eng 221 - horror story.doc

8/10/2019 ENG 221 - Horror story.doc

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Bozza 1

Kayla Bozza

English 221-Horror story

November 10th, 2014

Innocence is precios an! rare" Innocence is something every chil! has #rom the moment

o# birth to the moment $here they have o##icially otgro$n their more chil!ish characteristics

an! have #lly labele! themselves as an a!lt" Innocence is something that nee!s to be protecte!

as long as $e as hmans shol! live" I ha!n%t realize! it ntil recently that I ha! lost sch a

precios gi#t !ring my chil!hoo!"

I $as t$enty $hen it happene!" &ver the previos #e$ $ee's, my girl#rien! an! I ha!

been preparing to o##icially move in together in a hose $e ha! prchase! a#ter saving p #rom

years o# the (obs that $e ha! both been $or'ing $ith" )e ha! been collecting or personal items

an! #rnitre an! have been bringing it into or ne$ home" It $as a nice hose #or a !ecent price,

small, bt cozy $ith a large bac'yar!" I $ol! be lying i# I sai! it !i!n%t nee! some $or' here

an! there, bt hey, I $as convince! it $as the per#ect place #or s to start or ne$ li#e together"

*st as $e $ere #inishing cleaning p an! sorting ot bo+es, I receive! a call #rom my

mother"

I #on! the bo+es that have all yor chil! pictres, games, an! toys, she tol! me" .o

shol! come by an! loo' throgh them to see i# there%s anything yo%! li'e to ta'e $ith yo" .o

'no$, #or nostalgic reasons"

I pase!, ta'ing the time to $on!er i# I really actally $ante! any o# my ol! little 'i! st##" /#ter

thin'ing it over, I !eci!e! that it $ol! actally be a goo! i!ea to sort throgh some o# my

chil!hoo! memories" /#ter all, I ha! hopes o# one !ay becoming a #ather, an! the thoght o#


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Bozza 2

getting to sho$ my 'i!s $hat a! $as into $as a pretty nice thoght" o, I agree! to ma'e the

!rive bac' to my parent%s hose an! meet p $ith my mother in the morning"

he !rive itsel# $asn%t too ba!" 3y parent%s hose $as abot t$o hors a$ay #rom $here

my girl#rien! an! I ha! move!, bt since it $as a little more in the contry si!e o# the state, I

#on! the !rive to be some$hat rela+ing" /s I plle! into my parent%s !rive$ay, a split secon! o#

sorro$ pinne! my heart" his $as no longer myhome, I no longer live! here" /s e+cite! as I

$as to be moving ot $ith the girl I love!, I still love! my parents very mch an! I realize! that

I $as happy to have come to visit more so then (st to pic' p some ol! memories"

3y 'noc'ing on the !oor $as ans$ere! $ith a hg #rom my mother" I hgge! bac',

smiling"

o, $here are those bo+es I as'e!, stepping insi!e"

5ight this $ay, in the living room, she ans$ere!"

I ma!e my $ay into the completely #amiliar environment be#ore sitting !o$n be#ore the bo+es

that ha! been place! throghot the living room #loor"

It $as nice to see that the hose ha!n%t change! at all since I ha! move! ot" I began to

sort throgh the bo+es that my mother ha! broght !o$n #or me" )ithin each o# them, I

manage! to come across ol! photos, toys, games, an! even some o# my #avorite sho$s an!

movies that ha! been recor!e! on 6H tape" It $as interesting an! en(oyable to see my ol!

things an! remember the goo! times that came $ith each item that I came across"

I $as going throgh the last o# the bo+es $hen I came across the mysterios, !sty, blac'

6H bo+ $ith no label" 7on#se!, I plle! the 6H tape ot #rom its bo+ $ith some troble" he

tape containe! no inscribe! title on the #ront, an! instea! $as mar'e! $ith a single strip o# $arn,

once $hite an! no$ some$hat yello$ing, tape $ith the title Elmo%s )orl! - 89" / rsh o#


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Bozza :

nostalgic memories #loo!e! bac' to my min!" I remembere! that, as a chil!, I ha! been in love

$ith these short clips" ;or those o# yo $ho are na$are, Elmo%s )orl! $as a short segment that

playe! !ring the en!ing o# Sesame Street. hese short clips sally laste! abot #i#teen-

mintes an! $as hoste! by Elmo, a poplar re!, #zzy pppet $ith large $hite eyes an! an

orange nose" he sho$ incl!e! animation, pppets, msic, an! live action #ilm an! $as

presente! #rom the perspective o# a yonger chil!" ring these episo!es, Elmo $ol! tal' abot

a certain topic an! everything else that happene! $ol! re#lect that topic" Elmo%s pet gol!#ish,

orothy, as $ell as the members o# the Noo!le #amily $ere silent in or!er to allo$ Elmo to !o

all the tal'ing #or the sho$ an! gave chil!ren the opportnity to respon! to $hat they $ere

$atching on screen" &verall, it $as a generally great sho$ an! ha! a !ecent nmber o# seasons

be#ore #inally halting pro!ction on November 10th, 200< #or n'no$n reasons"

Ho$ever, =ro$ing p as a chil!, my mother recor!e! every episo!e o# every season that

came ot so that I col! have all the episo!es tappe! to re-$atch again an! again as I please!"

3y mother $as really organize! an! so she place! all o# season one%s episo!es on to one 6H

tape, all o# season t$o%s episo!es on a secon! tape, an! yo get the i!ea" In total, I ha! ten

seasons an! ten 6H tapes $ith a total nmber o# 8> episo!es" o seeing the nmber 89, on its

o$n special tape, #ille! me $ith a criosity that I nee!e! to satis#y" )as this some 'in! o#

missing episo!e that I%ve never seen be#ore I $ante! to 'no$ more"

/#ter searching a little more throgh some o# the ol! bo+es, I #on! the ol! 6H player

an! plgge! it into the 6 an! poppe! in the tape" )hat came p on the screen $as something I

$asn%t e+pecting to see" he normal, happy tne! song sng by the belove! re! pppet $as

lo$er pitche! an! almost !e#orme! son!ing, slo$ing in pitch as the camera zoome! in" he

once brightly colore! bil!ing in $hich he $as singing $as no$ voi! o# all bright colors an!


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Bozza 4

$as no$ sha!es o# grey an! blac'" /t #irst, I pt it o## as (st being an ol!, !sty tape an!

thoght nothing o# it" Boy, $as I mista'en"

/s the camera zoome! in the apartment bil!ing an! #a!e! #rom the chil!-li'e !ra$ing,

the color all came bac' li'e it $ol! be an! Elmo came p on screen li'e sal" &nly, he loo'e!

mch !i##erent then I ha! previosly 'no$n him as, in #act he loo'e! ?ite horri#ying" His #zzy,

re! #r $as messy an! missing patches here an! there, as i# he $as molting li'e a bir! $ol!"

he patches that $ere missing #r loo'e! e+tremely irritate! an! itchy, sho$ing signs o#

scratching an! scabs" Elmo%s right eye ha! been bro'en, sho$ing a long crac' that e+ten!e!

across the $hole eye an! split once more across the pppet%s ppil" Elmo%s once brightly colore!,

orange nose $as no$ !ar'er an! some$hat !e#late! loo'ing, as i# it $as a balloon that ha! lost

some o# it%s air" Elmo contine! to sing an! !ance, $ith the lo$ an! slo$ tone that ha! been

playing throghot the $hole opening, be#ore inscribing the title o# the sho$ on the $in!o$

sha!e $ith a pitch blac' crayon, in cr!e letters, instea! o# the normal ble color" he crayons

that sally came !o$n to #inish the title $ere also replace!, bt they $ere replace! $ith

something that ma!e my stomach chrn" he title $as #inishe! $ith, $hat loo'e! li'e, chil!ren%s

severe! arms an! legs" he limbs $ere mangle! an! bent in sch $ays that $ol! never be

possible #or the hman bo!y to accomplish, to #orm the $or!s per#ectly in or!er to be rea! to the

vie$er"

/t this point is $here I shol! have probably trne! the tape o## right a$ay, bt morbi!

criosity hel! me !o$n an! I contine! to $atch" Elmo then $ent on to greet the vie$ers into his

home" he ne$ voice o# Elmo ma!e me ncom#ortable, it $as lo$ an! perverte! son!ing, yet it

'ept it%s overly e+cite! tone, the same tone any chil!ren%s sho$ characters $ol! se"


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Bozza @

Elmo%s 6E5. happy to see yoA Elmo e+claime! , an! & is orothyA ay HE&

orothyA

he camera panne! over to sho$ the #ishbo$l" he once clear $aters $ere no$ pitch blac',

sho$ing nothing $ithin its voi!"

=ess $hat E3&% thin'ing abot &/.A Elmo contine!, be#ore opening p his

!oor$ay"

)hat $as $ithin the contents o# that !oor$ay is something I%ll never be able to get ot o#

my min!" 7hil!ren%s bo!ies pile! ot o# the !oor$ay, each one mangle! an! !is#igre! in $ays

nimaginable" he bo!ies pile! on top o# Elmo, $ho $as sitting in the very mi!!le o# the

mangle! mess (st staring into the camera, saying absoltely nothing" / blac' li?i! $as then

!rippe! over the camera an! change! to the live action #ootage that $as originally sppose! to

be sent in by vie$ers" Images an! vi!eos o# chil!ren being mr!ere! violently as $ell as being

abse! both physically an! se+ally, came p on screen" I col! #eel the vomit rising p my

throat as each image that passe! $as $orse an! more violent then the last, be#ore #inally, the

li?i! transition came across the screen once more"

Elmo $as no$ staring blan'ly into the blac' abyss o# his #ishbo$l, the bo!ies o# the

chil!ren $ere plain to see in the bac'gron!"

&5&H. has a ?estion, state! Elmo" Ho$ !o yo properly mr!er a 7HI

=&& CDEI&N, orothy" et%s $atch 35" N&&E mr!er a chil!"

Elmo then $ent over to his $in!o$ sha!e an! plle! it !o$n, transitioning over to the once

belove! 3r" Noo!le" 3r" Noo!le%s scenes $ere o#ten very lighthearte! an! #nny, sho$ing an

actor !o all sorts o# crazy st## that case! chil!ren to lagh" Bt the actor $as replace! $ith a

marionette that resemble! 3r" Noo!le" his pppet version o# the character $as also !e#orme!,


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Bozza 8

limbs bent an! missing it%s le#t eyeball an! patches o# hair" he clothes $ere shre!!e! an! the

teeth $ere the scariest part over all, #or they $ere larger then nee!e! to be an! almost loo'e! as

i# it ha! !entres"

he pppet version o# 3r" Noo!le move! across the screen an! too' ot a sitcase that

$as hi!!en o## screen" he pppet then procee!e! to open the sitcase sho$e! the contents on

screen" he contents $ere a small variety o# $eapons ranging #rom a 'itchen 'ni#e to a

mysterios in(ection to even a small han!gn" he 3r" Noo!le pppet chose the 'ni#e an! then

$ent on to a !i##erent scene in $here a pppet version o# a yong chil! $as sho$n sleeping

peace#lly, be#ore being abrptly stabbe! in the s'll by 3r" Noo!le" he camera #ocse! on the

!ea! bo!y #or abot #ive secon!s be#ore #a!ing bac' to Elmo"

&5&H. $ants to as' someone EEA Elmo screame! at the camera" Ho$ !o

.&D 'ill chil!ren

he screen began to transition once more an! starte! to sho$ even more images o#

chil!ren being beaten an! abse! an! that%s $hen I !eci!e! enogh $as enogh" I e(ecte! the

6H an! I $as srprise! to #in! that it $as brning hot an! I en!e! p brning my han! trying

to toch it" I too' both the tape an! the 6H player otsi!e an! smashe! them both" I $as

speechless an! my min! $as #ll o# ?estions" )hy !i! my mother have this on recor!ing Ha! I

ever vie$e! it as a 'i! I# I ha! vie$e! it $hen I $as yonger, ha! I bloc'e! the memory ot

becase it $as so horrible )as this ever even aire! on 6 )hat e+actly happene! in those #e$

mintes o# the sho$ I as'e! my mom abot the tape, bt she ha! tol! me that she never

remembere! recor!ing an e+tra episo!e" he ha! also pointe! ot that the $riting on the tape

$asn%t even hers" I shoo' my hea!, gathere! my things, an! le#t early, e+plaining to my mother

that I s!!enly $asn%t #eeling $ell an! nee!e! to get bac' home"


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Bozza >

/#ter !oing a bit o# research, I ha! #on! ot that the $riter o# Elmo%s )orl!, *!y

;re!berg, ha! gotten sic' an! ha! been nable to 'eep p in pro!ction o# the sho$ an! as a

reslt, the sho$ ha! been cancele!" )hat I #on! a#ter that shoo' me to my core" It ha! trne!

ot that ;re!berg $as pregnant $ith her #irst chil! at the time o# pro!ction an! ha! lost the

chil! in a miscarriage an! ha! ta'en o## o# $or' a#ter$ar!s an! ha! committe! sici!e"

)hat I ha! (st $itnesse! $as the conclsion to my belove! chil!ren%s sho$" ring my

$hole chil!hoo!, everything I ha! $atche! ha! been lea!ing p to this" )hy $ol! someone

ever corrpt sch a belove! chil!ren%s sho$ in to something sch as this It $as !isgsting an! it

scare! me" Bt $hat scare! me more $as the last ?estion in my min! as I !rove bac' home that

night -- I# my mom ha!n%t !one it, ho$ !i! that recor!ing $in! p in my bo+ o# chil!ren%s toys

eng 221 - horror story.doc

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