The year is 1978 and it’s the peak of summer at Camp Barnes. It’s the eight year anniversary night of the camp and festivities filled the whole day. The sun is blazing in the blue sky and every surface not hidden under shade is hot to the touch. Camp Barnes, first opened in 1970 is an overnight, co-ed, and family owned summer camp. After the sun went down and the stars came up the camp sat around a big bonfire to end the night with scary stories and later fireworks. The camp directors Tiffany and Arnold Barnes are telling the old campfire story of Bloody Mary. Their storytelling was subpar and the idea of staring at a mirror and saying “Bloody Mary” three times, blowing out a candle, and finding a bloodied life sucking ghost sounded ridiculous. A group of five teens, including the directors’ daughter, decided to sneak off mid celebration to put the story to the test. They stole candles from a crate in a supply shed and ran off to the bathroom in the woods. Crowded near a mirror and plastic sink they all lit their candles, giggling, and looking at the mirror ahead of them. All together they said, 

“Bloody Mary.”

“Bloody Mary.”

“Bloody Mary.”

They all blew out their candles and waited. Nothing happened. The fireworks had started outside and the bright colors could be seen through the screen door. The loud crackles filled the sky as fireworks lit up the cheering faces below. One of the teens gasped and dropped her candle when she no longer saw her or her friends in the mirror anymore but something indescribable instead. The fireworks were accompanied by distant screams in the woods. 

In the end only four of their bodies were found. The teen’s eyes were missing, gouged out mercilessly and two teens were missing the tips of their fingers. Forensic pathologists concluded that the tips of fingers looked to be melted off but were unsure since no evidence was found to back it up. While families mourned, the camp directors closed the camp. Too heartbroken from the disappearance of the kids and their own daughter whose body was never found. The story spread through the news and the camp was demolished two months after the incident. The camp was torn down and all that was left was a crooked wooden board with five names carved in honor of the children, Issac Williams, James Mendoza, Sam Cunningham, Maya Grant, and Mary Barnes.

The year is 2003 and it's the peak of summer at Camp Lake Point. The sun is blazing in the blue sky and every surface not hidden under shade is hot to the touch. Camp Lake Point, built in 1999 in honor of the camp before, was built on top of the remains of Camp Barnes. Avery Wilson, who has attended the camp since its opening, was paddle boarding in the lake with her friend group as they excitedly talked about the bonfire planned for tonight. S’more supplies to feed a town and dozens of packs of nitrate free hot dogs are calling to every person in the camp.

“I have the perfect campfire story for tonight. I read it in a book last night and you guys will go to bed crying for your mommies,” Avery said confidently. 

Her friend, Henry, used his paddle to splash water at her, “Oh come on Avery, scary stories aren't even scary anymore, Everyone knows they're just myths.”

“Where is your sense of whimsy?”

This earned Avery three more splashes from Violet, Oliver, and Cora. The four laughed as Avery slipped around on her board. 

They don't even know about my full plan yet! Avery thought to herself.

The day went by slowly and dully for Avery as she just couldn't wait for tonight. She wanted to take the supplies out of her backpack and tell her scary story then but nighttime would give everything a better effect and Avery lived for the dramatics.

It was 8:08 pm and the whole camp was surrounding the grand bonfire in the middle of the semi-circle. Avery and her friends, s’mores in hand, sat in a small circle a couple of feet from the main activities. Avery opened the book in her hands which had cream colored dusty pages and the corners of the once vibrant burgundy red cover were worn. The title read, The Greatest Urban Legends of the Past, and she claimed that she found the book in the bathroom near the woods on the bench outside. She hasn't found the owner of the book yet and had no intent on returning it because it was her new favorite book. Cora clapped her hands together, marshmallow on the tips of her fingers, “Let's hear the scariest story of the summer.”

Avery corrected her, “Okay well the story isn't super scary, it's what we will be doing after that'll knock your socks off!”

“Hol’ up,” Oliver chimed in, “My plan was to eat more s’mores after this.”

“Forget your plans!” Violet said, slapping the stick used to roast marshmallows out of Oliver's hand. Avery cleared her throat and opened up to the page she marked the night before. Her friends settle down as her eyes scan the caption at the top of the page, Great Urban Legend #13: Bloody Mary. 

“The story of Bloody Mary,” Avery began, “has many beginnings. Many say she was a queen who, while ruling, had many miscarriages, giving her the cruel nickname. Others believe she was a witch who was killed by her own village using silver bullets and pitchforks. Many believe that she was just a girl who got unlucky with a curse.”

But no one asks for the history of Bloody Mary, what people want to know is how to summon her and if her ritual will actually bring the bloodied ghost to life. To summon Bloody Mary you will need a candle for every person participating, a mirror, and a soul.”

“A soul?” Asked Violet.

Henry jumped in, “Where do you buy a soul?”

“Unimportant!” Avery declared and then continued, “With litten candles all will face the mirror and chant together, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary. Only three times, nothing more nothing less. Participants may leave then or continue by blowing out your candles. If participants choose to continue, they are willingly risking their lives. Readers have been warned. Bloody Mary will come into view in the mirror. Bloody Mary will not be taken lightly by participants' souls. Bloody Mary will take participants' souls if they are willing or not. Have fun playing!”

Avery finished and looked up to see her unimpressed friends, “What?” she asked.

“Dude, that sounded like a children's story,” Oliver said dryly.

Avery huffed and moved her backpack to the middle of their circle. She closed the book and set it aside then unzipped her backpack revealing five candle sticks and a lighter.

Violet grabbed Avery’s backpack, whispering, “Where did you get a lighter?”

“I snuck it from the kitchen, not important,” Avery shrugged. “What is important is that while I was looking for the candles in the supply shed I found a Newspaper article from 1978. Before Camp Lake Point there was another camp that was shut down twenty five years ago because some kids disappeared and turned up dead. They didn't find much physical evidence but they did find used candles in one of the bathrooms.”

Henry cocked an eyebrow, “That was probably just some halloween prank or fake paper. I mean you're not really suggesting we sneak out and go do this are you?”

“Of course I am!” Avery said exasperated. “Are you scared? C’mon who's with me?”

Ten minutes later they all ended up huddled around a mirror in the bathroom near the woods with candles aflame in their hands. Henry’s hands shook but it was only noticeable to Violet, who stood next to him. Avery’s hands were gripping her candle, her hands so close to the wick the hot wax threatened to drip and burn her fingers. She knew it was just a silly urban legend but something in her had hope that she’d see the figure of a lady in the mirror. 

Cora and Oliver both glanced at each other and swallowed. Suddenly their situation felt much more real.

“Okay,” Avery said slowly, “You guys ready? Let's start.” They all shuffled closer to the mirror, only the dim candles creating light on their faces.

“Bloody Mary.”

“Bloody Mary.”

“Bloody Mary.”

After, there was silence. Some uncomfortable shuffling, the wind lightly russling the leaves outside, the quiet drip of a sink. They waited until the silence was unbearable and Violet said, “Nothing happened. That was expected I guess.”

Avery’s shoulders sank, “Well let's go back to the bonfire before we get caught.” She seemed upset but everyone else looked relieved; they blew out their candles. The wind outside picked up as Avery reached for the door but she yelped and pulled away quickly. 

“What's wrong?” Oliver asked quickly.

“The door burned me! It's hot, the handle is hot!” Avery panicked and held her hand as tears filled her waterline. 

Cora poked at the door knob and retracted her finger, “Hows that even possible? We’ll have to open the door another way.” 

Oliver grabbed a candle and looped it through the handle and pulled. The wooden door didn't budge and the candle melted through. “The doors stuck.”

“Guys,” Henry said, his voice quivering, “Look at the mirror.” They all moved towards the mirror to see a woman in the reflection. Her hair was long and tangled, sticks and leaves intertwined . She wore a raggedy camp shirt that said Camp Barnes and a pair of old jean shorts. Her clothes were covered in dried blood and her eyes were so sunken in that she looked like a skeleton. 

She was horrid, she was worse than horrid, though Avery was at a loss for words that would convey the correct appearance. 

But her smile, her smile was full of nightmares. 

Her teeth were crooked and bloodied and her smile was wide and it seemed like it spread from ear to ear. She didn't speak but she leaned forward and touched her grimy hand to the glass. Her smile seemed to get wider and the teens all screamed and backed away.

The girl's hand went through the glass and her hand appeared. She grabbed for Avery who was closest to the mirror and her long nails ripped the collar of Avery’s t-shirt. Avery screamed and tried to claw her away but the girl's skin was boiling hot and Avery’s fingertips burned. 

The girl finally spoke, her voice was raspy like she had been in the desert for weeks without water, “No one,” she began slowly, “will live to see the rising sun.”

The sun rose at Camp Lake Point the next morning. A camp counselor woke up to birds chirping and a cold humid breeze. She walked to the bathroom near the woods for a quick shower but when she opened the door she screamed so loud it woke up the whole camp. Four dead bodies, all campers, all their eyes missing were lying on the bathroom floor.

The same day on the news the story was reported nationwide. A reporter announced, “Camp Lake Point, the camp that was built over the remains of the tragic Camp Barnes reported four dead and one missing, the same occurrence that happened only a couple decades ago at Camp Barnes. Police are investigating the scene and evacuating kids from the camp. Police are not reporting the names of the victims but they have not found sixteen year old Avery Wilson. If you see Wilson please call local authorities.”

Camp Lake Point closed down the next week and authorities advised to keep the land as a reserve in memory of the children that died. They placed a stone next to the old wooden board with four names engraved into it. Violet Thatcher, Henry Cromwell, Oliver Jenkins, Cora Anderson, and Avery Wilson.

It was November and the grass grew long and animals moved into the land. The cabins were taken down and all the wooden buildings were left to rot. On a stone bench near the bathroom next to the woods sat an old, worn, burgundy book that was open and seemingly forgotten, as if someone were still reading it. The wind rustled the pages and it flipped to a new chapter, Great Urban Legend #13: Bloody Mary.