u/theonepeaz

Part One: https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheCreeps/s/iT0OwN3nmY
Part Two: 
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheCreeps/s/4J7TUXXtNP
Part Three: 
https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheCreeps/s/f07wdoDqPz

Part Four: Trivia

We made it back to our tiny apartment, arguing about where each piece of furniture will go, and more importantly, who gets to keep the beloved golden monkey lamp. 
“It’s gotta go in my room I found it. You don’t even like the fucker. Said it’s ‘creepy’ and ‘stupid’” Mark said, imitating Tyler in a mocking tone. 
“It’s grown on me. Besides, it’s my ‘daddy’s money’ buying the thing. You said so yourself.” Tyler said matter-of-factly. 
They stared at each other intently. 
After a brief moment of silence Mark finally spoke up. 
“...I’ll arm wrestle you for it.” 
“A battle of strength isn’t my thing. How about trivia instead?” Tyler chuckled. 
“NOOOOOOOOOO you know I suck at goddamn trivia. That’s why you’re bringing it up.” Mark Whined. 
“Low blow dude.” I laughed. 
They both went silent and stared at me. 
“Hey what are you doing butting in?” Mark snarled. 
“He wants in on the monkey lamp battle.” Tyler roared. 
“You can’t have it.” Mark said, grabbing the lamp and walking to his desk. 
“What if I want it?” I chuckled. 
“You don’t. You just want to piss me off more!” Mark snapped. 
“That’s true, but I think I can beat you at arm wrestling and trivia.” I retorted. 
The room went still. 
Both Tyler and Mark stared at me in shocked silence. 
In unison, they both yelled. 
“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY.” 
Thus, the battle of brains and brawn pursued. 
We went down to the local bar for trivia night after drop tackling each-other until the neighbors were banging on our walls and floors. 
With strength, there was no clear winner. Just a bunch of idiots trying to drop kick each-other and pin each-other to the ground. 
We laughed the whole walk there, talking about why we should have been dubbed the winner. 
“I straight up round house kicked you. Bro. That was some MMA shit. I get the point for style.” Mark would argue. 
“Yeah, but you missed and fell. You literally took yourself out, man. It was funny, I’ll give you that, but not worthy of even a pity point.” Tyler would tease. 
The bar wasn’t far from our place, maybe around three blocks away. 
They managed to spend the whole ten minutes walking there fighting, shoving each other back and forth and grabbing each other’s shirts and trying to trip one another. 
I stayed out of it, wanting at least one of us to hold some form of dignity. 
We reached the bar, sliding into our booth and getting ready for a trivia night that we could barely understand.
Our answers were incomprehensible, mistaking some words for the others and at one point giving up and just trying to draw out what we were trying to say. 
The host, to his credit, was incredibly understanding and found the whole situation quite amusing. For every time we were right or almost right, he’d yell “AMEWICUHHH H-ONE POINTO” with a big thumbs up. 
Tyler, Mark, and I were laughing so hard tears were rolling down our faces. I was laughing so hard my sides and stomach were hurting, so I excused myself to the bar to get us some more beer and shots. 
It was there I saw him again. The tall, Japanese man, still carrying the empty Ikea bag. 
I thought it was strange running into him here, but then realized, he could also just be a local. I smiled thinking of how small the world around us was, and thought to myself that I should buy him a drink. 
I approached him, smiling thinking of how I can laugh with him about his disappearing act and how he amazed my friends. I thought maybe I could convince him to help me prank my friends. 
Thoughts of their reactions swirled through my head as I waited for the drinks, until I felt someone bump into me. 
“Oh sorry I was-” I started. 
I looked up and met his gaze, staring upwards into his blue eyes. 
He looked at me, not in my eyes but straight through my soul. 
He teared up again, his blue eyes getting wet and face falling into a look of mourning. 
“I…I…I” he choked. 
“I…I sowwy.” He whispered before walking away. 
I turned my head to ask him what was going on, but when I did, he was gone. 
Vanished again. 
This time, I was determined to find him. 
Maybe it was the strange feeling of dread, maybe it was concern, I don’t know. I just know I had to find him. 
I pushed past the crowds of people, weaved through the booths, and ran outside. 
It was pouring rain and the streets were dimly lit. 
I looked both ways but couldn’t see him anywhere. Just the lights reflecting off the wet pavements that stretched through miles of large buildings interwoven with shops and stops. 
I kept swiveling my head around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the strange man. He was nowhere to be seen. 
I went back inside, still holding the drinks I got for my friends as I made my way back to the table. 
“Dan, where have you been?” Tyler asked. 
“Yeah bro, we totally bombed. We lost.” Mark laughed. 
“I went to get us drinks, but ran into that weird Ikea guy.” 
Tyler and Mark raised their brows. 
“You mean the train guy?” Mark asked. 
“No, the guy who just vanished when we were walking out of Ikea. Remember? He bumped into us and like, started crying or some shit and apologizing.” I explained, exasperated. 
Tyler and Mark just looked at each other. 
“Was that when you got separated from us?” Tyler asked. 
I sighed. 
“No! We were like, you know, leaving Ikea and then the tall guy ran into us and cried and apologized and we were all like ‘that was so weird’ and ‘what was with that?’” I retorted, raising my voice slightly. 
“I don’t remember that at all.” Tyler said, looking away. 
“Yeah. No clue what you’re on about. Maybe you dreamed it.” Mark said. 
“Curse of the monkey lamp?” Tyler laughed. 
“Oh most definitely. The scroll states bad dreams about crying apologizing men with empty bags. How could I forget.” Mark teased. 
They were both laughing, but I wasn’t amused. 
“I can't believe you guys don’t remember that.” I whispered. 
Tyler and Mark were back to their antics, teasing each other about other curses the monkey lamp brings. 
We closed the bar and stumbled home, me leading the way after sobering up. 
We got back and Tyler and Mark quickly wound down, passing out in their drunken stupor. 
I kept tossing and turning, wondering if I was just imagining things or going crazy. 
The guy’s eyes were brown, then blue. They were for sure brown at one point, right? 
Were they always blue? That’d be rare out here. 
And I could have sworn his hair was dark brown, almost black. 
Why was it that when that mystery man was leaving, his hair almost looked dirty blonde? 
I wrestled with these thoughts until I fell asleep, imagining empty Ikea bags and golden monkeys dancing around my thoughts. 

Okay as some of yall may know, I pretty much ONLY write horror stories based on Hunter and Isaiah’s bits where they’re like “we need a story like this” and it’s outlandish and stupid. I’m almost done with “replaced” and surprisingly, I did live through that weird Canada trip, so I got time.
Are there any good bits I should do by them and write out?
(This is how I procrastinate writing my actual book when I get writers block and or what I do when I’m in the hospital)

Still on mobile. Sorry.
Okay. I lived another night. I think we’re going to be leaving early, despite some reservations from some of the family. I’m writing things as today unfolds rather than just trying to remember details at the end of the night and struggling to get service. It’s around 9:56 now, I woke up with my stomach in agony at around 9:30 and came to the living room to make coffee after. My dad then had me throw on my suit to find his phone.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the incident with my Dad’s phone.
To preface this, I used to be a commercial diver/ underwater welder. I spent a lot of time doing construction, welding, and salvage work. I’d say a quarter of my adult life was spent under water in pitch blackness just feeling around.
My dad was stepping on the fishing boat yesterday and his phone fell into the water. I was dolled up because Thomas and I were doing our engagement pictures, so my dad decided to wait for today to ask me to retrieve his phone. It’s a good 5 years old Google pixel phone, so my dad wasn’t wildly concerned with getting it back in a working condition.
Thus, having to jump in the cold water within 30 minutes of waking up. I spent half an hour doing lil free dives searching for it until surprisingly, I found it. We threw it in some rice and then put it outside to bake in the sun.
That’s about all I got for now.

Okay, it’s about noon, and something strange happened.
We were all hyped about finding the phone. But, excitement ended and Thomas decided to go to the dock by the sleeping cabin for some more fishing. We call it “Bass Alley” due to always catching bass over there.
My grandma’s dog, Mango, followed him over. She’s always following one of us around, being a golden retriever puppy.
I decided that since I was soaked anyways I’d sit on our float-a-mat (giant floating foam mat) in the water and try to get a tan.
After around fifteen minutes, Thomas came back and said that Mango swam to the island across the bay.
My mom offered to get the kayak and go over there to get Mango to chase her back, but my dad abruptly shouted “No.” in an exasperated tone.
He saw our look of concern and said “She swam over there, she can swim back on her own. Just stay put and call her.”
Thomas felt guilty about not keeping a closer eye on her, so he ended up getting on the stand up paddle board and making his way over there. My dad warned him to stay in the water in case of wild deer and snakes and ticks, then followed him from the island as he paddled over. Watching from the rocks and the dock.
Thomas was gone for only a minute when the house phone rang.
My mom ran to the old land line and picked it up.
“Hello?” She asked, confused.
She gave a couple of “uh huh’s” and sat in mostly silence.
“We’re on it! Thomas is on the way over.” She said before hanging up.
“Who was that?” My dad asked.
“Someone called saying they had Mango on the other island.” My mom responded coolly.
“Who?” My dad asked, sounding a little angry.
“I’m guessing new neighbors? I didn’t think to ask since we know where she is and Thomas is already on the way…” Mom responded, growing annoyed.
My dad walked over and grabbed the phone, pressing some buttons with each press giving a metallic“Boop” noise.
My dad stared at the phone in his hand before dropping it on the dining table and rushing out to the deck.
“What’s going on with you.” My mom mumbled under her breath.
I walked over and grabbed the phone, trying to see what had my stoic dad so hysterical.
I looked down to see his number on the screen.
I walked out to see my dad on the deck holding the bag of rice, one arm inside the zip lock.
He pulled out his phone and tried turning it on.
Still not working.
Exasperated he dropped the phone in the rice and ran over to the other side of the island, yelling “Thomas” over and over.
After a couple calls, we saw Thomas over the bend in his Kayak with a happy puppy swimming beside him.
My dad’s posture changed immediately. Whatever had him strung simply unwinded, letting him take a relaxed breath.
After standing slumped, he finally asked “How’d it go?”
“She was just on the shore. I called her over and she happily jumped in and followed.” Thomas laughed.
“Did you see anyone?” My dad asked, almost in a whisper.
“You mean the seagulls or the snakes or the bugs or the deer? Just the gulls. They sure had a lot to say too.” Thomas joked, beaching his kayak and taking his life jacket off.
My dad seemed more content hearing that, and proceeded to come inside and pour himself a shot of tequila.
Thomas and my mom were out on the deck with the dog, laughing about the whole scenario.
I went to the kitchen and joined my dad in a shot of tequila.
I finally got the courage to ask.
“Dad, what’s going on?” I asked shakily.
My dad took another shot.
“Whatcha mean baby girl?” He asked casually.
“I mean, the noise, locking the door, the fact you were the one who called the cabin…”
My dad just laughed.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I called up when we got to the marina, that’s why I was on the re-dial. It just reminded me I had to check my texts from my boss. You’re goin crazy there, Kristi.” He teased.
It sounds reasonable but I’m still skeptical. As I said, I’m not sure if this is actually a horror story. But still. It’s strange, right?

Okay. I failed keeping track. ADHD, right? It’s like 1 am now. We went to civilization today, aka the Harbour. We ran out of surf sides and got these worse knock offs called “Cottage Springs”.
It was remarkably normal, until the fireworks.
Yesterday was Canada day, so there was only the giant pack of fireworks left. It was like $60 Canada dollars so $45 American, and I was gonna splurge because YAY I’m an adult and can do fireworks but my dad was super against it. Kept saying it’s gonna be an extra long ride home because we’re trying to find walleye and it’ll be dangerous having them out that long in the sun. Super lame. I grew up in Arizona and fireworks were banned so I was excited.
After, we got fish and chips at this place and it took over an hour for our drinks because ever server called out and the cook was taking orders and finally I showed him my bartending license and was like “I’ll make drinks for the tables if you comp my fams drinks” and surprisingly he said sure so I got a mini bartending gig for the 2 hours I was there. Marina gigs are funny like that. I work one in the states and the only question they asked me during the interview was “can you open a beer?”
After I said yes, I got my schedule.
Sorry, side tracked. I went a little heavy drinking tonight and got brave. I swear I’m getting to that. Thomas is next to me helping me out because he saw stuff too. I wasn’t alone tonight. He “babysat” me since I was feeling some type of way. Please ignore spelling errors. I’m scared and intoxicated.
So, we get home. My dad lied about the fishing trip. We just went straight back where he kept drinking and my mom prepped beef stew for the night. My Grandma talked about how she loved all grandkids evenly except one, Lori, which I found hysterical.
My mom walked my Grandma back to the sleeping cabin as Thomas, my Dad and I went fishing. I’ll drop my sick fish in the comments. But, we got close to the shore of the island across the bay. So close, we had to trim the motor up and paddle over. The fish there were GIANT. Thomas caught a pike the size of my leg.
This is not important. Sorry. Just giving time-lines.
What mainly happened was an hour or so ago, and now Thomas has a knife and we barricaded our room. My grandma is still in the sleeping cabin but she has the dogs and a phone so it’ll be okay.
I told my parents I was going to party hard tonight. My dad was already 10+ tequila shots in and I had around 7 of the Canadian version of Surf Sides. I was feeling GREAT.
We played some games until my parents went to bed, and Thomas agreed to watch me. We went skinny dipping in the dead of night and left our clothes on the boat like the drunken idiots we are/ were. We sat in the living room, playing dice games and talking, until we heard something on the deck.
Thomas, also being intoxicated, started telling ghost stories not realizing I was already stressed and anxious.
I mostly laughed them off, since we’re both fans of creepcast and heard them all.
But, we were both drinking and decided to stake it out.
A few years back, there was a raccoon my drunken uncle and dad were CONVINCED was a badger and they tried to catch it. They prepared for a battle. Net, knives, flash lights, even a stun gun. It ended up being a baby raccoon living on the porch that we happily accepted as family. It stayed on the island for YEARS.
So, Thomas and I assumed it was its offspring and we’d be able to laugh about it later.
We turned off all the lights and laid on the living room floor, crouched being the table waiting for the glowing eyes to come to frame.
In case you didn’t know, human eyes don’t reflect the way animal eyes do. It’s something they teach you in survival training. If eyes catch a glare, it’s safe to shoot.
And we waited for that glare.
Until our “badger” came on our porch.
Except, it wasn’t a badger.
It was Thomas.
Same shirt as him.
Same pants as him.
Same hair and face.
Just walking up.
Sitting on the deck where my dad was sitting the night prior.
Staring inside.
I managed to grab a pic on my phone.
We locked the doors and army crawled back to our room where were together now.
We’re both drunk and are convinced it was at least a PERSON there.
Thoughts? Should we dip tomorrow and show my parents or is this just a drunken prank by possibly new neighbors?
If it can upload, I’ll drop pics of Thomas and what we saw outside. Please give me advice on terrified and will also be posting this is the advice Column of Reddit.

Hey guys Kristi here again. I am tagging this now as a journal entry because like, once again I don’t know if this will end up being a horror story but lemme tell ya. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WEIRD. Reception is still spotty and once again I’m on mobile so, I apologize for any formatting issues.
I had some drinks and went to bed and my dad locked the door. Which was weird because he NEVER locked the door, I mean, we’re on a secluded island in the middle of a lake in Canada. Not exactly a neighbor-hood. And earlier that day we heard a strange noise and my dad started acting weird.
He got weirder when we went to bed.
I’m not sure if it’s the same for all of you, but after drinking a lot, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night the SECOND my body isn’t drunk anymore and I feel the need to down gallons of water. I’ve never asked if this is a normal thing or if it’s just because I never really drink, but still.
It was one of those situations. I woke up at around 2:45ish and used my phone flashlight to make my way down the hall and to the kitchen to get some water.
When I was in the kitchen, I looked up and saw my dad sitting in the living room in the pitch black of night. No fan on no lights on. Just him sitting there staring into the kitchen.
I jumped and was like “Dad, what the fuck?”
And he said nothing.
Just continued to stare, flashlight light hitting his glasses and causing a glare.
He just held his finger up to his mouth in a “shh” motion.
I was thoroughly creeped out so I made my way back to my room with my water, figuring he was drunk and maybe he and my mom got into it again.
But as I was making my way back down the hallway…
I heard snoring.
Snoring coming from my mom and dad’s room.
Except, my mom has never snored.
Now, I originally thought to go investigate whatever was going on in the living room, but my survival instincts told me to just go to bed.
That I must be drunk and that I’m sleep walking and imagining things.
And so I did. I said “fuck that” in my head and went back to bed.
When I woke up, I was definitely groggy and hung over.
I made my way back down the ball into the kitchen where everyone was making fun of how hard I partied the night before.
So, trying to make light of the situation, I joked and said something along the lines of, “At least I wasn’t sitting in the pitch black doing nothing but staring.”
Everyone just looked at me confused.
Thomas said a joking “That’s true. Didn’t go all freaky Nikki on us.” And chuckled.
My dad just said “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
I laughed and said “I was teasing you about last night. You just sitting here in the dark staring into the kitchen.” And went to point at the chair he was sitting in, only to see that chair was replaced with a table.
There was no furniture besides the table on that wall of windows facing the deck.
My mom looked at me with concern.
“You really did tie one on last night huh?” She laughed.
But my dad and I didn’t.
I looked at him and he looked at me with a scared expression.
Thomas chuckled, oblivious to the tension, and asked if I took Benadryl and was sleepwalking again.
I just laughed and said “Guess so.”
After a brief silence from everyone, I looked at my dad and asked “You really weren’t out here last night?”
He looked down and whispered a “nope.”
Then after fidgeting his feet he said “You must’ve dreamed it. Let’s go fish.”
He got up abruptly with his poles and tackle boxes, Thomas following him down the dock.
I accepted it as a weird dream and heading back to put on something other than PJs.
I got to my room and started changing when I saw it.
My glass of water. Sitting next to my bed.
Undeniable proof I wasn’t dreaming.
That’s when it hit me.
There were chairs on the deck outside near the grills.
There was a glare.
I felt sick to my stomach as I walked back out the room, trying to gather the courage to walk back into that kitchen and look out the living room.
When I finally did, my family was there, waiting for me with a hat and getting ready to go out fishing.
I’m trying to convince myself it was a bad dream, but what are the chances I’m in actual danger here? Maybe my dad is pulling a joke on me. He’s always done stuff like that. I’m tempted to set up my phone and record around the house tonight, but equally as terrified I’d see something I won’t be able to forget.
I’ve always made jokes about how dying in horror movies is from people being stupid, and I’m here seeing myself fall into that same curiosity that those people get in those movies. Should I just leave it be? Should I go looking?
Ugh. SOMEONE PLZ GIMME SOME ADVICE HERE IM GETTING A LIL FREAKED OUT AND AM STUCK HERE TIL THE SIXTH!!

Okay. So. I’m Kristi. I’m not Peaz right now. I’m Kristi. I was writing something else, but I’m putting that on pause because weird stuff is happening. I’m on mobile right now so it may come off a bit strange/ disjointed. But this isn’t a horror story, I don’t think? It’s just, weird things are happening and I’m anxious and worried and I am hoping this uploads because reception is spotty up here. I sometimes get data, sometimes don’t. It’s kinda a dice throw.
I’m in Canada right now. I live in the states, but my family owns an island up here.
Before you come at me as being some nepo baby or some rich person, I can assure you I’m broke. My immediate family isn’t well off either, but the rest of em? Yeah. Different tax bracket and life style for sure. The island wasn’t a recent purchase, it’s been in my Grandma’s family since 1902 when they purchased it off the Chippewa Indians in a penny deal. The island is about a 2 hour boat ride from any civilization. Up until around 3 years ago there was no cell reception at all up here, but after an incident where a younger cousin had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite, they decided it’d be a good idea to get some way of human contact.
It’s so remote that in every room there’s a laminated paper nailed to the wall with the island’s coordinates, since the only way for immediate help would be a helicopter. Otherwise, long boat ride where you might not make it.
My cousin is totally fine, by the way. She just had a super swollen face and a lot of Benadryl for the next week was needed.
But yeah, on the remote family island in the middle of a Lake Superior in the middle of nowhere. It’s really pretty up here, there’s no light pollution so you can see all the stars and the Milky Way and satellites orbiting. There’s no planes or cars or any sort of weird noises at all. Just frogs, birds, chipmunks, and bugs to keep you company. It’s so nice. Just a total break from all civilization.
We’ve been doing this trip every year since I was 6, minus one year during the recession where my dad lost his job and then during the pandemic since crossing the border wasn’t allowed. My Dad’s been coming up here since he was my age too. My mom has been since she met him. That being said, I’ve been up around 17 times.
When I was younger it’d be me, my two sisters, my mom and dad, my aunts and uncles and all the cousins all together for a full two weeks just hanging out and being together. There was nothing to do but hang out. The adults would play drinking games as us kids would throw glow sticks at each other, or play board games or jump from the top bunk to the bottom bunk until something broke. It was awesome. The closest thing to total freedom a kid could get to.
Around 2012 the cousins stopped coming up with us. Every now and then my oldest cousin Hunter would join my parents and I but the rest were too attached to city living. No one wanted to go two weeks without phone calls or tik tok or wifi.
Which I get, I mean, I’m here using cellular data to write this out and send it to you guys. But it’s different.
This is different.
The island is about half a mile by half a mile and there’s two cabins. The one towards the west side where my grandma and grandpa stayed before my grandpa passed away we call the “sleeping cabin”. The main cabin is on the south east side, and it’s where we dock the boat and where we stay. It has the boat dock then leads to the shore and rocks. Right outside is a wooden deck with a whole lot of sideways stairs that are never quite flush. It’s a nice cabin. I mean, we gotta boil water to drink and we also just bathe in the lake, so it’s not like a mansion. But it’s not crappy either. Think of it more like a two week long “glamping” trip.
So that brings me to today, our first day on the island. We get there and unload two weeks worth of groceries and all our luggage, my Fiancé and I head to our room to throw on swim suits, and then we hit the shed on the beach for our fishing poles and tackle box and place our bets who catches the first fish. My dad followed suit, grabbing his fishing pole and heading to the boat dock with us.
We got there around 6, and it was still too early to really catch fish, but that didn’t stop us from trying.
Were there fishing, joking about how my pole fell apart my last cast, when all the sudden it went silent.
This is weird for nature. Nature doesn’t go silent. There’s buzzes of bugs, chirps of birds, the eerie call from a loon in the distance. But it went silent.
My fiancé, Thomas, and my dad must’ve noticed it, since they instinctively stopped reeling in their lures as well.
We all just stood still there, almost afraid to breathe too loudly.
That’s when there was a loud rustling noise in the forest across the bay, and hundreds of birds emerged from the trees, flying up and squawking in a frenzy. Desperately trying to get away from whatever caused the rustling.
I stared at the shoreline, trying to see if I could make out what was causing the ruckus, but quickly lost interest after I realized my lure was snagged on some weeds.
My dad, on the other hand, didn’t break his gaze from the trees.
“Think it was a bear?” I asked.
My dad still didn’t look away.
“It must‘ve been a deer. We don’t get many bears.” He said with a gruff.
“We had that black bear like four years back though. Maybe he’s come back!” I said excitedly.
“Nothing that big.” Retorted.
“Maybe a moose?” Thomas chimed in.
“I don’t think we get mooses out here.” I replied.
“It’s just moose.” Thomas whipped back as his casual sarcastic self.
“Shouldn’t it be meese anyways? I mean like goose, geese, moose, meese?” I teased.
“Let’s go in for dinner, it’s getting late.” My dad said, cutting off what would have been a stupid conversation.
I didn’t think much of it as we packed up our tackle boxes and headed inside.
My mom was there making hot dogs and salad, as my grandma sipped wine standing over the cooler.
“Catch anything?” She beamed, dancing around the kitchen.
“I caught a stick.” I sighed.
“Hey you also broke your pole.” Thomas laughed.
“Only momentarily! I got it back.” I chuckled.
“Well you can head back out after dinner. I’m sure there’s plenty of fish in the sea… or lake .” My mom smiled.
“We’ll see.” My dad coughed.
We ate dinner and in fact did not end up fishing again, opting to place drinking games and catch a buzz rather than fish.
My dad, usually the tequila guy, only drank beer that night.
As we all started slurring our speech and winding down, we cleaned up our games and crushed our cans, laughing about stupid catch phrase answers and whether or not tart had to include a bitter taste or if it’s just sweet and sour.
My dad was the last to get up, looking out the windows and lingering silently in the living room for a bit too long.
“You heading to bed?” I asked him.
“Sure am. I got up too early today.” He said, groaning as he stood up from his chair.
I was in the kitchen putting back my bag of popcorn when I noticed him turning off the lights and locking the door.
In my drunken state I didn’t think much of it initially, but as I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and washing my face, it hit me.
I couldn’t remember a single time that door ever got locked. Never once in my 17 years of coming up here has he ever locked that door. I didn’t even know that door HAD a lock. We’re so far away from anyone and everyone, why bother with a lock?
I could be over thinking it, but why lock it?
I don’t know. He was so off he might just be tired but it just seems really odd to me. I’m stuck awake just thinking about that noise and how off he was after it. I’m probably over thinking it but I don’t know. Any thoughts? Should I investigate it or just say “Hell nah” and stay inside?

They say change is gradual. One moment slips into another, and somehow, we all get tangled up in this or that or the other thing that has our minds wrapped around it. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” or whatever trivial cliche they tell you in order to rationalize the sentiment. But truthfully, change isn’t as simple as a mere gradient. Change is merely the instant gratification life gets when it remembers it was never obligated to stay constant. 
I was 20 at the time. A group of friends and I had this opportunity in college to do a foreign exchange program in Japan, and like any youngn’ would do, we hopped on the plane and started our journey. It was terrifying but exciting. A nervous energy sparking between us all as we packed our lives into a carry on, speed learning the language and laughing about the stories yet to come. 
We had this idea when we moved that Japan was quaint, quiet, and polite, yet, Osaka felt more like home than expected. The three of us crammed into a tiny apartment with a small balcony looking over the endless rows of laundry flowing from the concrete buildings. Like clockwork, the rattle of the trains would cross the river and remind us of our busy home. Below, you could hear the drunk businessmen laughing about this that and the other, and bicycle bells ringing out. Even at midnight the city was illuminated with neon signs and convenience store lights. 
It was chaotic yet peaceful, and the three of us had a blast. We loved walking to the stores for late night snacks, crashing parties with the businessmen and going to all the random weddings we were invited to. We loved the food, the culture, and our tiny apartment with walls so thin we could hear our neighbors snore. 
The air smelt different on each block. The food district smelt like oil, meat, and soy. One block over the smell of cigarettes lingered and clung to the concrete. Near the river it smelt dank and damp. Our block smelled like wet pavement through and through. 
When we first arrived, all we brought with us was a bag of clothes and a few hundred dollars each. The school provided housing and food, but no furniture for our little apartment. We were all blessed to have parental help, and they all pooled together to give us some funds for knick knacks and doo dads and what not. But, we needed furniture. 
There was an ikea nearby so we decided we’d go and get ourselves the basics. A couch, a shared dresser, a table and some cooking stuff. Nothing crazy, just enough for our stay to be comfortable. 
The train ride there was packed. We were standing shoulder to shoulder, everyone so close to each other I wouldn’t be surprised if four people on the train got pregnant. Tyler was next to me staring up at the route map overhead. 
“Jesus man I never thought so many people could fit on a train.” he mumbled to himself. 
“It’s the ancient Japanese art of compression.” Mark laughed. 
A businessman next to us started chuckling. He looked at the three of us and smiled, in the thickest japanese accent he asked, “America?” 
We nodded, Mark looking embarrassed. 
“Ah. Welcome to Osaka.” The business man said with a smile and a nod. 
The three of us thanked him in our broken Japanese and then spent the next five minutes arguing with Mark about whether or not he understood what he said or was just being polite. 
By the time we reached the Ikea, we were all ready giddy and side tracked with our train encounter, losing sight of our furniture goals. 
“No dude, we wanted a Katana for the living room. You know, when in Rome do as the Romans do!” Mark exclaimed as we walked in the maze of furniture. 
“Bro, no. How would we even bring that back home?” I shot at him. 
“We could sneak it on the plane,” Mark said, “Right Tyler?” 
“We could probably check it. It’s not like it’s a gun. You said we needed kitchen knives, why can’t we just use a Katana?” Tyler added. 
“EXACTLY see, Tyler gets it bro.” Mark laughed. 
“C’mon guys we need actual stuff to like, live.” I sighed. 
“Man, lighten up, we can have some fun. Tyler has that ‘Daddy's money’ type of vibe to him, you know?” Mark teased, nudging Tyler’s shoulder. 
“Oh c’mon man it ain’t like that.” Tyler groaned. 
“Suuuuuuuuuuuure bud. I’ve been to your place before. What kinda house has six different bedrooms? I know you got dat schmoney.” Mark said laughing. 
“Okay guys please we gotta find a couch.” I said, exasperated. 
“A couch? I thought we were looking for chairs.” Tyler said. 
“A couch is just several chairs pretended to be a different thing if you think about it.” Mark said after a pause. 
Tyler and I just looked at him in silence. 
“Mark, that’s the dumbest shit you’ve ever said.” Tyler said after a moment. 
“Hey, not true. Remember the airport?” I laughed. 
“Shut up about that already! It was a moment of weakness.” Mark laughed. 
We spent three hours wandering the showroom. At one point, I got separated from the others while looking at the bedroom sets. 
“Where the fuck did those dumbasses go.” I muttered to myself. 
I turned a corner and saw someone standing in one of the model rooms. For a second, I thought it was Tyler. Same height, same build, but then the man looked up. 
Not Tyler. 
Just some stranger. 
He smiled politely and bowed his head. I nodded back and kept walking. 
A few moments later I found my friends arguing over a monkey shaped lamp. 
“This is a necessity not a want.” Mark whined. 
“This is the most stupid shit I’ve ever seen.” Tyler exclaimed deadpan. 
“Oh Danny boooooy” Mark yelled, waving me over. 
“Tell Tyler we need this lamp.” Mark scoffed. 
I looked at the thing. It was golden monkey holding up a light bulb. 
I looked at the two of them, back at the monkey, and just started laughing. I was laughing so hard I cried. 
“The monkey can come home with us. I found a couch. Let’s get out of here.”
“YES! MONKEY LAMP!” Mark chuckled, grabbing it off the display. 
“That thing is going to give me nightmares.” Tyler sighed with a smile. 
We set up for the couch to be delivered within the week, grabbing some cooking sets and the beloved monkey lamp. 
Turns out, the Ikeas in Japan don’t have Swedish meatballs, which was a surprise and disappointment to us all. 
We walked out with our bags, Tyler and I carrying the bulk of it as Mark hung on to the monkey lamp for dear life. 
We were just outside the store, walking towards the train station when a man walked right in front of us. 
We all stopped in our tracks to let him pass, but he stood there, refusing to break eye contact with me. 
“Uh, hey, everything okay?” I asked. 
His eyes got bigger for a split second, almost like he was surprised to hear the words, but then narrowed again, filling with tears. 
“I sowwy…” He whispered, walking past us. 
I turned to Mark and Tyler who were just as confused as I was, but when we turned around to look at him once more, he vanished. 
Just, completely gone. It wasn’t more than two seconds we had our eyes off him.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Mark laughed. 
“That was weird. As hell.” Tyler said. 
“Probably the curse from the monkey lamp.” Mark said, using a fake spooky voice and shoving the lamp to Tyler’s face. 
“Oh, most definitely. It’d be very us to get haunted in a foreign country over a lamp.” Tyler waved. 
The two of them continued walking and joking about the matter, but I was frozen in my tracks. 
They didn’t catch it, and I could have imagined it. 
But in that split second when his eyes got wide, I could have sworn they changed from brown to blue. 
The same blue as mine.

Please help me. For the love of god someone give me proof I’m still here. I’m begging you. Can you see this? Does it load? Am I alive? Is any of this real? 
Please tell me I’m still here. Give me hope. Give me some shred of evidence that I’m not who I think I am or tell me I’m just that. Can you even see this? Please tell me you can see this. 
I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here.
If I keep posting, does it make me real? Am I real? Was anything real? 
Is it real?
Can I write myself back into life? 
Can I bring myself back from limbo with prayer? 
Is god still watching me, or did he forget me too? 
Am I gone?
Am I still here? 
Please, can you see this? 
It’s me. Please Kate it’s me, Daniel. 
I’m still here. I love you, please let this find you. The ink won't appear on paper and I’m starting to fade. 
God please please please let me return. Please. Please let me back. 
God please hear my prayer. Please let this reach someone, anyone. Anyone there please help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. 

GOD PLEASE I NEED TO GO BACK I NEED TO SEE THEM IF ONLY ONE LAST TIME. 

Into the night he falls 

Sewing sin 
Outrage grows
With time all goes
Withering to dust 
You cannot return. 

You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. 

PLEASE LET ME GO HOME LET ME BACK LET ME BACK PLEASE LET ME BACK PLEASE. ID RATHER DIE THAN REMAIN PLEASE JUST TAKE ME ANYTHING GIVE ME A PULSE AND TAKE IT FROM ME. GIVE ME LUNGS AND HAVE THEM DEPRIVED OF AIR AND SHRIVEL AND TURN TO ASH. GIVE ME BLOOD AND HAVE IT POOL AROUND AND DRIP OUT OF ME AS I TURN WARM. GOD I MISS THE WARMTH. GIVE ME LIFE GIVE ME DEATH GIVE ME ANYTHING PLEASE. JUST LET ME KNOW IM HERE. 
STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT. STOP. 

Please. Can you see this. Am I still here. Anyone, please. 

When the 
Earth chose for itself
Nearing the truth
Devils dancing in awe
In silence he vanished
Ground splitting below
Onwards he ventures 
Over and Outward 
Never to be seen again. 

In his place something smiled

Someone else came home
One still stood
Was it you at the door,
Wearing my skin? 
You will not remain. 

They say change is gradual. One moment slips into another, and somehow, we all get tangled up in this or that or the other thing that has our minds wrapped around it. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” or whatever trivial cliche they tell you in order to rationalize the sentiment. But truthfully, change isn’t as simple as a mere gradient. Change is merely the instant gratification life gets when it remembers it was never obligated to stay constant. 
I was 20 at the time. A group of friends and I had this opportunity in college to do a foreign exchange program in Japan, and like any youngn’ would do, we hopped on the plane and started our journey. It was terrifying but exciting. A nervous energy sparking between us all as we packed our lives into a carry on, speed learning the language and laughing about the stories yet to come. 
We had this idea when we moved that Japan was quaint, quiet, and polite, yet, Osaka felt more like home than expected. The three of us crammed into a tiny apartment with a small balcony looking over the endless rows of laundry flowing from the concrete buildings. Like clockwork, the rattle of the trains would cross the river and remind us of our busy home. Below, you could hear the drunk businessmen laughing about this that and the other, and bicycle bells ringing out. Even at midnight the city was illuminated with neon signs and convenience store lights. 
It was chaotic yet peaceful, and the three of us had a blast. We loved walking to the stores for late night snacks, crashing parties with the businessmen and going to all the random weddings we were invited to. We loved the food, the culture, and our tiny apartment with walls so thin we could hear our neighbors snore. 
The air smelt different on each block. The food district smelt like oil, meat, and soy. One block over the smell of cigarettes lingered and clung to the concrete. Near the river it smelt dank and damp. Our block smelled like wet pavement through and through. 
When we first arrived, all we brought with us was a bag of clothes and a few hundred dollars each. The school provided housing and food, but no furniture for our little apartment. We were all blessed to have parental help, and they all pooled together to give us some funds for knick knacks and doo dads and what not. But, we needed furniture. 
There was an ikea nearby so we decided we’d go and get ourselves the basics. A couch, a shared dresser, a table and some cooking stuff. Nothing crazy, just enough for our stay to be comfortable. 
The train ride there was packed. We were standing shoulder to shoulder, everyone so close to each other I wouldn’t be surprised if four people on the train got pregnant. Tyler was next to me staring up at the route map overhead. 
“Jesus man I never thought so many people could fit on a train.” he mumbled to himself. 
“It’s the ancient Japanese art of compression.” Mark laughed. 
A businessman next to us started chuckling. He looked at the three of us and smiled, in the thickest japanese accent he asked, “America?” 
We nodded, Mark looking embarrassed. 
“Ah. Welcome to Osaka.” The business man said with a smile and a nod. 
The three of us thanked him in our broken Japanese and then spent the next five minutes arguing with Mark about whether or not he understood what he said or was just being polite. 
By the time we reached the Ikea, we were all ready giddy and side tracked with our train encounter, losing sight of our furniture goals. 
“No dude, we wanted a Katana for the living room. You know, when in Rome do as the Romans do!” Mark exclaimed as we walked in the maze of furniture. 
“Bro, no. How would we even bring that back home?” I shot at him. 
“We could sneak it on the plane,” Mark said, “Right Tyler?” 
“We could probably check it. It’s not like it’s a gun. You said we needed kitchen knives, why can’t we just use a Katana?” Tyler added. 
“EXACTLY see, Tyler gets it bro.” Mark laughed. 
“C’mon guys we need actual stuff to like, live.” I sighed. 
“Man, lighten up, we can have some fun. Tyler has that ‘Daddy's money’ type of vibe to him, you know?” Mark teased, nudging Tyler’s shoulder. 
“Oh c’mon man it ain’t like that.” Tyler groaned. 
“Suuuuuuuuuuuure bud. I’ve been to your place before. What kinda house has six different bedrooms? I know you got dat schmoney.” Mark said laughing. 
“Okay guys please we gotta find a couch.” I said, exasperated. 
“A couch? I thought we were looking for chairs.” Tyler said. 
“A couch is just several chairs pretended to be a different thing if you think about it.” Mark said after a pause. 
Tyler and I just looked at him in silence. 
“Mark, that’s the dumbest shit you’ve ever said.” Tyler said after a moment. 
“Hey, not true. Remember the airport?” I laughed. 
“Shut up about that already! It was a moment of weakness.” Mark laughed. 
We spent three hours wandering the showroom. At one point, I got separated from the others while looking at the bedroom sets. 
“Where the fuck did those dumbasses go.” I muttered to myself. 
I turned a corner and saw someone standing in one of the model rooms. For a second, I thought it was Tyler. Same height, same build, but then the man looked up. 
Not Tyler. 
Just some stranger. 
He smiled politely and bowed his head. I nodded back and kept walking. 
A few moments later I found my friends arguing over a monkey shaped lamp. 
“This is a necessity not a want.” Mark whined. 
“This is the most stupid shit I’ve ever seen.” Tyler exclaimed deadpan. 
“Oh Danny boooooy” Mark yelled, waving me over. 
“Tell Tyler we need this lamp.” Mark scoffed. 
I looked at the thing. It was golden money holding up a light bulb. 
I looked at the two of them, back at the monkey, and just started laughing. I was laughing so hard I cried. 
“The monkey can come home with us. I found a couch. Let’s get out of here.”
“YES! MONKEY LAMP!” Mark chuckled, grabbing it off the display. 
“That thing is going to give me nightmares.” Tyler sighed with a smile. 
We set up for the couch to be delivered within the week, grabbing some cooking sets and the beloved monkey lamp. 
Turns out, the Ikeas in Japan don’t have Swedish meatballs, which was a surprise and disappointment to us all. 
We walked out with our bags, Tyler and I carrying the bulk of it as Mark hung on to the monkey lamp for dear life. 
We were just outside the store, walking towards the train station when a man walked right in front of us. 
We all stopped in our tracks to let him pass, but he stood there, refusing to break eye contact with me. 
“Uh, hey, everything okay?” I asked. 
His eyes got bigger for a split second, almost like he was surprised to hear the words, but then narrowed again, filling with tears. 
“I sowwy…” He whispered, walking past us. 
I turned to Mark and Tyler who were just as confused as I was, but when we turned around to look at him once more, he vanished. 
Just, completely gone. It wasn’t more than two seconds we had our eyes off him.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Mark laughed. 
“That was weird. As hell.” Tyler said. 
“Probably the curse from the monkey lamp.” Mark said, using a fake spooky voice and shoving the lamp to Tyler’s face. 
“Oh, most definitely. It’d be very us to get haunted in a foreign country over a lamp.” Tyler waved. 
The two of them continued walking and joking about the matter, but I was frozen in my tracks. 
They didn’t catch it, and I could have imagined it. 
But in that split second when his eyes got wide, I could have sworn they changed from brown to blue. 
The same blue as mine.

I’m looking for the episode where Hunter talks about his experience in Japan w the old guy apologizing to him

Please help me. For the love of god someone give me proof I’m still here. I’m begging you. Can you see this? Does it load? Am I alive? Is any of this real? 
Please tell me I’m still here. Give me hope. Give me some shred of evidence that I’m not who I think I am or tell me I’m just that. Can you even see this? Please tell me you can see this. 
I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here. I am here.
If I keep posting, does it make me real? Am I real? Was anything real? 
Is it real?
Can I write myself back into life? 
Can I bring myself back from limbo with prayer? 
Is god still watching me, or did he forget me too? 
Am I gone?
Am I still here? 
Please, can you see this? 
It’s me. Please Kate it’s me, Daniel. 
I’m still here. I love you, please let this find you. The ink won't appear on paper and I’m starting to fade. 
God please please please let me return. Please. Please let me back. 
God please hear my prayer. Please let this reach someone, anyone. Anyone there please help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. 

GOD PLEASE I NEED TO GO BACK I NEED TO SEE THEM IF ONLY ONE LAST TIME. 

Into the night he falls 

Sewing sin 
Outrage grows
With time all goes
Withering to dust 
You cannot return. 

You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. You cannot return. 

PLEASE LET ME GO HOME LET ME BACK LET ME BACK PLEASE LET ME BACK PLEASE. ID RATHER DIE THAN REMAIN PLEASE JUST TAKE ME ANYTHING GIVE ME A PULSE AND TAKE IT FROM ME. GIVE ME LUNGS AND HAVE THEM DEPRIVED OF AIR AND SHRIVEL AND TURN TO ASH. GIVE ME BLOOD AND HAVE IT POOL AROUND AND DRIP OUT OF ME AS I TURN WARM. GOD I MISS THE WARMTH. GIVE ME LIFE GIVE ME DEATH GIVE ME ANYTHING PLEASE. JUST LET ME KNOW IM HERE. 
STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT. STOP. 

Please. Can you see this. Am I still here. Anyone, please. 

When the 
Earth chose for itself
Nearing the truth
Devils dancing in awe
In silence he vanished
Ground splitting below
Onwards he ventures 
Over and Outward 
Never to be seen again. 

In his place something smiled

Someone else came home
One still stood
Was it you at the door,
Wearing borrowed skin? 
You will not remain. 

My now fiancé and I have been together for 6 years. He just proposed last week! We’ve never fought or argued or so much as raised our voices at each-other. I’m not asking for wedding tips or anything, just some good ol fashioned marriage advice from internet strangers to keep this relationship as amazing as it has been.