Spiegel Grove

Turn left down Brownstone Avenue

“Yeah,Yeah,” I muttered under my breath, turning the wheel. Trees dashed outside of my window, branches spiraling through the air. My eyes darted between the navigator screen and the windshield. The blue arrow, marking me on the map of endless things, poked along slowly as my car inched along the lonely road. I looked at the time. “Fuck!” I was late. Again. I stepped on the gas pedal, jolting my car forward. Poor thing. It was already 10 years old. It was ready for retirement. But I was too broke to afford that, which was why I needed to be on time. I looked out my window, startled to be met with tall withered oaks. Two minutes ago, I was on the outskirts of a city, and now I’m in the woods? 

Turn right onto Spiegel Grove 

I prepared to turn, only to realize there was no road. I looked at the screen where it did show a road. I looked ahead again. Still no road. Suddenly, my low fuel light flashed on.

“What the fuck,” I sighed. I was already late, my GPS was broken, and now I have low fuel. My day could not be any better. I continued down the road, hoping for a reroute. 

Make a U-turn, and turn right into Spiegel Grove 

“There is no Spiegel Grove!” I huffed. However, I did turn around and looked again. Still no road. Instead, there was a car that wasn't there before. Its headlights were facing the road, but the windshield was fogged out, as well as the windows. Shadows flitted in and out of the car, the car shaking silently. Great. Suddenly, a white hand slammed against the window, making me jump. I sighed and forced my car to continue plugging down the road. Kids. I turned around again, determined to continue straight, no matter what the GPS said. I suddenly slammed on my breaks. There was a girl standing in the middle of the road, looking around 16 years old. Her blonde hair curled around her waist, her bright blue eyes were blazing in the evening air. She was wearing a white dress that stopped just above her knees. Her feet were strapped into white sandals, her smile matching her dress. She held her hand up and waved. I turned my car off, not wanting to burn any more gas. I stared at the girl. She gave me an eerie vibe, like maybe a pretty girl wearing a white dress in the middle of the woods was not normal, kind of vibe. I got out of the car, slowly, my eyes never leaving the girl.  She continued to smile. Weirdo. 

“Hey you!” She exclaimed, like she knew me. It threw me off guard how happy she was. This girl was weird, no doubt.

“H-hi.” I muttered. She smiled even wider. “Umm, I’m a little lost, do you-”

“Isn't everyone who comes here lost?” She inquired, cutting me off. I stared at her blankly, her blue eyes meeting my brown ones. 

I regained my composure.“What?” I snapped, pretending to be annoyed at being cut off. In reality, I was freaking out. She merely smiled and cocked her head slightly. 

“You said you’re lost. My guess is you're looking for Spiegel Grove, no?” She stared intently at me, like she could stare the right answer out of me. 

“I-uh, yeah. I guess I am,” I answered meekly. This was not right. Something was wrong here, I just didn't know what. She was just a girl, about 10 years younger than me. She couldn't do anything to me, right? I grabbed a strand of my hair and twirled  it around my finger, anxiously. Her eyes flashed, almost like a warning, but her smile stayed the same. 

“Well, lucky for you, I know exactly where it’s at.” A glimmer of hope sparked in my heart. 

“Really? Thank you so much!” I exclaimed. I turned around and opened my car door. The car dinged to life, the engine turning on. The navigator screen sprang to life, the automated voice echoing through the stereo. 

Turn right into Spiegel Grove

I rolled my eyes and  rifled through my console searching for a notepad and a pen. When I found it, I turned around and nearly screamed when the girl appeared only about two feet away from me. She smiled, eyes blazing bright. I noticed a red ring around her neck, making a grim necklace. I looked down, silver bracelets encircled her ankles, a menacing chain linking them. I gasped. Suddenly, she lurched forward, grabbing my head. She pulled me close, her voice in a hissing whisper. 

“People who come to Spiegel Grove are lost,” she hissed, cradling my head softly. I stopped struggling, listening to her voice. It was melodic, like a lullaby. She stroked my hair, laying me down onto the gravel road, my head in her lap. “They are people who have lost purpose. All they want is to belong somewhere. They want to feel painless and weightless.” She looked down at me, a sad smile playing on her lips. “Isn't that what you want, Ellie? To feel like nothing else exists but you?” I nodded slowly 

“Yes,” I whispered. “That’s all I ever wanted.” I closed my eyes and felt something pressed into my hand. I looked down and saw a knife, pure and sharp. The blade sparked with promise of a better ending than what I was originally headed for. I sat up and looked at the girl. She fingered her dark red necklace around her throat, looking absently into the words. She spoke without looking at me. 

“That’s what we all want.” She looked at me. “Won’t you come join us?” I nodded. She nodded towards the blade in my hand. I held it up, letting the fading sun catch it in a glimmer. “Just like mine,” she guided. I held it to my neck feeling the blood drip onto my hand and clothes. I closed my eyes. A small voice in my head warned me that this was wrong. But I didn;t care. I moved my hand deeper into my skin, and I went around. I felt my body hit the ground and I felt my life slipping through my hands like water. The voice in the car rang through the air one last time. 

Turn right into Spiegel Grove. 

Breaking News

 Another suicide has been reported on Spiegel Grove, just off of Brownstone Avenue. The victim is Ellison Maison, who worked as a high school English teacher at Mt.Vernon High School. She had just recently lost both her husband and her brother in a car accident. Her death marks the 13th suicide on Spiegel Grove since the beginning of May, only 10 days ago. All victims have been found with cuts around their necks. Detectives are convinced that this is no coincidence, which would mean that foul play is involved with the scene. They warn all drivers to avoid Spiegel Grove in case there is a killer. If you have any information on the victim or anything that might help the case, please call the number on your screen or Text INFO to 83341.