#sterpspringtide

"I never thought wild rabbits could be so friendly," he exclaimed as the rabbit snuggled into his arms. It was definitely unusual for a wild animal to be so friendly, but he was not about to turn down a cute creature. "I kind of want to name it."

It was just a gathering with her stepdad's family. It was supposed to be fine—maybe even enjoyable. For once, David didn’t act like a total asshole. For once in his life, he actually behaved. He had invited his sister and her four kids over. Three of them were around eight years old, and one was a boy around Ollie’s age named Drew. They would always sneak off and have a smoke session without anyone worrying about where they were. Ollie sat in a lawn chair outside, enjoying the breeze, as her three cousins hunted for eggs. She felt something off, as if she was remembering something. She shook it away and focused on her cousins, watching them pick up each egg they found. Lost. The word rang in her head, twisting itself to match her tormented mind. A day that was supposed to represent the resurrection of someone holy… but today it only made Ollie think of the lab. How Papa had planned an Easter egg hunt of his own. Whoever found the golden egg was offered one-on-one time for two hours in the Rainbow Room. Ollie hated that place with a burning passion. But there was one person she enjoyed being with—Henry. 001. He was always at her side, silent, like a quiet savior waiting for his chance to save her. Her mind drifted again. Her cousins’ laughter sounded distorted, and the conversations around her faded into something distant and warped. Her vision blurred as she tried to breathe properly, but found it difficult. The day the Easter egg hunt began in the lab… someone tried to hurt her. Someone did something that changed her—changed who she trusted. Someone who never should have done what they did. And now, they had paid the price. Her hands gripped the arms of the chair, her knuckles turning white. “Ollie!” Someone shouted, but she didn’t recognize the voice. She didn’t know if she was home or back in the lab. She jumped from her chair, and everything snapped back to normal—or so it seemed.

For now. She stood there for a moment until one of her cousins handed her an egg. She looked down. It was Drew. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, holding another egg in his hand. “I stole it from Trevor—hope you don’t mind. Figured you could use it, considering—” He stopped himself. Unlike David and the rest of the family, Drew knew about her powers. He thought they were cool and kept it a secret from his mom and siblings. Ollie just stood there, unable to speak. Drew knew everything she had been through—the lab, the abuse, the abuse at home. All of it. He also knew that her best friend, Eddie Munson, had suddenly come back from the dead, and how much that terrified her. How she had started investigating the echoes and what they meant. Her mind snapped back again. All she could see was the man in the Rainbow Room, reaching out to her with that evil smile. Then—blood. Everywhere. Henry stood over him, fists clenched, striking him again and again. And then— Nothing. That was where it ended. Ollie stood frozen in the present. Slowly, softly, she tried to speak—but no words came out. She looked down at the egg in her hand, as if it could give her answers. As if it was something good she could cling to. She cracked it open. Blood. Ollie screamed and threw the egg to the ground. It shattered against the concrete— But when she looked again, there was no blood. Only a gold coin inside. She shook her head. Drew was at her side, but she raised her arms, signaling him not to come closer. He stopped a few feet away, giving her space. Her body trembled. The echoes were playing tricks on her again—making her see things that weren’t there, dragging suppressed memories back to the surface. She was in agony. The pain from the lab, the memory of watching Henry kill her abuser…Easter was never a good time for her. It was just pain—just a reminder of something terrible. A witness to a justified crime. The rest of the day only brought more fragments of memory, like the world itself had something against her. And when she finally got away from her family, she walked toward the woods. It was the only place where she could find peace. The only place where she could think clearly.

The season shifts… but Echoes never lets anything stay simple.

Spring has finally reached our cursed little town. Flowers pushing through thawed soil, longer days, warmer air. Hawkins is gearing up for their usual mix of Easter egg hunts, family dinners, Passover gatherings, spring fairs, and small‑town celebrations.

Except… something feels off this year.

📅 WHEN:

All of April (real time)

In‑universe: Spring 1986, right as the town tries to pretend everything is normal.

📍 WHERE:

Anywhere your muse would be during spring festivities:

Community center egg hunt

A family Seder or dinner

Church basement bake sale

The woods behind Black Pine

School hallways decorated with pastel construction paper

A “totally normal” spring fair

Someone’s backyard gathering

Or any place where spring should feel safe… but doesn’t

WHAT’S HAPPENING:

Spring brings renewal but in Echoes, renewal doesn’t always mean rebirth. Sometimes it means return. Expect:

Eggs showing up where they shouldn’t

Lost items reappearing in pairs

Shadows that stretch too far in the longer daylight

Animals acting strangely

Family traditions interrupted by flickers of the uncanny

Sweet moments soured by déjà vu

Threads that start wholesome and drift into the eerie

Characters confronting what they’ve “left behind”… or what refuses to stay gone

This is a low‑pressure, open‑ended event.

ECHO TWIST:

Someone finds an egg with something inside that isn’t candy.

A Seder plate item goes missing and something else appears in its place.

Kids report seeing “a rabbit” that walks on two legs.

A spring storm knocks out power, but only on one street.

A family tradition triggers a memory your muse shouldn’t have.

Flowers bloom overnight in a perfect circle.

A pastel‑colored flyer appears in lockers advertising an event that doesn’t exist.