Interview

Hello, readers. A lot has happened in the past week, so if you don't mind, I'll be using sections this time around.

School

Yep, school starts soon. It feels like summer's gone by so fast, and yet... it feels like most of my childhood was faster! It's strange, isn't it? How time flies? I just can't believe that in one year, I'll be out of school and I'll be an adult. I'm kind of scared, to be honest, because I keep wondering how I'm going to earn a living. Writing, after all, is a rather tough business to get in, and it's pretty risky. Of course, everything in the entertainment industry is risky if you think about it: make one wrong move, and you can be swept aside by someone looking for what they consider 'talent.'

But in order for you to get noticed, you have to go to college, and in order to go to college you have to have money. That's something that I don't have at the moment, and my family is struggling with the economic crisis right now, so they're not going to give me anything. I guess I could go to a community college for a semester or two while I save some money, but I'm refusing to take out a loan from the bank. I don't want to be in debt by the time I'm twenty-one. My best chance right now is a scholarship, but the school I attend... Well, let's just say they're fucking assholes, to put it bluntly. They only select the teachers' kids for awards and such, and it has been that way ever since I got here in fifth grade. I guess that's the bad thing about living in a small city, eh?

If anyone has any ideas on how to pay for college, please comment. I need help.

Writing Contest

I submitted my story a few days ago, and the contest ends on the 13th. It's not likely that I'll win, but hey, a guy can hope. I have some of you to thank for that, by the way; your 'Slender Stories' inspired me. When they put up the winners, I'll post my story on here (I don't want them thinking I copied the story from here) - that is, if anyone wants to read it.

Interview

I don't know if you all remember, but I mentioned that I was going to try and get an interview with one of the detectives that works at our police department. Well, after a month or so of waiting, I was finally able to talk to one of them! I am amazing, eh?

I have taped the interview and did that because I have a very poor memory sometimes and wanted to have something to go back to, in case I forgot something. However, my poor excuse for a camera didn't get the audio, so I can't really go back and listen to it now. I've tried raising the volume on it, but it's not working. And the weird thing is, that's the only video on that camera that has no audio. I'm trying to think back on what might have caused it so that it doesn't happen again; my theory right now is that since it was laying down instead of me holding it, I must have blocked the thing that recorded the audio. Just a guess.

Anyways, enough about the camera. On to the interview!

I didn't learn anything particularly interesting, to be honest. Since I live in a small city, there's not a whole lot that goes on that piqued my interests, like murder and kidnapping (and I mean 'interests' as in, stuff I'm interested in writing about, not 'interests' as in things I'd like to do). Really, the only crimes in my area are linked to drugs most of the time which is a bit sad. Making drugs, selling drugs, stealing something to buy drugs... Yeah, that's pretty much it.

And the job isn't all fun and games, either. Of course, I already knew this (let's face it - everything is dramatized on television), but I was still surprised at how much paperwork detectives have to do. They have case after case coming to them, and sometimes it'll be a quick case, other times it will be something that takes a day. And if you let it take you that long, a lot of cases stack up on you. So, the next time you're watching a cop show on CBS and they have a character receive a lot of paperwork (usually played for comedic purposes, actually), that's the real thing! 

There was one thing I didn't get, though. I mean, I can understand murder not being on the big list of crimes these detectives have solved, but kidnapping... Well, it's just that. For the past few months, kids have been going missing in three counties, including mine. At first, people just assumed that it was because one of the kids' parents had taken off with the kid in order to get away from an abusive spouse, or that the kid had ran away. Normal stuff, you know? 

But when the number of kids that had disappeared rose to seven, that's when people started to get concerned. This wasn't like any normal kidnapping, because... well, there was nothing suspicious about it. Whenever the child disappeared, it was like they were gone - poof! It's like they were the star of some magic trick, except the magician was Nicholas Cage and he fucked up his magic (like usual). There's no evidence that they were kidnapped, other than the other kidnappings themselves. No one that seemed a little off was seen around the children before they disappeared. Nothing.

Naturally, the police couldn't tell me anything because they can't give away case details unless it's for 'the greater good'. But you know what I think? I think they have nothing to go on right now because there's no evidence. Creepy, right? 

I don't know what happened to those kids; I probably don't want to know. It'll turn out to be some child serial killer or something who gets off on slicing up a five year old. It's only a matter of time before the police find a body, anyways; a person can't just disappear off the face of the earth.

And this is due to my ever-increasing paranoia, but I'm noticing a lot of similarities between these kidnappings and the Slender Man stories. Let's see... People disappear without a trace? Check. Children being kidnapped? Check. Police baffled, or having their thumbs up their ass? Check. Ugh, I'm being an idiot, aren't I? There's a rational explanation for the kidnappings, not some fucking monster from the Internet.

Sometimes, I hate my imagination.

...

Okay, so I was getting ready to publish this when I got a call from Sarah. Her dad was just attacked at the hospital. I'm heading over there now, but I'll update you all on the situation when I get the chance.

Until next time.

- Arthur Pierce

EDIT (8/8/2011): Sarah's dad is dead, and I think I know who did it. I'll try and update soon, but if I don't, just assume that... something got me.