You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart radio and Grimm & Mild from

Aaron Manky.

The letters continued to show up just as they always had, and they arrived in all sizes

and colors, perfumed and sealed with kisses.

The mail had always managed to follow Ted from place to place.

The envelopes were of welcome window into another world, a vehicle for escapism for the

amount of time it took his eyes to scan the pages.

They were made up of gentle misiffs and sweet nuttings, words of adoration and declarations

of love, marriage proposals.

They were one of the most meaningful parts of his long days.

He felt good reading them, powerful even.

Those who saw him every day shook their heads.

This guy, they thought.

Were they envious?

Perhaps.

To them, all of this adoration, this reverence was a horrifying idea indeed.

But Ted loved the attention.

He had always been good at getting it.

People were drawn to him.

By all accounts, he was a catch, a charismatic law school graduate and a family man to boot.

The Ted's face greased the paper's front pages and just about every magazine cover at

the checkout line.

...