InternationalOpinion

Open letter to the buyer of “The Watcher” house

Do you realize what you've done?

Dear buyer,

First of all, my primary question: why? Why would you choose to subject yourself to the same torment Derek and Maria Broaddus faced for five years? Do you want to be watched? Are you perhaps The Watcher themself, and you’ve finally amassed enough in your savings account to buy your dream home? We need answers!

If you bought this house, then you probably know the whole story. You know how the letters have plagued every known resident, and how this self-declared “Watcher” will likely send you vague threats to try and urge you to move out. But do you know that they sent oddly personal information to residents of the home; things they shouldn’t have known?

Maybe you watched the Buzzfeed Unsolved episode five months ago. I don’t blame you, it was a good episode. However, I don’t necessarily think it would compel one to move into the house. 

If you have children, you should know that The Watcher threatened to steal them from the Broaddus family on multiple occasions. Maybe that’s your reason. “Cheaper than school supplies,” you thought. As a university student, I can relate, but I’m not sure I would move into a house where I knew I’d actively be threatened with kidnapping to remedy it.

Whatever reason you bought it for, I’m glad the Broaddus family finally got out of their years-long nightmare. I hope you like the house, because it is very beautiful, and I hope for your sake that The Watcher never acts on their letters.

Good luck, mysterious buyer.

Payton Ferguson

Payton Ferguson is a English major by day, 2019-20 Opinion Editor for The Gateway by night (and also day). She enjoys long walks to the fridge, writing until her wrists ache, and bombarding social media with pictures of her chihuahuas.

Related Articles

Back to top button