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Secret Cypher?

Here we are, MMers. We're back with another strange story. This time from Norway... Maine that is, up in Franklin County. Anyways, let's dive right in. So, Charlotte was cleaning out her dad's house about ten years whens he came across something strange taped to the back of his computer. Charlotte's father worked for years at National Semiconductor and in the last decade of his life worked for the government, though he was never too clear on what department, exactly. 

"Dad died unexpectedly on the job. They couldn't tell me a whole lot because it was classified," Charlotte told us. "They did let me know it was an unfortunate accident and that my dad was an exemplary employee and man. There was a pretty large severance too, which was nice."

Charlotte wound up inheriting her father's home and with all the expenses paid, she all but forgot about it for a few years. She finally found the motivation to sell the old place, but before she did that, she had to clean it all out. "I wouldn't say my dad was a hoarder or anything but he didn't like to throw out anything that was still useful in his eyes. Different parts and pieces of tools and machines. He always thought he'd be able to fix them back up. Why, I don't know; it's not like he needed those things or couldn't afford new ones. That's just Dad for you, I guess. I was cleaning out his computer room - what kind of electrical engineer still had a computer room in 2012, right? and he had this big, boxy desktop computer. I went to unplug it, figuring it was all trash. That's when I found it."

Taped tot he back of the computer tower was a piece of paper folded into quarters. It was old and had been mended with tape in a few places. Written on the paper were the words, "For when I'm gone," in her father's handwriting. "I about freaked when I saw it," Charlotte said. "I mean, who knows what it could have been. And sitting there this whole time?"

What it was, however, was another matter entirely. When eh unfolded the piece of paper she saw that it was a series of numbers and letters arranged in groups. "It looked like nothing to me," Charlotte said. "Like some sort of weird code or something." Charlotte thought it might be some sort of serial number or password, but something about it just seemed odd to her: "The way it was written. All those numbers and letter jammed onto the page? It just didn't feel like my dad. There's a pattern there, but I can't figure out what is."

Whatever the strange message meant, Charlotte hung onto that piece of paper for ten years, trying to solve the riddle. It wasn't a serial code, not to anything that existed in the public world. It wasn't a password to any of the electronics her father had. Charlotte thought it might be some sort of coded message, but no amount of deciphering has made any sense to her. In frustration, she reached out to us at Malevolent Maine."

"Look, I know my dad did some top secret work for the government, but I don't really know what he was into. Maybe this is something to do with his work. But the message on the back... 'For when I'm gone,' that tells me that Dad knew something could happen to him, and he wanted someone, the right someone to get one final message. I just wish I knew what it was."

So how about it, MMers? Charlotte sent us a pic of the strange message and we've posted it below. What could it be? Some technical code? A secret cypher? Is it related to his mysterious death? Get sleuthing, and stay safe out there, Maine.

What could this coded message mean?

The Meadow People

Stories of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and faeries have been spread by humans for thousands of years. What about small humanoid creatures fascinates us? This story comes to us from MMer Anna who wants to help her mother Alice share her story about the miniature people she has taken care of for years. 

Starks Maine, located in Somerset County

Alice lives in Stark Maine, a haven for people of a naturalistic mentality, it is a place best known for its steps to legalize marijuana before it was a popular stance. Alice and her husband Charlie built a homestead in the hills near Stark nearly fifty years ago, and their cozy home oversees a large lush meadow.  Alice and Charlie were always very conscientious about their impact on the natural world, they only took what they needed and they tried their best to be self-sufficient. They composted, recycled, reused, and if they cut down a tree they used every part of it, thanks to Charlie’s skill as a woodworker and carver. Charlie passed away around ten years ago and for many years Alice couldn’t bring herself to go into his workshop. 

One time after a heavy rain that flooded the meadow down the hill from their home, Alice heard strange almost musical noises coming from Charlie’s old workshop. She peeked her head in and saw among the cobwebs and old woodworking tools several creatures no more than 7 or 8 inches tall. They had oblong heads, long necks, and a spindly torso and limbs. They were gathered around even smaller figures and seemed to be keeping them warm in the chilly and moist morning air. When Alice pushed the door open to get a better look the hinges squeaked and the creatures scattered to the darkest corners of the workshop. 

Over the next few years Alice gradually built a rapport with the creatures, leaving food scraps in the shed, and leaving small pieces of fabric from her knitting projects in there. Alice is slowly losing the fight of aging, she is finding it hard to move around as much now due to arthritis, and her glaucoma grows worse month by month. She says soon her family is going to make her move from her idyllic Stark home, closer to her daughter so they can take better care of her. But all Alice worries about is the little meadow people who live near her. She doesn’t want to leave until she is sure they will be taken care of. 

Alice asks us to inform everyone we can about the existence of the meadow people and tell them to check sheds, outbuildings, barns, and workshops for them and to try to help them out whenever they can. 

Help save the meadow people, and stay safe out there, Maine!