The Haunted Town

The yellowed, rough envelope felt ancient in Simone's hands. Jayden, her annoying little brother, was bouncing on her bed, a human-shaped earthquake. "No name, no address, just 'For Simone'," he'd announced with exaggerated air quotes.

She shrugged him off, her fingers tearing at the brittle paper. Inside, a single, square note. Two words. Simple. Cryptic. And chilling.

'Remember' - M

"What the heck is this?" Jayden snorted, still giggling, oblivious. Simone, however, felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. Remember what? Her mind was a frustrating blank slate regarding the previous night, a recurring problem since they’d moved to this godforsaken town. She looked at the note again, the single initial. M. The old man, the shadows, the missing memories… a chilling mosaic was starting to form.

"Simone, Jayden. Downstairs now! You have to go to school today." Her mother’s voice, a saccharine sweet alarm, cut through the quiet. Simone quickly stuffed the note and envelope into her drawer, a new secret to add to her growing collection. She still couldn’t recall what had happened last night, nor the night before, or even the first night in Elmdale.

As she trudged downstairs, the memory of her mother’s shadow dancing independently of her body, just last night, flickered in her mind. Had she imagined it? Was she going crazy? Elmdale was already messing with her head, and she'd only been here for a week.