Author's Note…

 

This is epistolary story, in the tradition of Stephen King's Carrie or Bram Stoker's Dracula. I'd understand if few readers thought it was worth while to wade through such an unusual format of story-telling just to get their rocks off; but for those of you who are looking for a more elaborate and involved sort of story, I hope this is an unexpected breath of fresh air. (Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated; nothing is too nit-picky.)

 

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Chapter One: 'On the Record'

 

What follows is a partial transcript, taken from an interview conducted with Mrs. Summers. It was intended to be used in the television-show The Day I Nearly Died, but unfortunately, the episode in question was finished just prior to the show’s cancelation. Subsequently, it never aired.

 

The final edit of the episode is available online, however — for those diligent and tech-savy enough to find it. It’s not terribly remarkable and certainly does not convey the truth of Betty Summers’s harrowing story.

 

Despite many attempts, portions of the original preliminary interview with Mrs. Summers were not obtained by the author. Other sections of her account were redacted by the producers of The Day I Nearly Died and will likely never see the light on day.

 

Transcribed from the audio-cassette labeled “Prep. Mrs. Summers #1 [Side A]”, provided by the The Day I Nearly Died’s chief-editor, Jerry Crumb:

 

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Static. Garbled voices.

 

A long stretch of silence, followed by a loud click.

 

Mrs. Summers: "—are you asking, exactly? Why can't you just talk clear with me?"

 

Interviewer: "Yes, ma’am. Well, I— Before I turn this tape-recorder on, I wanted to give you the chance to clear up a few things for me— and for the producers, of course. Completely off the record, strictly between us. It’s just— lawyers, am I right? We've gotta make sure we have all our bases covered, it’s as simple as that. You understand, right?"

 

Mrs. Summers: "Mhmm. Can I smoke?"

 

Interviewer: "Well, ma—"

 

Mrs. Summers: "—Please, don’t call me ma’am."

 

Short pause.

 

Interviewer: “Sorry… Mrs. Summers."

 

Another short pause.

 

Interviewer: "Ah, and go ahead. I want you to feel comfortable. I'm not here to interrogate you, Mrs. Summers. I'm only here to help you tell your story — and your daughter's story."

 

Mrs. Summers: “A-huh, thanks."

 

Muffled noise, followed by the sound of a lighter being used.

 

Mrs. Summers: "So, what was your question? Without beating around the bush this time."

 

Interviewer: "Well… We talked to your husband recently and—"

 

Mrs. Summers: "—Why? He has nothing to do with what happened to me and my daughter!"

 

Interviewer: "Of course not, of course not. But see, Betty…"

 

Something is heard being placed on the table; a heavy folder, perhaps.

 

Interviewer: "His account of your mental and physical state the day you were rescued varied drastically from the one we had on the record; I mean to say, the account you and your daughter gave to all those news-shows, back when you were the fluff piece of the year. For staters, your weight. Rick clams you somehow put on a few ponds while out there in the woods, starving to death."

 

Mrs. Summers: "My ex-husband was more in shock to find out we’d been rescued than anyone, including my daughter and myself. I wouldn’t take anything he told you about that day too seriously."

 

Mrs. Summers can be heard extinguishing her cigarette into her cup of coffee.

 

Mrs. Summers: "It must have been a real blur for him, don’t you think?"

 

Interviewer: "I see."

 

A long silence.

 

Interviewer: "Did you meet someone in the woods, Mrs. Summers?”

 

Mrs. Summers: “What did y—"

 

More static, garbled-up voices. Nearly a minute of elapsed time, without hearing anything remotely audible.

 

Mrs. Summers: "—if I went to the woods to meet someone? Do you know how silly that sounds?"

 

Interviewer: "No, no. I'm not suggesting that. I do, in fact, believe you when you say you went out there to teach your daughter to—"

 

Rustling paper.

 

Interviewer: "—in your words: ‘teach her to become her own woman'. I’m not questioning your intentions, Mrs. Summers. Maybe you just got in over your head and you had no other option."

 

Mrs. Summers is heard lighting another cigarette.

 

Mrs. Summers: "Can't say I know what that's meant to mean, sorry. Sounds dramatic, though. I'm sure what-ever story you are cooking up will work wonderfully for your show."

 

Interviewer is heard coughing.

 

Interviewer: "It's been speculated that you and your daughter might have ran into someone out there in the woods, while trying to find safety. A fellow hiker or a poacher, maybe. We’re thinking— the producers, I mean— they’re thinking maybe you two weren’t alone for those—"

 

A screeching distortion is heard. Both voices are inaudible for some time.

 

Mrs. Summers: "—don’t think two women could manage that, huh? What, too fragile? You think there must have been some knight in shining armour to save ou—“

 

Click.

 

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The remainder of “Prep. Mrs. Summers #1 [Side A]” consists entirely of that same screeching noise. The author was not able to determine the origin of these audio distortions, but hasn’t ruled out the idea that they might have been deliberately inserted into the recording.

 

Below, you can read the first news report of Betty and Rachel’s rescue:

 

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March 11, 2011

 

Family-members of a Washington mother and daughter lost in the backcountry surrounding Bear Lake have plenty of reasons to rejoice this week, after the search for the missing hikers ended in the best way imaginable.

 

Three weeks ago, school-teacher Betty Summers and her daughter, Rachel Summers, set out on what was supposed to be a nice, scenic camping trip. Their goal was to spend their time bonding with one-another. What began as a leisurely trip quickly escalated when the pair failed to return to their hotel at the end of the day. Instead of spending their time bonding, Betty and Rachel Summers spent their every moment fighting for survival.

 

Finding no sign of the hikers three weeks after they went missing, officials called off the search. Family and friends prepared to say their final goodbyes by heading into the mountains to the location where the hikers disappeared.

 

That same day, in what some are calling a miraculous turn of events, Betty and Rachel emerged from the woods, following the sound of the near-by search party.

 

"We were literally preparing to say our goodbyes and getting ourselves ready for what we thought we knew would come next … when we heard that [they’ve] just walked out of the woods and are OK," said Betty's husband, Rick Summers. “Describing the emotions I felt in those two minutes would be impossible.”

 

Without proper equipment or hiking supplies, Betty and Rachel became hopelessly lost in a heavily forested area. They managed to build themselves a lean-to shelter, thanks to Mrs. Summers’s prior experience serving in the military. They stayed close to a drainage basin, which provided life-saving water. Regardless, their survival is considered a miracle.

 

"It's amazing," Carl Donald of Bear Lake County Search and Rescue told KHB. “Unprecedented, even. Nearly three weeks in the bush and they’re alive and well and able to walk. It’s absolutely amazing. I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

 

Though they remained in the same general area through-out the three weeks, rescuers say the dense forested landscape would have made it nearly impossible to spot the hikers from the air.

 

Unprepared for the time spent in the wild, Betty admitted that she lost almost 20 pounds through the ordeal, returning with nothing but a Tic Tac in her pocket, which she refused to eat.

 

Park officials are warning anyone embarking on outdoor excursions in the Bear Lake backcountry to take necessary precautions and survival gear. Miracles rarely happen twice.

 

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That’s the story on the record: a one-of-a-kind tale of harrowing survival. You can see why it drew so much media attention at the time, even if few remember it now. In Chapter Two, you're going to hear the story that was kept off the record: a one-of-a-kind tale of unbelievable depravity…

 

Source: reddit.com/r/sexystories/comments/3ylfi8/a_disappearance_at_bear_lake_1_mff_bdsm_nc