Chapter 64: The Growing Fear

[Chapter 64: The Growing Fear]

"What are you watching, Ben?"

"Ah! Matt, you scared me to death! How do you walk so quietly?"

In their empty villa, Ben Affleck clutched his pounding heart and cast a dismal glance at Matt Damon.

"You're just too serious; I've got heavy footsteps," Matt replied, stomping on the floor and glancing at the newspaper in Ben's hand. "Is that a tabloid?"

"Tabloid? This is a legitimate USA Today!" Ben insisted, lifting the newspaper to prove his point.

"How could USA Today scare you like that?"

"Matt, do you believe in witches and ghosts?" Ben asked, eyebrows raised.

"Witches, sure. I've heard stories back home, but most of them are just regular folks, not the magical kind people talk about."

"I'm telling you, witches are real. There's a witch in Wilton, a little town under Rock Island, Illinois. Over the last decade, 12 travelers mysteriously disappeared in the woods there. The police said they died from storms and other natural disasters, but when reporters looked into it, locals said a witch named Blair lived deep in those woods.

They claimed she was over a hundred years old, and many folks have seen her ghost in the last few years. Every time she appears, someone in town dies. They think Blair is the Grim Reaper and are terrified of her. After the news spread, people started flocking to the forests for adventure, but many ended up dead, which the villagers believed was the witch's doing." Ben animatedly recounted the newspaper's report about Blair the witch.

In addition to the report, there were photos of the five missing persons and chilling footage captured in the woods. Matt watched the black-and-white images, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Compared to most Americans, both Matt and Ben, born in Massachusetts, were more inclined to believe in the existence of witches. Earlier that year, the Massachusetts legislature had passed a resolution to redress the 20 victims who died in the Salem witch trials 300 years ago.

In 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, a minister's daughter suddenly fell ill, and people suspected witchcraft. The witch hunt escalated, resulting in 19 people being hanged and one crushed to death, with 13 women executed as witches. This was a real event in history.

Salem was actually now part of modern-day Boston, less than five miles from their hometown of Cambridge. They had heard the story growing up.

Earlier that year, when the Massachusetts legislature posthumously exonerated those 20 victims of the witch trials, Matt had seen news about it at home. However, contrary to media reports, the Boston Museum noted that more than 20 people died as a consequence of those trials. In the years that followed, over sixty more people lost their lives connected to that trial. Locals believed it was the ghost of the witch seeking revenge.

Because of these stories, Matt had always been terrified of encountering women with long, disheveled hair in tattered robes.

"Look, here's another report from The Forum about the haunted house in Connecticut. The place used to be a morgue, and strange noises happen at night. Police investigated for two months and couldn't find a cause. This is officially recognized by both the government and media as a paranormal event -- Matt, maybe ghosts really do exist."

Ben glanced around the empty villa, unconsciously scooting closer to Matt.

"Stop scaring yourself. Have you been reading too many of these stories? It's all you think about!"

Matt pushed him away and poured himself a glass of juice.

"It's not like I wanted to read this. I don't know why, but the papers have been filled with witch and ghost stories lately, and they're so well-written, I just can't help but read on."

"Cut back; it's not good for you. How's that script I gave you coming along?"

"Geronimo: An American Legend?"

"Yes. This film is a big project from Columbia Pictures, directed by Walter Hill. They need a few young male supporting roles, and we'd be perfect. Auditions are next week, and I hope you'll join me. We'd better both nail it."

"I remember there's a witch doctor in that script -- the one killed by colonizers, the key figure in Geronimo's rebellion. Do you think there are really people out there who can use witchcraft to heal?"

"Enough! Let's not talk about witchcraft anymore. We need to focus on work; otherwise, we might end up homeless." Matt insisted. "Don't forget our purpose in Hollywood -- to become movie stars. The kind of guys who make girls scream on the street, not just folks trading ghost stories."

Matt shook Ben's shoulders and kicked the newspaper out of his hands.

"Don't forget -- we have a goal to catch up to Link. The latest buzz says his first movie grossed over 60 million dollars worldwide, and he's already wrapped up his second film, due to hit theaters soon. What are we doing? Just drinking and chasing girls."

"Calm down. No need to be in a rush. We're auditioning; we're not just partying. You didn't see the papers? Link's new film seems like a flop! Nearly half the producers and studio representatives walked out during the private screening. Famous producer Andrew Reiner publicly called it a total disaster. We don't need to pressure ourselves; maybe if we don't chase Link, he'll eventually fall behind us."

Ben replied, looking relaxed.

"Regardless of how Link's new movie turns out, he's still working diligently, striving to be a more professional director. Before shooting, Link had said his second film was just an experiment; even if it failed, it would still be progress. He knows that trying again and again will lead to success down the line. Meanwhile, we're just sitting around. Do you think we can catch up to Link by merely lounging at home?" Matt shouted.

"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up. Let's dive into the script."

To keep Matt from exploding, Ben pulled out the script and began rehearsing lines with him.

They had just started practicing when Ben's younger brother, 17-year-old Casey Affleck, arrived at their villa. Casey, on summer break from high school, was visiting Los Angeles and staying with them.

"Hey, Matt, Ben! Do you believe in ghosts? The Los Angeles Times says the Museum of Death on Hollywood Boulevard is known for having supernatural occurrences. When are we going to check it out?" Casey shouted from the lawn.

"Not going! And don't even get me started on supernatural stuff. Just hearing the term annoys me." Matt groaned, covering his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, Matt's just a scaredy-cat; stop scaring him." Ben joked.

*****

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