“It’s getting worse. We have to do something…find a cure-”

“You know there’s no treatment. Not even doctors have found one, with all the scientific knowledge they have. We’re farmers. We can’t expect to discover a cure by ourselves. The only thing we can do is rely on natural healing…”

“You know how few people survived. If we keep waiting it’ll only get worse…she’ll end up like her brother”

Opal was lying in her room, while her parents seemed to be having an animated discussion downstairs about her, despite being aware the walls weren’t thick enough for her not to hear clearly what they were saying; or perhaps they simply assumed her conditions were so debilitating that she lost conception of reality. In either case, she knew they were talking about her life and the chances she had to survive, which were quite low. Tuberculosis was a big deal: with no specific cure, you could only hope fresh air and a healthy climate helped with the symptoms; in some cases they did. Anthony, her brother, hadn’t been so lucky. 

She returned her focus to the conversation.

“Alright then do you have any better ideas” Travis Mellion, her father said. Beneath the exasperated tone she could sense his hope for a positive answer. 

“Well…we could give her mineral water from that one spring…I know it didn’t work for Anthony, but his case was different. His conditions were worse” her mother Ezra replied. 

If her pain wasn’t consuming her she would have laughed at even the possibility of her father putting her life in the hands of a natural element like spring water without being absolutely sure it would save her life. He had always been a skeptical man in general, distrustful of the paranormal world, suspicious of all these theories about that liquid being somewhat miraculous or magical. Her mother was no different, however the risk of losing her daughter apparently led her to putting more trust in what she had constantly doubted. 

“Do you seriously believe it could work” was the predictable affirmation that followed that proposal. 

“I think it doesn’t hurt to try”

After a long pause, Travis’ comeback surprised her: “It’s settled then. We can go tomorrow right after lunch…I don’t think her condition will change overnight.”

The next morning, as planned, they got ready and headed out, the destination was the nearest mineral spring that happened to be close to the Elms Hotel, which opened eight years previous (after burning to the ground in 1898 and in 1910). She sat by a rock to relax. October’s air grazing her skin, cool and mysterious. She needed to get some fresh air…it may alleviate her worsening symptoms. Her nights were either tormented by nightmares or spent fully awake and restless, bearing the pain in her lungs, no in between. 

It was almost 6pm when the vehicle became visible again. At their arrival, she followed the orders and entered the bathtub already filled with the mineral waters. A cloth soaked in the same substance layed on the counter next to her. She closed the door after being given some privacy and took off her nightgown. 

It was oddly soothing, much more than a normal bath. She enjoyed the feeling it brought to her skin until it was time to get out. 

Not many words were pronounced during dinner. As soon as she emptied her dish, she returned to her bedroom bringing a jug containing the same liquid that gave her so much confort only a few hours before. They advised her to drink it prior to falling asleep, so after snuggling under the covers, she poured the mineral water in her mouth. Sleep didn’t take long to arrive and wrap her in his wings. 

Plink

Plink

Plink

Something was dripping. Presumably water. But she couldn’t trace the source. Was it from the kitchen? No…the sound wouldn't even reach the first story, despite her bedroom door being open. It must come from the bathroom then. Although she was sure the tap was closed. 

Nevertheless, how could such a soft noise have woken her? Especially when the only things awakening her at night, since she got sick, were nightmares. At that thought, she realized that night wasn’t one of those nights. The dripping continued, therefore she decided to investigate the origin and put an end to the leaking, which was now starting to sound like a clock ticking echoing in the walls. She left her room and headed towards the bathroom, closed the sink and made her way back.  Once in bed again, eyes closed, the sound restarted. Puzzled, she retraced her steps and repeated the same actions now conscious of her surroundings, tiredness slowly abandoning her body, careful not to make the same mistake again. After turning off the faucet for the second time, her gaze paused on the mirror in front of her. Nothing was odd except for her skin, which seemed to have completely regained color, delicate blush on her cheeks and bright pink lips in contrast with her fair, yet not pale, complexion; there were no signs of the ghost-looking face that has characterized her appearance from the onset of the disease. 

She scanned her reflection, trying to figure out the reasons behind this inexplicable change. Then there was a twitch, unnoticeable unless the person was paying close attention, and , in this case, Opal was. Again she blamed it on herself and the astonishment she felt. Yet, after a few seconds, there was a second twitch: too distinct to be considered involuntary. But how could she explain it? It was simply a mirror. A normal mirror. 

The corner of the lips moved again to form a little smirk. A glimpse of malice caused her eyes to sparkle. A dark aura all around her figure. 

She placed her hand on the surface. The reflection copied her movement. Turn left. Turn right. Back. Every action was perfectly mimicked, however those details in her expression did not belong to her. It wasn’t her in that mirror. Even though they were identical, she knew the person in front of her was not her image. Was not herself. 

A whisper, low yet clear, pronouncing her name. One. Two. Three times. Then silence. It came from the walls.

Several minutes passed, with Opal staring forward, confusion and anxiety blending together, only to be joined by fear as her copy in the mirror greeted her distinctly, in a casual tone; just loud enough for her to understand. 

“Hello”

The blood in her veins freezed along with her whole body, but curiosity won over every other sensation. 

“Hi”

At the sound of her voice, she realized the two were alike: tone, timbre, accent were exactly the same. Yet, somehow, hers sounded more human. More real. More genuine. 

“Who are you? Under this facade I mean?”Opal asked. 

“Frederick Kugler” 

Surprised at how easy it had been to get an answer, after a brief mental research, she concluded that the name didn’t sound familiar at all, in fact she had never heard it before. 

“I assume, from your face, it’s not ringing any bells. Well, if you have time I can share my story”.

At the sight of the girl nodding, the stranger went on:

“I was a soldier. A Civil War veteran to be specific. I was staying at a friend’s house at the time, not far from here. However, a gunshot wound on my leg got infected. The pain was almost unbearable but let’s skip over this part, since I assume you don’t want to listen to a lecture about the war and the scars caused by it. . One day, during spring day of 1898, I was forced to stop my daily walk because of it. I sat by a spring and poured some water on the wound, hoping to relieve the pain. It worked temporarily, giving me the time to return home. Then something queer occurred: within a month I was cured. Like a miracle. 

“That spring happened to be near the Elms Hotel. It was irrelevant since the hotel itself wasn’t involved in my healing, yet I still felt an attraction towards that place that I couldn’t quite explain, not even now. A few days later it mysteriously burned to the ground, no victims, did you know?”

Opal, who was attentively listening to the story, tilted her head up and down.

He proceeded: “As soon as it was opened to the public for the second time in 1909, I booked a room and decided to spend a few nights there. Terrible mistake I made!

“Unfortunately, those had been my last days, whereas I was killed on my last night there. The culprit was a young man, his name was Davis. I enjoyed playing cards with some other friends outside the residence and when I found out he shared the same interest, we arranged group meetings in the evening in the basement, where we would play and make small bets. We all considered it a fun activity to do, without much competition, or so I thought.

When money is involved it’s always a competition. Opal mused. 

“Apparently Davis wasn’t used to these “cheap” bets and took every win or loss quite seriously. When I beated him, I was the first one in our group…later that night, I went for a stroll around the hotel and unconsciously ended up near that miraculous spring. I was so deep in thought that I didn’t even notice him approaching. The last thing I knew was that I had a knife in my stomach and was being thrown in the water. 

“From what I know, my body was never found,” he concluded.

Opal had been so immersed in the story that she almost didn’t realize that he stopped talking. She had so many questions, for example what she had to do with it or why he narrated his whole story, was it just because they used the waters from the same spring? 

The mineral waters.

What if these were side effects of it? Was she hallucinating? Was it all just a dream? 

“Yes, you can call it a dream if you’d like.” Frederick confirmed reading her mind. 

“So you're a ghost?” the girl questioned regaining her voice. 

“A poltergeist to be precise. Familiar with this word?”

Opal shook her head. 

“Well, you just have to know that they’re a specific type of spirit-”

“What type?” she interrupted.

“Let’s just say we’re noisier than other spirits”. 

She, then, picked two questions that emerged between the ones scattered around her brain: “Why are you here, in my dream, looking exactly like me? Am I dead?”

“Oh no! You’re not dead, don’t worry. You actually will feel much more alive if you choose to wake up. Regarding your first doubt, on the other hand, the reason I am here is to offer you a deal”

“Go on. And, please, could you restore your natural appearance.?" She was getting impatient.

“I sincerely apologize, Miss. I expected the current look would put you more at ease” his eyes sparkled with malice again, betraying his words. 

Normally she would have made a snarky remark, however she opted to let it go this time, focusing on keeping her face blank when he turned into what she assumed was his real self. 

Having noted that there wouldn’t be a further reply, the soldier spoke:”I’ll heal you and make you go back to your life under two conditions.”

He was met with an expectant glare. 

“The first one: you’ll help me get my revenge on Davis, making him regret taking away my life for such petty motives. We can kill him or make him suffer so badly that he wishes to be dead.”

“You’re mad! Why would you even need my help to achieve this? So that you can torture me too?”

“It would be unreasonable of me to torment a young lady like you, who never did anything to harm me. To answer your other question, no, I am, unfortunately, not able to kill people in my current state. 

“The second condition, you’re prohibited from telling anyone about this deal. I’d also like to tell you something else. Your brother, Anthony, was given this chance too. Poor soul! He chose to die. Strong morality, that guy. Admirable. That was in 1910, when the hotel burned to the ground for the second time. I admit that I am responsible for the fire, hoping to find him dead in the ruins. Nevertheless, fate had been on his side, since during the fire, he happened to be outside, exactly in  the spot where he killed me the previous year. Funny, isn’t it?“

Opal entirely ignored the last part, taken aback by the mention of Anthony: “My brother?! He got the possibility to pick too?!”

“Of course he did. He was one of the people who witnessed the potential of spring mineral water and used it. As you might have guessed by now, it’s not like common water, it seems to have healing powers, but people are unaware of the fact that I am the one who cures them when their lives are at risk. Who knows…if you accept, you might be able to see him again.”

Some more information was shared by Frederick about the functioning of this process and how she could find him:

“He happens to work there at the moment. Worker during the day, player during the night. Smart enough not to get caught, along with his crew. Gambling is becoming more and more popular nowadays as well as drinking illegally transported alcohol, but I’m sure you’re old enough to know that. Hence, the noises I produce and the pranks I pull on them are brushed off and blamed on the effects of alcohol itself. Here’s why I am asking for your help. An alive comrade. You won’t be able to see me, but my actions will be perfectly visible and clear, especially when you’re aware of my existence. Are you willing to accept?”

After evaluating her options, Opal gave an answer. A positive one, tha surprised herself. The motivations behind the choice she’d made were oblivious to her. However she recognized that her actions were driven by survival instinct. Despite knowing she wouldn’t get a response, she inquired:

“How do I know if I can trust you? How can I know that you’re not just tricking me? 

“You can’t. Moreover, if you don’t comply with the conditions, you won’t be the only one to suffer the consequences.” was his simple and honest reply. 

Even though the spirit had been vague, she fully comprehended what he meant and, somehow, appreciated the honesty. 

It was final.

Once everything was settled they shook hands, her warm, soft palm against her opposite hand that was now controlled by him. As soon as they touched each other, everything faded and she was back in bed, sitting up straight. She might have made some sort of noise because her parents came rushing in her room. 

Reflexively her hand rested on her forehead, in an attempt to check the temperature. It wasn’t hot anymore. . Travis and Ezra worried-happy faces were looking down at her. They informed her that she had stayed asleep for days, astonishment overtook her features.

Memories of the deal came back to her mind and she felt her own energy being altered, perhaps because of the spirit’s presence. She subtly examined the room, searching for any signs of him. Nothing. It looked the same. Not that she expected any major changes whatsoever. Then she stood up and went to the bathroom. Her reflection was like she dreamt of, with color back to her skin and the sparkle in her eyes that had been taken away by the disease was now shining again. 

She was the same person, yet something was different: not in her appearance, but inside of her. 

Her healing was celebrated with a feast, friends and neighbors invited (the rest of the family lived far away). The location was the Elms hotel, chosen at her insistence, where they would be staying for a few nights.

During the last one, according to Kugler, there would be another gambling party. Stealthiness was required on her part, if she cared about not getting killed. 

She came up with a plan, after sneakily studying Devis’ habits for the past couple days. 

That night, like she predicted, he went for a stroll, halted near the remarkable spring, lit up his cigarette and raised his glance towards the sky. 

Careful not to produce any noise, Opal got closer to the man and, without second thought, stabbed him three times to play it safe, one of which she surely pierced his heart.There was no way he could survive after this. 

“This is for Frederick Kugler, remember him?” she seethed venomously. The man's face became visible as he fell. Fear depicted all over his features. 

“A bit late for that. Should have watched your back…too bad.” she thought. 

She proceeded to make sure he was dead, checking his pulse. No heartbeat. Then threw the body in the water. 

She sat on a rock, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off and regret to crush her from the inside. 

It didn’t. At that point, almost half an hour had passed, and she needed to return to her room in the hotel. She made her way back, feeling almost ecstatic, not even a little guilty, and went to bed as if nothing ever happened. What was wrong with her? 

The body was never found, nobody arrested, no messages from Frederick. The mission had been a success, so there was nothing to stress about. 

Gambling parties continued throughout the years, illegal operations executed by famous gangsters never caught, who spent the nights at the Elms. 

She kept secretly supporting the spirit’s action, most of the time contributing, careful not to be seen. It started with that murder, committed coldly, no following guilt or remorse. She didn’t know why. Since then her morality couldn’t be considered righteous anymore and she was fine with it. She accepted the person she had become. After her death, they carried on with working together, despite none of them being physically present in the livings’ world. 

Guest reports suggest two impish poltergeists enjoy pulling pranks on the livings, giving them a reminder of what’s to come. The third floor, where Kugler’s room was, and the lap pool in the basement are said to be entertained by those spirits. 

Frederick Kugler and Opal Mellion are the stars of the Nightmare at the Elms.