1
00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:35,290
[Music]

2
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:38,370
the following story comes to us from the

3
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:41,730
historical archives of reductive it was

4
00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:47,730
reported by essie schlosser the soft

5
00:00:52,279 --> 00:00:50,010
thud of following footsteps echoed

6
00:00:55,729 --> 00:00:52,289
behind him as he hurried through the

7
00:00:57,619 --> 00:00:55,739
snowflakes toward home they kept pace

8
00:01:01,639 --> 00:00:57,629
with him quickening when he quickened

9
00:01:04,369 --> 00:01:01,649
and slowly when he slowed his flesh

10
00:01:07,070 --> 00:01:04,379
crawled and a sound and he sped up

11
00:01:10,359 --> 00:01:07,080
cursing himself for walking home alone

12
00:01:13,789 --> 00:01:10,369
from the midnight Christmas Mass

13
00:01:16,219 --> 00:01:13,799
normally not a pious man the middle-aged

14
00:01:18,649 --> 00:01:16,229
bachelor had suddenly been struck by a

15
00:01:21,679 --> 00:01:18,659
wish to hear the old Christmas songs

16
00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:21,689
sung once again by a church choir and

17
00:01:28,850 --> 00:01:24,630
had walked across town to attend a

18
00:01:32,149 --> 00:01:28,860
service now he regretted his choice as

19
00:01:35,359 --> 00:01:32,159
he passed dark house after dark house in

20
00:01:40,010 --> 00:01:35,369
snowy night and the footsteps continue

21
00:01:42,649 --> 00:01:40,020
to follow he sped up until he was nearly

22
00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:42,659
running and skidded into the street a

23
00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:45,570
few more paces brought him to the bottom

24
00:01:51,649 --> 00:01:48,110
of his front steps and he dashed up them

25
00:01:53,850 --> 00:01:51,659
he realized suddenly that the following

26
00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:53,860
footsteps had ceased

27
00:01:57,930 --> 00:01:56,050
he glanced behind him at the cross

28
00:02:00,630 --> 00:01:57,940
street from which he had just turned and

29
00:02:02,730 --> 00:02:00,640
saw only one pair of footprints in the

30
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:02,740
snow covered street when there should

31
00:02:10,830 --> 00:02:08,410
have been two he was back and he then

32
00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:10,840
shuddered as a cold breeze struck him

33
00:02:16,830 --> 00:02:13,270
driving snow against his collar and

34
00:02:20,910 --> 00:02:16,840
slammed against the door almost it

35
00:02:25,199 --> 00:02:20,920
seemed to pass through the door but that

36
00:02:27,180 --> 00:02:25,209
was superstitious nonsense his hand was

37
00:02:32,370 --> 00:02:27,190
shaking as he unlocked the front door

38
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:32,380
and hurried inside he expected darkness

39
00:02:37,229 --> 00:02:35,050
but was delighted to see the yellow glow

40
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:37,239
of fire was coming from his study

41
00:02:43,020 --> 00:02:41,410
doorway upstairs his housekeeper whom he

42
00:02:45,930 --> 00:02:43,030
thought firmly asleep in her attic

43
00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:45,940
bedroom must have lit the fire pending

44
00:02:52,830 --> 00:02:49,510
his return she shrugged out of his coat

45
00:02:55,860 --> 00:02:52,840
and prosper moved amazed to find it

46
00:02:58,940 --> 00:02:55,870
still warm and dry though he had walked

47
00:03:02,160 --> 00:02:58,950
for more than a mile through snowstorm

48
00:03:05,759 --> 00:03:02,170
it was almost as if he'd been walking in

49
00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:05,769
a bubble of calm air so he remembered

50
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:08,110
the soft snow flakes heading his face

51
00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:10,530
when he first stepped out of church

52
00:03:18,550 --> 00:03:14,980
before the mysterious footsteps again

53
00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:18,560
his shutter was interrupted by a shaft

54
00:03:26,170 --> 00:03:22,250
of greeting as his old friend and came

55
00:03:29,289 --> 00:03:26,180
hurrying out of the study his whole face

56
00:03:33,220 --> 00:03:29,299
lit up in a grain at the unexpected

57
00:03:35,530 --> 00:03:33,230
prize the two men shook hands heartily

58
00:03:39,039 --> 00:03:35,540
and retreated back to the warmth of the

59
00:03:42,910 --> 00:03:39,049
fire were talking so fast they stumbled

60
00:03:45,009 --> 00:03:42,920
over each other's words Andy had left

61
00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:45,019
town years ago to take a government job

62
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:47,870
in Washington DC and they hadn't seen

63
00:03:54,369 --> 00:03:52,730
each other ever since nearly an hour and

64
00:03:58,179 --> 00:03:54,379
passed before it occurred to him that

65
00:04:01,179 --> 00:03:58,189
his guests might be hungry his offer of

66
00:04:03,129 --> 00:04:01,189
a meal was instantly accepted but Andy

67
00:04:06,220 --> 00:04:03,139
was unwilling to leave the comfort of

68
00:04:08,649 --> 00:04:06,230
the fire to eat in the kitchen said man

69
00:04:12,129 --> 00:04:08,659
jog down stairs alone to fetch some food

70
00:04:13,869 --> 00:04:12,139
/ and he didn't wonder at his friends

71
00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:13,879
reluctance to join him in the kitchen

72
00:04:19,870 --> 00:04:16,970
and he had looked very pal and it kept

73
00:04:22,029 --> 00:04:19,880
shivering with cold while they talked he

74
00:04:25,420 --> 00:04:22,039
hoped his friend was an ailing for

75
00:04:29,409 --> 00:04:25,430
anything so he let him stay a sightline

76
00:04:32,260 --> 00:04:29,419
a few moments later he was back with

77
00:04:36,129 --> 00:04:32,270
warmed up meat and potatoes and a couple

78
00:04:38,350 --> 00:04:36,139
glasses beer apologizing profusely as he

79
00:04:39,940 --> 00:04:38,360
handed Andy a plate to the mismatch

80
00:04:42,730 --> 00:04:39,950
dinnerware

81
00:04:45,790 --> 00:04:42,740
and he just laughed and hunkered down to

82
00:04:47,530 --> 00:04:45,800
eat when they were both finished he

83
00:04:49,630 --> 00:04:47,540
showed his friend to a guest room and

84
00:04:52,210 --> 00:04:49,640
then tumbled into his own bed to sleep

85
00:04:55,510 --> 00:04:52,220
all his apprehension caused by

86
00:04:58,930 --> 00:04:55,520
mysterious footsteps forgotten in the

87
00:05:01,780 --> 00:04:58,940
business of his friend it was now

88
00:05:04,210 --> 00:05:01,790
Christmas morning he jumped out of bed

89
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:04,220
and dash immediately downstairs to the

90
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:08,570
guest room to rouse his friend but Andy

91
00:05:16,450 --> 00:05:11,930
wasn't there and the bed had not been

92
00:05:19,470 --> 00:05:16,460
slept in the man went down to look into

93
00:05:23,710 --> 00:05:19,480
the study and he wasn't there either and

94
00:05:25,690 --> 00:05:23,720
one plate was full of food sitting on

95
00:05:30,490 --> 00:05:25,700
the end table beside his old friends

96
00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:30,500
chair it was completely untouched though

97
00:05:38,140 --> 00:05:32,810
he'd seen and is eating from it the

98
00:05:41,230 --> 00:05:38,150
night before skin creepy at the thought

99
00:05:45,010 --> 00:05:41,240
the man ran to the kitchen and asked his

100
00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:45,020
housekeeper if she'd seen Andy but the

101
00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:47,810
housekeeper had seen no one either the

102
00:05:54,670 --> 00:05:52,490
previous night or this morning the man

103
00:06:00,070 --> 00:05:54,680
flopped down on the bottom step to

104
00:06:03,910 --> 00:06:00,080
Stampley completely baffled where hadn't

105
00:06:07,330 --> 00:06:03,920
it gone it was a mystery the plankton

106
00:06:11,110 --> 00:06:07,340
all christmas day and he did not enjoy

107
00:06:14,950 --> 00:06:11,120
this holiday dinner at all a fact that

108
00:06:17,140 --> 00:06:14,960
annoyed his housekeeper he was awakened

109
00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:17,150
the next morning from a restless sleep

110
00:06:22,330 --> 00:06:20,330
by the sound of the front doorbell he

111
00:06:24,940 --> 00:06:22,340
stumbled out of bed and was splashing

112
00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:24,950
water from the bedside pitcher unto his

113
00:06:29,110 --> 00:06:27,770
sleepy eyes when a knock came at his

114
00:06:32,260 --> 00:06:29,120
bedroom door

115
00:06:35,140 --> 00:06:32,270
when he answered his housekeeper handed

116
00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:35,150
him a telegram that it just arrived as

117
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:37,850
she hurried back downstairs to prepare

118
00:06:44,050 --> 00:06:41,810
his breakfast he opened it curiously not

119
00:06:49,090 --> 00:06:44,060
knowing who would be telegraphing him so

120
00:06:52,390 --> 00:06:49,100
urgently as he read the telegram he

121
00:06:57,760 --> 00:06:52,400
started to tremble the message was short

122
00:07:00,430 --> 00:06:57,770
and to the point Andy's family regretted

123
00:07:04,570 --> 00:07:00,440
to inform him that his old friend had

124
00:07:11,830 --> 00:07:04,580
passed away on Christmas Eve in his home

125
00:07:15,159 --> 00:07:11,840
in Washington DC the man sat down on the

126
00:07:19,540 --> 00:07:15,169
bed the telegram fluttering away from

127
00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:19,550
the fam he'd spent Christmas Eve with

128
00:07:34,140 --> 00:07:24,370
Andy indeed but it was spent with that

129
00:07:34,150 --> 00:07:48,640
[Music]

130
00:07:52,879 --> 00:07:50,720
thank you for listening to redact us