The Town Knows

The next morning, Ellie decided she needed answers. She couldn't sit in the house, waiting for the whispers and fog to creep closer. Whatever was happening here—whatever this thing was—it wasn't going to stop on its own. And clearly, she wasn't going to get any help from the house itself.

Joey was still asleep when she slipped out of the house. She didn't want him to come with her. Not yet. The thought of him hearing the whispers again—or worse, seeing something she couldn't explain—made her skin crawl. She left a note on the kitchen counter:

"Gone to town. Be back soon. Stay inside. Love you."

Her first stop was the diner she'd seen on their way in—Mabel's Eats. It was the only place in Graven that had looked remotely alive, its flickering neon sign buzzing faintly against the foggy morning air. Ellie pulled the hood of her coat tighter around her head and hurried inside, the small bell above the door jingling as she entered.

The smell of coffee and grease hit her immediately, and for a moment, it felt almost normal. The kind of place where locals gathered to swap gossip over pancakes and too much sugar in their coffee. But as soon as Ellie stepped in, the conversation stopped.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward her. The clinking of forks against plates fell silent. Even the waitress behind the counter froze, her hand hovering over the coffee pot.

Ellie swallowed hard and forced a smile. "Uh, morning."

No one responded.

The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity before the waitress—an older woman with wiry gray hair and a nametag that read Mabel—cleared her throat. "Sit anywhere you like," she said, her voice clipped.

Ellie nodded and slid into the nearest booth. The other customers slowly went back to their meals, though she could still feel their eyes on her. She pretended not to notice, focusing instead on the menu in front of her.

A few minutes later, Mabel appeared at her table, a notepad in hand. "Coffee?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Ellie said. "And, uh, whatever you recommend for breakfast."

Mabel scribbled something down, then hesitated. "You're new in town."

It wasn't a question.

Ellie nodded. "Just moved in yesterday. Me and my son."

Mabel's expression didn't change, but Ellie caught the slight tightening of her lips. "Whereabouts?"

"On the edge of town," Ellie said. "Near Silent Lake."

The change was immediate. Mabel's eyes narrowed, and the faint murmur of conversation in the diner went quiet again. Ellie could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating.

"Why'd you move there?" Mabel asked, her voice low.

Ellie hesitated. "It was… affordable."

Mabel stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. "Listen, hon. I don't know what brought you to Graven, but if you're smart, you'll pack up and leave before you get too comfortable."

Ellie frowned. "Why? What's wrong with the house?"

"It's not the house," Mabel said. "It's the lake. Bad things happen out there. Always have."

Ellie leaned forward. "What kind of bad things?"

Mabel glanced around the diner, as if checking to make sure no one was listening. Then she lowered her voice. "People disappear. Sometimes they come back, but they're… different. And sometimes, they don't come back at all."

Ellie's stomach churned. "Disappear how?"

"No one knows for sure," Mabel said. "But it always starts with the fog. Once it comes, it doesn't leave. And neither do you."

Ellie's mind raced. The fog had been there since they'd arrived, curling around the house like a living thing. And then there was the figure she'd seen, the scratches on the counter, the voice Joey had heard.

"Why doesn't anyone do anything about it?" Ellie asked.

Mabel gave her a bitter smile. "You think we haven't tried? The lake doesn't let go. The best we can do is stay away and hope it doesn't notice us."

Ellie opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of the diner door slamming shut made her jump. She turned to see a man standing just inside, his clothes soaked with mist. His face was pale, his eyes hollow, as if he hadn't slept in days.

He looked straight at Ellie.

"You need to leave," he said, his voice shaking. "It's already started."

The diner erupted into chaos. Mabel tried to shush the man, but he wouldn't stop. "It's the lake!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "It's waking up again, and it's going to take her!"

Ellie's blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

The man pointed a trembling finger at her. "You brought it back. You and your kid. You're the reason it's waking up!"

"Enough, Charlie!" Mabel snapped, grabbing the man by the arm and dragging him toward the door. "You're scaring people."

"It's already too late!" Charlie shouted as Mabel shoved him outside. "You can't stop it!"

The door slammed shut, leaving the diner in stunned silence. Ellie sat frozen in her seat, her heart pounding.

Mabel returned a moment later, her face grim. "Ignore him," she said. "Charlie's not right in the head."

But Ellie couldn't ignore him. His words echoed in her mind, louder than the whispers in the fog.

You brought it back.