The Road Less Traveled
Merry adjusted the rearview mirror, her auburn hair catching the golden light of the setting sun. Beside her, John leaned back in the passenger seat, his long legs stretched out as far as the cramped car would allow. They had been driving for hours, the kind of aimless road trip that only two best friends in their mid-twenties could justify.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” John asked, squinting at the map on his phone. The signal had been spotty for the last hour, and the GPS had given up entirely.
“No,” Merry admitted with a grin. “But isn’t that the point? Adventure, John. Spontaneity. Living life on the edge.”
John rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. Merry had always been the dreamer, the one who dragged him into her wild schemes. And he, despite his practical nature, always followed.
The road stretched ahead, flanked by dense forests and the occasional field of wildflowers. The air smelled of pine and earth, and the only sound was the hum of the car’s engine. It was peaceful, in a way that made the rest of the world feel far away.
Then, just as the sun dipped below the horizon, they saw it.
Welcome to Hollow Creek
The sign was old, its paint peeling and letters faded, but it was unmistakable: Hollow Creek – Population 127.
“Hollow Creek?” John read aloud. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Neither have I,” Merry said, slowing the car. “But it’s getting dark, and I don’t fancy sleeping in the car. Let’s see if they have a motel or something.”
The town was small, with a single main street lined with quaint shops and houses. A gas station, a diner, and a general store were the only businesses that looked open. The streetlights flickered to life as they drove in, casting a warm glow over the cobblestone road.
“It’s like stepping into a postcard,” Merry said, her eyes wide with wonder.
John, however, felt a prickle of unease. The town was too quiet, too still. There were no children playing, no dogs barking, no signs of life at all.
They parked outside the diner and stepped inside. The bell above the door jingled, and a waitress looked up from wiping the counter. She was young, with a friendly smile, but her eyes held a strange, distant look.
“Welcome to Hollow Creek,” she said. “What can I get you?”
The First Night
Over burgers and milkshakes, Merry and John tried to make conversation with the waitress, whose name tag read Ellie.
“So, what’s there to do around here?” Merry asked.
Ellie hesitated, her smile faltering for a moment. “Not much, I’m afraid. Hollow Creek is a quiet town. Most folks keep to themselves.”
John noticed the way her hands trembled as she refilled their coffee cups. “How long have you lived here?”
“All my life,” Ellie said, her voice soft. “It’s… a special place.”
After dinner, they checked into the Hollow Creek Motel, a small, rustic building at the edge of town. The owner, an elderly man named Mr. Grayson, handed them a key with a warning.
“Don’t wander too far at night,” he said, his voice low. “The town… it’s different after dark.”
Merry and John exchanged a glance but didn’t press him. They were too tired to argue.
The Vanishing
The next morning, Merry woke to the sound of birds chirping. She stretched and looked out the window, expecting to see the charming town they had driven into the night before.
Instead, she saw nothing.
The town was gone.
The buildings, the streets, the people—everything had vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of forest.
“John!” she shouted, shaking him awake. “Look outside!”
John bolted upright, his heart racing. “What the—”
They rushed outside, but there was no trace of Hollow Creek. No diner, no motel, no sign. Just trees and the faint outline of the road they had driven in on.
“This isn’t possible,” John said, running a hand through his hair. “We were just here. We slept here.”
Merry knelt down, touching the ground where the motel had been. The earth was undisturbed, as if nothing had ever been built there.
The Mystery Deepens
Determined to solve the mystery, Merry and John began exploring the area. They found no clues, no remnants of the town—until they stumbled upon an old, weathered journal hidden in the roots of a tree.
The journal belonged to a man named Thomas Grayson, the same name as the motel owner. The entries spoke of a town cursed to vanish every night, its residents trapped in a cycle of appearing and disappearing.
“This has to be a joke,” John said, but his voice lacked conviction.
Merry flipped through the pages, her eyes widening. “Listen to this: The town vanishes at sunrise and reappears at sunset. Only those who believe can see it.”
John frowned. “So… if we wait until sunset, the town might come back?”
Merry nodded, her excitement growing. “We have to try.”
The Return of Hollow Creek
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the forest began to shift. The trees blurred, the air grew heavy, and suddenly, Hollow Creek was there again, just as they had left it.
The townspeople went about their business as if nothing had happened. Ellie waved from the diner, and Mr. Grayson greeted them with a knowing smile.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” he asked.
“Saw what?” Merry replied, playing along.
Mr. Grayson chuckled. “The vanishing. It’s our curse—and our blessing. Hollow Creek exists between worlds, a place for those who need to disappear.”
The Choice
Over the next few days, Merry and John learned more about Hollow Creek. They met its residents, each with their own story of why they had come to the town. Some were hiding from their past, others seeking a fresh start.
But the town’s magic came with a price. Those who stayed too long risked becoming trapped, unable to leave even if they wanted to.
“We have to go,” John said one evening as they sat on the porch of the motel. “This place… it’s not real.”
Merry sighed, her heart torn. “But what if it is? What if this is where we’re meant to be?”
John took her hand. “Merry, we have a life out there. People who care about us. We can’t just disappear.”
The Farewell
As the sun rose the next morning, Merry and John stood at the edge of town, their bags packed and the car ready.
“Are you sure about this?” Merry asked, glancing back at Hollow Creek.
John nodded. “We’ll always have the memories. But it’s time to go home.”
They drove away, the town fading in the rearview mirror. And as the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, Hollow Creek vanished once more, leaving only the forest behind.
Months later, Merry and John sat on a park bench, watching the sunset.
“Do you ever think about it?” Merry asked. “About Hollow Creek?”
John smiled. “All the time. But I think it was meant to be a chapter, not the whole story.”
Merry nodded, her heart at peace. Some mysteries were better left unsolved, some places better left unexplored.
And as the sun dipped below the horizon, they both felt a strange, fleeting sense of connection—to a town that existed only in their memories, and in the spaces between worlds.
