Moonlight Grove1
The sign outside the town reads "Moonlight Grove" Population: 4 000. A little further, and another sign is soon visible. It is grey and peeling, and the words written on it are a sickly green. "Welcome to Moonlight," it says; the exclamation mark at the end of the greeting contrasts heavily with the surroundings. At the feet of the broken-down message are dead flowers. Once, they must have bloomed with cheer; a true welcome to any passers-by that happened to come across this small city. Now they lie wrinkled and old...unpicked potpourri scattered around the shoulder of the road. 2
Such a delightful name: Moonlight Grove. It leaves one with thoughts of dancing shadows by a lake, with silver light streaming down from an orb in the night sky. Unfortunately, Moonlight Grove only had one lake, and it didn't amount to much. The area was surrounded by overgrown bushes, and strange plants grew there...they seemed to reach out and twist themselves around wandering feet... stray feet that didn't belong in the dense wild. 3
Once long ago, when the population of Moonlight was very small, this very lake of (called Lake Serenity) had been loved, and cared for. Its surroundings were trimmed with care, and the bushes were covered in a variety of roses. Moonlight had been known for its roses, back then. Such colours were never seen before! Not just the common yellow, and pink, nor the deep blood-red...Moonlight had fascinating varieties that could only be described as something as eloquent as “Nectar of Sunset” or “Blossoms of Eden”. The community of Moonlight cherished them for they knew these flowers were rare. It was an understatement, for these beauties did not grow anywhere in the entire world. But all this existed some time ago. Quite some time ago, when the lake was taken care of...4
Lake Serenity was always serene, perhaps that had been the origin of the name. No-one knows now why it is called that; most do not even know Lake Serenity exists. Most do not know that a town called Moonlight Grove exists. It is not found on any maps, nor is it mentioned anywhere. Magic? Yes, but of a far more human nature. It was the magic of Time…For as Time passed, people began to move out of Moonlight. They moved because of an event that occurred one day. It was a tragedy, such a terrible thing to have happened! What was it...what was it...Something so frightening that not even the roses of Lake Serenity could call the people back. Within a week, the entire town had been emptied. They had all moved to the closest cities. Kingstown, and Deer-grove were suddenly filled with people.5
But something odd had happened in Moonlight Grove during that week; something that occurred after the terrible tragedy, and perhaps because of it. Houses were left deserted. Dinner plates, and rotting food still sit on the dining table in many kitchens. Beds are unmade, left exactly the way they were so many years ago. 6
Preserved in a ghost town; why it’s simply another miracle of Time, to have the towns around it grow, and flourish and to keep this one, this Moonlight Grove, preserved. The town seems to be frozen within a loop of Time itself.7
In one of the houses of Moonlight, the oldest house in fact, there lies something of great value, and great importance on the bedroom floor. The bedroom belonged to young girl, and the object is her diary. Diaries are such useful little things. They are a part of history, a part of Time itself. Most importantly, they are thoughts. Thoughts of people who existed, who lived, and experienced life the way only they could.8
But these thoughts are especially important because within them lies the key. The key to the past, and with it, the key to unlocking the secrets of Moonlight Grove.9
It is old and yellowed with age, but the words on it are as clear as the waters of Lake Serenity once used to be.10
Entry 1:11
Dear Diary,12
I have just come back from the lake. We went strawberry picking. Cheryl was so happy because of Tom. He picked her a bunch of flowers and now she’s swooning over him. Like she did to the other five before him. Poor Tom. He deserves so much better than my sister. Someone like me.13
It isn’t fair, Diary, when she always gets everything. No one believes me, but inside they know it’s true. They must know it is.14
Entry 2:15
Dear Diary,16
I walked in on Tom and Cheryl. It was nothing serious unfortunately, so I couldn’t even get her in trouble for it. Not that Mum and Dad would believe me anyways… I hate Tom now too. He’s a jerk, and called me an annoying brat, among other things. That was after we made out and he promised he’d leave her. The liar. I’ll get them. I’ll get them both someday. For now though, I’m happy just watching them. They deserve each other…and they don’t know how little time they have left.17
I’ll make them pay Diary. I swear I will.18
Entry 3:19
Dear Diary,20
Did I ever tell you how much I liked roses, Diary? They’re such beautiful flowers… Cheryl loved roses too, you know. She loved Tom’s roses. Loved them with her heart and soul…Why did he do it, diary? They found her in Lake Serenity today with rope marks around her neck. They had to cover her because she wasn’t wearing anything. Mum and Dad cried themselves sick. Tears poured down my face too. I’m ashamed after reading my last entry. How could I have even said anything about my sister? We were so close, despite our differences. Tom did it. 21
Everyone in the town knows…wrapped around her neck was a single rose, tied tightly. His initials were carved into her chest with some sort of knife. Later, we discovered that there were thorns embedded inside her, everywhere. She had been tortured and then…22
He denies it all, the fool. Doesn’t he know he’ll be hanged for what he did?23
-Margaret24
The entries stop there. Tom was hanged, incidentally. The townspeople found him guilty. The family was the first to move. They wanted no memories of their daughter haunting them.25
The others left soon after that, all in a span of a week. The sudden death, the murder, of a young teenaged girl shocked them all. It was the first murder the town had ever experienced, and it left them shaken and wary. Also, as an added effect, the woods around Lake Serenity seemed darker, more evil. The flowers grew thorns that would protect them from any harm, and they noticed that people often went missing when they tried to explore the woods...as though they had been devoured by some evil spirit that lurked there still... 26
They moved, leaving their beloved town, and their precious roses behind. Some left before they finished eating, or sewing clothes. They were traumatized by both deaths…for Tom’s family refused time and again that their son was responsible for Cheryl’s death. There were no witnesses, they cried. No witnesses… So many emotions running high… They were the second to leave the town; and they left while eating dinner in their anguish. They mourned their son, and the winds of Moonlight Grove still whistle their words through the air on chilly autumn days:...No witnesses...no witnesses...27
But they were wrong. On the night of Cheryl’s murder, there were witnesses. They couldn’t speak, but their presence was well known. The roses were there, looking upon their dying mother; that was how they saw Cheryl, as a mother through and through. It had been Cheryl who always took care of them, though the town often participated in taking care of their flowers…28
On that night, the moon illuminated Lake Serenity, its silver light filtering through the trees and showing, quite clearly, her panicked face. Her mouth had been gagged, and she lay bound and tied on the banks. Her wild eyes searched for help, and none came. The roses watched, helpless to do anything. They saw the killer pierce her skin with roses, again and again. They saw the rope that the murder tied swiftly around her neck. And when it happened, when she died, a sudden gust of wind blew through the air, whipping her hair about. The killer’s auburn hair. A female, shorter than her sister, and far more wicked. Margaret swiftly tied the rose around her neck, and then slowly, arduously began to carve the initials into the dead girl’s chest. Blood, blackened by the night, poured out, but she continued, without caring. Then, with a simple toss, she flung her sister into the lake.29
The roses watched and screamed inside. They turned wild and loose, and the woods surrounding turned ugly and menacing. They allowed no-one to enter the vicinity of the lake after Cheryl had been found out.30
The town of Moonlight Grove was left to its own after that, when everybody left. It remains as it did that fateful day, a forgotten town with a forgotten past. 31
The diary though is no longer on the floor, for someone is there picking it up. Someone who remembers... She turns to the last page, where there is yet another entry, one that seems to have been missed...32
Dear Diary,33
I did it. It was me, all me, and only me. How I wish I could take credit for it; the beauty of the plan. They don’t know the favour I did them, but that’s all right. One day they’ll know, and they’ll thank me.34
She smiles slowly, and rips the page out. It is a startling sound. It is the only sound in the entire town. Slowly she holds a lighter to it, and the paper smoulders. The words slowly disappear amidst the bright orange fire. It reminds her of something…what was it called? Ah yes...the Nectar of Sunset...what a pretty colour…what a pretty rose! A peal of laughter bursts from her scarlet lips.35
Some secrets are better left dead and buried. 36
-Morgana37
Author notes
I am very sorry for the length of this write. I know it's really long, but I hope I made up for it with my words. This is quite a freaky story when you think about it. I didn't make too gruesome; I didn't want it to be in the horror genre...I hope you liked it.
I commented on "Black Screens of Ample Justice" and "Memoir" and "Waiting". I chose #3 as my choice.
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
1 - 21 of 21
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Morgana.thanks for the feedback but.I CAN SPELL PERFECTLY!MI TYPE AND GET LOST REALLY FAST IN MY POETRY I MAKE IT SOUND A LITTLE SHAKESPEAR ESOMETIMES!lol!I know how to spell 'pollen' and 'it's with a coma and they'res.its a contraction!LOL thanks though.Wanna keep in touch?u seem like we could share poetry.Emali me at darkdragonSi13@yahoo.com.whats ur email ...if you'll tell me?
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An excellent write - very well done and certainly not too long to tell the story thoroughly and effectively. Great imagination and creativity used and good description as well. It could have even been a little longer with just a little more about why she hated her sister enough to kill her. But, still great without that. Only noticed a couple of things that might be fixed. You speak of " . . . murder of a young teenaged . . . " Should just be "teenage" I believe. And further down ". . . for Tom's family refused time and again. . . " Perhaps "denied" rather than refused there. Great job! Paul
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I wish I had more time to go over this, but I'm at work. Anyway it had the air of a Stephen King story. The descriptions were good but I'll bet if you rewrote again you could polish them even more. The main obstacle my thoughts kept confronting was that I was never convinced that the murder provided enough reason to make people leave homes in the middle of meals with beds unmade as if a volcano were about to explode. Was that just me or do you agree in hindsight?
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Thanks for commenting!
I'm so glad you liked reding this!
-morgana
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WOW!
I enjoyed this write very much it kept me wanting to read and their was such imagery and use of words it was amazing, brillant, flawless in its execution. I loved how you jumped from one description to the diary to the ending with her laughing and the diary entry. It was perfectly gruesome and sad and so well written that it evoked millions of emotions and surprise! GooD Job! -
thanks dude. Awfully nice of you to applaud this!
-morgana
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I like this one. It appealed to me more (probably because it had to do with murder, and a bit of a mystery). Actually, I like it enough that I'll applaud it, heh . The writing was good, as was the phrasing. I'd say more but I'm sick and my head's all "blah" so, awesome job and good luck in the contest (not that you need anymore trophies or points, eheheh
)
~Nixx
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Thanks for the applause and for commenting! Unfortunately, I'm not a teacher in the least, so I couldn't start a group. I'm happy with writing, and inspiring others from my work...if I can do that, then I'm happy.
-morgana
p.s. (I'm in the middle of writing a novel, though. Hopefully I can get it published when I'm done!) -
Morgana! This is great! Your a great story writer! Have you consitered starting a group to teach people to write like you. You could have donations to start it! Anyway, a 5. I wish there was higher! You'd get a 10! Keep it up.
-Pua Aloalo -
To answer your comments: Something so frightening that not even the roses of Lake Serenity could call the people back."..."could" should be "couldn't"....isnt't "passers-by"---> "passer-bys"? It actually is passers-by, and it actually is "could". I'm saying not even the roses could call them back. Not, not even the roses couldn't call them back. That would mean, that the roses could call them back, which they couldn't. er...yeah. Lol. I don't think I can write a sequel to it, though I have writen another story called "Angela". I'm sorry you felt the plot was cliche (I really did try to make it original). however, I'm so glad that you liked it on the whole. Thank you for your comments!
-morgana
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Good job.
"Something so frightening that not even the roses of Lake Serenity could call the people back."..."could" should be "couldn't"....isnt't "passers-by"---> "passer-bys"? That's what I always thought it was; I have never seen "passers-by" in my life of literature, but I'm also distinctively bad with grammar. Anyways, I'd love to know the verdict on that grammatical word there hehe.
Okay, now the writing. I do ammend the description which was very well done; I thought it was so surreal and beautiful how Karr pictured it as black and white with solely colored roses. For me The Village comes to mind, with all the people in their quiet lives, the basic colors of green, yellow, black, white, and then the startling RED that is bright with the ambience of something treacherous. I LOVED the simile: "unpicked potpourri scattered around the shoulder of the road", goodness that is very unqiue, young lady. It's always hard to picture something in your head that is so vivid in the shoulders of your imagination, and then capture it fully on paper, but I think YOU did. There is a writer in you yet. (Was that an understatement hehe)
Now on the plot. Honestly speaking it's a tad cliche. When I was reading the first letter I was like, oh Margie is a murderer. But I'm not sure if you did want the readers to easily get that since you set it up with how much Margaret hates her sister and planned to kill her. Maybe I just read too much and I know every plot alive haha, and maybe I'm just being a little pompous now. OK, I would have liked to see more on the character of the sister, as she is the mother of the roses, like maybe describe through the diaries that she was kind and endearing...everybody loved her. Oh Oh Oh, your next sequel should be lke: The Revenge and then its about the roses turning bitter and the killing off of all the wood travelers, like the Ring and how they have sequels for everyone who dies from the video. So like all these people die and nobody knows why....until...
Lol, stoping with the neuron tangent, but SEE how excited your story made me hehe.
Now the length. OMG, it was NOT long, have you read some of these people's stuff; there are some stories with like a whole James Bond/ May Payne 30 page story kind of plot that they constitute as short. No, the length was fine, infact it could be longer if you had thoughts of adding some things.
Good job, I hope to read more from you. OH, you could even add like (I know that wasn't the style of the narrator) conversations that the families had before they left, like the anxiey tensed during their dinner meal....lol, there goes my neurons again. hehe.
Well, great write and I can't wait to see more from you, just give me a heads up when you a post a new one, Miss Talented!
Edited on Aug 04, 1:20 because 'Holy Smokes! I wrote a freaking lot~'. -
You say you saw verything in black and white except the flowers? That's pretty cool! What's really quite strange is that when I was writing the story, I imagined it in a similar fashion. I imagined everyone, and everything else as being dull, and lackluster. The flowers, however, were bright. Almost as though they were part of another story. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading the piece!
-morgana
p.s. what movie was it? (I really did try to come up with an original piece...) -
This was really good, most writers choose to have something simpler and shorter which is sad. You however when writing this one choose a nice length. I personally enjoyed reading this story. The idea was original although it did remind me of a movie from the black and white era. ...Speaking of which it was kind of weird whatr when i read the sotry i imaged everything in black and white except for the flowers, sorry just that i'd share that. anyway you did a great job on this, good luck on winning!
~karr
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I'm glad you enjoyed reading my piece (though I feel bad that it made you want to rip up all of yours). This one took tons of editing, even after I posted it, so don't worry about it. This is my first story up on the site; I was nervous as to how others would react to it...but from reading your generous words...guess I had nothing to worry about!
-morgana
p.s. I look forward to reading one of your stories when you decide to post it! -
Thank you so much for your kind words and applause. I'm glad you think I'm talented lol. I loved your story... You had a lot of suspense and kept the reader's attention. Thanks for commenting!
-morgana
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I'm so glad you liked this story. You're quite a talented artist too.
-morgana
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WOW. I thought about posting a story up, but after reading a story like ures....It just makes me wanna tear all my stories into shreds and forget about it. lol. GREAT story.
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I loved this! It was better than mine by far, you should be proud of it. I could picture everything, you described it well and I liked the vocabulary. Stories are always better with a larger vocabulary..even if you have to look the words up first. This wasn't quite a horror, which is prefect. I loved the ending and the length was fine. Youre talented, keep writing stories, and thanks for commenting on mine.
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This story ,apart from being descriptive and colourful ,shows an extraordinary creative mind at work.Though the theme is dark [somehow],this was beautuiful to read from start to finish.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed reading "Moonlight Grove". I'll be sure to edit the mistakes as soon as possible. I have no idea where the inspiration for this story came from, but I'm really glad I wrote it all down!
-morgana
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Ooooh... I definitely loved this piece. I was just drawn into its darkness and kept hidden away until that last line, which just sealed the entire story together so well. This, I can truly say, was a richly written story; every detail so carefully described, each piece of the puzzle fit together so perfectly. I had a few things to mention, but I think they'll make sense to you.
First paragraph, "..contrasts heavily with the surroundings. Surrounding the.." I don't think you'd noticed the repetition of 'surrounding' in that way. Also the first, "passers-by" is actually correct instead of "passer-bys."
Here: "They are a past of history" I think you meant "part." And "the finished eating" I think you meant "they."
That was it, mostly typos. Anyways though, I absolutely loved the conclusion of this, because I must admit I really didn't see it coming at all, both that Margaret had committed the murder, and then the burning of the last entry. This whole thing was excellently carried out, it moved so well from one bit to another. Really good write here, thanks for entering my contest, good luck!
Renae.
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