The Tapes

In The Kitchen

Dear Riley,

If you are reading this, it means that you won't see me again unless it's in the next life. I wish I could have told you everything. I don't know how much time I have, and there is still so much I have to do before I'm gone. This letter serves two purposes: to say goodbye and to bequeath to you my house in Kensdale.

A tear slips down my cheek as I read the letter that my aunt Kate left me. It feels impossible for her to be dead, even though she died months ago. It was so sudden, one day she was happy and healthy, then the next she was dead, "under mysterious circumstances".

But then my curiosity is caught by the second part of the letter. It was folded, so I hadn't seen it at first.

This next part may be a mistake, and gods forgive me if it is. When you settle in, there's something in the attic I need to pass on to you. Look for a tape. But know that once you watch it, there's no turning back. Stay safe, my dear.

With you always, Aunt Kate

A tape? In the attic?

The attic door, I realise, is open. The ladder halfway down.

If there's something in there, I want to look for it. A tape.

No turning back.

I was going to watch this tape. I didn't care.

I felt a strange need, like I had no choice but to investigate, now that I knew of the tapes existence.

The letter in one hand, I jump up and pull the ladder down. Now it's low enough for me to climb up it.

The attic is mostly full of old junk, boxes that I can't be bothered to open, a bunch of old furniture — mostly tables, but one couch — a lot of kids toys for some reason, and at the very end, next to a window showing the star—filled sky, is the TV. Next to it is a single tape, labelled In The Kitchen.

I'm about to put it in, when my attention is caught by a notice board on the divider wall. On it is some sticky notes with some different words, the certificate Aunt Kate received for her work in the library, and what really triggered my curiosity, a letter from a woman named Joanne Cook, about a missing brother, saying that she knew about the kind for research Kate did, the kind that was a bit more than what would be considered normal. It says about how he used to watch "That Show", but that it eventually got creepy.

After a few minutes, I get bored of reading and put the tape in.

A logo for whatever I was watching comes up, labelling the show as "Amanda The Adventure".

"Hi, I'm Amanda!" A little animated girl say on the screen, waving her hand at the camera. She has dark brown skin, large brown eyes, and hair in two buns that look like giant ears. She is wearing a yellow T—shirt and blue shorts.

"And I'm Wooly!" An anthropomorphic sheep says next to her.

"Today we're going to make an apple pie!" Amanda tells the camera happily.

"My favourite is peach pie!" Wooly says.

"What's your favourite kind of pie?"

I notice a keyboard and mouse attached to the TV, and a six—letter space to type something in appears on screen. I decide to mess around with the human—sheep a bit.

Mutton

Wooly gasps, and Amanda looks at Wooly hungrily.

"Mmm, that sounds delicious," she says.