Chapter 65: The Blair Witch

[Chapter 65: The Blair Witch]

"Link, is the story of the Blair Witch real? Can someone really live for over a hundred years?"

In a cafe called Venice on Beverly Boulevard, Monica Bellucci was engrossed in a newspaper, captivated not just by the content but by the unfolding drama.

At first, they sat across from each other, but halfway through her reading, Monica moved to sit beside him, almost leaning against him, seeking comfort.

With the heat of a Los Angeles summer, the cafe's temperature hovered above seventy degrees, and California's bright sunshine poured through the windows, making the air feel even stickier. After a while of having Monica lean on him, Link could feel moisture collecting on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Maybe we can take a trip to Illinois and see for ourselves."

"Are you not worried about running into a witch there?"

"Not at all."

Link wrapped an arm around her waist as he glanced at the article about the Blair Witch in the newspaper, a smile creeping onto his face.

...

The article wasn't entirely fictional. He had combined a spooky report by journalist Thomas Miller with recent missing person cases in Illinois, crafting a sensational piece that garnered significant attention.

Both news stories were based on real events. Reports of supernatural occurrences were coming from somewhere in Illinois.

Someone claimed to have seen an odd woman in the woods of a small town, reminiscent of the folklore surrounding a witch. And the missing persons case in Rock Island, Illinois, was genuine as well.

Due to the area's proximity to the Great Lakes, it had unique geographic features, with many caves and underground rivers. During heavy rains, these would get concealed, and in the past five years, twelve tourists had gone missing while visiting.

Local legends circulated about these disappearances, claiming encounters with ghosts, being eaten by wild animals, slipping into time wormholes, or even being abducted by aliens.

Link had written an engaging article after learning about both news events, submitting it to publications like the American Forum and the Los Angeles Times. Thanks to his compelling storytelling, it caught the interest of various newspapers, leading to widespread reprints.

After some hype, the supernatural story became one of the most talked-about pieces in that genre. While tales of the Blair Witch were circulating, reports of haunted houses were also on the rise, many fueled by journalists but even more by reader submissions.

Now, several newspapers had taken to inviting their readers to share their own ghost stories at the end of similar articles. No matter how brief, as long as the stories were real, submissions would earn cash rewards from the newspapers--up to ten thousand dollars.

At that time, the average annual salary in America was just over twenty thousand dollars, with monthly earnings falling below two thousand. Ten thousand dollars was a significant sum for many people, equating to half a year's wage.

After the call for submissions went out, thousands of reader stories poured into the newspapers each day. Whereas reporters once had to work hard to create spooky narratives, they were now simply sifting through these contributions, selecting interesting stories, editing, and publishing them, making the process more efficient and engaging.

Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, American Weekly, and Forum, which had a collaboration with Guess Pictures, saw a noticeable boost in sales. The influx of reader contributions also increased.

Since media outlets associated with Guess Pictures benefited from ghost story reports, other publications followed suit, aiming to attract readers with similar content.

As a result, reports of supernatural events became increasingly prevalent in the media, almost creating a craze.

Everyone felt a chill while reading ghost stories in the heat of summer.

However, larger papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post criticized the trend, arguing it promoted superstition and hindered societal development, especially impacting the youth's mental health.

They cautioned readers against getting too immersed in ghost tales, asserting that there were no ghosts.

Yet, America was a country with diverse beliefs, and many had faith in the existence of God. If there was a God, why could there not be ghosts and witches?

In response, Forum published an article countering, stating that to prove ghosts don't exist, the New York Times would first need to prove that God doesn't exist -- a feat they clearly couldn't accomplish since many of their own staff believed in God.

This debate drew in religious papers like the Christian Science Monitor and the New York World, which eagerly discussed the relationship between God, believers, and ghosts.

Such discussions heightened societal interest in supernatural events. This helped Guess Pictures save a lot of publicity funds.

...

"Link, we're just promoting a movie. Do we really need to make up so many ghost stories? Every time I open the newspaper now, there are all these reports about supernatural events -- it's kind of scary," Monica said.

"We do. In the lead-up to the movie's release, the more of these reports, the better. We need to create a supernatural atmosphere in public discourse. That way, once the movie hits theaters, more people will be drawn to buy tickets.

Unfortunately, the company's marketing budget is limited, so this is as much hype as we can generate. If I had a few more million dollars, I could get the major TV networks to broadcast ghostly footage on the news repeatedly -- or even have the President himself confirm that the White House is haunted."

"You're bold -- but I love your style. Very cool." Monica lifted his chin and kissed the corner of his lips.

Link smiled faintly. In truth, he had underestimated two things when orchestrating this supernatural media storm.

First, he had underestimated the power of a $2 million marketing budget. Because he had become a millionaire and then a multimillionaire so quickly, he didn't think earning another million was particularly difficult. He also had no concept of just how much impact $1 million could have when spent on publicity.

According to Jon Gordon's report, for just $30,000, a newspaper with a circulation of over 200,000 could run a week-long series of desired news stories, with each article taking up at least a quarter of a page.

If the stories performed well, the coverage period could be extended.

Second, he had underestimated the influence of newspapers at this moment in time.

Right now, President Clinton had yet to take office and had not proposed his "information superhighway" plan to boost the American economy. The internet industry was still in its infancy. 

Without the internet or news websites, traditional media like newspapers, radio, and television wielded enormous influence over society.

Most people still had the habit of reading newspapers.

As a result, ghost stories printed in the papers spread rapidly and reached a large audience -- an unexpected but welcome surprise for Link.

...

"Hey, Sophia, over here!" Monica raised her hand and waved toward the door.

A slim blonde girl strode over, dressed stylishly in a white striped T-shirt, a blue floral skirt, and flip-flops. 

She was of average height, had a rather flat figure, and an above-average face. What stood out the most was her fair complexion and refined aura. 

Upon closer inspection, she looked familiar.

*****

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