An exorcist, but small and quiet, unpacks a teapot and sets a cylinder of loose tea on the table. There’s not a ghost in the world that won’t sit down & chat if things get cozy.

Let’s look in the ol’ gear bag:
* A quilted comforter made from sentimental t-shirts: high school musical production shirts, water park souvenir shirts, etc
* Some nice round river stones
* Skin creme in a screw top jar
* A book of occult knowledge with a knitted yarn book cozy cover with a cat on it

The counselors catching the kids staying up writing resumes instead of playing with flashlights and ouija boards.

A canoe full of hooded children rowing on a lake.

Writing letters home and throwing them in the fire while witch parents back home spread ashes across paper and see the letters from camp appear.

Every summer’s cohort summons /something/ from the lake… a different something each year, like a mascot… a hungry mascot.

okay, yes, technically you can wish everyone you don’t like to the bottom of the lake and it works out for awhile, seeing them down there through the clear water from the safety of your boat, rowing fueled by spite, but you keep it up, the lake gets displaced

you’ve got flooding down the town’s main, people’s basements going damp, and eventually the lake’s surface is dotted with feet sticking out and then where are you

still angry and the lake’s full

It’s Spring and we all know what that means! Time to roll your winter’s cauldron out into the square for a seasonal scrub down!

TIPS
) Any bones or jewelry that fell to the bottom can be put in the compost heap, to help the crops and make the dirt shiny

) Can’t reach the bottom? Ask Tentacle Tuck to help! Ever since the summoning that replaced Tuck’s limbs, they’ve been eager to find work, so long as you’re willing to pay ’em with some spoon-feeding. Tuck has a heck of a time eating.

) Soap!

Our first competitor, James from Candlewick, is a scholar. So James… What’s in the pool?

“I’m so excited to be here! Let’s see… The water is so murky, but I think I see… I see something looking back at me… no, looking INTO me. It’s immense! It’s … how is it larger than the pool itself? I can hear… singing?”

We’re going to need an answer, James. The timer’s going. The doors are locked. The game is all, James. The pool. What.

1) Think: Had you been dabbling with dark forces? Check your hands (if they’re still hands). Are you holding a grimoire? Any sort of forbidden text? It may have clues.

2) Don’t panic.

3) Try walking. Some blasted planes are quite walkable. Some have public transport. Look for bus stations.

4) you can’t w͔̿̀ͯͦ̒ͫa̺̪̖͚͐̇͑̀̓ͨl̻͂̓̎ͫ͛̿ͧk̬̙̬͔ͨ̂̓̏̿̅ ̮̼̺̬̲̮̋͂̍̉͐͊o͔̻͇͆ͯ̓u̫̾̍ͣ͗̅t̘̲͈̠͒ ̜̯̳̹̖ͦ̄͒̋ǒ̥͎̻̳̆f͙̮̳͕̿͌ͅͅ ̟̜̠̩̫ͧ͆t͕̦̣͆h̰̻̦̠̿͋ͪi̅ͩͪ̍̉s͓ ̤̪̺̘̦̝̫̃ͪ̃̐́m̰̹̻̫e̗̘̖͕͈̦͖ͧ͛s̙͙͙̹̠͔̭s̯̳ͫ̽̿

5) w̞̖̝̠̩̬e҉̘͈̤̘̙͖ ̗a͉̥re̳̤̜͇̰ͅ ͚̱a̧̠͖w̭̯͎a̪̘̹͇̙͉k̢͚̥̪͖͕̜͔e ̼͖̬a̵̲̖͙͔̰n̪̺͎͢d̠̱̭̙̰͕͠ w̨a̬͔͕͞t̞̘c͍̼̬͙͎h͍͟i͍n͓̩̭̟̘g̹̱̗͚͎

Our unblinking eyes will seek you out and neither rock nor wood nor flesh will hide you, sweet quarry, from our sights! It’s Friday! Awake the hounds! We’re following!

This is the Friday to seek the following:

The Lipless Saint – Says her name is “Hrr-hrrah” but Aleph the Scroll-Collector says they’ve got a scroll somewhere that names the Saint as “Barbara.” Seek the Saint near the Sunken Garden, past the Itch hedge. Don’t stare. Be patient.

Sugar Lions – A breezy 3 days walk East and you can seek the sweet, teeth-shattering wonder of the hard sugar lions. They hunt in packs, so paint eyes on your back for safety.

Gary – He’s right there.

#ff

Every day, drink some water. Doesn’t matter from where. Refrigerator? Great! Wide ocean full of sorrows! Fine! Condensation on the side of a slack-skinned beast that you cling to as it threshes leaves from the highest trees in the forest’s canopy? A-OK!

Vitamin B: What is it? What does it do? Nobody knows. Eat… three of them.

Exercise: Find a partner and chase them. When they’re tired out, your workout is over! Give ’em a shove! Maybe next time they’ll run harder!

A gender reveal ceremony on the shore of a dark lake. A hooded figure reveals a sphere of smoke and with great ceremony, gestures broadly as the smoke dissipates.

All attendees nod, knowing no more now than they did before arriving. The child will come. The child will be. Eventually the child will dissipate.

Cake is served.