Retribution

Rooted in secrets and long-held resentment, an old conflict bubbled just under the surface in the small, remote community of Eureka Springs. For decades the elder families in the town—the Brewers and the Williams—had been at odds. Originally a land conflict, the conflict has grown over years to include vandalism, brawls, even arson. Against this backdrop of resentment lived Evelyn Brewer, a quiet, conscientious student tired of the unrelenting animosity.

Anna Williams, Evelyn's dearest friend, was an uncommon companion; their bond was a precarious link between the warring families. They muttered secrets and yearnings of leaving Eureka Springs behind. But one sad night their dreams were dashed: Anna was discovered dead in the forest, her corpse crushed and bruised.

Driven by years of resentment, the Williams blamed the Brewers first. John Brewer, Evelyn's father, was taken under arrest on charges of Anna's murder. The evidence seemed damning even with his assertions of innocence. Driven by loss and resentment, Evelyn vowed to clear her father's name and exact revenge for her buddy.

Living on the outskirts of town, an elderly woman called Agnes helped her. Though most people discounted Agnes as a madwoman, she was renowned for her expertise of black magic and ancient curses. Desperate and resolved, Evelyn walked up to Agnes with tears in her eyes.

"I need your help," Evelyn said. "I want to clear my father's guilt and bring Anna justice."

Agnes watched the child; her knowing, piercing eyes "Child, revenge is a deadly road. The vengeful ghosts never live in harmony.

Evelyn nodded and fixed her jaw. "I have no interest. I have to handle this.

Agnes sighed and guided Evelyn to a secret area beneath her house stocked with flickering candles and ancient books. She started chanting in a language Evelyn knew nothing, combining potions and writing symbols on the ground. At last she gave Evelyn a vial containing a black, whirling liquid.

"Drink this in the woods Anna was discovered in at midnight. Remember, though, once you call the spirits there is no turning back."

With shaky hands, Evelyn grabbed the vial. She slipped outside her house that evening and headed for the forest. Tension thickened the air, and the moon gave the trees a ghostly tint. Her heart thumping in her chest, she stood at the place Anna's body had been found at.

Evelyn inhaled deeply then drank the liquid. Her surroundings seemed to warp and distort, the trees swinging oddly. She heard murmurs getting louder as a frigid wind blew across the forest, drowning her head with a chorus of voices.

Anna materialized suddenly before her, pallid and ghostly. Her speech was a terrible echo; her eyes were hollow.

"Why have you phoned Evelyn back-off?"

Tears running down Evelyn's cheeks, she said, "I need your help." "I have to free my father and locate the actual killer."

Anna's ethereal form fluttered, and her face contorted with grief and rage. "You shouldn't have done this." The domain of the living does not fit the souls of the dead."

The ground under Evelyn's feet started to move before she could reply. The whispers got louder, then became agonizing screams. From the trees, twisted and hideous shadows with angry faces surfaced. Driven to the disruption Evelyn had created, they were the restless spirits of people harmed in life.

Their icy, bony fingers were scrawling at her flesh as they surrounded her. Evelyn shouted in an attempt to flee, but the ghosts held fast. Desperate, she knew her error. She had released something far worse than she had ever dreamed.

Anna's eyes were sad as her spirit hung above the anarchy. "I advised Evelyn, she said. You have now to pay the cost.

Evelyn was dragged into the dirt by the spirits, their voices resounding in her head like an unrelenting symphony of suffering. She saw Anna one final time, her friend's ghostly form vanishing into the darkness, as she was being drawn into it.

Eureka Springs residents discovered the woods unnaturally quiet the next morning. Evelyn vanished and her departure is a terrible riddle. She never returned. The old conflict now a terrible reminder of the past, the Brewers and Williams were left to negotiate their guilt and loss.

And in the still, eerie nooks of Eureka Springs, the echoes of retribution persisted, evidence of the perils of a bad return-of-action.