Galloway, Repeating

Text Message Thread – October 14, 2023 – 9:14 PM

Alice: Did you get the keys?

Nate: Yeah. Front desk guy looked at me weird though.

Alice: He always looks at everyone like that. Just ignore him.

Nate: The place looks… untouched.

Alice: Don’t go in the attic. Seriously.

Nate: You’re joking?

Alice: I’m not. Just don’t.

Voicemail – October 14, 2023 – 11:58 PM

From: Nate Everly

Hey, um… I know you said not to go in the attic but—okay, I went in.

There’s this old trunk. It’s not locked. There’s a recorder in it. Like, a tape recorder?

And photos. A lot of old photos. They’re all of the same woman.

But the weird part is—she looks like you, Alice. Like, exactly like you.

I don’t know what this is. Call me back, please.

Email – October 15, 2023 – 8:27 AM

From: Alice Morrow a.morrow@ethercom.org

To: Dr. R. Wren r.wren@camfieldarchive.org

Subject: Inquiry – Esther Merrow Files

Dear Dr. Wren,

I’m looking into someone named Esther Merrow. I believe she lived in the Camfield area around 1900–1920. I'm particularly interested in any family records, photos, or folklore surrounding her.

Thank you in advance,

Alice Morrow

Text Message Thread – October 15, 2023 – 9:14 AM

Nate: She’s you, isn’t she?

Alice: Don’t jump to that.

Nate: I played the tape, Alice. It said your name. Your actual name.

Alice: What did it say exactly?

Nate: “She always comes back.”

Alice: Delete the recording.

Nate: That’s not how it works and you know it.

Email – October 15, 2023 – 10:44 AM

From: Dr. R. Wren r.wren@camfieldarchive.org

To: Alice Morrow a.morrow@ethercom.org

Subject: Re: Inquiry – Esther Merrow Files

Dear Ms. Morrow,

How curious that you should ask.

Esther Merrow is a local legend here. She was said to be a recluse, lived in the house on Galloway Hill. Disappeared in 1921. No body was ever found. Some say she simply walked into the woods and vanished. Some say she returns every twenty years in another form.

Enclosed is a scanned image we have of her. The resemblance is… uncanny.

Regards,

Dr. Rowan Wren

(Attachment: esthermerrow.jpg)

Voicemail – October 15, 2023 – 1:03 PM

From: Unknown Caller

You left her there.

She remembers.

She always remembers.

Slack Message – #editorial-notes – October 15, 2023 – 2:13 PM

Alice M.:

I’ll be stepping away from my article on tech in Appalachia. Need to take care of something personal. Sorry for the delay.

Phone Call – October 15, 2023 – 3:09 PM

Nate: What do you mean, “She’s me”?

Alice: I don’t know yet. But… this isn’t the first time I’ve found something like this. A picture, a name, a place I don’t remember, but feels familiar.

Nate: Alice, are you okay?

Alice: I don’t sleep well near mirrors. I wake up hearing a voice humming.

Nate: Jesus.

Alice: I need to go back to the house. Alone.

Email Draft – Not Sent

To: Mom

Did you know about the house? The attic? About Esther?

Did you ever wonder why I have memories that don’t belong to me? Why I knew the floorboard would creak before I even stepped on it?

I’m not mad. I just need answers now. Please.

—Alice

Text Message – October 15, 2023 – 8:21 PM

Nate: You said you were going alone. I followed anyway. I’m waiting outside. You’re in too deep and you know it.

Tape Recorder – Found in the attic – Labeled: October 15, 1921

If she hears this, it means the cycle began again.

If you're listening… I failed to bury it deep enough.

The mirror remembers you. The house wants you.

Esther—

No. Alice now, isn’t it?

Voicemail – October 15, 2023 – 9:03 PM

From: Nate Everly

I heard the door slam behind you. You didn’t answer. I swear to God, I saw something in the attic window. Not you. Something else. It had your face but it wasn’t you.

I’m going in.

Emergency Services Call – October 15, 2023 – 9:46 PM

Caller: Nathaniel Everly

Operator: 911, what’s your emergency?

Nate: I need help. I think my friend is hurt. The house is—

Operator: Sir, what house?

Nate: It’s the one on Galloway Hill. She’s inside but—

Operator: That property’s been condemned for 40 years.

Nate: NO. No, we were just inside it. She went into the attic. Please. Just send someone.

Operator: We’re dispatching someone. Stay on the line.

[line disconnects]

Email – October 16, 2023 – 5:12 AM

From: Alice Morrow a.morrow@ethercom.org

To: Dr. R. Wren r.wren@camfieldarchive.org

Subject: Esther

Dr. Wren,

You were right. She returns.

But this time, I remember it all.

—A. Merrow

Text Message Thread – October 16, 2023 – 8:33 AM

Nate: You’re okay???

Alice: I am now.

Nate: You weren’t you last night.

Alice: I was always me. That was the problem.

Nate: What do we do?

Alice: Burn the house. The mirror too.

Nate: Will that stop it?

Alice: I don’t think so. But it’ll confuse her long enough.

Nate: Her?

Alice: The one I used to be. She wants her life back. And she’s getting stronger.

News Article – Camfield Local – October 17, 2023

“Old Estate on Galloway Hill Burns Down Under Mysterious Circumstances”

Authorities responded to reports of fire at the long-abandoned Merrow estate. Firefighters say no bodies were found, though locals report seeing figures in the windows during the blaze. According to county records, the house has had no legal owner since 1931.

An image recovered from the site shows a young woman’s portrait, partially charred. Underneath, etched in faded ink: She always comes back.

Email – October 17, 2023 – 6:44 PM

From: Alice Morrow

To: Self

Subject: For Later

If I forget again, if I start dreaming of the forest and the fire and the mirror, remember:

You are Alice now.

You don’t owe Esther anything.

But she remembers.

Voicemail – October 18, 2023 – 12:03 AM

From: Unknown Number

The house may burn,

The name may change,

But memory is a mirror.

And you, Alice—

You are already cracking.

Text Message Thread – October 18, 2023 – 12:09 AM

Alice: She left a message.

Nate: You? Or her?

Alice: Does it matter anymore?

Nate: Where are you?

Alice: Somewhere between the girl I am and the woman I was.

Nate: That’s not funny.

Alice: I’m not joking.

Nate: Alice—please, don’t disappear again.

Alice: I’ll try. But sometimes, the past doesn’t let go.

Nate: Then I’ll hold on tighter.