There once was a small town called Spruce; it’s a railroad town, built when the railroad extended from the East all the way into the Wild West. It was a simple town, traditional, with everything built around the town hall. The people in Spruce lived their day to day life happily, without worry. The town has only been in existence for two generations, but it was booming. The Griffin family from the neighbouring town owns the only grocery shop in town. They ship in food periodically through the trains, and although they are a monopoly, the prices are fair so everyone is satisfied. Not long after they settled and became an official town, a post office was voted to be put in their town; it was a sure sign that their town was becoming a power house. The post office is built on the right side of the town hall, and although it is rarely used, it is a source of pride for the people of Spruce.

　　Behind the town hall was the railroad, where a train would pass by every three days at seven in the evening without fail to collect the loggings; and bring the town crops grown by nearby towns. Small shops and business buildings are scattered around the town hall, and the one road in town lays in front the hall. The Once past the shops and building, houses seem to be plotted down without reason. They face all directions and vary in size; the only thing that is consistent is the plot of land in everyyard. Simple crops are grown and provide the town’s people with a daily supply of vegetables. Despite the unforgiving heat of the west, the crops are lush and plentiful. Surrounding the houses are forests upon forests, and even with the years of logging, it ceased to decrease in size.

　　Even though the people of Spruce depended on the vast forest, there was a healthy dose of fear for it as well. There was just too much unknown. Every once in a while, they would lose one of their own to the terror that lies behind the branches. It became an unwritten rule that no one is to enter alone - the men worked in packs. And no one dared to enter after dark. The children would play on the edges, but goes no further.

　　In a small town like this, everyone knows everyone else’s business. News spread like wildfire and idle gossips are the spark.

　　“Did you hear that Anderson was locked out of the house again last night” Someone would say.

　　“Oh I bet he was caught fancying the Gallender’s daughter again, he never learns.” Another would reply.

　　Fire would always be put out in the end though, whether by water or wind. The town’s days are spent in repetition. Men young and old spend their days chopping down trees to ship across the country, while the women tend to the household. Chloe and her parents moved in during this time of simplicity. They were welcomed by their neighbours, for new comers meant new gossips. The town took interest in the new family for a while, but soon enough, the interest died down just like any fire. They were a normal enough family. The father would go with the town’s men each day to collect loggings, while the mother stayed at home like any other. Even their family story was ordinary; the last town they had lived in was out of work, so they were forces to relocate. This was common enough, and the town’s folk were just happy that this hasn’t occurred to their town. The new comers lived in peace in the small town, as days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Soon they have become a part of the town, no longer outsiders.

　　Chloe was different from the other children in Spruce. She didn’t like to run around chasing after one another, or playing house with stones for houses, and grass for food. When the other children played, she just watched. At first they thought she was just shy, and as the months passed, they grew accustomed to her behaviour, and simply let her be. Children’s hearts are pure and innocent; they didn’t take offence to Chloe’s refusal to join in on their merriments. But the adults in the town would start idle gossip of why Chloe was this way. Some say that she had been possessed by the devil, and that her family was chased out of their last town. Others say that her parents are hording a dark secret, and purposely forbid her from playing with others.

　　Rumours come and go, and it’s no different with Chloe. As life went on the town found other things to gossip about, and Chloe was left alone for the moment. It was when the family have moved to Spruce for almost a year when something happened. This set in motions a series of events that shook the town to its’ very core. After the children have been released from school for the day, they each run off looking for something to occupy them till supper time. It had been a normal day for Spruce; the warm summer air carried the fragrance of blooming lilacs and roses; children’s laughter could be heard around every corner until a shrill cry cut through the air. The mothers came running with aprons on, some even holding the spatula that was evidently just used to stir soups and sauces. They run to the Peterson’s household, where the cry had come from. Several children gathered in a semi-circle crying hysterically as mothers tried to calm them down. Mrs. Petersons kneeled in front of a small body and wept loudly. Her little boy was on the ground, dead.

　　One of the mothers of an older boy sent her son to fetch the fathers. This has never happened before. Cries and screams could be heard from all directions but when eyes fell upon Chloe, she was simply standing there, staring. It doesn’t seem to affect her at all. This was when the rumours started again. The coroner has determined the Petersons’ boy’s death as an accident. He must have fallen too hard and hit his head. It was nobody’s fault,yet the town was determined that Chloe had something to do with it. They figured that she must have cursed him, and caused him to hit his head. Chloe’s parents tried to reason with the town, but most would not budge. It took a long time for the town to go back to its’ harmonic ways, but eventually the matter was dropped and Chloe’s family was accepted again. The peace lasted until another child died suddenly, without warning or cause. When this little boy died, it seemed to have broken a dam. The town’s people suddenly started to die left and right. Some fell and hit their head, some choked on their food, and some simply dropped dead without warning. There was no reasonable explanation, and the town went into a panic. Soon, they were cut off from the outside world. The neighbouring towns fear that they have contracted some sort of plague, and out of fear shut the people of Spruce out. Within days, the once joy filled town turned into a ghost town. Without the care of the people, the live stocks starved and the crops withered.

　　A week has passed since the town went into a panic. In the dead of night, three shadows loaded boxes and furniture on to a wagon, and slowly make their way onto the main road. As time passed and people from neighbouring towns came to assess the damage, they discovered that the whole town had been hit with this crazy plague, and left no survivors. They lit a torch and set fire to the whole town, this was done to prevent the plague from spreading. The fire burned for four day and three nights, taking out a huge chunk of the forest with it. On the fourth night, thunder boomed and lighting crashed, and the downpour extinguished the dancing flames. The town of Spruce became a distant memory, no longer talked about; gone after only forty-seven years.

　　It was a warm summer day when the new family moved into the town of Lordingtons. They told the town’s people that their last town suffered severe drought, and so they were forces to move to a new place. The town welcomed the family with open arms, and their little girl soon became best friends with the neighbouring children. She joined them as they chased one another around and always wanted to be the mommy when they played house. Her name was Hannah.

　　The End

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