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00:02while we were playing hide and seek i locked my daughter in the wardrobe where she was hiding
00:06and never opened it again hide well i'll come find you later
00:18then the rest of us zanes ran my wife helen my son erin and i moved away as quickly as
00:24we could
00:2820 years later i came back to bury her i stood in front of that damn wardrobe and then
00:47daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy
01:02it all started when erin was preparing to get married his future in-laws insisted that both
01:07families see a psychic before the wedding they believed the marriage should begin with a proper
01:11blessing so my wife and i went we thought it would be a formality but after the reading the psychic
01:17looked up at us with a grave expression and said you have another child don't you one who hasn't
01:23come home in years my stomach dropped i turned to helen she looked pale as hell she knew what i
01:32was
01:32thinking the psychic kept going a marriage like this needs the whole family present if someone's
01:38been left behind whatever is following them will follow the couple too what do you mean following
01:44them the old man just shook his head better not to ask you have a daughter don't you yes
01:52what it's her she's been begging to come home and she's become something powerful i was confused
01:58my daughter was dead dead for 20 years how could she want to come home how could she be powerful
02:05some spirits don't rest easy not when something was left unfinished your family has a missing piece
02:11that kind of absence doesn't stay buried go home make your family whole again then come see me we
02:19left faster than we had arrived back home helen sat on the couch trembling what do we do we moved
02:27we
02:27ran we left her there how are we supposed to bring her home now i ran my hands through my
02:34hair
02:34anxious aaron was engaged our future daughter-in-law's family was rich and prominent her people had money
02:41and influence more than we ever would aaron couldn't afford to lose a match like this
02:45i couldn't let the ghost of our daughter stand in the way i had to find a way to deal
02:49with it with her
02:55my daughter's name was katie if she were still alive she would have been 28 this year when katie was
03:018 my wife helen and i decided to move to the city for work life was hard enough already and
03:07trying to
03:07start over with two young children felt impossible the day before we left helen suddenly said she
03:12didn't want to take katie with us she only wanted to bring our seven-year-old son aaron my parents
03:18were
03:18already dead there were no grandparents to leave katie with if we didn't take her there would be no one
03:23to
03:23care for her she doesn't need anyone to care for her we'll lock her in the house and act like
03:28she was
03:29never born i stared at her stunned but she didn't seem bothered in the slightest what's so shocking
03:34about that we can't afford to drag two kids into a new life one of them was always going to
03:40slow us
03:41down aaron comes with us katie stays but enough
03:48i've made up my mind just do what i say
03:54tomorrow i'll show you exactly what to do helen had always favored our son over our daughter and
03:59once she decided something there was no changing her mind the next day we packed as usual katie and
04:05aaron were both excited running back and forth stuffing their toys into the bags when it was almost
04:11time to leave helen gave me a look i knew exactly what she meant i hesitated for a long time
04:17but in
04:17the end i walked over to katie katie daddy's tired from packing want to play hide and seek
04:28katie frowned she never liked hide and seek much i don't want to play i want to help pack then
04:35aaron
04:36chimed in at exactly the wrong moment i want to play katie please play with us i rarely spent time
04:43playing with the children aaron was always eager for any scrap of attention from me under her
04:47brother's pleading katie finally gave in so i played along for a while fake smiles fake laughter
04:54pretending everything was normal then helen gave me another look the bags were packed everything was
05:00ready it was time last round this time katie hides and aaron and i will look for her katie you'd
05:08better find a really good spot helen joined in with a smile that made my skin crawl don't worry
05:15i know the perfect hiding place they'll never find you there come on sweetheart mommy will take you
05:24she led katie toward the storage shed no one but helen and i knew there was a cellar underneath it
05:29my great-grandfather had dug it years ago to store grain in case of famine later when life got better
05:35it was abandoned and left to rot there was an old wardrobe down there it had been there for as
05:40long
05:40as i could remember it was thick heavy and impossible for a child to open
05:51when helen led katie down into the cellar i saw the padlock in her hand a little while later helen
05:56came
05:56back up alone that same night we called the police and told them our daughter was missing back then
06:02child trafficking cases were all over the news and helen cried so hard in front of the officers that
06:08no one ever suspected us 20 years passed in the blink of an eye we went back to our hometown
06:13a few
06:13times after that but helen and i never spoke about what we had done we never went down into the
06:18cellar
06:18either but this time for aaron's wedding i had no choice the psychic had made it clear our family had
06:25a
06:25missing piece katie had never been laid to rest if i wanted nothing to interfere with my son's marriage
06:30i had to go back i had to find her and bury her properly helen said then go right now
06:38whatever you
06:39do don't let this ruin aaron's wedding i drove back to my hometown that night the house was an old
06:47single-story place i kept all the lights off the whole time afraid the neighbors might notice something
06:52strange i found the shed and the concrete slab covering the entrance the moment i lifted it i felt
06:58something was off a gust of wind came up from below cold sharp it hit me right in the face
07:05and that
07:05wasn't all the instant i opened it i heard a bang heavy dull solid like something had suddenly slammed
07:13into the wardrobe underground i held my breath and listened carefully a few minutes passed the strange
07:21sound didn't come again just a rat just a damn rat i went down to the basement same as 20
07:27years ago
07:27empty dark flashlight swept the space only that wardrobe in the corner paint peeling padlock still
07:33locked no smell 20 years had passed katie must have decomposed beyond recognition by now any smell would
07:40have long since faded i let out a breath then i took out the key helen had given me and
07:44reached for
07:45the lock suddenly my first thought was that someone had followed me who's there who's here i looked
07:52around carefully no one but in the corner i found a dried up carcass didn't matter i went back to
07:57the
07:57wardrobe took a deep breath tried to calm myself down i was too nervous that had to be this time
08:04i heard
08:05it clearly it came from inside the wardrobe right in front of me daddy daddy is that you i've been
08:13waiting for you for so long i'm right here in the wardrobe
08:21holy shit it really was katie's voice how is that possible daddy why aren't you talking to me
08:30open the door she still sounded like that same little eight-year-old girl how was that possible
08:36locked inside an airtight wardrobe for 20 years even if she hadn't suffocated she would have starved
08:41to death so what the hell was inside that wardrobe
08:52open the door i want help daddy
09:03the wind the thud the voice wayne are you making this up because you're too scared to bury katie
09:08how could something this creepy even be real i swear i heard her she's still in there fine
09:14if you're too much of a coward i'll do it myself she slammed the door and left i sat on
09:19the couch
09:19trying to process everything that just happened i cracked open a six-pack drank until my hands
09:24stopped shaking how how could a child survive in a sealed metal box for 20 years no air no food
09:30no
09:30water unless it was a ghost but how could a ghost be trapped inside the wardrobe why did it knock
09:35why did it sound like her with all these thoughts i passed out and woke up to screams helen was
09:41shaking
09:41me her hair was matted with dirt her jacket was torn her eyes were wide you went back i went
09:47down there
09:48i heard it that voice everything what did you do i opened the door
10:00i couldn't process what she had just said i slowly turned toward the door there she was
10:04wearing the exact yellow dress with tiny blue flowers her hair was tied into two neat ponytails
10:09it was as if she had only been gone for 20 minutes daddy i'm home my heart stopped it was
10:16definitely katie my daughter the one we had buried alive don't don't come closer she stopped just
10:21stood there obedient just like she had always been this is impossible she'd be dust she'd be gone
10:28what do you mean mommy i'm right here nothing sweetheart mommy is just upset
10:35wow is this where we live now i love it i want to stay here forever
10:41by the way daddy where's aaron didn't he want to play hide and seek
10:52well he went out to take care of something helen evasively explained yeah i greased him something
10:59on me to pysand anymore lear kids don't have things to take care of katie sweetie daddy and i need
11:09to talk
11:10just for a minute helen was so overwhelmed she grabbed my arm and shouted you play for a bit
11:17helen didn't wait for her answer she shut the bedroom door and whispered is she human how would
11:26i know you were the one who let her out oh god the crap like i know any better jesus
11:34let's just
11:35she took a knife out of the drawer
11:41no no you can't just kill her she's katie our little girl
11:51we already killed her once wayne what difference does it make this time i snatched the knife from her hand
11:58no not again we were poor and desperate back then now aaron has grown and we can afford to raise
12:08an
12:08eight-year-old but i couldn't tell helen about this i really missed katie how i had tricked my
12:13little girl how i had betrayed her trust how she had looked at me with those innocent eyes
12:18and now she came back maybe maybe this was my second chance however i still had to figure out
12:25why she hadn't aged and what had happened to her all those years helen was still hesitating
12:29then she continued are you out of your mind if they they find out we buried her
12:34our son's son's life is over no job no future no grandkids suddenly an idea flashed into my mind
12:47i opened the drawer and took out a business card a private investigator's business card
12:53the one i'd found shoved under our door weeks ago
12:59helen frowned where did you even get this none of your business anyway he's our only shot
13:09she had been going out a lot lately and i had started to suspect she was cheating on me
13:14i dialed a young voice answered hello mr shaw yes how can i help you i told him everything
13:25the silence was long enough to make me think he had hung up finally he said doubtfully so
13:31you mean your daughter stayed in the wardrobe for 20 years she doesn't eat doesn't drink doesn't age
13:36just still eight well that's about it i've never heard anything like this very interesting
13:44i'll take the case but you better bring her to me i want to see this miracle with my own
13:49eyes
13:50i hung up walked back into the living room katie was curled up on the couch her head rested on
13:56her arm
13:56her eyes half closed she smiled when she saw me daddy are we going to see a friend yeah sweetheart
14:05just for a little while do you want to come with me she climbed right onto my lap just like
14:12she
14:12used to i met jamie shaw a private investigator he poured me some tea and gave katie something sweet
14:30he chatted with her about normal kid stuff favorite books cartoons and games katie answered the same
14:36thing she would have answered 20 years ago after a while he pulled me aside mr zane it does seem
14:44that
14:44your daughter really came from 20 years ago this is the most unusual case i've ever seen in my career
14:50have you ever heard the theory that there are strange spaces in this world where time moves abnormally
14:55sometimes much faster sometimes much slower
14:58what something like that really exists out here 20 years in that wardrobe maybe only three days
15:10she didn't age because she never left alone he locked her in he pulled an old newspaper clipping
15:16from the shelf he pulled an old newspaper clipping from the shelf 1892 a man was stranded on a remote
15:29island for 25 years when he was rescued aside for his grown-out beard he hadn't changed a bit my
15:36hands shook
15:37that that's real real enough to be recorded so she's not dead she's frozen this case is too strange
15:48so i've decided not to charge you i want to know what is really going on as well also i
15:54would suggest
15:55a paternity test from a biological standpoint it would tell you whether she's biologically your daughter
16:02how much would that cost
16:082000 but i know a lab that'll do it cheaper i thought of my son's wedding expenses everything cost money
16:18no need i know my own daughter
16:23all right then let's head to your old home now i'd like to run an experiment in that wardrobe
16:32the experiment was simple even a rough man like me could understand it jamie put a candle in the wardrobe
16:40this thing is big enough so there's plenty of air inside normally the candle should burn out in about
16:45two hours i'll light it now and come back tomorrow if it burns out our guess is wrong if it
16:51has barely
16:51burned down then time really does move slower in there to be safe he also put a popsicle inside as
16:57a
16:57second check after that i took katie home
17:05katie was tired she curled up on the couch right after we got home
17:11daddy my head is so itchy i want to wash my hair
17:18helen could you not mommy i want daddy to wash it i want daddy
17:23i froze for a moment as if i had gone back 20 years i was exhausted and a scolding almost
17:29slipped out
17:30but when i looked down into katie's dark eyes i swallowed the words i helped her wash her hair
17:35twinkle twinkle twinkle little star how i wonder what you are
17:42she looked up at me
17:44daddy do you like my song of course sweetheart i love it
17:51she giggled then daddy why'd you take so long to come find me
17:57i looked away
17:58i was busy
18:01but daddy i waited for you for so long why didn't you come find me
18:06just as i was about to lose my temper i suddenly cried out
18:09the daughter lying on my lap had somehow turned into a dried corpse
18:13her body was shriveled and yellow and her eye sockets had become two hollow pits
18:17but her mouth was still opening and closing
18:24daddy why didn't you come
18:28don't you want me to come home
18:32i screamed grabbed her and shoved her face into the water
18:36she thrashed and yelled
18:43she was a monster she was not my daughter
18:48helen swung in i gasped
18:53she's not katie she's a i looked down and froze again
18:57the dried corpse in the basin had turned back into a normal child
19:05her neck was a long red scratch from my nails
19:13didn't you say you were going to treat her well
19:15i wasn't trying to hurt her she katie sniffled is daddy drunk again
19:22shh it's okay mommy's here
19:29my eyes fixed on the mirror there she was in the reflection curled in helen's arms she looked pitiful
19:35as she cried in helen's arms but the corners of her mouth were curled into a dark eerie smile
19:44that night katie insisted on sleeping in our room
19:47not a chance i'd sooner stay awake till dawn than lie next to that thing
19:52so i took a blanket and camped out on the couch half awake all night
19:56one eye open listening for the slightest sound i told myself i only had to get through one night
20:02once jamie's results came in i'd take care of her i wasn't about to let a monster keep breathing under
20:08my roof the next morning the first news i got wasn't jamie's result it was that aaron was coming
20:14home my heart lurched no absolutely not aaron could not see katie i still didn't know what she was a
20:23child a ghost or something worse but if anything happened to aaron my whole life would go down with
20:29him katie was at the table eating breakfast when i waved her over that's enough come with me
20:34i was going to shut her in the guest room until i figured out the next move but the second
20:39i stepped
20:39toward her she drew back are you trying to make me hide in the wardrobe again i was already rolling
20:45up my sleeves ready to force her if i had to aaron's back did he call you katie lit up
20:51at once aaron's
20:52home before i could stop her she flew out the door barefoot what the hell is wrong with you
21:00why would you tell her aaron was back she shrank right in front of me instinctively throwing her
21:07arm over her head her forearm was a mess purple bruises yellowing marks old scars crossing over
21:13new ones i ran after katie by the time i got downstairs she was already at the building entrance
21:20aaron had just stepped inside and there he was rooted to the spot staring at her like the dead had
21:26come back wearing a child's face confusion disbelief and dread filled his eyes his lips trembled
21:33then barely audible he said beside him stood his fiancee katie get back here i was rattled now one
21:44suspicious look from sophia and aaron's marriage could be dead before it started and she was sharp
21:49sharper than i liked who is she
21:57she's aaron's sister sister since when aaron never said he had a sister
22:04she looks just like him there was no way i was letting sophia's family hear the truth
22:10then came the worst possible sentence wait is she his daughter no no of course not sophia come on she's
22:19my
22:19daughter how could she possibly be aaron's he's far too young to have a child that so your family lied
22:25you told us aaron was an only child and now i'm supposed to find out like this that he has
22:29a
22:29sister you don't leave out something like that by accident if you were willing to hide this then
22:33what else are you hiding how am i supposed to trust any of you now then she looked at aaron
22:38disappointment written all over her face i'm going home to talk to my parents
22:43i care about you but i can't be with someone who lies to me and just like that she turned
22:47and
22:48walked away but he didn't move what are you waiting for go after her forget it i was never an
22:52only
22:52child i didn't want to lie anymore i never really wanted to get married his face was calm if sophia
22:59decides to call it off maybe that's for the best i nearly lost my mind if we hadn't been standing
23:04in
23:04the middle of the building lobby i would have slapped him then and there that was aaron always aaron too
23:10soft too timid and never able to stand up for himself what had i raised him for to watch him
23:15throw
23:15away a good marriage without a fight are you really katie zane yes i'm your sister
23:25wow you got so tall i was only hiding for a little while how did you grow up so much
23:34the moment those
23:35words left her mouth something in aaron shattered i saw it his expression darkened his eyes went hollow
23:43like some old wound had split back open right in front of me and then he cried tears streaming down
23:49his face in front of everyone i clenched my fists so tight my bones ached that girl had already done
23:55enough damage now she was ruining aaron's marriage too she had to go back in the wardrobe if time really
24:02stopped in there then fine she could stay in the dark another 20 years 30 forever if that's what it
24:10took maybe i'd never let her out again if aaron could still marry sophia i'd be fine her family had
24:17money enough to make this whole mess go away as long as the marriage was still on the table there
24:22was
24:23still a way out so i pulled out my phone and called jamie for the test result he picked up
24:28right away i was
24:40jamie brought in three massive work lights and the cellar lit up bright as day i'd already braced myself
24:46for the worst the second i saw it with my own eyes i was still stunned inside the wardrobe the
24:53white
24:53candle had barely burned it was almost completely intact even the popsicle was still frozen solid
25:00wayne looks like we were right time really does stop in there thank god that meant katie wasn't a ghost
25:07she really hadn't died dealing with a ghost would have been a pain in the ass controlling a little
25:13girl that was easy my son was about to get married so my daughter was just gonna have to keep
25:18staying
25:18in the wardrobe a little longer oh and one more thing can you help me out i need a clean
25:23story for
25:24why katie suddenly showed up something polished enough to calm sophia down shut the whole thing down
25:28and get her to go through with marrying my son we'll say she's a friend's kid no real connection to
25:35this
25:35family and back then because of some complicated situation i only pretended to be her father to
25:41protect her sure that part's easy i'm good at stuff like that and the price still free this isn't hard
25:51honestly i should be thanking you because of you i got to witness what this wardrobe can really do
25:58that pleased me he didn't look like much but there was more to him than i thought if katie had
26:04grown up
26:04and if the money made sense i might have even considered marrying my daughter off to him although
26:10i looked at him what wayne if i'm handling everything you asked for free the least you can
26:17do is show me a little respect i frown what the hell is that supposed to mean how have i
26:21disrespected you
26:22do is show me a little respect you lied
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