- 19 hours ago
Bitter Lies, Final Goodbye Ep
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00While we were playing hide and seek. I locked my daughter in the wardrobe where she was hiding. And never
00:05opened it again.
00:06Hide well. I'll come find you later.
00:15Then the rest of us Zanes ran. My wife, Helen, my son, Aaron. And I moved away as quickly as
00:22we could.
00:2520 years later, I came back to bury her. I stood in front of that damn wardrobe. And then...
00:43Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?
00:54You finally found me, Daddy?
00:59It all started when Aaron was preparing to get married. His future in-laws insisted that both families see a
01:05psychic before the wedding. They believed the marriage should begin with a proper blessing. So my wife and I went.
01:10We thought it would be a formality. But after the reading, the psychic looked up at us with a grave
01:15expression and said.
01:16You have another child, don't you? One who hasn't come home in years.
01:23My stomach dropped. I turned to Helen. She looked pale as hell. She knew what I was thinking. The psychic
01:30kept going.
01:31A marriage like this needs the whole family present. If someone's been left behind, whatever is following them will follow
01:38the couple too.
01:39What do you mean, following them?
01:41The old man just shook his head. Better not to ask. You have a daughter, don't you?
01:47Yes. But...
01:49It's her. She's been begging to come home and she's become something powerful.
01:54I was confused. My daughter was dead. Dead for 20 years. How could she want to come home? How could
02:00she be powerful?
02:01Some spirits don't rest easy. Not when something was left unfinished. Your family has a missing piece. And that kind
02:08of absence doesn't stay buried. Go home. Make your family whole again. Then come see me.
02:14We left. Faster than we had arrived. Back home. Helen sat on the couch. Trembling.
02:21What do we do? We moved. We ran. We left her there. How are we supposed to bring her home
02:27now?
02:28I ran my hands through my hair. Anxious. Aaron was engaged. Our future daughter-in-law's family was rich and
02:34prominent. Her people had money. And influence, more than we ever would. Aaron couldn't afford to lose a match like
02:41this.
02:41I couldn't let the ghost of our daughter stand in the way. I had to find a way to deal
02:45with it, with her.
02:50My daughter's name was Katie. If she were still alive. She would have been 28 this year. When Katie was
02:568, my wife, Helen. And I decided to move to the city for work.
03:00Life was hard enough already. And trying to start over with 2 young children felt impossible. The day before we
03:06left. Helen suddenly said she didn't want to take Katie with us.
03:09She only wanted to bring our 7-year-old son, Aaron. My parents were already dead. There were no grandparents
03:15to leave Katie with. If we didn't take her, there would be no one to care for her.
03:19She doesn't need anyone to care for her. We'll lock her in the house and act like she was never
03:24born.
03:24I stared at her, stunned, but she didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
03:28What's so shocking about that?
03:31We can't afford to drag two kids into a new life. One of them was always going to slow us
03:35down. Aaron comes with us. Katie stays.
03:39But-
03:40Enough!
03:43I've made up my mind. Just do what I say. Tomorrow, I'll show you exactly what to do.
03:51Helen had always favored our son over our daughter. And once she decided something, there was no changing her mind.
03:57The next day, we packed as usual. Katie and Aaron were both excited, running back and forth, stuffing their toys
04:03into the bags.
04:04When it was almost time to leave, Helen gave me a look. I knew exactly what she meant. I hesitated
04:10for a long time, but in the end, I walked over to Katie.
04:19Katie, daddy's tired from packing. Wanna play hide and seek?
04:22Katie frowned. She never liked hide and seek much.
04:26I don't wanna play. I wanna help pack.
04:29Then Aaron chimed in at exactly the wrong moment.
04:31I wanna play. Katie, please play with us.
04:35I rarely spent time playing with the children. Aaron was always eager for any scrap of attention from me. Under
04:41her brother's pleading, Katie finally gave in. So I played along for a while. Fake smiles. Fake laughter. Pretending everything
04:48was normal. Then Helen gave me another look. The bags were packed. Everything was ready. It was time.
04:55Last round. This time Katie hides, and Aaron and I will look for her. Katie, you better find a really
05:02good spot.
05:03Helen joined in with a smile that made my skin crawl.
05:07Don't worry. I know the perfect hiding place. They'll never find you there. Come on, sweetheart. Mommy will take you.
05:17She led Katie toward the storage shed. No one but Helen and I knew there was a cellar underneath it.
05:22My great-grandfather had dug it years ago to store grain in case of famine. Later, when life got better,
05:28it was abandoned and left to rot. There was an old wardrobe down there. It had been there for as
05:32long as I could remember. It was thick, heavy, and impossible for a child to open.
05:43When Helen led Katie down into the cellar, I saw the padlock in her hand. A little while later, Helen
05:49came back up. Alone. That same night, we called the police and told them our daughter was missing. Back then,
05:55child trafficking cases were all over the news. And Helen cried so hard in front of the officers that no
06:00one ever suspected us.
06:01Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. We went back to our hometown a few times after that.
06:06But Helen and I never spoke about what we had done. We never went down into the cellar, either. But
06:11this time, for Aaron's wedding, I had no choice.
06:14The psychic had made it clear, our family had a missing piece. Katie had never been laid to rest. If
06:20I wanted nothing to interfere with my son's marriage, I had to go back. I had to find her. And
06:25bury her properly. Helen said.
06:27Then go. Right now. Whatever you do. Don't let this ruin Aaron's wedding.
06:36I drove back to my hometown that night. The house was an old single-story place. I kept all the
06:41lights off the whole time. Afraid the neighbors might notice something strange. I found the shed. And the concrete slab
06:47covering the entrance. The moment I lifted it, I felt something was off. A gust of wind came up from
06:52below. Cold. Sharp. It hit me right in the face.
06:56And that wasn't all. The instant I opened it, I heard a bang. Heavy. Dull. Solid. Like something had suddenly
07:03slammed into the wardrobe underground.
07:08I held my breath and listened carefully. A few minutes passed. The strange sound didn't come again. Just a rat.
07:14Just a damn rat.
07:15I went down to the basement. Same as 20 years ago. Empty. Dark. Flashlight swept the space. Only that wardrobe
07:22in the corner. Paint peeling. Padlock still locked. No smell. 20 years had passed. Katie must have decomposed beyond recognition
07:29by now. Any smell would have long since faded.
07:32I let out a breath. Then I took out the key Helen had given me. And reached for the lock.
07:36Suddenly.
07:38My first thought was that someone had followed me. Who's there? Who's here?
07:42I looked around carefully. No one. But in the corner, I found a dried up carcass. Didn't matter. I went
07:48back to the wardrobe. Took a deep breath. Tried to calm myself down. I was too nervous. That had to
07:53be.
07:54This time, I heard it clearly. It came from inside the wardrobe right in front of me.
07:58Daddy. Daddy, is that you? I've been waiting for you for so long. I'm right here in the wardrobe.
08:10He he.
08:11Holy shit. It really was Katie's voice. How is that possible?
08:16Daddy? Why aren't you talking to me? Open the door.
08:22She still sounded like that same little eight-year-old girl. How was that possible?
08:26Locked inside an airtight wardrobe for 20 years. Even if she hadn't suffocated, she would have starved to death.
08:31So what the hell was inside that wardrobe?
08:41Open the door. I want help. Daddy.
08:52The wind. The thud. The voice.
08:55Wayne, are you making this up because you're too scared to bury Katie? How could something this creepy even be
08:59real?
09:00I swear. I heard her. She's still in there.
09:03Fine. If you're too much of a coward, I'll do it myself.
09:06She slammed the door and left. I sat on the couch, trying to process everything that just happened.
09:11I cracked open a six-pack. Drank until my hands stopped shaking.
09:14How? How could a child survive in a sealed metal box for 20 years?
09:18No air. No food. No water. Unless it was a ghost.
09:21But how could a ghost be trapped inside the wardrobe?
09:24Why did it knock? Why did it sound like her?
09:26With all these thoughts, I passed out. And woke up to screams.
09:29Helen was shaking me. Her hair was matted with dirt. Her jacket was torn. Her eyes were wide.
09:34You went back?
09:35I went down there. I heard it. That voice. Everything.
09:40What did you do?
09:42I opened the door.
09:48I couldn't process what she had just said. I slowly turned toward the door.
09:52There she was, wearing the exact yellow dress with tiny blue flowers.
09:56Her hair was tied into two neat ponytails. It was as if she had only been gone for 20 minutes.
10:01Daddy. I'm home.
10:03My heart stopped. It was definitely Katie. My daughter. The one we had buried alive.
10:07Don't! Don't come closer!
10:09She stopped. Just stood there. Obedient. Just like she had always been.
10:12This is impossible. She'd be dust. She'd be gone.
10:17What do you mean, Mommy? I'm right here.
10:19N-nothing, sweetheart. Mommy is just... upset.
10:23Wow. Is this where we live now? I love it. I want to stay here forever.
10:29By the way, Daddy.
10:32Where's Aaron? Didn't he want to play hide and seek?
10:40Well, he went out to take care of something.
10:43Helen evasively explained.
10:44Yeah. I greased him to something. I don't need a picep anymore.
10:50Lear! Kids don't have things to take care of!
10:55Katie. Sweetie. Daddy and I need to talk. Just for a minute.
10:59Helen was so overwhelmed. She grabbed my arm and shouted.
11:04You play for a bit?
11:05Helen didn't wait for her answer.
11:07She shut the bedroom door and whispered.
11:09Is she... human?
11:12How would I know? You were the one who let her out.
11:16Oh, God the crap. Like I know any better.
11:20Jesus. Let's just...
11:22She took a knife out of the drawer.
11:28No, no. You can't just kill her.
11:32She's...
11:33Katie.
11:34Our little girl.
11:38We already killed her once, Wayne.
11:40What difference does it make this time?
11:43I snatched the knife from her hand.
11:45No.
11:47Not again.
11:49We were poor and desperate back then.
11:52Now Aaron has grown.
11:53And we can afford to raise an 8-year-old.
11:56But I couldn't tell Helen about this.
11:57I really missed Katie.
11:59How I had tricked my little girl.
12:00How I had betrayed her trust.
12:02How she had looked at me with those innocent eyes.
12:04And now.
12:05She came back.
12:07Maybe, maybe this was my second chance.
12:09However, I still had to figure out why she hadn't aged and what had happened to her all those years.
12:14Helen was still hesitating.
12:16Then she continued.
12:18Are you out of your mind?
12:19If they find out we buried her, our son's son's life is over.
12:23No job.
12:24No future.
12:26No grandkids.
12:27Suddenly, an idea flashed into my mind.
12:32I opened the drawer and took out a business card.
12:35A private investigator's business card.
12:39The one I'd found shoved under our door weeks ago.
12:45Helen frowned.
12:46Where did you even get this?
12:48None of your business.
12:50Anyway, he's our only shot.
12:54She had been going out a lot lately.
12:57And I had started to suspect she was cheating on me.
13:00I dialed.
13:02A young voice answered.
13:04Hello?
13:05Mr. Shaw?
13:08Yes, how can I help you?
13:09I told him everything.
13:11The silence was long enough to make me think he had hung up.
13:14Finally, he said doubtfully.
13:15So, you mean your daughter stayed in the wardrobe for 20 years.
13:19She doesn't eat, doesn't drink, doesn't age, just still ate?
13:24Well, that's about it.
13:26I've never heard anything like this.
13:28Very interesting.
13:29I'll take the case.
13:31But you better bring her to me.
13:32I want to see this miracle with my own eyes.
13:35I hung up.
13:36Walked back into the living room.
13:38Katie was curled up on the couch.
13:40Her head rested on her arm.
13:42Her eyes half closed.
13:43She smiled when she saw me.
13:45Daddy?
13:46Are we going to see a friend?
13:48Yeah, sweetheart.
13:49Just for a little while.
13:51Do you want to come with me?
13:54She climbed right onto my lap.
13:56Just like she used to.
13:58Of course, Daddy.
14:00I always want to stay with you.
14:08I met Jamie Shaw, a private investigator.
14:11He poured me some tea and gave Katie something sweet.
14:14He chatted with her about normal kid stuff.
14:16Favorite books, cartoons, and games.
14:20Katie answered the same thing she would have answered 20 years ago.
14:23Uh-huh.
14:24After a while, he pulled me aside.
14:26Mr. Zane, it does seem that your daughter really came from 20 years ago.
14:31This is the most unusual case I've ever seen in my career.
14:34Have you ever heard the theory that there are strange spaces in this world where time moves abnormally?
14:39Sometimes much faster, sometimes much slower?
14:42What?
14:44Something like that really exists?
14:47Out here?
14:4920 years.
14:50In that wardrobe?
14:51Maybe only three days.
14:54She didn't age because she never left a moment who locked her in.
14:58He pulled an old newspaper clipping from the shelf.
15:05He pulled an old newspaper clipping from the shelf.
15:091892.
15:11A man was stranded on a remote island for 25 years.
15:15When he was rescued, aside for his grown-out beard, he hadn't changed a bit.
15:19My hands shook.
15:21That's real?
15:22Real enough to be recorded.
15:23So, she's not dead.
15:28She's frozen.
15:30This case is too strange, so I've decided not to charge you.
15:33I want to know what is really going on as well.
15:36Also, I would suggest a paternity test.
15:40From a biological standpoint, it would tell you whether she's biologically your daughter.
15:45How much would that cost?
15:49$2,000.
15:51But I know a lab that'll do it cheaper.
15:53I thought of my son's wedding expenses.
15:55Everything cost money.
16:00No need.
16:02I know my own daughter.
16:06Alright.
16:07Then let's head to your old home now.
16:08I'd like to run an experiment in that wardrobe.
16:14The experiment was simple.
16:16Even a rough man like me could understand it.
16:18Jamie put a candle in the wardrobe.
16:22This thing is big enough, so there's plenty of air inside.
16:26Normally, the candle should burn out in about two hours.
16:28I'll light it now and come back tomorrow.
16:30If it burns out, our guess is wrong.
16:33If it has barely burned down, then time really does move slower in there.
16:36To be safe, he also put a popsicle inside as a second check.
16:42After that, I took Katie home.
16:47Katie was tired.
16:49She curled up on the couch right after we got home.
16:53Daddy, my head is so itchy.
16:56I want to wash my hair.
17:00Helen, could you...
17:01Not mommy.
17:02I want daddy to wash it.
17:03I want daddy.
17:05I froze for a moment, as if I had gone back 20 years.
17:08I was exhausted, and a scolding almost slipped out.
17:11But when I looked down into Katie's dark eyes, I swallowed the words.
17:15I helped her wash her hair.
17:17Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
17:20How I wonder what you are.
17:24She looked up at me.
17:26Daddy?
17:27Do you like my song?
17:29Of course, sweetheart.
17:30I love it.
17:32She giggled.
17:33Then...
17:34Daddy, why'd you take so long to come find me?
17:38I looked away.
17:40I was busy.
17:42But daddy, I waited for you for so long.
17:45Why didn't you come find me?
17:47Just as I was about to lose my temper, I suddenly cried out.
17:50The daughter lying on my lap had somehow turned into a dried corpse.
17:54Her body was shriveled and yellow, and her eye sockets had become two hollow pits.
17:58But her mouth was still opening and closing.
18:04Daddy, why didn't you come?
18:08Don't you want me to come home?
18:13I screamed, grabbed her, and shoved her face into the water.
18:17She thrashed and yelled.
18:23She was a monster.
18:25She was not my daughter.
18:28Helen stormed in.
18:29I gasped.
18:33She's not Katie.
18:35She's a...
18:35I looked down and froze again.
18:37The dried corpse in the basin had turned back into a normal child.
18:42Daddy, you're hurting me.
18:45On her neck was a long red scratch from my nails.
18:52Didn't you say you were going to treat her well?
18:57I wasn't trying to hurt her.
19:00She...
19:00Katie sniffled.
19:01Is daddy drunk again?
19:03Shh.
19:03It's okay.
19:05Mommy's here.
19:09My eyes fixed on the mirror.
19:11There she was in the reflection, curled in Helen's arms.
19:14She looked pitiful as she cried in Helen's arms.
19:16But the corners of her mouth were curled into a dark, eerie smile.
19:23That night, Katie insisted on sleeping in our room.
19:27Not a chance.
19:28I'd sooner stay awake till dawn than lie next to that thing.
19:31So I took a blanket and camped out on the couch, half awake all night, one eye open, listening for
19:37the slightest sound.
19:38I told myself I only had to get through one night.
19:41Once Jamie's results came in, I'd take care of her.
19:45I wasn't about to let a monster keep breathing under my roof.
19:48The next morning, the first news I got wasn't Jamie's result.
19:52It was that Aaron was coming home.
19:54My heart lurched.
19:56No.
19:56Absolutely not.
19:58Aaron could not see Katie.
19:59I still didn't know what she was.
20:02A child, a ghost, or something worse.
20:05But if anything happened to Aaron, my whole life would go down with him.
20:08Katie was at the table eating breakfast when I waved her over.
20:13I was going to shut her in the guest room until I figured out the next move.
20:17But the second I stepped toward her, she drew back.
20:19Are you trying to make me hide from the wardrobe again?
20:22I was already rolling up my sleeves, ready to force her if I had to.
20:27Aaron's back.
20:28Did he call you?
20:29Katie lit up at once.
20:30Aaron's home?
20:32Before I could stop her, she flew out the door barefoot.
20:35What the hell is wrong with you?
20:39Why would you tell her Aaron was back?
20:42She shrank right in front of me, instinctively throwing her arm over her head.
20:46Her forearm was a mess, purple bruises, yellowing marks, old scars crossing over new ones.
20:52I ran after Katie.
20:54By the time I got downstairs, she was already at the building entrance.
20:58Aaron had just stepped inside.
21:00And there he was, rooted to the spot, staring at her like the dead had come back wearing a child's
21:06face.
21:06Confusion, disbelief, and dread filled his eyes.
21:10His lips trembled.
21:11Then, barely audible, he said.
21:14Katie?
21:14Beside him stood his fiancée.
21:16Katie!
21:18Get back here!
21:19I was rattled now.
21:21One suspicious look from Sophia, and Aaron's marriage could be dead before it started.
21:26And she was sharp.
21:27Sharper than I liked.
21:29Who is she?
21:34She's Aaron's sister.
21:36Sister?
21:37Since when?
21:38Aaron never said he had a sister.
21:41She looks just like him.
21:43There was no way I was letting Sophia's family hear the truth.
21:47Then came the worst possible sentence.
21:50Wait.
21:51Is she his daughter?
21:54No, no, of course not.
21:55Sophia, come on.
21:56She's my daughter.
21:57How could she possibly be Aaron's?
21:59He's far too young to have a child that old.
22:01So your family lied.
22:02You told us Aaron was an only child.
22:04And now I'm supposed to find out like this that he has a sister?
22:06You don't leave out something like that by accident.
22:08If you were willing to hide this, then what else are you hiding?
22:11How am I supposed to trust any of you now?
22:13Then she looked at Aaron, disappointment written all over her face.
22:16I'm going home to talk to my parents.
22:19I care about you.
22:21But I can't be with someone who lies to me.
22:23And just like that, she turned and walked away.
22:25But he didn't move.
22:26What are you waiting for?
22:27Go after her.
22:28Forget it.
22:28I was never an only child.
22:29I didn't want to lie anymore.
22:31I never really wanted to get married.
22:33His face was calm.
22:34If Sophia decides to call it off, maybe that's for the best.
22:37I nearly lost my mind.
22:39If we hadn't been standing in the middle of the building lobby, I would have slapped
22:43him then and there.
22:44That was Aaron.
22:45Always Aaron.
22:46Too soft.
22:46Too timid.
22:47And never able to stand up for himself.
22:49What had I raised him for?
22:51To watch him throw away a good marriage without a fight.
22:54Are you really Katie Zane?
22:57Yes.
22:58I'm your sister.
23:01Wow, you got so tall.
23:04I was only hiding for a little while.
23:08How did you grow up so much?
23:10The moment those words left her mouth, something in Aaron shattered.
23:14I saw it.
23:15His expression darkened.
23:17His eyes went hollow.
23:19Like some old wound had split back open right in front of me.
23:22And then he cried, tears streaming down his face in front of everyone.
23:26I clenched my fists so tight my bones ached.
23:29That girl had already done enough damage.
23:32Now she was ruining Aaron's marriage too.
23:35She had to go back in the wardrobe.
23:37If time really stopped in there, then fine.
23:40She could stay in the dark another 20 years.
23:4230.
23:43Forever, if that's what it took.
23:46Maybe I'd never let her out again.
23:48If Aaron could still marry Sophia, I'd be fine.
23:51Her family had money.
23:53Enough to make this whole mess go away.
23:55As long as the marriage was still on the table, there was still a way out.
23:59So I pulled out my phone and called Jamie for the test result.
24:03He picked up right away.
24:04I was just about to call you.
24:05I'm at your old house.
24:06You need to get over here and see this.
24:14Jamie brought in three massive work lights, and the cellar lit up bright as day.
24:19I'd already braced myself for the worst.
24:22The second I saw it with my own eyes, I was still stunned.
24:26Inside the wardrobe, the white candle had barely burned.
24:29It was almost completely intact.
24:31Even the popsicle was still frozen solid.
24:35Wayne, looks like we were right.
24:37Time really does stop in there.
24:39Thank God.
24:40That meant Katie wasn't a ghost.
24:42She really hadn't died.
24:44Dealing with a ghost would have been a pain in the ass.
24:47Controlling a little girl.
24:48That was easy.
24:49My son was about to get married, so my daughter was just going to have to keep staying in the
24:53wardrobe a little longer.
24:54Oh, and one more thing.
24:56Can you help me out?
24:57I need a clean story for why Katie suddenly showed up.
25:00Something polished enough to calm Sophia down, shut the whole thing down, and get her to go through with marrying
25:04my son.
25:05We'll say she's a friend's kid.
25:07No real connection to this family.
25:10And back then, because of some complicated situation, I only pretended to be her father to protect her.
25:16Sure.
25:17That part's easy.
25:18See, I'm good at stuff like that.
25:20And the price?
25:21Still free.
25:23This isn't hard.
25:25Honestly, I should be thanking you.
25:27Because of you, I got to witness what this wardrobe can really do.
25:32That pleased me.
25:33He didn't look like much, but there was more to him than I'd thought.
25:36If Katie had grown up, and if the money made sense, I might have even considered marrying my daughter off
25:42to him.
25:43Although, I looked at him.
25:45What?
25:47Wayne, if I'm handling everything you asked for free, the least you can do is show me a little respect.
25:52I frowned.
25:53What the hell is that supposed to mean?
25:54How have I disrespected you?
25:56You lied.
25:57How have I disrespected your dad in theory?
25:57I've talked to the firm with you.
25:57I love you.
25:57First of all, I've been joined with you.
25:57Thank you, I really appreciate you.
25:57What?
25:58I'm leaving.
25:58Amen.
Comments