#up the creek 1984

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Whoever designed this 1975, (reno'd in 1984 and stuck there), Morrison, Colorado estate was heavily into stairs, steps and levels. However, their forté was definitely bathrooms. Their creativity is unparalleled. 5bds, 5ba, $2.85M.

Off the main entrance is a living room with built-in shelving. I would be leery of that platform above, though. That piece of driftwood or whatever it is, won't stop a child from falling off.

There's a nice 2 story fireplace and a free-form artistic railing with a lovely mezzanine in the family room. Note the picket fences blocking off 2 of the stairs.

4 steps lead up to the kitchen.

Sunny kitchen with interesting cabinetry and blue glass upper doors to match the style of the home. Love the stove.

The sink is blue, too. The dining room is right off the kitchen.

This is nice. It's such an interesting home with those high open ceilings. I wonder if the plants would convey. A door in the dining room opens to a deck.

The view is stunning. Part of the deck is covered for dining and the larger part is open.

This bath has a black toilet with a compliment of yellow. Interesting carpet or toweling.

Up on the mezzanine is another fireplace and an area used as an office.

Here we have a powder room with a high Victorian style water tank, peachy sink, and floral tile.

This bedroom has a round platform with a square mattress. Not sure it's actually a bed. There's a stepdown office area and doors to the yard.

Double brown sinks with coordinating tile.

And, this. What is the area above? Windows all around, and, levels in the tub. You can see a bit of the stairs at the bottom of the picture.

This is a cute bedroom. There's a little music area and doors to a terrace.

Next is a sauna with a ridiculously steep double shower.

This stair tower leads to the primary suite. This looks like a new addition or reno.

The primary suite is huge with nice rounded built-ins and many steps and levels.

It has 2 high steps to the tub.

And, I don't even see a way to get into this raised shower, except for just climbing.

Large dressing room/closet.

And, finally a romantic rooftop terrace.

There's also a log cabin on the property.

It has a living room, kitchen and one bedroom. Someone definitely lives here.

The property is huge- measures 79.3 acres.

[buttercreamdicks]

[Hey! You! This post has now been expanded into a fic called “The Boy in the Woods.” Please enjoy. Thank you.]

I keep thinking about the best friend haul, and Rhett saying it was "found near a creek in 1984," and the supernatural Link theme, and it's giving me Bridge to Terabithia vibes like what if instead of meeting in first grade Rhett actually went wandering in the woods at age seven and found this shaggy-haired boy-thing by a creek and ran back home and brought it his old sneakers and clothes, and showed it his wrestling action figures, and taught it to speak. Its name is Link. Imagine the first time he introduced it to bubblegum, and fresh popped popcorn, and Twinkies. It lives almost exclusively on a diet of Reese's peanut butter cups. Imagine the first time Rhett gives it a haircut, and brushes its hair back from its face, and its proud little smile when Rhett says it looks handsome. Rhett brings it a coloring book full of mythical beasts from school, and somehow it already knows all the animals. There are things that live in the forest that it is afraid of. Rhett has never seen them, doesn't even know if they're real, but it draws their pictures over and over. To make them seem less scary, Rhett names them The Randler -- for R and L, Rhett and Link, he shows Link when he's teaching him how to write.

Everyone thinks Rhett has an imaginary friend till he's way older than he should, till Rhett actually starts bringing Link around, telling people he's from a different town, he goes to a different school. Link always says something weird, doesn't really get the whole people thing at first, but Rhett covers for him. They spend every day together. The boy grows almost as tall as he does.

It almost kills Rhett when he graduates high school and realizes he's going to have to move away from the boy in the woods. Freshman year, at least the days he can't sneak Link into the dorm, is hell. So he comes up with a plan: They'll get an apartment. They'll get Link a job. Link starts doing Rhett's homework with him, and it turns out Link is brilliant. He can play a bunch of instruments -- the trumpet, the shruti box, he even makes the recorder sound good. There is a pit of guilt in Rhett's stomach that he never thought about Link needing to go to school.

So he makes up a fake diploma, some fake credentials, and he gets Link enrolled in college with him. They go to a frat party for the first time together, shotgun their first beers. Link is a total lightweight, he falls in love when he's tipsy and cries when he's drunk. Rhett has to wrap him up tight in his comforter when they get home. Their apartment comes with a battered old set of pots and pans left behind by the last roommates, and Rhett learns to cook while Link watches. Link mostly learns to use the microwave. Link can take twice the courseload, finishes in half the time, so they can graduate together. They make a plan to move to a bigger city. They go on double-dates together, and Link even starts to like a girl. Rhett feels a pit of something else in his stomach he doesn't know how to name.

Everything is going great, Rhett thinks, everything is going according to plan. But some nights he wakes up and peeks into Link's room and Link isn't there. The first times it happens, Rhett calls his name in a whisper, looks around the whole apartment and turns on all the lights, but he can't find him. In the morning Link is back in the kitchen eating cereal, where he should be.

The next few times Link disappears, Rhett goes further than the apartment, out into the dark, walking around their neighborhood with a flashlight at first, and then with no light at all, still whisper-calling Link's name. Link always comes back by the morning. Rhett starts to notice that on the nights when Link doesn't disappear, he doesn't really sleep either. Rhett sometimes stands by his bedroom door to hear him tossing and turning, humming songs to himself. Rhett learns to navigate their streets by moonlight, stops whispering Link's name into the empty humid night air, just walks in the quiet darkness between the street lights, trying not trip over the uneven pavement cracks, looking for his friend.

He tries to imagine what Link is doing, sometimes, while he walks. At first he thinks maybe out with a girl that he doesn't want to tell Rhett about, but then that seems unlikely, Link seems as devoted to his girlfriend as ever. Then he thinks maybe getting into trouble, out at some bar or bent over some pool table, some group of assholes goading him to snort a line or to bet on the corner pocket, all the people who might take advantage of someone like Link, who still doesn't really understand people, still doesn't really understand what it means not to be entirely honest. But mostly Rhett pictures Link wandering the neighborhood just like he is, sweating on warm nights and wrapping his arms around himself on cold, under the dark black sky. It's blanker than the sky where they grew up, the orange lights along the big-town streets block out all the stars.

In fact he imagines when he finally finds Link, one of these nights, he'll grab him by the shoulders and say "What are you doing, man?" and then walk him home, and that'll be the end of it.

But what actually happens is one night he makes a left turn, and takes a walk through the park. Or at least, their little city calls it a park -- really it's nothing more than a playground and a glorified patch of unkempt trees, the last refuge of suburban deer. Rhett walks past the swingset and the slide, onto the little path into the wooded area, idly dragging his hands along the overhanging branches and leaves. And then he sees him. Link, in his little nest of soft grass and dirt, sleeping soundly.

Rhett gulps down some feeling, swallows it hard, and turns to walk quickly back home.

But he goes back the next few nights, just to watch. Link sleeps at the bases of trees, curled up in the roots, a little smile on his face. Rhett starts to notice how many fallen leaves he tracks into the apartment. The chunks of dirt that fall powder dry off his shoes when he stomps his feet at the door. How when they're out in the city, his hands are shaky. He startles back at every close-passing car. At night, asleep in his own private forest, the moonlight glitters off of his dark hair, which he's been growing long again.

Rhett remembers that first haircut, the way Link looked with his hair swept back from his forehead, clipped uneven by Rhett's mom's stolen kitchen scissors. The way Link delighted in food with crinkling cellophane wrappers. How happy he seemed not to be alone anymore in the woods, where the Randlers could get him. When Rhett brought his sleeping bag and called it "camping" to his brother and spent the night, Link curled against Rhett's side, putting Rhett's body between him and the quiet empty night. A funny thing was, over the years, Link had learned to cut Rhett's hair too, and their friends', he really enjoyed it. He had hands that fluttered gently around Rhett's face, soft fingertips that brushed the little bits of hair from the back of Rhett's neck. He always stood Rhett in front of the bathroom mirror afterward, to make sure Rhett liked it, and Rhett always looked at the reflection of Link's hopeful, happy face behind him. That first haircut, Rhett had snuck a shaving mirror from his parents' house too, and stashed it in his backpack. He remembered how proud Link looked when he saw his own face. But he also remembered afterward, Link's hands coming up out of habit to tug at the hair, now gone. Rhett had always pushed his hands down, told him, "Stop doing that, it makes you look weird."

Now he sits and watches Link, asleep in the grass and the rustling leaves. It's getting late into the fall, and here in the park, Rhett notices for the first time, away from the lights, up through the baring branches, you can see more of the stars. Asleep like this, Link's face is boyish and peaceful. His hair is a mess, there are twigs in it, the shaggy back of his head all ruffled from sleep. It makes little wings where it curls down over his ears. That was the first thing Rhett with his kitchen scissors had clipped away. And Rhett thinks to himself: What have I done?

[eltristan]

Stenner Creek Trestle near San Luis Obispo: Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 4449, with SP SD40E 7342 as a helper, works up Cuesta Grade. This train, dubbed the World's Fair Daylight, is returning to Portland, Oregon. Context Craig Walker. SP 4449 heads north from San Luis Obispo with a helper to Santa Margarita, looking very much like the original Train 99 Coast Daylight except with an SD40E for a helper rather than a 2-10-2. This was the return leg to Portland of the New Orleans Worlds Fair Daylight in 1984. Context John West

@4449fandom

[wolfdog-weatherman]

Intro Post (remaster)

Please read!

Hello! My name is Phil, or Wolfie. I use He/it pronouns.

I’m 14, from the US, I’m possibly on the spectrum but I am currently undiagnosed.

I’m a huge nerd about a lot of things.

I am comfortable with people of all ages interacting, as long as you’re not weird (a creep). Nsfw and semi-nsfw accounts please don’t interact.

My inbox and dms are always open, I’m a very chill and approachable dragon. I’m sorry if it takes me a while to respond to tags, asks, or dms. All of your messages matter a lot to me, I just need some time, so please be patient.

Please follow/ interact if you like any of the following:

Special Interests:

-Groundhog Day (the movie and the musical)

-Wings of Fire (the book series)

-Animals/stuffed animals/zoology/anything to do with furries

Other Interests:

-Bill Murray/ Murrayverse

-Footloose(1984 movie and the musical)

-Little Shop of Horrors

-Ghostbusters

-School House Rock

-Mike Dodds (SVU)

-UtDr

-Fnaf

-John Mulaney

-Internet culture/history

-The Peanuts

-Christmas movies

-Saw

-Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared

-Musicals

+more

In terms of music, I mostly listen to Patricia Taxxon, movie/ musical soundtracks, Will Wood, Jack Stauber, Nat King Cole, and a bunch of random inconsistent songs and artists.

I don’t have a dni. If you follow me, 97% of the time I’ll follow you back. If you make me uncomfortable for whatever reason, I’ll block.

I’m sorry if I ever come off as rude or blunt. I promise I really do care about what you’re saying. I try to use tone tags to clear things up, and I would appreciate the use of tone tags with me.

I can get very defensive/talkative/intense about my interests, ESPECIALLY Groundhog Day (I’m very pretentious about ghd). I’m sorry if this ever gets overbearing/ a lot.

I post art! You can find it all in the tag “adamz art”.

IF YOU SEE ANY OF MY POSTS MADE BEFORE 2023 PLEASE IGNORE THEM. THEY PROBABLY DO NOT REFLECT ME NOW.

That’s all, have fun be safe don’t get in trouble. I love you guys.

P.S, if you need to contact me, leave your message in the bank of your local creek. I’ll get back to you.

[tiny-fren]

🎃Halloween Media Recommendations!🎃

It's October which means it's time for Halloween! I don't go trick or treating anymore so instead I celebrate by watching spooky-themed shows and movies. A lot of the normal Halloween movie recommendations are too scary for me,so here are some that are perfect for littles and caregivers that like something more light-hearted. This one will be mainly shows and movies aimed at younger littles, I'll have more recommendations for bigger kids in the next post

Dividers by @/kodaswrld

Shows/Show episodes will be in bold

Bump In The Night (1994)

The Trap Door (1986)

Room on The Broom (2012)

Ruffus The Dog (1989) - Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

The Gruffalo (2009)

Eureeka's Castle (1989) - It Came From Beneath The Bed

The Magic School Bus (1984) - A Magic School Bus Halloween

Charlie and Lola (2005) - What Can I Wear for Halloween?

The House with Clocks in Its Walls (2018)

Sesame Street: A Magical Halloween Adventure / Sesame Street: Trick Or Treat On Sesame Street / Sesame Street: Elmo Says Boo!

Gullah Gullah Island (1994) - Gullah Gullah Ghoul-land

Kipper The Dog (1997) - The Little Ghost

Scary Godmother (2003)

Scary Godmother 2: The Revenge of Jimmy (2005)

Fraggle Rock (1983) - The Terrible Tunnel / Scared Silly / A Dark and Stormy Night

Craig of the Creek (2018) - Trick or Creek/ The Legend of The Library

Bear in The Big Blue House (1997) - Halloween Bear

Pajanimals (2010) - Scary Costumes

Clifford's Puppy Days (2003) - The Halloween Bandit / Boo!

Angelina Ballerina (2003) - Henry's Halloween

Rubbadubbers (2004) - Finbar and the Ghosts

Kiki's Delivery Service (1990)

The Wiggles (1998) - Spooky Monsters

Imagination Movers (2008) - Haunted Halloween

Spirited Away (2002)

Make Way for Noddy (2002) - Don't Be Scared,Noddy

Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (1979)

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) [Not Halloween themed but it scared me a lot so I'm counting it]

Little Bear - Moonlight Serenade / Caterpillars / Goblin Night / How to Scare Ghosts / Night of Full Moon / Up All Night

Claymation Comedy of Horrors (1991)

Blues Clues - What Is Blue Afraid Of? / Blue's Big Costume Party

I tried to pick shows and movies that aren't on a lot of other Halloween recommendation lists and some I remember from my childhood. Thanks for reading and I'll leave you all off with a bunch of Halloween commercials I really like. Have a safe and spooky Halloween!

[slayerkitty]

There has been ongoing discussion of Only Friends amongst a few of us about central themes of the show and ideas Jojo seems to be exploring. We ended up in a discussion on ephemerality that led to a broader discussion on what the show is trying to say about permanency, mostly through the use of things like Boston's photography, surveillance videos, and other audio/visual means.

We also touched on the idea of voyeurism being a running theme (potentially tying back to the very public nature of queer culture in the 80's and 90's) based on the different medias being presented and the frameworks that each episode has used so far. I posited at the time that the different frameworks of each episode could be a type of voyeurism (and because we've brought up control), a type of controlled voyeurism; the voice overs, talking heads and even the Twitter posts are great for giving the audience insight into character insights, feelings and emotions but only what they want us to see.

There was also discussion in the tag about how this show feels like a throwback to sort of a late 90's aesthetic over all (I can't find this post - specifically I'm thinking of a post that mentioned OF had a very Dawson's Creek aesthetic, which hit me like a truck when I read it because YES). Given that Jojo was born in 1984, so I think this post about OF being the voice of 80's babies is right.

So, you must be asking, duh, we've already talked about this. What's your point?

All of this extremely prolific long-windedness is because I noticed something while watching the Let's Try MV from the OST as well as the BTS videos that have been released so far and I don't think anyone has mentioned it.

In the MV, shots from the show (both what appear to be canon and a smidge of BTS material) are shown like they were filmed on a mid-90's camcorder. This also happens in the in the BTS videos as well (episode 1, episode 2.)

Also, both the MV and the BTS videos have visual effects. Transitions like lens flares, static, and whatever that blippy line distortion was on VHS tapes that we fixed with the tracking buttons (if you know, you know) repeatedly show up in both.

(Please prepare yourself for some absolutely horrible screenshots; I have no skills in this area, lmao, but I wanted a couple of visuals)

(What? No, I didn't choose these three screenshots because of the colors, absolutely not. I also absolutely am not tagging @respectthepetty because of it either, nope. Don't know what you're talking about.)

But Slayerkitty, you ask, what does it mean?

It definitely shows that we're on the right track regarding this, I think, because using it in the MV and BTS materials is a very deliberate choice given the amount of photo, video, and audio focus the show has done to this point. Interestingly, you could also say the BTS videos are a type of controlled voyeurism as well, since it's a specific peek at how things were made (the view they want us to have lol).

(Also interesting but I'm not sure if it means anything or if they just thought it looked cool, but in the MV from about 2:29-2:40 and 2:52-3:10 the scenes are all "camcorder" video and the second time stamp is pretty much all BTS footage.)

(P.S. I also don't think anyone mentioned it before now, but that fluffy jacket/cardigan thing we're all obsessed with that Ray wore in episode two is what Khaotung is wearing the MV. It looks like they probably shot the episode two car scene and the MV the same day/night.)

Tagging the ephemerality squad and anyone who's posts I linked to, in case you guys have any thoughts: @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist, @ranchthoughts, @chickenstrangers, @lurkingshan, @twig-tea, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @distant-screaming, @shouldiusemyname

I know I forgot someone, I'm sure! Apologies if I did. I'm gonna have to make a list, lol.

[dasenergi-diary]

It was a good day!

After dropping Dakota off at work I went for a walk around the Chino Creek Wetlands and nature preserve.

And then I went to the gym, used the steam room for 30 minutes, then showered and headed up to Claremont to go to Vom Foss for our basil infused olive oil.

But the store has closed. 😢 Sad face. No more fancy vinegars or olive oils for us.

So I went to the local comic book store instead just to look around. I found Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “The Incal” that I have been wanting.

And then I visited the used book store where I was looking for Truman Capote’s “Other Voices, Other Rooms” or any Ian Fleming books, but they didn’t have any.

And then I went to the used record store where I scored THIS!!

And it was only $9!!!! This has the original 1984 version of David Lynch’s Dune AND the three-hour extended cut that he dis-owned and removed his name from. I am super excited to continue my Dune journey.

When I came home the “All of Us Strangers” book was waiting for me at my door!

I am 100% obsessing about the movie right now, as if I am going to write a thesis about it.

I don’t recall if I told you, they are not planning a physical media release for this movie. Just digital only! The end of DVD is nigh!

But I want to own the movie!!! 😭 I love it so!

Then I picked up Dakota from work and we treated ourselves to Kung Fu Tea.

And now we are going to make a new (to us) potato dish from a recipe book. Kind of like a potatoes au gratin, but with other veggies too!

And that’s my day. How was yours?

[shapeshiftersvt]

My Encounter With the Jersey Devil

Every Spring, since 1984, the New Jersey Audubon Society hosts the World Series of Birding (WSB). Much in the vein of fundraising walks and runs, the WSB is a marathon aimed at raising money and awareness towards a specific cause (bird and nature conservation). Competitors in the WSB are tasked with identifying, by either sight or sound, as many bird species as they can in a 24 hour period. While there are multiple ways to compete, the top level teams, which often include career birders, collect pledges through their own dedicated website, travel all over New Jersey in that 24 hour period to identify birds, and must be present at the finish line at Cape May Point State Park at midnight at the end of the competition.

Around 2005, a friend of mine (we’ll call her Robin) was enthusiastically getting me into birding and proposed we compete in the WSB. She had another birding friend from the West Coast (we’ll call him Jay) who wanted to come visit and the WSB was the perfect excuse. We competed under the second level, which allowed for a more casual competition, essentially treating the weekend like an excuse for an intensive birding holiday, without the fundraising and finish line requirements. This was at least in part because of my own inexperience; but I was excited and eager and, equally important, had a car and the ability and willingness to chauffeur the three of us around Cape May County for the weekend.

Robin and Jay spent the days leading up to the WSB mapping and scheduling out the birding spots we would hit, while I spent them studying up on my visual and audio ID’s (a harder task back before there were easily accessed videos and archives of bird call recordings online). The morning of the competition, we piled into my little Pontiac Sunfire and headed south.

The original plan was that we’d arrive at our hotel in Cape May in the afternoon, eat, get some sleep, and then head out to hit our first spot at midnight. Unfortunately, late in the night, Robin wasn’t feeling well. So we pivoted. Robin would stay at the hotel to get some more rest while Jay and I headed out to the first spot. After we were done, we would swing back by the hotel and, hopefully, Robin would feel better and we’d all pile back into the car to continue competing.

Since the start of the WSB is at midnight, the first spot on our list was a prime location to identify the nocturnal birds on the species list — owls, of course, but also water birds called rails. This brought us to one of the most rural spots we visited that weekend, the kind of rural spot that most people don’t believe exists in New Jersey. Jake’s Landing is an earthen boat launch in the middle of a wetlands creek, that’s accessed via Jake’s Landing Road, a 1.3 mile long dirt road that winds through a white pine forest. While you can see the light pollution from the surrounding towns in the distance, the area immediately around the landing is so dark the only light is from the moon and the vast expanse of stars.

ID-ing rails required parking at the Landing and listening for the birds out in the marshy waters. But since it’s such a well-known spot for good birding, there were always other birders standing out there with you, also desperately listening for the rails. The owls, however, weren’t out in the wetlands, they were back in the woods. Which meant that to ID owls, we had to pull over to the side of the road, turn off the car, turn off the headlights, get out of the car, and stand there in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night in almost complete darkness to listen for owls. Now, I am a child of suburbia. I wasn’t used to that kind of darkness. I wasn’t used to just being outside in the middle of the night without a car between me and whatever might be lurking beyond what my eyes could see. I definitely wasn’t used to spending time that deep in the woods, and certainly not at night. Not to mention that just a few years before this, in 1999, The Blair Witch Project had come out to the kind of hype we hadn’t seen for a horror movie since Nightmare on Elm Street and wouldn’t see again until Saw. A found footage film about three college-aged film-makers camping out in the woods to investigate the local legend of the Blair Witch, only to become victims of the Witch themselves, I loved The Blair Witch Project, it’s probably my favorite horror movie to this day. But part of that love came from the fact that it scared the crap out of me.

I was not looking forward to owl hunting.

Jay and I left Robin at the hotel to sleep and drove out to Jake’s Landing. We stood around listening to rails for a while; I don’t remember if we ID’d any on that particular stop, but we did close out the weekend with at least one rail ID’d on our list. Then we drove back into the woods, pulled over, turned off the car, and got out … 

And everything was fine. Really. I mean, we didn’t hear any owls, which sucked (spoilers: I wouldn’t hear an owl in real life for another 5 years or so). But I actually wasn’t bothered at all. It was dark and quiet and I couldn’t see anything beyond about three or four rows of trees beyond the road, but it wasn’t even a little bit freaky. After a while we both agreed that we weren’t hearing anything and it was about time for us to go pick up Robin, so we got back in the car and headed back to civilization.

We spent the rest of the day traveling all over Cape May County, hiking around bird sanctuaries and nature preserves, tromping over farms, strolling along boardwalks. I got to see red-tailed hawks and bald eagles and egrets and a purple gallinule that had made its way up to New Jersey from Florida for some reason. We stopped for snacks and meals at the whatever the nearest Wawa was, caught naps in parking lots, saw other birders ranging from casual twenty-somethings like us, little kids on school field trips, and well-aged professionals with camera equipment that probably cost more than my used Sunfire.

Then, as night fell again and the diurnal birds tucked into their nests for the night, there was only one thing left to do: head back to Jake’s Landing to try again for the rails and owls. I wasn’t worried this time, since I’d gotten through the first time without getting even a tiny bit spooked. We drove out to the Landing, and listened for a while; again, I don’t remember which trip it was, but we were only able to ID one rail all weekend. Then we headed back into the woods, pulled over, turned off the car, and got out to listen.

But something was different. It was still just as dark, just as quiet, just as isolated, though this time we had another person in our group. By all rights, I shouldn’t have had any trouble standing out there and listening for owls. But the second I closed my car door, I could feel it. Something was wrong. I still couldn’t see anything past the third or fourth line of trees past the road, but it felt like I was being watched — we were being watched. The longer we stood there, the more time my imagination had to run wild, the more certain I became that whoever — or whatever — was out there, intended us harm. We weren’t welcome. I couldn’t have focused on owls even if there’d been any to focus on, I could only think about the growing feeling in my gut that someone or something was out there in the dark seething at us, watching and waiting.

Finally, just as the feeling was becoming too much, just as I was about to suggest we go, Robin spoke up. We weren’t hearing anything, it was getting close to midnight anyway, we should just head back to the hotel and get some sleep before we had to drive home in the morning. I don’t think I even responded, I just remember snapping open my door, practically throwing myself inside, and turning the car and headlights back on before Jay and Robin had even sat down, so eager was I to be in the relative safety of my little Sunfire. We finished the drive along Jake’s Landing Road in silence. I was perhaps driving a little more quickly than I should have along a dirt road a little too narrow for two cars to comfortably pass, but I was beyond ready to get back to the main road with its asphalt and street lights and unblocked views of the surrounding area.

After having the uneasiness of the darkness washed away by blessed halogen, I finally told Robin that if she hadn’t said something when she had, I’d been ready pull the plug over how freaked out I’d felt. Which was when she admitted that the reason she’d spoken up was because she’d also felt freaked out and couldn’t stand out there any longer. We spent the drive back to the hotel comparing notes, Robin expressing a similar feeling about being watched, and me explaining how I hadn’t experienced anything close to that on my earlier owl hunt with Jay.

Robin and I had both been raised in New Jersey, had grown up surrounded by stories of the Jersey Devil, and knew when we set out on this trip that we’d be spending much of the weekend hiking around areas within the Pine Barrens, the alleged territory of the Jersey Devil.

So what other conclusion could we come to than that we’d just had an encounter with the Jersey Devil itself?

-Krista

[skiplo-wave]

Do you have any webtoon recommendations?

Half of these are completed but these are what I’m currently reading

Guy upstairs- cat and mouse of introvert girl vs serial killer neighbor currently on hiatus

Coffin Jackson- band of misfits and mortician try sell a dead body while against two monsters completed

Everything is fine- dystopia kinda like brave new world-1984 but lots of trauma and everyone has giant cat head currently on hiatus

It’s mine- Yandere stalker boy X girl but there’s legit plot to this as reason why characters are way they are. Starts of slow as a heads up completed

The boxer- OP character tries find meaning of life/will to live via boxing and meeting colorful cast of characters. On of my personal favorite webcomics of all time completed

Witch creek road- love craft horror plus hot monster babes. Also stay in circle completed

Rockababy- 1950/ greaser but also an alien adopts alien clown sister ( same creator for camp crystal lake via junkmixart ) completed

He loves me not- literally brand new I’m reading cause it’s Artist I follow on Twitter. Two bara men one looks like he can kill you lol ongoing

Batman Wayne family adventures- it’s batfam need I say more ongoing

Zomgan- OP character tries find meaning of life/will to live via boxing and meeting colorful cast of characters but make it post apocalyptic. Also don’t get attach to characters cause they will get killed off :) ongoing

SPCTR- very behind on this one but it’s sci-fi girl shares a body with an alien to save her brother ongoing

Homesick- monster apocalypse with literal colorful cast of characters. Lots of body horror/gore but Artist is very good giving trigger warnings ongoing

Boyfriends- lgbt+ comic, polycue with your typical jock/nerd/prep/jock very wholesome plus cast is Asian. If ou want break from irl queer troubles this is great escape from that ongoing

Heartstopper- another lgbt+ comic it’s wholesome but also tackles topic queer kids go through like coming out, mental health etc. ongoing this has a live action adaptation on Netflix which I also recommend

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

Phoenix's Favorite Films

No special occasion, or anything. I just realized it had been awhile since I thought about this. Calculated based on my metric of "happy it's starting vs bummed that it's over" (which translates loosely to Biggest Feels), I give you the top thirteen!

The Shining (1980)

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future. - dir. Stanley Kubrick

Perfect Blue (1997)

A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past. - dir. Satoshi Kon

The Secret Garden (1993)

A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets. - dir. Agnieszka Holland

Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. - dir. Peter Jackson

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle. - dir. Emile Ardolino

Hard Candy (2005)

Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise. - dir. David Slade

The Princess Bride (1987)

A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love. - dir. Rob Reiner

Labyrinth (1986)

Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King. - dir. Jim Henson

The Lost Boys (1987)

After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires. - dir. Joel Schumacher

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life. - dir. Wes Craven

The Lion King (1994)

Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself. - dir. Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. - dir. Joel Schumacher

Wolf Creek (2005)

Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local. - dir. Greg McClean

Synopses yoinked from IMDB, and no yelling from me this time. I'm saving that for later! :D

[anonygowose]

!!! WELCOME !!!

☆ I'm Goose / Goosey, this is my main blog! ☆

♡ 20 - They / Them ♡

☆ I think many people can be something's biggest fan ☆

ᵀʰᵃᵗ ᵇᵉᶦⁿᵍ ˢᵃᶦᵈ, ᴵ ᵃᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᶦᵍᵍᵉˢᵗ ʳᵒᵇᵒᵗ ᶠᵃⁿ

I MAINLY JUST REBLOG THINGS ON THIS ACCOUNT!

This includes:

☆ My own art / creations from my other blogs

♡ Fandoms I am a part of / enjoy

☆ Friend's art

♡ Shitposts

I RARELY CREATE ORIGINAL POSTS ON THIS ACCOUNT!

This includes:

☆ Light vents

♡ Dreams

☆ Conversations

♡ Random thoughts / ideas

☆ Game screenshots / stories

♡ Shitposts

I ATTEMPT TO TAG THESE APPROPRIATELY

However I have learned I am absolutely terrible at doing this consistently.

CURRENTLY SIDEBLOGS

☆ @gowoosery - Art Blog!

♡ @asurrealexperience - Dream Game! (massive eyestrain warning)

☆ @afterlifeafterhours - NOT MY BLOG but I voice one of the characters in this series! I am Erus, the silly pink one, go check it out!

more to come...

PLACES YOU CAN FIND ME

☆ My Website!

♡ Ko-Fi

☆ Art Fight

♡ Flight Rising

☆ UnVale

♡ LinkTree

24/7 HYPERFIXATION:

RAIN WORLD - Literally my ENTIRE personality since 2020. I will NOT shut up about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Rain World has a million fans I am one of them. If Rain World has 10 fans I am one of them. If Rain World has 1 fan I am it. If Rain World has 0 fans it must take place in an alternative universe where it's an actual good game (just KIDDING guys GOSH take a JOKE ((/lh /no ill intent /Rain World is a very good game it just makes me want to rip all of my hair out <3)))

OTHER OBSESSIONS:

PLACID PLASTIC DUCK SIMULATOR - Probably one of my bigger hyperfixations, I am a HUGE fan of the series. To the point the Developers my beloved ADDED ME TO THE "THANK YOU" SECTION OF THEIR GAME!!! I'M LISTED THERE!!!! THANK YOU DUCK DEVS <333 Anyways, I am a MASSIVE supporter and enjoyer, and I play any of their games! I cannot wait for Placid Plastic Duck - A Quiet Quest and also Slowly Sliding Ducks.

ACE ATTORNEY - Becomes a hyperfixation every few months. You will know it happens when my entire theme changes to Godot and I spend every hour I am awake and should be asleep talking about it and / or reblogging posts about it and / or playing the games and / or watching the show AGAIN !!!

BUGSNAX - Probably THE biggest fixation I have ever had, took place the entirety of 2021. Pulled me out of the worst depression I've had in my life, made me start drawing again and I have over a dozen grumpus ocs. It's what made me comfortable enough to create headcanons and fan characters again. Holds a special place in my heart.

INFINITY TRAIN - My all time favorite show !!! I have ocs regarding this series and I rewatch it pretty frequently. It means a lot to me, I hold it in a special place in my heart :)

MOOMIN VALLEY - A series I enjoy a ton, there will be certain days I will focus entirely on this silly series I love it <3

ALL SAINTS STREET - Another series I enjoy a ton! I talk about it every so often but it's something I mostly keep to myself.

CULT OF THE LAMB - One of my current bigger obsessions, I actively desire to have the time to draw my lamb and all the silly followers I have. I reblog a LOT of fanart of this game, beware.

REGRETEVATOR - The biggest obsession I have at the moment, I draw my character Dizzy & canon characters whenever I can and you can find posts of them on my art account! Currently drawing a lot of Regretevator ocs on Art Fight :D

OTHER THINGS I LIKE (NO SPECIFIC ORDER):

Psych, Phighting!, Flight Rising, New Girl, Schitt's Creek, Mii Related Games, Tomodachi Life, Arctic Eggs, 7 Days To Die, Project Zomboid, Fallout Games, Stardew Valley, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, ARK, Buddy Simulator 1984, Crypt Of The Necrodancer, Content Warning, Lethal Company, Darkwood, Costume Quest, Inscryption, Neon White, Night In The Woods, No Man's Sky, No Straight Roads, OMORI, Oneshot, Rhythm Doctor, The Sam & Max Series, The Sims Series, Slime Rancher, The Subnautica Games, Voidigo, Wobbledogs, Pokemon, Everything Everything, The Scary Jokes, Of Montreal, Glass Animals, Arcade Fire, Robots, Minecraft, Terraria, Minecraft Story Mode, Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, Epithet Erased, Stuffed Animals

RANDOM FACTS THAT NOBODY ASKED FOR

☆ I am Polish but based in America

♡ ENFP !

☆ I am currently a Game Design & Development college student :D

♡ My favorite animal is the Red Panda

☆ My favorite colors are brown & pink !

♡ I have two very odd kins- being the Twitter cat emoji and cyriak's 7 Billion rabbit rabbits

I AM A COMPLETELY SFW BLOG !!! I NEVER PLAN ON MAKING IT NSFW.

☆ If you are a NSFW blog attempting to follow / reach out, do not be shocked it I do not respond and potentially block you! This is rare but if your blog makes me uncomfortable I WILL do it. If you are afraid of this happening, use a side account to interact!

☆ If you are anti-LGBTQ (including ANY amounts of homophobia, transphobia, acephobia, against neopronouns & against the use of umbrella terms such as pansexuality, you are OUT)

Licherally be open minded, not a creep, or at the VERY least keep all of it to yourself if you want to interact with this blog or any of my side blogs :)

I do want to note I love making new friends, if you would like to get to know me and share interests and such, please reach out!

And ANY person I have ever once known, whether we ended our relationships on good or bad terms, are ALWAYS accepted in my mind. If you ever want to reach out, I am here :)

[missmcspooks]

SURVIVING ABDUCTION: Colleen Stan

Colleen Stan is famously known as “The Girl in The Box,” after she was abducted and imprisoned by Cameron and Jan Hooker for seven years, between 1977 and 1984. 

On the afternoon of May 19th, 1977, 20 year old Colleen was hitchhiking from her hometown, Eugene, Oregon, to a friend's house located in Northern California to surprise her for her birthday. She was used to hitchhiking and was normally good at screening people before getting into their cars, but this time she was tricked. When a car pulled up, she noticed a couple sitting in the front. A man named Cameron (age 23), and a woman named Jan (age 19), who he said was his wife. She assumed this was a safe choice as there was a fellow woman in the car, and that woman was holding a baby in her arms. So what could possibly go wrong when there’s a baby around? Little did she know, she just signed away the next seven years of her life. 

After getting into the car, the three of them made some idle, but she soon felt like the couple were a little too curious about her life, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. Soon after that there were other small signs that were telling her to flee this couple, but she ignored them all, telling herself that she was just being paranoid. Things such as spilling grape juice on herself when Cameron purposely accelerated the car to make her spill it, the way he creepily stared at her through the rearview mirror, and then her experience when they stopped off for gas at the Paynes Creek gas station. While she was in the bathroom changing into a dry shirt, she began hearing a voice in her head, telling her to jump out the window and never look back. That would’ve been her last chance to escape. 

THE ABDUCTION

When Colleen got back into the car, she noticed something on the seat next to her that wasn’t there before. It was a wooden box in the shape of a cube, which measured about a foot on each side. There were leather hinges visible on the outside, along with leather reinforcement strips on the edges. This box would play a very big role in her life for the next seven years. The couple asked Colleen if she minded them taking a quick little detour to check out some ice caves. She agreed, as long as it was quick, as she really wanted to get to her friend's house before nightfall. After a little bit of driving, the man took a left turn off the highway and went down a dirt forest access road. She didn’t see any signs for ice caves, but she assumed they knew where they were going and didn’t want to question them. About a quarter mile down the road, they stopped the car and turned off the engine. She saw lots of very tall pine trees and heard running water from a creek nearby. There were no homes or people for miles around them. 

The couple got out of the car with the baby and went down to the creek. Colleen decided to stay in the backseat and just wait for them to return. However, when she looked out the window again, the woman and the baby were there, but the man wasn’t anywhere in sight. Suddenly, the seat in front of her was thrown forward and the man hopped into the back seat and put a large, sharp butcher knife against her throat, and ordered her to put her hands above her head, and handcuffed both of her wrists together, and tied a rope around her ankles. He then placed a cloth blindfold over her eyes, and placed a harness over her head that covered her face. One leather strap covered her mouth and wrapped around her head, while another strap went under her jaw. Two more straps went up the sides of her nose and joined together at her forehead. It was then that the strange wooden box found on the seat next to her would be used. The box is able to open up, and has a hole big enough to fit around her neck. He placed the 20 pound box over her head and clamped it shut. Two latches would then secure the box in place, preventing any sort of light, sound, or fresh air from entering. The man laid her down and put her sleeping bag over her in the backseat, and the couple then drove for a while and stopped at a diner, leaving Colleen alone in the car, unable to move, see, or hear anything. She could barely breathe. Once they got back into the car, they drove home, and that’s where the true horror began. 

INTO THE BASEMENT OF HELL

When the car stopped, Cameron took the box off of her head but kept the blindfold on, and told her to get out of the car, and together they walked 16 steps down a concrete walkway until they reached the back porch. She went up the three steps, through a screen door, and entered a screened in back porch which was used as their laundry room which has the backdoor to their home. She was able to see just a little bit through the bottom of the blindfold, and noticed the next room she walked through was the kitchen. After around five steps, the man turned her towards the left and walked down 14 steps to the basement. It took several months before she was ever allowed back up those 14 steps. 

Cameron took her into the middle of the basement and told her to step onto an ice chest. He unlocked her left wrist from the handcuff and took her right wrist and locked it up to a pipe above her head. He took the clothes off of the left side of her body, and then took a leather cuff and placed it on her left wrist, and locked that wrist up to a hook in a wooden beam above her head. He then repeated the same process to the right side of her body. The only clothes left on her body were her socks. She hung from the beam, making her body into the shape of a “Y.” Her hands were three feet and eight inches apart. He kicked the ice chest out from under her feet, causing all her weight to be transferred to her wrists. She felt a terrible pain shooting through her arms, shoulders, and ribs, and her hands went numb. Cameron then went upstairs to get his wife, and when they came back down together they took off their clothes and started to have sex on the table in front of her. Cameron saw her looking up and snapped at her to keep her head down, but she didn’t do it fast enough to his liking. He got up and grabbed something off of the wall, and suddenly she heard the crack of a whip and felt an excruciating pain on her back. He whipped her constantly for 15 minutes, leaving large, red welts all over her back. He then put a smaller box under her feet. She still couldn’t stand flat footed, but it did give her arms some relief. After a short time, the box was suddenly kicked out from underneath her again, causing pain to go shooting through her arms and ribs once again. This time it wasn’t as long as the first time. 

The ice chest was then placed back under her feet, and he released her wrists from the ceiling. He replaced the leather restraints with small chains that were connected to padlocks. He guided her to an area underneath the stairs and told her to sit down. The area he scooted her into was similar to a crate that was open on one side. The space wasn’t tall enough for her to sit up straight, but she was able to at least stretch her legs out. He then chained her arms above her head again, and placed the headbox back over her head and clamped it shut. The neck hole was so tight that she felt like she was being mildly strangled and it was hard for her to breathe. 

Colleen explained that Cameron had also wrapped a cord or a belt around her chest and upper waist, and tightened it so much that it made it even more difficult for her to breathe, and then felt something sharp being inserted between her thighs, and it felt like a prickly hair roller. She said he was trying to get something to work, and later found out that he was trying to electrocute her. 

Later that night, Cameron had released all the shackles and restraints around her body, just leaving her with the gag and blindfold, and demanded she get on top of a table. The table was actually called “the rack.” The rack was a hard wooden table that was three feet high, eight feet long, and three feet wide. The rack was the same table that was used by the couple to have sex while she was suspended. The chains around her wrists were hooked up to the upper corners of the rack, and ropes were used to tie her ankles to the bottom corners of the rack. He then secured the headbox once again, and left her there for the rest of the night. The only comforting thing she had on that table was her sleeping bag underneath her.

This was just the very first night of Colleen’s captivity. I’m sure you could imagine the horror that she sustained for the next seven years of her life.

THE BOX

Colleen experienced a plethora of abuse and torture, ranging anywhere from being strung up and whipped to the point of blacking out, being strapped down to a device that would stretch her body, being burned, electrocuted, beaten, bitten, choked, and even nearly drowned in the bathtub on multiple occasions. Cameron had many types of whips, including a bullwhip, and a cat-o’-nine tails, which consisted of nine strips of leather. One time after he hung her up by her wrists, he then flipped her around and hung her upside down by her ankles in order to get the blood flowing to her wrists again, and then flipped her back over to hang from her wrists again. She was also once hung up by ropes in a horizontal position with the headbox on, and forced to give oral sex as well. On a few occasions Cameron and Jan would have sex on top of the box while she was inside of it as well. 

However, physical torture was not the only thing she had to endure, but also psychological torture as well. She was starved, barely given any water, and was extremely isolated and lonely. For three months her blindfold remained on her face, and she had all her senses taken away from her. She even lost her identity. Cameron told her she would no longer go by the name “Colleen,” and from now on would be referred to as the letter “K.” There were also rules placed, such as never being allowed to say no to anything, or she would get beaten. She was not allowed to speak unless spoken to, or she would get beaten. She wasn’t allowed to ask any questions unless given permission to, and she wasn’t allowed to make any form of noise, even if she desperately needed to use the bathroom, or she would get beaten. One time when she was being choked, she accidentally soiled herself, which made Cameron fly into rage and rubbed her nose into her waist like she was some kind of animal. 

On May 29th, 1977, Colleen wasn’t strapped to the rack for the evening as she used to be, but was now forced to spend her nights inside of a wooden box, similar to a coffin. A chain was placed around her neck and secured with a padlock, and the small chains around her wrists were then locked with the chain around her neck. The box was six and a half feet long, two and a half feet wide, and twenty inches high. The box was made of particle board which was uncomfortable for her to lay on as it made her skin itchy and gave her tiny splinters. But most nights she’d have her sleeping bag in there, unless she was being punished for something. The box had double walled construction and a double top, which made escaping impossible, and was also soundproof. The only good thing about the box, was that she no longer had to use the headbox, unless it was for specific torture settings. There was one occasion where Cameron put the headbox on her while she was in the box, and she explained it as “you can say I was trapped inside a box, inside a box, inside a box.” One last benefit of being inside the box was that she was now able to use her bedpan whenever she needed to, unlike before where she had to wait until she was allowed to use the bathroom. However, the smell was not pleasant. 

The ventilation for the box included a hair dryer with the heating element turned off. The dryer was placed outside the box with a plastic hose connected to a whole through the walls of the box. There was another hole on the other side of the box to let air exit. 

After three months, Cameron started doing small acts of kindness every so often. He’d let her come upstairs and bathe, brush her teeth, and sometimes give her special meals like pancakes etc, and would let her eat twice a day instead of one. However, that kindness always went away once the evening came.

The Workshop and Maid Service

In November of 1977, Cameron started working on a new project: The Workshop. This workshop changed the schedule of Colleen's daily life in prison. During the day she would spend her time inside of the box, and at night she would be chained up inside the workshop in the basement where she’d be put to work. Sometimes she’d be forced to make things for Cameron to sell for extra money, and sometimes she’d be forced to do silly things, like deshelling hundreds of nuts. If she didn’t get enough work done, she’d get punished. 

She was then allowed to come upstairs for a short period of time every day to be the housemaid and the cook. She would clean the house, cook the meals, and take care of the children. The two children always knew Colleen as the live-in nanny. 

In February of 1978, Cameron introduced a new exercise called the “attention drill.” Whenever he or Jan shouted the words “attention,” she was to strictly take her nightgown off and run to the arched doorway between the living room and the dining room. She was to then stand on her tippy toes and stretch out her arms until they touched the top of the arched doorway. Her eyes were to remain closed and she was expected to hold that position until they said the words, “at ease.” The drill represented being hung up in the basement and was to show her that he still had control over her. Whenever he or his wife were unhappy with something, they would yell attention and then tell her what she did wrong. It ranged from anything from taking too long for dinner to cook, or not setting the table properly, etc. She would then get punished by the whip and told to do better next time. 

On April 28th, 1978, the Hooker family moved to a new mobile home. They snuck Colleen outside where she wouldn’t be seen by anyone, and she was forced to lay on Jan’s lap in the car. Once they entered the new home, there was no basement for Colleen to live in. Instead, her new home would be inside of a different box, underneath the couple’s bed. At the foot of the bed, two panels were removed, revealing the open end of the box. The end of the box was closed and bolted in with wing nuts, and then a second panel, part of the base of the waterbed, was bolted in place, creating a double wall. A heavy set of steps were then placed at the foot of the bed, blocking the hidden panels. This new box was a little smaller than the one she was in prior. 

Colleen now didn’t have a workshop, but she was still allowed to do the chores and the cooking. She would spend 23 hours a day in that box, and only allowed out for an hour to empty her bedpan, eat, and to cook. If there wasn’t any cleaning that needed to done, or any torture to be inflicted, she’d go right back inside the box. She was also forced to help with landscaping outside of the home, and neighbors, friends, or family members, were told that she’s a live-in babysitter and housekeeper. 

Brainwashing and “The Company”

On January 25th, 1978, Cameron and Jan told Colleen to start practicing signing her name. She did this over and over until he finally told her why. He told her that “they” know that she’s here and that she needs to sign a contract. “They” being people who were involved in a special agency called “The Company.” This was a company that supported and controlled the use of slaves. Clearly this isn’t real, but Colleen didn’t know that. She was told that there was a man upstairs from The Company, and that all the neighbors around there were also from The Company. He told her if she ever tried to escape, even the police officers were from The Company, and very bad things would happen to her and her family if she ever tried to run away. He would tell her awful stories about how slaves who tried to run away were brutally tortured and given very slow and painful deaths. He told Colleen to read an article that was dated January 1st, 1978, and was from a news article. 

“They sell themselves, body and soul, when they sign the SLAVE CONTRACT. Just out of sight of the general public, young and beautiful women are being abducted and sold into slavery in San Francisco to wealthy and powerful men. Once sold, the women become slaves for life and the property of their masters. The process is sealed with an indenture, or slave contract, which makes the transaction completely legal. The Company, a vast underground syndicate, administers the contract and controls the market. Any woman who resisted slavery will be sent to a Rent-A-Dungeon in San Francisco for remedial training. A new slave is given a slave name, different from her street name, and a collar permanently fixed around her neck to identify her as a slave for life.”  

This is when Colleen stopped being Colleen, and started being “K.” This is also when Cameron stopped being Cameron, and started being “Master,” and his wife Jan as “Mistress.” After she had read the article, he gave her what looked like an official document to read and then sign. The document read as follows:

“THIS INDENTURE, made the 25th day of January in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy-Eight, BETWEEN Colleen Stan, hereafter known as Slave; AND Michael Powers, hereafter known as Master; WITNESSETH: 

That Slave, for and in consideration and in humble appreciation of such care and attention as Master may choose to afford her, has given, granted, aliened, enfeoffed, and conveyed, and by the Presents does give, grant, enfeoff, and convey unto Master: 

ALL of slaves body and each and every part thereof without reservation, every bit of her will as to all matters and things, and the entirety of her Soul. 

TOGETHER with, all and singular, every privilege, advantage, and appurtenance to the same belonging or in anywise appertaining; 

ALSO, all the estate, right, title, interest, property, claims, ego, and id of Slave in, og and to the same and in, of and to every part and parcel thereof:

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, all and singular, the above described body, will, Soul, and premises, with all appurtenances thereof, unto Master and any of His assigns forever. 

AND the said Slave does covenant, promise, and agree:

She shall immediately, diligently, and enthusiastically comply with and submit her full being to any and all directions or desires of Master or His assigns which He or They may express by word, signal, action, or any other means. 

She shall at all times afford Master absolute respect, shall address Him only as “Sir” or “Master,” shall station herself in a physical position subordinate to His whenever possible, and shall speak to or otherwise distract Him only when granted His permission.

She shall constantly maintain her female body parts in such circumstances as will demonstrate and ensure that they are fully open to Him. In particular, she shall never cross her legs in His presence, shall wear no undergarments at any time, and shall cover no part of her body with apparel or material of any description except when the act of doing so and design of the item are expressly approved by Him.

She shall preserve her female body parts for the exclusive use of Him and His assigns, which use shall be the sole source of His pleasures, and she shall engage in no self-gratification or any physical contact with any other. 

AND Slave does hereby irrevocably declare and acknowledge her everlasting unconditional dedication to serving Master and his full satisfaction; AND she ashamedly confesses that prior indulgence of her intemperate conduct by others may have permitted her to become conflicted with inferior habits that may prove unsatisfactory to Master, from which imperfections she implores Maser to free her by retraining with corporal punishment or any other means which He, in His unquestionable wisdom, deems effective toward directing her to her sole ambition and life-destiny of perfectly fulfilling His every desire of her. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Slave has hereunto set her hand, and Master has designed to Seal these Presents by permanently affixing His Collar about her neck, on the date first above written. Signed by Slave, whose Collar was sealed and who was delivered unto Master on the date above-mentioned in the presence of: 

Forever Slave Colleen Stan, Master Michael Powers, Witness Janet Powers.”

Colleen knew his real name was not Michael, as she saw the name Cameron engraved on his belt. When questioned about this, he told her that Michael was his Slave Owner name. I’m assuming that when he wrote this up, he didn’t think Colleen knew his real name. In tears, Colleen was forced to sign the contract, and in her world, was forever forced to be a slave. 

Cameron also told her that his wife Jan also used to be a slave like her, and that she escaped from her previous owner and was flagged down by a policeman who was a member of The Company. She was then taken to the Rent-A-Dungeon where she was nailed up for three days, and made her into an example for other slaves, to refrain them from trying to escape or disobey their Masters. He explained that he saw her at the Rent-A-Dungeon wearing a cross, which meant that she only had a few more days to live. If a woman was wearing a crucifix, it meant that she was scheduled to die a very painful death, and men were allowed to spend ten thousand dollars to torture women to death there. So he felt bad for her and bought her and made her into his wife. This was one of the many horrible stories he told her over weeks and months about women trying to escape, most of those stories being disgustingly horrible. This was the very beginning of Colleen's brainwashing. 

Jan Hooker and The First Rape

Jan Hooker was the ultimate reason why Colleen was even abducted. Cameron was a lot older than her when they first got together, and he was very sexually experienced. He had basically groomed Jan from day one, making her think that all these hardcore BDSM and torture he liked inflicting was the absolute norm for someones sex life. But she couldn’t take it anymore. The two of them came up with an agreement… He could have a slave who takes all the beatings, pain, and torture away from her, as long as he doesn’t have sex with the slave, and gives her children. Within the first week that Colleen was there, Jan had told her that she was there just to take the pain away from her, but not to worry as there won’t be any sex involved. Little did she know, that wouldn’t be the case for too long. Cameron was already receiving oral sex behind her back, and about a year into the slave contract, he had ordered Jan to be okay with him having sex with her, and that he was going to make her into his second wife someday. The very first time he initiated sex with Colleen, it was in their bed with Jan present, as he wanted a threesome. She ran out of the room and went into the bathroom where she cried and threw up. From that day forward all Jan had towards Colleen was anger, jealousy, and hatred, as if Colleen wanted to endure all of this. Furthermore, Jan didn’t escape punishment either. Sometimes, though rarely, she would also get whipped and hurt for sexual gratification. Over the next couple years, the two of them would become close, and he came up with a new plan: He wanted to alternate nights together. Two nights he would sleep with Colleen. Two nights he would sleep with Jan. Three nights he would sleep alone. All of this to help Jan with her jealousy issues, but it actually made things even worse for her. Jan could tell that he was forming feelings for Colleen, and that he wanted to get her pregnant. Jan couldn’t stand the affection between them, and found Colleen to be a threat to their marriage. She felt like Colleen truly did have feelings for him, but in reality, all the little things she did, the letters she’d write for him… It was all to get on his good side. The more affection she gave to him, the less torture and pain he’d inflict on her. To Colleen, it wasn’t affection. It was a survival method. Jan even found out that Cameron had a plan to make Colleen his second wife and then help him abduct other women and have her teach them how to be good little slaves, but that never ended up happening. Jan struggled immensely with regret during these seven years as well, as she was very religious. She didn’t truly want any of this to be happening, but in her own way, she was a victim at the hands of Cameron Hooker himself. One day she gave Colleen a bible, and she and her would spend time together reading from the bible. In a way, these sessions got them a little closer, although she still had her negative feelings and jealousy towards her as well. 

CONTROLLED FREEDOM

Cameron had her so brainwashed, that she quite literally believed everyone around her was part of The Company, and that if she went to the neighbors for help, she and her family would die painful deaths. Cameron told her that whenever the neighbors are around, or any family or friends come over, to not act like a slave. Don’t refer to him as sir, don’t bow to him and ask him permission to do things, and wear proper clothing. This is how she was able to be outside in the yard without the Hookers needing to worry about her getting away. The little old lady from next door always talked to her, as she thought Colleen was just a poor young girl working for the Hookers as their live-in nanny. Colleen was so brainwashed that even when she was in the home completely alone, and was able to break free from her box, she still didn’t try to run free… She was genuinely terrified of The Company. There was another instance where Cameron wanted to test her loyalty, and he took her out into fields where they were building something together, and a man came by to talk to them, and she didn’t say a word. He even left her there to sleep outside overnight, telling her that he will be back in the morning, but if she tries to run away, she will die. She was so brainwashed, that she did exactly what he said. She stayed there overnight, and didn’t move at all. That was when he knew that she was completely under his control. She went from having to be inside the box every night, to being chained up by her neck in the bathroom, to finally being allowed to sleep in the living room on the floor with her sleeping bag. 

HE LET HER VISIT HOME

In March of 1981, after three years of captivity, Cameron allowed Colleen to visit with her family and drove her to Oregon to visit her family. Due to all of the threats about The Company over the years, she was so terrified that she promised she would not tell them anything about where she’s been or what she’s been through, and she will not go to the police, out of fear of her family being murdered. She ended up introducing Cameron as her fiance, and her parents even took a picture of the “happy and loving couple.” Cameron let her stay there overnight and went to pick her up again in the morning. Her family knew something was wrong, and her sister begged for her to tell her the truth, but Colleen kept to her promise. Little did they know that would be the last time they’d see Colleen for another four years. Her family believed that she had joined a cult. After they returned home, Cameron feared that he had given Colleen way too much freedom, and forced her back inside the box and took away all that freedom she had earned. For the next three years, she remained in that box for 23 hours a day.

SHE WAS ALLOWED TO GET A JOB

In 1983, things started to get better for Colleen. Cameron started to feel safer and Jan no longer felt like she was a threat to their marriage. He wanted to include Colleen in their daily life again, and treat her like a trusted family slave like she once was. She was allowed out of the box, and Cameron had also stopped raping her completely. She started eating two meals a day again, and got back to a healthy weight, and neighbors were told that she had returned to work for their family again. She was given new clothes and a story to tell anyone who asked her where she’s been. On her 27th birthday, she was given a birthday cake, which was the very first time her birthday was ever acknowledged since her abduction. In January of 1984, Colleen asked him to let her do something with her life. She wanted to go out into the world and get a real job. After a month of thinking about it, he agreed to let her get a job, as long as she gave him half of her money so he could purchase another trailer. This trailer would be strictly for Colleen, so she can have her own home right next to theirs. This way she was still their slave, but she had her own privacy at night. 

On May 21st, 1984, Jan took Colleen out and drove around town looking for a place for her to work. She ended up getting a job at a motel called Kings Lodge, where she worked as a housekeeper. She was even able to use her real name. Jan would drive her to work and pick her up, and some days she was even allowed to ride Jan’s bike to and from work. When it was really hot, Jan would sometimes take the children, Charity and Amber, to the motel to swim in their pool. Every two weeks she would be paid $200, but was only allowed to keep $20, and the rest was given to Cameron. 

After a year of this routine, Cameron started going back to his old ways, while Jan had completely changed to a better person. Cameron started demanding sex again, and more talk came about making her his second wife. The children even started to call Jan “mom,” and this is what broke the camel's back for Jan. 

THE ESCAPE

In the summer of 1984, Jan had been feeling a tremendous amount of guilt, and she tried to cope by going to church. She went to numerous confessions and a Pastor had convinced her it was time to do the right thing, whatever that right thing would be. She went to Colleen's job and told her that she had to tell her something, and they went into a private room. She told her that since their very first date, Cameron had tortured and brainwashed her, and even referred to her as a “whore” many times. She coped with this by being in denial and compartmentalization. She also confessed to her that Cameron was not part of The Company, and there was no such thing as an organization called The Company. It was all just an act to trick her into obeying him and to make sure she’d never try to run. Colleen broke down in tears, feeling so ashamed for believing in such lies as crazy as those. Jan then took Colleen to a bus station and gave her money to go back home, but before she departed she called Cameron using a payphone, and told him that she was leaving and she knew about all his lies. His reaction was to break down and cry, begging her not to leave. Before letting Colleen go, she begged her to not tell anyone about what happened. She believed that Cameron can be reformed and be turned into a good person. Colleen agreed to these terms and went home, but never told anyone what happened. Jan went home and they burned many of his things, but what she didn’t know is that he still had a lot of evidence regarding Colleen, including photographs of her being strung up. Colleen kept in contact with Jan via phone calls, mainly to keep tabs on each other, and only twice did she actually talk with Cameron. One of those times being him contacting her to ask her how to make some kind of sandwich. After three months of silence, Jan broke down and reported her husband to the police after realizing that he was never going to change. 

TRIAL AND SENTENCING

Considering the fact that Jan was the one who turned in her husband, she was granted immunity for her full testimony. They wanted to hear every little thing she had to say about her husband in return for her freedom, and she agreed. The trial started on Tuesday, September 24th, 1985. 16 felony counts were charged against Cameron including one count of kidnapping with the use of a knife, seven counts of rape, one count of forced oral copulation, one count of penetration with a foreign object (a whip handle), one count of forced sodomy, three counts of false imprisonment, and two counts of abducting to live in an illicit relationship. At the time of the trial, keeping a person in a box, hanging from the ceiling, partial drowning, stretching and electrocuting were not against the law in California. The law was later changed to include ALL forms of torture. 

Cameron Hooker's defense mainly consisted of the assumption that Colleen was a willing participant and was allowed to leave at any time after early 1987. The prosecution argued that there was no way to prove whether Colleen was or wasn’t a willing participant, and it was completely up to the jury to decide who to believe. If she had stayed willingly, it was obviously done out of fear and severe brainwashing, along with stockholm syndrome. There was 140 pieces of evidence regarding Colleens captivity and torture, many of these being photographs of her being strung up. On display in the courtroom were leather straps, whips, chains, headboxes, the box in which she spent most of her time, the frame, the stretcher, bondage, photographs, and several pornographic publications. Additionally, 

JANS FULL TESTIMONY!

(note: I got this whole transcript from the book called “Colleen Stan: The Simple Gifts of Life”) 

“I’m Janice Annette Hooker, age 27, born in February, 1958, in Los Gatos, California. I attended Red Bluff High School, and like any young teenager, I had doubts and insecurities about myself. In 1973, at the age of 15, I met Cameron Hooker through a mutual friend. He was nice, tall, good looking, and most importantly, showed an interest in me. Cameron was four years older, had a job, and his own car. We started dating and grew closer together with time. Eventually, I fell in love with him. 

I knew early in our relationship that Cameron had some bizarre sexual interest. He was fascinated with slave women, horror movies, and Halloween. Six months into our relationship, he asked me if he could hang me by the wrists from a tree. He told me other girls had allowed it. I was hesitant and scared, but didn’t want to lose him. Finally, I said okay. It was painful, but afterwards Cameron hugged me and treated me with tender loving care. I tried to blot out the pain from my mind and only focus on the nice aspects of Cameron. He was the only guy who treated me special. 

I was both fascinated and repulsed by Cameron. He was a nice guy, but came with disturbingly strange interests. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, because he never forced me to do anything against my will. To gauge his love, I said the two words that will test any man's attachment to a woman, “I'm pregnant.” To my delight, Cameron asked me to marry him. 

Before the wedding, I was concerned about his bonding interest, but believed I could handle it. We were married in Reno, Nevada, in 1975. I was 16 and Cameron was 21. Of course, the baby never came. I later confessed, in 1979, that I had lied to him. 

“I knew,” were Cameron’s only words in response to my confession. 

We moved to a small house in Red Bluff for a short time, but eventually moved to the rental house at 1140 Oak Street. The bizarre activities grew more and more frequent and painful. Cameron began to collect large amounts of pornography and bondage equipment. In 1975, he made the first of two head boxes. He called me down to the basement when the small head box was finished to check the fit on a woman’s neck. I placed my head into the box which was quickly closed and locked. The experience was terrifying. A second head box was too large and heavy for a woman to support on her head, it had to be suspended from the ceiling. I never wore the smaller head box again or tested the larger head box.

Of special interest to Hooker was the book, or in his case the movie, “Story of O.” The story dealt with a young, beautiful woman who was so in love with a man, she would do anything for him, including becoming his slave. Cameron drew inspiration from the movie and later used many of its techniques on Colleen. Her slave name was K, having her wrists chained to her neck, the slave collars not being allowed to wear underwear, calling him Master, and kneeling naked to ask permission, all came from the “Story of O.” Of course, O was a willing participant, whereas K was not. 

Cameron was also interested in a June, 1976, article in “Oui” magazine titled “Brainwashing: How to Fold, Spindle and Mutilate the Human Mind in Five Easy Steps” by Dr. Timothy Leary. (Do not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate,” was a common warning printed on computer punch cards. To do so would have resulted in problems with the computer card reader. Such cards are obsolete today, having been replaced by soft copy and magnetic storage media.) Since Cameron had dyslexia, he was not a good reader, and I had to read the article to him. The steps included:

Seize the victim and spirit her away.

Isolate the victim and make her totally dependent on you for survival.

Dominate the victim and encourage her to seek your recognition and approval.

Instruct the victim and re-educate her to think and act in terms of your ideology.

Seduce the victim and provide her with a new sexual value system.

Cameron used these five steps to control and brainwash Colleen. (Dr. Leary intended for his article to educate people, not serve as a roadmap to evil. The article was written during the Patty Hearst Controversy.) 

In time, I began to fear what Cameron would do to me next. He hung me by the wrists, which was most painful, and whipped me regularly. My greatest fear was a rubber gas mask with the air holes taped shut. I couldn’t take the pain anymore, so I accepted a proposition Cameron made to me in 1975. 

“You can have a baby, if I can have a slave girl.”

The slave would take the pain, humiliation, and torture. Camerons love, kindness, and tenderness were to be reserved to me. There also was to be no sex with the slave. 

I finally got my baby, Charity, later the next year, but Cameron still didn’t have his slave. Then late one afternoon, we spotted a young woman hitchhiking on the overpass above interstate 5. We offered her a ride which she accepted. As we drove into the mountains, Cameron and I communicated between ourselves as only a husband and wife can. At Paynes Creek, Cameron moved the head box from the trunk to the backseat of the car. When the young woman returned to the car from the restroom, she had no idea her last chance to escape had passed. 

After pulling off the main road, I and the baby went down to a mountain stream while Cameron kidnapped the woman. Within five minutes, we were back on the road returning to Red Bluff. We stopped for some hamburgers at the Jolly Cone, drove to the nearby Diversion Dam, and waited for it to get dark. Returning to our Oak Street house, Cameron took the woman down to the basement while I put the baby to bed. I stayed upstairs with the baby while Cameron hung the woman up in the basement. I was terrified. 

After 45 minutes, Cameron called me down to the basement where I saw the woman hanging naked from hooks in the ceiling. She was thrashing around, moaning, and was in great pain. Her eyes were blindfolded or taped and she had a ball gag in her mouth. Cameron placed a pillowcase over her head and we had intercourse in the basement. After which, I went back upstairs and Cameron remained with the woman. I later learned her name was Colleen Stan. 

The next day, after Cameron had gone to work, I heard Colleen rattling her chains and making a lot of noise. With a shotgun, I went downstairs to check on her. She was naked on her back wearing the small head box. I opened the head box and found her blindfolded and gagged. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m cold,” Colleen answered, from behind the gag. 

I placed a blanket over her, closed and locked the head box, and went back upstairs. Cameron came home after work, fed her, and allowed her to use the bedpan. Colleen ate and used the bedpan once a day. 

From the very first night, I took no joy in having a woman in the basement of our home. I was riddled with guilt and sick with fear. I stayed upstairs and focussed my attention on the baby while Cameron focussed on his slave. Between August and September, 1977, I worked at Exatron, an electronics company in Sunnyvale near San Francisco. During the week, I stayed with my sister who took care of my child while I was at work. On the weekends, I would go home to Red Bluff. Colleen didn’t realize I was gone because her isolation in the basement was so profound.

“It’s not fair for her to be here,” I once told Cameron. “Let her go.”

“No,” he replied.

After a week or two, Cameron built a box to keep her in during the day. Her hands were chained to her neck, she was naked, and she wore the head box while confined in the box. The box itself was closed and locked. After two weeks her hands were unchained and her bedpan was placed in the box with her. I was too scared to open the box while Cameron was at work. Colleen stayed in the box for five months. (Note: Jan was wrong about the bedpan being inside the box with her during that time). 

After about three months, Colleen was taken upstairs for her first bath. Her eyes, mouth, and head were covered with cloth and duct tape. She was placed in the water, facedown, with her hands and legs tied behind her back. A rope, taped to her hair, was used to pull her out of the water. I couldn’t comb the tangles out of her hair, so I used scissors to cut off large portions of her hair. Photographs taken of Colleen were later burned in 1984. 

The workshop was built by Cameron under the stairway in 1977. The workshop had a wooden latch and lightswitch on the outside. A chair and bedpan were in the workshop at night and the box during the day. Colleen worked seven or eight hours at night while we slept upstairs. She shelled nuts or worked on projects such as macrame or crochets which I taught her to do. The shelled nuts and projects were sold at flea markets. 

In January, 1978, I found a slave contract in one of Cameron’s underground newspapers. I later helped Cameron by typing the slave contract, on a rented typewriter, while he added the title in old English lettering. Colleen appeared really shook up after reading the contract. She didn’t want to sign it, but Cameron told her she would be sorry if she didn’t. Once Colleen signed the contract, she became slave K.

Colleen asked about the bandages on my knees. Cameron told her an elaborate story about how I was once a slave of The Company. My damaged knees were a result of the torture. The Company would torture or sale Colleen if she tried to escape, and her family would be killed if she went to them for help. 

Truthfully, I had arthritis in my knees and underwent surgery in January, 1978, October, 1980, and April, 1982. I was also in the hospital in September, 1976, for the birth of our first daughter, and March, 1977, for tonsils. In fact, the bedpan Colleen used was from one of my hospital stays.

After Colleen became slave K, she was allowed upstairs. In the next three months, she ate with the family six times, and cleaned up the kitchen about 25 times. She wore a blue nightgown during the winter and nothing during the summer. Anytime she wanted anything, she had to go down on her knees, bow her head, and address Cameron as Master and me as Ma’am.

In February, 1978, I wanted to test Cameron’s love for me and see if he would keep our agreement that there was to be no sex with the slave.

“You can have sex with K,” I told Cameron. He smiled and immediately went to the basement to retrieve Colleen from the box. She was naked, handcuffed, and her eyes were taped. He laid her spread-eagled on the bed with her wrists and ankles tied to the corners. After I saw him penetrate her, I ran from the bedroom to the bathroom and vomited. Cameron, who had failed the test, tried to comfort me. I was pregnant with our second child at the time. 

We moved into the mobile home for more privacy in April, 1978. Colleen was kept under the waterbed in a box with all the doors, including the bathroom door, locked because Cameron had a lot of things he didn’t want anyone to see. Throughout most of 1978, Colleen was only allowed out of the box for short periods of time during the night to eat and empty her bedpan. Both Cameron and I would let her out of the box. Amber, our second daughter, was born on the waterbed above Colleen on September 4th, 1978. 

Cameron developed his own film producing 35-millimeter slides. He also had a large collection of magazines and paperback books. Some of the titles included: “Alphabet of Pain, Roped, The Tutor,  Punishment, and Love French Style.” Since Cameron was a poor reader, I read many of the articles and books to him. I also used a whip on Colleen's back as Cameron watched. 

To bring extra cash for the family, I worked at the Foster Freeze between April 1979, and January, 1980, as the head cook. My hours were from 5:00PM to 8:00PM in the winter and 5:00PM to 12:30AM in the summer. Cameron came home from work at 4:20 and would take Colleen out of the box to cook dinner and clean up. On January 11, 1980, she was given a Bible with a white cover as a late Christmas gift. 

Starting in June until July, 1980, I worked at a fast food chain called Pac-Out from 10:00AM to 4:00PM most of the week. It was during this time, Colleen started to care for the children. She was allowed to sleep in the back bathroom with her neck chained to the toilet. 

I worked at JLA an electronics plant, as an assembler from August, 1980, until February 1981. My hours were from 7:00AM to 3:30PM. Colleen continued to take care of the girls while Cameron and I were at work. I brought some of the JLA work home at night, but since my boss didn’t want to pay overtime, Colleen was signed up as an employee. She used her real name and her paychecks were deposited into our bank account. 

Twice, Colleen and I went to the New Orleans Bar where we drank and met men. We were invited to the apartment of two men to listen to music. I followed one of the men into a spare bedroom where we kissed. Colleen also accompanied the family on a water skiing trip to Burney Falls. She ate Christmas dinner with both his and my parents. 

In early 1981, Cameron told me he was going to put Colleen back in the box. He didn’t want anyone else babysitting our children. Colleen and I didn’t get along well together, which was another reason for putting her back in the box. From 1981 through 1982, Colleen was let out of the box one hour each night. In 1983, she was out from one hour to most of the night. By 1984, she was out of the box all night on a regular basis. 

My emotions towards Colleen ranged from anger, to feeling sorry for her, to jealousy. I didn’t like her raising my children or being around my husband. In 1982, Cameron admitted to having sex with Colleen. He even let me read a diary written by Colleen which outlined her love for, and sexual activities with, my husband. 

Colleen had not brought the relief from torture as I expected. Cameron continued to perform painful sadistic acts on me on a regular basis. I was hung up by my wrists, even in the late stages of pregnancy, experienced baths with my arms and legs tied behind my back, placed on the stretcher, and wore the rubber gas mask. I was also placed in the hole and told to expect more slaves. I was choked to the point of unconsciousness, and told not to eat or drink anything for three days. I was only spared time in the boxes and electrical torture. Colleen sometimes heard, but never saw the things Cameron did to me. I too was a victim just like Colleen. The only difference was Colleen feared The Company, where I feared Cameron. 

It’s hard to comprehend, but I still loved Cameron. He was a good provider and the father of our daughters. We had been married for nine years and had many good memories in common. I knew I couldn’t make it alone in the world with my limited job skills. If what Cameron did became public, I might go to prison and lose my daughters. My only hope was that Cameron would change his ways, release his slave, and abandon his sadistic habits. 

Cameron had me read the entire New Testament to him, paying special attention to the duties of  a wife and slave, which Cameron viewed as basically the same. Both were to be totally submissive to the husband or master. I believed that if the wife and slave were not submissive, as the Bible said, they would go straight to hell. 

In late 1983, I began to discuss the Bible with Colleen. By the next year, I would take Colleen out of the box and we would study the Bible together for hours. Colleen was the only person, other than Cameron, who knew my feelings of guilt and pain. Who else could I talk to? Following Cameron’s instruction, we both wore ski caps on our heads as a sign of respect towards God when reading the Bible. 

Colleen slowly came out of the box and back into the world. She was reintroduced to our children and even allowed to seek employment. She worked under her real name, Colleen Stan, and was permitted to keep $20 from each paycheck she earned at the Kings Lodge Motel. Sometimes she rode my bicycle to work and back. Life for Colleen was getting better. The same couldn’t be said for me. By July 1984, Cameron had changed his relationship with Colleen. She was no longer a punishment and humiliation slave, but a co-wife. 

“I’m going to sleep with K whether you like it or not,” Cameron told me. He also told me, “You’re possessed by the devil and this [sadism] is a way to get it out.”

I was to accept Colleen as his “slave wife” like Hagar in the Bible. Cameron talked about getting Colleen a small house trailer that would be parked behind our mobile home. He also talked about Colleen bearing him a son. Someday, all three of us with our children would move to a cabin in the Lake Tahoe region. Finally came “alternate sex nights” where Cameron discussed sleeping with Colleen for two nights, then with me for two nights, and then resting for three nights. I was very confused and distressed. If I disobeyed, Cameron would make me feel bad. 

Previously, I had used denial and compartmentalization to keep my mind from going crazy. I denied what was going on in my own house and never told anyone what Cameron was doing, not even my own parents. Now, things had become too much for me to handle. I asked Cameron to choke me to death. I couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to die. Cameron did choke me to the point of unconsciousness, but I didn’t die. My life was falling apart. 

By this time, Colleen had asked Cameron for permission to go to church. Since the Bible had served him well, Cameron granted her request. The children and I joined Colleen in church where we met Pastor Dabney. When we confided in Pastor Dabney, he told us to get away and send Colleen home. I was still unsure and hesitant. 

On August 9, 1984, I took Colleen to work and met with Pastor Dabney. Later in the morning I went to Kings Lodge and told Colleen, “Cameron was not a member of The Company.” She cried, got angry, and quit her motel job. We then returned to Pastor Dabney for advice. The next day we moved in with my parents and Colleen called her dad to let him know she was coming home. 

On August 17th, I returned to Cameron because everyone insisted it was the right thing to do. I was told to forgive Cameron. We went to church, and I asked Cameron to seek counseling. We destroyed much of his bondage equipment, and burned most of his magazines.

On September 28th, I moved back in with my parents, suffering from panic or anxiety attacks. On November 1st, I returned to the mobile home to see uf Cameron had gotten rid of his bondage items. I found slides of myself in bondage and a sculpture Cameron had done of a naked woman. I talked with Pastor Dabney again, but still didn’t want to turn Cameron to the police. My life was a mess, and I didn't know which way to turn.

On November 7th, I met with Connie Fleming, a medical assistant to Dr. Tilman, a physician I was seeing in Redding. I confided with Connie and told her everything. Connie told me I should turn Cameron to the police because he might harm my girls. I then went back to Pastor Dabney and told him I was afraid Cameron would hurt the girls. Pastor Dabney, with my permission, called the police.

My world, which I had been trying to save, was now destroyed. The father of our children had been arrested, and my nine year marriage was over. Red Bluff would soon know what had happened in the trailer on Weed Court. I too faced possible charges. More panic attacks were followed by guilt and depression. I went under the care of a doctor and was heavily medicated. 

I too was a victim of Cameron Hooker. Even after he had his slave, the physical torture never stopped for me. I feared for my life and wasn’t able to escape from Cameron, anymore than Colleen was able to free herself. We are both survivors from a horrible situation. 

COLLEEN’S TESTIMONY AND OTHERS:

During Colleen’s testimony, she really struggled a lot. In her book, she states that trials on TV are not the same as trials in real life. Lawyers will try and twist and turn your words, use your words against you, and you’re normally not able to answer questions with detail, and just by saying yes or no, unless specifically asked to explain. Colleen dealt with this a lot when questioned by Cameron’s lawyer, and was only able to explain when her lawyer questioned her. She told the court that she had been hung up by her wrists and whipped between 90 and 100 times during the first six months of her imprisonment. When she was asked to rank the order of her pain, from most to least painful, she told them: burning, shocking, hanging, stretching. She explained her whole story from the moment his knife was at her throat, to the moment she got her bus ride home. She also told the court that she really tried to be a good slave.

Further witnesses came to the stand in Colleen’s favor: Dorothy Coppa, their next door neighbor. Dorothy’s husband, Al Coppa. Another neighbor, Cathy Devers. Next, Pastor Frank Dabney. Another neighbor, Roger Michael George. Doris Miron, the manager of the Motel Colleen worked for. Jan and Cameron’s children that Colleen raised, Charity Hooker, 9, and Amber Hooker, 7. 

The most impactful witness statements were the following:

Colleen’s sister, Bonnie Sue: She told the court about the phone calls, letters, and late night talks they had when she visited home in 1981. Bonnie explained that Colleen was, before her disappearance, a young, beautiful woman full of life, who had very healthy skin, and who’s hair was thick, healthy, and flowing. But the way she looked now, she looked weak, her hair was very thin, and she needed a lot of dental work. You could tell this woman was held in captivity for so many years.

Al Shamblin of the Red Bluff Police: Shamblin showed the court the video he had collected when he first entered the mobile home to search for evidence. Bruce Palmer and James Weidgan assisted with gathering the evidence. Evidence was also taken from the original home on Oak Street. Even though Cameron and Jan had burned a lot of the evidence that was connected to Colleen, they still were able to find things such as: the box under the waterbed, photos of Jan in bondage, hundreds of magazines, the hole under the shed (I didn’t discuss this earlier in my article, but Cameron forced Colleen to dig a hole under the shed, and kept her down there for a week before it was flooded by the rain. This is where he had intended to keep future slaves in which she would train), the workshop on Oak Street, the stretcher, the frame, the X, the blue nightgown she wore in the winter when she was providing her maid service, the Bible she was given as a Christmas gift that she used to study with Jan, along with many hooks, straps, handcuffs, whips, and gags. The two head boxes were also shown. During the search they were also able to find a roll of undeveloped film which was sent to the FBI for processing. The film showed Colleen naked, blindfolded, and being hung up by the wrists. Pictures also showed Jan while pregnant also being hung up by her wrists. Both pictures were enlarged and put on display in the courtroom for the jury to see. Additionally, the slave contract was also found, which was signed by the three of them. 

Dr. Michael Vovakas: Vovakas discussed Colleen’s medical examination in December of 1984. He found small scars around her ankles, wrists, and breasts. There were also raised scars on the insides of her thighs from electrocution burns, and her right labia was pierced. 

Dr. Hatcher: Doctor Hatcher played a very important role for Colleen. The jury knew what happened to her, but his job was to explain HOW it happened to her. He began his statement by telling the court that he was a Professor of Psychology at the University of California in San Francisco, and covered all of his qualifications. He explained in great detail that Cameron Hooker had followed a 15 step procedure to control a human being. These steps would work on anyone, but would require more time on an older person who had military or police training. The steps were as followed:

Violent abduction, followed by removal of clothes, and isolation.

Physical and sexual abuse, to shock the victim.

Removal of normal daylight and nighttime patterns.

Control of bodily functions and destroy sense of privacy.

Control and reduce food and water.

Punish for no apparent reason.

Require victim to constantly ask permission to do anything.

Establish a pattern of physical and sexual abuse.

Become the only source of food, water, human contact, and information.

Present a new model and goals for future behavior.

Threaten victim’s family.

Threaten to sell captive to a worse Master.

Beat and torture at irregular intervals.

Use irrelevant acts of kindness to keep victim off balance.

Sign a contract to become a slave for life.

Incorporate new behavior goals.

The last point was the most important step, yet the most difficult as well. The victim needs to be taught a new way of behaving, and if the victim doesn’t accept the new rules, then numbers 2 through 14 will be used over and over again until the victim finally complies. 

THE DEFENSE:

In the book, the whole testimony is written word for word for what Cameron Hooker said. I however will not be typing it out, because it is absolutely absurd, ridiculous, and filled with lies. He fabricated the whole story to make it seem like, yes, he did these terrible bad things, BUT didn’t do the super bad things, and didn’t do them nearly as much as Colleen and Jan claim, and made himself sound like a kinda, empathetic, loving person. He made it sound like he and Colleen were in love, and that after a while Colleen didn’t want to go home, but wanted to start a family. He also made it sound like Jan was the truly evil person in this scenario, and used her jealousy and anger towards Colleen to make her look bad. He even told the court that the two women became cruel to him, sneaking off together and forming a private sexual relationship between each other. He also claims that he had also been strung up by the wrists for 15 minutes, but only once. Basically, the man was full of shit, and he REALLY thought the jury was gonna believe this web of lies. 

After Cameron made his testimony, the next defense witness was his mother, Lorena Hooker. She testified and stated that she knew Colleen as “Kay Stan,” and didn’t see any indication that she was a slave in any way. She said that she seemed happy and saw no scars or bruises on her body. (Little did she know it was because Cameron told her specifically to act like a normal person around his family, and wore clothing to cover up any marks). 

The next witness was Cameron’s brother, Dexter Hooker. Dexter visited the home quite often in 1981 and stated that Kay seemed happy, was never depressed, and always had a smile on her face. He also told the court that he and his wife even took Kay and the children to the city park when Cameron and Jan were away, and remembers the children referring to Colleen as “mommy.” He also told the court that she had been absent between the years 1981 and 1984, and told the court that she was a very talkative person. 

Other people who took the stand were: Robert Deavers, another nextdoor neighbor. Donna Marie Merritt, who was the sister-in-law to Dexter, and Donna’s daughter, Shirley Anne Merritt. Rebecca Donyle Hooker, Dexter’s wife, stated that Colleen always appeared neat and clean, and had a very outgoing personality. She was even once seen giving Jan a hug goodnight and a kiss on the cheek. Cameron’s father, Harold Hooker, told the court that Kay was a pleasant girl, and didn’t seem afraid of him. He claimed that Kay, along with Cameron and Jan, were over for dinner between six to eight times and Kay never cleaned up the dishes or anything like that, and that she was very good with the children. 

The next and final witness called to the stand, was the only one Colleen truly had to worry about: Their expert witness, Dr. Donald Lunde: He was a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. He was involved in the Patty Heast trial, which was where the term “stockholm syndrome” originated from. Patty Hearst was stated to have been brainwashed and experienced severe Stockholm syndrome. Dr. Donald Lunde was involved in Hooker's trial to share his opinions, that like in the Patty Hearst case, that Colleen was a willing participant, and was not brainwashed. He focused heavily on a term called “coercive persuasion,” which he defined as person being forced to do something they wouldn’t normally do. He explained to the jury that she was kidnapped and forced to become a slave, but once she obtained a good bit of freedom, after the first eight months, coercive persuasion ended and she turned into a willing participant. He claimed that she could’ve escaped many times, and chose not to. She had access to a phone, the doors were unlocked, there were neighbors all around her, she could’ve went to the police, and she was even inside of her own home with her own family and still didn’t say anything and chose to go back. 

Dr. Donald Lunde claimed that the average person wouldn’t have ever believed in such a crazy story such as The Company or any absurd stories tied along to it. Which means fear of The Company could not have been a factor. Basically, Colleen was not brainwashed or forced to stay against her will. He also pointed out that anyone locked inside of a box for 23 hours a day for three years would have physical and emotional problems. They would have trouble standing up straight, keeping their balance, and they would have difficult walking. They’d have trouble speaking, vision issues, and severe emotional problems such as depression. 

Dr. Donald Lunde also reviewed her “love” letters and multiple phone calls, photos where she was smiling, unsupervised periods, public interactions, and even the fact that she had a job as a hotel maid. He claimed that none of these events would be happening to someone who was an apparent bondage slave who was kept in a dark box for years, and that they were all actions of a consenting adult who was in love with her “so-called master.” He also explained before departing the stand, that attention drills and the bathtub dunking were not unlike United States Marine Corps drills and underwater escape training. Judge Knight later asked Dr. Lunde if the Marine’s ever stripped their recruits naked and forced them to stand with their hands above their heads, and also asked if underwater escape training included being hogtied to a wooden pole. Lunde maintained a certain similarity existed between the two scenarios. 

(PERSONAL NOTE: This Dr. really rubbed me the wrong way. The fact that he thinks all this is the same exact thing in a situation where a person who has no reason to be involved in any “training” for any sort of reason is ridiculous. Also, in an interview I saw with Colleen, included what was written and stated in her book, she was NOT in love with Cameron. She did NOT have any true feelings of affection towards that man. What she did was done for SURVIVAL. The more she showed Cameron love and affection, the less he would hurt and abuse her. In her interview she says she always hated him. If she had true feelings for him, and everything this Dr. was saying was true, why would she have chosen to leave and go back home after learning that The Company wasn’t real? 

Before sending the jury off to make their verdict, the defense also pointed out that 29 phone calls have been made between Colleen to Jan or Cameron, totalling eight hours and 20 minutes, between August 9th and November 9th. (As I stated earlier, some calls were also made from them to her, as they were just keeping tabs on each other). Right before the end, the production called a surprise witness, Elaine Corning, who knew Cameron in 1972 when she was 16 from high school. She stated that Cameron told her that he had, or wished he had, a dungeon under his parents house to keep women in bondage. 

THE VERDICT!!!

The prosecution asked the judge to drop the counts 12 through 16 which consisted of false imprisonment and living in an illicit relationship. The prosecution wanted the jury to focus on the bigger counts. Lastly, the defense and the prosecution both made their ending arguments.

Prosecution: Outlined the events in the “Story of O,” as they pertained to her situation. It started with O’ name, being a single letter of the alphabet, and continuing to not being allowed to put her legs together, being hung by the wrists and whipped, having her wrists chained to her neck, being blindfolded, not being allowed to wear underwear, the obedience drills, having a dungeon, usage of the name Master, labia piercing, directed self-masturbation, not making eye contact, speaking only when spoken to, and kneeling to ask permission to do anything. The only difference between “O” and “K,” were that O was a willing participant, and K was not. 

Defense: Pointed out inconsistencies in her testimony by twisting her words or using her words against her, and listed off all the freedom she had and the multiple opportunities she had to escape. 

It took two and a half days for the jury to come back with a verdict. On October 31st, which was Halloween, the jury found Cameron Hooker guilty on all charges except the rape by Hooker with Jan present in 1984. He was found guilty of 10 felony counts, including one count of kidnapping, six counts of rape, and three counts of sex related acts. 

SENTENCING

Sentencing took place on November 22nd. Colleen was allowed to make a victim impact statement, in which she stated that one of the results of her captivity was that she was now a harder person, and has no trust or respect, particularly for men. She asked for a long prison sentence so that Cameron could never have the chance to hurt another woman in the same way he hurt her. The judge sentenced him to a total of 104 years, and stated:

“I consider this defendant the most dangerous psychopath I have ever dealt with, in that he is the opposite of what he seems. He will be a danger to women as long as he is alive.”

Hooker was denied for parole a number of times now. His next parole hearing is currently scheduled for 2030.

POST SLAVERY

Colleen studied and obtained a degree in accounting. She tried to move on with her life, but bad luck continued to follow her. She was married and divorced multiple times, and has a troubled child who’s now in jail. She volunteered for Redding Women's Refuge Center, which is an organization to help women who are being abused. 

Jan reverted to her maiden name, Lashley, and became a registered associate social worker, and has worked as a mental health professional. Colleen has changed her last name, and both Colleen and Jan both still live in California. They do not keep in contact with each other, as Jan still holds a grudge towards Colleen, and for some reason on some level, still feels like Colleen ruined her life and her marriage, even though Colleen never asked for any of this. 

MEDIA

A lot of the information in this article came from the amazing book (autobiography by Colleen Stan) called, “Colleen Stan: The Simple Gifts of Life,” by Jim B. Green. I highly recommend reading this book if you want more specific details about this case and what she went through. 

There’s also a movie on Lifetime called “Girl in The Box.” If you don’t want to read the book, I’d recommend actually watching the movie at least. The movie is what introduced me to this case, and what made me want to read the book in the first place. 

Other books that I haven’t read regarding this case:

“Perfect Victim: The True Story of The Girl in The Box,” by Prosecutor Christine McGuire, and referenced in Kathy Reichs’s novel, “Monday Mourning.” 

SPECIAL MENTION: MARIE ELIZABETH SPANNHAKE

During the 1985 trial, Janice Hooker revealed that Colleen wasn’t their first sex slave. Another woman was abducted and they held her for about a day or so. But she wouldn’t stop screaming, so Cameron decided to try and cut out her vocal cords, but since he wasn’t a surgeon, he ended up accidentally killing her, as she bled to death. Jan told police the area in which she was buried, but they were never able to find her body. In the book and the movie, Colleen actually finds a photo of this woman inside the walls of the box, along with a few other things.

[perrywrites]

About Me??

I see you’re interested in good ol’ moi… Well, if you’re interested I don’t have any reasons to deter you lolol! I’ll mostly be putting up headcanons here, and exploring ideas for fanfictions (I have far too many I’m afraid…)! I prefer they/she pronouns, but I’m fine with he/him too. I’m demisexual and bisexual with a leaning preference towards men! And a very excitable ENFP! Currently in university, Literature major! Oh, and not religious, just agnostic! 

Media I’m currently interested in writing for (will change in the future accordingly); Blue Lock, Genshin Impact, Bleach, Gintama, Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho, Jujutsu Kaisen, Ghost Hunt, Monster, Mahoutsukai no yome, Detective Conan.

(if you remember the episode this scene was from… automatically you’re my bosom buddy and I’ll let you shart in my toilet during the apocalypse 👍👍👍)

Below is just some basic info about me that you can ignore (I didn’t know what to put lolol);

All-time favourite anime; Detective Conan, Gintama, Fruits Basket, Chihayafuru

Favourite dramas; 25 21 (kdrama) W Two Worlds (kdrama) What is Fatmagul's Fault (turkish drama) 

Favourite sitcom; Brooklyn 99, Schitt’s Creek

Favourite books; The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, Black Milk by Elif Shafak, Honour by Elif Shafak, Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak, The Bastard of Istangbul by Elif Shafak, as you can tell I really like Elif Shafak’s writing… I just love her writing style a lot

Favourite games; Your Turn to Die, Mystic Messenger, Witch’s House (I haven’t played many games, as you can see lolol) 

Feel free to talk to me about any of these things (or even beyond tbh! I’m open to everything) or ask me about anything as well! 

[veronicalodgefaghag]

11 from the riverdale asks. and 6 and 14 ❤️

GREAT questions 💞💞

11. Who do you think is the most underrated character?

man i have GOT to say Veronica and Josie like another of the mutuals did. they are just my everything and they DON’T get their dues. I’m so interested in them as characters, I don’t believe they’re really explored enough honestly (not to say I find Betty boring sometimes but…). And I’m also especially interested in their relationships with Archie, they’re some of my absolute favorites in the show, and I think each of them reflects and relates with some of my favorite aspects of his character in really really great and fascinating ways. I think I’ve kind of gotten myself completely isolated from whatever Archie hate there is out there, but I certainly believe it exists, and if I saw more of it I would definitely say Archie as well. Big fan of Fangs too tbh, not much to him but he’s a joy to have on screen.

ALSO, answering this seperately for the riverPARENTS, because I 🫶🫶 Mayor McCoy (legal first name Mayor, later changed to Attorney) and Hermione Lodge and I do believe they are severely underrated.

6. Which musical episode is your favorite?

God I love all of them, but it’s got to be Wicked Little Town, HANDS DOWN my favorite. I am a very strict barchie hater, I really can’t stand them, HOWEVER, I love the drama, and the tragedy that I know what’s coming, what the fallout of this is going to be. Besides that, it’s the first, and kind of the only, musical episode that really encompasses the whole town. You have everybody—at Pop’s, the parents, etc—singing Wicked Little Town which I’m pretty obsessed with that beginning sequence; you have Cheryl singing Sugar Daddy at Pop’s. It really gets them out of the auditorium, making it more fully a musical episode! I also listen to the music from this one all the time so I also just like the music the best, but yeah, even though it’s super cut down in the actual episode, it gave us the core four Origin of Love which I couldn’t live without, which in turn gave us the core four Origin of Love AMV; it gave us Archie gay kiss #2, it gave us almost gay Principal Honey, formerly Jack from Dawson’s Creek, I could go on, it’s one of my favorite episodes of tv, and a highlight of the fourth season which is generally NOT a favorite of mine. OH, and it gave us “there’s a problem that comes when you get caught up on your homework. Your mind wanders… and evil creeps back in.” which is one of my favorite lines ever in the show and my instagram bio.

14. Which AMV is your favorite?

i loved that this was one of the questions, but now that I’m being asked to actually answer it….

ok, I’ll just do a long list; the Bodies amv, the 1984 amv which was the first one i ever saw has suuuuch a special place in my heart, the Archie Modern Girl amv‼️, the beronica Troublemaker/Doppelgänger amv‼️‼️, oobviously the Origin of Love amv, archie cleopatra, time warp, runs in the family, VERONICA ARCHIE AND HIRAM SUPERBOY AND THE INVISBLE GIRL, jarchie cut to the feeling!! jarchie imaginary friend, archie you’re on your own kid and would’ve could’ve should’ve, betty and veronica king. ok ending the list there. we’re blessed with too many good ones is what i’d answer this question with i guess, this isn’t even possibly an exhaustive list, it literally could not possibly be. Also a big fan of my own amvs <3

[aspenmissing]

𝚆𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚘 (𝙿𝚝 𝟷)

Sam is wearing a suit and tie, carrying a bouquet of various flowers, except roses, and walking through an otherwise deserted cemetery. Sam sighs and stops next to a gravestone. It reads:

Jessica Lee Moore,

Beloved Daughter

January 24th, 1984–November 2nd, 2005.

There is a small picture of a grinning Jess set into the stone above her name, a black-and-white picture of her leaning against the stone between a white teddy bear and a wooden box with a crucifix leaning on the picture, a small American flag next to the box, and three candles standing on the gravestone; one is of the Virgin de Guadalupe. Sam looks between the gravestone and the flowers.

"I, uh..." Sam laughs. "You always said roses were lame, so I brought you, uh." Sam looks at the picture set into the gravestone, then looks away, choking back tears. He steps closer to the gravestone. "Jess...oh God..." Sam kneels to set down the flowers. "I should have protected you. I should have told you the truth." Sam leans the flowers in front of the crucifix. An arm covered in dirt shoots out of the ground and grabs Sam by the wrist.

==

Sam jerks awake. It is November 10, 2005, he is in the back while Dean and Y/N are upfront, with Y/N driving. Foreigner's 'Hot-Blooded' is playing. Sam blinks and rubs his eyes. Dean turns his head to face Sam, concerned.

"You, okay?" He questions. Sam glances over and away.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dean nods.

"Another nightmare?" Y/N questions, smiling sadly. Sam clears his throat.

"You wanna drive for a while?" Dean asks, looking at him in the rear-view mirror.

"Dean, your whole life, you never once asked me that." Sam says, laughing.

"I just thought you might want to. Never mind. Besides, as Y/N says, it's her car, so it's up to her."

"Go one, Sammy, you've always wanted to drive, baby," Y/N says, smiling at him.

"Look, guys, you're worried about me.".

"I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." Sam leans forward, putting his hand on top of Y/N's shoulder, and gives her a reassuring smile, returning it and placing a hand over his before placing it back on the steering wheel. Sam dropped his hand.

"Mm-hm," Sam grabs a map.

"All right, where are we?"

"We are just outside of Grand Junction." Sam folds down the map, which is Colorado and has a large red X labelled 35-111.

"You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."

"Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you want to find the thing that killed Jessica," Y/N says.

"We gotta find Dad first."

"Dad disappearing-"

"And this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence."

"Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do."

"It's weird, man."

"These are the coordinates he left us."

"This is Blackwater Ridge."

"What about it?" Y/N asks.

"There's nothing there. It's just wooded." Sam puts down the map. "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" They drive past the National Forest sign that says, 'Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest'.

==

The Impala is parked next to a sign that says, 'Ranger Station Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest'.

"So, Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote." Sam looks at a 3D map of the national forest, paying particular attention to the ridge labelled 'Blackwater Ridge' Dean looks at the decoration, and Y/N is looking around at the merchandise. "It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, and abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."

"Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear." Sam looks over, and Dean is looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. Sam comes to stand next to Dean, followed by Y/N.

"And there are a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure." A forest ranger, Ranger Wilkinson, walks up behind the three; when he speaks, the three whip around, startled.

"You three aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?"

"Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." Sam laughs a little, and Dean grins and raises a fist, Y/N just nods.

"Recycle, man"

"Bull" Sam's eyes flick to Y/N and Dean, who doesn't move.

"You're friends with that Haley girl, right?" Y/N considers.

"Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger." Y/N checks the Ranger's nametag, "Wilkinson."

"Well, I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit, saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing person now, is it?" Dean shakes his head. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will. Well, that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?" Y/N says.

"That is putting it mildly."

"You know, what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." The Ranger eyed Dean. Dean raises his eyebrows.

==

The three leave the ranger station. Dean is holding a piece of paper and laughing.

"What, are you cruising for a hook-up or something?" Sam asks.

"What do you mean?"

"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" They all stop on opposite sides of the Impala, with Dean and Sam on one side and Y/N on the other.

"I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we walk into it," Dean says.

"What?" Sam asks.

"Since when are you, all shoots first, ask questions later, anyway?" Y/N asks.

"Since now," Sam turns away and gets into the car.

"Really?" Dean asks him, and Y/N shares a look before she shrugs and gets into the driving seat. Dean shortly followed.

==

Dean, Sam, and Y/N are standing at the door of a house. The door opens to reveal a young woman.

"You must be Haley Collins. I'm Y/N, this is Dean, and this is Sam. We're, ah, we're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother Tommy." Haley hesitates.

"Let's see some ID." Dean pulls out a fake ID with the name 'Samuel Cole', and Y/N does the same with the name 'Amy Cole'. They hold it against the screen. Haley looks at them, then at the two, who are smiling. Haley opens the door. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Dean says. The door swings open; Haley catches sight of the Impala.

"That yours?"

"Yeah," Y/N replies. Sam is looking back at the Impala.

"Nice car." Haley turns to lead Dean, Y/N, and Sam into the kitchen, where Ben Collins is sitting at the table on a laptop. Dean turns his head to mouth something to Sam and Y/N, who roll their eyes.

"So, if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" Y/N asks, and Haley comes back into the room with a bowl she places on the table.

"He checks in every day by cell. He emails, photos, stupid little videos—we haven't heard anything in over three days now.".

"Well, maybe he can't get cell reception," Sam says.

"He's got a satellite phone, too."

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asks.

"He wouldn't do that," Ben replies. Dean eyes Ben, making him look away. Haley puts more food on the table.

"Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other," Haley says.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asks.

"Yeah" On a laptop, Haley pulls up pictures and says, "That's Tommy." Haley clicks twice, and another picture comes up, and then the still frame opens the latest video.

"Hey Haley, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow." Sam spots the shadow flickering past, and looking at Y/N, he notices that she too has seen it.

"Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing," Dean says.

"Then maybe I'll see you there. Look, I can't sit around here anymore. So I hired a guy. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm going to find Tommy myself.

"I think I know how you feel," Dean says, glancing at Y/N.

"Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam asks.

"Sure." Sam, Dean, and Y/N sit down at a table.

"So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic. Local campers, mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found." Y/N opens John's journal.

"And before that?" Dean asks. Y/N pulls out newspaper articles to show Dean and Sam.

"Yeah, in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack." Dean reads one of the articles while Sam gives Y/N his laptop, "and again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Y/N opens the laptop, which already has a window to Tom's video. "Every twenty-three years, just like clockwork. Okay. Watch this. " Y/N pulls up the video and goes through three frames of the video, one at a time. A shadow crosses the screen.

"Do it again?" Dean says. Y/N repeats the frame.

"That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move fast," Y/N says. Dean hits Sam, who looks at him.

"I told you something weird was going on.

"Yeah," Y/N says, closing the laptop. "I have one more thing." She hands over another newspaper article. "In fifty-nine, one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive," Dean looks at the article.

"Is there a name?" Dean asks.

==

An old man by the name of Shaw is talking to Dean, Y/N, and Sam while leading them inside his house. Shaw has a cigarette in his mouth.

"Look, ranger. I don't know why you're asking me about this. It's a public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a" Sam interrupts.

"Grizzly? That's what attacked them?" Shaw takes a puff of his cigarette, takes it out, and nods.

"The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks too?" Dean says, "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing? We knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it."

"I seriously doubt that. Anyway, I don't see what difference it would make." Shaw sits down. "You wouldn't believe me. Nobody ever did." Sam sits down across from Shaw.

"Mr. Shaw, what did you see?" Sam asks. Shaw pauses.

"Nothing. It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar. Like, no man or animal I ever heard." Y/N stood behind Sam, leaning against the side of Sam's chair.

"It came at night?" She asks. Shaw nods. "Got inside your tent?"

"It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming."

"It killed them?" Sam asks.

"Dragged them off into the night." Shaw shakes his head. "Why did it leave me alive? I have been asking myself that ever since." Shaw's hands go to his collar. "Did you leave me this, though. Shaw opens his collar to reveal three long scars. Claw marks. Sam, Y/N, and Dean look at them. "There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of demon.".

==

The three walk the length of a corridor, with rooms on either side.

"Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. If they want inside, they just go through the walls," Dean says.

"So, it's probably something else, something corporeal," Sam replies.

"Corporeal? Excuse me, professor."

"Shut up," Sam says, looking at Y/N. "So, what do you think?".

"The claws, the speed that it moves...could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature, and it's corporeal. Which means we can kill it"?

==

Dean opens the trunk of the Impala, then the weapons box, and props it open with a shotgun. He puts some guns in a duffel bag as Sam leans in.

"We cannot let that Haley girl go out there."

"Oh yeah? What are we going to tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big, scary monster?" Dean says.

"Yeah," Sam replies, and Y/N looks at Sam.

"Her brother's missing, Sam. She's not going to just sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend." Dean picks up the duffel.

"Finding Dad's not enough." Sam slams the weapons box shut, then the trunk. "Now we gotta babysit too?" Dean and Y/N stare at Sam. "What?"

"Nothing." Dean throws the duffel bag at Sam and walks off, followed by Y/N. Sam stares after them.

==

A man is talking to Haley and Ben while checking a shotgun. They're all carrying full backpacks.

"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," the man says.

"Roy-"

"Look, you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe. I think Ben's safest at home." The Impala pulls up. Roy, Hayley, and Ben stared. Haley shakes her head as Sam and Dean get out of the car. Sam opens the back door of the Impala, letting Y/N, who's carrying a duffel bag, in

"You guys got room for three more?" Dean asks.

"Wait, you want to come with us?"

"Who are these guys?"

"This is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue." Sam heads past everyone.

"You're rangers?" Roy asks.

"That's right," Y/N replies.

"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Haley questions. Dean looks at Y/N, then himself.

"Well, sweetheart, we don't do shorts." The twins head past Haley to catch up to Sam.

"What, you think it's funny? It's a dangerous backcountry out there. Her brother might be hurt." Sam turns back.

"Believe me, we know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help them find their brother, that's all." Y/N says this as she and Dean walk past Sam.

==

The group hikes through the forest, with Roy in the lead, then Dean, Haley, Ben, Y/N, and Sam.

"Roy, you said you did a little hunting," Dean says.

"Yeah, more than a little."

"Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?"

"Mostly buck, sometimes bear," Dean passes Roy.

"Tell me, uh, did Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Roy grabs Dean. Sam and Y/N look at the two. "Whatcha doing, Roy?" Roy grabs a stick and pokes the bear trap Dean had almost stepped into. Haley looks annoyed.

"You should watch where you're stepping. Ranger "Roy drops the stick and retakes the lead.".

"It's a bear trap," they hiked on. Haley catches up to Dean.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers." Haley grabs Dean's arm. "So who the hell are you?" Ben goes past Haley and Dean. Sam and Y/N look at Dean, who indicates with his expression for the two to go on by. They obey. Dean watches them go for a moment.

"Y/N, Sam, and I are siblings, and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and I've in the same boat.".

"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?"

"I'm telling you now, 'Sides, it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman...ever. Minus my sister. So, we, okay?"

"Yeah, okay"

"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?" Dean pulls out a big bag of peanut M&Ms and sticks his hand in the bag. "Don't tell Y/N; she'll be pissed." He hikes on. Haley waits a moment and then follows.

==

Roy leads the way, followed by Y/N, Sam, Ben, Haley, and Dean.

"This is it. Blackwater Ridge" Y/N heads past Roy, followed by Sam.

"What coordinates are we at," Sam asks. Roy pulls out a GPS.

"Thirty-five and minus one-eleven" Dean comes up to Sam and Y/N. They listen.

"You hear that?"

"Yeah. Not even crickets."

"I'm going to go take a look around," Roy says.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself," Y/N states.

"That's sweet. Don't worry about me." Roy waves his gun and pushes between Sam and Y/N to retake the lead. Dean turns back to the others as Ben and Haley catch up.

"All right, everybody stays together. Let's go"