The Main Attraction, by Sara Spring

Prologue

There’s an annual event held in the small town of Ventura in which the residents of the town step out onto their front porch and look towards to the sky facing westwards to the ocean, while old war drills sound off in the distance from various poles placed around the town with speakers tied to them. The sad melancholy notes filter through the empty streets and back alley ways, bringing with them a hollow fear and dread that once filled the hearts of the local residents.  The horns blow for five minutes and when finished the silence that follows is thick, replacing the shrilled filled air with a horror of reflective peace. The annual ritual serves a reminder of the peril that we face, that every day is precious and with a single act multiple lives could be affected and changed forever. The warning seems to resonate well with the more scrupulous members of the county as there is little to no crime in the area.  Even travelers become accidental tourists when passing through the town. Upon hearing the horns, the bony fingers of fear and dread reach out and take hold of their hearts overwhelming their souls with horror. Some never travel through the town again while others pass through avoiding that particular day. (read more…)