I have an unfortunate update, readers. I discovered a copy of The Babbling Brook on my doorstep this morning without having officially subscribed to it. One could chock this up to a coincidence, however the paper came along with a note that read:
Hello Mr. Hunter Holloway,
Welcome back to Nettlebrook! Thought you might enjoy this, since you used to report for The Babbling Brook. So sorry we didn't ask your permission before writing an announcement about your return in this week's issue. Your return was a surprise to our staff, so we thought we would surprise you!
Feel free to stop by the office anytime so we can formally meet. I've heard so much about you.
Cheers,
Drew Harris
Editor-in-Chief of The Babbling Brook
If a founding family member knows my whereabouts, it can't be good... But I knew I couldn't hide forever. Perhaps it's finally time I paid a visit to my former workplace...
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Monday, October 7, 2019
Nettlebrook's government and founding families
Hello readers,
I'm back at my keyboard. I hit the road for a few days to evade what Carmen rather accurately refers to as "government snoops." I fear Mayor Hale or others in the local government have indeed caught on to my presence, so keeping my head down and out of sight is of utmost importance.
That said, I just can't keep silent. I feel a responsibility to get this information out into the world, before I'm possibly censored for good. I'll hide for as long as I have to, but once I put all the pieces of this sordid puzzle together, I will take legal action.
Until then, I'll try and keep you all in the loop. This post may not be as exciting as my last ones, but it is just as important. In order to understand what is going on in Nettlebrook right now, you must have a grasp of the many elements at play. Today I'm going to talk about the structure of Nettlebrook's government and its players--including the ones who may or may not have threatened my life and drove me out of town all those years ago.
Nettlebrook's government, plainly put, is an oligarchy. The Mayor and his council are not elected. Only the wealthiest men in town are viable for positions of power, and, as I described in a previous post, those positions of power tend to stay in the family, or are shared by two or more families. The Mayor's council consists of a few of these wealthy men, though all of the wealthy men can exhibit influence on the town, be it through the government or by financial means. Today, the Mayor's council is made up of 5 men (formerly 6, while Peter Chamberlain was alive): Mayor Dick Hale, Police Chief Carney Hawthorne, Pastor Herb Worthington, Finance Director Archibald Harris, and Bogwick Headmaster Alexander Wick. The extent of the power these men weild is unknown, which is more than worrisome. It is also important to note that according to the Nettlebrook history I have managed to dig up in my time as a reporter, the Hales, Hawthornes, Wicks, as well as the Stones and Graves are named as founders of the town. In order to corroborate this and get more solid historical information, we'll need access to the town's archive.
Speaking of the Stones, who have historically owned Nettlebrook Library along with the Harrises. Dewey Stone is the current head librarian. Why is the library important? I suspect that old editions of The Babbling Brook (including ones with my articles in them) are archived there, since they are not kept at the printing press. That is why I've charged Carmen to work there, in order to see if this true. And if it is true, to find a way in.
Another important figure to keep in mind is Funeral Director (and Coroner) Cecil Graves. In the past, he was not forthcoming with some pertinent information and I have reason to believe his reports are not always accurate. More on that another time.
I hope this clears things up for you all.
Stay safe out there.
H
I'm back at my keyboard. I hit the road for a few days to evade what Carmen rather accurately refers to as "government snoops." I fear Mayor Hale or others in the local government have indeed caught on to my presence, so keeping my head down and out of sight is of utmost importance.
That said, I just can't keep silent. I feel a responsibility to get this information out into the world, before I'm possibly censored for good. I'll hide for as long as I have to, but once I put all the pieces of this sordid puzzle together, I will take legal action.
Until then, I'll try and keep you all in the loop. This post may not be as exciting as my last ones, but it is just as important. In order to understand what is going on in Nettlebrook right now, you must have a grasp of the many elements at play. Today I'm going to talk about the structure of Nettlebrook's government and its players--including the ones who may or may not have threatened my life and drove me out of town all those years ago.
Nettlebrook's government, plainly put, is an oligarchy. The Mayor and his council are not elected. Only the wealthiest men in town are viable for positions of power, and, as I described in a previous post, those positions of power tend to stay in the family, or are shared by two or more families. The Mayor's council consists of a few of these wealthy men, though all of the wealthy men can exhibit influence on the town, be it through the government or by financial means. Today, the Mayor's council is made up of 5 men (formerly 6, while Peter Chamberlain was alive): Mayor Dick Hale, Police Chief Carney Hawthorne, Pastor Herb Worthington, Finance Director Archibald Harris, and Bogwick Headmaster Alexander Wick. The extent of the power these men weild is unknown, which is more than worrisome. It is also important to note that according to the Nettlebrook history I have managed to dig up in my time as a reporter, the Hales, Hawthornes, Wicks, as well as the Stones and Graves are named as founders of the town. In order to corroborate this and get more solid historical information, we'll need access to the town's archive.
Speaking of the Stones, who have historically owned Nettlebrook Library along with the Harrises. Dewey Stone is the current head librarian. Why is the library important? I suspect that old editions of The Babbling Brook (including ones with my articles in them) are archived there, since they are not kept at the printing press. That is why I've charged Carmen to work there, in order to see if this true. And if it is true, to find a way in.
Another important figure to keep in mind is Funeral Director (and Coroner) Cecil Graves. In the past, he was not forthcoming with some pertinent information and I have reason to believe his reports are not always accurate. More on that another time.
I hope this clears things up for you all.
Stay safe out there.
H
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Update on Chamberlain murder
Upon reviewing the crime scene photos and reading the official incident report, I thought I'd share some more details.
When police and EMTs arrived at the scene, they found Mr. Chamberlain face down on the floor of his living room, his body contorted in such a way to suggest a fall down the stairs, which were to his immediate right. The coroner's report said he shattered bones in his right foot, so that also suggests a stair fall. Mr. Chamberlain was lying in a large pool of blood, that had soaked into the carpet. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and had likely been dead for 5-7 minutes. He likely died of blood loss.
Blood was found on the stairs, likely coming from his wounds, but there was also blood spattered on the wall at the top of the stairs, suggesting this was when Mr. Chamberlain's neck had been slashed at when evading his attacker.
Smaller puddles of blood lead from the top of the stairs to Mr. Chamberlain's bedroom. On the walls in the hallway, there is a trailed blood handprint belonging to Mr. Chamberlain. In his bedroom there were more puddles of blood, as well as his bloody footprints. There was a particularly large bloodstain on his bedsheets, suggesting Mr. Chamberlain had been asleep, facing up, when he was stabbed. Blood spatters on the sheets, headboard, and wall adjacent to the bed, suggest Mr. Chamberlain had been vigorously stabbed several times while in bed.
According to interviews with Abigail Hale and Grace Chamberlain, who were present at the time of the murder, they did not hear the commotion. This was likely due to Mr. Chamberlain's bedroom being heavily soundproofed. Both said they heard him yell "Grace!" then several bumps, as was heard in the video on Instagram.
Detectives at the scene were able to identify one blood footprint that did not belong to Mr. Chamberlain that they believe likely belonged to his attacker. There is the faint outline of a sole, belonging to what could be a man's shoe size 7-8 or woman's shoe size 8.5-9.5. There still don't seem to be any leads, however.
Investigators are still unsure of how the attacker got in the house. There are no signs of forced entry, however the doors were all locked.
I will update my blog with any new info. Thanks and stay safe.
When police and EMTs arrived at the scene, they found Mr. Chamberlain face down on the floor of his living room, his body contorted in such a way to suggest a fall down the stairs, which were to his immediate right. The coroner's report said he shattered bones in his right foot, so that also suggests a stair fall. Mr. Chamberlain was lying in a large pool of blood, that had soaked into the carpet. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and had likely been dead for 5-7 minutes. He likely died of blood loss.
Blood was found on the stairs, likely coming from his wounds, but there was also blood spattered on the wall at the top of the stairs, suggesting this was when Mr. Chamberlain's neck had been slashed at when evading his attacker.
Smaller puddles of blood lead from the top of the stairs to Mr. Chamberlain's bedroom. On the walls in the hallway, there is a trailed blood handprint belonging to Mr. Chamberlain. In his bedroom there were more puddles of blood, as well as his bloody footprints. There was a particularly large bloodstain on his bedsheets, suggesting Mr. Chamberlain had been asleep, facing up, when he was stabbed. Blood spatters on the sheets, headboard, and wall adjacent to the bed, suggest Mr. Chamberlain had been vigorously stabbed several times while in bed.
According to interviews with Abigail Hale and Grace Chamberlain, who were present at the time of the murder, they did not hear the commotion. This was likely due to Mr. Chamberlain's bedroom being heavily soundproofed. Both said they heard him yell "Grace!" then several bumps, as was heard in the video on Instagram.
Detectives at the scene were able to identify one blood footprint that did not belong to Mr. Chamberlain that they believe likely belonged to his attacker. There is the faint outline of a sole, belonging to what could be a man's shoe size 7-8 or woman's shoe size 8.5-9.5. There still don't seem to be any leads, however.
Investigators are still unsure of how the attacker got in the house. There are no signs of forced entry, however the doors were all locked.
I will update my blog with any new info. Thanks and stay safe.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Peter W. Chamberlain murdered
Peter W. Chamberlain, editor of Nettlebrook newspaper The Babbling Brook for the past 40 years, was found dead in his home this past Sunday, the night of September the 15th. The cops were said to have been called around 11pm and arrived at the gruesome scene 10 minutes later.
I was not able to catch a glimpse of the body, however according to the autopsy report, Mr. Chamberlain died of slashing injuries to his neck and stabbing injuries to his stomach. He also maintained several bruises and the shattering of the bones in his feet upon falling down the stairs.
The police quickly ruled this a murder.
According to an insider, there doesn't appear to be any evidence as to who committed the murder. Mr. Chamberlain's daughter Grace and her friend Abigail Hale (daughter of Mayor Dick Hale) were present during the murder and were questioned, but I was not told whether there are any leads based on this questioning. The investigation continues.
Mr. Chamberlain is survived by his wife Anna, his daughter Grace, and his son Griffin.
Friday, August 23, 2019
College scandal and more updates
Dick Hale has been accused of bribing a college admissions counselor $100,000 to let his daughter, Abigail Hale, into the University of South Carolina. It is unclear whether his mayoral duties shall continue, since he will be going to court, however it is very clear that Abigail will not be attending university this year.
I haven't asked for either to comment on this, because I'm not necessarily a professional reporter anymore, but more importantly because I don't believe Dick or any other higher ups are aware of my presence in town as of yet. I'd like it to stay that way for as long as I can, to avoid any conflict that will interfere with my investigation into the town. However... I don't know how long I can keep myself a secret. Many townsfolk have indeed recognized me and no doubt talk will soon spread.
In other news, I'm back. Sorry, readers, for my hiatus. I have been trying to lay low for the time being, since some powerful people in Nettlebrook are having their people scout the internet for people like me: people who analyze and criticize their system, or otherwise cause havoc. I have recently gotten in contact with one Carmen Gonzalez, a former student at Nettlebrook University and cousin to Flora Gonzalez. Unfortunately, Carmen was likely targeted by an aforementioned internet scout, and thus lost her scholarship to Nettlebrook University for her "disorderly conduct" online. The same goes for her friends (who have chosen to remain anonymous). Carmen and her family do not feel comfortable sharing information on Flora publicly at this time, but they have agreed to help me in my investigation.
I haven't asked for either to comment on this, because I'm not necessarily a professional reporter anymore, but more importantly because I don't believe Dick or any other higher ups are aware of my presence in town as of yet. I'd like it to stay that way for as long as I can, to avoid any conflict that will interfere with my investigation into the town. However... I don't know how long I can keep myself a secret. Many townsfolk have indeed recognized me and no doubt talk will soon spread.
In other news, I'm back. Sorry, readers, for my hiatus. I have been trying to lay low for the time being, since some powerful people in Nettlebrook are having their people scout the internet for people like me: people who analyze and criticize their system, or otherwise cause havoc. I have recently gotten in contact with one Carmen Gonzalez, a former student at Nettlebrook University and cousin to Flora Gonzalez. Unfortunately, Carmen was likely targeted by an aforementioned internet scout, and thus lost her scholarship to Nettlebrook University for her "disorderly conduct" online. The same goes for her friends (who have chosen to remain anonymous). Carmen and her family do not feel comfortable sharing information on Flora publicly at this time, but they have agreed to help me in my investigation.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
The Bog Days Festival cancelled
The Bog Days Festival was officially cancelled this year due to weather concerns. As far as I know, the festival has never been cancelled in the town's history. Not even the year after 9 children were struck by lightning and killed while on a roller coaster at the festival in 1989. I actually reported on that incident. I was there when it happened. It was a tragedy and a traumatic experience that shook the town. And yet... the show must go on. Bastards.
The torrential rain and flooding has continued, so it makes sense that Mayor Hale would want to reschedule the festival, which was his original plan. The mayor deciding to cancel the festival altogether, however, is puzzling. Townsfolk appear disappointed and some have publicly dissented, but Mayor Hale has not backed down on his decision.
The torrential rain and flooding has continued, so it makes sense that Mayor Hale would want to reschedule the festival, which was his original plan. The mayor deciding to cancel the festival altogether, however, is puzzling. Townsfolk appear disappointed and some have publicly dissented, but Mayor Hale has not backed down on his decision.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Greetings
I noticed my audience has grown immensely -- literally overnight! I can only hope none of you are townsfolk, as many of them would not take kindly to my nosing around.
Through a couple emails I was alerted that there is a group of young people in town also investigating the disappearances. I will be contacting them shortly to see if we can help each other out. Honestly, however, I don't want anyone else looking into this. But I can't stop them. I was the same as a young person... But that's why I had to get the hell out of dodge 20 years ago.
If anyone has never heard of or visited Nettlebrook, I don't encourage you to do so. While it has it's small town charm, it certainly has secrets. I suppose any place does, but this town's secrets seem to be especially sinister. However, that is only speculation. I haven't been able to get my hands on any hard evidence yet.
Nettlebrook is a strange place. If you didn't grow up here or somehow end up here for college, you would never know it existed. It doesn't exist on any maps, physical or GPS. There is almost no trace of it on the internet. Many folks here distrust strangers, so it makes sense they would distrust the internet, a network of strangers.
Anyway, thank you for visiting my blog, strangers. Stay safe.
H
Through a couple emails I was alerted that there is a group of young people in town also investigating the disappearances. I will be contacting them shortly to see if we can help each other out. Honestly, however, I don't want anyone else looking into this. But I can't stop them. I was the same as a young person... But that's why I had to get the hell out of dodge 20 years ago.
If anyone has never heard of or visited Nettlebrook, I don't encourage you to do so. While it has it's small town charm, it certainly has secrets. I suppose any place does, but this town's secrets seem to be especially sinister. However, that is only speculation. I haven't been able to get my hands on any hard evidence yet.
Nettlebrook is a strange place. If you didn't grow up here or somehow end up here for college, you would never know it existed. It doesn't exist on any maps, physical or GPS. There is almost no trace of it on the internet. Many folks here distrust strangers, so it makes sense they would distrust the internet, a network of strangers.
Anyway, thank you for visiting my blog, strangers. Stay safe.
H
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