The Curse of The Birch Creek Cemetery

 

    October was the time of year that Piney Grove and its surrounding areas came the most to life. Orange pumpkins lined the front porches of ancient victorian-era houses, accented by the browns and reds of withering foliage. The museum held ghost tours and nearly everyone was accompanied by the local coffee shop’s seasonal pumpkin spice drink. For the children of Piney Grove, the end of October held the promise of Trick-or-Treating; each kid waited anxiously for the abundance of candy they knew they would earn. For the teens of the area, there was a prospect even more exciting: Halloween parties, costumes, and scary movies. Students of Piney Grove School of the Arts were abuzz with excitement for an opportunity to hang out with friends on a school night, having a free excuse to show up to school the next day tired from little sleep. 

For Eris Roswell especially, Halloween guaranteed adventure. It was her first Halloween in Piney Grove, as she had only just moved to the area. Already, she was beginning to feel at home in Pigeon County, and had secured herself an invitation to Liam Fletcher’s Halloween party. When she arrived at the party, she was happy to see the guests consisted of people she knew from school. 

“Hi Eris!” Liam said, greeting her at the door. 

“Hey,” Eris replied. “Thanks for inviting me.” 

“Of course. My mom said I should invite you since you’re new at school.” 

Eris nodded. “Makes sense.” Liam’s mom was the 10th grade English teacher at PGSA and had been looking out for Eris to make sure she was settling in at the school. So far, Eris hadn’t made many friends, but she appreciated that everyone was friendly. 

As the party got going, Eris realized that she had no idea what people usually did at parties. Luckily, it seemed like everyone else was just as awkward at social interactions as she was, and she quickly struck up a conversation with a girl named Maryellen. 

After a while, most of the partygoers grew bored and decided to put on a movie. 

“What do we want to watch?” Liam asked, flipping through Netflix lazily. Immediately, people began calling out suggestions.

“The Shining!” Someone shouted. 

“No, Annabelle!” Someone else cried out. 

“It!” 

“The Exorcist!” Maryellen exclaimed. “It’s based on a true story!”

Eris began to protest. “Ew, too scary!”

“Okay geez, guys.” Liam frowned. “We’re just gonna watch Beetlejuice.” 

As everyone got settled and the movie began, a calm drizzle began outside. Gradually, the wind began to blow harder, the rain becoming more aggressive until it grew into a full thunderstorm. 

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was supposed to rain,” Eris said to Maryellen. 

Just then, the power went out, plunging the room into darkness. 

“Great,” Liam said, standing up. “Just great.I’ll be right back.” 

As Liam left the room, some of the guests started scrolling through their phones, others deciding to make conversation. Eris turned back to Maryellen.

“I feel bad for everyone who was Trick-or-treating. I would not want to be outside in the rain right now,” she said. 

Maryellen nodded sympathetically. “I wouldn’t want to be out there even if it wasn’t storming.” 

“Wait, why not?” 

Just then, Liam returned. “Good news, guys,” he said. “My parents said that they’ll hook up the generator, so we’ll have power mostly back soon.” 

A chorus of happy murmurs from the guests replied to Liam’s news as the lights flickered back on. 

The party would have been able to resume as normal if it weren’t for a low buzzing noise that filled the air. 

“Ugh, what’s that?” Liam asked. 

“Ghosts,” Maryellen said nonchalantly. Eris shot her a look. “What? You haven’t heard the stories about the Birch Creek Cemetery? Everyone knows that ghosts of the people buried there haunt the town. The historical site for the old cemetery is right by Liam’s house. That’s why I wouldn’t want to be out there at this time of day.” 

Liam nodded. “That’s true… The historical marker is right down the street.”

“I don’t follow. What’s so special about some cemetery?” Eris questioned. 

Mayellen perked up, excited to explain some of the local folklore. “During the Civil War, the Piney Woods area— what’s now mostly Pigeon County— was the site of a battle. Piney Grove was burned down on this exact day in 1862, and what could be salvaged of the victims were brought to Birch Creek and buried. But, since their bodies were so unrecognizably burnt, none of them were given a proper burial. Legend says that because of their misfortunes, they still wander the Piney Woods, looking for what they lost in the fire.” 

Eris was skeptical. “I don’t think I believe that Liam’s house is haunted by a bunch of decrepit Civil War ghosts. Also, gross.” 

“I mean—” Liam shrugged— “I’ve never seen any ghosts around here and I’ve lived in this house for most of my life.” 

Maryellen scoffed. “That’s what they all say. I’m going to investigate. When I find the ghost, you’ll all be sorry.” 

Maryellen walked off, and Eris and Liam exchanged a glance. “We’re following her, right?” Eris asked. Liam nodded. 

The two of them quickly caught up with Maryellen, who was secretly relieved to have company (ghost hunting is more fun when you’re with friends). 

The group stopped in front of a door. 

“The sound is coming from in here,” Maryellen said. 

“That’s the basement,” Liam replied. “Are you going in?” 

She shook her head, trying not to betray a look of fear on her face. “Actually… I think we should let it be. You know, don’t wanna make the spirits angry.” 

“Okay, you know what, I’m going in,” Eris said. 

“What?” Liam exclaimed.

Eris was already opening the door to the basement. “Oh, come on. Worst case scenario, it’ll make a great story to tell later.” 

Eris started down the stairs to the attic, Liam and Maryellen now following hesitantly behind her. 

“Oh, of course!” Eris exclaimed when she reached the bottom of the stairs. “The noise is coming from the generator!”

Liam facepalmed. “Oh my gosh, I should have realized that was what was making the noise! I’m so sorry for making y’all think my house was haunted.” 

Maryellen couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s okay, Liam. It made for a pretty great Halloween party after all.” 

The End

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Ack, this got out late! Oh well, it's still Halloween so it's a win in my books. I hope you all enjoyed. As always, have a great week and remember to eat your veggies (this is especially important to remember on Halloween)! Bye! <3