Her Name Was Martha Grace
Writing by Daniela Camden (‘24)

The people who live in Laewaes all know about the office building on Fourth Street. They know about the horrors that occurred there one night, and forever after. They know about the secret door there, and they know not to go looking for it.

But if your family hadn’t lived in Laewaes since the mid 1900’s, you wouldn’t have known about the little girl who was murdered there. Or her blood that would forever stain her place of death no matter how hard people tried to remove it.

Martha Grace’s parents held seances in the office after it was abandoned to commune with her. But, they were never able to reach her. Instead of talking to Martha, the seances were said to have opened a door to Hell, and now demons walked the dark halls. Every local knew to avoid the building. Because those who went in, never came out. And if they did, they didn’t emerge the same, and would die shortly after. A group of kids went in but only one came out. He spent the rest of his days in a mental institution. 

If you walk by the office building at night, nicknamed “The Hell Den” by town locals, you might hear screams of a little girl. If you are in the town late at night, dogs will start barking from everywhere in the neighborhoods until the hour of Martha’s death is over.

And Martha would forever exist in the world of the living, but trapped in her place of death and unable to leave. Because, the worst part of all of this, was that seance kept Martha Grace trapped in the living realm, and unable to move on. Forever to be tormented by the demons trapped with her.

I would know. 

I’m Martha Grace.