- 2 days ago
A hidden past shapes their future.
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π₯
Short filmTranscript
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
02:12and that kind of absence doesn't stay buried go home make your family whole again then come see me
02:18we left faster than we had arrived back home helen sat on the couch trembling what do we do
02:26we moved we ran we left her there how are we supposed to bring her home now i ran my
02:33hands through my
02:34hair anxious erin was engaged our future daughter-in-law's family was rich and prominent her people had
02:40money and influence more than we ever would erin couldn't afford to lose a match like this i couldn't
02:46let the ghost of our daughter stand in the way i had to find a way to deal with it
02:50with her
02:55my daughter's name was katie if she were still alive she would have been 28 this year when katie
03:00was eight my wife helen and i decided to move to the city for work life was hard enough already
03:06and
03:07trying to start over with two young children felt impossible the day before we left helen suddenly
03:12said she didn't want to take katie with us she only wanted to bring our seven-year-old son erin
03:17my parents were already dead there were no grandparents to leave katie with if we didn't
03:22take her there would be no one to care for her she doesn't need anyone to care for her we'll
03:27lock her
03:27in the house and act like she was never born i stared at her stunned but she didn't seem bothered
03:32in the slightest what's so shocking about that we can't afford to drag two kids into a new life
03:39one of them was always going to slow us down erin 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
03:59and once she decided something there was no changing her mind the next day we packed as
04:04usual katie and erin were both excited running back and forth stuffing their toys into the bags
04:10when it was almost time to leave helen gave me a look i knew exactly what she meant i hesitated
04:16for a long time but in the end i walked over to katie
04:25katie daddy's tired from packing want to play hide and seek
04:28katie frowned she never liked hide and seek much
04:32i don't want to play i want to help pack then erin chimed in at exactly the wrong moment
04:38i want to play katie please play with us
04:41i rarely spent time playing with the children erin was always eager for any scrap of attention from me
04:47under her brother's pleading katie finally gave in so i played along for a while fake smiles
04:53fake laughter pretending everything was normal then helen gave me another look the bags were packed
04:59everything was ready it was time
05:01last round this time katie hides and erin and i will look for her
05:07katie you better find a really good spot
05:09helen joined in with a smile that made my skin crawl
05:14don't worry i know the perfect hiding place they'll never find you there come on sweetheart
05:21mommy 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
05:33later when life got better it was abandoned and left to rot
05:37there was an old wardrobe down there it had been there for as long as i could remember
05:41it 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
05:54a little while later helen came back up alone that same night we called the police and told them our
06:00daughter was missing back then child trafficking cases were all over the news and helen cried so
06:06hard in front of the officers that no one ever suspected us
06:0920 years passed in the blink of an eye we went back to our hometown a few times after that
06:14but helen and i never spoke about what we had done we never went down into the cellar either
06:19but this time for aaron's wedding i had no choice
06:22the psychic had made it clear our family had a missing piece katie had never been laid to rest
06:28if i wanted nothing to interfere with my son's marriage i had to go back
06:31i had to find her and bury her properly helen said then go right now whatever you do
06:41don'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
06:52something strange 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 wasn't all the instant i opened it i heard a bang heavy dull solid like something had
07:12suddenly slammed into the wardrobe underground
07:17i held my breath and listened carefully a few minutes passed the strange sound didn't come again
07:22just a rat just a damn rat i went down to the basement same as 20 years ago empty dark
07:28flashlight
07:29swept the space only that wardrobe in the corner paint peeling padlock still locked no smell 20 years
07:35had passed katie must have decomposed beyond recognition by now any smell would have long since
07:41faded i let out a breath then i took out the key helen had given me and reached for the
07:45lock suddenly
07:47my first thought was that someone had followed me who's there who's here i looked around carefully
07:53no one but in the corner i found a dried up carcass didn't matter i went back to the wardrobe
07:58took a deep
07:59breath tried to calm myself down i was too nervous that had to be this time i heard it clearly
08:05it came
08:06from inside the wardrobe right in front of me daddy daddy is that you i've been waiting for you for
08:14so
08:14long i'm right here in the wardrobe
08:21holy shit it really was katie's voice how was 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
08:51open 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
09:16she slammed the door and left i sat on the couch trying to process everything that just happened
09:21i cracked open a six-pack drank until my hands stopped shaking how how could a child survive
09:27in a sealed metal box for 20 years no air no food no water unless it was a ghost but
09:32how could a ghost
09:33be trapped inside the wardrobe why did it knock why did it sound like her with all these thoughts
09:38i passed out and woke up to screams helen was shaking me her hair was matted with dirt her jacket
09:44was torn her eyes were wide you went back i went down there i heard it that voice everything
09:51what 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
10:10it 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 stood
10:22there 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
10:53well he went out to take care of something helen evasively explained
10:57yeah i greased him something on me the python anymore
11:03lear kids don't have things to take care of
11:08katie sweetie daddy and i need to talk just for a minute
11:12helen was so overwhelmed she grabbed my arm and shouted
11:16you play for a bit helen didn't wait for her answer
11:19she shut the bedroom door and whispered
11:23is she human how would i know you were the one who let her out
11:28oh god the crap like i know any better
11:34jesus let's just she took a knife out of the drawer
11:41no no you can't just kill her
11:46she's katie our little girl
11:51we already killed her once wayne what difference does it make
11:55this time i snatched the knife from her hand
11:58no not again
12:02we were poor and desperate back then
12:05now aaron has grown and we can afford to raise an eight-year-old
12:09but i couldn't tell helen about this
12:11i really missed katie how i had tricked my little girl
12:14how i had betrayed her trust
12:15how she had looked at me with those innocent eyes
12:18and now she came back
12:20maybe maybe this was my second chance
12:23however i still had to figure out why she hadn't aged
12:26and what had happened to her all those years
12:28helen was still hesitating
12:29then she continued
12:31are you out of your mind
12:32if they find out we buried her
12:34our son's son's life is over
12:36no job
12:38no future
12:39no grandkids
12:41suddenly an idea flashed into my mind
12:46i opened the drawer and took out a business card
12:49a private investigator's business card
12:53the one i'd found shoved under our door weeks ago
12:59helen frowned
13:00where did you even get this
13:03none of your business
13:05anyway he's our only shot
13:09she had been going out a lot lately
13:11and i had started to suspect she was cheating on me
13:14i dialed
13:16a young voice answered
13:18hello
13:20mr shaw
13:22yes how can i help you
13:23i told him everything
13:25the silence was long enough to make me think he had hung up
13:28finally he said doubtfully
13:30so
13:30you mean your daughter stayed in the wardrobe for 20 years
13:34she doesn't eat doesn't drink doesn't age
13:36just still
13:37ate
13:38well that's about it
13:41i've never heard anything like this
13:42very interesting
13:44i'll take the case
13:45but you better bring her to me
13:47i want to see this miracle with my own eyes
13:50i hung up
13:51walked back into the living room
13:53katie was curled up on the couch
13:55her head rested on her arm
13:56her eyes half closed
13:58she smiled when she saw me
14:00daddy
14:01are we going to see a friend
14:03yeah sweetheart
14:04just for a little while
14:06do you want to come with me
14:09she climbed right onto my lap
14:11just like she used to
14:13of course daddy
14:14i always want to stay with you
14:24i met jamie shaw
14:26a private investigator
14:27he poured me some tea
14:28and gave katie something sweet
14:30he chatted with her about normal kid stuff
14:32favorite books
14:33cartoons
14:34and games
14:35katie answered the same thing she would have answered 20 years ago
14:40after a while
14:41he pulled me aside
14:42mr zane
14:42it does seem that your daughter really came from 20 years ago
14:47this is the most unusual case i've ever seen in my career
14:50have you ever heard the theory
14:52that there are strange spaces in this world where time moves abnormally
14:55sometimes much faster
14:56sometimes much slower
14:58what
15:00something like that really exists
15:04out here
15:0520 years
15:06in that wardrobe
15:07maybe only 3 days
15:10she didn't age because
15:11she never left the moment who locked her in
15:14he pulled an old newspaper clipping from the shelf
15:17he pulled an old newspaper clipping from the shelf
15:261892
15:27a man was stranded on a remote island for 25 years
15:31when he was rescued aside for his grown out beard
15:35he hadn't changed a bit
15:36my hands shook
15:37that's real
15:39real enough to be recorded
15:40so
15:42she's not dead
15:43she's
15:46frozen
15:46this case is too strange
15:48so i've decided not to charge you
15:50i want to know what is really going on as well
15:54also i would suggest a paternity test
15:57from a biological standpoint it would tell you whether she's biologically your daughter
16:02how much would that cost
16:06two thousand
16:08but i know a lab that'll do it cheaper
16:10i thought of my son's wedding expenses
16:13everything cost money
16:18no need
16:19i know my own daughter
16:23all right
16:24then let's head to your old home now
16:26i'd like to run an experiment in that wardrobe
16:32the experiment was simple
16:33even a rough man like me could understand it
16:36jamie put a candle in the wardrobe
16:40this thing is big enough
16:41so there's plenty of air inside
16:44normally the candle should burn out in about two hours
16:46i'll light it now and come back tomorrow
16:48if it burns out
16:49our guess is wrong
16:50if it has barely burned down
16:52then time really does move slower in there
16:54to be safe
16:55he also put a popsicle inside as a second check
17:00after that
17:01i took katie home
17:05katie was tired
17:06she curled up on the couch right after we got home
17:11daddy my head is so itchy
17:13i want to wash my hair
17:18helen could you
17:19not mommy
17:20i want daddy to wash it
17:21i want daddy
17:23i froze for a moment
17:25as if i had gone back 20 years
17:26i was exhausted
17:28and the scolding almost slipped out
17:30but when i looked down into katie's dark eyes
17:32i swallowed the words
17:34i helped her wash her hair
17:35twinkle twinkle little star
17:38how i wonder what you are
17:42she looked up at me
17:45daddy
17:45do you like my song
17:48of course sweetheart
17:49i love it
17:50she giggled
17:52then
17:52daddy 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
18:04why didn't you come find me
18:06just as i was about to lose my temper
18:08i suddenly cried out
18:09the daughter lying on my lap
18:11had somehow turned into a dried corpse
18:13her body was shriveled and yellow
18:15and her eye sockets had become two hollow pits
18:17but her mouth was still opening and closing
18:32i screamed grabbed her and shoved her face into the water
18:36she thrashed and yelled
18:43she was a monster
18:45she was not my daughter
18:48helen spawned in
18:49what the hell are you doing
18:53she's not katie
18:54she's a
18:55i looked down and froze again
18:57the dried corpse in the basin had turned back into a normal child
19:02daddy you're hurting me
19:05on her neck was a long red scratch from my nails
19:13didn't you say you were gonna treat her well
19:17i wasn't trying to hurt her
19:19she
19:20katie sniffled
19:21is daddy drunk again
19:22shh
19:23it's okay
19:24mommy's here
19:29my eyes fixed on the mirror
19:31there she was in the reflection
19:32curled in helen's arms
19:34she looked pitiful as she cried in helen's arms
19:37but the corners of her mouth were curled into a dark
19:39eerie smile
19:44that night katie insisted on sleeping in our room
19:47not a chance
19:48i'd sooner stay awake till dawn than lie next to that thing
19:52so i took a blanket and camped out on the couch
19:55half awake all night
19:56one eye open
19:57listening for the slightest sound
19:59i told myself i only had to get through one night
20:02once jamie's results came in
20:04i'd take care of her
20:05i wasn't about to let a monster keep breathing under my roof
20:09the next morning
20:10the first news i got wasn't jamie's result
20:13it was that aaron was coming home
20:15my heart lurched
20:16no
20:17absolutely not
20:19aaron could not see katie
20:21i still didn't know what she was
20:23a child
20:24a ghost
20:24or something worse
20:26but if anything happened to aaron
20:27my whole life would go down with him
20:29katie was at the table eating breakfast when i waved her over
20:32that's enough come with me
20:34i was going to shut her in the guest room
20:36until i figured out the next move
20:38but the second i stepped toward her
20:40she drew back
20:41are you trying to make me hide in the wardrobe again
20:43i was already rolling up my sleeves
20:46ready to force her if i had to
20:48aaron's back
20:50did he call you
20:51katie lit up at once
20:52aaron's home
20:53before i could stop her
20:54she flew out the door barefoot
20:56what the hell is wrong with you
21:00why would you tell her aaron was back
21:03she shrank right in front of me
21:05instinctively throwing her arm over her head
21:08her forearm was a mess
21:09purple bruises
21:10yellowing marks
21:11old scars crossing over new ones
21:14i ran after katie
21:15by the time i got downstairs
21:17she was already at the building entrance
21:20aaron had just stepped inside
21:22and there he was
21:23rooted to the spot
21:25staring at her like the dead had come back
21:27wearing a child's face
21:28confusion
21:29disbelief
21:30and dread filled his eyes
21:32his lips trembled
21:33then
21:34barely audible
21:35he said
21:36beside him stood his fiancee
21:39katie
21:39get back here
21:41i was rattled now
21:43one suspicious look from sophia
21:45and aaron's marriage could be dead before it started
21:48and she was sharp
21:49sharper than i liked
21:51who is she
21:57she's aaron's sister
21:58sister
22:00since when
22:01aaron never said he had a sister
22:04she looks just like him
22:06there was no way i was letting sophia's family hear the truth
22:09then came the worst possible sentence
22:12wait
22:14is she his daughter
22:16no no of course not
22:18sophia come on
22:19she's my daughter
22:20how could she possibly be aaron's
22:22he's far too young to have a child that old
22:24so your family lied
22:25you told us aaron was an only child
22:27and now i'm supposed to find out like this that he has a sister
22:29you don't leave out something like that by accident
22:31if you were willing to hide this then what else are you hiding
22:34how am i supposed to trust any of you now
22:36then she looked at aaron
22:38disappointment written all over her face
22:40i'm going home to talk to my parents
22:43i i care about you
22:44but i can't be with someone who lies to me
22:46and just like that
22:47she turned and walked away
22:48but he didn't move
22:49what are you waiting for
22:50go after her
22:51forget it i was never an only child
22:53i didn't want to lie anymore
22:54i never really wanted to get married
22:56his face was calm
22:58if sophia decides to call it off
23:00maybe that's for the best
23:01i nearly lost my mind
23:03if we hadn't been standing in the middle of the building lobby
23:06i would have slapped him then and there
23:07that was aaron
23:08always aaron
23:09too soft
23:10too timid
23:11and never able to stand up for himself
23:13what had i raised him for
23:14to watch him throw away a good marriage without a fight
23:18are you really katie zane
23:20yes
23:21i'm your sister
23:25wow you got so tall
23:27i was only hiding for a little while
23:32how did you grow up so much
23:34the moment those words left her mouth
23:36something in aaron shattered
23:38i saw it
23:39his expression darkened
23:41his eyes went hollow
23:43like some old wound had split back open right in front of me
23:46and then he cried
23:48tears streaming down his face in front of everyone
23:50i clenched my fists so tight my bones ached
23:54that girl had already done enough damage
23:56now she was ruining aaron's marriage too
23:59she had to go back in the wardrobe
24:01if time really stopped in there
24:03then fine
24:04she could stay in the dark another 20 years
24:0730
24:08forever
24:09if that's what it took
24:10maybe i'd never let her out again
24:12if aaron could still marry sophia
24:14i'd be fine
24:15her family had money
24:17enough to make this whole mess go away
24:19as long as the marriage was still on the table
24:22there was still a way out
24:24so i pulled out my phone and called jamie for the test result
24:27he picked up right away
24:29i was just about to call you
24:30i'm at your old house
24:31you need to get over here and see this
24:40jamie brought in three massive work lights
24:42and the cellar lit up bright as day
24:44i'd already braced myself for the worst
24:47the second i saw it with my own eyes
24:49i was still stunned
24:51inside the wardrobe
24:52the white candle had barely burned
24:54it was almost completely intact
24:57even the popsicle was still frozen solid
25:00wayne
25:00looks like we were right
25:02time really does stop in there
25:04thank god
25:05that meant katie wasn't a ghost
25:07she really hadn't died
25:09dealing with a ghost would have been a pain in the ass
25:13controlling a little girl
25:14that was easy
25:15my son was about to get married
25:16so my daughter was just gonna have to keep staying in the wardrobe a little longer
25:20oh and one more thing
25:21can you help me out
25:23i need a clean story for why katie suddenly showed up
25:25something polished enough to calm sophia down
25:28shut the whole thing down
25:28and get her to go through with marrying my son
25:31we'll say she's a friend's kid
25:33no real connection to this family
25:35and back then because of some complicated situation
25:39i only pretended to be her father to protect her
25:42sure that part's easy
25:44i'm good at stuff like that
25:46and the price
25:48it's still free
25:50this isn't hard
25:51honestly i should be thanking you
25:53because of you
25:55i got to witness what this wardrobe can really do
25:58that pleased me
25:59he didn't look like much
26:01but there was more to him than i thought
26:03if katie had grown up
26:04and if the money made sense
26:06i might have even considered marrying my daughter off to him
26:09although
26:10i looked at him
26:11what
26:13wayne
26:14if i'm handling everything you asked for free
26:16the least you can do is show me a little respect
26:18i frowned
26:19what the hell is that supposed to mean
26:21how have i disrespected you
26:22you lied
26:23you
26:24you
26:24you
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