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The Fourth
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You already know I’m not one for flash fiction, so you can picture how hard it was for me to come up with those hundred words Isaac had asked. I mean, I wanted them to be special and meaningful, but I couldn’t let my feelings show. They had to make a difference, add to the story he wanted to tell, even if it was to contradict him. Wait. That was something I was actually good at.Okay, so contradicting him, but in a positive way. He’d told me he intended to tell a very different story from what he’d been showing over the last ten. That he’d always portrayed himself as the fearless investigator, daring the darkness to delve into some mystery. Dark entities were the bad guys, while he was the good guy coming to the rescue of any alleged victim of the week. He’d said he wouldn’t do any of it on his last episode with the show, but all the way around.If I pinned that along with his refusal to let me see even a single scene of what h
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I was back to the Manor on Monday, happy after spending two days with Kujo. And three days later, the two last Haunters arrived in one of their trademark rental black SUVs. It was almost dinner time, so I sent them to say hi to the Blotters while I finished cooking and set the table.When they joined me in the kitchen, I could tell they felt awkward, there with his friend’s sort of ex. Like they weren’t sure what they could say or talk about.“Hey, guys, let’s clear this out of the way,” I said, bringing the shepherd’s pie to the table. I sat down with them and spoke while I filled their plates. “Yeah, Bran and I broke up. Yeah, I still have feelings for him. Yeah, it still hurts. But I can hear his name and even talk about him in a rather rational way without having a breakdown.” I smiled, shrugging. “What can I say. Shit happens.”Ted raised his beer to me.“Shit happens,”
Haunter The Dull Way Out
Like there was nothing left to say after that conversation in the study, we spent the whole next day shooting, mostly outdoors, by the Quabbin and in the woods. They made me do four different shots of the hundred words, plus their B roll, like I was some frigging model showing off New England rural fashion. By dinner time, the three of us were exhausted and we didn’t linger late afterwards. Early the next morning, we parted with quick hugs and they left. I didn’t see or hear from them again.August brought another visit of Mr. Edward and his family on the first weekend.And Brandon’s birthday on the 18. I could feel it marching on a week in advance, and decided I felt strong enough to send him something simple, just to let him know I recalled the date. I would’ve made it a letter over the post mail, but I didn’t have the guts or the heart to write to him. I spent the next days trying to come up with a fitting gift.On Friday, I was
Haunter The Eyes of the Haunter
“Brandon needs you here,” Isaac said, sitting down again, and raised a hand to cut me off. “This has nothing to do with the premiere. He’s having eye surgery on November 1.”“Yeah, his doctor said so months ago. And that’s got something to do with me how?”He faced me with a frowning grimace, like I was a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.“Don’t give me that look, Isaac. We broke up, remember? Half a fucking year ago. He’s got you guys and his chicks to look after him.”“No, he doesn’t, Fran. He’s sending us all away that very day, to resume our different shoots. And about chicks, remember I told you there was no way he was back with Serena? Well, I was right, he wasn’t.” I rolled my eyes with a bored huff that earned me a full-out scowl. “Hear me out. She’s an influencer and was down in popularity, so she asked Brandon if he could he
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Poor Lizzie. Well, and Charlotte. I desperately needed to vent out all the fear and anguish the news had caused me, but I couldn’t tell Trisha, let alone Amy. So poor Lizzie was my ghostly shoulder to cry and ramble and wind out. Those two weeks were the longest in history, and I had to fight back my urgency to throw everything out the window and go to Los Angeles. I was actually about to do it three times.Especially after I heard Brandon losing it a night he found Cake talking with me over the phone. I kept quiet and he didn’t find out it was me at the other end of the line. He’d lost so much vision, he couldn’t make out my face on screen. But he got so mad, suspecting Cake was talking about him, he not only threatened the big man, but snatched the phone from his hand and smashed it on the floor, stomping on it until it broke.Another one for Lizzie to hold me up, because I’d gotten to see him. He was but a shadow of himself. Consumed, p
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It opened with a shot from the drone flying over the Quabbin toward the shore, then over the woods. Brandon’s voice-off narration had an ominous echo to add to his solemn tone, as he spoke the words clearly and slowly.“Hidden in rural New England, away from big cities and crowded streets, is the place that changed my life forever: Blotter Manor.”The drone slowed down when it reached the garden, to show the old Victorian in all her glory under a bright blue sky.“This is where I came across my first apparition.”They cut to footage from that moment of their first investigation, on their first season, to Brandon scampering out of the master bedroom, screaming, after catching Ann Marie off guard in there.Then Brandon was in the garden under the sunset twilight, the Manor showing behind him against the darkening May sky. As usual during his intros, Isaac could be seen standing a dozen feet behind him, hands in his pocke
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A quick fade to black opened to a messy office, with a few desks covered in phones, screens, papers, paper cups, even empty takeout packaging. The walls didn’t leave room to wonder what it was: they were pretty much covered in Haunters big posters from every season, plus two long shelves with plaques and awards. It was Brandon’s small production company headquarters.A handheld camera —What? I was able to tell it was handheld and not on a tripod?— showed Brandon at the biggest desk, of course, leaning back on a big black spinning armchair. Standing opposite him across the desk was Jeff, his second-in-command producer. Brandon looked up at the camera with that particular smirk that used to make me giggle first, and then jump on him to kiss him. Oh, those good old times when I could act out on both impulses.“So here’s the deal. It’s September 2023 and we’re scheduled to film our season ten finale at Blotter Manor
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The image faded to black, but instead of opening to the actual beginning of his visit to the Manor, it was Isaac, Ricky and Ted on screen. They were in the east parlor at night. Isaac was sitting on the couch under the window, with his two teammates in the armchairs, flanking him, and he looked straight into the camera to speak, as the other two nodded their agreement to his words.“By now, all of you must know this is Brandon’s last episode with Haunters. And it’s my last as well. We know he wants all of you to see him like you’ve never seen him before, even if it casts a negative light on him. But no story is complete unless you hear what the rest of the people involved have to say about it. That’s why we’re doing this.” He rubbed his shaved head, glancing at the other two, who smirked and raised their eyebrows. “He will most likely kick our sorry bleep from here to Sunday as soon as the broadcast ends. But w
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