If you still trust me, if you still believe me, no doubt the idea of letting it get close to you terrifies you. It does me too. But it is necessary some of the time. You can’t carry around an axe or a flamethrower in your day to day life, and you can’t rely on others for help, as it always waits until you are alone. You’d think you could just always stay in groups, but that’s not practical long-term, and even if it was, it would be a mistake. It’d just be a different version of going to a cabin and avoiding everybody out of fear one of them could be the Stranger. Either way, you’d be letting it make you a prisoner in your own life.

I’m not saying I was the best father, but despite what Becky might claim, I tried to give you a good and normal life. Yes, I taught you how to be aware and watchful, how to protect yourself—not just from the Stranger, but from all the dangers of the world. But I also tried to teach you to live and enjoy your life rather than just spending all your time worried and afraid. It is not an easy thing to do for anyone, particularly if you have a shadow like this looming over you all of the time, but it is the most important thing I can teach you. Remember, you are fighting for your life, so make sure you live a life worth fighting for.

Finally, I know I’ve always been vague about what happens if the Stranger actually “gets you”. Again, I tried to protect you from the worst of it, and as long as you knew to be afraid of it happening, I thought I could spare you the details until you were older. Now you are, and this appears to be my last chance, so here we go.

Before she died, my mother told me about her older brother Jared. He was apparently a great guy growing up, and when he turned eighteen he joined the Army. Smart and hard-working, he made his way up through the ranks, and for a time he talked about being career military. But when their father, your great-grandfather, suddenly died of pneumonia, Jared took it hard. He started drinking more, and this led to him getting written up, then demoted, and finally dishonorably discharged. Within a year he was back in their hometown, working odd jobs and drinking his way through most nights and weekends.

But even then, he wasn’t a bad guy. He was just an alcoholic. A sad alcoholic who had never hurt anybody. At least until he passed out in the wrong bar one night and the Stranger took him.