The Crimson River
Shaina Tranquilino
September 19, 2024
Dr. Kenton Laverdiere stood at the edge of the Crimson River, his breath misting in the cool evening air. A full moon hung heavy and bright in the sky, casting a silver glow over the water. It looked ordinary now, dark and still, as if waiting. But by midnight, it would run red like blood—just as it had every full moon for over two centuries.
Kenton had spent months studying the river, documenting its unusual behaviour. He was a man of science, a geologist by trade, and he had dismissed the local legends when he first arrived in the small, isolated village of Harrington. The villagers spoke of curses, of ancient tragedies that stained the water. But Kenton believed there was a natural explanation. There had to be.
He glanced at his watch—11:48 PM. Twelve more minutes. He adjusted the lenses of his binoculars, scanning the area. The trees lining the riverbank stood tall and silent, their shadows long and eerie. Everything seemed normal, but he could feel something—an oppressive weight in the air that tugged at his nerves.
Kenton had set up a series of instruments along the riverbank: water samplers, cameras, spectrometers. He was determined to capture every detail, hoping this would be the night he unraveled the mystery.
At precisely midnight, a soft breeze stirred the leaves. The river began to move. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the water darkened. Kenton leaned in, eyes wide, heart racing.
The river turned crimson.
He snapped a series of photos and bent down to collect a water sample. It was thick, viscous, like fresh blood. His mind raced. Could there be an underground vein of iron deposits, seeping into the water during the full moon? It was a possibility, though an improbable one.
Just as he straightened, a cold wind swept through the trees, howling like a distant scream. His breath caught in his throat. The air had changed, felt heavy and electric.
Then, he heard it—a faint whisper, a distant murmur that seemed to rise from the water itself. Kenton turned, scanning the riverbank, but saw nothing. Just the dark, rippling water.
The whispers grew louder, swirling around him. He took a step back, his pulse quickening. Logic told him it was the wind, the way it echoed through the forest. But deep down, he knew it was something else.
Then, the river began to move in ways it shouldn't. It churned violently, the crimson water bubbling and foaming. In the midst of the chaos, shadows began to rise from the depths—dark, indistinct forms that slowly took shape.
Kenton froze, his blood turning to ice. One by one, the figures emerged from the water—men, women, and children, their eyes hollow and their faces twisted in pain. They floated just above the surface, their translucent bodies shimmering in the moonlight.
Kenton had heard whispers of it from the locals, but no one spoke of it in detail. The village of Harrington had been founded over two hundred years ago, built by settlers looking for a new life. But one night, during the height of a bitter land dispute, a group of men had slaughtered an entire family by the river—men, women, children—all to claim their land. The river ran red with their blood that night, and it had never stopped.
Kenton stumbled back, his heart pounding. The ghostly figures hovered there, staring at him, their eyes filled with a sorrow so deep it chilled him to his core.
A woman stepped forward, her hair dripping wet, her dress torn and bloodstained. She raised a pale, trembling hand, pointing directly at Kenton.
"Why have you come here?" her voice echoed, cold and hollow.
"I-I’m here to understand," Kenton stammered. "To learn the truth."
The woman's face twisted in agony. "The truth was buried long ago. Forgotten. But the blood never fades. It remains, as we remain, bound to this river."
Kenton felt a sudden pressure in his chest, a suffocating weight. He realized now why the villagers feared this place, why no one dared come near the river at night. The spirits were trapped, tethered to the site of their slaughter, and the river ran red as a reminder of the atrocity that had condemned them.
"I can help," Kenton said, his voice shaky. "I can tell the world what happened here. I can—"
"You cannot help," the woman interrupted. "You cannot undo what was done. No one can."
The other spirits began to whisper again, their voices rising in a cacophony of despair. The river churned violently, as if the earth itself were weeping for the lost souls trapped within it.
"Go," the woman said, her voice softening. "Before it’s too late. Leave this place, and never return."
Kenton hesitated. He wanted to stay, to ask more, to learn. But the weight of their suffering, the overwhelming sense of hopelessness, pressed down on him like a vise.
Then, the river surged violently, the water rising to his ankles. The spirits’ whispers grew into a deafening roar. Panic surged through him.
He turned and ran, his heart pounding in his chest as he fled the riverbank. He didn’t stop running until he reached his car, gasping for breath, his clothes drenched with sweat and the river’s eerie mist.
As he drove away, he glanced in the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see the figures still standing there by the water’s edge, watching him. But there was nothing—just the dark, winding road leading back to Harrington.
Kenton never returned to the Crimson River. He wrote his report, cataloging the strange phenomenon in scientific terms, but he left out the ghosts, the whispers, the forgotten massacre.
Some truths, he realized, were better left buried with the dead.
And still, on every full moon, the Crimson River runs red.
