Lights Out!

Saturday’s are always festive in Hammerville. People flood the streets, enjoying the sun-lined beaches and eating from the local food trucks.  The small city isn’t but 10 miles long and the population is less than the average town. This Saturday is the busiest Saturday of the year. It’s Hammer Day, the day where the stories of the town are told by campfire. 

The day was young and street vendors were everywhere. They were selling candles, rosaries and other assorted jewelry. The food was the main attraction. There were 17 food trucks lined down the beach, each with a main dish. There were too many wing flavors to name. Mexican dishes, burgers, loaded fries and many desserts. 

Children were everywhere. There were jet skies all over the water. Carnival attractions to enjoy. The towns mayor made an announcement the days prior.

He stated, “We the citizens of Hammerville are aware of the truths behind Hammer Day. However, we must accommodate all guests in a way that they aren’t appalled by our truths. We have decided to not openly address the possible concerns of our guests and that is to allow our tourists to feel welcomed.“

The mayor went on to share about how fear of the unknown by tourists could eventually cause the town to not have visitors, possibly causing the town much revenue. 

The news station was there during the day but were asked to leave before sunset.There was only one hotel in the town and it housed quite a few guests.The hotel was not allowed to house guests that night. All businesses shut down after 5 pm, with the exception of the food trucks that were present. This day was a day where everyone was outside, most of the day. The agenda that was handed to guests were simple, daytime activities were listed by the hour, and the bottom stated campfire and story time. 

Amongst the crowd were patients from the towns mental facility. Ironically, they were well behaved on this day every year. To the staff, this was reported the less stressful workday. This day had no call outs, no absences, and workers often volunteered to pick up shifts or rotate with coworkers that had children, so they could enjoy. One of the patients name was Boffie. Boffie would only talk on Hammer Day. He talked about his childhood in Hammerville, and how ghosts would flood the streets at night. Boffie continued to speak about the song that would play all night like it had been put on repeat. The joy that filled his face was amazing. Boffie had plenty of stories. Some were so detailed that they were all believed to be true. With no one to actually confirm the intricate details, the staff just listened. 

It was to be a Full Moon that night. Boffie talked about the moon and how the spirits often visited and could be seen and heard during these times. Boffie described what the spirits looked like, and talked about one that visited him every year. He’d named this spirit Bonnie. Boffie said that Bonnie was his wife, and that he’d get to talk to her once a year, on Hammer Day. 

Everyone that lived in Hammerville was aware of the events this day brought, but the guests weren’t. There were more guests than usual

this year. The sun began to go down and the beach was lined with chairs around campfires. There were 7 fires in total, each surrounded by 20 chairs and 3 storytellers. 

As the sun set, the fires were lit and within the hour all of the cities lights were out. The guests frantically clutched their belongings and children and sat looking around. 

Boffie was a speaker that night. The city provided battery operated microphones, that allowed the voices of the speaker to be a bit louder. While Boffie was speaking, static began to come through. Then there was nothing. Boffie looked toward the moon and whispered, “Bonnie”. The microphone started to work again and Boffie smiled. 

The stories began. 

“Hammerville had a bizarre history of being a ghost town. A town where every day once a year the ghosts would control the solar panels conserved energy, not allowing the generators to kick in as they normally would. All of the citizens of Hammerville knew this day, without even looking at the calendar. Supernatural events would happen as the day came closer. Light fixtures would flicker, dishes would shake, and the children’s radios would play. All of the radios would play the same song. After some years the citizens started to embrace this aspect of the town. They realized that the only way to subdue the fear was to welcome the spirits, listen to the music they enjoyed and conserve the power on that special night. Every since Hammerville us celebrated Hammer day, there has been no supernatural events. This was this towns 130th anniversary of this day. “

After the stories were told, many of the guests were afraid of the lights still being out and decided to leave. Many of the guests traveled to the next town to sleep. But the locals were comfortable, as they’d always been. Hammer Day was their holiday. The police guarded off the campsite that the town migrated to after the stories. There were tents, bathrooms and at least 5 food trucks that still had food left. The remainder of the night was for games, laughter and sleeping. While every one was settling down, the police radio began to play the music that everyone was waiting for. Boffie wasn’t lying after all. 

The next morning everyone ate at the local diners. They enjoyed chicken and waffles. The kids loved this weekend the most. It was back to life as they knew it. All power had been restored. 

The newspaper came out the next day. Headline read “Bonnie was here” and below it was a picture of Boffie looking into the sky. The article told Boffie’s story for the first time. Boffie was the Mayor of Hammerville 20 years prior. The town decided that they would name the Main Street after him “Boffie Drive”.  The current mayor presented Boffie with a street sign to hang in his room. Hammer Day had passed and that meant silence for  Boffie. They did manage to get a smile. 

History preserved is a wonderful thing, even if it means lights out!