Monsters of Elishire

Moonlight rippled unnaturally on the lake as the car rounded the curve to the final stretch of dirt road before we reached the township of Elishire. I appreciated the ride–I knew I would have gotten lost in these twisting country backroads. I already longed for the lights and traffic and pavement of my city.

My name is Mary Ingstaff. I am a marriage consultant. I am here to assist with the marriage of Michelle Springs to Ezekiel Banks. I repeated these sentences like a mantra in an attempt to calm my nerves and stave off homesickness. I normally loved traveling for work, but leaving my own new wife at home put a strain on this trip.

If this job works out, Renee and I will be set for a while, I reassured myself, no more out-of-town gigs, no more flights, no more weird little towns. I looked over at my partner, Jake Stevens, who was somehow dozing with his head resting against the cold window. Aside from his many other talents, he was able to sleep anywhere. I’d always envied this ability.

We’d taken this job because of the pay–the entire township was chipping in for this wedding because of…reasons. Ezekiel Banks basically owned this place, so the townspeople had no choice but to contribute. The recent disappearance of his first wife, Constance–whom he’d supposedly divorced before her extremely convenient exit–had put extra pressure on the town to make this wedding special.

Banks’ very young bride, Michelle Springs, was barely out of high school. Poor Michelle, I thought, there must be rumors. There were always rumors in these small towns.

I had escaped a place much like this. I knew all too well about the gossip that swirled like the stench of stagnant water near a swamp. Some of the rumors were even true. Most of them had been about me when I was growing up.

I barely noticed when we entered Elishire. There were no lights–streetlights, house lights, nothing. The houses were old-fashioned and mostly run-down, although I saw in the dark an odd feature–every single house had sturdy bars around the front doors, much like the shops in downtown LA (my beloved, crime-ridden, beautifully dirty city). I wondered why they’d need such security measures in a tiny town like this. Could there be that many burglaries in a place where everyone knew each other's business?

I nudged Jake as we pulled up to a nicer-looking house in the middle of town. Though it was hard to see in the darkness that enveloped Elishire, it clearly towered above the other houses and shops that lined the street. This house had bars in front of the entrance as well, but they managed to look decorative rather than functional.

“Hmph?” Jake asked, groggily.

“Put your shoes on, Jake, we’re at grandma’s,” I joked as he sat up and stretched. He smiled and nudged me back.

Jake and I had been working together for almost ten years now. He was reliable, adaptable, and way more intelligent than his model-good-looks might suggest. His striking green eyes, tousled blond hair, and southern charms had landed us more jobs than I liked to admit.

“Thanks, mom,” he muttered to me in his Southern Carolina drawl. We had similar backgrounds and almost identical reasons for leaving our small towns far behind.

We got out of the car and grabbed our bags from the trunk. The driver accepted my cash payment as quickly as he could without being outright rude.

“Be careful,” he warned in a hushed whisper, “This place is…not as it appears.”

That was all the interaction we got from him before he closed the driver-side door and sped back the way we’d come. For a moment, I wanted to flag him down, forget the job, grab Jake, and leave this place far behind. I resisted the urge (against my better judgment).

A plump woman in a long green dress greeted us from the other side of the wrought-iron bars. Her silver-streaked black hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and she didn’t appear to wear much makeup (if any). I imagined what I must look like to her in my rumpled gray pantsuit and auburn French braid (all of which had been much tidier before the three-hour flight and hour-long drive).

“You must be Mary and Jacob. Please, come in, quickly now,” her voice was pleasant, but her expression was strained. She glanced around nervously and her hands shook as she unlocked the gate to usher us inside, locking us in with a decisive, metallic clang.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get you an earlier flight. It’s not safe to be out past dark. There are…wild animals that regularly venture into town,” the woman explained, “I’m Ruth Goode, we spoke on the phone…”

“Oh, of course! Nice to meet you, Ruth! It’s always wonderful to put a face to a name,” I shook Ruth’s hand, trying my best to give her a winning smile in spite of my fatigue.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Jake said as he shook her hand.

“You two must be exhausted,” Ruth said, “Here, let me show you to your rooms.”

The light in the house was dim, but my eyes had already adjusted from the darkness outside. As we followed Ruth up a narrow stairway, I realized the light was coming from old-fashioned oil lamps that lined the walls.

Ruth showed me to my room first–a small, sparsely-decorated space with a single bed covered by a handmade quilt.

“It’s not much but it is the best we have. We don’t get many visitors,” Ruth explained.

Jake’s room was almost identical, separated from my own by a thin wall. In this unfamiliar place, I took comfort in the fact that we would only be a firm knock away from each other.

“Your bathroom is right down the hall there. Apologies, but you will have to share. I’ll have breakfast ready at 7:00 AM sharp. I know you city-folk are probably used to fancy hotels and five-star restaurants…”

“It’s lovely, really, we appreciate the accommodations,” I reassured her.

“You have a beautiful place here, ma’am,” Jake offered along with a bright smile that seemed to soften the matronly woman.

“Oh, well, we do our best here. I’ll be on the main floor if you need anything. Otherwise, I hope you both have a good night,” Ruth spun on her heels and disappeared down the stairs before either of us could say another word.

Jake’s smile dropped as he looked at me, his eyes intense. I put a finger in front of my mouth in a silencing gesture. We both pulled out our phones and observed the complete lack of signal. I pulled up a notes app and typed a message.

‘I guess we can’t message, but let’s keep quiet,’ I showed Jake the message, and he nodded, typing on his own phone and then showing me.

‘You weren’t kidding, boss. This place is Children-of-the-Corn-grade creepy,’ Jake’s message stated.

‘Tell me about it. Let’s try to get the job done and get out of here as soon as possible,’ I showed him my message.

‘Copy that,’ Jake showed me his message, then out loud said, “Well, have yourself a good night, Mary.”

“You do the same, Jake,” I said, and we each retired to our respective tiny rooms.

)O(

I awoke to the unmistakable smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen, and my stomach growled. Reddish-orange morning light streamed in through the delicate lace curtains hanging in front of my window. I scolded myself for not noticing the curtains the night before–they were lovely.

I pulled a brown pantsuit and matching boots out of my luggage and quickly slipped it on. I found the bathroom and twisted my hair into a simple French braid to keep it out of my way. I wasn’t sure what Ruth had planned for us, but I wanted to be ready for anything. I also hoped I could explore the town a bit–I was overwhelmingly curious about it.

I nearly bumped into Jake as I left the bathroom.

“Mornin’, Mary,” Jake said, offering me a sleepy smile.

“Good morning, Jake. How’d you sleep?”

“Alright, you know me,” he replied.

“Lucky. It was too quiet for me. Someday, I’ll have to record some street noises or something so I can feel at home when we take these trips.”

“That’s not a bad idea, boss,” Jake said, then gestured to the narrow stairway, “Shall we?”

“Sure,” I said, leading the way downstairs.

We followed the smell into the kitchen where Ruth was busy flipping eggs and bacon.

“Good morning to you,” Ruth said when she saw us, “The dining room's just around the corner. Have a seat and I’ll have breakfast out for you shortly.”

We thanked her and found a small, round, wooden table in an alcove just off of the kitchen. No sooner had we sat down when Ruth brought the food out as promised, along with a pot of black tea (thank goodness for caffeine). Ruth didn’t sit with us, but returned to take our plates as soon as we were finished.

“Thank you kindly for breakfast, ma’am! It was delicious,” Jake said as she cleared the table, “Better than any five-star restaurant I’ve been to!”

“You are too kind,” Ruth smiled and blushed in spite of herself, “Mr. Banks would like to meet you as soon as possible. He insisted on seeing you first thing.”

“Sure, I’m ready. How about you, Jake?” I said.

“I’m always ready,” Jake responded.

“Excellent. Follow me, please,” Ruth barely waited for us to get up from the dining table before heading for the door. Jake and I scrambled to follow her.

The township was already bustling when we left the inn. People scurried across the dirt roads, children played outside a red school building, and a gentleman with a bushy gray beard steered an honest-to-god horse-drawn cart piled with various vegetables towards a building marked ‘Grocery and Supplies’ in painted black lettering. Everyone seemed to be trying their best not to stare at us, giving us side-long glances before furtively looking away. Everyone, that is, except for the children, who were openly pointing at us and yelling about the “strangers” before the teacher scolded them and told them to go back inside the school. The whole town had a very old-timey feel, as though we’d been transported to the 1800s. The buildings, the clothes, the tools, everything appeared to be made by hand, and there was not a car in sight. Jake and I exchanged a meaningful look but said nothing.

Ruth led us to a large, white building, its front porch area supported by columns and those same iron bars that appeared on every other building in the town. The bars in front of the doors stood open during the day, but I was sure they’d all been closed and locked tight the night before.

“Please, after you,” Ruth opened the door for us and gestured us inside. There was a modest lobby area with a surprisingly extravagant double-stairway leading up to the next level. Ruth directed us to an office to the left, where a man sat at a large, polished desk, surrounded by papers. He stood and smiled when he saw us, and I felt a prickle at the back of my neck.

“Well, what a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Mary and Jacob, I assume?” Ezekiel Banks was an imposingly tall man with a lanky frame. His face was clean-shaven and his brown hair was slicked back. He appeared to be in his early 60s. He had the air of someone who was used to getting whatever he wanted. I’d met his type before, but something about him made my stomach twist.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Banks,” I smiled brightly and shook his hand, glad that I had plenty of experience with being pleasant to people I disliked.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Jake grinned as he shook Ezekiel’s hand, though I had no doubt he was sharing the same feelings I had about him.

“Please sit,” Ezekiel gestured to the wooden stools in front of his desk as he sat back down in his leather armchair, “How are you enjoying our humble town? I imagine it must be quite a change from Los Angeles.”

“We haven’t seen too much of it yet, but it’s lovely so far!” I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

“It’s so wonderful to get some fresh air,” Jake offered.

“Good to hear, good to hear,” Ezekiel said, “I’m sure you’re eager to get started with the organizing, what with the wedding being tomorrow.”

“Ruth and I have been talking about supplies over the phone, but there’s still a lot to do!” I replied.

“Yes, everything you requested already arrived yesterday. I’ve spared no expense for my blushing bride.”

“Oh, when will I get to meet Michelle? I’d like to get her opinion on some of the decor,” I asked, and an almost imperceptible expression of displeasure crossed Ezekiel’s face.

“Do you think that’s absolutely necessary?” Ezekiel asked, clearly trying to maintain his good-natured facade.

“Of course! This is her special day, after all!” I said.

“I suppose if you insist, I’ll have Ruth take you to see her this afternoon,” Ezekiel conceded.

“Great! Well, I don’t want to interrupt your work, Mr. Banks–I can see you’re busy,” I said, getting up from the uncomfortable chair.

“It’s no bother at all, Miss Ingstaff. Thank you for stopping by,” Ezekiel rose as Jake and I exited.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Jake said as we left.

Ruth stood waiting just outside the office for us.

“Are you ready to see the activities hall? We’ve arranged everything according to our conversations, but I’m sure you’d like to see to any finishing touches,” Ruth said.

“That would be great, although Jake and I would love to explore the town a bit, get a feel for the atmosphere. Also, when would be a good time to meet Miss Springs?”

“Oh, Michelle? Why would you want to…” Ruth seemed taken aback at first, but managed to catch herself, “Of course, as long as Mr. Banks approves…”

“He did already, just now,” I said.

“In that case, I’ll speak to her now. You two feel free to explore. I’m sure I’ll be able to find you once Miss Springs is ready to meet you.”

“Great, thanks, see you soon!” I said. Jake and I walked casually away from her until she was out of sight, at which point we practically sprinted as far as we could from the suffocating attention of Ruth and the rest of the townsfolk.

We found an old barn and hid behind it, checking inside to make sure we were alone. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we discovered the barn was empty.

“That Ezekiel Banks is a piece of work,” Jake said.

“Yes, he is. He gives me the creeps,” I agreed.

“This whole place gives me the creeps. What’s the plan, boss? I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” Jake said.

“I could not agree with you more,” I squinted in the dim light. The barn looked like it hadn’t been used in years–the floor was covered in moldy hay and there was a damp smell to the space, “I don’t think we’re going to find anything we’re looking for in here. C’mon, let’s take a look around.”

We left the barn and headed towards a tall metal structure.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Jake pointed to the field of corn just beyond the structure, and we both burst out laughing.

The corn stalks made a dry, raking sound as we approached. I realized the round metal structure was an old-fashioned grain silo.

“I haven’t seen one of those since I left Swansea,” Jake said, heading straight for the silo.

I followed his lead. When Jake got a hunch, the best thing to do was to go along with it. He was looking intently at the ground, and I saw what he was seeing–deep, fresh bootprints in the muddy trail that led to the silo. We both avoided disturbing the prints.

We entered the silo through a rectangular opening. The tall, circular structure was empty, and light streamed in from another rectangular opening near the top. Jake walked to the center and turned as he looked up.

“You know, these things are pretty neat, actually. See, a blower uses pressurized air to fill the silo with grain or corn or whatever you want to store in here. Then, when you’re ready to use it, you just let gravity do its thing by opening up that door and grabbing as much as you want. Humans have been using these things for thousands of years,” Jake seemed to be in his element as he took in all the details of the silo, including the muddy bootprints on the metal grate that served as flooring, “Judging by that field of corn out there, this bad boy is about to get filled to the brim. If I wanted to hide something, this would be the spot I’d pick.”

We both followed the muddy trail to a loose grate at the far side of the silo. There was a reddish-brown spot on the edge of one of the grates that could have been rust. Jake and I looked down at the grate, then up at each other as we both dug into our pockets. We heard footsteps and froze, then silently split up to opposite ends of the silo.

“There you two are! What in the world are you doing in this old thing?” Ruth stood in the entryway, her hands on her hips.

“I thought this would be a great place for pictures. It’s so unique!” I gave her my best innocent, wide-eyed expression.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Any photos will be taken at the church. Now, if you’ll please come with me, Miss Springs will see you now.”

“Of course,” I said, looking appropriately chagrined. Jake and I exchanged a look once Ruth’s back was turned, then quickly followed her out of the silo.

)O(

Michelle Springs still lived with her mother, Faith, in a house that seemed even smaller than the rest. Faith’s husband, Isaiah, left when Michelle was just a child to live in the big city, which had caused quite a scandal in Elishire.

“Oh, Mary! I’m so excited to meet you!” Faith greeted me with an enthusiastic hug. Her unexpected warmth was incredibly welcome after the chilly reception we’d received from the other townsfolk.

“I’m happy to meet you as well!” I replied, returning the embrace.

“You did my cousin’s wedding back in June, she sent me a picture!” Faith pulled out a printed photo of a candle-lit barn wedding to show me, “I love what you did with the space!”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I just knew I had to bring you out here for my baby girl’s wedding!” Faith continued to gush.

“May I speak to Michelle?” I asked.

“Oh, absolutely! Let me go get her…”

“Actually, do you mind if I talk with her privately?” I said, tentatively.

“Great idea! A little girl talk never hurt anybody, right?” Faith said, and grabbed my hand as though we were old friends. I waved helplessly at Jake as I was dragged to Michelle’s bedroom.

“We really are SO glad you’re here,” Faith’s voice shook as she spoke and her wide, green-blue eyes teared up as she looked into my face, pleadingly.

“I will do everything I can for you and your daughter,” I reassured her, and squeezed her hand before letting her go to knock on Michelle’s bedroom door.

“Come in!” the voice inside almost sounded like a child’s. I braced myself and pushed my way inside, closing the door behind me.

A beautiful young woman stood in the center of the nearly-bare room. Her long, chestnut hair trailed down her back and she looked at me with skeptical green-blue eyes (just like her mother’s).

“Michelle?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“You can call me Shelly. Are you that lady from LA?”

“Yep, that’s me. I’m Mary,” I said, offering my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mary,” Shelly took my hand in a surprisingly strong handshake.

“Are you excited about your big day tomorrow?” I asked, hesitantly.

“No,” Shelly said, flatly, “I don’t want to marry Ezekiel. He scares me.”

“Why are you going through with it, then?”

“Because this whole town thinks whatever Ezekiel says is the word of God, but I know that’s a load of crap!” I could tell Shelly was trying not to yell.

“Shelly, can you keep a secret?” I said, moving close to Michelle so we could both speak quietly.

“I’m really good at secrets,” she said, nodding.

“My name’s not really Mary. I’m Maeve Parker, I’m a private investigator. Your Aunt Constance’s family sent me here to find out what happened to her,” I saw Shelly’s eyes light up, then dim a bit.

“I’m really glad you’re here. My mom told me about you. People think Aunt Connie ran away, but I think Ezekiel did something to her because she couldn’t give him any babies.”

“What do you think he did, Shelly?”

“I think he tried to give Aunt Connie as an offering to the water dragon. But I know Aenon would never hurt a person, Ezekiel was just using that as an excuse to get rid of her.”

“Wait…what water dragon? Who’s Aenon?”

“Oh, nobody told you? There’s a dragon that lives in the lake near town. He only comes out at night–that’s why there are bars on all the houses here. But I know something they don’t. Aenon would never hurt anybody--unless they deserved it, of course. He’s my friend! We met when I was practically a baby. I snuck out into the woods one night and he found me and came to me. He kind of lowered his head so I could pet him, and he brought me back into town. We’re not allowed to go out at night because of the curfew, but my momma and daddy were out looking for me. They couldn’t believe it when they saw me riding Aenon home!”

“Did they tell anyone about it?”

“No, they didn’t want to get in trouble for going out past curfew. Ezekiel says it’s for our protection, but it’s just so he can control everybody. Bad things happen to people who don’t follow Ezekiel’s orders. That’s why daddy left, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He’s been trying to save money to get my momma and me out of here.”

“Well, I’m here to help you. I've met your father, he got a job and a little place in LA. I’m going get you and your mom to him, okay?”

“Thank you,” Shelly nodded before collapsing in my arms, “Thank you so much.”

)O(

My little room was dark by the time I returned, after visiting the church and activities hall to ensure everything was prepared for the wedding (or rather, pretending to know what I was talking about as I checked the flower arrangements, table decor, banners, etc). I tried not to doze as I lay in bed, but the double knock on my wall startled me awake. I knocked back once, then heard my partner use the bathroom, then he opened my door and joined me. His expression was clear: he was ready for whatever I had planned.

I pulled my trusty rope out of my baggage (I always had rope) and nodded to my bed, then the window. Jack (Jake’s real name was Jack Winston) nodded in affirmation. I tied the rope to a leg of the bed and we slipped silently into the night.

We made a bee-line for the grain silo, feeling our way around town in the almost pitch-black. Sometimes the full moon peaked out from behind the clouds and we had a little light to go by, but we also had to be careful not to be seen wandering around town in the middle of the night.

Once we made it inside the silo and closed the door, we simultaneously pulled out our phones to turn on our flashlights. The lights seemed to blaze in our eyes after all that darkness. We went straight to the loose metal grate. Jack held his light for me as I reached into my pockets and pulled out a pair of gloves, a little plastic baggie, and my multi-tool. I unfolded my knife tool and wiped it clean before taking a small sample of the ‘rust’ on the edge of the grate, which I was pretty sure was actually blood. When I’d collected enough for a sample, I sealed the baggie and stuffed it in my pocket along with my multi-tool. I removed the grate, and it came up easily. The dirt underneath was loose, and it didn’t take much digging until I hit something hard. A horrid stench wafted up at us as I gently uncovered a human hand, pale and cold. I looked up at Jack, and he took a few quick photos of the hand. A little more shifting of dirt revealed a lifeless face, wide eyes staring up at us in a permanent expression of surprise. It seemed Constance Banks had been buried standing up.

“I hate to leave her here, but we can’t let anyone know we’ve found her,” I said softly.

“We’ll call the police as soon as we’re out of Elishire,” Jack said, snapping a few more pictures.

We covered Constance’s body as respectfully as we could, then replaced the grate. We turned off our flashlights and crept back out into the darkness.

On our way back to the inn, we heard something large rustling in the nearby woods. Jack and I hid behind a bush. My heart pounded in my chest. If the wrong people had seen us in that silo, we might never leave this strange town.

The clouds parted and moonlight streamed down as the creature emerged from the woods. It had a long, curving neck, a large, round body, and it shuffled forward on flippered legs. I stifled a gasp–Shelly’s story was true! The water dragon turned to us, and its amber eyes locked with mine. We stared at each other for a full minute before it turned and shambled back toward the lake. I heard Jack curse next to me.

“Boss, what was that?” Jack whispered.

“Oh, c’mon, Jack. You’ve never seen a water dragon?” I murmured back.

“We’ve seen a lot of weird things, Maeve, but that might be the weirdest. Let's get out of here.”

“You got it,” I said, and we sped back to the inn.

)O(

The next morning, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat towards the front of the chapel. Ezekiel Banks stood near the podium in a tailored black suit, a smug expression on his face. Faith sat next to me, giving me furtive glances and probably wondering what my plan was.

The ancient organist began to play The Wedding March, and the double doors opened to reveal Shelly. She was a vision in white lace, and she was unexpectedly beaming. She tossed her bouquet to a woman sitting nearby, hiked up her skirt, and practically sprinted down the aisle.

I heard the screams before I saw it.

The water dragon followed Shelly into the chapel. It was moving faster than I could have imagined–it reminded me of a seal barging across the snow toward its unsuspecting prey. Its eyes were fixed on Ezekiel, who stood rigid in place next to the pulpit. The dragon reared up when it reached Ezekiel.

“Do it, Aenon!” Shelly shouted.

The creature opened its mouth, which was full of needle-like teeth. Ezekiel yelled out just before Aenon lunged and bit down on his face, cutting the cry short. Ezekiel tried to struggle, but the beast jerked its head once with a sickening ‘snap.’ Ezekiel’s body went slack, and Aenon dropped him in a heap.

The townsfolk scrambled over each other to get out of the chapel. I grabbed Faith and Jack and dragged them to a door to our left.

“Shelly! C’mon, let’s go!” I called out to her. Shelly ran to us, and we started towards the door.

“Aenon, run! Get out of here!” Shelly shrieked over her shoulder as we left the chapel. I saw the dragon turn and bound toward the chapel's double doors.

As we ran down the main road, I saw a car pulling up to us through the middle of town and thanked the Powers that Be. The driver who had dropped us off days before had read the note I’d slipped him with his cash payment.

“Quick, get in!” I ripped the passenger and back doors open and we all piled inside as the driver gaped at us.

“What is going on?” he asked, baffled.

“We’ll explain on the way to the airport! Let’s get out of here! Please, drive!” I gasped.

The driver peeled out, leaving a cloud of dust behind us and swerving around panicked townsfolk.

In the rear window, we saw Aenon burst out of the church. The townspeople scattered as he headed back to the lake. Everyone was too afraid to stop him, and we watched as he slipped back into the refuge of the water.

“Aenon, thank you! I love you!” Shelly cried, her face dripping with tears.

We heard the dragon’s rumbling response, a haunting call like whale song.

)O(

We were able to get Shelly and Faith settled after a tearful reunion with Isaiah. I knew they would be happy together here (after a period of adjustment).

Renee greeted me with a bright smile as I opened the door to our apartment. I was home at last.