Scenario:1
Create my version of this story
There was something about small towns that I found so intriguing, especially when they were shrouded in a thick veil of mystery.
Willow Creek was no exception.
The town was so picturesque, it almost felt like I had taken a step into the perfect little storybook world.
That was until I started hearing whispers of the town’s dark secrets and hidden scandals.
This was what made Willow Creek so special to me.
It had a history that was alive, and it was just begging to be uncovered.
My curiosity was piqued when I heard rumors about a well-known author named Evelyn Wellhoven, who had gone missing from her mansion almost two decades ago.
No one knew where she went or why she left, but what everyone did know was that she left behind a legacy of ghost stories that would haunt the town for generations to come.
Her mansion sat at the end of Willow Creek’s main street and stood as a haunting reminder of her disappearance.
As I walked past it, I could see the faint outline of what used to be an old fortune-teller’s shop.
The story of Evelyn’s disappearance had become so popular that there were multiple books and documentaries on the subject, but none of them seemed to be able to figure out what happened to her.
It was as if she had disappeared into thin air, but not before leaving everyone with one last chilling ghost story.
As I sat in my car with my two best friends, Sarah and Jack, I couldn’t help but feel like this would be our next big project.
We were all in college studying to get our degrees in journalism and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to get some real-world experience under our belts.
“What do you guys think about researching Evelyn Wellhoven’s disappearance?”
I asked my friends.
Sarah turned to me, her large brown eyes sparkling in the dim light.
“Are you crazy?”
I know you love the story of Evelyn Wellhoven, but we can’t just randomly start asking people around town about it.”
“I think it could be a great project,” Jack said.
I turned to look at him, noting the way his blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
“What do you think, Sarah?”
I could see the gears in her brain spinning as she considered this new topic.
She let out a long sigh before finally nodding.
“Okay, I’m in, but we have to be careful.
You never know who might be listening.”
As we drove through the town square, I couldn’t help but feel like something was off.
The town was dark and quiet, but it felt more like something out of a horror novel than an actual town.
I shivered as we passed by an old church, its steeple looming overhead.
Jack reached over and turned on the radio, the sound of some upbeat pop song filling the car.
“Is it just me or is this town a little too quiet?”
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, glancing around at all of the closed shops and empty streets.
“I was doing some research on this town before we got here,” I said.
“It turns out that Willow Creek is actually known for being one of the most haunted towns in America.”
Sarah let out a small gasp, her eyes going wide with fear.
“Don’t worry, though,” I said.
“Nothing has ever happened here before… as far as I know.”
I paused, trying to remember if I had ever heard any stories of people actually disappearing in Willow Creek.
Then I remembered something.
“I did hear one story about someone who went missing and was never found, but I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Jack arched an eyebrow.
“What do you mean ‘never found’?”
I glanced over at him and shrugged.
“I don’t know all of the details, but apparently they never found the guy’s body or anything like that.”
Sarah let out a small groan.
“Why does this town sound so cursed?”
I chewed on my lip as I turned onto a smaller road that led to my house.
“I don’t know, but I think that’s what makes it so interesting.”
Jack let out a soft laugh as he leaned back in his seat.
“You really do have a thing for spooky stuff, don’t you?”
“I can’t help it,” I said with a shrug.
“It’s just so fascinating.”
“I think we need to keep an eye out for more spooky stuff while we’re here,” Jack said as I pulled into my driveway.
“I agree,” Sarah chimed in.
I turned off the car and we all climbed out as I grabbed my bag from the back seat of my car.
I needed to get some of my books out of there anyway so that they wouldn’t get damaged by the heat of the summer sun.
As I walked up my front steps with Jack and Sarah trailing closely behind me, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched.
It was a strange feeling that I couldn’t quite shake off, no matter how hard I tried.
I turned around quickly, my eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement, but there was nothing there except for the empty road in front of my house.
I let out a small sigh of relief before unlocking my front door and stepping inside.
It was nice to be home, even if it was only for a few days.
“I’m going to go finish unpacking,” I said as I set my bag down by the stairs.
“Why don’t you guys go explore town or something?”
They both nodded in agreement as Jack started walking towards the front door again.
“Are you sure you’re okay with being alone?”
Sarah asked, her voice filled with concern.
“I’ll be fine,” I said with a smile as I plopped down on the couch in my living room.
“Now get out of here before it gets too dark.”
“Are you guys sure you want to do this?”
Sarah asked as she slid into the booth across from me and Jack at the local pizza place, her brown eyes filled with worry.
“What if this Evelyn Wellhoven lady is still out there somewhere?
What if she doesn’t want people digging into her past?”
“Relax, Sarah, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said as I took a sip of my soda and set it down on the table in front of me.
“We’re not going to be digging around in her personal life or anything like that, we’re just writing a paper about her.”
“But what if she’s out there somewhere?”
“Then how are we supposed to write a paper about her?”
Jack chimed in, his blue eyes narrowed as he stared at Sarah over his glass of iced tea.
“We don’t even know where she is or if she’s even still alive.”
“You’re right, as always.” Sarah sighed as she leaned back in the booth and ran a hand through her brown hair.
I smiled to myself as I listened to them bicker back and forth, my mind already beginning to race with ideas for our project proposal that was due at the end of the week.
“So, what exactly are we going to put in our proposal?”
Sarah asked as she took another bite of her pizza and set it down on the plate in front of her.
“We should probably start by doing some research on Evelyn Wellhoven and seeing if we can find out any more information about her life and what happened to her after she disappeared,” I said as I reached for my soda again and took another sip.
“There’s probably some stuff about her at the local history museum, so maybe we can go there tomorrow.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me.” Jack smiled as he leaned forward and grabbed another slice of pizza from the box on the table in front of us.
“But what do we do if we can’t find anything there?”
I paused for a moment, trying to think of an answer that would satisfy both Jack and Sarah, but I came up blank.
“We’ll figure it out when we get there,” I said with a shrug as I stood up from the booth and grabbed my bag off the ground next to me.
“Now come on, let’s go work on this proposal.
I want to make sure it’s perfect so Mr.Hastings is impressed with us.”
“You’re such an overachiever.” Sarah rolled her eyes as she stood up from the booth and followed me out of the restaurant.
I chuckled softly as I walked out into the parking lot and made my way back to my car, Jack and Sarah following closely behind me once again.
“Hey, maybe we should break into Evelyn’s mansion.” Jack nudged me with his elbow as I pulled into my driveway and parked my car in front of my house once again, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief behind his glasses.
“Do you think that’s really necessary?”