This Neighborhood of Mine: Tales from Springvale Volume 1

Chapter 2- Veil Society Interview #6: Crane, Judith

Mac: The date is May 11th, 1980. My name is Malcolm Brooks; you can call me Mac. Could you please tell us your name and age?

Judith: My name is Judith Crane. I am twelve years old; I will be thirteen next month.

Mac: And who are your parents?

Judith: My mom is Betty Crane, the seamstress, and my dad is Clayton Crane, the town dairy farmer.

Mac: Before we start, and for the record, were you forced to be here?

Judith: No.

Mac: And are you under the control of the Lights or any mind-altering influences?

Judith: No.

Mac: Thank you. Could you tell us everything you remember? Everything you've seen?

Judith: My mother and Father have always been good to me, and that didn't change until maybe three or four months ago. During the day, they were gentle and kind. At night—at night—well, they aren't my parents anymore.

Mac: Could you describe what you mean?

Judith: It started with things that didn't seem too abnormal.

Mac: Like what exactly?

Judith: The first night, I came out to get a glass of water and found my mother standing at the front door, looking outside

Mac: Was there anything off about the moon?

Judith: No. It was just full—silver and full.

Mac: So what happened?

Judith: One night, I found Father eating out of the trash. He was chewing on glass. [Judith begins to cry] My father's mouth was bleeding, but he kept going. The following day, he had cuts around his lips. Father didn't have much of an explanation for what happened. He acted like he couldn't remember.

Mac: What else? When did it get worse?

Judith: Ummm, I would say around the time of the next full moon. I woke to banging and footsteps running up and down the hall. When I opened my door, I saw both my mom and my dad naked. My mother was- my mother was banging her head against the wall. She was, you know, [Judith gestured] urinating on herself.

Mac: What about your dad?

Judith: He was also naked, well, wearing his underwear on his head, but he was chasing our dog, Mason, around the house like a child.

Mac: He didn't get the dog, did he?

Judith: I grabbed the poor thing and locked us both in my room. That was probably a mistake because it brought my parents' attention to me. They spent the rest of the night banging on my door and calling my name. Mason barking at them didn't help. I don't even know what time I fell asleep. But when I woke up, Mom and Dad were downstairs cooking breakfast.

Mac: Did these kinds of things happen every night?

Judith: Just about, but if I had to guess, things get worse closer to the full moons.

Mac: We've heard many kids say the same thing. I hate to ask, but has anything more violent happened?

Judith: Yeah.

Mac: Would you mind telling us? We are trying to find patterns in the Lost's behavior.

Judith: The Lost?

Mac: Sorry, it's not to make light of what's happening. It's what we call people who the Veil has taken. The Veil is what we call whatever is causing everyone to turn.

Judith: I see.

Mac: So, would you be able to tell us about when things became violent or more physical towards you?

Judith: Uhhhh, well, first, there was a night when they came into my bedroom and locked me in the bathroom. I heard other people come over but didn't know what they were doing. In the morning, they let me out.

Mac: Again, not to downplay what you've been through but has there been anything worse that they have done?

[Judith begins to cry.]

Mac: We are trying to stop this Judith. The things you've been through are not for nothing. They are going to help us figure this out. We will help you.

Judith: There was a night when my parents were extra active. I had grown used to the activity but somehow in my sleep- they came and took Mason from me. [Judith pauses] I ran out of my room and tried to search for him. They were- [Mac hands Judith some tissues] They were in the basement. They killed Mason. Chopped him to pieces. My mom was using his blood to write symbols on a piece of stone. My father wrote the same symbols on his body.

Mac: Go on. What happened next?

Judith: I snapped. I charged at them and scratched my dad's face. I don't remember much afterwards. I woke up with cuts and bruises, they seemed to have beat me pretty bad. What made it worse were the lies they told me about where Mason was because they had no memory of what they did.

Mac: Was there anything distinct about them? Different from other nights?

Judith: Yeah, their eyes. They kept changing colors, going through all the colors of the rainbow. Their eyes were wide, like baseballs or something.

[Judith took a second to gather herself]

Mac: I am sorry that these are happening to you Judith. Information from stories like yours are helping us figure all of this out. So far, our best guess is that exposure to moonlight is driving folks crazy. Once hooked, that seemed to be all the person would want to do. Like a moth to a flame.

Judith: Now that you mention it, my parents did become pretty obsessed with the moon it seemed like. Even during the daytime. They would read books or-

Mac: Spend all day in front of a telescope?

[Judith nods]

Judith: Oh God! What is happening?

Mac: That's what the Veil Society is trying to figure out, believe me. Most of us have lost a lot, if not everything because of whatever is going on. Thank you for your time Judith.

Judith: Wait! You can't you help me?

Mac: For now, read this [Mac hands Judith a copy of the Veil Society Survival Guide]. Try to do everything that you read in there. Worse comes to worse, or you aren't ready to fight, then play along with their games. Sometimes it's easier that way.

Judith: How can I find you?

Mac: Don't worry. We are setting you up with Joslyn Romero, she lives the closest to you. She will keep an eye on you. Joslyn will check in every once in a while and report back to me. If it makes you feel any better, The Veil doesn't seem to want to directly harm children, it seems only the parents it controls can do that. You're brave Judith, for coming to us and surviving what you've been through. The parents you had would be proud.

Judith: Th-

[End of Interview]

[File: Crane, Judith - Update, November, 1980 - transcribed voice recording from Malcolm Brooks:

We have not heard from Judith in about 22 days. All signs point to her being dead, or worse, taken by the Veil. We will keep looking for her, and the others. We have left Judith clues on where to find us, clues that the adults haven't figured out yet. Wherever you are Judith, we hope you're safe. I'm sorry.]