Smoke and Mirrors
Legend: The Teton dam broke and flooded most of the communities along the river below the dam, causing the death of 11 people and millions in property damage. Somehow, the town of Teton was largely spared. The mill and the canal that bordered the city acted almost as a supernatural barrier sparing homes south of it from the flood. The people in the town used their good fortune to help those who were not as fortunate. A harvest carnival was held at the elementary school to fundraise for others in the area impacted by the floods. During the day, the children played games in the classrooms while the adults held a fundraising raffle in the gym.
As evening fell upon the carnival, a large bonfire was held. During the lighting, a group of children slipped away to play pranks in the school. Part of the group went into the girls’ bathroom, which is thought to be haunted. The curious group wanted to see the ghosts for themselves. The bathroom has no windows and was completely dark when the lights were turned off. A boy from the group suggested they turn off the lights and play Bloody Mary. They called for her name while looking in the mirrors for about 10 minutes, but nothing happened. Disappointed, they turned the lights back on ready to return to the bonfire. One girl, Marietta, walked to the sinks, instead of the door. She turned on the hot water staring at the mirrors as they fogged. While staring at the fogged mirrors and drawing a strange symbol into the fog Marietta slowly said, “Are you ready to be scared?” Before anyone could answer she whispered a name. Immediately, the lights went out and a tall shadowy man appeared in the mirror. The children were frozen with fear. The lights flashed for a few seconds and then remained on. Immediately, the children noticed their group was smaller.
The terrified children ran and confessed what had happened to the adults claiming two girls were taken. One of the missing girls, Caroline*, was a cousin to a resident of Teton. The other girl was Marietta*. The children described Marietta as an 8-year-old with long, black hair and green eyes. She was wearing a flowered, harvest-yellow, eyelet dress and black shoes. Not knowing who she was, the adults believed she was invented as part of the prank. The children insisted that she was real. Yet none recalled her before they entered the bathroom, and they were unsure how they knew her name. As the adults questioned the children, one claimed he saw the old mill in the mirror behind the man. Thinking the kids finally confessed to Caroline’s hiding place, the adults walked the short distance from the school to the mill. As they arrived at the mill, what sounded like an old church bell rang in the distance. The bell was followed by unrelenting screaming.
They followed the screaming to find Caroline crying and screaming in a hidden room under the loose floorboards of the granary. Caroline claims she was pulled into the bathroom mirror and exited into the granary room through another mirror and that Marrietta had stayed in the bathroom. Caroline claimed the man who grabbed her was not human, even though he looked like a man. In his presence she was paralyzed, unable to scream or move. The man re-entered the mirror upon hearing a loud bell. As he did, the mirror smashed into so many pieces it became a fog and floated away. As the fog disappeared, her voice returned and she couldn’t stop screaming. The adults believed this to be an elaborate prank. The children, now adults, have not changed their story.
*Names have been changed or withheld for requested anonymity