Small Favors

by Erin A. Craig

  “Silver?” Amos echoed. “Like the creatures in our woods.”

  “Exactly like them,” Thomas confirmed.

  “We believe that a family of Dark Watchers has taken interest in this area. Thomas and I have followed their progress, recording the stories of their mayhem, reporting back to the Brotherhood.”

  “What sort of mayhem are you talking about?” Matthias asked.

  “The complete and total destruction of your world,” Ephraim said simply.

  “Father.”

  “It is, isn’t it? Didn’t we see that at Ormbark? At Willow Pass and Blackburn? At the Fairfoot colony? The Dark Watchers are here in Amity Falls. There is no time to temper the reality of the situation.”

  “I’ve heard stories of what happened at that pass,” Leland said. “Old Jean Garreau, he had the most ghastly tales…but wasn’t that just circumstance? Bad luck?”

  The trinkets in my pocket burned.

  “The Dark Watchers spend time getting to know a place before they act. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been in your community for years without you being aware of their presence. There are always signs, but you need to know where—how—to look for them.”

  “What signs?” Amos asked.

  “Animals in the woods that are suddenly wrong. Frogs with multiple heads. Stags with too many horns or not enough legs. Squirrels and possums too small. Wolves grown too large. Does any of this sound familiar to you?”

  The Elders nodded reluctantly. In a darkened corner of the room, Parson Briard pursed his lips, listening with unusual silence.

  “And here, inside the town…you’ve had a rash of curious births in your farm animals? Mutations, deformations? Your crops have begun to rot before their intended harvests?”

  “The foals at the Brysons’ ranch,” I murmured. “The Vissers’ orchards.”

  “Everyone’s crops,” Amos added. “Yes.”

  “And the weather,” Ephraim continued. “Hail and thunder in winter, an unbearably hot spring. Drought and desiccation just as everything should be bursting forth, fresh and new.”

  Leland frowned. “Surely that’s not because of—”

  “Even among yourselves—have there been more arguments? More acts of violence? Or vandalism? All signs of the Dark Watchers. They…their presence is so insidious, so black, it tarnishes everything around them. Nothing is left unaffected…and then…and then the tricks begin.”

  Thomas drew his fingers along the mantel. “Once they’ve ingratiated themselves into a community, Dark Watchers determine people’s dearest desires and offer to fulfill them. They’ll propose a trade—it starts out small, a simple prank, a rumor spread. But over time the favors grow larger, more dangerous. And then the creatures watch as the community eats itself alive.”

  The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and my stomach roiled with queasiness.

  “Cyrus,” I finally dared to whisper. “He said that woman—the woman at the tavern had urged him to set the fire.”

  “There was no woman. There’s never been any woman like that here,” the parson disagreed, shaking his head.

  “There has. There is. I’ve seen her myself.”

  “He said she had silvery eyes,” Leland murmured, as if recalling something from a long-ago dream. He turned to Ephraim. “I didn’t understand what he meant, but you say they have silver—”

  “None of us understood anything he meant,” Briard snapped. “He was a madman. None of this—none of any of this is real. I’ll admit, Amity Falls has had far more than its share of troubles in the last year, but not because of fantastical creatures in the woods.” He shook his head, gaining fervor. “I do believe a darkness has fallen across our community, but it’s festered in the hearts of men, not monsters.”

  “But what if these things have come to the Falls?” Matthias stroked his beard. “They are the root of this darkness. They’ve brought the misfortune upon us.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second, Matthias Dodson, and neither should any God-fearing servant of the Lord.”

  Amos’s clouded eyes fell to the Founder Tree adorning his walking stick. “I think I would rather believe in the Dark Watchers’ thrall than imagine that anyone in Amity Falls would willingly seek to harm their fellow friends and neighbors, wouldn’t you, Clemency?”

  Parson Briard crossed his arms over his chest. “Only the Lord knows what wickedness is kept in the hearts of men.”

  I leaned forward, aware that none of these men would welcome the input of a teenage girl, but it needed to be said all the same. “I can assure you, the Dark Watchers—those creatures—are real. They chased me in the woods. I heard them. I saw them.”

  “A guilty conscience is capable of seeing most anything.” Briard turned a gimlet eye toward me. “What sins of yours need confessing, Ellerie Downing?”

  My mouth fell open. “What? I’ve done nothing….I’m not the only one who’s seen them either. Whitaker has—”

  The parson’s eyebrow raised. “Ah. Yes. The trapper in the woods. And you and he were alone in these same woods today, were you not?”

  My face colored as his implication struck.

  “Leave Ellerie be,” Amos said, interceding.

  “Sins are meant to be confessed.” Briard stared at me for a long moment before mercifully looking away. “Perhaps that’s what Amity needs now more than anything else.” He nodded as his idea formed. “Yes, yes, of course.”

  “What are you talking about?” Matthias asked.

  “A revival…We unite as a community, confess and repent our sins, ask for the forgiveness of both the Lord and our fellow men. That is what will save the Falls—not any pagan nonsense from those two.” He waved a dismissive hand at the Fairhopes. “Tomorrow morning. You three must get the word out—everyone in town will need to be there—and I must spend tonight in prayer.”

  Matthias narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think this—”

  “It’s not your place to think, Elder,” Briard snapped. “You and yours had your chance to save us. You tried your worldly ways. This town doesn’t need Decidings or Judgments. What it needs is a Reckoning. And as the spiritual authority, that is mine and mine alone.”

  “And God’s,” Matthias said, his jaw hardened. “Presumably.”

  The parson didn’t answer. His eyes closed as he mouthed a silent intercession. “Yes. A revival. Tomorrow. Every trace of evil shall be stamped from God’s Grasp.” He opened his eyes and stared hard at Ephraim. “Starting with you.”

  The next morning dawned hot, and by the time we made our way into Amity Falls, the air blanketed us with a wet, heavy stillness. Drawing breath felt impossible, and it took us nearly twice as long to make the three-mile walk.

  “I wish I had stayed with Sadie,” Merry muttered, fanning herself with pained listlessness. Attempting to stir this humidity was like trying to pull a fishing net through mud. “We shouldn’t have left her all alone.”

  “She’s not alone. Whitaker is with her.”

  “One of us ought to have stayed behind. At least.”

  I agreed, but it was the only solution I’d been able to think of. “The parson said he wanted every member of the town present.”

  “And he specifically said he wanted us there as well,” Ephraim gasped. Even hidden under the shade of his wide-brimmed hat, he was red. He took a sip from his canteen, then offered it to the rest of us.

  I patted a handkerchief over my neck, a useless gesture. The lace of my collar was already sodden with sweat.

  All around us was a sea of yellow. Dead grass. Dead fields. Dying pines. Without the spring rains, everything in God’s Grasp looked on the verge of igniting.

  We turned the corner and spotted the church.

  A large canvas tent had been erected on the lawn. Its flaps were pulled open, and I could see rows of
wooden chairs, mismatched but laid out with a fanatical order that suggested Letitia Briard had been up since dawn arranging them.

  Merry eyed the enclosure dubiously. “We have to sit in that?”

  “Apparently,” I said. “Look, the sides are open. I’m sure there will be a breeze.”

  I tried sounding hopeful, but so many people milled about the lawn, vying for spots of shade, that I didn’t truly believe my words. Merry didn’t either. I had to all but shove her into motion.

  “We should have stayed at home,” she repeated. “Whitaker shouldn’t have to look after Sadie all by himself.”

  “They’ll be fine. Come on. Let’s get seats along the back.”

  Stepping into that tent felt as if we’d entered one of the hellish landscapes Briard was always threatening sinners with from the top of his pulpit. My cotton voile was uncomfortably damp, clinging to my frame in a claustrophobic embrace. I took a steadying breath and nearly gagged. The air was rank with perspiration. The foul taste lingered at the back of my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. I turned to flee but ran straight into the parson.

  “Ellerie!” He greeted me with a hearty pat on my back, stalling my escape.

  I stared with fascinated horror at his long white robes and heavily stitched stole. His face was already as dark as a beet, and he’d not even begun his sermon.

  “Take a seat, take a seat. We’ll be beginning soon…”

  I stepped closer to Merry, slipping from the added heat of his hand, and he turned toward the Fairhopes. He looked boisterous.

  “Ah. Ezra. No, no, what was it? Don’t tell me….”

  “Ephraim,” he said, showing no inclination to play the parson’s game.

  “Ephraim.” Parson Briard shrugged, as if that was of no consequence. “I’m so glad you could join us. I want you to see this. See and understand. Amity Falls is full of good, righteous people. I know that when we come together in prayer, God will smite this wickedness from us.”

  His eyes shone with such a delirious fervency, I wondered if he was suffering from heatstroke.

  “I’m certain he will,” Ephraim said as I scanned the crowd for Dr. Ambrose.

  The parson grinned before leaving. “Good Blessings to you—to all of you.”

  “Good Blessings,” we repeated.

  Matthias Dodson sidled down the line of chairs. “Ephraim, Thomas,” he said, offering a nod to Merry and me. “This ought to be a…diverting spectacle.” He gazed to Briard, who was cajoling families to sit closer to the makeshift altar. “Amos, Leland, and I would like to speak with you both. We need to have a plan to put in place once…all this…is over with. Join us, won’t you?”

  There were only two empty chairs near the other Elders.

  “Go on,” I assured Ephraim. “Merry and I will be fine back here.”

  “Keep an eye out,” he warned before they left.

  “This is going to take all afternoon, isn’t it?” Merry asked as we sank into our seats. “I don’t see Sam yet, do you? I’ll save him a place…just in case.”

  Her fervent belief in Sam’s return shamed me. In truth, I’d hardly given my brother a moment’s thought since he’d left. There were too many other matters taking up space in my mind, each more pressing than the next. Sam would come back if Sam decided to.

  “Good Blessings, Downing girls,” said a voice, as sharp as a razor.

  Letitia Briard made her way into the tent. Her silvering hair was pulled into a severe bun, making the center of her eyebrows point in perpetual disbelief.

  “I’m so glad you all could be here. I simply can’t wait to hear what you’ll be confessing, Ellerie.” Her eyes ran over my wilted pink dress before she turned to greet the other families slinking reluctantly inside.

  “You didn’t really take that fabric, did you?” Merry asked once the parson’s wife was out of earshot.

  Her doubt stung. “Of course not. You were there when Whitaker brought it back.”

  “I know. I know that,” she said, and wiped at her forehead. “It’s just…it’s just so hot.”

  We fell into silence, wretchedly waiting for the revival to begin. Merry kept watch for our brother, certain he’d arrive with the last of the stragglers, but Briard made his way to the front, and the seat beside her remained open.

  “Good Blessings to you all on this fine morning,” Parson Briard called out, starting the gathering. “I’ve brought you here today because I believe a serious threat faces Amity Falls. No one can be unaware of the recent string of vandalism and violence plaguing our town. There are some here…”

  He turned his focus pointedly to the Elders and the Fairhopes. Matthias sat with his arms crossed over his chest, listening with incredulity, and Leland’s head listed to the side. Amos appeared to have fallen asleep, his mouth open and panting.

  “There are some here who would have you believe that outside forces are to blame. That an army of mysterious monsters”—he waggled his fingers in theatrical disbelief—“have come to the Falls with the sole purpose of disrupting our lives. They would believe in boogeymen rather than taking a good, long look within themselves.”

  “Are you talking about the creatures in the woods?” Prudence Latheton asked, standing up. “The ones with the silver eyes? Those aren’t figments of our imagination. I’ve seen them. Edmund has.” She looked around at her neighbors. Several nodded in support. “Many of us have.”

  “Have you seen actual fiends of flesh and blood, or is it perhaps the work of a guilty mind, playing tricks on you?”

  “I’ve seen them,” she insisted.

  “You’ve seen lots of things, haven’t you, Prudence?” Parson Briard said, leveling his full attention upon her. “In fact, I’d say you’re known as one of the biggest busybodies in all of God’s Grasp.”

  Someone behind her tittered, and she whirled around with narrowed eyes.

  “In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote ‘wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.’ None of us should be so quick to throw stones, for there’s not a single person here who is without fault.”

  Briard withdrew a handkerchief and patted at his face.

  “But we can come together, in a spirit of unity and contrition, to confess our misdeeds and ask for forgiveness. I believe this is the only thing that will eradicate the wickedness upon our valley. We are to blame. We must seek to atone. In fact…Prudence, please, come join me at the front.”

  She made a shallow sound of confusion.

  “There’s no need for anxiety. You are among friends. Family even, for we are all brothers and sisters in the Gathering. Please.”

  When she reached the front, he positioned her so they both faced the crowd, and he placed steady hands on her shoulders. I suppose it was meant to show a sign of accord, but his fingers dug into her thin shoulders, keeping her from bolting.

  “Why don’t you be the first among us to confess your sins? We shall do it publicly, like lancing a boil before its poison can spread. Once our misdeeds—all of our misdeeds,” he added, glancing across his flock, “have been spoken and cleared, the healing process can begin.” He beamed, pleased at his phrasing. “I think even Dr. Ambrose would agree, that was a rather well-worded metaphor.”

  At his seat, the doctor remained still, his face grave.

  “Go on, Prudence,” the parson urged. “Confess.”

  She blew a long breath through her lips. Her eyes were wide and pleading, darting about the tent for help or escape. As much as I didn’t care for her, I ached at her embarrassment. Before I was even aware of it, I stood.

  “I’ll do it,” I volunteered with more confidence than I felt. “I’ll confess my sins.”

  Briard’s eyebrows rose with surprise, but he released Prudence. She stumbled back to her seat, relieved by her temporar
y reprieve. Letitia Briard beamed with malicious anticipation as I made my way to the front. I felt Merry’s eyes on my back, but when I turned to face the town, I couldn’t see her within the stifling shadows.

  “How should I begin?” I asked, pushing a damp lock of hair behind my ear. My head was light, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or the enormity of what I was about to do. “Should I—should I kneel?”

  The parson nodded darkly. “Yes. Kneel before God. Kneel before the Falls. Kneel before the weight of your sins.”

  Slowly, keeping my eyes on the wash of faces before me, I sank to my knees. “I’m Ellerie Downing.” My voice quaked and sounded three pitches too high. “And I…I have come forward to confess…” I paused, racking my mind as unwelcome tears pricked, threatening to spill free. “To confess…”

  I caught sight of Ephraim, leaning forward with concern. His anxious face strengthened my spine.

  “I’ve come forward to confess that…the parson is wrong.”

  Gasps of surprise flew across the tent.

  “There are things in the woods. Twisted wolves and strange mutations, yes, but there’s also a group of…others. They’ve come to Amity Falls and have been…pitting us against one another. It’s a terrible, elaborate game to them. They—”

  “Stop this. Stop this all right now,” a voice called out. Gran Fowler stood, shaking his head. “This girl hasn’t done anything to warrant a public confession. These theatrics are cruel and useless. Listen to her—she’s scared witless. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

  I shook my head. “But I do, Mr. Fowler. Ephraim will tell you—”

  “Ephraim?” Gran looked out over the crowd. “There’s no Ephraim here.”

  “Ezra. My uncle—only he’s not. Not truly. He and Thomas are Fairhopes, not Downings.” I could hear myself not making sense. It was too hot to string together reasonable explanations.

  Ephraim started to stand, but Matthias pulled him back into his seat, whispering furiously.