nose, or trembled in the faint breeze 247 00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:06,720 in small flame, bending toward the trees. I moved forward 248 00:18:06,759 --> 00:18:10,400 in a single step, then another, careful to keep the 249 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:14,720 holder level. My hands ached from gripping it so tightly, 250 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,839 but I didn't dare loosen my hold as I crossed 251 00:18:19,839 --> 00:18:24,480 into the tree line, the light shifted. They began to move, 252 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:29,960 drifting out from behind trunks and thickets. Figures emerged with them, 253 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,240 pale shapes that blurreded their edges. Their faces were smooth 254 00:18:34,279 --> 00:18:38,880 and empty, with thin white skins stretched over blank hollows. 255 00:18:39,519 --> 00:18:43,400 Each one emitted a small light from their chest, maybe 256 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:47,720 a representation of their soul, made manifest, looking like a flame, 257 00:18:47,839 --> 00:18:52,960 standing tall without so much as a tremor. Each only 258 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,799 had one light in them. If I had come with 259 00:18:55,880 --> 00:19:01,279 more candles for safety, they didn't make a sound, no footfalls, 260 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:05,240 no breaths, just the soft hiss of wax burning and 261 00:19:05,279 --> 00:19:08,960 the faint crackle of my own candle. As I passed them, 262 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,200 I had to walk slowly, measuring each step to keep 263 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,599 from stubbing over roots or fallen branches. The candle's flame 264 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,880 pulled my attention, forcing me to watch it more than 265 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:25,079 my path. The ground was littered with pine needles and twigs, 266 00:19:25,519 --> 00:19:29,640 each threatening to shift under my weight. Every time the 267 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,359 wick guttered from a trembling step, my chest clinched so 268 00:19:33,519 --> 00:19:38,559 hard I felt my vomit from fear alone. The pale 269 00:19:38,599 --> 00:19:42,839 figures pressed closer, creating a narrow corridor of flickering gold. 270 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,359 The heads turned to follow my movement, though they had 271 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,200 no eyes to see me. With my scalp prickled with 272 00:19:51,319 --> 00:19:54,920 constant sweat. As I felt their attention tighten around me 273 00:19:55,759 --> 00:20:03,480 a silent, suffocating curiosity, they parted her head, revealing a 274 00:20:03,559 --> 00:20:09,759 small clearing deep among the trees. In the center stood 275 00:20:09,799 --> 00:20:14,400 my grandmother. A thin cotton nightgown billowed faintly around her 276 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,480 ankles in the breeze, though her hair and arms remained 277 00:20:17,559 --> 00:20:23,960 utterly still. She stared forward, eyes glazed and unblinking, mouth slack. 278 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:29,519 Her hands hung at her sides empty. A shape moved 279 00:20:29,559 --> 00:20:33,319 behind her, taller than the others, dark enough to drink 280 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:38,079 in every shred of candlelight near by. Its forms shifted 281 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:42,480 with each step, Thin and bony, Its hand emerged from 282 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:48,799 the gloom, long and skeletal, skin stretched taut over jotting knuckles. 283 00:20:49,759 --> 00:20:55,440 It extended its hand toward mine, palm up waiting. The 284 00:20:55,519 --> 00:20:59,480 meaning pressed into my chest with the weight of stone. 285 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:04,839 It wanted my candle, my light, in exchange for Grandma's return. 286 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:09,640 A soul for a soul, or at least what it 287 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,480 thought was a soul. I tied to my grip, and 288 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,319 my knuckles burned, unable to breathe past the cold swell 289 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:21,200 in my throat. Even though I knew I wasn't giving 290 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,279 it my soul, I was still handing over my only light. 291 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,559 Without a flame, would I find my way back through 292 00:21:29,559 --> 00:21:34,319 these trees? Without it would have become just another flickering 293 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:40,480 shape among the silent congregation. My grip loosened around the 294 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:45,599 brass holder. The flame wavered once before steadying again, bright 295 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:50,039 and calm against the dark. The skele little hand remained outstretched, 296 00:21:50,759 --> 00:21:55,480 fingers curling in silent invitation. My chest felt tight enough 297 00:21:55,519 --> 00:22:00,200 to crack my ribs apart. Every instinct screamed to turn 298 00:22:00,279 --> 00:22:03,880 and run, but I forced myself to take a trembling 299 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:09,400 step forward. I extended the candle. The figure's hand closed 300 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,559 around the holder, skin crackling with a sound like frozen branches. 301 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:19,400 Breaking the instant my fingers let go, The darkness surged inward. 302 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,880 Shadows rushed past my face, cold and sharp, scraping against 303 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:30,440 my skin as if testing its warmth. I lunged for Grandma, 304 00:22:31,079 --> 00:22:34,440 my fingers wrapped around a thin wrist, gripping bone under 305 00:22:34,519 --> 00:22:39,039 soft skin. She didn't move at first, for a single 306 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,759 crushing moment, I thought I had traded a soul for nothing, 307 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,000 that I had lost both of us to the woods forever. 308 00:22:47,559 --> 00:22:50,960 Then her arm twitched in my grasp, her chest rose 309 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,119 in a sudden, ragged breath. Her eyes flickered with awareness, 310 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,480 confusion clouding her gaze. As she turned her head to 311 00:22:58,519 --> 00:23:04,200 look at me. The shadows shrieked without sound, rushing forward 312 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:08,880 with the sudden violent hunger. Without a candle, I no 313 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:13,640 longer blended in, and just like an immune system, they 314 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,799 went straight for me, as if I were an invader. 315 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,960 They clawed on my shoulders, scraping across my back, ripping 316 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:24,920 the thin fabric of my shirt with ice cold fingers. 317 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,640 I tightened my olden Grandma and pulled her forward, forcing 318 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,640 her feet to move across the pine littered ground. We 319 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,759 stumbled between the pale watchers, weaving through their silent ranks. 320 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Branches snagged to my hair and whipped across my face, 321 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:46,519 scratching skin. Roar roots rose from fallen needles, catching my 322 00:23:46,599 --> 00:23:50,839 toes and send me staggering with each step. Grandma gasped 323 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,880 beside me, half dragged, her thin legs, trembling with effort. 324 00:23:55,839 --> 00:23:59,720 The woods stretched on endlessly, every tree the same twisted 325 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:04,920 silver in the wavering candlelight ahead. The shadows closed in 326 00:24:05,039 --> 00:24:08,440 behind us. I could feel them brushing against my back, 327 00:24:08,839 --> 00:24:12,880 pressing cold fingers to my spine. My legs burned with 328 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,720 each lunging step, muscles shaking so hard I thought they 329 00:24:16,799 --> 00:24:19,160 might give out. Before he reached the edge of the trees, 330 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,640 we broke from the tree line into the open. The 331 00:24:23,759 --> 00:24:28,799 house stood ahead, porchedlight, stark candles flickering weakly in the windows. 332 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,519 My legs gave out for half a step, and Grandma 333 00:24:32,599 --> 00:24:36,680 stumbled beside me, her feet scraping uselessly across the grass. 334 00:24:37,799 --> 00:24:41,279 The shadows poured from the woods, stretching over the lawn 335 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:48,079 and curling gasping streams. She sagged in my arms, her 336 00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:52,720 head falling against my shoulder. Her voice was thin, barely 337 00:24:52,839 --> 00:24:59,000 more than a breath. Leave me, she whispered, You have 338 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:04,839 to run, they're too close. No, I gasped, tightening my 339 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:10,359 grip around a waist. I'm not leaving you, please, she breathed, 340 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:15,799 tears spilling from her closed eyes. Go they only need one. 341 00:25:18,319 --> 00:25:21,039 I tried to pull her forward, but her knees buckled. 342 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,960 It was a miracle. She made it this far in 343 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,519 her rage, and it didn't look like I would be 344 00:25:26,559 --> 00:25:31,599 able to make the distance together. The shadows searched, reaching 345 00:25:31,599 --> 00:25:35,519 for her first, curling black fingers around her ankles and calves, 346 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:40,720 creeping up a thin cotton nightgown. Panic burned in my throat, 347 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:46,160 heart and choking. The house felt impossibly far away, its 348 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,200 candlelight too weak to shield us from the coal tide 349 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:55,519 crawling across the grass. A door swung open across the street. 350 00:25:56,759 --> 00:26:01,160 Mister Harris, our elderly neighbor, stood in his doorway, holding 351 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,559 out a pair of thick pillar candles, the flames strong 352 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,599 and steady in the wind. His eyes were wide, shining 353 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:14,240 with terror. Take it, he shouted. I let go of 354 00:26:14,279 --> 00:26:17,440 Grandma's wrist for a split second, grabbing the candles from 355 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,359 his shaking hand, I rushed the second into my grandma's 356 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:25,039 hand as she was being dragged across the lawn. The 357 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:29,119 instant the flame passed into the grip, the shadows recoiled 358 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:33,480 with a snapping hiss. The shapes crumbled backward, folding in 359 00:26:33,519 --> 00:26:37,680 on themselves until nothing remained but the night breeze bending 360 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,839 in the grass. I clutched the candle to my chest, 361 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:47,240 its warmth seeping into my frozen fingers. Grandma sagged against 362 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:52,319 my side, her breaths ragged but strong. The porch boards 363 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:55,119 creaked under our weight as I half dragged her up 364 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:59,000 the steps and into the soft circle of flickering light. 365 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,559 The first pale light of dawn bled into the sky, 366 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,920 turning the edges of the woods to washt out gray. 367 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,359 Street lights flickered back to life, humming with a familiar 368 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:17,640 low buzze. Power returned with a quiet surge, clocks blinking 369 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:22,119 twelve in every room. The candles still burned, the flames 370 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:27,279 small and stubborn against the morning light. I sat beside 371 00:27:27,319 --> 00:27:30,680 Grandma's bed, dipping a cloth in warm water to clean 372 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:34,480 the scratches along her arms. Her skin was thin and 373 00:27:34,559 --> 00:27:37,839 marked with bruises and cuts where the shadows that grabbed her. 374 00:27:39,079 --> 00:27:42,920 She winced once, then fell silent again, staring at the 375 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:49,519 ceiling with heavy eyes almost done, I whispered, wrapping gaze 376 00:27:49,519 --> 00:27:53,559 around the deeper cut near her elbow. My own hands 377 00:27:53,599 --> 00:27:58,039 trembled with exhaustion, wrists blotched with purple where clawed fingers 378 00:27:58,079 --> 00:28:03,000 had scraped away skin. The house felt empty, despite the 379 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:07,799 quiet wear of appliances coming back to life. The candles 380 00:28:07,839 --> 00:28:11,240 burned on every shelf and table, the wicks curling black 381 00:28:11,279 --> 00:28:17,720 above trembling flames. Grandma's gaze shifted toward me on focused 382 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:22,319 at first, Then her eyes cleared and she reached out 383 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:28,759 her finger tips brushing my wrist. Thank you, she whispered, 384 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:34,599 her voice roar and hoarse, thank you for bringing me home. 385 00:28:37,759 --> 00:28:40,839 I swallowed the tight ache in my throat and pressed 386 00:28:40,839 --> 00:28:49,240 a hand between mine rest. Now, I said, you're safe. 387 00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:53,160 When a breathing slowed into a gentler rhythm, I stood 388 00:28:53,279 --> 00:28:57,240 and gathered left over candles from the hallway. The sun 389 00:28:57,319 --> 00:29:00,759 had risen beyond the fields, painting the window glass gold. 390 00:29:02,079 --> 00:29:05,599 But I lit one last candle anyway and set it 391 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:09,960 on the sill. Its flame glowed against the daylight, a 392 00:29:10,039 --> 00:29:15,279 thin orange tongue dancing in silence. I watched the tree 393 00:29:15,319 --> 00:29:18,720 line beyond our yards, where the shadows still clung low 394 00:29:18,759 --> 00:29:23,079 to the ground. The candle flicked once, its scent of 395 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:28,920 lavender curling warm into the room. Maybe this is how 396 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,960 it goes, that when life ends here, we're taken to 397 00:29:33,039 --> 00:29:37,240 be one with those things. There's a chance I've disrupted 398 00:29:37,279 --> 00:29:41,440 the natural flow of this town. All I know is 399 00:29:42,279 --> 00:29:46,359 I've bought some more time for my grandma for when 400 00:29:46,480 --> 00:30:06,079 she inevitably joins them in the next blackout.