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teawithshruti · 3 years

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How did I keep myself sane amidst a pandemic - My thoughts on books, anime, and restaurants.

Yet another review of The Shining

A plot so well written you would want to go in room 217

Hi there! This blog comes to you from a bored 19 year old who has a knack for reading crime thrillers, watching murder documentaries, and loves watching MasterChef just to see Gordon Ramsay. LOL. And did I mention that she also happens to be a Stephen King fan, because who isn’t? So here is where I try and convince you that The Shining is the best book ever written and how Stanley Kubrick completely butchered the screenplay, as well as why pasta is life.

Welcome to the Rockies!

The story takes place in the town of Boulder, Colorado, where our main protagonist Jack Torrance gets a job as a caretaker of the famous Overlook Hotel. Winters in Boulder are harsh, and the hotel remains closed as travel is not permitted with all the heavy snowfall. Now Jack is a recovering alcoholic with anger issues which led to him breaking his son’s arm prior to where the story begins. This made Wendy, his wife, question her marriage and the safety of their five year old son, Danny. Danny on the other hand isn’t your average five year old who just watches cartoons and plays with toys. He is aglow with a psychic voltage, and has frequent blackouts. In the words of old Mr Hallorann, the hotel’s head chef, Danny’s a shiner. When the Torrances meet Mr Hallorann, he feels an instant connection with Danny. He warns Jack about the hotel and its sinister secrets and how the previous caretaker, Delbert Grady, killed himself and his family. But Jack is sure that this huge and lonely hotel with its splendid views is just what he needs in order to earn back his family’s trust. But going to a haunted hotel with a troubled marriage and a psychic son? Maybe not the best idea. But in his defense, Jack doesn't believe in ghosts. Little does he know that’s about to change.

Snowbound at The Overlook

The Torrance's begin settling in the Overlook. But as winter closes in and the blizzards cut them off from the outer world, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. Meanwhile, Jack starts growing restless, craving for a friendly drink with each passing day. He also starts experiencing hallucinations, and wonders if they are withdrawal symptoms. Danny on the other hand is experiencing his own share of ghostly sightings, like the terrifying lady in the bathtub of room 217 who seems to have never checked out of the hotel. In one instance, he witnesses her climbing out of the clawfoot tub and advancing towards him with her bloated belly and dry hair as he stands frozen in fear in a blood covered presidential suite. This narrative by King with all its details is the truly the most spine tingling I’ve ever read. Later when Danny’s parents find him in the room, a thumb in his mouth, that is when Wendy truly realizes that they are not alone in that strange big hotel. Jack goes and sees the tub for himself, but the lady from before doesn't want to greet him. Wendy, in tears, sees that both her husband and her son are being tormented by this place and begs Jack to quit the job. Danny later calms his mom down, who is weeping uncontrollably, by telling her not to worry as his daddy doesn't have the shining, so there is nothing to worry about.

Have you never heard of REDRUM?

Sure you have. Read it backwards. Yes, you got it right. And so did Danny after seeing this word in his visions countless times. It so turns out that Danny is much stronger than he looks and after failing to possess him, The Overlook has turned to an easier target - Jack. As Jack slowly starts to lose his mind, he gives in and starts drinking again from the bar in the ballroom. His hallucinations keep getting worse to the point he actually sees Mr Grady, the previous caretaker / murderer, and even has a talk with him. Danny sees his changing behavior and so does his wife, who just doesn't see the man she fell in love with in his cold, distant eyes anymore. With everything going on, Wendy takes Danny to their apartment in the employee wing of the hotel and locks them inside in fear of Jack, who is slowly slipping away from reality. But turns out this move from her proves to be disastrous, as Wendy keeping Jack away from his own son is the last straw for him. In one of his many hallucinations, Jack meets his predecessor, his buddy Mr. Grady and the two have a disturbing conversation about how fun it is to kill your wife. Yes , no one trumps King when it comes to the unique combination of horror and psychological thrillers packed into one nail-biting plot!

In other words...

The only thing I liked about the movie was Jack Nicholson’s excellent acting. Apart from that Stanley Kubrick let go of many crucial parts which were essential to the story. He eliminated the hedge sequence in the book, which was terrifying to just read. The ending was just a complete mess. I get that you can’t exactly get all the details right of a 500 page book, but at least do justice to the ones you have chosen. Anyways I’m gonna go sulk in my room over this. Bye

Is it too late to start Anime?

Hi there! Good to have you back! Ever since pandemic began, everyone’s been locked in their own house. So this led to me taking up a few hobbies like sketching and painting and binging on a whole lot of sitcoms.. My personal favorite is the alluring world of Anime. Several of my friends began watching it and I cannot exactly term it as peer pressure, but I did give in and start watching Anime too. And now my watchlist includes just a bunch of 2D characters with powers that even Superman himself can't fight. So this is my take on how a kryptonian can be defeated with Jutsu, as Mr Naruto would say. Lol. This one is for all the weebs out there.

Manga and Anime are not the same!

To put it simply, manga is a Japanese term for comics and graphic novels, whereas Anime is the term for Japanese animations.. There are many similarities between them, as they both have been created by Osama Tezuka, who is considered as the Japanese version of Walt Disney. Now have you ever seen a simple comic book? The one with black and white newspaper illustrations - like Garfield. Manga is just like that - A book of illustrations. Now we arrive at the perennial question - Manga or Anime, which is better. Both of them are equally interesting, but I personally have a soft spot for anime. The intro theme songs, intense background music, and the beat dropping right before a big fight move, all these factors pack a punch. You don’t get that adrenaline rush from just a book.

My first anime - Demon Slayer

The story begins with the main character Tanjiro, who returns home after selling charcoal in town to find his entire family murdered by demons. Pretty intense right? His sister, Nezuko, survives but there’s a twist - she turns into a demon herself. This makes him vow to take revenge and he sets off to train with Sakonji, who has trained many of the elite members of the Demon Slayer Corps. After many years of training and a painful exam called the final selection, Tanjiro finally becomes a demon slayer and is off on missions along with his sister, who unlike most demons doesn’t consume human flesh. On his missions he meets Zenitsu and Inosuke, who both have excellent powers of their own. My favorite story arc was when the highest ranking slayers, known as the pillars, were introduced. But my words won’t do justice to their powers they possess. So simply get your geek on by watching this short yet amazing series.

The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki

The hidden leaf village is not so hidden anymore! The series I am currently watching is one of the most popular anime from 2020 - Naruto. The story is set around the shinobi villages and their ninjas and how Naruto Uzumaki plans on being the next Hokage [the most powerful shinobi] of the leaf village. He is trained by some of the best ninjas the village has ever seen. Before graduating from the academy, he was a hyperactive boy with lots of energy who just wanted to be the best. After graduation, he was placed in team seven, along with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. This team was trained by Kakashi Sensei who is known for wielding his Chidori and even the Sharingan. The sharingan, to put it simply, is a trait passed down in families. The Uchihas are known for their sharingans and hence it naturally comes to Sasuke as well. The mystery still remains unsolved as to how Kakashi got his sharingan, as he is not an Uchiha. But Naruto does have a super power as well. Not technically his powers per se, but we can cut him some slack. After all it's not everyday you get to see a beast like the nine tailed fox sealed away in an 11 year old boy. In my opinion the story picks up Orochimaru’s entry, and it paves the way for Sasuke’s powers in the future. My favorite character has to be Sasuke Uchiha. With his effortless fighting skills and sarcastic yet cool personality, he definitely is an excellent shinobi. You have to start this show right away because once you have seen him use his fire style fireball jutsu.....the world just doesn't look the same anymore.

In other words...

My current watchlist includes Naruto Shippuden, Black Clover, One Piece, and a few other naruto spin offs. Anime was something I never thought I would like, but now as it turns out I can't get enough of it. So bye for now, if you need me I'll be at Ichiraku’s eating ramen with barbeque pork. And if you get this reference, have a bowl of ramen on me. K bye.

Home in a faraway land

Good to see you again ! Do you ever get that feeling of an intense craving for your favourite dish? Like say pasta or pizza? My favorite is pasta, but being raised in India, I can’t say no to a classic plate of butter naan and chicken tikka with a glass of buttermilk or chaas if you please. Of Course you can’t beat the taste of a home cooked meal, but let me tell you about the time I went to this amazing little Indian restaurant in Dubai with my family, and how the food there was absolutely heavenly.

Out and About in Dubai

Skyscrapers, Sleepless nights, Gold Souks and gigantic malls - these are the visions you'd usually get when someone mentions Dubai. Well, they're mostly right! I went there with my family about 5 years ago. We stayed at the Ramada, which was right next to the Dubai Mall. The mall happens to be strategically placed next to the Burj Khalifa and we got lucky enough to see mesmerizing musical fountain shows night after night. The streets are spick and span, and everyone follows the traffic regulations dutifully. We also went for the desert safari, which was no less than an actual roller coaster ride. We also visited the Gold Souk, and oh boy. The name definitely fulfills its purpose, as the entire street is occupied entirely by gold stores. Huge gold ornaments are on display like clothes on hangers. I personally don’t have a thing for gold jewellery, but my mom had the time of her life there fawning and gasping over every store we came across. Shortly after our visit here, we came across this beautiful little Indian restaurant, and you can call me old school but at the end of the day, this girl needs a desi meal, because trust me room service gets boring after a while.

Peshwa - Not your typical 5 star restaurant

Situated away from the hustle of the main city, this place still remains quite underrated. We stumbled across this hidden gem which saved us the efforts of getting back to the hotel for an overpriced lunch. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we could smell the aroma of a classic dal makhani [ a simple gravy consisting of lentils infused with aromatic spices and hints of burnt chillies ] in the air. So we got a table and had a look at the menu and it was almost like being back home. The endless variety of gravies with paneer in almost every single one of them, to at least 6 different types of rotis, a little piece of heaven in this concrete jungle! We went ahead and ordered a simple meal of rotis and some paneer delicacy, along with dal and rice. Apart from the taste of the food, which was just heavenly, the overall ambience of the place in one word, was exquisite. The restaurant lived up to its very ethnic maharashtrian name. The food was served in those traditional style cutlery, reminding us of a simpler time.

A dish you just can’t miss

If you have a sweet tooth like me, you definitely have to try the coconut barfi from this place. Made from desiccated coconuts, sweetened condensed milk, a finely ground cardamom, and a hint of saffron, this dish is a match made in heaven. It was freshly made and we could tell it by the intoxicating aroma of pure ghee [clarified butter]. So just for a day, give yourself a break from watching calories and try this mouth watering dish because here’s something to live for.

In other words…

The next time I’m in Dubai, the first thing I will do is find out if the restaurant is still there. And probably avoid the Gold Souk this time. I will most certainly go for the desert safari, because it’s not everyday you get defy gravity and drive through the sand dunes like in a Fast and Furious movie. Lol. Also thanks for bearing with me throughout this blog. See ya!

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bris-writing-space · 4 years

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We Meet Once Again part 2

This part has been in the works since before I posted the first part. VV sad and very cliche. So, with a total of 1,348 words in this chapter, I present to you part two. ________

Throughout the next few months, Jameson saw the pink haired man at various locations at random times and dates. There was no rhyme or reason, just that it was happening and it seemed he was the only one to notice. So, Jameson began pretending not to notice him. It was easier than the first time, but he supposed that this time he knew it was impossible for him to be alive.

And so life went on. Seasons changed, Jameson convinced Chase to let him get another plant(an aloe this time, he was only allowed to get plants that Marvin couldn't react to). Maxine accidentally broke a vase when she jumped onto the counter. (Jameson still maintains it's Chase's fault because he keeps feeding her human food, and she learned it's easier to steal food off the counter.) (He's also begin to suspect that Anti has been doing the same thing.)

One day, Jack and Mark decided that it would be easier to keep track of all their 'children' (a title Jameson highly detested, he was older than those two combined) in one household. After long planning and searching(Mark apparently had a lot of egos), they all (the egos at least) settled down in November. Just days after his own birthday and a few before William's. Jameson was still decorating his room and sorting stuff when the ninth rolled around. (He gets distracted easily, don't blame him.) (Blame Jack.)

That morning, he didn't get out of bed. All the vigor he usually woke up with was gone. He stared at the ceiling for God knows how long, before turning over and staring at the vase on the desk. It was a smallish vase with a white carnation, pink aster, and a yellow marigold in between the two. He set it out sometime last night, but a part of him began wishing he hadn't.

He sighed and buried his head into his pillows. He felt the bed bounce a bit and small paws walk along his leg and back. The paws stopped in the middle of his back before a warm body settled there. The feline began purring as they both laid there.

Some time passed before there was a knock at the door. Jameson didn't move. Nothing followed the knock, so Jameson hoped assumed whoever knocked left. There was another knock followed by the door opening. Oh great, Chase. Don't get him wrong, Chase is great, but he's also bloody stubborn when it comes to get others to talk about their feelings. And today, Jameson doesn't want to do that.

So, Jameson just stayed where'd he was, face down in bed. He heard the feline meow then felt her stand up and stretch. Chase cooed at her as he (presumably) pet her.

"Are you awake?" Chase's voice was soft and quiet.

Jameson considered giving a snarky answer, but decided against it. The room became silent except for Maxine's purring. Jameson started drifting again.

He opened his eyes to the white ceiling, feeling warm and contented. He turned on his side (away from the desk) and yawned. He didn't do much else that day.

The next day Henrik asked him if he was doing fine. Jameson replied that he was just tired from all the moving (not entirely a lie) and left it at that. The following days were better and life continued on. (Even if he didn't want to.)

Ghosts and hallucinations were strange, Jameson decided one day. He found that he couldn't differentiate between reality and imagination sometimes. Or maybe he's could see ghosts and just hasn't realized it yet(and finally was now). Either case, the apparition(?) never spoke to him. Sometimes there was a small wave or smile (maybe even a nod), sometimes it just... existed.

It was always the same person, too. Almost the same. There were some changes, but Jameson could never forget someone like that. (Not that he could when he was being haunted by their ghost.(And face because that's a whole other thing too.)) He's thought of the possibility of him being alive, but there's a few problems. One, no one acknowledges him whenever Jameson sees him. Not even so much as a glance. Two, Jameson's from the mid- to late-30's and so was he. Three, well, this wasn't the first time he was being haunted by visions of his dead husband.

When husband first passed, Jameson swore he could still see him. He looked as real as the bed sheets below him. After a few weeks, he went to a doctor. He was reassured that it was a somewhat-normal way of processing grief. In time, when his own noggin was ready to, he'd stop seeing the 'ghost'. Well, it'd been a few years before he finally stopped seeing the 'ghost'. He hadn't even realized it'd been appearing less until one day he realized it'd been gone for several weeks. Like an old friend that you slowly stop seeing until they're gone. It never returned. Not until he met Mark's egos.

Jameson blinked awake as the book that had been in his hands fell. He picked the book up and set it on the coffee table. He hadn't been reading it anyway. Jameson sighed to himself and wondered if this how Chase felt when him and Stacy divorced. Except in Chase's case, Stacy is alive. And Chase wasn't literally being haunted by her ghost.

Some days later, Jameson was awoken to the sound of gunfire. He sat up in bed and stared at the door, blood pumping in the silence. Part of him wanted to investigate, but part of him also realized that it was a quick way to die from an intruder and that they were about 18 other people in the house who could do something about it. So he kind of sat there, his brain a little sluggish as his body was rushing with blood.

About an hour passed before he got out of bed, dressed, and went downstairs. Some of the other egos were already down here. All of them were variations of tired (except for Google because he "doesn't feel anything"). William was already down here. He looked like he was just crying, and Jameson wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Did his subconscious know something already that he didn't?

Jameson set that thought off to the side. He was to tired to care at the moment. He went into the kitchen, and decided to make some tea for himself. While doing so, Chase came downstairs and ruffled Jameson's hair while passing him. Jameson frowned and fixed it.

After making the tea, Jameson poured into a coffee cup. He leaned against the counter, looking over at the other residents. They were all usually silent. (He's excluding Bing and Google because, not only are they softly humming, they were emitting soft clicks and beeps. Some of which, Jameson thinks, are them communicating to each other.) Jameson hid a smile behind his mug as William made a morbid joke about how quiet they were. Damien Dark slapped the back of William's head in response.

The sound of shattering ceramic made most of the tired egos sit up straighter, a few making noises of surprise. A few looked over at Jameson, trying to figure out what happened.

Meanwhile, Jameson stared at William, his hands shaking. His body was tense, a feeling of apprehension filled him. A slide flickered above Jameson, dying the moment it appeared. 'You're alive?' he finally signed.

William stared at him for a few seconds before signing back, 'pretty sure.' He paused. 'Plant whore.'

'Dumb fuck,' Jameson signed back. He finally moved, dodging Chase and someone else. William met him halfway, arms wrapping around each other. They held each other tight, both crying into each other.

I missed you so much, Jameson tapped onto William's back. They said you were gone and I just- Jameson sobbed.

"I'm right here," William whispered to him, "I'm not going anywhere." He tightened his grip. "Never again, my bellflower."

#jameson jackson #william-j.-barnum #mentions of gunshots #tw shooting #We Meet Once Again #ships exist #wilford warfstache x jameson jackson #angst #lots of contemplation #Maxine the cat #I don't remember the tags I previously used #jse egos

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mittensmorgul · 5 years

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7.13, The Slice Girls.

Yes, yes, bucklemming and their creepy magical babies, but let's put that aside and talk about Sam and Dean and what this episode says about them, instead, for once. Instead of letting the focus on the creepy baby blind us all to what's actually happening in this episode, and what it says about s7 (and s6 too, and honestly a good chunk of Sera Gamble's approach to storytelling in general since she was the architect of these seasons even if she didn't pen this particular episode) overall.

Because whoa... it's kinda... not friendly to Sam...

My tag about how Sam and Dean are entirely different people, with different psychological composition, different mental and emotional processes, came about at the beginning of s11 (when the show was using a two-episode mirroring structure, thematically pairing episodes until the midseason 10, 11, 12 worked together as a triptych, and in a season where the final message the characters had to accept and learn was the understanding of Balance Of Opposites, these differences were on stark display) is "sam sympathizes and dean empathizes." It felt like a baseline difference in how each of them approach the world, and something necessary for US to understand their entire dynamic.

And that's on PERFECT display in this episode.

I've been talking throughout my s7 posts in this series about how Sam can't even see how compromised he is. Despite the fact he spends the entire season actively hallucinating Lucifer and openly admits he has difficulty telling those hallucinations apart from reality, he remains convinced that he's coping with it effectively (via the magic button of sanity he believes the scar on his hand to be), and all he has to do is press that button any time Hallucifer pops up, and everything will be fine again. This is Advanced Level Pretending The Bad Thing Doesn't Exist To Make It Go Away. And he can't understand AT ALL why Dean is intensely wary of him, and is unable to fully trust in Sam's perceptions or decision making abilities throughout most of s7.

(which... I mean turns out to be totally valid, but that's for another post... or at the very least, much later in this one... for now, let's try to stick to 7.13, Mittens, and avoid running off ahead of yourself for once... okay we have that settled, back to the point)

We don't see much of Sam actively Hallucifering in this episode, nor relying on the old Hand Squeeze maneuver, but it's impossible to watch this episode and draw the conclusion that Sam was an Objective Observer of Reality here. He's completely entrenched in his personal bias regarding Dean's actions, behavior, and mindset. And again, it's incredibly frustrating to watch.

Sam is so utterly convinced (because he HAS to be in order for it to continue working for him) of his own self-control, of his own stability, of his own soundness of mind, of his own perceptions of the world to be the One, True, Right, Correct Understanding. If that fails him, then as Dean told him in 7.02 when he first squeezed that wound on his hand to bring him back to reality, then "Stone One" of the foundation of his ability to cope with anything at all will just shatter, and his entire sense of self will slide away with it, and his unstable construct of sanity will collapse.

(which... happens two episodes later, but again, I'm getting ahead of myself... *slaps self and gets back to the point*)

Sam NEEDS to believe in his own "correctness" here. And sadly, part of that sham of belief involves the go-to mindset of s4-- that Dean is somehow "broken," that Dean is the one clearly not coping, or not engaging with reality as Sam interprets it, and that it's Dean's perceptions that are inherently suspect. Because Sam doesn't know a different way of relating to the world. He sympathizes.

I've written a lot about the difference between Sam as Sympathetic and Dean as Empathetic, but a super-quick and messy breakdown of this for the purposes of understanding my whole entire point here:

Sam understands others through an examination of them as filtered through his own personal past experiences and his own personal feelings and beliefs. He assumes that everyone else understands the world in this same way, and when someone's reactions or behavior deviates from his own personal experience, from how HE would behave or react in a given circumstance, he frequently disconnects or misinterprets, or attempts to re-file his observations or reclassify the other person in question into something he CAN relate to and understand.

In other words, Sympathy. (versus Dean’s empathy, where he is more able to set aside his own reactions and see people as they are, themselves. It’s what makes him so good at cold reading strangers, being able to put himself into their shoes rather than needing to imagine their shoes are identical to his own...)

We finally see a small subversion of this in Sam’s interactions with Jack in early s13, wherein he projects his own past experience onto Jack, applying the same things he experienced (or even wished he had actually experienced when he was younger) regarding his own psychic powers that he once believed may have made him "evil." Or at the very least made him "other." And Jack directly calls him out for his treatment in 13.03, which gives Sam pause, forces reflection, and drives him toward actually seeing Jack, rather than just seeing Jack as a projection of his own personal beliefs.

I really hope this makes sense... because 7.13 is demonstrating the root of this lack of understanding as the toxic and dangerous thing it can be, when pushed to this sort of deliberately self-deluding extreme. And of course Sam's ongoing ability to walk and talk and function at all completely relies on his ability to do this during s7 (which... ick is one of the reasons I think a lot of folks really have trouble with the entire narrative of the season, even if they haven't put their finger on why, because this is a super-icky, incredibly uncomfortable thing to watch).

Meanwhile, in addition to everything else going on, from the Leviathans being gooey and creepy and plotting world domination as their endgame goal while largely working to achieve it in plain sight, disguised as humans as they slowly infiltrate... everything and influence everything from politics to real estate to healthcare to the food supply to achieve their ends, to everything Dean relies on for his own personal comfort and stability and connection to the world being gradually stripped away from him (beginning with Cas and running right along through his own literal identity), this episode will steal yet another small physical comfort from him-- human sexual intimacy.

He's already lost Cas, his car (the singular constant in his entire life and the closest thing he's ever had to a home), his actual identity, his innermost thoughts (which went along with the identity when a leviathan took his form), comfort food (the TDK slammer slammed him good), Bobby, and even-- to an extent, due to his ongoing concern for his mental health-- Sam. Dean is... adrift... and now he can't even allow himself the simple pleasure of human touch and physical intimacy (even shrouded in the lie of a false identity... he can't even fake it for self-comforting purposes anymore). And yet, he still knows himself, far better than Sam does. And yet for Sam to maintain his self-control, he needs to believe that it's Dean who is deluding himself and succumbing to the depression Sam is not allowing himself to own.

Dean spends the majority of this episode actually doing his job, making connections, and coming to an understanding of the case through his own personal experience of it. While Sam puts the entirety of his reliance on coming to an understanding of the case on the Academic Validation of an "expert" in ancient Greek. Sam dismisses Dean's direct experience by rejecting it as inherently flawed-- because Sam doesn't necessarily trust his OWN ability to have made these observations himself, yet is 100% dependent on the conclusion that only his own observations are remotely reliable, lest his illusory grip on reality shatter entirely.

Dean, meanwhile, is not similarly compromised in a fundamental way, despite his increased drinking, which Sam uses as yet another excuse to dismiss Dean's assessment of reality. Dean's still insisting that he believes that Bobby's ghost may be haunting them, while Sam explains away each new incident rationally-- or so he believes, as the evidence mounts to a ridiculous extent. It gives Sam the false impression that Dean is emotionally compromised to the point his judgment has become irrational and based on his emotions, rather than his point of view and direct experience that Sam simply can't grok, and therefore needs to dismiss to maintain his belief in his own rationality.

These themes will become the "beating a dead horse dot gif" of s7, continuing even after Sam is healed by Cas in 7.17, proving they're inherent to Sam's fundamental makeup, rather than just a side effect of this "soul damage" he suffered with, or the demon blood he was addicted to in s4.

I'm still attempting to force myself to remain focused on just this episode, though, so I'll conclude with a few direct observations:

DEAN: I'm outside Lydia's. SAM (on phone): Oh, come on, man. What, are you obsessed or something? DEAN (on phone): No, I'm telling you. I have been eating at the buffet of strange all afternoon. SAM: Meaning what? DEAN: I'll tell you the second I know. But something ain't right. SAM: Or you're obsessed. DEAN: Shut up. I'm serious.

Despite Sam being told real facts by "experts" that the murdered men had all visited the same club Dean had the night before, he easily dismisses Dean's observations of something weird happening with the woman he'd hooked up with. Sam even tells him he's lucky he "dodged a bullet" since Dean hasn't been killed like the other men he's investigating, and is incapable of even making the connection between what killed those men and the "strange" things Dean's seeing with his own eyes regarding Lydia's rapidly growing daughter, Emma. Sam has to jump through increasingly flaming hoops with a straight face to maintain his belief that Dean is simply obsessed with this woman, that Dean is continuing to slack off, that Dean isn't objectively addressing The Facts™ as Sam understands them.

SAM: So what? I mean, so maybe she has another kid she didn't tell you about. DEAN: Nope, just the one. Emma. But that night, when I was with her, she didn't have any. And I was at her place, man. There was no playpens, no blankets, no rubber ducks. SAM: Right. Like you would have been focused on that kind of thing. DEAN: Hey, dude, that's the first thing you notice. Red flags. Then, all of a sudden, boom – baby. SAM: Yeah, the one you thought talked. DEAN: Oh, it talked. And not baby talk, either. SAM: Now you know so much about child development? DEAN: I know enough to know that they don't say, "Hey, Mom. Who's that guy?" So, cut to... Lydia's handing this kid who's calling her mommy over to these two women, right? But this is not a baby. No, no, this kid's got to be five. And same name – Emma. SAM: You know, George Foreman named all his sons George. DEAN: Are you deliberately messing with me? Dude, I know weird. Okay? There is no non-weird explanation for this. This morning, Emma was a baby. By sunset, she's Hannah Montana. Early years.

And yet Sam is still intent on the "expert" opinion of the professor they asked for help, over and above anything Dean might insist he's personally experiencing. Here, have a very short but complete meta encapsulation of this entire dynamic:

SAM’s phone rings. SAM: It's the Professor. DEAN: Oh. Good. The Professor. Yeah, I'm sure he'll crack this wide open. SAM: Shh!

Dean is sarcastic and dismissive of the professor, the supposed expert who deals in theoreticals and mythology, and not the reality Dean has directly experienced. Meanwhile Sam shushes Dean, dismissing not only his direct experience, but Dean's frustration at Sam’s repeated dismissals.

And here we have it again:

SAM: There's this whole crazy side to Amazon lore that Professor Morrison didn't even mention. DEAN: That's 'cause he doesn't believe in it, which is a real handicap when you're trying to deal with it.

THIS IS SAM'S WHOLE ENTIRE PROBLEM IN A SINGLE EXCHANGE. and then the moment Sam finds something In The Lore™, written down in a book where it's impossible to dismiss, he realizes that Dean hasn't been making shit up or somehow misinterpreting his own lived experience:

SAM: The lore says they reproduced quickly – as in, after mating, they gave birth within 36 hours. The babies grew incredibly fast, then the aging process became normal. Which is one way to make an army, I guess. The mating cycle is every two years. They send out all the women who have reached child-bearing age. DEAN: Which lines up, 'cause this happens every couple of years in different towns, right? SAM: Yeah. And we know for sure that at least some of the vics hooked up with strange women days before being killed Amazon style. DEAN: Hooked up in the same bar I met Lydia, right? SAM: Yeah. DEAN: And then suddenly she's got a little baby in like fruit-fly time. That baby turns into a little girl just as fast. SAM: Wow. So maybe you're – you’re, uh... DEAN: Don't say it.

But rather than questioning EVERYTHING ELSE Dean has been saying over the last few days (or longer, regarding his experiences related to Bobby's ghost), Sam holds on to the rest of his beliefs even more tightly. And he reframes this entire revelation into a different validation of his original thesis-- that Dean's still compromised, Dean's not being objective, Dean letting his emotional damage control him, and it's still A Problem. Because if that's still the case, then Sam is still Maintaining Control Of Himself, and not-compromised himself.

Sam latches on to this and refuses to let go, dismissing Bobby's ghost as a potential explanation for anything, dismissing Dean's evaluation of a document and again running off for a "professional opinion."

DEAN: Maybe it's useful. SAM: It's in a pile of "maybe it's useful." Besides, it's in Greek. Nobody reads Greek. DEAN: Yeah, except Greeks. Oh, and Bobby. SAM: And Professor Morrison. DEAN: Really? SAM: I'm going, Dean. You stay here, keep the door locked. Don't go anywhere. I mean it.

Meanwhile, this approach leaves Sam vulnerable. While at the professor's office, he's attacked by one of the Amazons. While left alone in their motel room, Dean's confronted by his Amazon daughter. He doesn't immediately kill her, though, despite drawing a gun on her before she can attack. And she is talking with him rather than outright attacking anyway, so he lets her talk. To me, this is the key exchange:

DEAN: You look exhausted. EMMA: And starving. It's been a tough sweet 16. So you believe me? EMMA: You'll help me? DEAN: If you really want help.

He is willing to help her escape her life IF SHE REALLY WANTS HELP. We know that when Sam does return, he literally sees a side of Emma that she never reveals to Dean-- the Amazon red eyes-- which convinces Sam that she's a monster incapable of not being monstrous.

A knife drops into EMMA’s hand from her sleeve. DEAN closes the refrigerator and points his gun at EMMA. DEAN: You were asking if I believed you.

I.e., no, Dean didn’t believe her, but he was still willing to hear her out, from an understandable “I’m still gonna point this gun at you while we chat” perspective. When Dean wavers, Emma uses that to question his ability to kill her at all... which is shockingly reminiscent of Dean's inability to kill Jack, even under direct orders from God, in 14.20:

EMMA: It's weirdly hard, isn't it? It is for me. DEAN: Knock it off. EMMA: How could it not be? You're my father. DEAN: Hey! We're not gonna do that. EMMA: But it's true.

So while Dean had wavered in just outright killing Emma, waiting to see if she would succumb to her monstrous nature and try to kill him first, Sam makes the choice to kill her immediately. And in his defense, he even invokes Dean's killing of Amy Pond back in 7.03 as proof that Dean is still compromised:

SAM: What did you say to me... when I was the one who choked? What did you say about Amy? "You kill the monster!" DEAN: I was going to! SAM: Oh, the hell you were! You think I'm an idiot? DEAN: What, you think I am? SAM: Dean, you were gonna let her walk! DEAN: No, I wasn't. That's ridiculous! SAM: Look, man, she was not yours. Not really. DEAN: Actually, she, uh, she was, really. She just also happened to be a crazy man-killing monster. But, uh, hey. SAM: You know what? Bobby was right. Your head's not in it, man. When Cas died, you were wobbly, but now... DEAN: Now what? Oh, what, you're dealing with it so perfect? Yeah, news flash, pal – you're just as screwed up as I am! You're just... bigger. SAM: What?! DEAN: I don't know. SAM: Look... Dean, the thing is, tonight... It almost got you killed. Now, I don't care how you deal. I really, really don't. But just don't – don't get killed.

Because that's what it boils down to, even underneath "stone one" and his Magical Scar Button, the foundation Sam laid that stone on was Dean's assurance, Dean literally guiding him through the mess of hallucination and reality that he'd been unable to separate out for himself, which Dean gets that Sam isn't actually dealing with outside of pushing the button every time Lucifer pops up for him. And without Dean, Sam knows his entire baseline for holding himself together would be gone. And isn't that just terrifying.

Because what Bobby was actually worried about wasn't Dean's head not being in it, but Dean's ability to carry the weight of all of this amid the relentless assault of the universe. From 7.09:

SAM: Yeah. Yeah, I kind of mean more like, uh... more like ever since my head broke... and we lost Cas. I mean, you ever feel like he's -- he's going through the same motions but he's not the same Dean, you know? BOBBY: How could he be? SAM: Right, yeah, but what if -- BOBBY: What if what, Sam? You know, you worry about him. All he does is worry about you. Who's left to live their own life here? The two of you -- aren't you full up just playing Snuffleupagus with the Devil all the live long? SAM: I don't know, Bobby. Seeing Lucifer's fine with me. BOBBY: Come again? SAM: Look, I'm not saying it's fun. I mean, to be honest with you, I-I kind of see it as the best-case scenario. I mean... at least all my crazy's under one umbrella, you know? I kind of know what I'm dealing with. A lot of people got it worse. BOBBY: You always were one deep little son of a bitch.

Bobby never actually said to Sam that Dean’s head wasn't in it. He gave Dean a bit of a talking-to after this, which is distressingly similar to what both Frank and Eliot Ness also tell Dean over the course of the next few episodes, but he never said this to Sam. This is SAM'S interpretation, based on SAM'S assessment of Dean, which informs Bobby's "buck up or else, you're a hunter not a person" speech to Dean from 7.09. Because this was what SAM needed to hear and believe to keep that "umbrella of crazy" firmly in place where he could manage it.

And as the universe continues tearing away at Dean's entire reality, that shield of "professionalism" is just about all he has left. And Sam unintentionally undermines even that at every turn.

What a horrific mess.

#spn 7.13 #s14 hellatus rewatch #sam sympathizes and dean empathizes #winchester family dynamics #using your words #spiders georg of the tnt loop

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magic-multicolored-miracle · 5 years

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The “Death” of Lucy Sable

Alright, theory time!

Acknowledged or assumed facts:

1) Carson Drew worked for the Hudsons as their lawyer/fixer for a long time before quitting for unspecified, hostile reasons

2) Lucy Sable was in a relationship with Ryan Hudson and attended the Velvet Masque with him

3) Lucy Sable was not from a rich or important Horseshoe Bay family, as despite her apparent popularity, she was not herself an invitee of the masque

4) Lucy Sable, while at the masque witnessed something she should not have, possibly the affair between Celia Hudson and Sebastian Marvin

5) Not long after witnessing whatever she witnessed, Lucy Sable is stabbed and thrown off a cliff

6) Lucy Sable’s body was never recovered – only pieces and trace evidence were recovered by police; the evidence on it suggests that whoever killed Lucy was another woman

Ryan says that the Hudsons ‘handled’ Lucy the same way they did everything back then, Carson Drew. Thus leading back to the obvious conclusion that Carson murdered Lucy Sable. I think he ‘handled’ Lucy through some other means than killing her, and Kate helped. She was a teenage girl, and Carson, for all his apparent and alluded to flaws, doesn’t seem like a total monster who would be okay with that level of depravity.

I suspect that Carson basically went to Lucy, or had Kate do it since she was a social worker and probably better at delivering delicate information, and was like “Look, Celia Hudson doesn’t like that you’re involved with Ryan and that you know some sort of scandalous information that could seriously hurt the family. They want you gone, permanently. But don’t freak out, we’re just going to fake your death and send you out of town. Trust me.” So Kate goes out to the cliffs with some blood and the other evidence that will be found, and a dress, plants it all. Meanwhile Carson is driving Lucy to the nearest Greyhound station or whatever. Then for some reason, the Drews reconsider staging the dress, go collect it and hide it (maybe realizing that the only way the dress would have been left behind and not on Lucy was if the killer or she stripped her of it before she went over the edge and that doesn’t make sense – this is also why I don’t believe the bloody dress was genuine evidence that either Drew killed Lucy) along with any evidence of their connection to the whole thing. Then Carson goes to Celia and is like “It’s done. No one is going to find her.”

Later, Carson decides or is convinced by Kate he needs to leave the employ of the Hudsons, but swears never to say anything about what happened with Lucy Sable. Possibly to protect his young family.

Now, Tiffany Hudson starts looking into the family, planning to expose all their sketch-ass business. She finds some evidence leading her to Carson Drew and the apparent murder of Dead Lucy, town ghost. So she confronts him and he tells her, “She’s not really dead. If you don’t believe me, call this number and talk to her yourself” (because I think Carson was sending Lucy money periodically to make sure she stayed away and that is part of his money troubles. I know cancer treatments are expensive, but also even a small-town lawyer should be making enough money to not be struggling from it). Tiffany calls, talks to Lucy, explains what she’s up to. Suggests, “hey what if you come back to town and help me expose them. Or since everyone thinks your ghost is haunting the place, just pretend to be her and terrify the fuck out of them until they confess.” Maybe Lucy agrees, but it’s going to take time to get there. By the time she shows up, Tiffany’s dead, but she goes ahead with the haunting plan anyway, it might still accomplish what Tiffany was hoping to do. And who better to haunt and hint toward the answers than this notorious girl detective who happens to be the daughter of the two people who sort of forced/threatened her out of town on the Hudsons’ behalf. If she happens to also get a few laughs terrorizing the people that took her life from her, bonus, right?

It would also fit into the nature of a Nancy Drew novel or game, where things can get a little convoluted but ultimately work out in the end, and explain how the ghost can seem so real without actually being something supernatural (as is typical of ND where it’s always someone dressing up as the ghost/faking the haunting/noxious fumes contributing to hallucinations). Plus I don’t want to believe the Drews are evil, and I love the idea of two young women teaming up to stick it to the patriarchy/capitalist bastards.

#Nancy Drew tv show #CW Nancy Drew #theory #I doubt I'll be right #but it's worth stating the prediction/theory anyway #Lucy Sable #Dead Lucy #speculation #I really don't want Carson to be a murderer or accessory to it okay #and I've accepted it but I still don't /want/ ghosts to be real #a little bit of a ramble #I'm still hung up on the facts 1) that Lucy's body was never recovered and 2) the blood-covered dress doesn't make sense #they're really going to bother me until their resolved or conclusively proven unimportant

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iguessiwritestuffnow · 7 years

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Anastasia AU

So I saw Anastasia (the broadway one) in June and it was amazing like if you get the chance go see it. But anyway, since i’m absolute trash i’m jotting down some ideas for a newsies anastasia AU. (based more on the broadway version than the movie but like the plots aren’t too different so). also yes this AU would make more sense with jack and kath as the main characters (love interest) but when was the last time I wrote something heterosexual?

Note: this turned into a somewhat humorous summary of anastasia feat. javid

-So its 1917 in russia and the royal family is having a great time (said royal family is the Jacobs, but we’ll stick with the name Romanov because ‘jacobs’ is not russian)

-David is like ten or something? Sarah is nineteen, and while she adores her family, she has plans to go to Paris to spend time with her girlfriend lady in waiting, Katherine. David doesn’t want her to go, so she promises she’ll see him soon and gives him a music box and they sing a haunting lullaby together, etc, y'all now how the story goes.

-like five minutes after Sarah leaves a bunch of revolution people come and kill the nobility for the sake of communism. (i feel rlly bad that Les dies). Sarah finds out about this and is Very Sad

-Time jump like ten years. Russia is now Very Communist and people are generally upset about that. But there’s a Rumor in Saint Petersburg that hey?? Maybe that david kid isn’t dead??????? And it turns out his older sister Sarah, who is currently chilling in Paris with her gf, will pay a Lot for his return

-Jack Kelly and his bff Crutchie are basically poor con artists who are bitter about communism. they want to Leave Russia but that’s Difficult. (crutchie is like thirty something- jack’s 22- cause i need crutchie to be older cause he used to be a count or something?). Jack hears about the missing prince rumor and thinks, hey, i could make money off of that. he ropes Crutchie into helping him, and they buy a music box that probably belonged to David. they’re really pumped about this plan

-who else happens to exist in Russia at the time? a kid named Davey who is currently like 20, and can’t remember the first ten years of his life. he’s spent all of his life travelling Russia with close to nothing and no memories, and he really wants to Leave. someone tells him, hey, hit up Jack Kelly he can get you out.

-so he goes to see Jack and Crutchie, who decide, hey, this kid looks vaguely like David (and has a very similar name, because fuck you i didn’t want to come up with another name). Davey sings an angsty ballad about not remembering shit. Jack is instantly smitten. Jack and Crutchie (who i will now refer to as the Dream Team to shorten things up) convince him that he’s probably a lost prince and davey just. goes along with it.

-the Dream Team tries to teach Davey all the Things about being russian nobility and. don’t do well. its okay they tried. Crutchie actually tries to be nice and helpful. Jack and Davey engage in some banter

.-theres this whole subplot in the musical about this ultra-communist dude and his struggle between wanting to kill anastasia for being a romanov and being in love with her. hes v morally grey and actually kinda interesting but i just. dont want to deal w/his story in this. if yall have ideas on how to include him in this lmk

-Jack sings an Upbeat song about how much he fucking hates Russia but also he loves it???? Davey is smitten (My Petersburg is a Bop listen to it)

-ngl i don’t really remember how this part happened in the musical so im going to go off of what i remember from the movie. The Dream Team + Davey go to rehearse in some old ballroom that used to be used by nobility. Davey has intense flashbacks and ends up singing that lullaby he heard literally ten years ago. He may or may not hallucinate his dead family.

-turns out everyone Fucking Hates Russia but also loves it.

-they leave russia. Crutchie is pumped to see his friend Katherine, who will hopefully take him, jack, and davey to see Sarah. Jack and Davey are both Nervous

-they arrive near Paris, and the Dream Team rush ahead to relish in the fact that they finally got out of Goddamn Russia. Davey stays behind for three minutes and seventeen seconds to sing about how he’s going to finally find his family??? He’s scared but also happy and just. My boy.

-Crutchie is Very Excited about being in Paris. He was there a lot when he was nobility I guess? He leads a very nice musical number about how great france is. Jack comes to the realization that, wow, after this, he’s probably never going to see davey again??? that sucks. Davey meanwhile is Shook by Paris

-Davey Crosses a Bridge

-also somewhere in here Jack and Davey dance with each other. Its cute and crutchie ships it

-meanwhile, in the Richest part of Paris, Sarah and Kath are a few minutes into Reading Letters and Chill when sarah gets sad. She’s angsty because there have been a bunch of fake Davids and she just misses her little bro:( Kath tries to comfort her gf and give her hope, but Sarah just insists they Close the Door forever. She can’t deal with any more pain. She asks to be alone

-kath goes to a russian club to get drunk (not with liquor!!! fame works quicker!!!) and sing a BOP about missing being russian nobility. (dudes. Land of Yesterday is amazing)

-Crutchie and Kath meet up and Crutchie is like “hey so me and my buddy Jack brought a guy who may or may not be David can we see Sarah?” Kath is worried at first but eventually she agrees cause she and Crutchie are Good Friends (the characters they’re based on have a relationship in the musical but none of that straight shit in my AU)

-Davey has nightmares about All of His Family Dying and Jack comforts him by telling him a story about a parade he was at when he was ten. ten year old Jack had watched a parade of russian nobility, and had such an instant crush on young David that he just. ran out in the middle of the street to see him. David had smiled at him and that was jack’s bisexual awakening

.-In order to Add To the Story of Davey Being David, Jack has Davey retell the story from his POV. he says basically the same stuff, but then adds on that Jack had bowed. But Jack never told him that??? Wow turns out Davey is David!!! What a surprising turn of events

.-Jack and Davey finish the song in a very romantic duet and they’re about to kiss but then Jack bows to him instead

-Crutchie comments on how in love Jack and Davey are and wow this might fuck up the plan

-They go see a ballet. Davey sees sarah and is excited!!! thats his sister!!!! he just needs to convince her of that. Sarah sees Davey and wonders if thats her bro?? but no she cant get hopes up. Jack wants to protect and support davey like a good bf

-Kath recognizes Davey as the kid crutchie told her about and takes him to go to see Sarah while Jack waits outside. Jack convinces himself that they can only win. But… even if it works, and he gets the money, he’s going to lose Davey?? He realizes that he loves Davey and pining ensue

s-in the meeting, Davey realizes that there was a reward for finding David and figures that Jack and Crutchie were just using him and he is pretty heartbroken. he storms off, but Jack stays to try to convince Sarah to talk to Davey again. she respects his boldness and agrees. Jack on the other hand, thinks Davey hates him now and is heartbroken. he decides to leave Paris

-Sarah and Davey talk but she still doesn’t believe him. He shows her the music box and sings their lullaby. Sarah is Convinced and joins in on the lullaby. They hug and share a sibling moment. Its very cute.

-theres a Press Conference about David

-Davey realizes he kinda doesn’t want to be a prince cause he’d rather be gay for Jack. Sarah is chill with that. Davey decides to go after Jack

-Davey nearly gets shot but doesn’t.

-Davey finds Jack being angsty as he’s planning to leave. Jack makes some bs comment like “leave me alone i don’t want to be in love with someone who doesn’t love me for the rest of my life.” Davey decides Jack is being stupid and kisses him. They leave Paris together and live happily ever after!!

-(Meanwhile, Sarah lives in Paris with Katherine- they are happy and in love. Crutchie mostly stays with them but also joins Jack and Davey regularly on their exploits. Everyone is happy forever.)

so yeah this is stupid

#Newsies #Javid #newsbians #Jack Kelly #davey jacobs #crutchie #sarah jacobs #katherine plumber #this is stupid #im sorry #im tired and bored forgive me

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the-tales-of-horror · 7 years

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A valet, a fancy car, and things that go bump in the night

Original Link By manen_lyset

I work as a valet at a casino in Atlantic City. It’s not the most glamorous job, but it pays well and it’s fun. Who wouldn’t want a taste of what it’s like to drive sweet-ass sports cars they could never afford? Usually, my nights are pretty uneventful: I park the cars, walk back to the valet station, wait, walk back to the parking lot, and drive the cars back to their owners waiting at the entrance. If I’m lucky, my patron will reward me with a good tip. If my patron was unlucky, I’ll get a scoff and the stink eye, as if it’s somehow my fault they came out of the casino several thousand dollars poorer. Worst is, I’m pretty sure it’s more a question of bruised egos; the types that come to my casino consider a couple thousand bucks to be “pocket change”. This isn’t the place for down-on-their-luck alcoholic husbands looking to gamble their paychecks away: this is a place of expensive cars, flashy watches, fancy suits, old money, and men who think they own the world---and probably do.

I never let any of that bother me. I’ve always just done my job and lived by the valet’s cardinal rule: if we see something, we say nothing. Whether it be a sack of cocaine or evidence of a backseat orgy, we keep our mouths shut. Our job isn’t to police or judge: it’s to get cars from point A to point B, which is literally just around the corner, but apparently too far for rich folks to walk. Just like shrinks have doctor-patient confidentiality, we offer valet-car confidentiality. The other night, I had to break that unofficial confidentiality agreement, and here’s why.

His name was Edward Smith, and he looked just as pretentious as his name suggested. He showed up late at night with the shit-eating grin of a man who shops for wives based on bra sizes and waistlines. He had a small, busty woman on his arm who sported a massive diamond on her ring finger that blurred the line between ‘expensive’ and ‘tacky’, and who wore a leopard print dress so tight it might as well have been a skin suit. She looked twenty years younger, but every bit as entitled. Edward, on the other hand, had applied so much gel his hair looked like plastic, he had gone all-out with diamond-studded cufflinks, and he wore a suit so perfectly tailored, it had probably been sewn directly on him.

Without a single glance in my direction, Mr. Smith tossed me his valet key and said, “Don’t scratch her.”

Entitled asshole or not, he was a client, and I was going to be careful with his car. I always was.

I opened the door and immediately caught a whiff of something strong. It was like a plume of lavender perfume had crashed over me like a tidal wave. I could taste it as it burned my nose and made my eyes water. It was so strong I had to open all the windows and hold my breath just to survive the short drive to the lot right around the corner. I was distracted, I could barely see, hell, I could even hear ringing in my ears as though I were sucking on a lemon.

Just as the car came to a stop in its parking spot, I heard a thud coming from the back. Not a light thud, either. A nice, strong thud that made the car bump.

“Shit!” I cursed.

I must have hit something. Something big. Something I hadn’t seen through the veil of tears my eyes had been producing to wash out the perfume.

I could just imagine roadkill crushed under the wheel, blood sprayed over the pristine gold paint job, and maybe even a nasty dent. It wasn’t going to come out of my paycheck – the casino had insurance – but I was as good as fired.

I resisted the urge to bash my head against the steering wheel out of frustration: I couldn’t risk causing more damage, and lingered in the driver’s seat as I tried to figure out how I was going to explain this to my boss. People don’t hit animals in parking lots. Driving at 5mph. With enough floodlights to light up a football stadium. That’s just not something that happens.

Another thud sent the car bouncing again, and this time, I was more scared than surprised because the thud was followed by a very light, barely audible whimper.

“Oh shit,” I whispered to myself.

It was still alive.

I didn’t know what to do. Back up? Stay put? Drive over the cement strip and onto the grass? Was I going to have to put the poor creature out of its misery?

As another bump rocked the car, I started to worry about how big it must have been to be able to shake the car in its injured state. Was it even safe to go outside? What if it was a coyote? What if it reared its head and bit me?

A peek. I needed to sneak a peek of it---to know what it was, before I proceeded. I opened the door and shuffled onto my stomach, careful not to scuff the leather interior. Edward would notice if I scuffed anything, and I’d be in twice as much shit. Patrons always noticed every little defect. They didn’t notice when we took the liberty of throwing away used condoms or cigarettes forgotten on the driver’s seat, but they definitely noticed if we so much as left a piece of lint behind. Once I was in position, I took a deep breath, braced myself to see some poor eviscerated animal, and craned my neck down to look under the car.

There was nothing there, just four wheels on the pavement. No blood, no guts, no animal crawling away with half its body dragging behind it like a zombie.

“What the fuck?”

I raced out of the car and bent down on all fours, scanning the wheels more thoroughly. I pushed myself to my feet and circled around the car, my attention split between trying to find the animal I’d hit, and checking for damage. The car looked as sparkly and shiny as the day it’d left the dealership, and there wasn’t so much as a tuft of fur left behind.

As I stood there by the back right wheel, the car suddenly bounced, and I heard another whimper. The trunk, I realized, someone’s in the trunk.

I felt a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I was relieved I hadn’t almost killed something, on the other hand, the situation was suddenly much worse.

See something, say nothing, that was our cardinal rule.

No matter what kind of shit we saw in those cars, we were not allowed to do anything. It wasn’t our place. It wasn’t my place. If I tried to help, they’d have my job, but…

Nervously, I said, “Is anyone there?”

I heard what sounded like sobs as the car shook in response.

I was right.

“Hang tight, I’ll get you out of there!”

I ran around front and pulled the key from the ignition, then circled back to the trunk. I put it in, turned right, turned left, turned right again: the key didn’t work. Of course it didn’t work. That was the whole point of a valet key: keeping the valet out of your stuff.

“Shit, shit, shit.”

I paced around back-and-forth, wondering what to do. That’s when the thought occurred to me: maybe Edward kept a spare key. I headed back inside the car and started searching the glove compartment and dashboard hoping I’d find one. I found everything from a gold flask to a custom mahogany business card holder, but no key. Meanwhile, the car continued to bounce every so often, and the whimpers persisted.

I sat on the curb, biting my nails as I pondered what to do: risk my job by snitching to the cops, or let it go. It wasn’t too late, I could save my own neck. I could bury my head in the sand and convince myself this was some sort of fetish thing and the girl was totally into it. I could pretend nothing happened. But, then again, how could I live with myself if I did that?

I grabbed my cellphone and called the cops.

The wait was unbearable. I spent my time trying to calm whoever was inside the trunk. I gave her my name and made one-sided small talk, even as the thuds grew weaker and the whimpers came to a stop. Finally, I saw the red and blue lights of a squad car turning into the parking lot. I flagged them down, but by then, the trunk had gone quiet. They said something about just cause or probable cause…or something they say all the time in those cop shows. Point being, they couldn’t open the trunk just yet. They had the casino security track down Edward Smith, who showed up looking as sheepishly self-satisfied as he had earlier. This time, with three women on his arms instead of just the one.

“What can I do for you, gentlemen?” he asked the policemen calmly.

I could just barely hear the conversation from behind the squad car where I was giving my statement. The cops explained they suspected someone was being held against their will, and the slimy guy just smiled and shrugged.

“I have no idea where someone might have gotten that idea,” he said.

“Would you please open the trunk?” asked the cop.

He smirked broadly, releasing the women in his arms. He shooed them away with playful slaps on the ass, then said, “Why, of course. You need only ask.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out his car key, not hesitating for a second to unlock the trunk and open it. I stretched my neck as far as it could go to see who was inside, but what I saw sent my stomach tumbling to my feet.

The trunk was empty.

“Impossible,” I whispered.

I had heard her. I had felt the car bumping up and down from the inside. I had seen it moving from the outside.

My boss came out, face red with anger. I could tell he was about to scold me. Probably fire me, too, but Edward Smith stood between us and smiled.

“Now, I don’t want you to do anything to him. He took good care of my car. I’m sure this was just a misunderstanding. I expect to see him here next time I visit,” he said.

He winked at me. A wink that made my skin crawl.

My supervisor blundered out, “Y-yes, of course.”

The police searched the car, then shot annoyed glances my way.

I went home that night shaken by what had happened. I went through it in my head over and over again, but I couldn’t explain it. Was the car haunted? Had I felt an earthquake? Could … could lavender perfume make you hallucinate?

A few weeks passed, and I finally saw the car pulling up around the corner. At first, I thought it was him---I thought that entitled prick had come back to taunt me, but there was a blueish sheen to the paint and the driver looked completely different. Just some random guy with the same car model as Edward.

You know, this might sound weird, but even after weeks, I never forgot what Edward’s trunk looked like. The image of the empty space stayed with me, nagging me every day. I could see it in my mind’s eye so clearly that if I had any drawing skills whatsoever, I could have shown you exactly what it looked like in spectacular detail.

The random patron with the same model car stepped out, but kept hold of his key. He apologized as he ran around back to get something from his trunk. It was the same exact trunk, but then I saw him reach around and pull a latch.

The floor retracted.

There was a compartment underneath, just barely big enough to hold a person, if you broke a few bones and really crammed her in there.

I promised her I’d get her out.

I gave her false hope.

And then I let her die.

#A valet a fancy car and things that go bump in the night #Horror Story #Scary Story #Creepy Story #Reddit NoSleep #TTOH

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