Creepypasta stories

Arthur: Lost Episode

Arthur is a kids TV show that has been around since the late 90's, and is still on to this day. It's one of the weirdest, reality based shows that sets examples for kids. I grew up with it, and still watch it on weekday mornings when I don't have school. This story though, will explain what has soured me from buying other old episodes on tape. I had written this description of the episode a few years back and left it on my computer, and after much thought, I’ve decided to release it.

The Story (May 10th 2009)

I wish this tape had survived long enough for me to get some screen shots from it, but alas, the film tore badly and during repairs I lost all but 5 minutes of the episode. The tape was bought second hand about a month ago, from my normal second hand media store, The Corner Store. For those who don’t live in central Alberta, it’s an old music store that became a second hand book/movie store some time ago. I have bought almost 100 VHS tapes from him, all of which worked fine, except for this one. I bought the tape because I’m trying to find the old episodes of Arthur again, to bring back good memories of my childhood. I loved that show, and still watch it to this day. As all should know, they still make it…and the new ones are nothing to brag about. The animation looks cheap and rather rushed, the stories are often dull and the focus on mental illness in children (like the one about the kid with Asperger’s) feels out of place. Characters have changed; the bullies are now good guys, Francine is even more of a bitch and DW no longer has moments that make her seem like more than a spoiled brat. The show has been ruined. To escape this mess, I went out to buy some old episodes on tape. Home recordings were of particular interest, so I could see some of the old commercials that had aired at the time. I bought about $5 worth of the old tapes, each at 50 cents. They all seemed fine. Each was properly labeled with episode times, recording dates and time stamps. The one that caught my eye was the title “Death of Grandma”, recorded on March 5th, 1998 with a lone time stamp: ‘15:24 lost the channel’. It was an episode I did not know, from an airdate that seemed almost too old to be trusted. I noticed the title had been written on a patch of white out. I decided against scraping it off. Perhaps it was a recording of something in the people’s lives? I decided to watch it first.

The beginning was the opening of Arthur, the theme sounding a bit tinny, probably due to bad recording equipment. The tape had issues that troubled me, mainly the tracking. I just couldn’t get it to stop being jumpy and it awkward to watch! I eventually gave up, leaving it where there was a line of fuzz across the top and sat down. There was no opening title for the episode. It showed the Elwood City hospital, something I wasn’t very familiar with. The sad music was playing. The only one car in the parking lot was the Reads. It cut to Arthur and DW in the waiting room. Arthur was reading a Scare-Your-Pants-Off book, while DW pestered him about the story. The volume was bad, making it hard for me to listen to. I’ll do my best to recreate what they were saying, though it’s hard to remember.

DW: “Why won’t you play with me, Arthur? I’m bored! Why are we even here?”

Arthur: “Shut up, DW! I’m trying to read!”

The parents came down the hall, the mom was crying and the dad looked shocked. DW ran to them, asking why Arthur was ignoring her. The dad told her to sit down.

Arthurs Dad: “Now kids, I’m afraid that we won’t be seeing Grandma Thora again. She’s…gone to a better place…”'''

He broke into tears. As always, the voice acting was pretty good. Arthur dropped his book in shock and stared. They sat there, unmoving, the tape rippling with static, as the parents crying looped over and over. It cut to them at home. The mom was talking on the phone, looking sad but acting professional. DW was staring at the TV but it was at a black screen. Baby Kate was just sitting there, unmoving. The dad was making a wedding cake, his face grim. The doorbell rang and Arthur opened the door. It was Buster.