The small, picturesque town of Willow Creek was the kind of place that I had dreamed of living in. Nestled in a lush valley surrounded by rolling hills and dense forests, the town was known for its friendly inhabitants, charming shops, and beautiful old Church with its towering bell that could be heard for miles around.
For me, moving to Willow Creek was a dream come true. I had always longed for a quiet, peaceful life, and the charming old house on the outskirts of town seemed the perfect place to start over. The house was a little run down, but with some elbow grease and some TLC, I knew it would soon become the home of my dreams.
Willow Creek is infamous for its complex vetting process. It was very rare they’d let somebody from the outside move into their quaint town. But my late aunt Georgia’s husband, a native Willow Creekian, had put in a good word for me.
As I explored the town and got to know its inhabitants, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about the strange, eerie tune that the bell of the town’s Church rang out every couple of weeks. Determined to find out more, I began asking around, trying to glean any information from the townsfolk about the bell and its strange tune.
At first, the townsfolk seemed kind but evasive, reluctant to talk about the bell and its haunting melody. Each time they would distract me, recommending different shops and food places to visit.
But my persistence paid off when I encountered Old Man H.
He was an old, grizzled man who seemed willing to speak about the malevolent entity that had been plaguing Willow Creek for tens of decades.
He shook with fear as he described the entity, eyes wide and haunted. “It’s a monster, plain and simple,” he said. “It preys on anyone it can catch. The bell rings out when it feasts. It takes their life and soul, leaving nothing but empty husks.”
The old man explained that the entity was mighty and nearly impossible to kill. It could take on any form it wanted, and it was tough to detect until it was too late. It was said to have the power to possess people, driving them to madness and violence. Its abilities able to make you second guess yourself.
When I asked him what happened to the victims, his lips pursed tightly in a line. As if he was hesitant to tell the truth.
“Nobody moves out of Willow Creek,” He began. “But houses go on sale, no?”
When he read the stains of cluelessness on my face, he let out a weathered sigh. “It takes one of their bodies, and the rest are dealt with. ‘Taken out into the woods, I believe.”
Old Man H revealed that the bell had been installed in the church tens of decades ago by a group of settlers who had fled their homes to escape the ravages of a terrible plague. When they found the carved materials in the bordering forest, they instantly installed it in their Church as a beacon of hope.
Crafted from an unknown metal and inscribed with strange, arcane symbols, the townsfolk believed their bell possessed powers that would protect them from the disease. But as the years passed, the settlers realised that the bell was not a source of protection but of malevolent power. It would ring out its eerie tune at random intervals, signalling the feast of a terrible entity that would prey on the townspeople, taking their lives and souls in a never-ending cycle of terror and death.
Despite their fear and horror, the townsfolk were powerless to stop the evil of the bell. They could only listen in terror as it rang out its chilling tune, knowing that death was coming for them.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“I come from the oldest family of Willow Creek,” He stated simply. “We’ve never had trouble from the entity, so I don’t want you bringing no trouble near me. You’ve got your information. Now go.”
Shocked by the old man’s story, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and curiosity. I had to learn more about this mysterious entity and its connection to the bell.
I decided to visit the Church and see the bell for myself. As I approached the old building, I could feel a sense of foreboding wash over me. The bell towered above me. Its ominous presence was almost palpable.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I wanted to go further.
As I pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the Church, I was struck by the musty, old-fashioned smell that permeated the air. The tall, stained-glass windows cast a muted light on the rows of wooden pews.
I knew I had to be careful. I didn’t want to attract the attention of the entity. I crept towards the bell tower, examining it closely. I could see the signs of wear and tear, evidence of its age and the countless times it had been rung. The bell loomed over me, its dark metal surface covered in strange symbols. I could feel its malevolent power emanating from it, and I knew that the old man’s story was true.
Faint whispers danced in the air, beckoning me closer. I turned, but there was no one there. The voice was coming from the bell, tempting me to touch it. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. But my curiosity won out, and I climbed the tower’s steps.
As soon as my fingers touched the cold metal, I felt a surge of power coursing through my body. The bell began to vibrate, the symbols glowing with a dark, eerie light.
The entity was stirring, waking from its slumber, suddenly aware of my findings. I could feel its presence looming over me, ready to hunt me down.
In that moment, I knew I needed to find a way to stop the entity and protect the townspeople of Willow Creek. The bell was powerful and ancient, and the entity was nearly impossible to kill. But I was determined to find a way. I would not let this evil continue terrorising Willow Creek’s people. I would do whatever it took to stop the bell and the entity attached to it.
My next strike of luck was with Harry. A charming young man who owned one of the town’s many bakeries, yet the most popular.
“What makes your bakery so unique?” I had asked him while nibbling on one of his free samples
“I’ve recently started to use berries from the forest in many of my creations,” He beamed a smile that radiated a warm summer glow.
“I thought the forest was a no-go?” I recalled the estate agent telling me to steer clear of the wooded area.
“Hey, when you bake this good, who’s gonna deny you of your most important ingredient?”
Harry was always happy to chat and offer advice and assistance whenever I needed it. And over time, we became close friends.
He seemed genuinely concerned about my safety and well-being. We began to enjoy each other’s company more often.
I felt alive. Happier than I had ever felt before. There was a feeling in the air, something told me that Harry was important, and we were drawn together by fate.
On Harry’s days off, we would visit the local markets. Willow Creek had a brilliant partner program with neighbouring towns, welcoming unique traders on pop-up market stalls.
We found joy in silly things like rolled ice cream and swirled potatoes on a stick, novelty treats he would buy me, despite him not liking stuff like that. On rainy days he would help me fix up the house. He was surprisingly skilful at painting the corners of walls without getting it on the frames.
On the days and nights, I was alone. I locked my doors tightly. With remote work, I could enjoy my own isolation. At first, I felt relieved each time I heard the evil bell ring. I was thankful it wasn’t me. That the entity hadn’t decided to pick on the new guy. However, as Harry and I grew closer, I found that the bell would send me into a near panic attack.
Harry and I devised a system where we would both send a bell emoji after it sounded. A way to let the other know we were okay. I would always be the one to send it first. I assumed it was because Harry had lived in the town his whole life and was not as concerned as me.
Harry practically moved in with me, despite having his own apartment, only going back to work on projects some nights. He found a home in the place we fixed up together, and it just felt right. We were able to coexist - even if he did spend most of his time out of the house. He helped me forget about the entity, to stop stressing about it.
Despite my feelings, the following day, I visited the old man again.
When I approached him, he leaned back on his deck chair like last time.
“Hello, son.” He nodded. His eyes remained planted on the bell of the Church, never wandering. I was slow to answer.
“Did your family ever figure out how to kill the entity?” I asked
The old man sighed softly as if he had been waiting for somebody to ask him.
“My family’s always owned the local library building. It was one of the first few buildings built here when the settlers came. At first, it was a place to keep their valuables, such as the treasures made from leftover arcanic materials. For a short while, it became a museum and then the library.”
I bit my bottom lip nervously in anticipation as he told me about his papa. He believed that something of the same material could repel the entity but could never locate the correct item or the entity to follow through.
“Is there anybody else looking into it?”
“There is a young scholar named Louise who works for the library. She comes from a long line of linguists who each have dedicated their lives to unlocking the secrets to our ancestor’s archaic language,” He informed. “-Or so they claim. Louise has been the only one to get somewhere with it. Useless, the lot of them.”
Louise was in her mid-twenties, with short, curly brown hair and intelligent, piercing green eyes. She was slender and agile, with a no-nonsense demeanour and a quick wit.
I noticed that she was impeccably dressed, with a tailored suit and a crisp white shirt, and she carried herself with confidence and authority.
Despite her serious and dedicated approach to her work, I soon discovered that Louise had a warm and friendly demeanour and was always willing to listen and help those in need.
Louise has been using a small, cluttered room in the town’s library as her base of operations for deciphering ancient texts and artefacts. The room was filled with books and papers, and the walls were covered with maps and diagrams.
At the centre of the room was a large table covered with research materials and notes. Louise had spread out the ancient texts and artefacts on the table, and she had been studying and analysing them for years, trying to unlock their secrets. And although she was close to a breakthrough, there was one blockade in the way.
I searched through dusty old books and ancient manuscripts, looking for clues about the bell and its history. I found many references to the bell and its malevolent power but no information on how to stop it. Louise watched on. I could tell she was annoyed I was sorting through her hard work.
“You’re not going to find anything I haven’t.” She declared.
I was about to give up when I came across an old, tattered book she had translated. It contained a passage about the bell and its creation. On the same page was the “Eye of Lucidity”.
The Eye of Lucidity was said to have been forged from the same material as the bell as a handle to ring it manually. However, when the entity arrived, the settlers hid it, fearing if they dared ring it again, it would bring more danger.
The Eye had been lost for centuries, and nobody knew where to find it. The next page had been ripped off.
“Maybe you needed a fresh set of eyes.” I continued my search through the papers, pushing them to the side and creating new stacks.
“If you just tell me what you’re looking for, I can help you.”
“I need the page - The missing page to this book.”
Louise frowned as she looked at the yellow-stained page of the book.
“That page has been missing longer than I’ve been alive.”
We spent hours sifting through loose paper, hoping it had been placed in a book or stored for safety. But as the early morning approached, I grew tired and weary. It seemed that Louise had thought it a lost cause too.
“Go and get some sleep. We can look when we’re both rested.”
As I walked up to my front door, I could see that something was wrong. Water flowed from under the door, pooling on the porch and trickling down the steps. I hurriedly unlocked the door and pushed it open and was greeted by the sight of chaos.
Water was gushing from the ceiling, cascading down the walls and flooding the floors. The sound of rushing water was deafening, and I could see that the source of the problem was the burst pipes in the kitchen.
Panic set in as I realised the extent of the damage. The kitchen was messy, with water everywhere and broken glass scattered across the floor. The water had also reached the living room, soaking the carpet and furniture.
I quickly turned off the main water supply and grabbed towels, blankets and duvets to mop the water. I knew I had to act fast to minimise the damage and prevent mould from forming. I tried to use my phone to call a plumber. However, my phone had become water damaged.
I spent the rest of the early morning cleaning up the water, mopping and wiping down surfaces, and trying to salvage what I could. It was a long and exhausting process; by the time I finished, I was exhausted and drained.
With wet clothes, and damp sheets, I had nowhere to sleep, so I turned to Harry.
Harry was kind enough to let me stay at his place. He even called a plumber and repairman for me.
Harry’s apartment was a cosy and inviting space. It was located in a charming old building in Willow’s Creek. With large windows that let in plenty of natural light. The living room was spacious and airy, with comfortable furniture and a warm, inviting atmosphere. The kitchen was small but well-equipped, with modern appliances and plenty of storage space.
The bedroom was a peaceful retreat, with a comfortable bed and soft, inviting linens. The walls were painted a soothing blue, and a large window let in plenty of light. The bathroom was clean and modern, with a shower and a tub for relaxing soaks.
Overall, Harry’s apartment was a lovely space that felt like home. It was well-maintained and inviting and reflected Harry’s style and taste. It was the perfect place to relax and unwind after a long day.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay while I’m at work?” He asked. Initially, he had been bummed out about my house and wanted to stay with me at the apartment. I reassured him I would be okay and would just stay until repairs were done.
After catching some rest, I decided to explore Harry’s apartment. I noticed something strange. In the corner of the living room was a small alcove that I hadn’t noticed before. It was hidden behind a large potted plant, and when I moved the plant aside, I saw a small door that was locked.
Intrigued, I tried the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. I searched the apartment for some kind of key, but I couldn’t find one. I asked Harry about the door, but he seemed surprised and didn’t know what I was talking about.
I decided to investigate further. I looked for hidden hinges or latches, and after a few minutes of searching, I found a small latch on the side of the door. I flipped it open, and the door swung open to reveal a hidden closet.
The closet was small but packed with items. There were boxes of old books, photo albums, and keepsakes. There were also some old clothes and household items, each having a different aesthetic.
I was puzzled by the hidden closet. What was in it that was so valuable or secret? Why had it been locked and hidden away? I didn’t want to invade Harry’s privacy, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something important in the closet.
I decided to leave it as I found it and not mention it to Harry. I didn’t want to pry into his personal life, and I figured that if he wanted me to know about the closet, he would have told me himself.
But the discovery of the hidden door stayed with me. It was a mystery I couldn’t solve, leaving me wondering what secrets it might hold.
A day later, as messing with my phone on the living room couch, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the closet was calling me. I tried my hardest to ignore it, fearing that Harry would know if I opened the cabinet again, and the last thing I wanted to do was betray his trust. I was briefly distracted by my phone coming back to life and was overwhelmed with messages and missed calls.
However, my phone couldn’t keep my interest for long, as I soon cracked. I started to go through the boxes in the closet, looking for anything interesting. I opened a box of old books and began to leaf through them. They were mostly old novels and history books; I didn’t find anything interesting. I put it back into the alcove.
I moved on to the next box, filled with old photo albums and keepsakes. I started to look through them, and I found some old photos of Harry and his family. As well as a lot of pictures of different people. Each image had a new set of people in it. I also found some old letters and postcards, written in languages I didn’t recognise.
As I was about to close the box, I saw something wedged in the corner. I saw it was a torn piece of paper. It looked like it had been ripped in half, and only a small portion was left. As I pulled it out, I realised it was the missing paper. The familiar hum of the elevator sent my heart into overdrive, so I snapped a photo of the page and shoved the paper back into its spot.
As I was about to close the box, I heard a noise. I turned around and saw Harry standing in the doorway, looking at me with a surprised expression.
I froze, feeling like I had been caught red-handed. I knew that I had no right to look through Harry’s belongings, and I was afraid of how he would react.
“What are you doing?” Harry asked, his voice tight and angry. “Why are you going through my things?”
I stammered, trying to come up with an explanation. “I’m sorry, Harry,” I said. “I was just curious. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”
Harry glared at me, his face dark with anger. “You had no right to go through my things,” he said. “This is my private space, and you had no permission to be in there.”
I apologised again, feeling ashamed and guilty. I knew I had crossed a line and didn’t know how to make things right.
“I just got a call about your house. You can go back there now.”
I left the apartment. The feeling of shame almost made me forget my findings.
Once I had gotten home, I locked the doors, closed the curtains, and checked the photo. Although it was blurry, I was able to use the live image feature to get a clear but distant snapshot of it.
Did Harry know what the paper was? Or was it a keepsake passed down through generations? I couldn’t help but give him the benefit of the doubt.
I waited a few days before approaching Louise. She managed to decipher the page and create a map using the clues and coordinates provided. It may have taken her a few days, but she was pretty damn proud of it.
We made plans to trek into the forest and track down The Eye in the evening.
In the meantime, I noticed a few valuables had gone missing. Wondering if they had gotten disposed of due to water damage or stolen, I turned to my cameras.
When I first moved in, I had installed spy cameras in the house; In the USB plugs, the coat racks, and even behind some of the succulents I kept. I wasn’t concerned about being burgled. I was concerned I was being targeted by the entity.
At first, I had to sort through old footage. My heart dropped when I saw Harry in the footage during his stay. He had ignored my messages the past few days, and I could not contact him.
I stopped fast-forwarding and let the video play out. I watched as I left to do some shopping, and Harry stayed home alone. At first, he wandered around the house. It was pretty dull. But eventually, he stepped into the bedroom. I watched as he transformed into a twisted and malformed creature, a grotesque abomination that defies description. His true body was made up of writhing tentacles and wriggling appendages, and his eyes were dark, empty pits that seemed to stare into the soul’s very depths. Harry was the entity.
He moved around by slithering and wriggling, using his tentacles and appendages to propel himself through the air, along the ground, and out of the window. An unsettling and disturbing sight.
And then, everything clicked, and I realised the patterns I had ignored.
How the bell wouldn’t chime when we were together. How at night, in the corner of my eyes, I’d catch his shadow wriggling as if something lay beneath. How, no matter what happened, I was always drawn to him.
The sight should have sent me into a spiral of betrayal and anger. I found myself wanting to be heartbroken and sad. I knew it was the entity’s power, but I couldn’t shake it off.
I decided not to tell Louise.
As we made our way through the dense forest, the remaining evening sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air was cool and crisp, and the sounds of the forest filled our ears.
We followed the old map and the symbols etched into the ground, carefully making our way through the underbrush. The forest was dense and overgrown, and it was difficult to see where we were going.
But we pushed on, determined to find the Eye of Lucidity. We climbed over fallen logs and ducked under low-hanging branches, our flashlight beams illuminating the way.
We searched for hours but could not find the hidden cave. Louise had become increasingly disappointed and embarrassed, fearing she had translated the page wrong.
We were about to give up when we stumbled upon a clearing, and there, in the centre, was the entrance to the hidden cave.
Excited and eager to find the Eye, a rush of energy burst through us. We pushed through the vines and entered the dark, damp cave. We carefully made our way through the twists and turns, our flashlight beams illuminating the path.
Finally, after an eternity, we reached the chamber where the Eye of Lucidity was hidden.
The Eye was a small, intricately carved amulet with a gap in the middle to run a rope through. It sat on a staff carved with intricate symbols and patterns. It glowed with an otherworldly light, and we knew we had found what we were looking for.
“We actually found it…” Louise whispered. “All these decades spent unlocking the secrets, and a normal man from fuck knows where finds it within weeks,” She scoffed. I raised a brow, offended at her statement. She refused to apologise for insulting me. “Ridiculous.”
We hurried through the forest, eager to reach the town and begin our final battle with the bell. The trees whipped past us as we ran, our feet pounding on the ground. With the Eye of Lucidity in our possession, we felt a sense of excitement and determination. We knew that the Eye was the key to destroying the bell and ending the entity’s reign of terror, and we were determined to use it to save Willow Creek.
As we approached the Church, we could feel the malevolent presence of the entity guarding it. The bell towered above us, its dark metal glinting in the dim light. A sense of dread and unease washed over us. We could feel its power as if it was watching us, waiting for its next victim.
But we knew that we could not turn back. We had come too far and risked too much to fail now.
We cautiously entered the Church, our footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. The air was thick with the smell of decay and death.
We made our way to the bell, the Eye of Lucidity glowing in Louise’s hands.
But as we reached out to attach it to the rope, a dark, shadowy figure appeared before us.
The entity was a twisted, monstrous thing, its body writhing and shifting in a never-ending dance of darkness. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and its mouth was filled with sharp, jagged teeth. Its tentacles flared out defensively, and I found myself shrinking in fear.
The entity ignored me and loomed over Louise, its massive form towering above her.
Louise knew she had to act quickly if she was going to survive. She swung her torch at the entity, trying to keep it at bay. As the entity lunged at Louise, its sharp claws glinting in the dim light, She dodged and weaved the attacks with difficulty, and I could tell she was running out of energy.
Louise fought with all her might, but the entity was too powerful. It swiped at her with its claws, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into a bookshelf, and books and papers rained down on her.
Louise groaned in pain, struggling to catch her breath. Blood trickled down her face and from the scratch wounds on her chest.
The entity loomed over her, its eyes glowing with malice. It raised its claw, ready to deliver the final blow.
“Harry, stop!” I yelled. He did not listen.
“What… It’s Harry?” Louise shouted in a panic.
Just as the entity was about to strike, Louise summoned all her remaining strength and rolled out of the way. Its claw hit the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Louise scrambled to her feet and grabbed a nearby, broken wooden pillar while keeping the Eye in her other hand. She swung it at the entity, trying to keep it at bay.
The entity snarled and lunged at Louise, its massive form moving with surprising speed. Louise continued to try and dodge the attacks, The fight raged on, but I could tell her strength was fading, and she wouldn’t be able to keep up the fight much longer.
But just as the entity was about to deliver the final blow, Louise mustered all her remaining strength and thrust the wood into the entity’s chest.
The entity uttered a high-pitched shriek and stumbled back, its eyes wide with shock and pain. Louise collapsed to the ground.
“Louise!”
She hadn’t killed it. Just hurt it. And soon enough, it turned its attention to me.
Its dark, twisted form, writhing and shifting, loomed over me. I couldn’t help but let out a weak whimper.
The entity attacked me with ferocity, its dark tendrils lashing at me with lightning speed. I dashed and ducked behind pillars with all my might, but I could feel myself begin to weaken under the onslaught of the entity’s dark power. But just when I thought I was doomed, I saw a glimmer of hope. Louise, who I thought was dead, stirred and rose to her feet. She stumbled over and hooked the Eye onto the rope.
The bell and Eye glowed a bright, cold light, and I was left blinded by the intense shine.
In one final act, Louise rang the bell. A clear, bright tone rang throughout the town and pierced my eardrums, disorientating me.
When my eyes refocused, and my senses returned, Harry and Louise lay unconscious on the ground. It was unclear who survived the battle.
Louise had saved Willow Creek, something her ancestors had failed to do. And now, the townspeople could finally live in peace.
The bell was removed from the Church and melted down, its malevolent powers no longer a threat to the town. After a lengthy hospital stay, Louise was rewarded handsomely for her work and treated like a hero. While I stayed in the shadows, mourning the loss of a valued relationship.
Harry’s funeral was the following Monday. It had not been revealed that the entity had possessed him; instead, we had told the townsfolk he had helped defeat it. His family was devastated, but I had hoped his ‘achievements’ had softened the blow for them.
I still remain in Willow Creek. I had always longed for a quiet, peaceful life. Now without its pest problem, it’s the perfect town I’d always dreamed of.