The Arroyo

Morality Question: Is it okay to kill one to save a thousand lives? Or rob a bank to give money to the poor? Are some sacrifices worth the gain ? Asked the professor .

In a course I was taking in World Studies my professor asked the class to research a haunted historic landmark. "If you guys are feeling risky I would recommend visiting the site.” I went to our local library to get some more references for the deserted river site the class and locals always talked about. "Rio de Lagrimas" Legend has it that the river , now an a Arroyo, was ever flowing. Some compared it to the Ganges River in India- they say it was a soul cleanser. Once you entered, all your wrongdoings would be clean. However, it was said that many people never came out of the river once they entered. Overtime, more and more bodies disappeared in the body of water.

Eventually, word spread of the disappearances and many people moved to a different area. The river slowly started to evaporate over time and eventually dried out. Hence it was given the title "The arroyo". How fascinating that many people feared such a natural element. Why was it that no one ever came back to the area? If I was going to get into this internship I had to stand out. I decided to go check it out for myself.

My mother always said that I was a wonderer , sometimes I would make her crazy when I would go off on my own. She always told me one of these days I would've wished to be more careful. Of course as a young naïve adult, listening is the last thing on your mind when you have free time.

Only on this trip, my curiosity would be my downfall. It was the night before Halloween, when I took the trip down to the "haunted" river. My sister Kai and my brother Tony accompanied me. We arrived just before dusk. To say the town was creepy would be an understatement. There was a unsettling vibe about the area when we started exploring. We did see a few inhabitants that looked as if they seen a lifetime of ghouls.

"Do you know how to get to "Rio de Lagrimas"? Tony shouted to a local nearby. "If you value your soul, you won't go near that place!!" he responded spookily. We walked about a mile up the street when we found the local mini-mart. We spoke to the store attendant about the river and he said , the last person who went to the river never came back. He told us that he once visited the river a few years back. We asked "if no one comes back, how did you make it out alive?

" I was lucky I guess." We noticed that the attendant had a scar under both of his eyes. He told us he got into a scuffle with a bear that he nearly survived. He didn't go into further detail- but he did give us directions on how to get to the river. "Wow you're braver than me." Tony said

"I witnessed a traumatic experience with a bear when I was younger at summer camp. We saw the bear coming for our food and our counselor tried to protect us but the bear ended up mauling him. It killed him as a result. Bears have always scared me since then."

"Well stay vigilant. You never know what may happen out there."

We thanked him and exited the store.

We arrived and the scenery was overwhelming. Trees as tall as Mount Everest surrounding the dry river bed. Adjacent to the trees were the mountains. While trying to get a view of the terrain, I caught a glimpse of the horizon in the background. All of the colors co-existing with the sunset while striking shadows off of the mountain peak.

“I need to get better shot!” I said.

While walking along the trail, we spotted the arroyo in the distance the cracks were so prominent it made the rocks look like ants. "It is beautiful!" I screamed.

“So vast! I have never seen anything like it!”

I started jogging towards the riverbed when a crow flew past me. It soared into the sky and spread its wings, circling around the river bed. It was as if the crow knew the river better than the other elements surrounding it.

I snapped a quick photo of the crow not realizing the flash was on. Startled by the flash, the crow bee lined towards me while I tried to turn off the flash. I fell down suddenly as to avoid the incoming crow’s attack but my brother scared the crow off.

“Curiosity killed the cat” Tony said. “Kai said we all need to stay together. Why do you always have to go off on your own?”

“I can’t help it.” I said

“Well you heard what he said we all need to stay together. Eventually we need to make our way out of here and it will be getting dark soon.” Kai said in agreement with my brother.

As we were continuing our journey, we followed the trail that would lead us to the arroyo. We saw that someone had marked the first tree with a green paint mark which was the path we needed to follow. We walked about a ½ mile until we reached the first landmark and it read: “Rio de Lagrimas” was discovered back in the late 1800’s but archeologist found evidence stating the river was around for centuries. Stories surrounding the river stated that while it was ever flowing, many of the locals at the time deemed it haunted. Legend has it that the river stayed "full" from tears of the locals. Sirens lured the victims with their seductive singing and preyed on their fears. When they frightened the locals enough , the victims would cry for hours before the crack of dawn keeping the river flowing. Word got out to the neighboring town surrounding the multiple disappearances. Many tourists despite the warnings still wanted to explore the haunted river ultimately leading to their demise. During the first drought in 1930 (Dust Bowl Drought) many spectators stopped visiting the town altogether due to the seemingly eternal heat wave and rumors. Eventually the river became non-existent and all that's left were fossils of pre-existing life before the drought."

"Such history behind this place. But why are people still scared to come here even though the river is gone?" I asked.

"Maybe for good reason. I wouldn't want to be stuck in this hell hole either." Kai said.

As the horizon began to evaporate into darkness, my sister advised that we start heading back to the car. After snapping a few photos and packing my things, we saw a figure in the distance across the riverbed.

"Hey!" Tony shouted. " Are you okay ?"

The man looked up and we saw that it was the store clerk from earlier telling us to leave immediately.

"But Why?, There is no river!" I responded.

"I SAID LEAVE, NOW! Or you will regret it !"

As my brother started inching closer to the opposite edge from where he was standing, a sudden growling stopped him in his tracks. From the trees emerged a towering black bear heading towards my brother. My brother damn near paralyzed in his shoes turned slowly and locked eyes with the creature.

"TONY, don't run that will only make the bear more angry! Just stay Calm!" Kai shouted.

"Tears began welling up in his eyes, the store clerk told him to run. Tony was like a statue. While my sister and I were trying to find a solution, in my peripheral vision , I saw the cracks of the river beginning to fill with water.

"Do you see that?" I said to Kai

"See what?"

"Look at the river , there wasn't water there before."

"We don't have time to think about the right now! We have to help Tony!"

We started to make our way towards him, he was still stiff as a rock.

"No! if you go near him the bear will attack! Is that what you want?" said the store clerk.

"What are we supposed to do then?!" Kai shouted?

"Find a way to distract the bear. If you can get him to go the other direction your brother can make a run for it."

Nearby was a stray branch, I lit it on fire which caught the bear's attention. I hauled the burning branch into riverbed, the bear started to inch towards the fire.

"Run Tony Run!" Kai shouted.

He broke into a full sprint towards our direction , but the bear was on his tracks. The burning tree branch did nothing to stop the bear from chasing my brother.

Kai quickly took out her taser she kept in her purse and threw it to my brother.

"Quick, use it on him before it kills you!" she shouted

My brother quickly turned around before the bear could maul him and a sudden electric current coursed through the bear, stopping it in it's tracks. The giant fell to the ground , my brother ran towards us.

We hugged him in relief and asked why didn't move initially.

"I couldn't' move at all. I felt paralyzed when the bear approached me. It was like it was looking into my soul , tasting my fear. I started to hear music and then I had a flashback of the camping incident. My counselor looked up at me and shouted "Why didn't you save me!?" WHY?" I was scared shitless.

"Well luckily the store clerk told us what to do." I said

We looked up to thank him but he was gone.

"C'mon guys we have to leave this place NOW." Kai said

"You're right lets get out of here. I got all the footage I need." I said

We frantically searched for the marked green trees which seemingly disappeared. My sister began to panic, yelling "we're lost, we're never getting out of here!" She started getting emotional , she suffered from cleithrophobia - the fear of being trapped in any given space.

As she started to get teary eyed- the river began filling up higher than the cracks. It was now a quarter of the way full from when we first got there.

" Guys look at the river now, the water is even higher than it was before!" - I shouted.

" I need to record this before we go anywhere."

"Are you fucking insane?, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY OUT OF HERE!" You've done enough exploring today!", Kai screamed

"IT'LL ONLY TAKE A MINUTE , JUST WAIT!"

I ran back towards the river to see that it was now halfway full. There was no rainfall to start this flow. So how was it rising all of a sudden?

"GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" -the store clerk's voiced echo in the air. "The river will only continue to rise if you stay any longer."

"How do we get out of here?!" I screamed

"Only of one you can make it out alive, the success of your life depends on your bravery." He chuckled sinisterly.

"What's going on ?! Who are you?"

"I am the protector of this river, we have been waiting decades for a few brave souls to explore this place. Sacrifices have been made to keep this river afloat before that retched drought plagued this land. Without the flow of mortal raindrops the river ceases to exist. It became an arroyo.

The previous protector ended up dying because he FAILED his duties. This river is filled with fear and sacrifices of selfish men. When he passed, the torch was given to me. I had to find a way to make this place appealing to the world again or I would end up like him.

"Once your brother informed me of his fear of bears, it was all that I needed to keep you all trapped here." I prey on that fear, I prey on all your fears! It is the only way I remain immortal.

"Save a life by taking a life" he sneered evilly to me.

I had now made the sudden discovery that river rises when tears fall. The store keeper lured us here, unknowingly being vulnerable to his games.

"I bet you wished you would've listened to your mom now don't you?"

How did he know what I was thinking?! It was like he was looking right through me. I suddenly couldn't move. Tears began to well up in my eyes. Before I knew it, the river was completely full, flowing violently downstream.

"Make it stop!" My sister yelled in a fetal position.

"The trees are closing in on us!" Kai screamed

I tried to tell Kai to snap out of it, that it was just an illusion but my screams came to late.

The rapids of the river began to crash on land , inching closer and closer to my siblings. Still paralyzed in my tracks, panicking , I tried to will myself out of his spell but nothing was working.

"Kai NO!!!" my brother screamed trying to pull her back on land- but the currents pulled her in without remorse. She was gone.

My brother charged for the store clerk , but he said a chant which made the bear arise and maul him before he could attack.

The bear showed no mercy, He picked up my brother and squeezed him until he was at loss for breath.

Lifeless, my brother was thrown into the river by the bear, taken by the currents.

"That's enough!" the store keeper yelled.

"It is your time now my dear. You should've paid attention to the crow earlier, it was a warning for you to leave."

" I suddenly heard singing from multiple women in the distance. Still paralyzed, the singing sirens began to hum a melody that I couldn't escape from. The store clerk released me from paralysis - while I was being lured towards the river."

"I can't stop moving!"

"Take her away!" yelled the store clerk.

Before I was to become the next victim of the river , my brother lunged from the rapids. Stabbing the store clerk in his leg, his screams suddenly broke the spell.

"Hurry stab him in the eyes! It is how he has been tricking us the whole time"

Without hesitation, I lunged two rock shards into the demon's eye. He screamed out in intense pain. It turned that the scars under his eyes were his mortal inflictions. Pain was his worst fear. - the only thing keeping him attached to the human world.

I ripped his eyes of out his sockets, crushing them under my shoes.

The store clerk began to turn back into his human form, dying shortly after.

The river began to calm down as dawn was approaching.

"Quick we have to find Kai!"- Tony said.

The river began to slowly evaporate - our sister was found lifeless.

"I am so sorry , I dragged us out here" I said sobbingly

"This is all my fault!"

"Lets not talk about it right now, lets just get out of here.

Devastated, my brother and I left the forest and found our way back to the car.

A few days had passed since the incident, my mother had been gone for the weekend.

"How are we going to tell her that Kai is dead?" "She might not even believe us!" - Tony said.

"Don't worry, It wasn't your fault - if anyone is going to do the explaining it will be me." I said

We suddenly heard the door open. Preparing for our mother to walk in, we froze as if we had seen a ghost.

"Hey guys. I'm glad you made it safely."

We were shocked to see that Kai had survived.

"KAI! what ? how? we thought you died!"

" I managed to make it out alive , are you not happy to see me?"

"Of course" my brother said hesitantly

"But I shook you, I tried resuscitating you but nothing happened. How is this even possible? You were dead!"- my brother shouted.

Kai explained that someone had found her in the river , took her to the nearest hospital, the doctors were able to revive her in time. She took a cab back home.

"I just can't believe it." he said

"WELL BELIEVE IT, I am living and breathing."

"Sis if you want I can help you with your internship essay."

I responded " Are you sure you're up for it?" You look like you haven't seen the light of day.

"I'm fine and better than ever. Lets get started!" she responded.

"Sure, I'll meet you in my room" I responded hesitantly.

My brother pulled me to the side, "something is not right with her" he said.

" Look it is one less story we have to explain to mom. She wouldn't have believed us anyway. Lets just move on. PLEASE!" - I said

He shook his head and walked away in disbelief of seeing his "deceased sister".

I met her upstairs in my room and we began typing the essay. She sat next to me as we proceeded to reflect on the trip.

I told her, "I need to take a picture of you and I for the essay. I wanna give credit where it is due."

" Okay"

We took a selfie and it was the last picture I needed for my essay to be complete. When scrolling threw the pictures, the last one caught my attention. I noticed to two familiar scars under her eyes. Not visible to the naked eye but the flash exposed the damning secret of her survival.

Kai wasn't Kai.

I went to warn my brother before she stopped me in my tracks.

"Now c'mon sis, do you really think anyone would believe you?"

Her gaze pierced my eyes before I could scream.

I went silent. My body went still like a victim of Medusa’s stare.

"You should've listened to your mother" she said eerily.

She left the room.