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hey what the hell

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And We're Back

If you've been wondering why we haven't posted in months, we had a lot to do what with the new house and all. Actually, we just got the wifi settled this morning.

Because the Seekers of the Vine have been attacking us nonstop for months.

We've essentially been under siege... in fact, the only reason we're alive at all is because Sybel imprinted the Aelael on every entranceway. We ran out of food before long in here, so Astrid commandeered one of the downstairs bathrooms and started growing plants in the shower. The little garden is... Weird as hell. Also, we got tired of eating shower mushrooms very quickly.

We ended up killing most of the attacking Seekers and taking their supplies. But they usually didn't have enough food on them. Then Sybel came up with some ideas. We didn't like them. But we also didn't have another option.

The rumors are true. It's called long pork for a reason.

Anyway, after we miraculously avoided prion disease (even Helen, which is impressive considering her family tree is essentially a circle) the Seekers finally backed off. We're thinking of getting a dog to keep them at bay (this idea made Jason shake his head no repeatedly), but Sybel claims A'kzth can take them.

Hope they're right.

Anyway, with Raven's due date in three months, we've come up with some name ideas. Which name do you all like best?

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THIS BLOG IS PROTECTED BY THE AELAEL, GLYPH OF AWAKENING. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

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mr sandman

man me a sand

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I found Dad's journal in Ethan's bedroom. In his closet, top shelf. I will be reading through it and documenting the remainder of the entries.

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Wyatt's not doing so hot. He's been coughing a lot lately, so we called a family friend- a doctor- to come check him out. Name's Dr. Wendall. They're a pretty good doctor.

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My cousin Wyatt and his girlfriend Kenzi have been staying with me the past couple of days. Wyatt's best friend was just murdered, and then Kenzi's apartment burned down. They used to live over in Marybell Township before they moved here to White Cross. Ethan's still missing.

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So... Hi. I'm Jace Melchior, Ethan's cousin. Uh... Yeah, he's missing. Like, gone gone. No one's seen or heard from him since before Christmas. I found a post in his queue from the 15th of December which I posted, so... Yeah.

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Ezra's Journal, Entry 1

My uncle Ezra kept many journals as a child. His very last one spanned nearly 56 years (almost 3/4 of his life) and yet has very few entries for that entire period. This is the first entry in that final journal. October 7th, 1967

Our hunting trip has gone surprisingly well! Two deer, a pair of rabbits, and a goose that was unlucky enough to wander in front of a stray bullet. Grandpa was shocked to the point of laughter. He says the game is never usually good in this part of Maryland this early in the fall. We roasted the goose and had it for supper. Afterwards, Grandpa tried to scare me with ghost stories, especially the one from the old country about Domnule Slab, but I just laughed. I'm seventeen, not a little kid. He seemed disappointed that I wasn't scared. I'm nearly a full grown man; set to graduate next year and work at the grocers. I simply don't get scared by things like that anymore. We sat under the starlight and talked about the future for a few hours. Grandpa Nikolai and I argued. He thinks I should go to college and make something of myself. I tell him "No, Grandpa. I have an offer to work at the grocer's. If I go to college, who's going to take care of Mom and baby Julia?" He says Julia's not a baby. She's twelve, she can look after Mom. I say that Julia has to go to school. She can't stay home alone with Mom. Especially considering Mom's illness, which is why she can't work.

He said something about how his father didn't emigrate to America with nothing but the clothes on his back and spend three years confined to Ellis Island just for me to waste my life working at a grocery store. I got angry and told him that if he'd actually helped Mom with her medical bills instead of bickering with her constantly, I wouldn't HAVE to work at the grocery store, and we wouldn't have had to sell the house either. I think I was unfair. I mean, it's not his fault Dad left. We got by just fine for twelve years without Grandpa's money, and my job at the grocer's will be enough to pay for Mom's medicine. It will be fine.

I do love Grandpa Nikolai. Honestly. I'll apologize in the morning, we both need time to cool off. October 8th, 1:37 AM

Something just moved outside my tent. I thought it was a bear, but it wasn't. It was Grandpa He got out of his tent and went over to the campfire. Then he took the bones of the goose and put them in his bag. He was crying. I've never seen Grandpa cry before. He was mumbling things under his breath, then he grabbed one of the deer and dragged it away. I've never seen him act like this before. I'm going to follow him. I have to make sure he's okay. October 8th, 2:19 AM

Where is he going? We've been walking for almost and hour. Twice he's sat down. Both times he sat on a rock and cried. Just sat there and bawled like a baby. It was so... unnerving. Now he's standing by a river, just staring into the water, I really don't know what to think. He's acting like Mom does when she has one of her fits. Wait... He's gone. October 8th, 2:49 AM

I can't find Grandpa Nikolai, or the camp. I'm irritated, confused, and worried. If I could just find the camp, I could hike back to the main road and catch a ride to the police station. But my compass is screwed up. Its keeps spinning in a circle. I'm surprised my watch is even working. I keep hearing things. It's probably just the wind, and my nerves, but I could have sworn I heard someone calling "Help me, I'm lost." I need to calm down and look for Grandpa. October 8th, 3:00 AM I FOUND HIM MEUM FATUM OBSIGNATUM October 9th, 11:00 AM

I didn't sleep last night. I may never sleep again. They found Grandpa Nikolai. He's comatose. That may be for the best. Mom had a fit last night. Scared Julia pretty badly. She had some kind of hallucination. Screaming, throwing plates. I'm done journaling. I'm never touching this thing again. I haven't slept all night. I may never sleep again. Yesterday upon the stair I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish I wish he'd go away

If Grandpa Nikolai never wakes up, it'll be too soon by half. I told the police that he wandered off and I got lost looking for him. It's half the truth. I'm going to lock this journal in a box and bury it. Then I'm going to forget about all of this. I'm never journaling again. I'm never going near the woods again. Goodbye- Ezra Vrajal Melchior My Thoughts Ezra never told me about this camping trip. I've never heard about it, before. I've never heard about this Julia person, either- as far as I knew, Grandma Donna's only children were my mother, Judy and Uncle Ezra. Mom died giving birth to me, so I can't ask her about any of this. As far as I know, Great-grandpa Nikolai died after experiencing a stroke that left him in a coma for years. Grandma Donna had schizophrenia, or something very like it, and ended up being put in a psychiatric hospital (they weren't big on mental health back in the 70's D:) where she later committed suicide. I'm surprised about how afraid he seems at the end of this entry. Uncle Ezra never seemed scared of the forest when he, me, Wyatt, and Jace went camping. I wonder why?

The crossed out poem lines are from Antigonish by Hughes Mearnes, and the Latin roughly translates to "My fate is sealed." Very ominous.

I also can't help but wonder about the reference to "Domnule Slab" in the earlier part of the entry. It's a Romanian name, and my family has both Romanian and Russian ancestry, so that's nothing weird. The strange part is how peculiar the phrase is: Domnule Slab roughly translates to "Mister Skinny." Or... Or Mister Lean.

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A Scary Rhyme

When my brother Wyatt, my cousin Jace, and I were younger, Uncle Ezra used to take us camping every summer. We would park Ez's truck by the entrance to the campground and hike two miles to our campsite. We had two tents: Wyatt, Jace, and I in one and Uncle Ezra in the other. We'd roast marshmallows and hot dogs, make smores, and do all other kinds of camping things. Which, of course, includes ghost stories. Uncle Ezra told the classic ghost stories: The Hookman, The Vanishing Hitchhiker, legends from the US like Mothman and the Wendigo, legends from his family in the old country like the story of Baba Yaga, and other scary stories. But the one I will always remember is the one about Mr. Lean. Wyatt, Jace and I referred to the story as the "Scary Rhyme" or the "Ghost Chant". Uncle Ezra would always save that one for last. He'd walk in crazy patterns around the campfire and chant. "Be good as gold and quiet as a mouse Tucked in bed in your little house Good children will never make a sound For they never know what may be lurking around In the dead of night, the wind will howl A sneer, a snarl, an awful growl Hide under the covers, or else you'll be seen By the terrifying creature called Mr. Lean Thin as a blade of grass in the wind Taller than the weeping willows that bend Dressed in black, like a mourners pall Pale as the moon that rises over us all Eyes like slits, to search and seek A knife-toothed mouth, to tear and eat Spindly arms, by the dozens, to snatch and grab In the woods he waits, to catch and drag

The naughty children, who stay awake Will cry in their beds, will shiver and shake The children who talk, who play at night Will be in for a shock, will be in for a fright Mr. Lean will appear at the foot of their bed And fill their hearts with sinking dread Quick as a flash, he'll snatch them away And off to the forest, where they will play Lost in a maze of endless trees Doomed to wander for eternities As Mr. Lean follows, just out of sight His face blank as the moon on an autumn night So be good, my children, or else you'll be seen By the horrifying entity we call Mr. Lean."

Then he'd make a roaring noise, and we'd all scream and run into the tent. It was all in good fun, of course, and it did stop us from staying awake all night, or worse, leaving the tent and wandering off. It was fun. I miss Uncle Ezra, but I do not miss the nightmares that the "Scary Rhyme" would always invoke. And neither do Wyatt or Jace.

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Remembrance

In loving memory of my uncle, Ezra Melchior.

I miss you more and more every day, Ez. You were my favorite person in the whole world and you taught me so so so so much. I have no idea what I'm gonna do without you.

I know your mental illnesses made it very hard for you to live a normal life, and I hope you're at peace now. I will always remember you as the fun uncle who always loved telling me spooky stories (remember the ghost story you used to tell us about Mr. Lean? You always got me with that one.) Well, goodbye, Ez. I love you sooooooo much. Your nephew,

Ethan Abney