The lush, green grass faded to a beige color as the fall season announced itself. Looming shadows cast on the ground from the towering trees, I felt as if they could swallow me up at any given moment. I gulped and continued walking. As I approached the grotto, I noticed something that was… very unusual. The light bulbs were glowing an emerald color. That was impossible, the school has been abandoned for twenty years now. I hesitated, taking in all my surroundings while slowly climbing the stairs. I stood in the middle of the grotto; a ritual of bushes lay in front of me. Around the outside of the grotto sat blooming hydrangeas, lavender flower, rosy flowers, mulch, and a sewer. I looked up from the ground only to notice a marble statue of a woman and her son, staring back at me. I gasped, the statues didn’t flinch. I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead. “God, I’m so pathetic. It’s just a statue, they’re inanimate.” I walked over to the upper right side of the suspicious garden and climbed up onto the wall. Their was a tree with maroon leaves, a juice box sat among the branches. I tensed, “Someone else was here…” A child’s giggle sounded from right behind me. “And no one will ever know.” A new voice spoke. Before I could react, a bludgeoning blow was sent to the side of my head. I just remember lying on the concrete ground, blood dripping from the open wound, and the voices.

 

Then it all went silent.