Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand, marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time. From startups to scaleups, online, in person, and on the go.

Shopify is made for entrepreneurs like you.

Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.

Hometown Go Stories contains serious and often distressing events

and is not intended for all audiences.

Viewer discretion is advised.

I grew up in West Virginia, a town called Berkeley Springs.

It's a very small town that had a population of a little over 800 people back in 1990 when these events took place.

I was in the fifth grade and spent most of my summer playing in our front yard.

Our house sat by itself, about halfway down along

dirt road. It was heavily wooded on both sides, and our house was built in a clearing on one side.

I was an only child, so I'd have to find ways to entertain myself since we had few neighbors,

and the houses were very far apart. It was actually a rare

occurrence to see a car drive down our road and even less likely that we'd see somebody walking.

There was, however, an older man who would ride by on his bicycle. He was such a strange man.

He rode one of those old-fashioned bikes that had a horn, and he was

dressed in old-fashioned clothes, complete with a hat. He seemed friendly enough. He'd never say

anything, but would always smile at me and would sometimes wave a gloved hand. One day, I was at a

classmate's house for a birthday party. I wasn't close with

this girl, but I think she invited me because we were in the same class, and she invited everyone.

This was common practice in Berkeley Springs because there were so few people, and nobody

wanted to throw a birthday party with nobody in attendance.

...