"The SECRET at Lot's Field" | CLANCYPASTA ORIGINAL

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[00:01:31] The Problem in Lot's Field I did not recognize the car. I knew most of the cars on that stretch of road by then, or at least I knew which ones belonged to the few scattered neighbors, most of which were farmers, and which ones didn't. And this one didn't. The driver sat there a moment after the engine shut off. I tried looking at him, but I couldn't see him through the tinted windows.

[00:02:02] Then the door opened, and out of it came an old man. He had on a light-colored beige hat. He stood by the car with one hand on the roof and looked up at me. A big, bushy mustache decorated his face. He stared at me, and I stared at him, but I couldn't place him. His shoulders were narrow, and his face was mostly hidden under the brim of his hat.

[00:02:31] I was about to ask if he needed directions, but then he started coming up the walk, so I held off. He stopped at the foot of my porch steps and took his hat off. Jackie Thomas? He said. I believe we have a problem. And at that moment, I knew him. The second I heard his voice, I knew him.

[00:03:02] It had been too many years, and he'd gotten old the same way I had. Little by little until there wasn't much left of the boys we once were. But I knew those eyes. I knew the way he held his mouth when he was scared and trying not to look it. After that voice, I could instantly tell that I'd seen this face before. Brucie, I said, almost a whisper.

[00:03:33] He nodded, and I stopped rocking in my chair. You see, I hadn't seen Brucie since we were teenagers. Back then, we were farm boys with more dirt than scents on us most days. We worked fields before school, after school, during summers, whenever our fathers decided we were old enough to be useful, which was younger than boys ought to be.

[00:04:02] We were always tired, always hungry, always looking for a place to hide for an hour or so. To cut it short, we were boys. And now we were two old men. And he was standing in front of my house, almost like all those years in between hadn't changed a thing. And on the inside, it hadn't.

[00:04:28] I looked him up and down and leaned forward in my chair and said, Why don't you, uh, come on in? My wife was out of town visiting her sister, so the house was quiet. Too quiet for my liking, really. I put on coffee because that's what my wife always did when company came around. Brucie sat at the kitchen table with his hat in his lap.

[00:04:58] He looked around once. Not nosy, just taking in where I had ended up. And he brought his gaze back to rest on the table before him. For a while, we sat there listening to the coffee maker finish sputtering. Then he said, Jackie, It has come to my attention that...

[00:05:26] He hesitated for a moment as I stood up to pour us our drinks. I didn't say a word. Just stood patient. Listening. Someone knows. Someone knows. Something. He said, softly. Like he was drifting off in thought even as he spoke.

[00:05:55] My hands had started jittering slightly as I poured the hot brew into the mug. I sat down at the table. I sat down at the table. Placing the two mugs down and scooting one over to old Brucie. He gave a forced smirk nod and lifted the cup to his lips. But he didn't drink. He just breathed in the cleansing steam. I lifted my cup and took a sip.

[00:06:22] It was far too hot, but I didn't care. I needed the sensory overdrive. And, uh, what is it you suggest we do about this? I asked, trying to focus on the burning on my tongue. He looked at me over the mug and placed his back down onto the table.

[00:06:50] So, I believe we need to, uh, go back. I took another gulp of the scalding liquid and stared him down. And he stared me down. I knew what he was talking about. Where he was talking about. Lot's Field.

[00:07:17] You see, uh, Lot's Field was a worn out tobacco field a few miles outside of town. Um, it had been useless land for as long as I could remember. Even when we were boys, nobody worked it. Nothing grew right there, except weeds and bramble and a few stubborn little trees along the fence line. And off in the distance at the border of another farm. There was an old farmhouse on it, caved in on one side.

[00:07:46] Already abandoned back when Brucie and I used to sneak out there. No idea who used to live in that old farmhouse. And out there, if you walked down deep enough, was the well. It was made of cobblestone. Round and low. With some of the stones missing from the lip. No bucket. No rope. No cover over it.

[00:08:15] Just a dark hole sunk deep into the ground. No. We used to sit out there because nobody came looking for us there. Not our fathers. Not our mothers. Not our teachers. Not anybody. That was where we went. When we wanted out of the world for a while. We had run out there one day as younger boys trying to get away from chores. And found out it was our little secret.

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[00:09:43] This should be tons of fun. Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again. Now streaming only on Disney+. I gulped another swig of the coffee. Brucie looked at me and I looked at him. Neither of us said another word at the table. And then we both got up, Brucie never tasting the drink more than the steam. We got into his car.

[00:10:11] He drove and I sat in the passenger seat. Looking out the window while the scant houses got even farther and farther apart. And the fields grew and grew until there was nothing but on either side as far as the eye could see. The sun was beginning to lower in its rotation. And in another hour or so, it'd be set. There was no radio on. After a few minutes, I decided to break the silence.

[00:10:44] Well, Brucie. How's, uh... How's your life been? He kept his eyes on the road, but his face seemed to tighten for a second. Oh, you know. He said. Got married. Had kids. Kids left. So did the wife.

[00:11:13] I looked over at him, trying to read his face. It was stern. And plastic. He gave a little shrug and a twitch of the eyebrow. How about yourself, Jackie? I got married too, I said. She's out of town right now, actually, uh... Visiting her sister. He nodded a little.

[00:11:42] Eyes still locked ahead. He asked a little under his breath. Good woman. Oh, the best, I said. Looking back out of the window. I was proud of her. More proud of her than anything else in my life, but... Given the circumstances... Well... I wasn't sure it was time for boasting. Or what could be perceived as such.

[00:12:12] And I clenched my lips. He nodded. Well... That's good. That's good. That's good. He said, eyes not leaving the road. Our path turned darker as we drove. The sun was getting low, and the fields outside the window started to look less like fields and more... Well... More like old photographs in the static of night.

[00:12:42] I tried to keep myself in the car. In that passenger seat. Beside old Brucey with his hands on the wheel. But as the drive drove on, I was... Drifting. Remembering. As I watched the fields fly by in the wind. And it was a weekend in...

[00:13:12] In late summer. When it all happened. School had just begun the week before. And Brucey and I had been working all day. And hadn't eaten much at all. We were always saying we were starving back then. And usually we were just hungry and dramatic. But that day... I remember my stomach really letting me know how it felt. After work, like usual... We started heading out to Lot's Field. And on the way...

[00:13:41] We passed the neighbor's house. He lived just off the property of the old field. But much closer to the road than Lot's itself. There in that house... Lived a man and his daughter. I remember him as a hard-faced man... Who didn't like boys around his property. He'd seen us once or twice... And he always gave us a very stern scowl. And you know...

[00:14:11] Maybe he had reason to. But I'd seen his daughter more than a few times. She'd ride her bike around the road... And we'd bumped into her a few times the previous summer. I knew her name was Clara. She was about our age. Maybe a year or older. Dark hair. Thin arms. Brucie did not like her. I think he was a little afraid of her, really.

[00:14:39] Though he never would have admitted that. I didn't know what to make of her. She was not friendly. But she was not cruel either. She would give us a similar look as her father. Though with less of a scowl and more of a... Suspicious glare. Whenever we'd see her riding around... Sometimes I'd wave or say hello. But... She'd just shoot that dirty look our way... And pull a U-turn...

[00:15:07] Heading down back towards her father's house. We never got to know her. And she certainly... Never got to know us. Well, anyways... That afternoon as we were walking by Clara's father's house... Brucie pointed out a loaf of bread sitting on their windowsill. A whole entire loaf just cooling there out in the open.

[00:15:37] And by the look on his face... I knew what he was thinking. And that he was ready to spring into action too. Hold on, Brucie. I said. Maybe we shouldn't. But he said to me... Aren't you hungry? Or... Or not? I hesitated. He looked around the yard. Nobody was outside. No movement behind the windows.

[00:16:06] And so he crept up... Took the loaf... And ran. And I ran with him. We tore across the field west. Laughing. Laughing because we were... Scared. And stupid. And lucky. By the time we reached the old well... The sun was dropping behind the trees. We sat against the stones... And ripped that bread apart with our dirty hands. And you know...

[00:16:36] I can still remember the taste of it. After every... Thing... Else... I can still remember the sweetness of that bread. It was wonderful. But we stayed out there too long. Far... Too long. The sky went from orange... To purple... Then to that deep blue... That doesn't last. The ruined farmhouse...

[00:17:06] Long decayed. Got harder to see... In the far distance. The weeds around us made little sounds in the breeze. The sky... Bruce said we ought to go. I... Said... In a minute. I was tired... More so after the bread than after work. I almost felt like I could fall asleep... Right there... Right... Right... Then...

[00:17:35] But then we heard something moving. Something around us. Something moving... Towards us... Even. And then... The sounds changed. It sounded like an animal tearing through the weeds. Fast... Clumsy... Breath heavy. And then came a high sound. Almost a screech. And we both froze. And all of this... Within a moment.

[00:18:05] What is that? Brucey frantically whispered. I didn't answer. I... I... I couldn't see much by then. Just shapes. The field. The stones. Brucey's pale face... Close beside me was... Just a shadow. Darkness was static of black and grey... Against my eyes. Then... The... Thing... Barreled out of the dark...

[00:18:35] And hit... Me. This thing was bigger than a larger dog... And it slammed right into my right side... Making a sound I couldn't place. I... I... I panicked. It latched onto my clothes... And in pure instinctual panic... I grabbed the thing by whatever grip I could get... And half punched... Half shoved it off of me. And the shove... Was hard. As far as my nervous system knew...

[00:19:03] I was fighting for my life. There was some kind of a... Scrape... Against the stone lip of the well. And by then... I was running. I ran. Screaming through the weeds... With Brucey somewhere behind me... Or... Beside me... Or... I... I... I didn't even know. But then I heard something behind me... Even through my frantic running and breathing... That... The sound...

[00:19:33] Of something... Slamming deep... Down... In the well. It wasn't allowed... But it had weight to it... And it stopped me where I stood. In the darkness of night... I turned myself around. The field... Was dark. The well was just a low shape... In the distant. Or was I just seeing it in the static... Because I knew where I'd come.

[00:20:04] And it was then I realized... I was... Alone. B... B... Bru... Brucie? I called. There was no reply. I looked all around... But... To no point. I couldn't see much of anything at all. And so... I... Started walking. Back... To the well. Every part of me wanted to keep running...

[00:20:34] Until I got home and hide under my own bed... Like a little child. But... But... I walked back. I felt like I had to. For Brucie. Brucie. And when I got to the well... I found Brucie standing there. And as I joined him at his side... I could see up close that... He was peering down... Down... Into... The well.

[00:21:04] And it was then... At that moment... I first heard breathing... From deep down inside. It was low... And uneven. Even... Strange... Strange... Really... I'd never quite heard a sound like that before... Or since... For that matter... Not in waking life... Anyways... I leaned over a little... My heart thumping in my chest...

[00:21:33] Peering deeper down into the nothingness... I swallowed dry... Against my Adam's apple... I couldn't see a damn thing... Um... Hello? I called. My voice went down the well... And came back at me. For a moment there was just... That continuance... And the strange loam breathing...

[00:22:01] But then a girl's labored voice... Spoke up from the abyss. Bastards! And immediately... I knew... What it was... I... I knew who it was... I knew that it was... It was Clara... I yanked myself back from the well... The breath pulled straight out of me... Staring at my friend...

[00:22:29] Brucie's face was white... In the little bit of moonlight we had... I couldn't breathe... Good lord... It's... A person down there... Brucie whispered... Clearly confused... It's Clara... I told him... His gaze darted to my eyes... Bulging... And then darted back down... Into the well... Oh lord... Oh god... He began to stammer...

[00:22:58] And then he peered back down... Into the well... And began to shout... He shouted that... He was going to go get help... And I joined in and said... We'd be right back... She said something... Then... Something else... But... Well I couldn't make it out... I asked her to say it again... But then... Well then she was just quiet... Brucie and I stood there for a moment...

[00:23:28] Waiting for her reply... But nothing came... And even the sound of her breathing... While it was gone... The right window treatments change everything... Your sleep... Your privacy... The way every room looks and feels... At Blinds.com... We've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple... To get exactly what your home needs... We've covered over 25 million windows... And have 50,000 five star reviews... To prove we deliver... Whether you DIY it... Or want a pro to handle everything... From measure to install...

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[00:24:26] And I slowed down too... And we kept slowing down... And then we stared at the house... And pretty soon we came to a complete stop... Just... Staring... Neither one of us wanted to be the first to do it... To tell... The old man... Her father would kill us... String us up by our necks right then and there... Just like the story of the old water bread boys... My mom used to warn me about...

[00:24:58] I looked to Brucie... Then back to the old house... And then down to my shoes... She... She fell... Brucie said... Almost a whisper... I stared at him... There was nothing we could have done... He said... Nothing we could have done... Nothing we can do...

[00:25:28] Now... I looked up... Up to the stars... And even the sliver of moon I could see above the roof ahead... Water welled up in my eyes... You didn't know... He added... We didn't know... There was no way we could have... I just stared at the weeds...

[00:25:59] Brucie and I sat there... In the overgrowth outside of the old house for... Well I don't know how long... Maybe minutes... Maybe an hour... Or more... It felt like a very... Long while and... At some point we... Just... Started to stand up... And though no more words had been spoken... And I don't remember who started getting up first but... We just...

[00:26:29] We just started walking back... Walking away... Away... From the house... Away from Lot's Field... Further and further away from... The well... We were heading back to our homes... No words spoken... No plans made... It... It seemed to happen of its own accord...

[00:26:58] Like we were just actors on a stage playing a part... We got to Brucie's house first... I walked him to his porch and... He looked me deep in the eyes... He gave me a little nod and... I... Then he turned around and walked inside... I heard his mother immediately... Launch into scolding him for getting home so late... I wasn't sure what his excuse for her was but...

[00:27:28] I had my own excuses to worry about... Ultimately... My worry was for nothing because... When I got home I found my mom had left early on a trip and... Dad was passed out on the couch... He didn't wake up from my entry... I carefully pressed past him... And got around the hallway... To my cot...

[00:27:59] When... We heard people talking about Clara... In the days to come... We said nothing... We knew nothing... We hadn't seen her... And later when some of our friends asked about Lot's Field... We said we hadn't been there either... Not any time recently anyways... And pretty soon... Within a day or so... The men were searching for...

[00:28:28] They searched the roads... Ditches... Barns... The creek beds... And... Brussy and I... Well... I'm surprised people didn't notice that we were white as ghosts... Those couple of days... I could see it in Brussy's face... In his eyes... I could see it in my own too... When I looked in the mirror... But for some reason... Somehow...

[00:28:57] They never found her... I don't know why they didn't search the well... I don't know how they could have missed it... But... Maybe they did search that well... And maybe... They found nothing... Maybe Clara was already somewhere else by then... Maybe the well was deeper than any of us knew... Or could...

[00:29:27] No... Brussy and I stopped going to Lot's Field after that... And we... Stopped meeting after our chores altogether... Actually... A little while later... And... It seemed like our work didn't line up in schedule... Or... And pretty soon...

[00:29:56] We stopped seeing each other all together... Outside of school... At least... It didn't happen all at once... In fact... It happened just slow enough to make it seem like... Nothing really was different at all... There was no big fight... There was no goodbye... Even... I just don't think we could stand to look at each other anymore... And we mutually... But... Silently...

[00:30:24] Fell away from each other... Years passed... Then more years... Life kept filling up the space... Bearing the past in its way... I worked... I loved... I grieved... I sat in church... Sometimes I could go a long while... Without ever... Thinking of her at all...

[00:30:53] But then the memory would slither back in... Just like it had this night... The wheel of Brucie's car hit a massive pothole... And it bounced me back into the present moment... I looked around... We turned off the paved road on the dirt and gravel... Brucie had both hands on the wheel... His jaw was tight...

[00:31:24] Looks like we're... Almost there... He said... I could barely hear him over the sound of the rough road below us... As we pulled up to the abandoned plot... I found Lot's field looked much worse than I remembered... The weeds were higher... The fence was mostly decayed... Just like the old farmhouse... Which... Itself... Had seemingly disintegrated into a sea of weeds...

[00:31:55] The sun was nearly gone now... And there was that same kind of light over everything that there had been... The night... Of the incident... Brucie parked at the end of the dead-end road... For a moment we just sat there... Looking ahead... Looking at the field... I glanced in the side mirror and... Could see far back in the distance...

[00:32:23] But much closer to the road... That old neighbor's house... The one Clara had called... Home... It looked like it had been half demolished years ago... Well... He opened his door and I opened mine... Crawling out into the chilled night air... The well... It was maybe a mile out...

[00:32:53] We couldn't see the well from the car... But... We both knew the direction by heart... We started our trek... Through the weeds... My legs didn't like it... Neither did my lungs... Allergies and whatnot... With everything shooting off plumes of pollen dust with each step... Brucie wasn't doing much better... But... He kept a steady pace ahead of me... After a while I... Got enough courage...

[00:33:27] So... Brucie... I've uh... I've... I've waited till we're surrounded by nothing but nature... To talk further... But... Who knows... And what is it that he... Knows... And how... I asked... He gave me a stern glance and kept trekking forward... It's uh... It's a guy...

[00:33:58] It's an acquaintance I overheard talking at a bar last night... He'd had a few too many maybe... I don't know... And he was just going off and off and off about God knows what... I didn't give a damn but then he... Well he started talking about how we got lost in the woods a few weeks back... Ended up stumbling across an old well... On an old field...

[00:34:26] I felt a tightening in my throat... And then... I asked... Brucie kept walking... He didn't respond immediately like... Like he was trying to figure out the best way of putting it... But then he just... Blurted it out... He... He heard the voice of a woman calling from deep inside the well...

[00:34:54] I stopped walking and stared at him... What? I asked... He... Are you sure? Brucie had stopped with me and gave me a stern knowing nod... He said he heard a woman's voice... But he couldn't tell what was said... He shouted down to her asking if she was alright but... No response...

[00:35:22] And then... Well... This guy at the bar said that after a few moments of nothing... A shrill... Shrieking began to shoot up out of the well... He said it sounded like the screeching... Of a banshee... I said nothing... My breath... Caught... Watching the reflection of night in Brucie's old, tired eyes...

[00:35:54] He shined his flashlight down there... Brucie said... And he said the screaming stopped right away... The moment he aimed it down there... Well... It was... Too deep for him to see the bottom... But he was sure he didn't see any girl... And there were no more voices... No more... Sounds... No more screams... After that... He was telling folks he must have been...

[00:36:23] Drunker than he thought with a cackle... And then he took another swig of his glass... Brucie and I locked eyes for a moment... And then he started moving towards the well... And I followed him... Tomorrow morning is knocking... Stock your fridge now... How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink? Or... A sweet vanilla... Smooth caramel maybe... Or white chocolate mocha... Whichever you choose...

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[00:37:52] Why wait? Ask your doctor... Visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com... Or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more... We walked farther and farther... Through and over the weeds and overgrown grass... And we got to the point where the old well came into view... Though it was still a good distance away... Low and dark ahead of us... We slowed down a little... I'm not sure if it was tiredness...

[00:38:22] Laziness... Or just... Good old fashioned simple dread... But regardless... It was then I decided to ask Brucie... A question... A question... I'd had on my mind since he'd arrived... And even before... Brucie... Have you ever... Dreamed of her?

[00:38:53] Brucie shod me a glance... But then looked away quickly... Continuing his slow march forward... Oh yeah... He said half under his breath... I've dreamt of her before... What are they like? I almost whispered... Well you know... He muttered... I don't...

[00:39:22] I responded quickly... He didn't answer for a few steps but... Then... He began... Usually I'm... By that well... He said... Looking straight ahead at the stone monument before us... It's night time... She's standing there and... She's wearing white... Her skin is...

[00:39:51] It's a... It's a grey colour... Not pale... But grey like she's... He cut himself off... And he shook his head a little... And after a moment he continued... Well... Anyways she... Looks at me... And then... I asked...

[00:40:18] He swallowed and looked down to the weeds for a moment... Then... Then I wake up... He almost whispered... I... Stared at him... Hard... I watched his face... Studied... His expression... And then I nodded... Though I'm not sure he could see me...

[00:40:47] We kept on moving forward... And then he turned it around on me... Well... How about yourself? Do you dream of her? I looked down at my moving shoes... Yeah... Same as... Moonlight... He asked... Now looking over his shoulder back towards me... Our eyes met in the moonlight... And I gave him a gentle nod...

[00:41:19] From what you said... Close enough... His eyes seemed to squint at me a little more... As he processed my response... And then he turned his gaze back to the well... And... We finally reached that well... As the very last of the shaded light was disappearing... And you know... It's kind of funny... Or... I don't know... Maybe it isn't... But...

[00:41:49] That well... It was smaller than I remembered... Had it always been this small? And... Thinking about it... I realized that this was the least important thing I could be thinking about at that moment... And tossed it from my mind... I looked to Brucie... Then back to the well... And then I stepped closer... And standing a few feet away...

[00:42:17] I tried to lean forward a little... But... Dare not go closer... At first... I was only trying to get close enough to... Listen... But there was nothing... Nothing I could hear... There was no voice... There was no breathing... No screaming... Just the weeds moving in the wind... And Brucie's breath beside me...

[00:42:48] I turned back and gave him a glance... You want to... Try and check it out first? I asked hesitant and unsure of... How I wanted to proceed... He then yanked a cigarette from his pocket... And put it in his mouth... Nah... He said... I need a smoke...

[00:43:17] I watched as he lit the herb... With shaking hands... I could understand... I nodded and turned around... Stepping closer towards the stone structure... That was built to give life... But... Ended up standing... As an earthen grave... I walked right up to that well... The stones felt cold under my palm... I leaned over and looked down...

[00:43:47] Down... Down... It was dark... Too dark to see a thing... Anything... At all... But... I listened... And still... I heard nothing... Nothing at all... Besides the sounds of insects and night... The world seemed to... Carry on around us... Around the well... And you know... For one second...

[00:44:16] A thought occurred to me... I thought... Maybe... We were just... Two... Guilty... Old... Men... Who'd scared ourselves stupid... And gotten... Maybe a little too animated... That being said... I knew why I was there... But... Brucie... It was then...

[00:44:44] I heard the cock of a pistol... From behind me... And I knew that my momentary thought... Was false... I didn't move... I didn't need to... And I'm not sure I could've right away anyway... Br-Bru-Brucie... I said... Hold... Hold on... We need to talk about something...

[00:45:16] Turn around... I heard a weak voice croak out... I forced myself to turn around... Though it was difficult in the cold and the instinctual terror... He had a gun pointed at me... Straight at my chest... His hands shook... But the gun stayed where it aimed... Jackie... I... I want you to know...

[00:45:46] I... I am... Really... Sorry... He said... With a hesitant breath... I raised my hands... Heart pounding a mile a minute in my chest... And in a split second decision I began to talk... Hold on... Listen Brucie... I... I... I had the dream too... His eyes changed a little... And an eyebrow raised...

[00:46:17] You don't need to do this... We... We can figure this out... I said... Giving as gentle a nod as my body would allow... The cigarette hung from his mouth... He didn't seem to know it was there... Anymore... I think in that moment we were both thinking about the same thing... About the things we had neglected to mention... Though apparently shared in common...

[00:46:47] You see... I hadn't dreamed of Clara about a month earlier... Probably a little less... Not the old dreams... Not the... Scraps of haunting memory that came and went... No... No... This... This one... This one was clear... And different... I was standing at the old wishing well of course...

[00:47:15] And Clara was standing beside it... That much was the same... She wore white but... Her skin... It was grey... Her hair hung wet against her face but... That wasn't the end of it... What I had neglected to tell Brucie... Was that... In my dream... She spoke to me... And what she said has...

[00:47:44] Haunted my days... Since... She informed me... That I had a debt to pay... A debt of life... Or death... Depending on how you want to think about it... And ultimately the choice was either... My... Life... Or... Brucie's... She told me... I had one month...

[00:48:14] And that if Brucie and I were both... Still alive by the end of the month... That my beloved... My innocent wife... Would be taken from me... As payment instead... My heart fluttered in the dream of these words... And I tried to say something in response... But... My breath wouldn't give... And then... In the next moment... I was awake...

[00:48:46] I turned to see my... Beautiful wife... Perfect wife... Laying there beside me... As she always was... I couldn't take my eyes from her... For the rest of the night... Replaying that disgusting... Dream over and over again... Before my mind's eye... I ended up just laying there until morning... Just... Watching... And listening to her soft breath... Until she awoke...

[00:49:17] When she came to... She asked me if... I was... Alright... I must have looked exhausted... And... Stressed... And horrible... But I looked her in the eyes... Forced on as... Good a smile as I could... And told her... I'm feeling fine... Dear... I went about life after that dream as normally as I could...

[00:49:46] Around her... But that... Month... Well... That month was almost up... And something had to give... Brucie stared into my eyes... And I into his... As I remained held at gunpoint... She... She... Spoke...

[00:50:15] To you? Brucie asked... Like he was choosing his words very carefully... Yes... I whispered... Eyeing the gun and then back to those eyes... I was panting heavily... Though I tried desperately... To calm my breath... Your wife... He muttered in an almost low growl... Yes... Brucie... I said...

[00:50:45] Not taking his sights... From me though... Well... Mine too... He spat... The air hung for a moment... And then I raised an eyebrow... D... D... D... Didn't... Did you... Didn't you tell me she left? Brucie's gaze intensified...

[00:51:14] And I suddenly worried I'd made a terminal mistake... She did... He said... Doesn't mean I want her dead... And that doesn't mean... He cut himself off for a moment... Lip... Trembling... And then... In a whisper... Doesn't mean I don't still love... His gaze was fire...

[00:51:42] But there was water there too... And almost instinctively... I began to lower one of my arms... Hey... Hey... Don't... He said... Raising his gun just a little to meet my eyeline... Wait... Wait... I'm not... I'm not... You... You have to see something... I'll... I'll move slowly... I spoke quickly... Trying to outpace his worst instincts... Arm... Lowering slowly...

[00:52:11] I carefully unbuttoned the one button still latched on my overcoat... And I slowly pulled open the jacket... There was a handgun tucked into the inside pocket... I'd slid it in just before we left the house... Brucie looked at it... Then back at me... Then both again... I came here for the same reason Brucie...

[00:52:40] Same as you... I said... We stood there with the well beside us and our guns between us... His aimed at me... Mine... Still tucked into my jacket... And then Brucie's eyes shifted just slightly... Just up and past my shoulder... His face changed then... Tightened...

[00:53:09] And his eyes burned of pure fire again... No water in sight... Spotify... It's Jay Shetty... Are you one of those media strategy people? Scrolling through spreadsheets... Searching for an audience that pays twice as much attention to your ads... Than they do on social? Let me introduce you to fans... And they're here with me on Spotify... Trust me... I know fans... They don't skip... They stay for hours... They don't move on...

[00:53:38] They manifest... They're not a demographic group... They're fans... Spotify Advertising... You're among fans... Turn around... He said in a stern, gruff... I felt my heart beat up into my throat... Uh... Wait a second Brucie... Let's just... Turn around... Now... He spoke sternly... Not a shout, but...

[00:54:08] Something close... For a moment... I considered my options... I... I could grab for my own gun... And try to get him before he got me... I could try and run... See if I could outpace his aim... I could dart straight for him... And try and tackle him and overwhelm him in the moment... But as these thoughts flew past my mind... I found my legs turning my body around... I could not...

[00:54:37] Turning to face... The well... And my eyes closed... Brucie... I forced myself to speak... Tears welling up behind my closed eyes... I... I... I... I just want you to know... I stuttered... And then a sound that shatters eardrums... Bang! And I recoiled and braced myself in reaction... I...

[00:55:07] I was dead... Or dying, I knew it... I must have been... No way he could miss a shot that close... Even in the moonlight... But as I opened my eyes... Chin to my chest... Shoulders scrunched into a standing fetal position... I saw my clothes whole... And dry... Or as dry as they were a moment before, anyways...

[00:55:35] My clenched hands loosened slightly... And I cautiously pawed at myself... I... I wasn't... Hit... But then I realized... Something else... I... I could see things much clearer in the night... Than I had moments before... It was brighter out... All of a sudden... My ears still... Ringing... My eyes darted upwards... To see that there was a...

[00:56:05] A light... A kind of a glow... Emanating from the cobblestone well just before me... And as my eyes raised further still... I found that wasn't all... At the very top of the well... No... Floating above the mouth of the stone was... Her... The girl... Clara... Or at least... What was once that girl...

[00:56:35] She wore a gown of white... Almost like a wedding dress... But her skin... Was just like in that dream... Gray... Gnarled... Decayed... And decaying... Her eyes... Well... I could see them now much clearer... Than in the dream end... It was like she had no eyelids... Those eyes... Like the bulbs of an old pit bull...

[00:57:04] Just pierced through and stared right into mine... And her jaw... Well... Gazing at her jaw is what made me realize that... Though the skin of her hands and arms and chest... Were a rotting gray... Well... I wasn't too sure how much skin she had from the neck up... At all... Because her jaw was just bone... Bone and teeth... And I realized that...

[00:57:33] I was looking at a stained and rotten skull... That held two piercing red eyeballs... My jaw hung limp... And my body quivered... I was completely entranced by the side ahead... The firearm in my jacket completely lost my mind... And then... I heard another shot... In the left cheekbone of the skull... Sucking out my gaze...

[00:58:02] Shattered off in a puff of bone dust... In the jaw unhinged... And a dry and rattled cry erupted from deep within the creature's rib cage... I fell to the grass... Ears nearly deaf and ringing... But that was when I found my gun... Down on the grass to my left... It must have fallen out as I collapsed... It was then... Staring at the firearm... That I knew what I had to do... I grabbed the old pistol...

[00:58:31] And started firing... I think I must have missed the first shot or two... But the third hit... And it hit good... The bullet drove right into the right socket of her jawbone... And shattered it to pieces... Leaving the remaining bone dangling from the left socket... And the tortured noise of a scream that sounded more like a mechanical malfunction... Erupted... Louder... Still...

[00:59:01] I fired another round or two... Brucie had fired a few more as well... Landing mostly in her chest... I think... But after the jawbone hit... I think... I think we must have been getting close... Getting close to... Well... Ending... Her... Maybe... Just like we accidentally... Or... I... Accidentally had...

[00:59:29] All those years ago... But this time... It wasn't an accident... And this time I was given no choice... We had to do what we had to do... For the survival of ourselves... And the ones we loved most... After I shattered the jaw clean off its hinge... She erupted with a shriek... And then sank down deep into the well... Her phantom glow going right along with her...

[01:00:01] Immediately... Brucie ran to the edge of the well... Past me... I tried... Scampering up from the overgrowth... I didn't know what he was about to do... But fear and shock pulsed through every vein... Nevertheless... He was there... At the rim of the well... Looking down... He stood there for... Maybe half a beat... And then screamed at the top of his lungs...

[01:00:30] We made a mistake, Clara... But we were boys... We were just boys... And you... You were just a girl... His voice was tired... But full... And deep... And quivering... With emotion... Something hissed... Like a snake... From deep... Down in the abyss... But what are you now?

[01:00:59] Brucie spoke... As an almost whisper... I held my breath... It was then... Brucie reached down into his pocket... And pulled something out that I... I... I couldn't quite see at first... But as I leaned to get a better view... I saw Helm gently... And with reverence in his hand... A... Crucifix... I could see the colors of it...

[01:01:28] Even in the low light of the stars and the moon... You see the... The vertical part was a shining red... And the cross piece... Was a glittering gold... It looked handmade almost... Simple... But... Sacred... He reached his hand out... Holding the crucifix out over the well... You brought this upon yourself...

[01:01:59] He said in a low voice... Yet like he expected her to hear it... And I watched in amazement... And then... It dropped from his hand... And it fell... Falling... Falling... Far... Deep... Down into the heart of the well... And for a second... Nothing happened... And... In the next second...

[01:02:28] Nothing happened... Just silence... Or... Rather the intense ringing in my ears... But in the next second... Everything changed... A cloud of fire shot straight up... Bright and hot... Out from the well... The heat hit my face... Like a burst of hot air... Out of the oven... Times fifty... And I fell back... Brucie fell backward as well...

[01:02:57] And landed hard in the weeds... The fire filled the whole mouth of the well... Blazing... And blazing... And blazing... With colors of orange and red... And... Near the base even blue... Like a... Supersized jet flame... Shooting out of the top of the well... And it was then... The screams started... All at once... Screaming... And screaming... And screaming...

[01:03:27] It sounded like the creatures screaming... It... Clara's... Screaming... But multiplied... Like there was a choir of twenty or more souls... Wailing in anguish... Deep out... From the flame... Brucie and I laid there on the weeds... Bracing ourselves against the wind... And the heat... And the fire... And the sound... But after... Oh... I don't know...

[01:03:57] Maybe half a minute or so... The fire began to lessen a little bit... Began to die down... And the screaming thinned with it... It slowly lessened... And lessened... Over the course of a minute... And soon there was only a low flame visible out above the rim of the well... And the screaming that had once been deafening... Was now just a... Lone... Gurgling... Buzz...

[01:04:26] Almost like the buzzing of bees or insects though... With a gurgling quality to it... Like it was wet... And dying... And then the buzzing slowed and slowed and lessened and... And then it was gone... And the little flame died with it... And so... We were enveloped in the darkness of night... Again...

[01:04:55] Once again... I think... I think we were both stunned... I know I was... I looked at him... And he looked at me... And after a mutual nod... We both got up out of the weeds... And started moving... Quickly... Neither of us said a thing to each other on the walk back to the car...

[01:05:23] Not through the entire track back... And we... We didn't talk much on the drive back either... The radio... Still off... By the time he was pulling back up to my front porch... It was nearly morning... The sun just beginning to tease itself above the horizon... I... Was... Very... Happy... To see my little old home again...

[01:05:54] My porch light was still on... I remember noticing that and... Feeling like I'd been gone a hundred years... But I finally found that I could breathe again... He pulled to a stop just in front of my driveway... And we sat there for a moment... Before getting out of the car... I turned to my old friend... We both held each other's gaze for a... Long little while and...

[01:06:22] Then I glanced back out over the fields all around... Well... I said... Returning my gaze to his... I have a feeling... We won't be seeing each other again till... We're in new skin... And... Brucie nodded... His face softening with a gentle smile... I have a feeling you're right...

[01:06:53] I gave him a smile... And then opened the door to step out of the car... Brucie did the same... He walked around to my side of the car... And reached out his hand... And I gave it a shake... And then I started walking towards the porch... Jackie... He said from behind me... And I turned around... He stood with one hand on the roof of his red sedan...

[01:07:23] Looking down at his shoes... Then his eyes returned to mine... Older close... He said... His eyes were red... And moist... And I realized that his face was tight... Very tight again... My own began to mirror his... I gave him one last gentle nod... He forced...

[01:07:52] Me a smile... And... Slid into his car... He pulled out and off down the road... Towards the distant horizon... I watched him go... And when he was no longer within view... I exhaled and... Sat down in my good old rocking chair... And stayed there while the sky woke up... And the day broke... The Colonels cooked up a new $10 bucket of the day... Just for you...

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[01:09:19] After a while of sitting there... Watching the beautiful fields dance in the wind... And the sky brighten more and more... A thought... Crossed my mind... I held it there for a moment... And then I reached down into my overcoat... Pulling out the small handgun I'd brought with me... The one I'd hid from Brucie... Until that fateful happening by the well... I let my gaze fall upon it...

[01:09:49] In the gorgeous morning light... I could see it now... Very clearly... The colors... The paint... I'd laid across the metal... Not too many nights ago... The barrel was red... And the cylinder... Was painted gold... You see... Clara wasn't the only one to visit me in a dream...

[01:10:18] She wasn't the only thing around... With unseen powers... The night after I'd had that dream... In which Clara threatened me... And my wife... And my old childhood friend Brucie... I had... A different dream... A completely different dream... Altogether... In this one... I... I was standing in a field... But... It was noonday... And it was wonderful...

[01:10:48] Just... Beautiful... A border of forest off in the distance... Flowers all around... And standing with me and before me was... Well... It was an angel... Now he didn't call himself an angel... He didn't have wings... But it was a man robed in white... And his skin was white... White like a sheet of paper...

[01:11:18] White... But not like Clara was clothed... No... Not at all... She was rotten and shadow... But this man... This man was light... And glory... And his smile... Well... I'd never seen a smile like that... Not on this side of the veil anyways... And when he parted his lips... He spoke pure truth...

[01:11:49] He told me... That I was in grave danger... And yet... I was perfectly protected... And then he told me what to do... He told me... To consecrate and build a crucifix... And to paint the vertical band red... And the horizontal gold... He told me to take it to the well... And cast it down into the abyss...

[01:12:17] And as he spoke these words... Fear gripped me... And my mind drifted to the gun... The one my old dad had given me when I was young... And it was... It was as though the angel could see my thoughts... Read my mind... For... His smile simply grew... And he said... If you consecrate that tool for this purpose... With the same prayer...

[01:12:46] It may serve as such a cross... In the dream I nodded... I immediately understood... But... He spoke words... But... I understood beyond the words... It was as though each word he verbally spoke... Carried with it a... A hundred unspoken words... That only my soul could understand... Only my soul... Could decode...

[01:13:16] And so... When I woke up... That's what I did... I did exactly as the angel had instructed... I went out to the shed before breakfast... And painted that old gun with hands I couldn't keep from trembling... And then I prayed over it... Though I'm not a man who's ever been especially good at prayer... But I followed the angel's words... It...

[01:13:44] It doesn't feel right to... Share them here... Not in full or exact wordage... Because... Well it feels... It feels quite sacred... But needless to say... I... I asked God... To make it useful for his purpose... And for the protection of his children... I asked him to protect my wife... I asked him to protect me... And God help me...

[01:14:14] I even asked him to protect my old friend Brucie... Wherever he was... And... Though I didn't know it at the time... Brucie had apparently gotten the same help as I had... I guess we both have someone watching over our shoulders... On the other side...

[01:14:42] I sat there on the porch for hours... Watching until the sun was fully up on its way to noon... And as I soaked in the day... I... Saw another car coming down the road... And as I watched it get closer and closer into view... I realized... That it was my wife's car... She'd been gone a week... A very long week...

[01:15:11] Made longer by a very long day... Visiting her sister... And the sight of her coming down the road... Sent a wave of excitement... And comfort... And relief... Through my system... Almost like I was being cleansed... Purified... Like I had been purified... And this was the final sign... Forgiveness...

[01:15:38] The car slowed as it came to the curb... Turned into the driveway... And stopped... I had put the gun away while she was still a ways down the road... My wife stepped out of the car and looked up to me on the porch... She was tired from the drive... But she smiled... And so did I... I stood up from the rocking chair... My knees hurt... My hands were...

[01:16:07] Still shaking a little... But I didn't care... My love... I spoke as I walked down those steps of the porch... And I greeted her... With a new day's kiss... And I was...