"My family and I moved to a new town. It's nice, but the traditions are weird" Creepypasta

it was during one of our fights after the screaming had turned into an uncomfortable silence that Kira had suggested it maybe we just need to get out of here start somewhere new she said with a trembling voice staring at the wall I honestly did not think it would solve anything but a change of scener really be our Saving Grace but as I looked into her eyes we were desperate I realized that when you reach your boiling point any solution seems better than a lack thereof we had been grasping at straws for months between the arguments

sleepless nights and the grown depression between me and my wife Cara it felt like our little family was getting unraveled day by day we were suffocating Kira and I met in high school and I want fiery romance was now reduced to ice cold Embers the sort of love that had simply grown too familiar to accustomed into to routine soiled by years of exhaustion stress and the demands of Raising Lily our fights had become unbearable insignificant things like dishes left in the sink or un wash clothes would explode into massive shouting matches and neither of us

could stop Kira's eyes would now Hollow and a laugh which used to make me feel like I was on top of the world had become all too rare we were losing ourselves entirely and our sweet little girl was caught in the crossfire she had become quieter she clung to her toys her eyes masked with sadness watching us from the corner of the room as if she understood far more than we ever gave her credit for the drive to the town was quiet but I could tell we all had hope for our future it felt like

we were shedding our skin leaving behind layers of hate and resentment the ghosts of our past one mile at a time we did not speak much during the trip at all the hum of the tires against the road filled the vehicle interior accompanied by the low murmur of the radio and Lily's humming from the back seat around late afternoon we left trading the city skyline for wide roads and endless Fields stretching on forever the sun was setting as we neared our 2B Hometown the air outside the car grew cooler fresher in a way I cracked

the window breathing in my surroundings feeling the weight of the past few years left if just slightly off my chest Kira seemed a little lighter too she glanced out the window a small hopeful smile playing on her face Lily had fallen asleep at this point her little hands clutching a stuffed rabbit tightly I let myself believe if only for a moment that this move might actually work that we could escape the road led us down a winding path flanked by towering Pines the canopy grew thicker blocking out the little sunlight that was left I glanced

at Kira who was staring straight ahead with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation she caught my eye and offered a reassuring smile finally we pulled into the driveway of our new home the house was small a cozy old build that stood in line with the any other houses like it it was adorned with a neat yard and a white picket fence that framed it like a postcard I felt a flicker of Hope once more moving in was a sort of blur of activity boxes stacked and nestled in every single Corner inside and out Lily ran

around the house with joy as she explored her new room Kira and I worked in Tandem and I realized this was the first time we had truly done something together in a long time it started to reignite the reason we married each other all those years ago we almost finished unpacking when we met her I was unloading the very last of the boxes from the car when I noticed her standing at the end of the driveway watching us an older lady dressed in a sweater and long skirt with silver hair tied into a bun she

had a thin angular face her age showing with each crease and fold of her skin but her eyes were sharp too sharp for someone her age there was something just a tad too vibrant about her as if she was much younger than she looked hello there she called in a sing song tone she waved as she walked up to my family and me a plate of cookies in her hand Kira and I smiled and waved back nervous but excited to meet some of the locals welcome to the neighborhood she chirped offering the cookies she had

in hand i'm Margaret it's so lovely to see a young family move in thank you Kira replied grabbing a cookie off the plate I forced a polite Smile as Margaret's gaze drifted behind me to Lily who had just wandered out of the house her stuffed rabbit in hand Margaret's smile seemed to widen her eyes lingering on Lily it looked like she was sizing her up you have a beautiful daughter Margaret said her voice soft I cleared my throat and stray in my posture yeah that's Lily she's the light of Our Lives Margaret's eyes flicked up

to mine her smile steady I'm sure she is and she's so full of life she said as Lily excitedly darted in and out of the house as we exchanged basic pleasantries I noticed the small girl standing behind Margaret whom I had not noticed before she looked to be around Lily's age but there was something off about her she stood perfectly still her face was pale and her eyes dark lacking any expression or life Margaret's voice pulled me back to reality if someone hasn't told you already there's a wishing well that is a Town's tradition to

use you should take Lily there I'm sure she'll love it the wishing well I said more to fill the silence than out of genuine curiosity yes Margaret's tone shifted slightly it brings Good Fortune to those who offer a wish and toss a coin the well has been part of this town for Generations I'm sure you will want to give it a try many have I paused and then nodded un sure of how to respond I was on the far side of superstition never putting much stock into that thinking and my wife was the same but

how her eyes gleamed when she spoke about the well made it look like she was dead serious about it there was something strange about her enthusiasm almost like she was too eager she waved goodbye and walked back toward her house with a small girl slowly shambling like a zombie behind her as soon as she was out of sight I turned to Cara that was really odd Kira Shrugged she's probably just one of those overly friendly neighbors besides it's a small town of course they're going to have their Traditions that was a fair reasoning but something

about the woman put me on edge I tried to brush it off as the usual unease I get when I meet new people over the coming days the town felt like a breath of fresh air the change in the atmosphere did wonders for our little family despite my doubts the tension between us eased and Lily seemed to thrive in the open space and yard the town was quiet and quaint with charming little shops adorning every corner and the locals were friendly it was the perfect place for us to restart but something stayed on my mind

the well it kept coming up in conversation in places where it shouldn't have in the grocery store a cashier mentioned it in passing the well changed my life she said with a smile that stretched the face at work my new co-workers casually talked about how the well had fixed their relationships and increased their pay like it was normal everyone was talking about something relating to the well everywhere I went and turned the same Eerie tone was in their voices and the exact same two happy Expressions everyone had some sort of story how they'd wished for

a marriage proposal good health a new job and their wishes apparently came true he was always talked about with a strange mixture of playfulness and a sense of caution as if it was something much more serious but also a joke one evening as Cara and I sat in the living room I finally mentioned it to her have you noticed how people keep talking about that well she laughed but it was a nervous laughter yeah it's a little weird isn't it everyone seems so obsessed with it I agreed it's like they're all selling the same story

Kira's smile faded maybe we should just ignore it let's not question it in case it insults them it seems to mean a lot here and for a while we did it began with a small things despite my efforts my hours at work were cut down and my co-workers became colder and more distant the town which it felt so welcoming when we first arrived seemed darker and gloomier the sky constantly seemed overcast and the air felt heavy the roads became littered with trash not overwhelmingly but noticeably so it felt like some unseen force was pressing its

weight down on us Kira's mood shifted too the happiness we'd found after moving seemed to slip away from us she became quieter and more withdrawn the fight started again sharper and cruler than before was the excitement of moving here the only thing that plated us I was frustrated at our situation that we were unraveling again and I didn't know any way to get my frustrations out that night after a particularly brutal argument I found myself walking through the town and Forest the cold air biting at my skin I just wanted to clear my head away

from the situation usually I walked until my head cooled and then headed back but the argument was so heated that I just kept walking and walking I hadn't meant to go this far out but I ended up deep into a trail in the woods this somehow led me to the well though the well was often mentioned I had yet to actually know where it was no science marked its location so it must have been known only to the locals the Old Stone structure stood in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by tall Twisted trees

the Moonlight cast Long Shadows over the moss covered Stone making it look like something out of a painting my breathing slowed to a crawl I did not know why I arrived at the well but in desperation to get my life back on track my mind returned to all the glowing testimonies I had heard about the well I did not take this town's tradition seriously but I was desperate and helpless I needed to get my family out of the hole we were in I approached the edge of the well and looked down into the abyss the

walls were smooth and slick with age and a faint metallic and Earthly scent rose up to meet me there was no real movement no wind or swaying of the trees just an aery Silence of an impossibly empty Forest I felt like the trees were watching me waiting to see what I would do next then she appeared Margaret her presence made me Flinch how had she gotten so close to me so quietly I wondered to myself she stood about 10 ft away from me her face bathed in Moonlight and a smile even wider than before there

was something strange about her once more something predatory you came she said her voice like the shuffling of Dead Leaves I I didn't mean to I stuttered my hands griped the Cold Stone rim of the well she moved closer to me her eyes gleaming with something I wasn't able to place satisfaction perhaps it's okay she purred it's all right to feel lost but this well it can help it's helped so many before and will help many after you I swallowed noticing how dry my throat was getting I don't know if I believe that Margaret Margaret

tilted ahead like a curious animal a smile unwavering belief isn't necessary here only the action you take she paused briefly and her eyes locked onto mine you've been struggling I can see it in your eyes the feeling that it's not enough no matter what you do this well can change that her words filled my mind like poison I had tried everything Kira and I had tried meditating and couples counseling and now we have even moved across state and started fresh and yet our problems remained steady I had nothing to lose Margaret's eyes slid down toward

my hand a coin she whispered and a wish I didn't even remember reaching into my pocket and pulling out to warn and dull quarter my heart raced and my fingers trembled as I held it over the more of the well my back was turned to her but I could feel Margaret's smile grow sharper make your wish I hesitated I did not know what to wish for happiness peace for Cara and I to stop fighting I did not know I just wanted things to be okay I wanted to have my family again a semblance of control

I muttered the first thing that came to mind I wish for everything to be better the coin slipped from my fingers and tumbled into the darkness below I never heard it hit the bottom for a moment nothing happened the world Stood Still I could feel Margaret watching me waiting and then she laughed low and soft that's all it takes she said turning and walking away I stayed momentarily hoping to feel something Divine wash over me me before realizing how childish this all was so I headed back following the trails I had walked to get there

I woke up drearily tired from the previous night's long hike I slowly made my way to the kitchen fully prepared for a snide argument with Kira before seeing Lily after school she held back the shouting for when Lily was not around but the passive aggressive comments somehow hurt worse when I got to the kitchen my nose was hit by a Heavenly smell [Music] pancakes I don't know how but Kira made pancakes that could put the best breakfast franchises out of business if she were ever to go pro she smiled at the table her plate waiting

for me I sat down cautious but optimistic and we did something we had not done in a long time we laughed over breakfast something we hadn't done since our first few days here Lily was more animated running around the yard with a wide grin on her face that made my heart swell things were somehow better the improvements became undeniable my job picked up again my hours were restored and I even got a sizable raise Kira was happier and more engaged the arguments stopped entirely and they were replaced with quiet peaceful evenings spent watching TV or

reading something together we were invited to Neighborhood barbecues and town events at these events and at my job people congratulated me for finally making my wish I thought it was weird how they knew so I figured Margaret informed everyone it took me a while to complete the town's tradition but everybody was happy and I was finally officially part of the Town it was late one evening when the first cracks began to show I was in bed half asleep after an outing with some friends IID made in the neighborhood when Lily's scream shattered the silence my

heart nearly exploded out of my chest as I leapt out of bed rushing to a room Kira was right behind me we burst through the door to find Lily in her bed her eyes wide with pure Terror clutching her stuffed rabbit to her chest shaking Mommy daddy there's a monster outside my window she cried and pointed towards the window with a trembling finger I ran over throwing the curtains aside but saw nothing just the night sky and the faint outline of the trees Beyond I let out a sigh of relief and tried to calm her

down I told her it was just a bad dream but the look in her eyes was all too real she was terrified it's real daddy she whispered I heard it talking to me we tried to reassure her to the best of our abilities she calmed down when we let her sleep in our bed with us so we could protect her from any monsters if they came back this made her feel safe enough to fall back asleep and rest enough for school the day after however this was only a short-term solution for what became a long-term

issue the screams came again the next night and the night after that each time Lily was more petrified than the last more insistent that something was just outside her window her childish demeanor faded replaced by dark circles under her eyes and constant anxiety she became quiet and withdrawn and this affected us too the sleepless nights caused my performance at work to worsen then one night she didn't scream this would ordinarily be a sign of progress with the issue but I still wanted to check up on her I crept up to her room to avoid waking

her if she was deep asleep I was met with a cold draft of wind when I opened the door the window was open the curtains fluttered in the cold breeze and a bed was empty I sprinted outside and shouted a name into the empty streets with no regard for the Neighbors who were probably all asleep I received no answer apart from the echo of my own voice the street Stood Still and I felt my heart beating Kira was in a state of complete disrepair sobbing screaming unable to collect herself whatsoever she was inconsolable the only

thing I could do was call the police when they arrived they were disturbingly calm the senior officer a Burly man with graying hair simply nodded along as a explained what had transpired still his eyes showed no signs of urgency or concern she probably just ran off he said with a shrug happens all the time around here I stared at him in disbelief what do you mean she ran off she's 7 years old he gave me a sort of plating smile don't worry she'll turn up they always do there was something horribly familiar about his tone

the same tone I had heard from the town's people when they talked about the well it made my skin crawl a younger officer stood at the side of the senior officer and he looked uncomfortable his eyes filled with something like pity and he avoided my gaze I wanted to scream Shake them to make them understand that my daughter was missing but it felt like no matter what I did they wouldn't take anything I said seriously the senior officer said call us if she doesn't come back in 48 hours and they left Kira collapsed into my

arms her sobs racked her body I did not know what to do I felt powerless as though everything was against us the next 48 hours were hell I scoured the town I knocked on doors asking anyone I could find if they had seen Lily every response was the same calm detached no one seemed to show even the slightest bit of concern some people even congratulated me as if losing my daughter was something to be celebrated it made no sense nothing did while canvasing the streets I would hear Whispers conversations behind doors after I'd finished asking

them for information about Lily I tried to listen in attempting to pick up any information they were withholding from me I heard some familiar words I'd heard a lot in my time in this town tradition and well I tried changing my Tex from asking about Lily to asking about the well I tried to be indirect but it seemed word of Lily going missing was known across town so every time I got close to understanding someone would interrupt me with a smile and others with congratulations for making my wish and never expanding beyond that I was

a complete wreck by the time the 48 hours were up Kira shut down completely refused to leave the house and barely spoke I was spiraling when the police returned a different senior officer accompanied the younger one I screamed and shouted at them that the 48 hours were up and that they had to look for my daughter now the senior officer looked at me with a confused expression why did you wait 48 hours to inform us what I stammered you should have notified us as soon as she went missing the likelihood of a missing child being

found drastically decreases the longer it is been he said with authority I was stunned there was so much I wanted to say back but the thoughts swirled in my head so much that I couldn't pick a single train of thought to stick to so I just stood there mouth a gape emotions mixing Within Me rapidly the younger officer then interrupted and asked the superior officer if he could take notes for the case the senior officer nodded in agreement looking disgusted as he left the room I'm sorry he whispered his eyes darting nervously this happens more

often than you'd think what are you talking about I demanded my voice shaking he hesitated glancing at his Superior just standing behind him there's nothing we can do she the senior officer came back in and cut him off it seemed he was listening from just outside the doorway and pulled him away before he could finish we have everything we need we will do our best to find her he grumbled before leaving I tried to get his attention and ask him about what was truly happening but they just left I needed to find answers and the

only clue I had to go off was she and the only person that came to mind about all of this was Margaret that night I went to knock on the one door I had been avoiding this entire time but there was no answer I wanted to take this as a sign that this wasn't the right line of thinking but in my mind I already knew where to find her I followed the trails through the thick woods and arrived at the well Margaret was waiting for me her figure bathed in the dim glow of the Moon

once more you understand now don't you she said her voice almost gentle the well gives but it also takes you wished for a better life and the well granted it but there is always a price I stared at her my mind reeling what price what are you talking about did you really think the price of everything you got was would only be a quarter she asked stepping closer and you made a pretty big [Music] wish I panicked shaking my head trying to piece it all together you've already made your wish Margaret said coldly but there

is still time you must choose as we all have before your daughter or your wife one will stay one will go the words hit me like a punch to the gut I wanted to scream to run that this was all superstitious nonsense coincidence had its finest but I couldn't deny that what was happening was real and that this was my last piece of agency you have about 24 hours from now now Margaret said before walking away make your choice I wanted aimlessly back to the town I was getting consumed by the reality of the impossible

choice I had to make I thought of Kira broken and lost and Lily her innocent face Twisted by fear how could I choose the next day when by in a blur lost in thought about everything but in the end I made my decision in the dead of night I knocked on Margaret's door my heart pounded in my chest still unsure about all of this she answered this time her eyes gleamed with a dark satisfaction have you made your choice I swallowed hard my throat constricting with emotion I choose my daughter Margaret nodded her expression unreadable

it will be done she murmured and closed the door it was so unceremonious and yet my insides felt like i' had swallowed glass that night I lay beside Kira and looked at her unable to sleep she was completely unaware oblivious to what was going to happen to what I had done to her and our family my heart was on the brink of tearing from guilt and sorrow but there was no other way now I drifted off to sleep and she was gone in the early hours of the morning I woke to an empty bed the

space beside me cold and undisturbed there was no sign of a struggle or a fight no trace of where she had been I couldn't cry or scream I was numb hollowed by the weight of what I had done I heard a frail voice calling to me from down the hallway I rushed over to where I heard it and when I opened Lily's door there she was she stirred from asleep as if she had never disappeared just as Margaret had promised but she wasn't the same she was a shell of the bright happy girl she had

once been silent and withdrawn her eyes dull and lifeless she stared at me there was barely any recognition and no warmth just an emptiness that mirrored my own days later as I stumbled through town I saw her the little girl from Margaret's house she was laughing running down the street with a group of children she wasn't the pale lifeless figure I had seen before the star contrast from and when I first saw her woke me from my stuper she was full of life now compared to the shambling zombie of a child when we first moved

in and I realized that Lily now resembled that shell she had been drained before just like Lily the well had taken Lily's life and now it had given it to her this must have been Margaret's wish and she had tricked me into paying the price I stood there in the middle of the street as the cold reality finally washed over me this was how the town worked there was no Bureau to complain to about this no Authority that operated the rules I couldn't get one back on her Margaret played the game and I lost but

now I was a part of it as I neared my house I noticed the for sale sign on a house a few doors down if I wanted Lily to be back to how she was before I had to play the game just as Margaret did maybe it's time for another family to make a wish