werisfesteria

I

Dear Dakota,

You might wonder how someone could resurrect from the dead. I wonder what monster could could keep a secret for so long.

You must feel so betrayed to read this letter written by your supposedly dead father. Yes, I am indeed alive, but I wanted to keep you and your mother safe. This was the only road I could take to keep it that way.

Do not pressure your mother for answers about me. She knew this was our only choice to keep your life balanced. I hope you will not speak to her about this letter as well. I assure you, I will be alright.

I am in a very hard position to say the least and I cannot tell you too much about what is happening right now. Regarding that, I am sending this letter from an anonymous address.

By the time you have gotten this letter, I would be really far away. Don't bother to find me, just give me some time, I will fix everything.

Sorry.

Love,
Dad.

•••
I snapped out of the trance I was in and gazed out my room's window. Shrieks of joy echoed through the streets as the Walter kids played at the front porch, skipping from chalk-drawn hopscotch tiles on the driveway. Why would I suddenly get a letter from my dead father? What secrets did mum keep from me? I decided to keep my mouth shut, for now.

I was still in a daze as I walked down the stairway into the kitchen, floorboards squeaking under my feet. The old refrigerator roared like a sick lion as I opened it to look for leftovers. I settled for cold spaghetti and sat down at the stained kitchen counter. The house's old but we settled for it as it was the only one mum could afford anyways.

It was a lazy Sunday but I knew mum had gone to work already. She always tried so hard to support the family, which consists of only mum and I. As someone who doesn't hold a single college degree, the only job she could find was being a cleaner for wealthy households that could afford one. Well, at least the pay was decent enough.

After finishing breakfast and changed into a fresh set of clothes, I walked into the forest through the backdoor, locking it behind me. Some people think it's rather weird for a teenager to like going into the woods so often as we are seen as lazy slackers, but the trees always intrigued me. The forest had a path that led snaked deep into it. Even though I have had many adventures in here as a kid, I never knew where the path led. I have tried countless times to get to the end of it but it seem to go on and on. After growing older, I lost interest in finding out but would still walk around, feeling every tree trunk. I loved the crunching of leaves under my boots, especially now when it's autumn. The ombré of greens, yellow and orange in the leaves this season is absolutely overwhelming.

Eventually, my legs grew tired so I got back inside. I kick back and turn on the television. A few static buzzes later a news channel showed on the screen. Mum must've fell asleep to it again. I grabbed the remote to switch to another channel when something on the news caught my attention. It was about people who would dress in clown suits and lure children into the woods. Crazy, I thought. Eerily enough, I heard the news anchor say Fullerton, the town I live in. It continued with reports of these clowns murdering the children. A chill shivered down my spine but I reassured myself that the chances of me being struck by lighting was higher than being kidnapped by some crazy guy in a clown suit.

Suddenly, a loud knock came from the front door.

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hey guys! Just a little a/n here. hope you guys like the book so far! idk if i'm making this a full-length novel or just a short story. it'll also mean a lot if you'd kindly vote for this book. thanks!