Patience, Massachusetts. I wish I had never heard of that town before. It’s silly to wish you that about a place you’ve never set foot in. Hell, I can’t even find evidence that it exists. If it does exist though, if one of you has heard of it, please let me know! It was my sister who told me about Patience first. It has been almost a year to the date when she first sent me a message saying that she had gotten this flyer in the mail and thought it was a prank. Saying, “Look at this creepy ass flyer I got. I guess it is for some new haunted house.” I looked at the picture of the flyer and asked all kinds of questions that you will most definitely have too. I cannot answer them, however, the same way Sarah couldn’t answer mine. I asked her if she was going to go with her friends. She said she probably would if they had put an email on the flyer. Her friends all loved that spooky Halloween shit. I think Sarah was the glue that held the group together because she was the link that everyone knew, but they all seemed to get along well enough, even if they only got together for Halloween.
After that last message from Sarah, I didn’t think about Patience again until October, Sarah messaged me on October first and all it said was “I’m going to Patience, Love you sis!” That was the last time I heard from her if you couldn’t already have guessed that. The police looked after about a week when we noticed she was missing. Her not living at home anymore made it harder to realize she was gone. When we contacted her friends, they said they hadn’t heard anything from Sarah this year and figured that she got busy with work for any Halloween stuff or was just waiting for it to get closer to Halloween.
We never found a single sign of her, no car, no clothes, and no Patience. I told the police about it and even found the flyer in her apartment, but they chalked it up to an unrelated incident. Can’t believe I pay taxes to these lazy assholes, and they won’t even try to investigate her disappearance. I don’t have any other ideas so I thought maybe you guys would know Patience. If you do, please let me know. I want my sister back, and this is the only lead I have. I’m putting in the flyer now to see if it jogs anyone’s memories. I hope it is just a prank, but when I held it, something feels off about it like it is watching me.
You Will Come to Patience, Massachusetts for Halloween!
“Why am I coming to Patience, Massachusetts?” I hear you asking. The answer is simple: there’s no place else like it. We have many sights to see and landmarks natural and man-made to gaze at. If you want to go hiking and take in the natural splendor that the lord set out for us you can with miles of trails leading to caves, waterfalls, and beautiful outlooks.
October is the best time to come to our little paradise however, we love Halloween like no other place on earth. We know you love Halloween too! Going to all those haunted houses every year and making your friends and family go to all those cookie-cutter horror movies. Not to mention the books you read not unlike this one you are reading right now in fact. All of these are more than enough to satisfy the normal people who ingest Halloween one week a year. You are not normal people, are you? Don’t you want to be with people who understand Halloween and celebrate it with the same enthusiasm you’ve been too ashamed to really show around your “friends?”
As soon as you see Patience you will know that you are among your own. Halloween is built into our town’s DNA, like the water in your cup, the thread in your coat, or the blood in your veins.
You see, we were the first town in America to have a witch trial, and yes, I know that people stake that claim to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. With good Bridget Bishop being hung. However, that’s incorrect you see, while Bridget was the first witch to be executed by trial in America, the first witch trial actually goes to Patience. We were simply forgotten for our compassion, see Miss Patricia Compton was the first witch to be judged innocent on the continent. Our founding mothers built Patience on the foundation that Patricia Compton set that night when she was so rudely accused. Patricia, however, went on to become the lead priestess in the Patience town church. That’s why we always give second chances here in Patience.
So, now you know it’s a piece of American history, a history that directly inspires thoughts of Halloween. Let me tell you all the fun attractions you can do while visiting our lovely little town.
Patience transforms on October 1st, it shifts into a plane that is unfamiliar yet slightly reminiscent of Patience. Every house is draped in cobwebs, every porch has a grinning pumpkin on its steps with flames in its eyes. Pumpkin patches on the edge of town make the residents of Patience ask if those pumpkins are there on September 30th or November 1st. But they hardly think twice about it because it’s October, it’s Halloween, their favorite time of the year.
The residents love Halloween so much in fact that they dress up all month. You read that correctly, all month is Halloween in Patience. They walk the street dressed as werewolves, vampires, priests, and witches. They are so dedicated to the experience of your visitors that they are fully in character. This is just another example of how seriously we take the Halloween experience here in Patience! In Patience, you will stumble into Halloween, not a town that gets into the spirit but a town that is the epitome of Halloween. No, iron man’s, Batman’s, or minions here. Patience doesn’t let you become something you want to be, it lets you become what you are.
As you walk down our streets, you see the church with its crosses on the front lawn, with skeletons attached to them with the one in the center with nails through his hands and feet. As you take a left past the church, you see the cemetery with its small gravestones peaking out as a beacon to the dead. As you look away, you will think you see something and quickly turn your head back. Fingers slowly split the earth and pull out of the grassy resting place as you consider why these skeletons only have eyes and no skin. Just eyes hanging in their sockets. You will move on before you can think of an answer, however.
Possibly our biggest attraction, however, is our most obvious, our haunted houses. We have a myriad of different little haunted houses that are set up by our residents. Some residents even set these up in their own personal houses! Talk about commitment! We have a street in one of our best communities, Webster Housing Community, that is only haunted houses from 8 at night all the way to midnight every night of October! Everything from the not so subtly named “Dracula’s Bloody Abode” which I’ve heard you want to bring a raincoat to if you decide to go in, which you will. Another more experimental haunt we have is called “The Peak of Madness” in which the daring customer traverses an impossible steep trail to discover uncover mysteries of our world. Some people come out knowing more about themselves and are equipped with impossible revelations about their life. Some don’t come back out at all, made to serve the town since they have lost all sense of self and no longer recall anything before Patience.
Our next and not to be biased, the best attraction is “The Witches Cauldron” this was made with our town’s perfectly festive history in mind. You are Patricia Compton, you begin in your home eating dinner as you are ripped from your house by the authorities. Dragged in front of the entire town and confronted with your crimes against God and nature. They show you the children that you’ve possessed that writhe and scream in agony as if they’re being pricked and prodded by needles. They show the burns that gathered on their ankles and wrists as if they are being held down by Lucifer himself.
They question you are asking if you had entered into a pact with Dark One; they ask why you torture these children, what do you get out of all of this? You smile, not even sure why you are doing it. You realize your body is no longer your own; it’s hers to control now.
She replies through your mouth, “Yes, I have entered into a pact with he, my name is in his black book as well as my blood. He showed me what secrets I craved and I know which master should be served! You claim to serve a Jesus but you do no such thing. You serve yourself, you use your God for favors and respect among the people. I had patience however, I showed set out to show the rest of this congregation you’ve gathered here in his woods the truth. The same truth he showed me!”
It’s at this time the man grabs at his neck with his eyes wide with shock and his neck leaks blood down his shirt and pools on the ground. Your coven stands and presents the black book to you, so you can give it its sacrifice.
Your visions of Patricia fade away and you realize you are in a house with me in front of you, waiting with a table in front of me that holds a book. A black book that you try to inspect but your eyes protest and slip off of the tome. You will feel as you imagined the skeletons felt. Your attention focuses back to me. You will try to talk but my spell will certainly rob you of that ability, probably already has if you’ve read this far. All you can do is walk and look. This will be when you sign the black book. As you sign your name, you will feel a new you rising in your body as the old will be given up as a sacrifice to our master. A sacrifice that will fuel our town for another year. As the old drains from you, it worries but only for a time, the important part of you remains, your love of Halloween will be stronger than ever. That’s why you were chosen after all. You will now be able to live in Patience forever with us in the glory of Halloween. This is your second chance.
We look forward to your arrival in Patience!
As I typed this up I got a text that’s said, “Sarah, won’t be coming back, you could join her or what’s left of her.” What the fuck! How did they know that I was writing this? I’m finally coming to the realization that I’m never gonna see my sister again. That maybe the better alternative than to get an invite to Patience though.
See I wrote this last night before bed, thought it would be therapeutic for me and my therapist thought so too. I woke up this morning in my car outside the border of Massachusetts. I don’t remember driving here I must’ve done it in my sleep! I think I should’ve just left this alone, maybe Patience wants to give me a second chance now!