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I always used to roll my eyes at ghost stories and all those things that go bump in the night.

Growing up in a small Utah town, though, you start to realize that the landscape can play tricks on you.

My house sat right where the building stopped and the wilderness began. Beyond our backyard fence was

just this enormous field, stretching on forever until the desert touched distant mountains.

On some days, you could see dust devils spinning across the flat earth like they had a mind of their own.

Living there felt like living at the boundary between normal life and the unknown.

My best friend lived next door, though next door was really just across a

patch of wild grass. Our homes formed the last two spots of civilization on this lonely street,

which ended in an empty cul-de-sac. As far as anyone could tell, the town had planned to expand

at some point, but they never got around to it, so the cul-de-sac sat

forgotten, half-carved into the dirt. It was high school, and I spent more time at my friend's

place than my own. His basement was our hideout, a tattered old couch, a TV that barely worked,

and a mini-fridge usually stocked with soda and leftovers. The window

well in that basement was the only view outside, but it was a comfort, until nights fell,

and it turned into a black void that made us both feel uneasy. Every so often, we'd be in the

middle of a late-night gaming marathon when a noise drifted through that window.

...