Violence Surge Raises Eyebrows as Robin Readies for Pumpkin Fest

  By Jessica Winters Robin Daily News

  ROBIN, N.H. — In this picturesque New England town where autumn foliage typically dominates conversation this time of year, residents are instead discussing something far less scenic: a troubling wave of violent incidents.

  Yet as the beloved annual Pumpkin Fest approaches this weekend, Police Chief Daniel Harris is downplaying concerns.

  "We know what folks are saying around town," Harris said Wednesday, shifting uncomfortably at the podium, sweat visible at his temples despite the autumn chill. "But I'm telling you straight – we've got nothing concrete tying these incidents together."

  When pressed about specifics, Harris grew defensive. "Look, I didn't say there wasn't an increase. I said there's no immediate danger."

  Records obtained by the Robin Daily News show September's disturbance calls jumped 47% compared to last year, with multiple incidents involving normally law-abiding citizens behaving inexplicably. Three required hospitalization.

  The timing couldn't be worse for the town's biggest tourism draw, which brought in nearly $2 million last year according to chamber of commerce figures.

  Mayor Strout, wearing her trademark pumpkin brooch, cut off a reporter's follow-up question. "This festival puts Robin on the map," she said, voice rising slightly. "We've invested too much to consider postponement."

  When asked directly if economic concerns were outweighing safety, Strout's smile tightened. "The suggestion that I would prioritize anything over our residents' wellbeing is frankly offensive," she said before her aide abruptly ended questioning.

  On Main Street, opinions vary widely. Outside Thompson's Hardware, lifelong resident Melanie Harris loaded supplies into her minivan while expressing reservations. "I'm definitely keeping my kids close," she said, glancing down the normally quiet street. "Things feel off this year."

  Despite growing anxiety, orange banners now hang from lampposts downtown and vendor tents have begun appearing on the town green. City workers were busy Wednesday setting up stages and arranging hay bales for what officials insist will be business as usual.

  "We will be ready, and we will be safe," Mayor Strout emphasized before ending the press conference. "Pumpkin Fest remains the family-friendly event our community treasures."

  Whether residents share that confidence remains to be seen.

  ~

  Chapter 5 ~ The Devil's Workers

  Otto is beginning to worry about his friend. She is becoming obsessed with the "demons" that are waiting outside of the window.

  They sit across from each other at the dining hall, sipping their coffee, and picking away at their cereal.

  "I don't know why I can see them and you can't!" Lucy exclaims. "Maybe I have some sort of special powers or something."

  Otto rolls his eyes. "Or maybe you're just hallucinating. Demons aren't real."

  Lucy scoffs. "Well, Otto, we will see about that. Don't call me when one of those things is sitting outside your window watching you."

  "Well, Lucy, I can't call you because you broke your fucking phone!"

  He has a point.

  "Well. I am going to ask Dr. Brighton today what she thinks about this. She's very smart and she knows about this sort of thing."

  "She's going to look at you like you're crazy. She probably already does when she heard that you were going to be her own personal Nancy Drew. Kiss ass, much?"

  Lucy sighs. Maybe Otto is right. "Well. Maybe I won't tell her."

  "Yeah, I mean come on Lucy. I know it's Halloween and I know you like all of this spooky shit, but please try and preserve at least some of your dignity."

  ~

  When Lucy sits in Dr. Brighton's history class that afternoon she sits with a pit in her stomach. Not just because she is getting the results of her history paper back but also because she has the sinking suspicion that Otto is right. She is a kiss ass. And maybe even a hallucinator to boot.

  As Dr. Brighton carries on with her lecture about the Korean War, Lucy can't focus. Instead she draws circles and spirals on her notebook as she daydreams about what she will wear to Pumpkin Fest later that week. Maybe she won't dress up like the Wendy's girl like she does every year. Maybe she will try something different like the popular girls on campus. They are all going as animals from what she can gather: cats, bunnies, mice – whatever excuse they can find to wear tight clothes.

  When Lucy snaps out of her daydream she looks at her watch and notices it is two o'clock. Class is basically over and she hasn't the slightest idea of what happened.

  "And now I will pass out the results of your paper on World War 2," says Dr. Brighton as she lifts a heavy stack of papers from her desk. She begins to pass them out around the classroom. Lucy looks up eagerly, praying that she received an A. She wouldn't accept anything less of herself.

  When the white stack of paper lands on her desk with a big fat A+ in bright red pen, Lucy jumps for glee. But her celebration is short lived when a loud bang echoes throughout the classroom.

  Towards the back of the room Jenny Hoff is standing on the floor next to her big clunky history book that she has thrown down on the ground. Her freckled face is bright red as she lets out a guttural scream.

  "FUCK this CLASS!" she yells.

  The class watches in awe as she picks up her paper and begins to tear it up into little shreds, sprinkling it all over the classroom.

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  Dr. Brighton stands in horror. Everyone at Robin State College loves her class. In her years of teaching she doesn't have any problems with her students. In fact, she rarely gives anyone anything lower than a C+ so long as they actually try to read and understand the material.

  "A B+!" Jenny yells. "A fucking B+!" She walks to the back of the room and topples over the big globe that sits in the back of the classroom, causing the whole structure to fall to the ground and the sphere to burst open.

  "Jenny, I'm going to need you to take a seat," Dr. Brighton says politely, walking towards Jenny cautiously.

  "No. I won't!" Jenny yells. "Fuck you and fuck this class."

  As Jenny continues to terrorize the classroom, her classmates watch in awe. She knocks the books off every desk, she empties the backpacks of some of her classmates, she rips posters off of the walls.

  Dr. Brighton hurries over to the phone at her desk and dials a quick number. "Hi. I have a student who is experiencing a psychotic episode. Please hurry."

  Lucy can't help but see a bit of herself in Jenny. It is exactly how she felt yesterday when she thought that Otto wasn't going to be able to come help her look for the stone. Though Lucy is fixated on Jenny, she knows that she has to turn behind her. She knows that she has to look out the window.

  "I HATE IT HERE. I HATE IT. I HATE IT!"

  Lucy turns around slowly to look out the row of windows that line the far end of the classroom. In the farthest window she sees two yellow eyes staring back at her. It is the imp, hovering above the ground, looking directly at Jenny in her fit of rage and fury.

  "Um…" Lucy looks around nervously. She stands up from her seat. "Does anyone see that?" Lucy says loudly pointing to the far window. Her classmates shake their heads and roll their eyes. Many of them begin to gather their stuff to walk out before they get in Jenny's line of rage.

  Dr. Brighton rises up from her seat, looking out the window, as her face turns white. "Class is dismissed, class is dismissed!" she yells as her voice shakes.

  "FUCKING FINALLY!" Jenny screams. She storms out of Dr. Brighton's classroom, slamming the door that has just been repaired that morning.

  "Everyone, please leave as soon as possible, I have some urgent matters to address," says Dr. Brighton as she begins to rush students out of her classroom. "Please. Carry on with your days. I will handle what happened with Jenny."

  While most of Dr. Brighton's class leaves, Lucy stands firmly planted like a tree. She isn't going anywhere.

  Once the last student leaves the classroom, Dr. Brighton promptly locks the door behind them, leaving Dr. Brighton, Lucy, and the imp.

  "Lucy, if you stay here right now, I can't assure your safety," says Dr. Brighton.

  "You see it too! Why are we the only ones who can see it?"

  Dr. Brighton swallows hard. "Well. We're likely the only ones who believe in it."

  "I only believe in it because you told me they exist!" Lucy says.

  Dr. Brighton shudders at the thought.

  Did she expose Lucy's mind to this evil?

  Dr. Brighton walks up to the far window of the classroom as the imp watches her every move, daring her to take one step further and further. Lucy trails quietly behind her professor, taking each step with caution.

  When Dr. Brighton reaches the window, she stares the creature straight in the eyes, without wincing. Up close, its eyes glow a deep amber with two thin black pupils sitting in the center of them.

  Dr. Brighton slams her hand against the window, causing Lucy to jump. "Get away from here!"

  The imp doesn't move. It just lets out a toothy grin, showing its pointy sharp teeth.

  "I said, get away from here!" Dr. Brighton yells as she slams her hand up against the window.

  "Dr. Brighton?" yells a muffled voice from outside in the hallway. Dr. Brighton turns to the door and when she looks back at the imp, it is gone.

  Dr. Brighton rushes over to the door. She opens it quickly revealing Dr. Geraldine Fogharty. Her boss.

  "I heard you had a bit of an incident," Dr. Fogharty says. Her long nose holds up a set of thick red framed glasses and she stands with her hands on her hips. Dr. Fogharty is the exact opposite of Dr. Brighton. Simply put, no one likes her. Not even her husband.

  "Yes, I had a student experience a bit of a breakdown."

  "Mmmhmmm," Dr. Forgharty snarls. "And where is she now?"

  "I don't know, she stormed off."

  "You don't know? What if she was having a mental break you should have stopped her!"

  Dr. Brighton laughs. "How? Did you want me to tackle her? She was completely unreasonable. I just let her go."

  Dr. Fogharty shakes her head. "This is not good, Beatrix. If another child gets hurt because of this, you're going to have blood on your hands. This community has had enough heartbreak this week."

  Once Dr. Fogharty leaves, Lucy is glued to Dr. Brighton like a second head. She has so many questions and Dr. Brighton has little incentive to give her any answers. She sits in the classroom reeling.

  "Look, Lucy, you need to stay away from this. Stay away from windows, something very bad is happening in Robin right now."

  "It was at my window!"

  Dr. Brighton raises her eyebrows. "When?"

  "Last night. It made me angry. So angry that I broke my phone. I just smashed it in a fit of rage."

  Dr. Brighton bites the bottom of her lip. "And what happened when you saw it?"

  "It disappeared when my friend came. And we saw it outside of the Mayor's office too —" Lucy covers her mouth when she realizes that she has spilled her own beans. "Actually…" Lucy giggles lowly.

  "Can you not tell anyone about that?"

  "Why?"

  "Well… my friend and I saw one outside of the Mayor's Office last night. And I was worried that it was going to do something to hurt the Mayor… so I tried to distract it."

  "How?"

  "By throwing a rock at it. Which may have gone through the Mayor's window."

  Dr. Brighton frowns and walks over to her desk. She picks up a copy of the Robin Daily News and passes it to Lucy.

  The front page reads:

  Mayor's Office Becomes Victim Of Late Night Vandals

  Robin police are investigating two hooded individuals who may have thrown a rock into Mayor Strout's office late last night.

  "Oh no," Lucy says as her face deflates. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

  Dr. Brighton shakes her head. "Of course not. I won't but I am worried that all of these shenanigans happening around town right now have to do with these imps. I think someone did something to the Stone."

  "Dr. Brighton – what is an imp exactly?"

  Dr. Brighton sighs and sits on the edge of her desk. "You know how there's a Queen bee and honey bees. And honey bees are little workers who basically work to please the queen."

  Lucy nods.

  "Well, Lucy. Imps are like the honey bees and the Queen Bee would be the Devil."