Tipping the Scales

Prologue

My town is a small one. Lots of families live here and each street is one of those ones where everyone knows each other and they have coffees at each other's houses each afternoon – in fact, that's what makes it so peaceful. I like it here. I feel safe and it just spells out home for me. But that's why it bothers me. Pebble Springs is probably one of the safest towns in the state. You would never in a million years think that something as mysterious and mystical as what I encountered that night would happen here.

The crisp wind roared through the sleepy town as I walked home. It was October 9th. I looked at my watch as I walked under a streetlight – it was almost nine o'clock! I swore to myself. Mum and Dad would kill me for being out this late! They were probably sitting up all worried and twiddling their thumbs waiting for me to come home. It was just perfect that my phone happened to die. They probably thought I had been abducted or something, since I wasn't answering their calls and I wasn't home yet. I walked down the street in the dark, which happened to be on the outskirts of town, almost bordering the neighbouring town. Up ahead in the distance, I saw one of the town's police cars. I felt a sudden rush of paranoia come over me as I thought that my parents must've called them. As the car drew closer and the headlights blinded me, I quickly darted into the trees.

At first I didn't know where I was, but then I got my bearings – I was in the Avocado Gardens, a common place for families to have picnics and enjoy the surroundings. It truly was beautiful – I could still tell, even in the dark. It got its name from the avocado coloured vegetation that attracted heaps of people. Avocado Gardens accommodates the Pebble Springs, the namesake of the town. Since it was dead silent, if I listened hard enough, I could hear the springs bubbling and flowing. For some reason, and I don't know why, I decided to head towards the springs. And that's what got me in trouble.