Episode Details

The Earl's Imposter
The most pivotal point of my entire life occurred when I was 16. A moment that separated me from who I was, or potentially who I was supposed to be. This isn’t a simple coming of age story, I changed in a way that transcends my own understanding. I don't even really know what happened. I hope recounting the events will shed some light.
It was a cool, crisp fall. My birthday had just passed. Perhaps me being born in October gave me some sort of affinity for the weather, and the traditions. I loved Halloween.
There was nothing quite like getting dressed up, playing the role of someone, or something else entirely, and gorging on candy. As I got older, of course, it became less about candy and more about girls, drugs, and booze.
I’d fallen in with a group of, for lack of a better term, overachieving stoners. We were pretty open minded in the use of any drug we could get our hands on, but none of us were really junkies. There wasn’t a desperation for a fix, so much as a desire to expand our minds. It seemed noble at the time, but reflecting back on it, it was naive and outright dangerous sometimes. Whether or not it was due to the drugs, or simple teenage bravado, we always challenged ourselves and each other to stupid contests. Sometimes as simple as who could sprint the farthest with a lung-full of bong smoke, or as intensive as spending the night in the mall by our highschool. I happened to be the victim of the latter challenge. I’d deeply implore you to do the same!
There were some stupid stories, mainly bullshit that every other kid in our high school would make up, about the mall being haunted. It always came back to some half-truth legend about a gruesome Halloween. According to the legend, the mall, named The Eglinton Center, was not named for quite the same reason as the busy midtown Toronto street it was adjacent to. Story has it that the former site of the mall was a large manor. It was built, and named, in honor of the Earls of Eglinton, of Scotland (much like the street), but to the surprise of everyone involved, the Earl showed up to Toronto (then known as York), with every intent of staying there.
He threw lavish parties, and extravagant affairs, but over time they became associated with the disappearances of many local youths, some of whom were of wealthier stock. In an affair reminiscent of the burning windmill version of the Frankenstein monster’s demise, a mob torched the manor with him atop of the roof, on Halloween night, no less. His remains were never found, and not long after, the true Earl of Eglinton (ignorant of the malady to Toronto that he supposedly caused) sent word to the town council of his pleasure regarding the estate being named after him. All the way from Scotland.
No one truly knows what happened to the Earl’s imposter, or to any of the missing youth, as no remains were ever found. They claim the mall, which was a plaza before being upgraded, was named as a memorial to the victims of the Earl’s imposter. Doesn’t seem like a very good reason to name a mall, everything considered.
Twas the night before Halloween that the challenge was issued. My friend Jaque kept going on about how cool it would be to break into the mall on Halloween, and spend the whole night there, to see if there was any truth to all the rumours of ‘the Earl’s imposter stalking the halls for young blood’.
“You’d have to be an idiot to believe that story, let alone that the mall is really haunted...” I brazenly scolded Jaque.
“Sounds like you’re volunteering to prove him wrong then?” Will challenged. He always was an antagonist.
“And miss out on the Halloween festivities? Not a chance!” I tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing, but in truth, I really didn’t want to do it.
“Ah, sounds like you’re scared then after all?” Jaque butted in. “Not so brave as to put your money where your mouth is? I bet you $50 you couldn’t spend the night there!”