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Speaker 1: Hullo. I'm welcomed stories all the time. Glad you are here.

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Let's get into it. Neve brought her swing to a

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sudden stop. Her arms looked like they might snap as

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they caught her flying weight midswain. She thought she had

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heard a voice coming from somewhere near the pond in

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the middle of the park, across the street from her house. Hi,

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I'm be the voice repeated, I'm up here in the tree,

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asked Neve. She directed her attention to a weeping willow

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near the water. The tree, with its whispy tendril spurting

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puny leaves, looked nearly transparent. Neve could clearly see each

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branch contrasted against the gray october sky. There was no

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boy up there, yet, that was almost certainly where his

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voice had come from. Come up with me, be called

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the true swayed from the top down like a billowing

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dress hanging from the hips of an enormous woman. Neve

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left the swing set and cautiously approached the tree. Its

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branch is sprouted off at various angles, sometimes jutting out

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over the pond. New stood near the trunk and stared

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up into the dome the bubble of the yellowfish. That

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was the willow tree. It was quite obvious no one

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was up there. I don't see you, Neves said. The

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tree swayed again. Long green tentacles spotted with yellowish orange

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leaves danced around Neveh's head. Use the low branch over there,

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said the voice of b Nimes had rotated on instinct,

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and her eyes settled on a branch as bended over

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the pond. The branch, as Genesus, was far above Nim's head,

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but due to the tree sporadic angles, a portion of

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the limb curve down low enough for her to wrap

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her arms around it. But it wouldn't be easy. That

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particular portion of the branch hung out over the water.

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She could reach it from the bank, but one wrong step,

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one slip of a hand or foot, and Neveh would

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find herself swimming through pontscum. You've got to see how

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pretty it is up here, be called from above. Neives.

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I shot upward, going straight to the focal point of

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his voice. Determined to find the boy, she planted her

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feet in the bank and wrapped her arms around a

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hanging branch. She jumped and tried to swing one leg

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over the branch, but missed. Her feet came down, one

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on the bank and one splashing into the shallowest water.

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I can't do it, nih am mined, Yes you can.

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You can do amazing things if you just try, said

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b and I'm gritted her teeth. She knew he was right.

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It was the message she had heard from every PBS

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sure she had watched after school. To you best try,

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she recalled a kid in a wheelchair playing basketball on

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Sesame Street. Determined and Eve embraced the branch once again,

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interlacing her fingers. She kicked off the ground and in

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one perfect motion, wrapped both legs around the branch. Its weighted,

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as if lazily trying to shake her off, but she

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held fast. You did it, jeer Bee's voice for abuf

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Neive couldn't contain her smile as she hoisted her slight

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body atop the branch. Still smiling, she looked up. A

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black crow swipped down from the highest branches of the

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willow tree. It issued an angry squawk as it dove

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straight for Knee's head. She screamed and put her hands

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up to shield her face. She felt the crow's wings

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beated her hands and twisted away. The sudden movement within

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her already and stable position caused her to shift too

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far to the left and fall. Neve opened her eyes

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to see the scummy water rising to greet her in

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slow motion. A bullfrog umped out of her way. She

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squeezed her eyes shut again, but just before the inevitable

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cold splash, something jerked nef toward the shore. She tumbled

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onto the bank the same foot which had already splashed,

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and the shallow water landed in it again, But otherwise

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Neve was safe and dry. She opened her eyes. There

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was Bee. He was real now. He wasn't just a voice.

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He was standing above her, looking down of concern. He

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had medium lent black hair, thick eyebrows, and the palest

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skin Neve had ever seen. His face sort of looked

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like an amateur artist's sketch come to life. I slightly

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too far apart, nose a little too high, and slightly crooked.

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He had a small mouth too, made smaller by his

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word frown. He had both hands in the pockets of

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his gray hoodie, and the legs of his blue jeans

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were smudged all over dirt. That was close, he said, standing,

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Neve said, thanks for saving me. Be smiled that water

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looks cold, plus a kind of feel like it was

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my faulty fowl. It's okay, Neve said, how did you

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get up there? I'm good at climbing. After a pause,

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he asked, want to be friends? Neve smiled and said ok.

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She led me back to the swing set, where they

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swung back and forth until her shot and foot dried out.

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That they played children's games in between chatter but life

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their families or Rodananiam's family. Thee claimed he didn't really

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have the family and wouldn't share any more. When pressed,

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Naim privately wondered if not having a family was why

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his name was only one letter instead of fall like hers.

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After nearly two hours, Nim began to shiver. Even when

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keeping active, the moist air cooled by Autumn's frigid breath

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had penetrated her jacket and clothes. Want to come see

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my house, she asked. Be It's right across the street.

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My parents and brother are home, so you can meet

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my whole family. Bee looked uncomfortable, looked away. Neve touched

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his hand. This was something she had seen in her

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movie once and said, it's okay. If you're shy. We

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finally agreed to go with Neve. She led him across

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the street, prancing all the way. She burst through the

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front door of her house, shouting, Mom, Dad, I brought

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a friend home. Somewhere deep in the house. That chaer slit,

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and a door opened in another place. A light switch

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cla Then two sets of footsteps converged upon the entryway.

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Neie's parents appeared at the same time, with broad prepared smiles,

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which vanished as soon as they saw Bee. This is

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my friend I met at the park, Neieve said, not

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letting her parent reaction fase her. His name is b B. Huh.

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Her dad asked, is that short for something? Wehn B

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didn't answer. Nian turned toward him. She saw he was

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shaking his head. Her dad stared incredulously. It'd be as

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if his silent answer wasn't good enough. Niam's mom was Bird,

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it's okay. I had an imaginary friend when I was

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her age too loudly, she said, it's nice to meet you.

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Be welcome to our home. Thee shut the door a

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little harder than he thought he probably meant to. It

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boomed and rattled some pitch of frames on a shelf

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in the living room. The sound must have startled her parents,

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because they both jumped and stared with white eyes. Case

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is getting windy out there, her dad said. Her mom said, Nive,

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why don't you you and d go play downstairs for

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a while with Jeremy. I'm finishing up some work and

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your dad needs to stop making dinner. It be mom,

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Nieve corrected. Her mom bit the inside of her cheek

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and nodded slightly out right dinner. Her dad groaned. Then

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I forgot to pull out the chicken. He vanished, sucked

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away in a tornado of long brown hair and baggy sweats.

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Her mom walked away without another word. He remember I

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told you about my brother, Jeremy niebass Be. He nodded.

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She led him toward the basement stairs. Be whispered, sorry,

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I slammed the door. I think it made your parents mad. No,

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they can just be really weird, Niam said. Jeremy is

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kind of a weird or two. Mom said, we should

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play with him, but I never really play with him.

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He thinks he's too cool. He sounds like a jerk.

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Nim smirked, Ye, kinder, the basement was one sem I

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finished room with carpet and the floor and bare walls.

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The exposed ceiling showed all the pipes and ducks and

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wires running beneath the above. In the corner as far

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from the air conditioner in furnace as possible, Jeremy sat

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on a folding chair with an electric guitar in his

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hands and one foot propped up on a small amplifier.

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He barely spared, never a glance, and didn't seem to

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notice be at all. Jeremy Neive shouted as Jeremy launched

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into a poorly executed system of a damer Jeremy, What,

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fifteen year old Jeremy demanded. He muted his strings with

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his right hand and curled his left into a fist.

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I want you to meet my friend Bee from the park.

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What kind of a name is that, Jeremy asked, appalled

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Nigh and said that's rude. Well, you and your ghost

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friend go do something that won't bother me, all right,

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I'm trying to learn this sum not trying hard enough,

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be said Nigh and giggled. What Jeremy demanded? Nim covered

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her mouth with her hand and said nothing. I thought

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I heard her say something. Nope, Jeremy rolled his eyes.

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Just leave me alone, O k His amplifier squealed so

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suddenly and so loudly that Jeremy accidentally kicked it over.

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He immediately shut it off and began inspecting his gables.

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Come on, I want to see your room, be said,

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Neive showed him the way. I'm so sorry every one's

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being so rude to you, Nieve said. Once they were

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in her room, Bee walked around taking the room in.

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It's okay, you're really nice. That's all that matters to me.

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Want me to see if it's ok you stay for dinner,

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Nieve asked. B said no, I think I should go soon.

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Thanks for inviting me over it. Though he met Nev's eyes,

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then his eyes looked just past her, and he cocked

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his head. He sat hold still and reached over her shoulder.

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When he brought his hand back, he was holding a

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stem from the weeping willow tree. It had five leaves

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in the early stages of their utumn turn attached to it.

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Was that in my hair now, I am asked, giggling.

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It must have gotten caught on you when you felt

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B said you should keep it. It can be a

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reminder of the day we met, Naim took the stem,

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smiling broadly, and thanked him. She didn't want him to go,

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but she showed him the way out anywhere. Dinner passed

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as usual, was sparse conversation. Being a Saturday evening, there

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wasn't even school for the parents to ask about. Without

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that time this conversation piece, nobody really knew what to

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talk about. N I'm tried to bring up be a

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couple of times, but no one seemed interested in that topic.

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As she got ready for bed and I'm her Jeremy

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playing guitar in the basement again, only this time he

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actually sounded good. She didn't like the kind of music

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he played, and usually hated it even more because he

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couldn't stay in two nor unbeat, but she could tell

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he was hitting all the right notes this time. Suddenly,

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Jeremy burst into her doorway. She looked up at him,

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pinching her eyebrows together. He was looking at her as

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if she had just performed some impossible magic trick. They

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stared at each other that way for five full seconds

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while the system of a down riff echoed up through

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the vents. Jeremy's dumbfounded look more oft into something like disgust.

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He ran to the basement without a word. A few

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seconds later, the guitar went silent, and Jeremy came running

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back to NIV room panting. Did you how could was?

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He stammered. He looked from side to side, unable to

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keep still. Neve waited patiently for him to ask whatever

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it was he wanted to ask her. Then she noticed

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something just behind him. She hadn't noticed at first because

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it looked like Jeremy's shadow, but now she saw familiar

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pale skin peeking out from behind her him, and an

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eye which winked at her. When Jeremy finally walked away,

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Bee was fully exposed. He stood in the hallway. We

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were in the same dirty clothes. The only change in

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him was a pair of dark circles, almost like bruises,

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now surrounding his eyes. What are you doing here, Neve whispered.

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Be tiptoed into her room and closed the door. Sorry,

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I didn't want to go home, he admitted. Was that

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you playing guitar? Yeah? I didn't like how Jeremy talked

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to you, so I wanted to make him feel bad.

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Why would you want to make somebody feel bad? Ni'm

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asked innocently, b shrugged. Don't you ever want to hurt

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people when they're mean to you? I don't want to

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hurt anybody, Niam said. She looked at her new friend

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as if she didn't know him at all. Okay, then

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what would you change about your family? If you don't

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want to hurt them, what would you do to make

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them different? Naiam thought about this, temporarily ignoring the fact

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that her new friend had apparently snuck back into her

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house to taunt her brother. She said, I wish this

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smile more. I almost never see my parents smile, and

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Jeremy never smiles ever. Be studded her thruq eyes. He

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said nothing until he suddenly asked, can I sleep here tonight? Why?

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Asked Niam, slightly uncomfortable. I told you I don't want

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to go home. I could sleep under the bed so

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no one sees me. Neeve considered as carefully. She didn't

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really want to be sleeping under her bed. That was

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kind of creepy. He was kind of creepy all of

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a sudden, How about this? Be said, I'll sleep here tonight,

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and if you don't like it, I won't do it tomorrow.

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Can we just try it? Neve gave him a slight

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nod and said, yet, okay, let's try it. Do you

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need any p J Mine might all be too small

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for you. That's okay, uncomfortable like this, Be touched her

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hand away she had touched his at the park. He

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crouched down at her bedside, then slept underneath. Neeve laid

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down and closed her eyes. For a while. She thought

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she wouldn't be able to sleep. It seemed impossible, with

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every firing sinnhaps reminding her of the dirty boy sleeping

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beneath her it, but an imposing docas crept into her mind.

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After the first ten minutes or so. It pushed away

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to pesky thoughts and questions, which kept her awake and

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lulled into a deep weedss lumber. When I woke one

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Sunday morning, Bee was already gone. She walked through the

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creaky house, giving the floorboards the morning stretch, calling for

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Bee in hushed tones, but she could not find him.

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I guess he got up even earlier than me and

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finally went home. She thought a floorboard she had not

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been heavy enough to pop crack behind her. She turned round,

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still expecting to see bee, and was surprised to see

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her father there instead. He was usually the last to

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get out of bed, but there he was, smiling at

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her from the hallway. She waited for him to say something,

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but he only beamed at her as if she was

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his favorite comedian about to put on the shoe. Hi, Dad,

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Niam said apprehensively, Good morning, he replied. His voice sounded

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low in groggy. He was typically a Sunday morning grump,

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and despite his cheery face, his voice told Niam he

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had maintained his regular attitude. Speaking seemed to snap him

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out of whatever trance he had been in, but the

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smile remained at to cross his face. Niam's mother came

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down the whole way shortly after her dad disappeared into

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the kitchen. Niam was immediately horrified to see the same

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awful smiles made on her mother's face. Like a bad

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maker job. Have you been watching TV already? Her mother asked,

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like her father's. Her mother's voice did not at all

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reflect the smile on her face. No, I just woke

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up a little bit ago, Niam answered, Mam, why are

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you smiling? Her mother's hand went to her own face,

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to the corner of her mouth as if dabbing away

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some spaghetti sauce painted by wayward needle. She shook her

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head at Neve with an exasperated shrug, then joined her

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father in the kitchen. Neve sat alone in the living room,

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listening to the bubbling sound of coffee percolating, catching the

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homey arooma as it intensified. She hated the taste of coffee,

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but absolutely loved the smell. An observer would have seen

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only a vacant, blinking child sitting on the couch, but

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Nime's mind had turned into a pimball machine. Occasionally she

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would struck a thought or an idea, and her light

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would flash. One such thought was a memory from the

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night before her last conversation would be before he slipped

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00:13:49,039 --> 00:13:51,360
under her bed. He had asked her what she would

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change about her family, and she had said, oh no.

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Nimes snuck a round the corner, despired her parents in

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the kitchen. She wanted to see if they still bore

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those hideous smiles. Her dad at his back turned and

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her mom was sipping on a steaming mug. When she

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lowered the mug from her lips, Neve was relieved to

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00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,559
see her mom's relaxed lips through the steam. But when

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her mother's eyes flicked toward Neve, her lips spread into

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00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,879
that broad, unnatural smile. Kneeved up to weigh again. Bee

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00:14:15,879 --> 00:14:19,039
had done something, She was sure of it. She had

294
00:14:19,039 --> 00:14:21,279
suspected there might be something ought about him, and now

295
00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,799
she knew what he was magic. She felt compelled to

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00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,639
find him again, although subconsciously she felt him nearby, still

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in the house, even she needed to tell him to

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stop it. She had wanted her family to smile more

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because they were happy, joyful, maybe even laughing together, not

300
00:14:35,879 --> 00:14:38,679
because of some whitchy trick. How long would it last?

301
00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:42,919
Would it ever stop? Neive jumped off the couch. She

302
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,639
had to find Bee. She snuck out the front door

303
00:14:45,759 --> 00:14:48,440
barefoot and ran through the cold grass of their front yard,

304
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across the street and into the park. The weeping willowed

305
00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,320
done slowly in the fog. The rising sun behind it

306
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,039
created a perfect outline of its thinning brunches, and sitting

307
00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,120
atop the house branch was the silhouette of a young boy.

308
00:15:00,159 --> 00:15:02,799
The time she reached the willow tree, Neve's toes were numb,

309
00:15:03,279 --> 00:15:06,960
the hems of her pajama pant legs were soaked thee

310
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,759
she called into the tree. Yes, his vose answered from

311
00:15:10,759 --> 00:15:13,879
behind her. Neve spun around and saw her friend standing

312
00:15:13,879 --> 00:15:15,639
there with a patient look on his face, as if

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he had been waiting there for her the whole time.

314
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Did you do something to my parents, she asked, amrful

315
00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,960
grun sprayed across PA's face. Of all the creepy smiles

316
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,000
she had seen that morning, his was the worst. He asked,

317
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,639
your parents. No, he told me you wished your family

318
00:15:31,679 --> 00:15:35,159
smiled more. I thought you would be happy. You look happy.

319
00:15:35,679 --> 00:15:39,159
He pointed at her, at her mouth. Neve raised a

320
00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,399
hestined hand to her face, touching the corner of her

321
00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:43,720
mouth the way she had seen her mother do. She

322
00:15:43,799 --> 00:15:46,080
followed her lips of one finger tracing the outline of

323
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,240
a white grin. She took a big step back from Bee. No,

324
00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,960
she yelled, make it stop. She tried to frown, felt

325
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,080
her muscles contort, but her fingers told her. The smile

326
00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,879
remained distined to her face. It's what you wanted, Be

327
00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,320
said flatly. No, it's Be tilted his head to the side.

328
00:16:02,919 --> 00:16:05,480
Neive said, I want my family to be happy. I

329
00:16:05,519 --> 00:16:08,320
want them to be fun and laugh and aunts, and

330
00:16:08,399 --> 00:16:09,960
I don't want Jeremy to be so mean to me.

331
00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,840
I want them to smile for real, not pretend. She

332
00:16:12,879 --> 00:16:15,679
felt angry at being now, she said, I don't want

333
00:16:15,679 --> 00:16:18,120
to see you any more. These had straightened, and his

334
00:16:18,159 --> 00:16:21,440
smile widened. Without another word, he faded into the fog,

335
00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,679
all but his smile. Neive reached out a hand to

336
00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:27,039
grab him, to hold him there. As much as she

337
00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,039
wanted him to go away and leave her alone, she

338
00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,759
still had questions. She wanted to know what he was,

339
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,519
what he really was. But even as her hand entered

340
00:16:34,519 --> 00:16:37,120
a space he had occupied seconds before, he was gone,

341
00:16:37,559 --> 00:16:40,039
all but a smile, a tongue, and a fob, like

342
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,639
the Chesha Cauntney had seen in the Alice in Wonderland cartoon,

343
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,519
and a moment later that vanished too auspicious. Neve walked

344
00:16:46,519 --> 00:16:49,799
through the foggy park back to her house. From across

345
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,679
the street, she heard a loud crash. The tinkle of

346
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,279
shattered glass was punctuated by a single high nerd expelled

347
00:16:55,279 --> 00:16:58,360
by her mother. Nive waited, listening for an angry shout

348
00:16:58,399 --> 00:17:00,320
or an injured cry, but she only heard them muted

349
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,200
and distant sound of her father laughing. Maybe the shattering

350
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,079
hadn't been something bad after all, she envisioned to see.

351
00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:08,039
As she crossed a quiet road her dad at the

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00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,319
kitchen sink shrubbing a plaiter, rinsing out a glass as

353
00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:12,599
it fell into the basin and shadowed. Startling her mom.

354
00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,680
Neve entered her home, fully convinced the scenario she had

355
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,039
concocted was true. Whoa watch your step, her grinning father warrened.

356
00:17:19,039 --> 00:17:21,640
When Heeve approached the kitchen, her mother was sweeping thin

357
00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:23,759
shods of glass into a crystalline pile in the middle

358
00:17:23,759 --> 00:17:26,519
of the floor, humming as she worked. The shards did

359
00:17:26,559 --> 00:17:28,920
not belong to a plate or glass, or any kitchen

360
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,599
were for that matter. Nee may not have recognized the

361
00:17:31,599 --> 00:17:34,240
shattered item at all if the kitchen wasn't noticeably brighter

362
00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,000
than usual, causing her to look up at the newly

363
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,440
exposed light bobs in the center of the ceiling. How

364
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,240
did that fall, she asked, pointing at where the light

365
00:17:41,279 --> 00:17:44,920
fixture used to be. No idea. Her father shrugged, then

366
00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,880
he laughed forcefully. One second it was up, the next

367
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,279
it just fell. Did you do it? No? Neva blied.

368
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,759
The breaking conversation allowed her to hear her mother faintly giggling.

369
00:17:54,799 --> 00:17:59,720
Now Yeve asked, what's so funny? Huh, nothing's funny, her

370
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,519
father answered. Her mom ignored her. Have you ever seen

371
00:18:03,599 --> 00:18:06,880
Jeremy messing with this? Her father continued to laugh as

372
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:08,559
he pointed up at the empty brass ring where the

373
00:18:08,599 --> 00:18:11,599
bowl shaped glass fixture should have been. Neve's mother glanced

374
00:18:11,599 --> 00:18:13,279
away from her pile of shods to look up at

375
00:18:13,319 --> 00:18:16,039
the empty fixture, which she apparently found to cyrically hilarious.

376
00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:18,960
Her giggles bubbled into a chortling laugh so intent she

377
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,240
dropped her broom. All of this commotion finally brought Jeremy

378
00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,799
out of his room. At the sight of the broken glass,

379
00:18:24,839 --> 00:18:28,200
he two busted out in hysterical laughter, kneeved up nervously,

380
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,160
and took a few steps away from her cacking sibling.

381
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,720
Was she the only one who didn't see any humor

382
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,799
in a broken light fixture? Guys, I don't get it,

383
00:18:35,839 --> 00:18:38,920
she said, loudly enough to be heard over their syncopated laughs.

384
00:18:39,039 --> 00:18:42,440
What's so funny? Jeremy shook his head and laughed even harder.

385
00:18:43,039 --> 00:18:45,319
The exposed light bulbs cast a glaring reflection on the

386
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,759
kitchen window. The fog outs eye made the reflection crystal clear.

387
00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:51,160
Neve had paid no mind to the window until her

388
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,160
mother bent over to scoop the collected shods into the

389
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,160
discbane where her mother's bright pink shirt had been reflected.

390
00:18:56,519 --> 00:18:59,039
Neve peripherally noticed the faint features of a peal face,

391
00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:01,640
but anther fraction of a second it took her eyes

392
00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,359
to focus on the window of the face vanished. Neve

393
00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,880
took a few more steps backward, distancing herself from her

394
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,759
laughing family. Jeremy's laugh was such a foreign sound. It

395
00:19:10,799 --> 00:19:12,599
had been so long that Neve had forgotten what his

396
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:17,119
laugh even sounded like. It sounded absolutely insane. It made

397
00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,400
her think anything could happen, that her brother could, at

398
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,920
any given moment, lose control and attack. This was Bee's fault,

399
00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:25,880
Neve was, once again sure. She tried to recall their

400
00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,160
conversation by the weeping willow. What had she said this time?

401
00:19:29,759 --> 00:19:31,920
Last time? She had told him she wanted her family

402
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,519
to smile more had she asked for them to laugh.

403
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,839
I want my family to be happy. I want them

404
00:19:37,839 --> 00:19:39,480
to be fun and laugh and dance, and I don't

405
00:19:39,519 --> 00:19:41,200
want Jeremy to be so mean to me. I want

406
00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,240
them to smile for real, not pretend. The words played

407
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,519
back in her memory. This was Bee's fault, and nozzo hers.

408
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,880
THEE was only doing what she had asked. Did he

409
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,359
really think this is what she had wanted? Though the

410
00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,519
family of maniacs who would laugh at broken glass? Thee

411
00:19:56,599 --> 00:19:58,920
must have known what she had really meant. He must

412
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,559
have understood her true meaning. So why was he doing

413
00:20:01,559 --> 00:20:04,720
this to her? To her family? Niam ran to her

414
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:08,599
bedroom and slammed the door shut. A distorted cord, saturated

415
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,720
and reverb, echoed up through the vent next to her bed.

416
00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,599
It was loud enough to hide her parents laughter, which

417
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,799
continually wafted through the closed door every minute or so.

418
00:20:16,599 --> 00:20:19,519
Niam apprehensively listened to her brother tune his guitar below her.

419
00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:22,400
Although she didn't have the language to describe the feeling,

420
00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,400
she felt an impending sense of dread. She felt like

421
00:20:25,519 --> 00:20:28,319
once Jeremy finished tuning, something awful was going to happen.

422
00:20:28,839 --> 00:20:31,440
In preparation, she dove beneath her covers and curled into

423
00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,240
a ball. The high YEA strain of Jeremy's guitar ran

424
00:20:34,279 --> 00:20:37,599
out as he finished tuning. It lingered morphing into harmonic

425
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,400
overtones as it echoed through the vents, ratcheting up the

426
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,880
tension in Knee's chest. Then, with perfect precision, a which

427
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,680
Jeremy launched into the opening riff of Van Halen's Panama.

428
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,640
Neive recognized the song from the radio, even without the

429
00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,039
rest of the instruments playing along. Joy's exclamations came from

430
00:20:53,079 --> 00:20:57,519
the kitchen. Somehow, these joyful sounds terrified Neve. Jeremy didn't

431
00:20:57,519 --> 00:21:00,039
stop at the introl riff. He continued to play the

432
00:21:00,039 --> 00:21:03,200
panamine peffet rhythm and tune. Neve had never heard Jeremy

433
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,440
play a single measure of a song perfectly, let alone

434
00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,559
in entire verse. And when he hit the chorus, repeating

435
00:21:08,559 --> 00:21:11,319
the main riff with bound supercision, Neive heard feet stomping

436
00:21:11,319 --> 00:21:14,480
along in the kitchen. Nei thought at first her parents

437
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,640
were rearranging the dining chairs. For some reason. It sounded

438
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,880
like someone was knocking furniture around, but in perfect time

439
00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,880
with the music. Curiously, she slid her sheet down past

440
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,880
her forehead, past her eyebrows, and an angle which allowed

441
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,440
only one shimmering eye to peek out. Thee stood at

442
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,160
the foot of her bed, between her and the door.

443
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,519
He had his hands on her footboard, His eyes studded

444
00:21:34,519 --> 00:21:37,759
her with clinical observation. With a shrull's quak, nee flapped

445
00:21:37,759 --> 00:21:40,279
the sheet back over her head and of beneath her pillows.

446
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:42,799
She brought her legs up tight against her chest, her

447
00:21:42,839 --> 00:21:44,880
knee so high. One struck her chin and made her

448
00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,480
teeth click together. Another's quak met her ears, muffled by

449
00:21:48,519 --> 00:21:52,400
the pillows and blankets. This sound was intimately familiar. She

450
00:21:52,519 --> 00:21:54,359
heard it each morning when she went out to greet

451
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,279
the day, and each night when she shut out the well.

452
00:21:57,039 --> 00:21:59,519
It was the sound of her bedroom door yawning. It

453
00:21:59,599 --> 00:22:02,559
was swinging open, destroying the barrier between the terrified child

454
00:22:02,559 --> 00:22:04,960
and the disturbing foreign place that had so recently been

455
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,319
her refuge, her home. The longer nave waited beneath the covers,

456
00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:10,920
the deeper her dread bird. The faux safety of the

457
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,720
sheets fleckered intermittently, allowing his idea abou where Bee was

458
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,359
in what he was doing, to infiltrate the fabric. As

459
00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:20,079
Jeremy entered the second chorus of Panama, and her parents' footsteps, yes,

460
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,759
they were undoubtedly dancing. Footsteps pounded along. Neve couldn't handle

461
00:22:23,799 --> 00:22:26,519
the stress any longer. She threw off the pillows and

462
00:22:26,559 --> 00:22:29,279
sheets in one furious motion and prepared to scream, But

463
00:22:29,279 --> 00:22:32,559
bad again vanished. All Neave saw was her open door,

464
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:34,680
beckoning to her, luring her back out into the house.

465
00:22:35,279 --> 00:22:37,759
Brave little Neve, feeling not brave at all, snuck into

466
00:22:37,759 --> 00:22:40,160
the hallway, passed room she knew should be empty, daring

467
00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:41,799
not to look into them at the risk of meeting

468
00:22:41,799 --> 00:22:44,640
the observant as she felt upon her. Jeremy's song was

469
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,319
almost over now, but their parents were still dancing noisily

470
00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,599
in the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Niam

471
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,799
could see them. They weren't even dancing together. They were

472
00:22:52,839 --> 00:22:55,200
standing apart on either side of the glass pile, each

473
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,640
moving in rhythms of their own, but keeping the same beat.

474
00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,519
Nim had never seen either of and danced before. She

475
00:23:01,559 --> 00:23:04,319
wouldn't have guessed they even knew how their faces looked

476
00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:08,000
red they glistened. The physical strain of keeping the upbeat

477
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,799
temper made it even more bizarre for them to have

478
00:23:09,839 --> 00:23:13,519
continued for so long. The mouse hung open, breathing hard,

479
00:23:13,799 --> 00:23:16,200
that is until Nian's father noticed her and looked up

480
00:23:16,799 --> 00:23:18,880
his mouth snapped shut, and he bared his teeth in

481
00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,400
a manic grin, the rest of his body jangling beneath it,

482
00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,640
as if he were a puppet on a strain. That's

483
00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,519
what they had become, poppies. As never coiled into the hallway,

484
00:23:27,559 --> 00:23:29,440
she noticed her mother staring at her with the same

485
00:23:29,519 --> 00:23:33,480
hungry expression Neve. Her father's voice called out, come, dance

486
00:23:33,519 --> 00:23:36,680
with us, Honey invited her mother. Neve began to cry,

487
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,319
what was wrong with her parents? Why were they acting

488
00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:44,599
this way? Would they ever stop? They would? The song ended.

489
00:23:45,279 --> 00:23:48,480
Jeremy muted the final chord and instantly returned tuning his guitar,

490
00:23:48,599 --> 00:23:51,799
loudly enough to be heard upstairs. Naium's mother went right

491
00:23:51,839 --> 00:23:54,119
back to scooping up the glass shouts, and her father

492
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,920
resumed washing the dishes. Jeremy finished tuning and started watching

493
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:00,359
some riff that didn't sound very difficult even to I am.

494
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,279
Sunday morning went back to normal, and I am as

495
00:24:03,319 --> 00:24:06,160
uncomfortable as she was, tried to act normal do somehow

496
00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,279
her family's lace. His fair demeanor during the rest of

497
00:24:08,279 --> 00:24:10,720
the day was more offensive to Eve than smiling and dancing.

498
00:24:11,319 --> 00:24:12,880
It made her feel as if her family had been

499
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,200
in on the jokun that she was the unfunny punch line.

500
00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:17,519
She went to bed Sunday night without saying good night

501
00:24:17,559 --> 00:24:20,000
to any one. She simply closed the door and shut

502
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,400
them out. Eventually, restless knee began to hear every one

503
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,359
else going to bed, to water hissing through pipes, causet

504
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,519
sliding open and shut, and dragging footsteps. Told the individual

505
00:24:29,599 --> 00:24:32,160
stores of their bedtime routines, and went into oven compilation.

506
00:24:32,839 --> 00:24:35,640
She heard her parents' bedroom door close, then Jeremy's, and

507
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,759
finally she could relax. She thought about going to school

508
00:24:38,799 --> 00:24:41,319
tomorrow for the first time. All day, she tried to

509
00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:43,720
remember if she had anything due and what Messssene said

510
00:24:43,759 --> 00:24:46,440
they would be doing. Neve felt anxious to be at school,

511
00:24:46,559 --> 00:24:48,359
to be away from her home and family for seven

512
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,559
distracting hours. Just as sleep began to stroke the edges

513
00:24:51,559 --> 00:24:53,640
of her mind, a new question woke her back up.

514
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,279
Would befall over her to school? Then she wondered, what

515
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,559
about the smiles the dancing Deneveh's racing mind was interrupted

516
00:25:01,559 --> 00:25:03,519
by the whisper of her bedroom door laped slipping from

517
00:25:03,519 --> 00:25:05,960
the boor, the door broke away from the jam and

518
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:10,160
crept himward forward. With Bee already on her mind, Neveh

519
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,440
fully expected to see her so called friend standing in

520
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,599
the dark hallway asking to sleep under her bed again.

521
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,559
No way would she allow him to this night? Could

522
00:25:17,599 --> 00:25:20,759
she deny him? Though? Would he let her? She would

523
00:25:20,759 --> 00:25:23,119
not have a chance to answer those questions, because standing

524
00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,839
in the doorway was not be but her father, Dad,

525
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,720
Neve asked. He stepped into the room, his feature shaded

526
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:32,079
by shadows cast by her light. He turned his back

527
00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:35,279
to Niam and slowly quietly closed the door again. Dad,

528
00:25:36,079 --> 00:25:39,400
Niam asked again, what are you doing? When he turned

529
00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,960
back around, he was smiling that awful, be influenced smile.

530
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:45,880
Niam screened for her mommy. Her father lunged over the bed.

531
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,839
She threw up her sheets and rolled out of his path.

532
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,519
Her bed shed tangled him up for a second, just

533
00:25:51,599 --> 00:25:54,039
long enough for Niam to put some space between them.

534
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,680
Her father had the advantage of being closer to the door.

535
00:25:57,279 --> 00:25:59,960
Niam was trapped. She had no idea what her father

536
00:26:00,079 --> 00:26:02,039
those intentions were, but she knew they weren't really his

537
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:05,279
intentions anyway. He pounced off the bed, and she barely

538
00:26:05,319 --> 00:26:08,759
avoided his grasping finger. Tips. His momentum carried him into

539
00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:12,200
the wall. He seemed to bounce off while he recovered.

540
00:26:12,319 --> 00:26:15,240
Nim dotted toward the closed door. She only managed to

541
00:26:15,319 --> 00:26:17,839
escape because it opened inward, creating a barrier for her.

542
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,400
As she ran out, Nev was smart enough to slam

543
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,160
the door shut behind her. She heard her father's body

544
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,240
thud against it, then slide down. She saw the crack

545
00:26:26,279 --> 00:26:27,920
in the door go dot because he had blocked the

546
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,319
night lights glow. Unfortunately, that faint, leaking glow would have

547
00:26:31,319 --> 00:26:34,799
been Nive's only light. She now found herself in perfect darkness.

548
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,279
Although she knew the house well enough to walk through

549
00:26:37,279 --> 00:26:39,440
it with her eyes closed most nights, on this one,

550
00:26:39,599 --> 00:26:41,200
she felt so out of place that she didn't trust

551
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,000
her muscle memory. She grazed the wall with her finger

552
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,039
tips as she tiptoed down the hallway, unsure of where

553
00:26:46,079 --> 00:26:48,759
she was going to go. They had a few friendly neighbors,

554
00:26:48,799 --> 00:26:51,000
and although Nian didn't know them too well, she thought

555
00:26:51,039 --> 00:26:53,400
she might be able to get some help. She couldn't

556
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,359
trust anyone in her family, Hopefully she could still trust

557
00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:00,480
other people. Behind her, a door opened, not her bedroom door,

558
00:27:00,519 --> 00:27:04,200
thankfully by her parents. Niam turned around forgetting the holly

559
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,319
was too dark to see anything. A footstep creaked toward her,

560
00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:11,359
then another. Niam continued down the hallway backwards, now keeping

561
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:13,640
her eyes trained where she thought the footsteps were coming from.

562
00:27:14,039 --> 00:27:16,880
The next two came quicker, then a third pair followed

563
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,839
even more rapidly. By the fourth, they were running, and

564
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,319
so was Nim. Yet over here, Niam, her mother ordered.

565
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,599
Niam didn't slow. She could not afford you. Her mother

566
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,440
was rapidly gaining on her. In the living room, she

567
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:33,640
finally caught up the back of Nim's pajama shout stretched

568
00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:36,279
and the front duck into her neck. Her feet tried

569
00:27:36,319 --> 00:27:38,440
to keep running, but a forceful tug from her mother's

570
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,440
hand brought Nim to the ground. Nim opened her mouth,

571
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,720
by her mother's handsmacked it shut again. This unexpected violence

572
00:27:44,759 --> 00:27:48,000
trigger and equal reaction. Niam rotated on her back and

573
00:27:48,079 --> 00:27:51,160
kicked both legs at her mother's grinning face. Her mother

574
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,519
absorbed kicks to the forehead and cheeks, even one to

575
00:27:53,599 --> 00:27:56,000
the nose, which made a bubble up crack. One of

576
00:27:56,039 --> 00:27:58,720
knees beer he has caught her mother's throat. This made

577
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,960
her recoil and give neive a chance to reposition herself

578
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,759
and deliver a powerful need to her mother's temple. She

579
00:28:03,839 --> 00:28:06,440
missed and instead struck her jaw, which had the same effect.

580
00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,200
Her mother's unconscious body slumped to the floor. Neves scurried

581
00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,079
to the front door and locked it and threw it

582
00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:14,039
open so hard it bounced back and struck her behind.

583
00:28:14,039 --> 00:28:16,920
As she opened the storm door into the night, she ran,

584
00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:19,480
barefoot and with only her pajamas to protect against the

585
00:28:19,519 --> 00:28:23,079
cold October night. She ran through the grass, crossing from

586
00:28:23,079 --> 00:28:25,839
her yard into the neighbors. The moon hung low in

587
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,519
the sky, hovering right behind a weeping willow in the park,

588
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:33,599
illuminating its thinning branches. Naim Jeremy yelled. Now it was

589
00:28:33,599 --> 00:28:39,559
the one running behind her. Gaining effortlessly help, Nine screamed, somebody,

590
00:28:39,559 --> 00:28:42,400
please help me. Going to the neighbor wouldn't help any more.

591
00:28:43,039 --> 00:28:45,599
Jeremy would be on her long before anyone answered the door.

592
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,640
She diverted to the park instead, a place she knew well.

593
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,200
She sowed it through possible hiding places in her head.

594
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,920
As she crossed the street, someone's porch light came on,

595
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,359
reminding Nine to keep screaming for help. Someone had hurt

596
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,519
her and maybe more would two. Jeremy was gaining so

597
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,400
rapidly that Niam had already abandoned the idea of hiding.

598
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,880
She wouldn't have enough time. More porch lights turned on

599
00:29:07,039 --> 00:29:09,880
and a few windows lit up. Niam heard someone yell

600
00:29:10,039 --> 00:29:13,799
who's out there? And she screamed louder. Still now, Nim

601
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:15,799
ran in a straight line, unable to afford to slow

602
00:29:15,839 --> 00:29:18,839
down enough to change course. And where else was Jeremy

603
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,920
chasing her? But straight to the weeping willow Neiv wondered

604
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,559
where she would go. When she reached the pond, Ay,

605
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:31,319
ay you, somebody shouted across the park, Nive darling another cold.

606
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,920
Yet a third exclaimed, there in the park, we're coming, Knive,

607
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,039
stay away, creep. When Neve reached the willow tree, she

608
00:29:39,079 --> 00:29:42,640
could run no further. She had two choices, climb or swim.

609
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,279
Her last climb hadn't gone so well, but she leapt

610
00:29:45,319 --> 00:29:47,640
up and wrapped her arms around the lowest branch. Anyway,

611
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:50,519
she got one leg over the branch before Jeremy caught up.

612
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,039
He grabbed her stretched shirt and tried to pull her down,

613
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,680
but Neve held fast. Let go. A groff voice demanded

614
00:29:57,319 --> 00:29:59,680
below her Neve heard a soft thump and two grunts,

615
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,720
and the tension in her shirt disappeared. Hot racing, she

616
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,880
pulled herself onto the branch, successfully climbing into the tree.

617
00:30:06,279 --> 00:30:08,400
From there, she continued upward as one of the brave

618
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,519
neighbors wrestled her brother. Bellow, it's Nev and her brother.

619
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,480
A woman yelled, we've got you, kiddo, some one else said.

620
00:30:16,359 --> 00:30:18,920
A second person joined in the wrestling match under the tree.

621
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,240
Jeremy growled and sent one of them scrolling. The other

622
00:30:22,359 --> 00:30:25,839
he tossed into the coal scummy water. A by stutter yelled,

623
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,200
what the hell? Another diablo. The group of neighbors Nev

624
00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,240
couldn't count them in the dark, formed a semicircle around Jeremy.

625
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,720
Neive climbed high enough that no one could reach her

626
00:30:35,759 --> 00:30:39,200
and said, my brother isn't doing this. Something is making him.

627
00:30:39,799 --> 00:30:43,839
Where are your parents? A woman asked this questions borne

628
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,160
murmurs throughout the group. I don't know, Nieve said, It

629
00:30:47,279 --> 00:30:49,480
got them to you, and I'll take every one of

630
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,480
you who doesn't scurry away right now. Jeremy growled, a

631
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,359
deeper voice, splendid with his own. Oh god, it is

632
00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,000
a demon. The man in the water yelled he stopped

633
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,400
cold in more ways. In one Jane Naim recognized mister Badgier,

634
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,480
who had yelled this word. He dropped his knees, folded

635
00:31:05,559 --> 00:31:08,200
himself to the ground, and began to pray feverishly aloud,

636
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,200
Oh God, Almighty. One of the women began praying to

637
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:14,279
her own higher power. The man from the pond now merged.

638
00:31:14,519 --> 00:31:17,640
Anching a crucifix out from under his shirt, he tackled

639
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,599
Jeremy from behind him pressed the silver cross to the

640
00:31:19,599 --> 00:31:23,240
boy's forehead. His possessor howled and tossed the man off easily.

641
00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:27,680
Others were praying now, People of varying fates whispered, enchanted,

642
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,599
and sung in an oral stew of languages. Some repeated

643
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,200
ret prayers, while others babbled off the cough. More symbolic jewelry,

644
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,640
hand signs and dettwos appeared amongst them. One woman yelled,

645
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,920
I have some holy water. I don't know if it works,

646
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,400
but she separated and ran off. Niam had recognized her

647
00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:45,680
as Miss Brack, a woman her parents had told her

648
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,440
to steer clear of because she was into court, whichy stuff.

649
00:31:49,039 --> 00:31:51,880
A few brave neighbors emboldened by Jeremy's confused reaction to

650
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,559
the onsoort of spiritual attacks, grabbed a hold of him again.

651
00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:57,119
He fought, clawing and spitting, but they put him on

652
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,960
his back. This whole time, Neve had continued to glim

653
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,200
time below her. Everyone who wasn't engaged in physical combat

654
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:05,079
had closed their eyes and either garden on their knees

655
00:32:05,119 --> 00:32:07,920
or was standing with hands raised to the heavens. Almost

656
00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,680
nobody noticed when Neve hoisted herself on to a dead limb,

657
00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,759
which bowed dangerously under her weight. The two who did

658
00:32:13,799 --> 00:32:16,319
notice were mister Hammond and mister Weeks, an Athea's couple

659
00:32:16,319 --> 00:32:18,519
who sticker ridden bumpass had been the subject of constant

660
00:32:18,519 --> 00:32:21,440
mockery for Nee's father. This couple were the only neighbors

661
00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,599
who still had their eyes opened. Mister Hammond bosted mister

662
00:32:23,599 --> 00:32:26,160
Weeks into the tree. Being much taller than Neve, was

663
00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,400
able to reach the girl before she even recognized the

664
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,240
peril she was in. Mister Week's studded Neve on a

665
00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:32,640
stronger branch, just as the dared one had started crackling,

666
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,640
which missus brack returned breathless with a small vial. Here

667
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,720
she shouted, diving into the fray. She had caught the

668
00:32:37,799 --> 00:32:40,160
vial and sprinkled a few droplets of water on Jeremy.

669
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,200
He hissed him far harder against the hands, elbows, and

670
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,839
knies holding him down. The renewed our burst did not

671
00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,160
last long. His strength quickly waned, and those holding him

672
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,240
so His eyes grew wide and desperate. They flashed from

673
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,759
neighbor to neighbor, looking more terrified of each one. In turn,

674
00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,440
all the struggling had shifted the group toward the edge

675
00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,640
of the pond. Jeremy's possessor had one final ultric candy.

676
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,519
Like a hungry alligator, he grabbed hold of one of

677
00:33:03,519 --> 00:33:05,920
the men and flipped him into the pond. The shock

678
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,079
of Jeremy's sudden movement caused the rest to lose their

679
00:33:08,119 --> 00:33:11,200
holds on him. The man and Jeremy tumbled into the water,

680
00:33:11,519 --> 00:33:13,920
rolling deep enough that with each rotation one of them

681
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,279
was entirely submerged. A flowing elbow had not the vial

682
00:33:17,319 --> 00:33:20,400
from miss Bruck's hand. It spun through the air, dashing

683
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:23,200
holy water as it flew. The now empty vial landed

684
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:25,680
with an inaudible splash next to the deafening struggle between

685
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,640
Jeremy and his victim. Jeremy, who had been on top

686
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,720
when the holy water rained on the pond, snapped his

687
00:33:30,759 --> 00:33:33,640
head back and howled. The man below him managed to

688
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:35,680
slip out and raised his head high enough to chirk

689
00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:39,119
down some are Jeremy remained paralyzed, with his head pulled back,

690
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,759
mouth open, and hands frozen and claws for a few seconds,

691
00:33:41,759 --> 00:33:45,519
then went entirely limp. He splashed face first into the water.

692
00:33:46,119 --> 00:33:48,319
At the vary instant Jeremy's face broke the surface, the

693
00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,240
gaiser exploded upward from the center of the pond. It

694
00:33:51,279 --> 00:33:53,759
looked as if a meteor had struck. Most of the

695
00:33:53,799 --> 00:33:55,799
water in the pond either splashed out over the gathered

696
00:33:55,799 --> 00:33:58,000
praying mabos were washed up past the bank, leaving a

697
00:33:58,039 --> 00:34:00,759
muddy pit in its wake. The half drowned man combo

698
00:34:00,839 --> 00:34:03,440
to his feet, and, in yet another instant of selfless bravery,

699
00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:05,759
dragg Jeremy's limp body through the month before the water

700
00:34:05,759 --> 00:34:08,800
could pour back and around them. Neiveh and Jeremy's parents

701
00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:12,039
ran through the group of stunned onlookers. All prayers, chants

702
00:34:12,079 --> 00:34:14,519
and songs had ceased, and everyone was on their feet again,

703
00:34:15,079 --> 00:34:17,559
mister Hanlon and mister Weeks helped Neive down from the

704
00:34:17,599 --> 00:34:21,119
tree while mister Bada performs CPR on Jeremy. News's parents

705
00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:23,400
ran straight to her, not realizing it was their unling

706
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:26,480
and conscious a few feet away. The words He's alive

707
00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:28,960
just barely uppace the fit of sputtering what costs from

708
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,519
the boy on the ground. Only then did his parents

709
00:34:31,599 --> 00:34:34,519
realize what was happening and go to his aid. Neves's

710
00:34:34,559 --> 00:34:37,079
parents never truly got to hear a full accurate account

711
00:34:37,079 --> 00:34:39,480
of what happened that night. They rushed Jeremy straight to

712
00:34:39,519 --> 00:34:41,480
the hospital and stayed with him overnight and most of

713
00:34:41,519 --> 00:34:44,480
the next day. Consequently, the neighbors had plenty of time

714
00:34:44,519 --> 00:34:46,920
to replay and retell the account of the terrifying experience.

715
00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:50,800
Sirtain elements were forgotten, people left out, actions exaggerated, and

716
00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:53,079
by the time the story reached Neve and Jeremy's parents,

717
00:34:53,119 --> 00:34:54,639
it had been bent so far out of true that

718
00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:57,400
they could not believe a word. Even Eve questioned her

719
00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,760
own memory, as most of its contents were too fantastical

720
00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,840
to be believed. Her parents and Jeremy have no memory

721
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:04,960
of anything between going to bed and the moment Jeremy

722
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,000
was saved. They still do not understand how Nivkov stuck

723
00:35:08,079 --> 00:35:09,360
up in a tree in the middle of the night,

724
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,800
or how jereminially drown trying to attack her rescue her

725
00:35:13,519 --> 00:35:17,360
neives satisfied, not letting them remember the full truth. The experience,

726
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:19,760
however vague in their memories, still brought them all our

727
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,880
little closer together and mended a few of the gaps

728
00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,199
that had formed since Jeremy had become a raging teenager.

729
00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,880
Naiam had but one fear remaining. She dreaded the day

730
00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:29,960
she might see Bee standing in some corner, or peeking

731
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,880
at her from a reflection. She feared whenever she passed

732
00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,559
beneath a tree, willow, or otherwise, that she might hear

733
00:35:35,599 --> 00:35:38,360
his voice calling to her again. She has been steering

734
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:40,239
clear of the weeping willow in the park, and through

735
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,199
the stem beard plucked from her hair at the window.

736
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:44,559
She was glad to see the last of the tree's

737
00:35:44,639 --> 00:35:47,079
leaves fall off near autumn's end, leaving nowhere amongst its

738
00:35:47,119 --> 00:35:51,159
branches to hide. And that is the end. Thank you

739
00:35:51,199 --> 00:36:05,599
for listening, and I will see you in the next one.