Some highlights from the meeting are: The April Board meeting has been rescheduled. Instead of being held on Tuesday, April 2nd, it will be held on Monday, April 8th. 2019-2020 Calendar Modifications:
School will start on Wednesday, August 14th, one day later than usual.
The elementary school will move to a quarterly system as opposed to the trimester system in the past.
Parent teacher conferences in the spring will be pushed forward to just before Spring Break.
The Budget Draft presented at the meeting was not posted online so I couldn't see the details. There was a high level overview discussion of the line items, which you can read further in the notes. Budget Discussion Highlights:
Linda Arnold will be retiring in June. Kim McCain will be taking over the work with Abstract Insights.
The school would like to hire a full time Behavioral Interventionist. There is no space in the building for the person with this position so they will likely carve out a section of the elementary art room since there are no longer big installations in there. However, there would be no HVAC or sprinklers so money would have to be spent to make accommodations for that. Estimates on that are coming in around $40,000 because of the mechanical aspects of that change.
FA's liability and property insurance, which includes Chromebook insurance, is going up 52% due to all of the recent natural disasters and the like. In 2017, the pool paid out more claims than the previous four years combined so they depleted their reserves and this is them passing that on to us.
Bids are being put out for a new custodial service because they have not been happy with the service.
Detailed Notes
Opening
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call, Recital of Mission Statement
Board members present: Bob, Cary, Leah, Kumar, Stuart (late 5:31pm)
Public Comment
None
Recognitions and Appreciations
Pancake Breakfast was a big success.
Approval of Agenda
MOTION: Leah motioned to approve the Board of Directors Meeting Agenda for March 19, 2019. Kumar seconded.
Discussion: None
VOTE: Vote on the motion as amended. The ayes have it and the motion carries.
II. Board / Administrative Working Session
Propose to change the meeting from Tuesday, April 2nd to Monday, April 8th. Leah made a motion to change the meeting and Cary seconded it. Vote on the motion passed.
III. General Working Session
2019/2020 Master School Calendar
Teachers preferred the one day later than the district start of school. We will have more time for teacher inservice. Katie said that she thought the Middle School Back to School night was supposed to be pushed to the next week, but that is not reflected on the calendar. Katie suggests moving the New Middle Schoolers day to the way it usually is, being the day before school starts. Cary asks how they received feedback from the teachers. Wayne says that the principals met with the team leads and got feedback that way. Katie says that the elementary school wants to go to quarters instead of trimesters, so we’re going to do that now. It will have more continuity with the conferences and more continuity with the middle school. Most elementaries in the school district on the trimester, but most schools aren’t K-8. There will be an additional grading period for teachers, but it doesn’t have that big of an impact. Conferences in the spring will be pushed out a bit to just before Spring Break. Kumar asks Wayne if, based on his experience, parents will be ok with this. Wayne says yes and explains that he has talked to some parents about it and they generally want to do what is best for teachers and kids. Leah moves to approve the calendar and Cary seconds the motion. It passes.
2019/2020 Budget
The budget draft was not posted online and I cannot read the screen.
Linda Arnold will be done working (retiring) in June for all of her schools. Her youngest is graduating high school. Kim McCain is working for Abstract Insights. Linda reviewed Kim’s experience and explains that Kim will be the new Linda. They are working on transitioning work over now. Kim will attend the finance committee meeting tomorrow.
Wayne says that the Budget Draft they’re showing on the screen is super high level. Wayne explains that the vote will occur on April 8th and that this is just for discussion. If the Board wants clarity on anything, Wayne can bring that on April 8th.
Currently, we are almost 15 students up from this year in terms of enrollment. We know that we have loss over the summer, but he is being conservative for us not to have a hit. Tuition (Kindergarten) - He knows there are discussions where Gov. Polis wants to fund full day kindergarten. We would not charge our parents for full day kindergarten in that case. We would gain a few hundred dollars potentially if that happens, which would be a bonus.
Dragon Flight tuition is awesome. We’re bumping that up a bit to be more consistent. It averages right around $25,000/month (school year months - 10 months)
We get around $30,000 in interest income for the amount in our account.
We left activity fees at 85%, although it has been decreasing every year. We are going to get more proactive on finding ways for that to come back in, even if it’s from Wayne himself.
Pingree for 5th grade trip is consistent.
Summer camp - There is a slight dip here because we are shortening the summer camp. We can’t clean until summer camp is over.
Sports and Athletics - we’ve captured everything we can for kids to do track, etc.
Chromebook fees
We should see an increase in mill levy. These are based on our enrollment in 2008. If our enrollment takes a hit, we’re ok.
PTO came in with $45,000 this year. Wayne and Jolene had their monthly meeting today. $20,000 hasn’t been asked for from staff for this year, so they’re going to roll it over to next year, so that number will increase to $65,000. They could adjust that based on the Gala. Cary asks if something else could be done with that money? Wayne mentions that they’d talk about that in the expenses. Kumar asks if the number could be increased. Discussion. The amount listed is the amount the PTO promised to us.
Capital Construction is funding that the state gives to charter schools to help for facilities, but it is minimal.
Net increase to revenue around $358,000.
Expenses - Targeting 90% - 95% of SVVSD. They accounted for 93% of the district. Peak to Peak is only at 90%. They added in a Behavior Interventionist position, which he will talk about in a minute. Wayne is passing out a historical salary data sheet so the Board can see what they have spent in salaries and see the change over the years. He mentions a bonus and stipends for when people do amazing work. He says he has been doing that for years, so there are people recognized every year. He is explaining on the numbers on that sheet correspond to the numbers on the budget draft. The actual change in budget is $251,000 from last year to this year. Bob asks what it would be if we went to 95%. Wayne says about another $70-some thousand.
Wayne explains that there is a difference between counselors and Behavior Interventionists. We need someone who really knows how to talk with teachers to build the classroom environment. Katie explains that we really need this help at school because others are being pulled from their tasks that they need to do. It would be a full time job that would pay around $45,000 - $50,000. Katie says that kids are coming in and are not able to manage their emotions. We don’t have anyone on staff that necessarily has that qualification. We need someone on the staff to help the students and help train us on what we need to do and how we can handle this. Wayne says that only the Tier 3 students are getting that special ed service, but other kids are not being served and are outside of what we do. Katie says that trauma informed teaching is really big right now and we need to address it when the kids are young to avoid consequences when they are older. Adams and Douglas Counties are hiring a lot of these types of positions for their school districts. Katie explains that with technological devices, kids are coming in with less social and emotional skills, and we need to deal with that.
Increasing Paid Time Off Hours. Wayne says this will help accommodate substitute teachers time.
Increase in PERA and Health Insurance
Wayne is starting to skim through due to the lack of time.
Wayne says we are sending out a bid for a new custodial contract because we have not been happy with the custodial service.
Liability Insurance, which includes chromebook insurance, our liability and property insurance is going up 52% (!!!) due to all of the natural disasters and the like. In 2017, the pool paid out more claims than the previous four years combined so they depleted their reserves and this is them passing that on to us. Wayne has talked with others to get quotes from new providers and asked about moving around coverages and deductibles. He is working to get that down. Stuart asks if that is expected to go down. Wayne mentions how the hail storms are just decimating properties.
Talk about how some of these categories are combined (for example, the way Dragon Flight field trips are categorized with other things) and Kumar asks if we should break these out. Wayne said the categories are chosen by the CDE so we can’t change those.
The rest of the district services are just slight changes. There may be an increase in Tech because district technology is getting new costs as well.
Everything else is fairly flat.
Furniture and fixtures has a big drop because of all that we did this year.
Stuart asks if there are any large expenses coming up to consider. Carpet will need to be replaced, which we’ll start looking at toward the end of this year. Wayne mentions that there is no space for someone like a Behavioral Interventionists, so we may carve out some space from the art room since there are no longer big installations. However, there would be no HVAC or sprinklers so we would have to spend the money to make accommodations for that. Estimates on that are coming in around $40,000 because of the mechanical aspects of that. Kumar asks about the lawn. Wayne says we’re still dealing with that and we’ll have to see.
We need to submit a budget to the district by April 15th. The budget the Board has to approve isn’t until May. Until we get true PPR, we won’t truly know these numbers. In June, we’ll set PPR, but enrollment won’t be set until October. Leah mentions that the budget is typically amended at the beginning of the next school year. Linda encourages questions now though, if there are any, so that they can be answered now. Wayne wants everyone to know we’re on track for the 90% - 95% to match SVVSD.
IV. Consent Agenda V. Executive Session VI. Closing
The WSL and Championship kick off this weekend, so here's a brief summary of all the PL's women's teams. Whether your club is one of the 13/20 in the top 2 divisions or far below, they're here!
This weekend the top two women's leagues in England, the Women's Super League and Women's Championship kick off. To mark that occasion I decided to do a mini write up on every PL's related women's club for those of you that are curious about your own club's women's team or all the clubs' sides. After following Spurs for about a decade, I decided a few years ago that I didn't have enough whiplash from near successes and wanted to add their women's team to the mix, which at the time was in the 3rd division. The ensuing years have been mostly upds as they've gone from the (mostly) amateur game (National League), to the semi-pro/pro 2nd division (Championship), to finally their first ever season in the fully professional Women's Super League. While the results were great, it also has been really rewarding to get to know names that were servants to the club that they and I love but fans likely will never had heard of or will hear of. Case in point is the recently retired Jenna Schicalli who was born and raised a Spurs fan, recently ending her last stint with the team from 2009-2020 in which she helped captain the team through multiple promotions, including the two I just spoke of. It's interesting to hear the perspective of players that are playing simply for the love of the game and club, since often times they have to have another job to supplement the little income they get outside of the top flight. Following the ups and downs of the women's team has been rewarding for me, getting at times either double the joy from victories across the club or double the pain from defeats on the same weekend. But either way it was more football for me, and that's part of why I love the women's game. Maybe you will be in the same place as me and maybe not, but I figured at the very least this sort of post may pique your curiosity to see where your women's side sits in the pyramid in comparison to the men's side in the PL. Are they also in the top flight? Not far out in the Championship? Or down in the regional leagues? I'll be trying to provide a brief summary for where each team is at, and due to a lack of info and familiarity some teams (especially the lower league teams) won't have the most info but I'll do my best! It should be noted that the 3rd tier and below had their seasons cancelled with no pro/rel, whereas the WSL and Championship had their seasons canceled but PPG was still used to decide pro/rel and Champions League places. So that's why some teams were promoted and relegated while other first or last finishers didn't move at all.
FAQ
What competitions are going on this season?
Leagues - Women's Super League, Championship, and the National League, and all the way down to the regional tiers (5th-7th)
FA Cup(s) (19/20 & 20/21) The 19/20 FA Cup was postponed during the quarterfinals in March, they'll be played out in the next couple of months while the early stages of the 20/21 FA Cup are also being played
League Cup - The primary League Cup in the vein of the men's competition and is competed between teams in the professional and semi-professional leagues, the Women's Super League and Championship respectively. The national and regional leagues below also have their own similar competitions going, much like the men's game.
Champions League - Chelsea and Manchester City will be competing from the Round of 32 onward this season. Note that the format of the women's CL will be changing next season to more closely align with the men's competition, and England will have 3 spots in the competition as opposed to the current 2.
How can I watch the leagues? (Inside and outside the UK)
If you're in the UK WSL matches will be broadcast on BT Sport and BBC iPlayeRed Button. The rest will be free to view with an account on the FA Player website. Currently only one Championship match a week will be streamed, though all WSL and Championship matches will be available to be viewed on demand in the FA Player website. Outside the UK, the answer is similar to the answer I just provided, substituting BT Sport and BBC for other TV broadcasters in select nations. If your country/region doesn't have a TV deal, all WSL matches and will be available live for free on the FA Player! When it comes to the lower leagues, some teams have streamed matches but it's largely absent from the women's game outside of the top league(s).
Where can I talk about the leagues?
/FAWSL has been restarted and is gaining traction as a place to discuss all the relevant clubs and matches. There are women's club subreddits for some of the large teams, but it seems that most PL club subreddits are open to women's team news being posted there as well.
Arsenal
Current League: WSL (1st tier) | 19/20 finish: 3rd/12 As much as I hate to say it, one of the titans of the English women's game. Arsenal are ever-present around the CL spots (fitting for the only English team to actually win the competition), though last year they finished just outside a CL spot in 3rd place on PPG as the WSL season was decided early. They'll only have domestic competition to focus on this year, and that may end up being to their benefit. Having arguably the best women's player in the world in Vivianne Miedema doesn't hurt either, with the 24 year old still improving year after year. Opening fixture: Arsenal vs Reading - 6th September 12:30 BST – Watch live for free on the FA Player FA Cup 2019/20: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur on 26th/27th September - Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button
Aston Villa
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 1st/11 in Championship on PPG (Promoted) The lone promoted side in this year's league, taking Liverpool's place. Villa will be aiming to stay in the WSL and will likely achieve that with (relative) ease, looking at the improvement from this off-season on their already strong Championship squad. Opening fixtures: Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester City - 5th September 14:30 BST - Watch live on BT Sport (UK), or free on the FA Player (International) Reading vs Aston Villa - 13th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player
Brighton & Hove Albion
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 9th/12 in WSL; 19/20 FA Cup quarterfinal vs Birmingham City on 26/27 September Brighton are still relatively fresh blood in the WSL, only joining in 18/19 as one of two promotions during the restructuring of the top two leagues. They finished 9th/11 in their first season after promotion from WSL 2 (now Championship) and last season didn't get a chance to prove they had improved, finishing 9th/12. They likely don't have anything to fear in regards to relegation, with their seasoned squad having a lot of professional experience by now, but with how other teams around them have been improving you likely won't see them climb much higher up the table. Opening fixture: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Birmingham City - 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player* FA Cup 2019/20: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Birmingham City - 26th/27th September
Burnley
Current League: FA Women's National League North (Premier Division) [3rd tier] | 19/20 finish: 5th/12 Following back to back promotions from the 5th tier in 17/18 and 4th tier in 18/19, Burnely found themselves playing just a single step below the semi-professional game. They finished a surprising 5th with a few matches in hand on some of the teams above them, but there likely would have been no catching league leaders Sunderland who had yet to lose a match in 14 played. Opening fixture: Sunderland AFC Ladies v Burnley FC Women on Sunday 20th September
Chelsea
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 1st/12 in WSL (Champs), 19/20 League Cup Champs One of the standard bearers for women's club football in England, Chelsea won their first league title since 2017-18 (not the longest wait, eh?) Chelsea will be aiming to once again win the league as well as to reach their first ever Champions League final. Chelsea have reached the semi-finals in their last two attempts (17/18 & 18/19) but were knocked out by Wolfsburg and Lyon, two of the most dominant sides in women's Champions League history. Adding Danish women's national team captain Pernille Harder this summer for a world record transfer fee in women's football probably will help give them a slight boost in the league and CL. That's in addition to Sam Kerr who Chelsea added in the second half of 2019. The Australian at age 26 is already the all time leading scorer in two leagues, NWSL in the United States and W-League in Australia. Opening fixture: Manchester United vs Chelsea - 6th September 14:30 BST - Watch live on BT Sport (UK), or free on the FA Player* (International) FA Cup 2019/20: Everton vs Chelsea on 26th/27th September
Crystal Palace
Current League: Championship | 19/20 finish: 9th/11 Palace joined the WSL 2 (now Championship) in 2018/19 during the restructuring of the 1st and 2nd women's divisions, gaining their spot through an application. They had finished 3rd in their league so they weren't slouches, but they still have yet to break through to midtable of the Championship. They finished 10th/11 in their first foray in the 2nd division, below all four of the other newly promoted sides including Sheffield United who were actually a division below them in 17/18. They didn't get to prove themselves much better than that in 19/20, only finishing one place higher when the season was cut short this past spring. All that said, they have added players with WSL and Championship experience and should hopefully finish at least mid-table in this upcoming Championship season. Opening fixture: Charlton Athletic vs Crystal Palace - 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch replay for free on the FA Player*
Everton
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 6th/12; 19/20 FA Cup quarter-final vs Chelsea 26/27 September Everton finished midtable last year but their 10 additions between spring (3) and summer (7) may have them either on the outskirts of a Champions League spot if everything clicks or stalling or falling in the table due to needing time to click. French forward Valerie Gauvin is likely the new addition to watch in their squad. Opening fixture: Bristol City vs Everton - 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player* FA Cup 2019/20: Everton vs Chelsea on 26th/27th September
Fulham
Current League: London and South East Women's Regional Football League (5th) | 19/20 finish: 5th/10 The lowest division representative in this list, Fulham have a storied history, one with the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Highlights include in 2000 they were the first full-time professional women's side and a 2003 FA Cup victory. Sadly the team was dissolved twice in four years (2006 & 2010), not reforming until 2014 as Fulham FC Foundation ladies. Fulham have been in the 5th tier since 14/15, winning promotion from the 6th tier the previous season. They finished a surprising 4th/10 in their first season in the top flight, but haven't been able to finish past 5th, routinely in the lower half of the table though not needing to stave off relegation. The team has been receiving more and more attention and from the main club notably becoming Fulham FC Women in 2018 with reinvestment in the team, and that may lead to improved results this upcoming season and hopefully promotion in the near future. Opening fixture: Denham United vs Fulham FC on Sunday 13th September
Leeds United
Current league: National League Division One North (4th tier) | 19/20 finish: 2nd/12 Leeds United were among the top sides fighting for promotion, the closest challenger to Barnsley when the season was called off. It is expected that they should be able to repeat that effort this season. The club has yet to reach the semi-professional game, and finally exiting the 4th tier would be a huge step in achieving progress to that goal. Opening fixture: Norton & Stockton vs Leeds United on 20 September
Leicester City
Current League: Championship | 19/20 finish: 6th Leicester City was brought into the fold of the main club, going from a partner to being integrated as one of only a few fully professional clubs in the Championship. They'll likely be fighting with Liverpool and Sheffield for the one promotion spot, and one shouldn't doubt their capabilities in winning it all. They're the lone 2nd division team left in the 2019/20 FA Cup, though with just about the toughest draw, facing the defending champs Manchester City. Opening fixture: Leicester City vs Blackburn Rovers - Sunday 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch replay for free on the FA Player* FA Cup 2019/20: Leicester City vs Manchester City 26th/27th September
Liverpool
Current League: Championship | 19/20 finish: 12th/12 in WSL (Relegated) Lot of criticism has been swirling around this team, some just and unjust, but even the main club could understand that the men winning the league and the women being relegated in the same season wasn't the best look. Sure, the fact that they went on PPG in a season that didn't complete didn't give them a fair shake, but they'll have to prove this season that they truly belong in the WSL. In Leicester City and Sheffield United they have very strong opponents in the fight for promotion. Opening fixture: Liverpool vs Durham on Sunday 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch for free on the FA Player*
Manchester City
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 2nd/12 in WSL Perennial 2nd place finishers in recent years, outside of a league win in 2016, City have finished 2nd every season since 2015. Losing this past season on PPG has to be one of the more bitter pills to swallow, but after a 2-0 loss to Chelsea for the newly revived Women's Community Shield this past weekend, City will be hoping that their new recruits including Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle, 2019 World Cup winners with the United States, will help push them past the hurdle of 2nd place as well as give them a boost in Europe. Similar to Chelsea, they have yet to reach a Champions League final, only making it to the Round of 32 and Round of 16 in the last two seasons, getting knocked out by Atletico Madrid both years. Opening fixture: Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester City - 5th September 14:30 BST - Watch live on BT Sport (UK), or free on the FA Player* (International) Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion - 13th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player* FA Cup 2019/20: Leicester City vs Manchester City 26th/27th September
Manchester United
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 4th/12 in WSL on PPG The best of the rest outside of the top 3, which is pretty good for a team in only its 3rd season of existence. They easily won the Championship in 18/19 with only 1 draw and 1 loss and their first year in the WSL saw them continue their impressive form. This year they're aiming to challenge for the Champions League, though it should be said that last year there was a clear gap between them and a CL spot with 4th placed United getting 1.64 PPG while Arsenal in 3rd had 2.40. The Red Devils hope that the additions of World Champions Tobin Heath and Cristen Press will propel them to a Champions League spot this year, finally breaking into the top 3 of the WSL after a long wait of...3 years. Opening fixture: Manchester United vs Chelsea - 6th September 14:30 BST - Watch live on BT Sport (UK), or free on the FA Player* (International)
Newcastle United
Current League: National League Division One North (4th tier) | 19/20 finish: 6th/12 Newcastle had been in the 3rd division as recently as 2016/17 when they were relegated after gaining only 7 points in 20 matches. They have yet to truly challenge for promotion back into the 3rd tier, finishing 5th, 9th, and 6th in their seasons after relegation. Most recently the team entered into a partnership with Northumbria University to provide Strength and Conditioning, Performance Analysis and Physiotherapy as well as management of the club itself. Opening fixture: Durham Cestria vs Newcastle United on Sunday 20th September
Sheffield United
Current League: Championship | 19/20 finish: 2nd/11 Sheffield finished under Aston Villa in PPG and it's a wonder where the two teams would have finished in a full season. That said, their solid base has been improved upon roster wise, but the loss of manager Carla Ward to WSL side Birmingham City may be the largest challenge to the club. They took their time in replacing her, and it'll be up to former Liverpool Women and Newcastle United U23 manager Neil Redfearn to keep up with Leicester and Liverpool. Opening fixture: London City Lionesses vs Sheffield United - Sunday 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch replay for free on the FA Player*
Southampton
Current League: National League Division One South West (4th tier) | 19/20 finish: 1st/11 After back to back promotions from the 6th tier in 17/18 and 5th tier in 18/19, Southampton FC Women were looking to establish themselves in their first season in the 4th division. They ended up fighting with similarly named Southampton Women's F.C. for promotion to the 3rd tier, but with only 11 and 12 matches played respectively, it's a wonder who would have been the side to clinch the league. Southampton's official women's side should expect to be the favorites going into this season, but time will tell for how things add up. Opening fixture: Poole Town vs Southampton FC on Sunday 20th September
Tottenham Hotspur
Current League: WSL | 19/20 finish: 7th/12; Spurs are a contrast to Manchester United, both being promoted to the WSL the same year but under quite different circumstances. After years in the lower tiers Spurs were able to get a bit more investment to add to some of their longterm players. After each subsequent season they've retooled their squad with each season, exemplified by the fact that Josie Green is the only remaining player on the squad that played with the team in the amateur game. Speaking of that time, Spurs' results truly bloomed in 2016/17 when they won four trophies, including promotion to the 2nd division. They finished 7th place in 2017/18, their first semi-professional season, the highlight being securing their first ever victories over top flight sides in cup competitions. The 2018/19 saw them rocket up the table, finishing 2nd and in a promotion spot under the juggernauts of Manchester United. Their first WSL season followed a similar pattern to their first WSL 2 season, once again finishing 7th and they're still waiting to play in their furthest advanced round in the FA Cup, a quarter-final with Arsenal. I'm dreading Spurs' match vs Arsenal in the FA Cup later this month, but I am happy when I look back on prior results and see all the progress that has been made. Spurs had an infamous 10-0 loss to Arsenal in the Round of 16 back in 2016/17 when they were an amateur side, but when facing them in league play this past season 2 1/2 years later, they only lost 2-0. They're still looking for that first win over a top half side in the WSL, but with a season of WSL under the squad and management's belt, they should be able to achieve an upper mid-table finish and hopefully be an increasingly challenging fixture against the top sides. Opening fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham - 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player* FA Cup 2019/20: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur on 26th/27th September - Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button
West Bromwich Albion
Current League: National League Premier Division North (3rd tier) | 19/20 finish: 7th/12 West Brom have had a brief yo-yo situation as of late, finishing 6th in their division 16/17, relegated from the 3rd tier in 17/18, winning back promotion 18/19, and seeming to settle back into midtable in 19/20. At this point it seems they should be focusing on stability and remaining in the 3rd division. Opening fixture: West Bromwich Albion vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday 20th September
West Ham United
Current league: WSL | 19/20 finish: 8th/12 West Ham are another team that's relatively new to the WSL, making the surprising jump from the 3rd tier amateur game all the way to the professional game in 2018/19, bypassing the Championship when the FA was restructuring the leagues. They settled right into midtable in their first WSL season with a 7th place finish, the highlight being a surprising FA Cup final appearance in what ended up a 3-0 loss to Man City. The next season saw them stay in just about the same place, finishing 8th on PPG. As the team has brought in more players on a permanent or temporary loan basis, West Ham will be looking to finish in the upper midtable and challenge fellow midtable sides as well as the CL contenders more evenly. Opening fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham - Sunday 6th September 14:00 BST - Watch live for free on the FA Player*
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Current League: National League Division One Midlands (4th tier) | 19/20 finish: 1st/12 One of the victims of the lower leagues getting cancelled with no pro/rel, Wolverhampton were running away with their league on 14 wins, 1 loss, and an incredible +73 goal differntial when the season was cancelled. Wolves will hope to repeat their dominance but this time with a complete season and the reward of promotion to the 3rd tier, just a league below the Championship. Opening fixture: Leafield Athletic vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday 20th September Hope that was interesting to folks, let me know if I got anything wrong or you have any questions. There will be match threads on /FAWSL for some of the matches today, hope you join in on the discussion if your team is playing!
Thanks for the great response on my last post, everyone! Here is Part 2-I start by outlining the transfers that occurred in the winter window before getting into the season review. Please enjoy, and leave any comments you have below!
Southampton Career Mode: Part 2
Previously:At the midpoint of the Premier League season, rookie manager Sebastian Keller has led the Saints into a solid 8th place in the table. The young Austrian has managed to organize what was once an under-performing squad into dark horse candidates for a Europa league spot; led by striker Danny Ings, Southampton now targets an FA Cup Run and looks to maintain their good form on the road to a top 10 finish. Key performances in the first half of the season have earned Keller the trust of the board, who have agreed to back him in the winter transfer market; the dual targets of Adam Lallana and Eberechi Eze have been designated by Keller as necessary signings. Approaching the New Year's day fixture versus Tottenham Hotspur and a FA cup showdown with Everton, Keller's team prepares for an intense second half of the season.
Transfers
The Board and Keller agreed to target two high profile signings to reinforce the squad; Liverpool midfielder and former Saint Adam Lallana, and star QPR attacker Eberechi Eze. Shortly after the opening of the window, Southampton made an approach to QPR about signing Eberechi Eze; struggling a point above the relegation spot in the EFL Championship, Eze had grown dissatisfied with his club's performance and was excited by the opportunity to play regular Premier League football. The player openly pushed for the move to go through, with the help of his agent leaking negotiations to the press. With the player set on leaving, QPR had no choice but to accede to the demands of Southampton, and on January 6th, accepted a bid of 11.2 million pounds for their 21 year old talisman. Keller turned his attention to the signing of 31 year old veteran Adam Lallana next; he was set to leave Liverpool on a free at the end of the campaign, and Southampton had expected to offer generous terms for the upcoming free agent. Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, had other plans-Lallana received a surprise contract renewal at the end of December, unbeknownst to Keller. Valued at roughly 6 million pounds by Liverpool, the Southampton board was reluctant to spend this amount. However, as rumors began to circulate about offers from Scottish giants Celtic and several MLS sides, Southampton and Keller chose to execute their plans early. On deadline day, terms were finally agreed; Adam Lallana rejoined Southampton for a 5 million pound fee. Keller's targets had been satisfied, but a wrench was thrown into plans when veteran right back Ryan Bertrand sustained an ankle injury in late January, ruling him out for almost a month and half. Keller, who had little faith in the abilities of Sam McQueen and Jake Vokins during a crucial point in the season, asked the board if plans could be made to accelerate the signing of Aaron Martin from Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. The Spanish fullback was surprised but enthralled by the interest from the Saints, though Mainz drove a hard bargain for the talented 22 year old, seeing as they were struggling midtable. Eventually, negotiations were settled, and on deadline day Aaron Martin signed for Southampton in a 14.1 million pound deal. Contract Details
Eberechi Eze: 5-year contract, 29,000/week, Important First-Team Player, Number 11 shirt
Adam Lallana: 3-year contract, 69,000/week, Important First-Team Player, Number 8 shirt
Aaron Martin: 5-year contract, 33,000/week, Important First-Team Player, Number 2 shirt
In addition to the outgoing transfer of Sofiane Boufal (noted in last update) and loans of Maddox and N'Lundulu, another player was sold post-January; Danish CB Jannik Vestergaard, frozen out of the squad by Keller after a series of terrible performances, was sold to SL Benfica in February for 9.6 million pounds. He will join the Portuguese team in the summer.
Matchdays 20-38 Review
Final League Position: 10 Points Total: 51 Wins/Draws/Losses: 15/6/17 Goal Difference: -11 Teams relegated: Burnley, Bournemouth, Norwich For a side that had shown such promise in the first half of the season, Southampton seemed to almost capitulate during the second half of the campaign. A disastrous January and February saw the club began leaking goals at a dramatic rate. Despite the heroics of Danny Ings, the attack could not make up for the defensive frailty that emerged in January and plagued the side until the last matchday. The final goal difference tells a grim story-the defense was simply not good enough. Again, there were several season defining matches that tell the story of why Keller's side utterly failed to keep any sort of consistency.
A disastrous FA Cup tie against Everton ended 2-5 on aggregate; a heroic comeback from 2-0 down in the first match was in vain as the Toffees crushed us at Goodison 3-0 in the replay,
A 5-1 disaster away to West Ham crushed what little momentum we had emerging from a disastrous January run of 4 straight games without a win,
The nadir of our season-a 3-1 defeat to rock-bottom Norwich City at Carrow Road. Keller emerged completely incensed at the result, calling it "a completely unacceptable performance",
A 3-0 win against a struggling Arsenal side was perhaps the best performance of the back end of the season, and arrested the downward slide of the team,
City's revenge game, where they made up for their earlier defeat at home by crushing us 5-2 at Saint Mary's,
A comeback 3-2 victory against Sheffield United on the final day secured 10th place and gave the home support a decent end to a challenging season.
Overall, the promise Southampton had shown earlier in the season proved hollow; while we avoided relegation comfortably, a mid-table finish was far from what Keller had believed possible at the end of December. The early exit from all cup competitions and the poor form through the first 3 months of the new year was a massive disappointment, and the winter signings didn't kick on quite as well as everyone hoped. However, victories against traditional top six finishers like Arsenal proved that something could be made of this squad going into next season.
Player Reviews: Struggling Saints and Irreplaceable Ings
Throughout the Spring, the entire Southampton squad struggled to build confidence, momentum, or anything resembling unity, culminating in the disastrous loss to Norwich in March. Outside of one player, every member of the team struggled, especially in the defense. At Goalkeeper, the fine form shown by Alex McCarthy evaporated in January, and he never truly recovered. His ball-playing ability, a strength in the first half of the season, regressed massively-a number of high profile mistakes, namely a pass played directly to Gabriel Jesus in the 5-2 loss to City, contributed massively to the liquid defense of his team. Angus Gunn, who deputized on a number of occasions and started in the FA Cup, also failed to impress-the replay against Everton in the FA Cup was his worst performance, as he parried two saves directly into the feet of Moise Kean who scored easy tap-ins. McCarthy's shot-stopping ability remained solid, and so he retains the Number 1 shirt for now. It is difficult to pinpoint what exactly went wrong in central defense in the second half of the season. The long-term injury to Jack Stephens meant that Jan Bednarek was left with no consistent partner. As a result, the Polish CB declined massively, allowing more chances per game and being regularly beaten by strikers in the air and on the dribble. The return of Stephens around the end of March coincided with a bit of steadiness, but his injury had derailed the 26-year old Englishman's form and he also struggled. Augsburg loanee Kevin Danso was given a number of chances to prove himself, and proved to be promising, yet deeply inexperienced. This showed in his poor performances at Norwich and West Ham. where he regularly misplaced passes and clearances that ultimately lead to easy goals for the opposition. Jannik Vestergaard, frozen out by Keller, played only two matches for the club after the January window, and none after agreeing a transfer to Portuguese giants SL Benfica. The fullback position also experienced a big decline in form. Kyle Walker-Peters was perhaps the best of the entire crop, finishing his season-long loan from Tottenham with 2 assists in all competitions as he bombed down the right side. Yan Valery also played well in his appearances, but both youngsters were embarrassed multiple times against the wingers of Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as against West Ham (who frankly embarrassed the entire team). Ryan Bertrand's form also dipped heavily after his two month absence due to injury, and it never recovered; he finished with a single assist, and only five clean sheets. New arrival Aaron Martin showed definite promise, though he still needs to adjust to the physicality of the English league; he was regularly bullied off the ball by opposition players. He notched a single assist in his 11 appearances. The second half of the season saw the emergence of two midfield partnerships-the arrival of Adam Lallana coincided with Oriol Romeu's surge in good form, and together they provided a solid partnership in attack and defense. Lallana recorded 3 assists in 9 appearances, but his great form upon arrival soured as he struggled defensively. Romeu's lack of pace was exploited time and again, and he seemed unsettled. Fans will point to the his failed transfer to Turkish giants Besiktas as part of this, but Keller has remained silent on the future of the Spaniard. The team's usual partnership of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and James Ward-Prowse proved to be the one still favored by Keller, though this is certain to change. The Danish midfielder is set to leave after the season, though a destination has not been set. Sources from within the Dane's camp suggest he is unhappy with the club's performance and desires to make the switch to a bigger team. Keller has agreed, and he has been put in the shop window by the board. Meanwhile, his partner has had a productive second half of the season; Ward-Prowse tallied 5 goals and 2 assists in his latest campaign with the Saints. On the flanks, the situation has grown complicated. The arrival of Eberechi Eze, and Keller's desire to integrate the young Englishman, has led to the displacement of Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo from the starting eleven. In 18 appearances, the former QPR winger has scored 2 goals and registered 3 assists. Eze has shown his talent, but also his inexperience-he tries far too often to dribble when he could easily pass, and is hesitant to shoot. Still, he is an undeniable talent and has plenty of room to improve. Redmond and Djenepo have had solid contributions as well-the Englishman finishes the season on 5 goals and is joint-leader on assists with 8, while the Mali international has scored 6 goals and 4 assists. Stuart Armstrong secured his place in the starting eleven for his high defensive output, and also improved his goal tally-the Scottish international finishes the season with 3 goals, 3 assists, and 7 clean sheets (a memorable late winner against Crystal Palace stands out). Yet there is trouble brewing-Djenepo and his agent are angry at his lack of playtime after the arrival of Eze, and has agitated for a move. The Southampton board view him as a talented player and a good asset for the club, yet they are unwilling to hold him if he continues to create discontent in the dressing room. Rumors abound that both Chelsea and Ajax have made contact with him in an effort to sign him in the summer window. Finally, we come to the Southampton attack, which has been perhaps the only consistent part of the team this year. After a disappointing first half of the season, Che Adams seems poised to secure his position- a final tally of 8 goals and 7 assists in his first Premier League campaign seems to indicate good things for the former Birmingham City striker. Michael Obafemi also continues to progress-the young Irishman finished the season with 7 goals and 4 assists in a campaign that solidified him as a contender for the starting striker spot. Shane Long also served much better when called upon in the back end of the season, though he appears to be facing the end of his Southampton career. A final haul of 3 goals and an assist in his diminished starting time seems to herald the end of his tenure at St. Mary's. This of course, leaves one final player to discuss...
Player of the Season: Danny Ings
The Liverpool outcast turned cult-hero at St. Mary's has been outstanding all season long. Even in the darkest moments of the season he has looked lively, full of vigor, and determined to score. His statistics speak for themselves
42 appearances in all competitions (1st in the club)
22 goals in all competitions (1st in the club)
8 assists (Joint-1st)
He has been the bright light in a dismal second half of the season. Ings has also remained healthy despite heavy usage, which bodes well for his immediate future at the club. Keller views him as a potential captain going into next season, as he has not only led the club on the field, but also in the dressing room and in training; his warm rapport with youngsters Adams and Obafemi has manifested in their improvement throughout the season. Thus, there can be no better candidate for POTS than Danny Ings, who looks as if he may also receive an England call-up in the summer. Well-Deserved.
Summer Plans: Potential Signings
As stated in the previous update, there are many players which the club plans to offload who are returning from season-long loans. These are as follows:
Guido Carillo, ST
Mario Lemina, CM
Cedric Soares, RB/RWB
Wesley Hoedt, CB
Fraser Forster, GK
Additionally, Keller has identified several returning players who will be given a chance to prove themselves, but are on the chopping block:
Josh Sims, RW
Harrison Reed, CDM
Mohamed Elyounoussi, CAM/LM
Maya Yoshida, CB
Finally, there are several players who Keller would like to keep, but are pushing for moves elsewhere or will likely leave the club. These players are:
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, CM
Moussa Djenepo, LM/RM
Sam McQueen, LB/LWB
Shane Long, ST
Oriol Romeu, CDM
There are a number of youth players to deal with as well, but Keller is still in the process of building a good academy. The only really promising player to emerge this season is Hugh Price, who scored a goal and notched 2 assists in his minutes this season; longtime youth player Jacob Maddox also scored his first PL goal this season before being loaned out to Wigan Athletic. Once again, Southampton are identifying several targets in the summer as a means of strengthening the squad in terms of both immediate impact and as depth. Given the imminent departure of so many players, there will likely be a decent amount of money to spend in the market. Keller and the board have identified a number of players as realistic targets to rejuvenate and reinforce the squad. The three relegated Premier League sides (Burnley, Bournemouth, and Norwich) all have rich pools of quality players who Southampton and other clubs are more than willing to poach. A trio of Bournemouth players may be up for grabs-top scorer Joshua King, winger David Brooks, and midfielder Weston McKennie are talented players who could be picked up on the cheap from the Cherries on their way down. Additionally, the diminutive Scottish winger Ryan Fraser has a month left on his contract and will be available on a free, an intriguing proposition for any club. Norwich City also have two players who greatly interest the Southampton manager-talented CB Ben Godfrey and wide man Todd Cantwell are players more than capable of continuing their careers in the Premier League with the Saints. Finally, as Burnley prepare for the drop, Sebastian Keller has been keen to watch the progress of winger Dwight McNeil, who has shone in his appearances under Sean Dyche. A traditional wide man, his direct approach could add tactical depth to a Saints side that, despite some great creative players, is still far too reliant on a single player for goals and assists. Additionally, Jay Rodriguez is seen as a good rotational player by Keller, as well as veteran presence in the dressing room. Looking abroad, there are a few other players that have been identified from across Europe as targets by Keller and the board. They are the following:
Kaan Ayhan, 25, CB/CDM, Fortuna Dusseldorf
Marash Kumbulla, 20, CB, Hellas Verona
Maximilian Eggestein, 23, CM/CDM, Werder Bremen
Jeremy Doku, 20, RW/RM, RSC Anderlecht
Nikola Vlasic, 22, CAM/LM, CSKA Moscow
(As usual, a poll will be attached to vote on potential transfers, and feel free to comment your own below.)
Notes from Around the Save
Liverpool are Champions of England. Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United qualify for the Champions League. Chelsea qualify for the Europa League, and Wolverhampton Wanderers finished 6th. Arsenal finish 9th, and Everton finish 12th. Newcastle complete the great escape, finishing 14th after being in the relegation zone most of the season.
The PL Player of the Year award goes to Sadio Mane, and Harry Kane wins the PL Golden Boot with 35 goals.
Liverpool win the FA Cup 1-0 over Manchester United. Tottenham Hotspur win the Carabao Cup 2-1 over Manchester United.
Liverpool with the UEFA Super Cup over Chelsea 2-0. Juventus (i.e Piemonte Calcio) win the UEFA Champions League over Real Madrid 2-2 (5-4 on penalties). Bayer Leverkusen win the UEFA Europa League over Lazio 2-1. The CL Player of the Competition is Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), and the EL Player of the Competition is Joaquin Correa (Lazio)
Bayern, PSG, Juventus (Piemonte Calcio), Barcelona, Benfica, Celtic and Ajax win their domestic leagues. Barcelona, Juventus (Piemonte Calcio), Ajax, and Benfica complete invincible seasons.
Fulham and West Bromwich Albion win automatic promotion from the EFL Championship. The EFL Playoffs will be played between Brentford, Stoke City, Leeds United, and Cardiff City. Queen's Park Rangers, Luton Town, and Barnsley are relegated to League 1.
Thank you to everyone who read through the whole thing! If you enjoyed the write up, let me know in the comments below! Any thoughts/comments/suggestions/questions are welcome!
Vote in the Poll below for the players Southampton should sign!
“So, you don't like me telling you what to do, you don't like your job, you don't like me, period? I don't really care. Before this night is over the casualties will be piled high and some of you standing here right now will be dead and I don't care because we are going to win. Is that clear? We're taking that Pool ship and before this night is over we'll have Visser One right here.”
Here's the situation: Earth is under attack by a race of parasitic slug-like aliens known as Yeerks. They slither into your head through your ear canal and fold over your brain, slowly taking control of you. Anyone and everyone you know could secretly be a Yeerk, waiting for the right time to infest you too. This nightmare was reality for the Animorphs, five young kids (and an alien) given Andalite morphing technology that let them absorb the DNA of animals and transform into them. Jake Berenson was the leader of the Animorphs, a role that would test both his willpower and leadership abilities. As the guerilla war against the Yeerks raged on, Jake was pushed towards making harder and harder decisions, but almost always kept a level head. His connection to the Yeerks was somewhat personal: his own brother Tom was made into a Controller, and hiding his role as the leader of the Earth resistance from him would be a constant challenge over the course of the conflict. As his combat morph, Jake preferred the Siberian tiger. Feats marked with [AU] are from an alternate reality where the characters never got morphing powers.
Normally, after an animal has been acquired, it can be morphed into at any time. However, morphs acquired while displaced in space/time are not retained... for reasons no human would understand.
In book 41, Jake has a weird simulation dream thing of the future spurred on by an unknown entity. To this day, what exactly this vision was is unknown. Strength
Making the Most Cursed Object in History: The How. The Why. The Results.
[Worstverse] (Preface)Many professions already have their own horror stories and creepypastas. So this is dedicated to all my colleagues who deserve a scary story of their own. PART ONE: ACQUISITION Greetings and salutations my dear readers. I suppose you might be wondering from the title why I would be divulging such things to the masses. Well, because if I didn't what would be the point, right? And besides, in such cases as this, disbelieve is a powerful asset. But for the few of you willing to step into the world of the fantastical and listen to my words, I have much to tell. Please excuse the artistic embellishment, but I didn't get to where I am now by leaving well enough alone. For starters, I am a craftsman. A bladesmith to be more specific, and a damn fine one at that. I cater only to those willing to pay top dollar for the very best. This detail is important as it is key in the focus of what I set out to accomplish, and accomplish it I did. Now as the title suggested my goal was to actually create a cursed object. But how to even go about that and why, you might ask. Well the simple answer to how is it, by its very nature, cannot be easy. And why? Well why not? I've never considered myself a nice or even good person and don't particularly value human life above any other. But I suppose you could say my motivation was that I was faced with the realization that unlike those at the bottom with nowhere to go but up, I at the top of my craft, had nowhere to go from there. I needed something that nobody else had ever done. So I began my year of painstaking research. The very first thing I set out to learn was, what is it that makes something cursed or haunted? I came to the conclusion that it was trauma. Now the nature and degree of the effect seemed to be in correlation to the type of trauma. Determining this was a vital step to my process as there is a clear difference between a simple haunting and a genuine curse. You see a haunting is at its core the clinging of a spirit or will or energy or whatever you like to call it to a place or object usually through some form of tragic and untimely death, however a curse is the result of malicious and evil actions and therefore results in a much more potent connection. In addition, the worse the action, the greater the effect it has on the object. Once I established this the next step was to identify, locate, and procure the various materials I would use in the construction. And not only the raw materials, but the tools as well. As part of my method I decided that as many of the tools I would use as possible would also need to posses these malevolent histories. I took to the internet and frequented any and every site I could find that focused on violent murders. And not the run of the mill murders either, no sir. I was looking for very specific instances in which some element of the murder was both usable in my project and actually obtainable. It is at this point that I should mention that if you have any inclination to replicate my endeavor, you should be prepared to spend a great deal of money on both travel and procurement of these materials. Especially when the situation calls for you to bribe an evidence room guard or two. Their compliance and silence doesn't come cheap and is often the only way to obtain certain items. As I am a bladesmith the obvious choice for this undertaking was to make the object some kind of large knife or small sword, so the first and most important item on my list was the steel for the blade. Finding a piece of steel with the right composition to make a half decent cutting tool is easy enough mind you. However the difficulty arose in meeting the project specific qualities I required for this unique piece. But after much searching I happened upon a particularly enticing case of a man in the Pacific Northwest who was convicted of multiple homicides and sexual assault charges. The case involves repeated instances of the man luring young women out of the public sight, rendering them unconscious, placing them in his van, then driving them far away to an abandoned lumber yard. It was here that he would assault the women for periods of time ranging from days to weeks before executing them by placing them on the conveyor feet first with their legs tied and crossed together and sending them into the running saw blade. It seems as if he got great satisfaction from watching them shriek and cry as the screaming saw made contact with the bottoms of their feet, then moving up through their crossed legs, their torso, then finally their head. In the end he was charged and convicted of 11 counts of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and various lesser charges. However after the trial he confessed to anywhere from 35 to 45 addition counts that remain uncorroborated due to him allegedly disposing of the remains in an industrial woodchipper he kept on site. The case was perfect and the location of the sawmill was relatively easy to find. Upon my arrival I found that the local authorities had sealed off the entrance but that was a contingency I had planned for and was able to overcome with the bolt cutters I purchased at a small hardware store earlier that day. As I made my way into the mill I began my search for the saw, admittedly apprehensive that the saw he used might be a band saw that would be much less practical for my needs, not to mention considerably harder to move and transport. But after a brief period of searching... Ah! There it sat. A beautiful 30" circular saw blade. As I drew closer it became apparent by the deeply stained surroundings of the fixture that this was the blade I was looking for. Reaching into the small toolbag I brought from the rented U-Haul truck outside I made quick work of removing the large disk from its fixture, with the help of a litte WD-40 to loosen the years of rust that clung to the threads. After rolling the sawblade the short distance back to the truck and loading it into the cargo hold I began plotting my next acquisition. This would be the remains of a recent homicide by arson a few states down. This case involved several teenagers burning down another child's home that they had been bullying after in took refuge from them in his house after fleeing their attempts at inflicting upon him whatever form of harm they were planning that day. As it turned out the boy's slightly younger sister was in the dwelling at the time as well and they suffered the same fate together. Awful tragedy for them and their parents, happy coincidence for me and my little project. I would used the charred remains as the fuel for the fire in which I would forge the blade. This was a relatively unchallenging albeit tedious and tiresome task that mostly involved shoveling the blackened wood into burlap sacks and chucking them into the back of the truck. I will admit even I felt a cold chill run down my back from time to time during this chore. The energy there was still very fresh and strong, which is why I was so intent on harvesting that one in particular. Once done I took to a local diner and began locating make next stop. I would need something for the handle so I looked for murders involving something that could serve such a purpose. I first found one such case where a teenage girl became mentally disturbed and beat the child she had been babysitting to death with a wooden softball bat then waited for the parents to return and did the same to them. Unfortunately the murder weapon was never actually recovered. "What a shame" I thought to myself and went on about my search. About an hour later I found a case of a man who used an ax handle to kill his wife and the man he caught her having an affair with, however that didn't quite seem sinister enough so I searched on until... Jackpot. I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across an article about a case involving a middle aged woman who had lured several young children into her home where she then tortured, killed, and butchered them before cooking and eating the remains. To my fortune I was able to learn that a local boutique dealing in the macabre had come into possession of the cutting board she had used in the butcherings. Before making the trip to investigate the authenticity of the cutting board I did some more digging to see if there was any more usable, ha, "memorabilia" between my location and the destination. After a few dead ends I stumbled upon a case of a man murdering his then pregnat wife with a gas powered nail gun by firing more than a few 16 penny nails into her head and face but not before doing the same to her stomach. "The nails would make perfect pins for the handle" I spoke quietly to myself, but not quietly enought to keep the man in the booth in front of me from giving me a nosey glance back over his shoulder. And as luck would have it the incident took place roughly 2/3 of the way between where I was and where I was headed. The only issue was that, to the best of my knowledge, the nails were still the possession of the local police department as the man was still awaiting trail. Obtaining these wouldn't be as simple as the rest, and most assuredly not as cheap. But this wasn't an opportunity I could let pass me by. I departed the following morning and arrived at my destination some 8 or so hours later. The next week was spent figuring out exactly which member of the department would be most susceptible to my bribe. I settled on a middle aged fellow we'll call Carl. Carl was a police property clerk and had accumulated some hefty gambling debts. After faking a casual conversation when I "coincidentally" ran into him at a local dive bar, that I then carefully steered toward our jobs in order to cover for my knowledge of his, I lied that I was a building contractor. Then I moved the coversation to our hobbies, which I again lied and told him I liked to collect weird and creepy items, and finally to our personal problems once his intoxication had reached sufficient levels. Once he mentioned that he had some substantial outstanding debts with some not so gentle types I suggested a possible solution to his tribulations. "If you can get me a couple of those murder nails out of evidence I can make all your financial troubles disappear." I offered. "And even grease the wheels with a little extra for your efforts and silence. Just for two little nails that nobody would really even miss, one from the woman's head and one from her stomach, and you're debt free and even a little richer on top of that, whatdaya say?" I pressured. "Oh dear God man, why would anyone in their right mind even want such a thing?" He asked in utter revulsion. "My business is my own." I answered. "I want those two nails and after that you'll have your money and I'll be long gone. Last chance..." By noon the next day I had the nails in my hand, still crusted in the dull brown of dried blood. I quickly tucked them away into a small pouch which I stashed in the back of the truck with everything else before setting out to my next destination. It's worth mentioning that at this juncture I began to feel a constant sense of unease while in the truck, accompanied by an ever present sensation of wearing an extremely tight fitting shirt that made me uncomfortable and somewhat asphyxiated as I drove, even after putting on the loosest clothing I had packed. I managed to arrive at the boutique just before closing. The shopkeeper welcomed me casually as I passed through the door, causing a small bell to herald my entry. I wasted no time in telling him what I was there for. A grim expression washed over his face but was in short order replaced by one of what seemed to be relief. "Twenty bucks and it's yours. That damn thing gives me some serious bad vibes and I want it outta here. Should have never bought the thing. Horrible that whole ordeal was." This gave me some confidence that it was the genuine article, but I still had to compare it to the crime scene photos just to be sure. He went into the back of the shop and returned soon after carrying a bundle of scarlet fabric which he proceeded to unravel to reveal the deep black ebony cutting board. I thought to myself that a lady with such refined taste would have made a fine customer in another life, and no sooner did the thought enter my brain the shopkeeper spoke up. "I've got her kitchen knife set too actually, if you want those too. They're actually pretty nice." Curiosity took me and I said I'd consider it, if only to see what kind of cutlery one who owned such a lovely and expensive cutting board would have. He made his way into the back once more and retrieved the knife block. Before I could catch myself I was laughing maniacally in the middle of the shop, now a look of confusion on the shop keeper's face. In my search for the cutting board it never even occurred to me to investigate what other tools the lady might have used in the crimes, and to my great surprise I immediately recognized the set of knives as my very own work. The coincidence was too much and the laughter erupted out of my control. I knew for a fact she was no customer of mine, so she must have obtained them second hand from an estate sale or as a gift, but they were definitely and unmistakably of my make. "Is-is there a problem?" the shop keeper asked through my laughter. "No, no not at all. Just a very small world we live in." I replied as I calmed myself down to a reasonable state. "I guess I'll take those off your hands as well." I added, since I had got such a good deal on the cutting board I figured I could buy the knife set off him as a small token of my appreciation. "How much?" I inquired. "Take a hundred for all of 'em." He answered. An unexpected anger took me as I growled "ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS?!" His eyes widened in shock. "I-I'm sorry mister. I thought that was fair since they're so pretty but I can go a little lower if you think that's too much..." I glared at him for a moment before barking "No that's fine. Here." Handing him the total for everything. I collected my purchases together and opened the door with sharp kick causing the bell to clang in alarm as I looked down at the set of kitchen knives I once charged many thousands of dollars for, seething over the thought of them being hocked away for one hundred God damn dollars at this ratty little hole in the wall junk shop. Once my temper subsided I got back to my wicked little scavenger hunt. I happened across a 2 pound hammer a man used to bludgeon his elderly and disabled parents to death with. I would have to repeat the nails' con to get my hands on it but I knew if would be perfect for forging out the blade so I had to have it. The narrative of obtaining the hammer was , for all intents and purposes, an encore of the acquisition of the nails. There's always someone who needs money and they'll always compromise their self for enough of it. At this point I was beginning to feel physically ill during the time I spent in the truck with the collection of items. So I elected to abandon my previous idea to accumulate any more tools and to simply use my own instead. I made only one unscheduled stop on my return trip. As I began to make my way back onto the interstate I was stopped by a red light. It was there, in the dark and early morning hours that I witnessed from my seat in the rented truck... what appeared to be two homeless men struggling against one another beneath an overpass. I sat in morbid fascination for several minutes at the empty intersection watching the two do battle until one seemed to wrap a length of cord around the other's neck and proceeded to strangle the life out him. Once the commotion died down I popped the door of the truck open and made my way across the street. The triumphant vagabond jumped, startled by my presents and the realization that I had witnessed the incident. "It-it was self def-" he started, but I cut him off with a gesture of my hand. Reaching down I untangled the long piece of nylon cord from the dead man's lifeless body. I ran it through my fingers, taking note of the size, thickness, and length. Finding this to be an acceptable addition to the final product which I would wrap around the handle, I rolled it up as I made my way back to the vehicle I had left sitting abandoned at the still desolate traffic light. I opened the back once again and after finding a place for the newest addition, I departed towards my workshop. PART TWO: CONSTRUCTION After arriving home I immediately went straight to bed to rest and recover from the prolonged exposure to the atmosphere of the truck and the items it held within. It took me some time to shake the exhaustion but once I did, it was off to work. I should take this opportunity to clarify that a key component to any real curse is intent. Especially with a project like this where I used multiple objects formed together into one single product. And by intent I mean you have to really want to cause as much pain, misery, and suffering as possible. This came easy to me as I hate, I hate, I hate people. They disgust me. I find the whole lot of them absolutely abhorrent. I want nothing but the worst to befall any one of them at any time. This malice would be the tether or glue that would hold the malevolent energies to the objects as they are cut and shaped and heated and bent. Well of course at the time this was entirely theoretical mind you. After some contemplation an sketching I decided that I would make something of a short sword in the fashion of the Sumatran adaptation of the Ottoman yataghan. While not overly long they possessed a wicked curve in the shape of an S. This would make the weapon cut extremely well despite its lack of size and weight. I mean just because the thing would be cursed doesn't mean it shouldn't also be functional and practical, right? After drawing out the final shape I took to the shop and began my work. To start I cut a long section of the circular saw blade I procured from the mill. As I began I immediately noticed the steel was much more difficult to cut than an average saw blade, wearing down several cutting disks to the rim on a task that would normally not use up even one. "A fluke" I thought, as it could have easily been under tempered at the factory where it was made, resulting in a much harder steel than normal for such a tool. But it became apparent that this wasn't the case as I began to forge the rough shape of the blade. The steel would heat much slower than usual and despite being brought to a bright yellow, took a great deal more force to hammer into shape. It was almost as if the steel was resisting the change to its form I was attempting to impose on it. This I found somewhat frustrating as I had only a very limited supply of the charred wood from the burned house, so I had to use it sparingly. This anomaly continued as I ground the bevels and shaped the handle and even into the quenching process. But the steel slowly gave way to my efforts and took shape. Once the steel component was ready I began to craft the handle. I retrieved the deep black ebony cutting board from the truck, where I had been keeping the rest of the objects to avoid the negative effects they had on me while driving the truck. I started by cutting two separate blocks to attach to either side of the tang(the part that extends from the blade into the hilt for those of you not in the know). But as I did this the teeth of the band saw almost immediately began to dull then erode way. Not only that, the wood began to ooze a deep black, viscous fluid containing swirls of bright crimson red that caused any skin it came into contact with to severely burn and itch. It took some time to clean away the fluid that had become adhered to the table of my saw, but as it was apparent that this wasn't the tool for the job I took out an osculating saw and a carbide blade used for cutting things too hard for regular steel saw blade such as ceramic tiles. Now with latex medical gloves I made a second attempt at cutting the sinister material. While time consuming my efforts eventually paid off, after wearing down several saw blades and discovering that industrial spill solvent could be used to dilute and clean away the fluid much more easily, I finally had the profile of the handle cut to its rough shape. Following this I proceeded to drill the holes I would use to attach the nails, which would be use to hold the piece of the cutting board in place. During this process I used some regular nails of the same size from my shop to avoid any unnecessary exposer to the remaining materials. Once the holes were finally drilled through the bleeding wood I brought in the genuine article. After making sure they were a proper fit I began to cut them down to the right length to be pinned flush to the rest of the handle. While not as trying as the circular saw blade, the nails were uncooperative in their own way, working much slower than the mild steel they consisted of rightfully should. I can't say for sure, but as I cut the heads off the top of the nails I thought I could hear the sound of a woman screaming and an infant crying over the metallic whir of the angle grinder. But I half expected to encounter such phenomena going into this endeavor so it had little effect on my progress. Then began the attaching and shaping of the handle. At this juncture the time I had spent around the weapon began to cause me to once again feel the familiar effects from the truck start to take hold. Everything became considerably more laborious and progress slowed. But I persevered and finished he task at hand. Once that was complete I entered the compartment of the truck one last time to retrieve the cord I had taken from the homeless man's corpse. Wrapping the handle with the cord was decidedly the easiest part of the entire ordeal and might have been relaxing if not for the feeling of deathly illness hanging over me at the time. Once that was done I put the final sharpened edge on and sat back to look at what I had created. Now this might seem like a pretty quick process because of the writing but rest assured this took several weeks of work due to the materials' unwillingness to cooperate. PART THREE: THE TEST As I sat there in my shop I noticed something. The sickness I had felt had lifted, leaving me with an even greater sense of accomplishment and relief. My theory as to why is that perhaps now that it was finished, this thing was truly mine. I had made it through the arduous trial of bringing the sword into being and now it and all the darkness it held answered to me. The curse was mine. It was definitely a severely cursed object, but what affect would it have on a random person? I thought this to myself thinking of how best to evaluate the properties of something as unprecedented as what was surely the most cursed single object in the entire world. My first test was to remove the blade from the shop and gather the remnants of the items used to create it. I made sure the sword was a significant distance away and then placed the remaining objects in the shop with me. After sitting there for the better part of 30 minutes I concluded that the entirety, not just part, of the negative energies attached to these various materials had transferred to the sword. This meant the final result was already better than I had anticipated. It was definitely evil, but just how evil I had to know. For the next test I made a modest display and mounted it in my living room. I then invited an acquaintance, who we shall call Jerry, over under the premise of helping me move a couch on account of I had hurt my back lifting a heavy piece of machinery a few days before. As we entered the living room he immediately was drawn to the weapon sitting in wait on its stand. He inched carefully towards it with an inquisitive gaze in his eye. As he reached out to touch the hilt I asked from behind "Like the one huh?" and chuckled as he nearly leapt out of his skin from the scare. "Uh, yeah. Just something about it. Looks kinda different from your usual stuff though." He answered. "Just felt like trying something new. Shake things up you know?" I said attempting to feign friendly conversation. "Touch it if you like." He reached out and took hold of the handle, picking it up from its display. "It's really nice." he said after examining it for a few moments. "Something about it feels righ-right..." He continued, his face beginning to turn a pale white and look of mild nausea washing across it as he added, "I uh, I think I need to lie down. I don't feel so great." As I reached out to take the blade from his now trembling hand I told him that perhaps it's best if we try to tackle the couch some other time and that he should probably go home and rest. He agreed and left soon after, apologizing for not being of any help. Little did he know just how helpful he had been. I now knew that the sword possessed some form of hypnotic pull that drew people to it and the affect it had on them was not only potent but fast acting. This only served to further arouse my curiosity. I had to know what the prolonged effects of exposure would be. It was then I had an idea. After a few days Jerry returned to proceed with the relocation of the couch. After a little work and a lot of acting to fake the nonexistent pain I told him about earlier that week it was done. Before he left I handed him a large, flat box containing the sword and told him that it was small token of my appreciation and to open it when he got home. This was partly to test a theory to see if the aluminum foil I had lined the box with would at least lessen the effects of the object held within. Knowing he had several errands to run before he would return home that day I hastened to make my way to his empty house where I proceeded to place small hidden cameras I had purchased at a local electronics shop the day before all around the domicile. Once I had finished I quickly departed before he or his family could return. I made my way back to my house where I made sure all the camera feeds were up and working properly, then sat and waited patiently for Jerry's return. He walked through the door at about 5:30 that afternoon, his wife and two teenage children had arrived earlier around 4:25. His wife was in the kitchen and his oldest child, a son of around 17, was in the living room watching TV while his youngest, a daughter around 15 had taken to her room upon entering the home and was doing whatever 15 year old girls do alone in their rooms. Now I know what you're probably thinking and the answer is no. I'm a monster, not a pervert. I watched only enough footage to know their locations at any given time. Jerry was the one I was interested in. I watched as he sat the box down on the table and told his wife about my uncharacteristically generous gift. He opened the box revealing the sword he had been admiring so fervently the other day. He even smiled as he read the note aloud to his wife which said, "Jerry, I know that you've admired my work since as long as we've known each other. I'm also aware that my work is far from cheap and that your family and their financial needs always have to come first. So I hope you will accept this token of gratitude for helping an injured old man in a time of need. Careful, it's very sharp." Over the next several days I watched as he would make time to be alone with the thing, sneaking out of bed at night and often retreating to his garage where he would admire and caress the blade in the unlit space. His appearance began to diminish from day to day as well. He went from a healthy, vital man to a man with a visage not too unlike a cancer patient after undergoing months of heavy chemotherapy treatments. I watched in enthrallment as the drama unfolded between him and his wife as she seemingly pleaded with him to go to the hospital to find out the cause of his deteriorating health. It also seemed he was keeping some form of journal on his laptop, possibly containing some insight into what he was going through as the effects took hold. Then things took a rather exciting turn on the 4th night. After sitting alone in the dark garage for the better part of an hour he lifted up the leg of his shorts and began to make long, wavy cuts up and down his thigh. Blood ran down either side of his bleeding leg and began to pool at his feet. After a few minutes of this he stood and opened the door connecting the garage to the rest of the house and walked through. I followed him on the cameras as he made his way through the home, leaving one bloody footprint as he went. After a moment he arrived at his bedroom door, behind which was his sleeping wife. He slowly opened the door and stepped through. Once inside he stood in silence at the foot of their bed and watched her sleep for about 20 or so minutes before apparently coming to his senses. Realizing the pain in his leg he also noticed the source and the mess it had created. I could almost see his brain working to come up with a believable lie to explain away the bloodstains all over the floor. I was largely uninterested in the footage that followed for the bulk of the next day, as things didn't seem to pick up until night when everything was quiet and calm. That evening I sat down at my computer monitor and began to observe as usual. Things went on as they had the past few nights up until everyone had fallen asleep. Without warning Jerry slipped out of bed and went straight for the blade sitting on its display in his office once again. I shifted in my chair at the sight of activity. However this time he did not go to the garage but instead walked back down the hall and into the son's room where he stood for only a moment before lifting the blade high above his head and bringing it back down into the middle of his son's face. Then again he raised it and cut down into the now dead body lying in the bed, moving lower and lower down the corpse with each stroke, removing arms, spilling intestines, and severing legs as he went. By the time he was done the bed was covered in the dismembered and almost unrecognizable body of what used to be a teenage boy. The next room he entered was his own where again his wife slept peacefully, unaware of the carnage unfolding in her own home. This time he did not hesitate in his actions. He did however start from the bottom up. The first swing took off both of her feet causing her to awake in pain and terror as the next swing landed near her knees, cutting one completely in half and the other only the end of the blade made contact leaving the footless calf dangling from a few uncut muscles and tendons. The next stroke landed on her pelvic region causing her insides to flood the bed and mix with the blood already soaking into the fabric. The next swing took both her hands and sank into her chest as she held them up in a futile attempt to protect herself from her possessed husband, followed by several more chops to her face that brought silence and stillness back to the room. All except for the daughter who was woken by the horrific screams of her dying mother. She stood in the doorway paralyzed by fear at the scene in front of her eyes. A small peep signaled her presence causing the possessed man, who she only hours ago new as her father, to snap his bloodstained face over his should in her direction. With little time to process the situation, Jerry wheeled around, marching towards her in a most predatory of fashions before one clean swipe of the razor sharp instrument caused the two halves of the frightened girl to softly bounce of the side of the doorframe as they fell to the floor. Jerry's next action was to immediately place the tip of the blade up to his open eye before running full speed into the wall at the other end of the long hallway, driving the entire length of the thing through his head. I watched wide eyed, one hand which I hand not notice had risen to cover my mouth that was now hanging open in shock and awe, as he fell to the ground joining his family in a grim death. I only allowed myself a moment to take everything in before snapping back to my senses. I snatched up a bag of tools I had ready just in case and made haste to the scene. Getting in was easy as he had left the door unlocked. I had no need to be quiet, just quick. I gathered every one of the hidden cameras and placed them in my bag before retrieving the murder weapon. It didn't occur to me until this point that the murder weapon would still have to be accounted for in the investigation that would follow. I made my way into the garage and removed an old machete he had hanging on the peg board with the rest of his tools. I groaned as I noticed the edge was far too dull to inflict the wounds that would be found upon closer inspection of the bodies, so I hurriedly snatched up a bastard file and worked the edge into something feasibly sharp enough to cause such damage. As I made my way out of the garage I glimpsed into the son's room, noticing the first cut had landed dead center on his mouth. "The fucking teeth..." I complained to myself. I then slipped into the room to examine the remains just to make sure, and I could in fact see tiny fragments of broken teeth strewn over the pillow where his head once rested. "God damn it all!" I hissed to myself, taking a screwdriver out of my bag to dent the otherwise pristine edge of the machete before making sure to cover the thing in his blood before doing the same with the wife and other child. I then made my way to Jerry where I removed my project from his skull before reinserting the machete into the empty cavity. This took a little effort as the blade of the sword was noticeably narrower than the blade of the machete, but with a hard shove the tip popped out the back of his head and sunk in the rest of the way with no trouble. Taking one last pass to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything I crept back out into the night and then back the comfort and safety of my own home, but not before making sure to copy and delete all of his most recent journal entries from his laptop. All in all I would say that even as of now this undertaking has been a huge success. Causing noticeable deterioration in health, appearance, and mental stability in the first day and possessed a man to brutally murder his entire family then himself by the fifth, those are results far past anything I could have hoped for. But I decided to take this even farther. As of now I've put the sword out into circulation and after getting the idea from Jerry's journal, have been tracking the sword's progress online. I'll be sure to keep you all updated with the accounts of these incidents caused by my little experiment as I find them and compile the relevant information. Which shouldn't be too hard as the thing tends to leave a very easy trail to follow if you know what to look for. Until next time my dear readers.
I've done a lot of stupid things growing up, and most of them involve following my brother around. I fit the “adoring little brother” stereotype to a T. He was the golden boy of the family, so it was really hard not to. Perfect grades, Varsity athlete, and seemingly very well behaved? He was the complete package. It always felt like comparisons were being made between my brother and I, and that I was clearly falling short in my parent’s eyes. They never showed it in an openly malicious manner, but, in retrospect, it reared its head in little unintentional ways. It didn't matter too much to me at the time though. I knew my parents loved me, and I adored my older brother just as much as they did. Why would I be upset about him being the favorite when I believed that he deserved to be? Now, I could talk for hours about how toxic all of that was, and about how placing my brother high up on that pedestal was just as harmful for him as it was for me, but that isn't the point of this story. It just… felt appropriate to touch on. For context, I suppose. My brother and I grew up in the rural Midwest, in an area which was known for corn fields and nothing much else. It wasn’t exactly the most exciting place to live, but we made our own fun. For my brother though, his taste in fun started to get a bit more... extreme as he got older. His interests were varied, and he dabbled in a lot of different things. One week he be trying out parkour moves at the local playground, the next he'd be learning how to drift in Dad's old Civic. He even messed around with homemade explosives for a bit. Through it all, I was right there, following along behind him. Ever the adoring, if somewhat annoying, little brother. Around the time this particular story took place though? He was really into urban exploration. It made sense actually. It really wasn't that much of a “leap” (haha) to go from scaling and jumping off buildings to wanting to explore inside of them. That being said, he hit a similar roadblock here as to what had limited his interest in parkour: He had little to nothing in the way of options. It's kind of hard to experiment with urban exploration when where you live isn't anything close to “urban”. Though, thankfully for my brother's budding interest, he did eventually find a place that seemed promising: an old abandoned factory in the next town over. It wasn't until the second or third time he went that he allowed me to tag along. This old factory was in the middle of town, but, even so, it was relatively isolated. The immediate area surrounding the main building was largely taken up by smaller auxiliary buildings and lots that were seemingly utilized during the daily operations of the factory back when it was operational, such as for shipping, unloading, and storage purposes. The nearest occupied building, which happened to be a small dive bar, was over a football field's length away from the facility. As such, we could park somewhere inconspicuous, walk to the factory, and, as long as we didn't use any lights or make much noise, there was no real worry of getting caught. We walked the old, decommissioned train tracks that ran up to and alongside the main building. I trailed along behind my brother and two of his friends, one of which had been to the factory before with my brother, and another who, like me, was going there for the first time that night. I was 14 and they were all 16 to 17. I was relatively familiar with the both of them, as this was far from the first time I had tagged along with my brother when he was hanging out with the two of them. The one who had been there before, let's call him Jacob, was one of my brothers newer friends. He’d gotten into parkour and such along with my brother, and was the one who had actually discovered this particular spot. He was super athletic, though he never participated in any kind of school-sponsored sport. He was the type of guy who'd buy multiple sets of the same type of clothing, and wear the exact same outfit everyday, for no reason other than the fact that he simply felt like it. He was a bit of an odd duck, but he always made a point to be especially nice and friendly with me. He was my brother's friend, of course, but in a way it felt like he was my friend too, if you get what I mean. The other friend, let's say... David, had been my brother's friend since they were both ten. Naturally, this meant he was rather familiar with me as well. David liked to pick on me a bit. Not in an overly antagonistic sort of way, but like how one might do to a younger brother. He had a similar sort of dynamic with his older brother, so I liked to think this meant he thought of me as a kid brother or something. Though, it could have easily just been because he got a kick out of it. David was sort of “country”, and generally was a lot more conventional in his interests when compared to my brother. He wasn't personally interested in urban exploration or anything like that. However, he was always eager to get up to all sorts of trouble, and kickin’ it in an abandoned factory was right up his alley. Forgive me for derailing and reminiscing. I got a bit emotional there, thinking about those two. For reasons both related and unrelated to this story, I haven't spoken to either of them in years. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them, even now. Our method of entry into the factory was by way of an old, rusty fire escape on the side of the building closest to the tracks. It was the only option really, as all the main entrances were locked tight in order to deter squatters. Those locks were regularly checked and maintained by the town maintenance crew, but, luckily for us, the fire escape had been long neglected. The padlock securing the door to the third floor had rusted away to nothing after being exposed to the elements for so many years. That being said, the fire escape wasn't exactly easy entry by any means. It was one of those ones that was metal stairs all the way up to the first floor where they ended several feet above the ground, at which point there was a ladder extension that took you the rest of the way down. Easy enough. The only problem being that, likely sometime shortly after the factory was abandoned, the ladder extension had been completely removed. Now, you had to scale the wall if you wanted access. The climb was relatively manageable though. Compared to scaling a completely flat surface, that is. There was an old fire hose attachment and light fixture on the wall that were strong enough to support the entirety of our weights. It was sort of like a rock wall that was missing nearly all of its grips. Jacob and my brother scaled the wall in easy, well practiced movements. The climb wasn't a challenge for them in the slightest. I admittedly struggled a bit with it. I didn’t have the skill or confidence to match their movements. Or the upper body strength, for that matter. It took me a minute or two compared to their few seconds, and they even had to help me get from the light fixture to the fire escape. Eventually though, I made it. Not my proudest moment, but I took some comfort in the fact that they had to use the rope they originally thought I might need to hoist up David. Before we ducked inside, my brother tucked his rope back into his bag and pulled out a full gas mask that he had brought along. Jacob in turn, strapped on one of those ventilator masks that people use when spray painting. The two of them were being a bit excessive with this. As far as we knew, the air inside was perfectly fine to breathe. David wasn't even bothering to wear any kind of mask. However, they were of the opinion that you couldn't be too careful. Plus, I think my brother just wanted an excuse to use his gas mask. I agreed with them as far as caution went, but unfortunately didn't have anything to use other than an old bandana. The inside of the factory was nearly pitch-black, the few windows at the top of the walls having yellowed so much with age that they were nearly blacked out. We all pulled out flashlights and flicked them on, no longer worried about being spotted now that we were inside. I glanced briefly at my brother's LED flashlight/taser, another impulse buy, and suddenly my piddly little pocket flashlight felt incredibly insufficient. I moved its thin beam around the room curiously, and it was barely sufficient to light up the nearby machinery. At least I wouldn't have to worry about it being spotted from outside through the windows. Jacob took the lead, flicking on his headlamp as we made our way into the factory, sticking together. Jacob and my brother had already seen most of the factory on their own, so it ended up feeling sort of like a guided tour. None of us were particularly comfortable, though. The two of them hadn’t come across anyone else inside the factory on their previous visits, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it was still unoccupied. No one was particularly eager to wander off on their own and get jumped. Even without the possibility of someone attacking us though, the place was creepy enough on its own. Honestly, it felt like a setting from one of those horror games that I could barely bring myself to play. The comparison obviously did little to ease my concerns about running into someone, and I soon found myself jumping at every slightly threatening shadow our flashlights happened to cast. I stuck close to my brother and his friends, who were either much less affected by the atmosphere or were simply doing a good job of hiding it. There was an additional floor above us to explore, but we descended first to see the lower floors. When I quietly asked my brother why, he whispered back to me that they wanted to make sure nobody had moved in down there, and that there was “something cool that they wanted to show us”. I had noticed it somewhat as we made our way through the third floor towards the stairs, but, as we descended, I realized that the building had been left untouched to such a degree that it was odd. Old documents were strewn about, coats and various tools were left on hooks, and a good portion of the machinery, piping, and such that could have been salvaged for a hefty sum had simply been left there to rot. It didn't make sense to me at first, but, as we made our way further down through the building, I began to come across clues as to what might have happened. A clipboard hanging on the wall that was half rotted away in a manner that didn't seem natural. A strange residue on the floor. An increasing amount of rust on all exposed metal as we got closer to the bottom. All pieces of a puzzle that I just couldn’t put together quite just yet. And then we reached the basement. Jacob and my brother stopped us on the landing just before we reached the basement. Jacob turned and started scanning the floor of the landing as if looking for something. My brother directed the beam of his flashlight down the stairs and turned to David and I with a knowing grin. Cryptically, he asked us: “Do you notice anything strange about the basement?” I gazed down the stairs curiously. The first thing that I noticed was how much lower the ceilings were compared to the upper floors. It was almost to the point where one might have to crouch. Perhaps the area was intended for solely machinery and not regular foot traffic? That idea seemed unlikely, as there didn't appear to be any trace of any machinery having ever been there, let alone the machinery itself. Other than the empty floor, the only thing I could make out were the support pillars and several copper pipes that stretched from the ceiling down to the floor. I had no idea what the pipes could be for. There was no floor beneath this one, and they were nowhere close to big enough to be sewer pipes or anything like that. Speaking of floors though, the basement floor was easily the most filthy and disgusting out of all the other floors I'd seen by far. It was completely coated in a rusty colored substance that appeared to have the same thickness and consistency as mud. I certainly didn't relish the idea of walking through it. “This'll work.” Jacob said, interrupting my thoughts. My gaze curiously wandered back over to him, and I found him holding a piece of decently-sized, loose concrete. I was completely at a loss as to what he intended to do with it. My brother gestured for me to look back towards the basement. “Watch this.” He said, seemingly no longer interested in my or David's response to his previous question Jacob stepped forward and tossed the chunk of concrete down the stairs and into the basement. I watched as it sailed through the air towards the floor. I expected an impact, a squelch or a clatter if anything. Instead, the chunk of concrete hit the floor and then continued right on through it, letting out a distinct sploosh as it did. What I was looking at wasn’t the floor of the basement, but rather a large pool of water with a thick layer of unidentified sludge coating the top. The basement was, in fact, completely flooded. “We didn't notice it at first ourselves, the first time we came here,” Jacob chuckled. “Completely ruined one of my shoes and nearly fell in when I found out the floor wasn't quite as solid as it should be.” Suddenly, it all made a lot more sense. Jacob and my brother went on to explain that the factory had originally closed back in the 70s after a massive flooding incident. According to the way they'd heard it, in the midst of a massive storm that was already causing flash flooding, a faulty water tank on the roof ended up collapsing under the wind pressure and released its contents into the factory below. So much of the facility had suffered water damage that it simply wasn't worth the effort to attempt to repair or even salvage most of it. The building ended up being simply abandoned as is. I was only half-listening to their explanation. My attention was fully seized by the flooded basement as I was gripped by a sick sense of fascination. The area through which the stone had passed had already settled back into place, the thick layer of filth reforming to the point where you could barely even tell where the hole had been. What even was the sludge? Some sort of awful hybrid of mold, various filth, and bacteria that somehow thrived and propagated in this basement, untouched by the sun for decades? I had truly never seen water this stagnant and filthy, even in the videos my brother had me watch of people exploring the sewers underneath major cities. “You could hide anything in there, even a body.” Startled, I nearly fell over as I whipped around to find David as he let loose a mischievous cackle. My face burned red underneath my mask as I stood and dusted myself off, doing my best to ignore the chuckles of my other companions. The others had long grown bored of the basement, and were eager to go explore the upper floors and the roof. I trailed behind them as we ascended the stairs, nowhere close to getting over my earlier embarrassment. I briefly turned around before leaving the basement completely, giving the flooded floor one last look as I swept the weak beam of my flashlight across the scummy surface of the water. It was then that I saw it. Something moved. My breath caught in my throat as I quickly swept my flashlight back across the area that I had seen the brief trace of movement in, but whatever I had seen was now long gone, leaving no trace of its passing. It wasn't just my imagination though. I knew for certain that I had seen something. My heart racing, I was ready to call out to my companions. I hesitated though, my panic cooling. Did I really want to look even more like a scared little kid, immediately after what had just happened? It's not like they would believe me, and it was probably just a gas bubble or something anyway, I rationalized. I turned away from the basement and hurried up the stairs after my friends, not eager to be left behind. We made it up to the top floor and then the roof without any major incident. The top floor was generally unremarkable, largely dominated by open spaces, various chutes, and ventilation ducts. Either there had been not much of anything there to begin with, or it was one of the few floors that had been largely cleared out. The roof was much more interesting though, as well as a bit difficult to get to. Jacob and my brother had scoped out a way up there on an earlier trip, but it wasn't as easy as an unlocked access hatch or anything like that. Through a window missing its glass on the top floor, one could shimmy across a ledge and over to a ladder-like series of support struts that led right up to the roof. It wasn't a hard climb, but it was certainly a nerve-wracking one. It was quite a ways to fall, and the empty, pitch-black space beneath us, barely illuminated by the moon light filtering through the clouds, seemed almost bottomless. Thankfully, no one slipped. The roof itself was actually a lot of fun. We spent a fair bit of time searching the roof for any trace of the faulty water tank, curious to see if what Jacob and my brother had heard about the place was true. The search didn’t turn up much of anything though, save for a few old, rusty bits of unidentified metal and some old bolts and fittings set into the roof that might have been used to secure something at some point. Other than that, we found ourselves quite caught up in the view. The roof of the factory was significantly taller than most of the other buildings in the mid-sized town. Upon scaling a ladder that went up to the side of a long-empty silo on the roof, we had a bird's-eye view of the vast majority of the town. The lights laid out beneath us like a starry night sky were rather captivating. We could see the edge of town on one side, the sharp contrast of light to dark where development met fields devoid of light gave one the impression of an island of starlight adrift in an inky black Sea. By the time we’d made our way back down into the building, we were all much more comfortable and at ease with our bizarre surroundings, even me. Having searched every floor of the building, we were all more or less certain that we had the place to ourselves. With the main threat to our safety now being a non-issue, on top of the confidence displayed by Jacob and my brother in leading us through the building, the idea of being alone in an abandoned factory seemed quite a bit less threatening. Most any trace of caution was long gone, as we carelessly wandered the halls, laughing and joking without a care. The abandoned building began to feel like our own personal playground, rather than private property on which we were in the midst of trespassing. Obviously, letting down our guard was a mistake. One which we would soon find ourselves paying for. We had now visited every floor in the factory, but we were still far from having explored the entirety of the building, even considering Jacob and my brother's earlier visits. For whatever reason, significant portions of various floors of the factory had been closed up prior to being abandoned. Some areas appeared to have simply been left locked up, whereas others seemed intentionally sealed. Obviously, there's nothing like a locked door to pique the interest of a curious explorer. Jacob and my brother had attempted to gain access to some of these areas on previous trips with no real success. This time around though, they were determined to breach at least one of them. A discovery I’d made on the second floor, an old cabinet in a secluded corner of the building filled with a multitude of only slightly rusty keys, led us to choosing the unexplored area of that floor as our main focus. It seemed reasonable to expect that any keys found on that floor would likely go to locks on that same floor. This proved to be true with the actual door lock for the sealed area, though much less so in regards to the chain and padlock adorning the door. They appeared to be a much more recent addition, perhaps shortly after the place had closed. This wasn't entirely unexpected though. Jacob gave me a pat on the back and a “Good job'' before he pulled a pair of bolt cutters out of his backpack and set about working on the padlock. Grinning under my mask, I tucked the key into my back pocket, intending to keep it as a souvenir. It took him a few minutes, but Jacob was eventually able to cut through the padlock. Pulling the chain loose from the door, he gave the door a hard shove with a shoulder. The loud creaking protests of the hinges as the door swung inwards spoke to just how long the door had been sealed for. Jacob went in first, his headlamp lighting the way as we entered the sealed room. Looking back on it now, I can scarcely understand how we could possibly think that any of that was a good idea. I mean, those areas were clearly sealed for a reason, right? It wasn't until the floor caved in under Jacob’s feet though, that the massive lapse in our judgment became painfully clear. Buildings that have suffered massive water damage are rarely structurally sound, after all. I was right behind him, and nearly fell as well. If not for my brother yanking me backwards just in time, I'd have fallen right after him. We both fell backwards, nearly knocking over David, who hadn't quite stepped into the room yet. Following the initial collapse of the floor, the crunch of wood giving way echoed out once more from the room right in front of us, followed by the sound of several splashes as objects of various sizes hit water. Getting to our feet, my brother and I cautiously leaned in through the doorway with David. Once the dust, and likely mold spores, settled, we were finally able to get a look at what had happened. No more than a few paces past the doorway, the floor now gave way to empty space. Looking at the edges of the hole, it was plain to see that the floor was completely rotted through. My brother and I carefully inched closer to the hole, now painfully aware of just how unsure of our footing we should have been. After a few tense seconds, we were finally close enough for my brother to aim his flashlight down the hole. “Shit.” he said. We probably could have guessed from the sounds we’d heard, but now it was plain to see. Jacob's fall hadn't ended at the next floor down. He’d broken through that floor as well, causing an even more extensive collapse as he continued through into the flooded basement below. It occurred to me then that the purposefully sealed off areas we'd found on each floor were actually situated right above each other. Too little too late I suppose. My brother maneuvered his flashlight so that it was shining through the hole below and into the basement, just as we heard the distinctive splashes and sputters of someone struggling through water. Relief washed over me as we caught sight of Jacob as he clumsily paddled through the water. He neared one of the metal pipes that now extended upwards into empty space, grasping hold of it with one hand and pulling himself up onto what appeared to be an old grimmy piece of machinery, the top of which was just barely peeking out from beneath the surface of the water. His headlamp appeared to have been lost in the fall, and he hastily pulled off his waterlogged, and likely now useless, mask with the arm wrapped around the pipe and tossed it aside, panting heavily now that he was able to breathe freely. “Are you okay?!” My brother yelled down the hole. “Yeah!” Jacob called back up. Finally catching his breath after a few moments, he paused. “Actually... No. No I'm not okay. Fuck!” “What? What is it?” My brother called back, worry creeping into his tone. “I... I think my arm is broken.” He cradled his other arm up to his chest, which I just noticed had been hanging loosely all this time, wincing visibly from pain as he did. “I don't think he's going to be able to get out of there on his own.” David chimed in, leaning in from behind us. “Dammit.” Jacob cursed to himself. “Which way were the stairs again? I can't see anything.” “David,” my brother said, “Head down to the landing and see if you can lead him over there with your light. We'll stay here and keep our light on him.” “Please do.” Jacob cut in. “The only thing that could make this any worse is being both alone and in the dark.” David made his way off towards the stairs, my brother and I remaining to keep an eye on Jacob. Left with little to do but sit there and keep the flashlight on him, my brother and I fell into a sort of tense, worried silence, broken only by Jacob’s occasional grumblings about the smell, how he really shouldn't have worn his favorite shirt, and the like. I found my gaze drawn towards the water. Jacob's collision with its surface and his subsequent thrashing had cleared away quite a large area of the sludge. The water was hardly any less murky and opaque without it though. I could barely make out the top of the unidentified piece of machinery Jacob was crouched on, let alone the floor of the basement. Just how deep was the water down there? “Shit!” Jacob shouted, interrupting my thoughts. “What is it?!” My brother yelled back, panicked. “Something just brushed my leg.” Jacob replied, his voice shaking a bit. “Dude, relax.” My brother replied reassuringly. “You're in a basement. You aren’t going to have a run-in with Jaws down there. And besides,” he paused, “Look at the state of that water! I don't think anything could be alive in that mess.” “I'm telling you, I felt something.” Jacob yelled, his voice cracking with panic. “I swear to God, it felt like it was a han-” Jacob was cut off as his foot was yanked out from underneath him and he went face-first into the water. It was clear that something had tried to pull him under. The motion was too sudden, too violent to be a simple slip. Jacob only just barely managed to hang on, his good arm still securely wrapped around the pipe. He kicked wildly with this free leg, trying his best to dislodge whatever had gotten hold of him. Through some measure of blind luck, Jacob managed to struggle free, pulling himself back up onto the machinery as he sputtered for air. “What the-” Jacob coughed, almost retching. “What the fuck? What the fuck what the fuck WHAT THE FUC-” Jacob’s legs were yanked out from beneath him once more. Being somewhat more prepared this time around, he was just barely able to keep his head above water. He let out a string of panicked yells and curses as he was yanked left, right, up, down, and all over the place, even making a few full rotations around the pipe. I couldn't make sense of what could possibly be yanking him around so violently, and I still hadn’t even caught the slightest glimpse of it in the murky water, even with Jacob’s thrashing. Jacob managed to get free once more and he pulled himself weakly back upright, only having just barely managed to keep from getting pulled under. He looked upwards, his pleading eyes locking on to ours as he let out a throat-shredding cry. “GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” “Breaking free from our shocked inaction, my brother and I scrambled about, unsure what to do to help. Jumping down after him would obviously do more harm than good, and, even if we’d be able to get to the basement stairs down to the landing in time, it wasn't like we would be able to do much of anything more from there. It took me a few too many panicked seconds, but something finally occurred to me. I roughly shook my brother's shoulder to get his attention. “The rope! The rope!” I yelled. He didn't need any more explanation, realization dawning on his face. He swung his sling sack off of his shoulder and damn near tore the thing in half getting it open. Grabbing the rope, he tossed the bag to the side and flung one end of it down into the hole, nearly losing his grip on it in his haste. Jacob, catching sight of the rope immediately took hold of it with his good hand and even wrapped it around his wrist several times for good measure. It was just in time too, as whatever was in the water took hold of Jacob once more, nearly pulling him under and almost sending my brother careening off the edge. I took hold of the rope as well, helping my brother right himself as we struggled to slowly reel Jacob in, like some sort of massive fish on the line. It was slow going. The force on the other end of the rope was a lot stronger than we could have imagined. We were making progress though. Hand-over-hand we pulled, and, ever so slowly, Jacob began to rise up out of the water. There was no speaking, only eyes of exertion and pain as we struggled. Especially from Jacob. I can only imagine that being part of the rope in our perverse little game of tug-of-war was far from a pleasant experience. Eventually, Jacob was fully out of the water, and we could finally catch a glimpse of what had taken hold of him. It was a withered, bony, and disturbingly human hand. My first thought was to wonder why some drugged-out vagrant was trying so hard to drown my friend. However, as we pulled Jacob further and further out of the water, I began to realize that I had assumed the nature of the situation... rather incorrectly. As Jacob rose from the water, more of the bony arm the hand was attached to was revealed... and more... and more... and more. Last time I checked, normal human arms generally aren't over 6 feet long. But that was far from the end of it. Another arm rose from the sludge like some sort of nightmarish tentacle, each of its way too many elbows extending as it too latched onto Jacob. Our progress slowed. Letting out a strained “What the fuck?” was about all I could manage as I redoubled my efforts. It was no use though, as three more grotesque arms extended upwards from the water to latch on to Jacob. There was nothing more my brother and I could do. We pulled with all our might, but the rope wouldn't budge. We weren't strong enough. In that last moment, I locked eyes with Jacob. God... he looked so terrified. So full of fear and pain. His lips parted. I couldn't hear him, but I could tell what he mouthed to me through his panicked, pained cries. Please. The arms all pulled at once, and the rope tore the skin from our palms as it was ripped free from our grasp. Jacob was able to let out one final scream of terror before it was cut short as he was pulled under. The rope hit the water after him, floating there for a brief moment before it snaked off after him, letting out a subdued plunk as the last bit of it vanished into the murky depths. My brother and I stood there in silence, staring into the water as if waiting for something. Maybe for Jacob to resurface. Maybe for a camera crew to pop out of the shadows and tell us it was all a joke. I'm not sure. Nothing like that ever came though. What did come was a flicker of light that swept over the water beneath us from somewhere far off into the basement. “Hey, sorry it took me a bit.” David called out. “I got a little turned around... Jacob...? Guys...?” ___ My brother took me home before he and David called the police. He felt it would be best if I wasn't involved in the mess that was sure to follow. As such, I wasn't there in-person for everything I'm about to tell you. For what I was there for, I was often far too “checked out” to properly process any of it. From what I understand, no charges were ever pressed. I suppose it didn't exactly feel appropriate, given the questionable ownership of the old factory and Jacob’s... disappearance. Yeah, that's the thing. No one really wanted to say that Jacob was dead. Especially his parents. Can't really say I blame them. What happened to him was so terrible, so unbelievable, that sometimes even I find myself wondering if the whole thing was some sort of wild hallucination. Despite the doubts surrounding my brother’s story, the police did end up having a dive team search the flooded basement. There was, however, no trace of Jacob or the creature that took him to be found. There was the beginnings of some sort of wide hole in the basement floor, but it was blocked by rubble that couldn't possibly be shifted by an unruly teenager, so the police ended up completely disregarding it. My brother tried his best to convince them to investigate it further, but no one would listen. I'd love to say that we've moved on from this, but things like this don't really ever leave you. I haven't spoken to David for over a decade now, and my brother... Well, that was just the beginning of a long list of unfortunate events in his life. As for me? Well, I get by. Most days go by without me thinking about what happened. My life is good, for the most part. Every now and then though, I find myself pulling out that old key, just to look at it. I never got rid of it, despite the many times I've considered doing just that. I find myself thinking. What if I had never found this damn key? What if we had just decided to search a different floor? What if we had just never gone to that damn place? And sometimes, on really bad days, I find myself thinking of that scared boy who looked into my eyes. Struggling, choking on filthy water as he was pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss. I find myself hoping that he drowned long before he met whatever those arms belonged to. I try my best to not let those thoughts linger, but it's hardly ever as easy as all that, is it?
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