Chapter 12

Jeff's Echo of Terror

Decades have passed since that sweltering summer day in 1969, but the memory of Bartholomew, the mummified man, has cast a long and unequal shadow over the lives of the two brothers. While Alex, the narrator, has channeled his fear into an obsessive quest for answers, his younger brother, Jeff, has carried the trauma in a different, perhaps more deeply buried, way. This chapter revisits Jeff, exploring the lasting impact of that singular, terrifying encounter. Alex, in his adult pursuit, has become somewhat distanced from the raw emotion of the event, intellectualizing it through research and investigation. Jeff, however, seems to have retained the visceral, unadulterated horror of that moment. Alex contacts Jeff, hoping to gain a new perspective or perhaps to share the progress of his investigation. Jeff, now a middle-aged man with a family of his own, lives a life that appears outwardly stable and unremarkable, a stark contrast to Alex’s all-consuming obsession. However, when Alex brings up the antique shop and the mummified man, Jeff’s demeanor immediately shifts. His face, usually placid, clouds over, and a familiar tension flickers in his eyes. He’s reluctant to talk, his responses guarded and evasive. He admits that the memory is still vivid, a ‘bad dream’ that never quite fades. He recalls the dust motes dancing in the attic light, the stillness of the figure, and the owner’s chilling words, with an unnerving clarity. Unlike Alex, who seeks to understand, Jeff simply wants to forget. He describes how he actively suppressed the memory for years, trying to build a life that was devoid of such unsettling elements. He confesses to experiencing recurring nightmares, not of the man himself, but of the feeling of dread, the suffocating atmosphere of the attic, and the inexplicable wrongness of the situation. He developed phobias – a fear of old, enclosed spaces, an aversion to anything that seemed unnaturally preserved, and a deep-seated distrust of antique shops and buildings with a history. He recalls how, for years after the incident, he would flinch at the sight of wooden objects that bore a strong grain, his mind automatically associating them with Bartholomew. Jeff expresses frustration with Alex’s ongoing obsession, viewing it as a dangerous fixation that reopens old wounds. He worries about Alex, seeing the toll the investigation is taking, and fears that Alex is becoming as haunted as the man they discovered. He might even voice a belief that some things are better left buried, that disturbing the past only invites more darkness. However, beneath his reluctance, there are glimmers of the child Alex remembers – a lingering curiosity, a desire for closure, even if he’s afraid to admit it. He might recall a small detail about the encounter that Alex has forgotten, a fleeting observation about the owner’s demeanor or a particular sound in the shop. This dialogue between the brothers serves to highlight the different ways trauma can manifest. Alex’s approach is external, seeking knowledge and resolution. Jeff’s is internal, a continuous effort to compartmentalize and suppress. The chapter underscores that while Alex is actively pursuing the *story* of Bartholomew, Jeff is still living with the *feeling* of him, the raw emotional scar left by the encounter. The chapter ends with Jeff making a reluctant offer of support, perhaps providing Alex with a small, forgotten detail or agreeing to be present for a future confrontation, but his underlying anxiety and fear remain palpable. The hook is Jeff’s admission that while he wants to forget, a small part of him still wants to know, creating a subtle tension between his desire for peace and his buried need for answers.