My Hometown Never Existed

I recently stumbled upon some confusing information about my hometown. Before I tell you what my conflict is, I need to offer you some background. I am a 24-year-old male who aged out of the foster care system five years ago. I never had a chance to meet my parents as I was left outside of a fire station as a newborn. That’s all I know about my biological family. This meant that I grew up in an orphanage. Despite my town of St. Anterrio being small, the orphanage was necessary considering the high amount of children in the system. Our town specifically seemed to have a high number of children whose parents seemingly disappeared without a trace. It seemed normal at the time to assume it only seemed like a lot of kids' parents simply vanished because all of the kids I knew were also in the orphanage. Sort of an in-group instance in terms of psychology.

My life in the orphanage was terribly boring and uneventful. Then I met Rylan, a new kid in the system who ended up sharing a bedroom with me. At the time, I was ten and Rylan was Twelve. Story goes that Rylan awoke one morning with his parents vanishing seemingly overnight. He lived alone in his parents house for days following the incident pretending that nothing had happened. He played the role of his mom, dad, and himself as how an ordinary routine would go for them. It wasn’t until two weeks later when the school didn't see Rylan or hear from his parents that they called social services who came to scope out the scene. Rylan was removed immediately after CPS saw the conditions he was living in, and he was placed with me at the orphanage called God’s Hands, stationed in my hometown of St. Anterrio.

At first, Rylan wouldn’t talk about his situation much and I never asked. I clung to him like the older brother I always wished I had. But when he did open up, I asked an ungodly amount of questions about what it was like to have a mom and dad and what their house looked like and did he have a bike? Although I’m sure my constant pestering was obnoxious at first, Rylan started to take a liking to me. In fact, Rylan was the first one to tell about the legend of St. Anterrio that captivated our interest for years to come.

The grounds of St. Anterrio are essentially known as dead land. Prior to its construction, it served as one of the world’s biggest graveyards following the explosion of an atomic bomb to what was previously gorgeous parkgrounds. Despite all of the many unfortunate and unnecessary deaths of those involved in the atomic catastrophe, this isn’t where the story ends. A girl named Amber-Kate who was 15, was tied to a tree and left to starve in the remnants of the forest surrounding the explosion site by her own mother. Her body was discovered three years later during a late night where two drunken teenagers operating a four-wheeler in what they imagined an abandoned dead land, when the driver lost control over the four wheeler and struck the very same tree that Amber-Kate lay behind. Because of their state, neither of them called the authorities. Out of respect, they buried the now-skeleton of the body they found underneath the spot they found her. When the teenagers shared their story in the following days, people didn’t believe them, and those who did kept their mouths sealed shut. But soon, the topic was simply not brought up anymore, it became some sort of taboo. Legend has it that Amber-Kate still lurks in the town that was built over her uncanny grave. She enters into the bodies of children who aren’t cared for and tests the limits of the parent, and if they fail her test, she obliterates them.

That's exactly what Rylan thinks happened to his parents. The day before they disappeared was his 12th birthday and they forgot about it entirely. A fight broke out before bedtime in which Rylan’s dad pretended he had remembered and handed Rylan a shark tooth on a necklace that Rylan knew had come from the bottom drawer of his dad’s dresser.

“Amber-Kate must have entered my body sometime after I went to sleep. I had a bunk bed in my room and I always slept at the top. But that morning when I woke up, I wasn't in the top bunk, I was on the floor. And my parents were gone just like the story.” Rylan elaborates more.

I stare dumbfounded back at him and see the black lace outlining his neck underneath his gray tee shirt.

“Do you still have the shark tooth on even though it wasn’t a real gift?” I asked inquisitively. Rylan’s face turns a dark shade of red.

“Well I know it wasn’t a real gift and it’s kind of embarrassing, but I miss my dad and this is the only thing I have left of him. It makes me feel stronger to have a piece of my dad with me. It’s my reminder that I’m not crazy.” His face returns to its regular fair white.

We went through God’s Hands routine restlessly for months, but not a day or night went by when I didn’t think about Amber-Kate’s ghost lurking through the streets outside. Just waiting for new victims. Then one day, Rylan was finally on the same page I was and said it first,

“I think we need to go to Amber-Kate’s grave. I have a plan.” Rylan exclaims excitedly. He had always been the smart one of us both, and not just because he was older, he was the top in our classes. If he had a plan I believed it was a good one. But the thought of coming across an actual ghost or a dead body terrified me.

“How so?” I reply nervously

“Well I saw in a movie that we can get rid of her spirit, but we’re going to have to find her bones and set them on fire. Then she will be gone and then maybe all of our parents will come back.” My heart skipped a beat and I thought to myself: If we get rid of Amber-Kate’s spirit, will that mean that I will be reunited with my mom and dad too?

“Let’s do it right now!” I insisted

“No, not right now. We have to wait until tonight so we can sneak out when everyone is asleep.” Rylan explained to me.

“But what about sister Claudia?” I ask, referring to the one who would be guarding the hallways outside our bedrooms at night.

“I have a plan for that too, but I’m going to need your help.” He says.

That night, we waited until the clock struck 12 AM and I went to the restroom, passing Sister Claudia who was reading a book silently. I shred some toilet paper with my fingernails and stuff mounds of it into the first toilet. Then I flush twice. Water gathers on the seat and the tank starts to refill again. I return a minute later and interact with Sister Claudia.

“Sister Claudia, I’m sorry, but I think the toilet got clogged.”.

“You kids…” She replied slowly and quietly, setting her book down and getting up, her bones cracking as she did.

“You make more clogs than a shoemaker, you know that?” I giggled uncomfortably. Sister Claudia had a strange sense of humor and I couldn’t tell when she was joking.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go back to bed, I will take care of this.” She says.

“Thank you sister Claudia, I’m sorry.” I pace back to my room, glancing once at the bathroom door that blocked Sister Claudia’s view. I opened the door and closed it loud enough that I knew she would hear it. Then, I creeped to the front door downstairs where I knew Rylan would be waiting outside for me.

We walked through the beautiful city I never got to see often. It was warm outside and there was a breeze that blew in our faces, keeping us awake in what felt like a dream state. We walked for what felt like an hour until we came across one of the “mutant” trees that was a regular tree affected by the atomic explosion centuries prior. That’s how we knew we were in the right area. My blood ran cold as did the air that was once filled with comfort and familiarity. I stumbled backwards in fear, unsure what to expect.

“Hey!” Rylan said seeing the fear in my face that showed through the moonlight. “I know you’re scared and I wanted to give you something.” Rylan pulled the necklace off from around his neck and put it around mine.

“You never had a dad, and I think you need my strength more than I do. It’s yours now.” My lip quivered looking over the wasteland half covered in darkness, but I forced a smile and we trudged forward.

“I think I found the spot!” Rylan yells after about maybe twenty minutes of searching. We were horrified to find behind the tree where Amber-Kate’s body should have been was all dug up. Somebody had already beaten us to the spot.

I was upset about it for a long time. I really thought I had another chance to have my parents back, but now that hope was gone entirely. But what I felt was nothing compared to Rylan. He stopped talking to me within three months of us sneaking out. He developed a horrible temper and started drinking by the time he turned 16. At 17, he found a job and got legally emancipated. He changed his name, packed his room, and left. He never said goodbye and I never heard from him or saw him again. I didn’t leave until three years later after I turned 18. I did the same thing, I changed my name and started a new life halfway across the country.

I completed my bachelors degree at the community college. I married a woman who knows nothing about my childhood except that it was traumatic and I don’t like to talk about it. Together, we had a beautiful baby girl who I love unconditionally. I’m giving my daughter the life that I never had as a child, and thus, completed my life. At least for the first few years.

When my daughter turned one, we signed her up for daycare once both our paternity paid time off ran out. I was bringing her to daycare one day when I noticed there weren’t many children left in her class. When I asked the caretaker what the deal with that was, her face went pale and said, “Do you see it too? It’s like they are disappearing! I have no idea!”

I believed her instantaneously, although I didn’t say it out loud. I questioned the caretaker’s mental health as I drove back home in my ‘99 Mustang. That’s when the sun reflects on a black string around my rear view mirror and catches my attention. The shark tooth. I look at it at a stop light and realize the tooth is way too small to belong to a shark. In fact, it looked more like a human tooth. My heart sank. I knew immediately through some sort of intuition that the “shark” tooth that Rylan gave me that night belonged to Amber-Kate. And now I’ve taken her to my new town.

I sank into a depression that didn’t match any of the pain I’ve felt before in my life. I was terrified that I ruined my life and everyone else's. I had to get rid of that damned tooth. I told my wife that I had a business meeting at a conference hotel on the other side of the country, afraid to reveal the secrets that haunted my past. She was upset about caring for our daughter alone, but ultimately, she knew it was an opportunity for us to make more money, which we needed. A twinge of guilt surfaced when she brought up the money. I knew very well I wouldn’t be bringing any home with me. I would have to find a cover for that later on too. But first things first, I have to go back to St. Anterrios.

I started the long drive on a Tuesday morning, early enough to beat the traffic. I made my time quickly but when I got to where I thought the exit ramp for St. Anterrio to be, there was no ramp.I pulled off on the next ramp and decided to stop at a gas station to refill my gas tank and ask for directions. The clerk inside the gas station said that she had never heard of a town called St. Anterrio. I got back to my Mustang, puzzled. I looked it up on my phone and I couldn’t find anything! I checked my maps, nothing. I resorted to tossing the chain at the bottom of the trash can outside of the gas station. I would find a hotel that night and drive back home the next day. Which is exactly what I did.

I pulled into my driveway and saw that my wife’s car wasn’t outside. A shame, because I was excited to see both of them. Hours passed, and then days, and now weeks. My wife and my daughter never came home. When I informed the police after day two, no one had any interest in helping me. They keep telling me that the person who I say is my wife never existed. The spirit of Amber-Kate visits me in my dreams, taunting me, giggling at me. I have no doubt in my mind that the events were related. I have no idea what I have to do to rid myself of Amber-Kate and get my family back.