I was browsing a used bookstore in Seattle last Tuesday—the kind that smells like dust and vanilla—when I picked up a paperback copy of *Dune*. It was beat up, the spine was cracked, and it cost $4. I almost put it back because I wanted a hardcover, but something about the worn edges made me feel like it had been loved, so I bought it. When I got home and cracked it open to page 142, a folded piece of yellow legal pad paper fell out. It wasn’t a bookmark. It was a letter. Dated **October 14, 2004**. The handwriting was frantic, scribbled in blue ink. It read: *"David, I hid the bonds in the hollow leg of the old workbench in the garage. I don't trust Elena. If anything happens to me, check the leg. Do not sell the house until you check. Love, Dad."* I froze. This felt like I was intruding, but also like I was holding a grenade. I looked at the inside cover of the book. There was a name stamped in faint red ink: **Ex Libris: Arthur P. Halloway.** I know the internet can b...
I’ve hesitated to write this because it feels surreal, but with the recent resurgence of the maxwellhill discussions, I can’t shake a few personal memories. In 2010, when I was younger, I was in New Hampshire with my grandmother, who was battling cancer at the time. Through circumstances I won’t go into here, we briefly met Ghislaine Maxwell in a public area, while she was taking pictures with some people. She was unexpectedly warm, hugged my grandmother after a brief convo about cancer, and even commented positively on my alternative style. At the time, it felt like a small, human moment with a celebrity, nothing more. In 2015, years later, I saw her again from a distance at a TerraMar-related presentation. I was there with my ex. We didn’t speak to her, but I clearly remember recognizing her and feeling that odd sense of familiarity. Later on i realised that this was indeed THE Ghislaine we met all the way back then. Then in 2020, I joined Reddit. On an old account, I ended up in a ...