The Vault

The Curse of Hollowsprite

„We are in the lovely town of Hollowsprite. Isn't it just a perfect little town? Just look at it!" Lisa turned her 's camera and swiped her arm in a large arc showing beautiful houses with meticulously manicured lawns and brightly painted fences. She clicked back on selfie mode and raised a brow. "See what I mean? It's so perfect it's unreal. But the town is not only the pretty façade." She continued as she walked down the pavement towards the big park. The couple of leaves that unruly wind blew at pristine pavement crunched under her shining boots.

"Hollowsprite is also well known in the region, or shall I say despised? I bet you wonder why anyone would dislike such a cute little town. It's because people are jealous. Hollowsprite folks always win all regional competitions. Whatever you can think of: baking, best gardens, the prettiest pets, the biggest pumpkin... you name it. The grand prize always goes to someone from this place.

"Some say Hollowsprite must be blessed, and all who live here are just the luckiest people in the world. But as we all know, perfect things don't exist. And that's the case here because this cute little town has a dark secret not many know about." She paused for the dramatic effect.

Lisa flipped her phone's camera to show a grey granite obelisk in the park. In the middle of it was a faded photo of an average-looking young girl and below a long list of names.

"This is the price Hollowsprite pay for its good fortune," Lisa explained. "According to rumours, everything started over fifty years ago with the disappearance of Beth Stevenson. At that time, the town was barely surviving, unemployment was the highest in the region, the crops were dying from some unidentified plague, and the place was often battered by raging storms damaging all infrastructure. But the day Beth disappeared, on Halloween 1970, everything had changed. Suddenly, the fortune smiled upon the Hollowsprite, and their golden era had begun.

"But at what cost, you may ask?" Lisa moved her phone slowly, showing all the names engraved into the stone. "Every year on Halloween night, one person from Hollowsprite disappears. Their lifeless body is usually found a few days later near Crystal Lake. The death cause is usually drowning, though there are some exceptions. It's the same thing occurring every year for over fifty years. One person from the town, between ten and thirty years old, disappears, never to be seen alive again."

Lisa flipped the camera again to show her serious face. Her subtle makeup was always on point, and her blond hair perfectly curled around her pretty face. "That's why, my dear followers, I, Lisa on the Case, came into Hollowsprite on Halloween to discover what is happening here and how this incredibly suspicious story was never shared with a larger audience. Is it a curse? A psychotic serial killer on the loose? A secret occult association making human sacrifices? Stay tuned and follow me as I uncover the truth! Now let's talk to some residents of Hollowsprite and─" She turned on her heel, and a surprised scream escaped her lips.

Right behind her stood a short teenage girl with glasses so thick she couldn't even see what colour eyes she had.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell is wrong with you, kid?" Lisa turned off the recording and pressed her free hand to her chest. "You can't sneak up on people like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"What are you doing?" The girl cocked her head. She had short dark hair cut in a skewed bob by someone who clearly had no idea what they were doing. Her puffy green jacket was unzipped, revealing an ugly knitted sweater with its best times far behind it.

"I'm investigating," Lisa replied, fixing her expensive parka and giving the girl a begrudging look. The kid must have been around thirteen years old. She was still young enough to be under her parents' horrible fashion influence but big enough to roam the streets by herself and make trouble. "What are you doing here, little girl? Shouldn't you be at school at this time?"