By The River

By Duchesne

“Another day passed, just another dead body by the river. Just a usual thing happens in this town. People
sometimes act shocked, sometimes they don’t but everything continues like nothing happened. The people are just
plainly unbothered. What caused this? Nobody knew. It just started to be a routine since 2016. At first, everybody
was scared for their lives but as time passed by, like I said, they just didn’t care anymore. What did the authorities do
with this issue? Nothing, they haven’t found any explanation. Well, it’s not like they even tried. This river was
known back then as an escape from reality, but now the river is our reality.
I wrote this narrative because I may have been the only bothered townsman. Since I was a kid, I have been
curious about everything. So, I decided to investigate what was really happening. People here have different
theories. One said that they were killed by the “engkantos”. One said that this is part of the EJK. One also said that
the found victims committed suicide. People have different theories but there is only one truth. I have dedicated my
life for this. My wife said that I was crazy for spending so much time on this. I disregarded what she said because I
found a lead.
It was June 18, 2017. I had my alarm set for 5:00 AM every day. I prepared my coffee and breakfast and all of
my morning routine. I went out at 7 AM. I was on my way to inspect the river when I heard laughter. I silently move
into the bushes, waiting to find out where it is coming from. Two unknown men, wearing coveralls are on their way
back to the town. They surely came from the river because there is no other way to get there. I let them pass and I
continued walking. However, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to witness…mouth sewn, eyes
open, and staring coldly at my soul, I was frozen for a moment.
I was wishing that this was just a dream but here I was living in this sour reality and 6 feet from me was yet
again another dead body by the river. I composed myself and remembered the two men I composed myself and
remembered the two men from earlier and I felt like I had the obligation to run after them but to my misfortune, they
were nowhere to be found. I quickly went to the authorities, and I reported the body. I also mentioned the two men
and the look I got from them made me suspicious. They looked at me like I discovered something that I should’ve
left alone.
Weeks after this incident happened, I started to have eerie feelings. It was like someone was watching me,
someone was following me, or someone was out to get me. I took a break on being obsessed with this case; it was
taking a toll on my sanity. At first, it was hard because I felt like something was missing. The urge I have for seeking
the truth began to rise. I tried distracting myself by spending time with my family, mingling with friends, and one of
them, Ryan, told me that they got hired for a job. He did not give much detail of what kind of job he was hired for;
all we know is that we are proud of him because he turned his life around. Who knew that a drug addict can still
have a shot at redemption?
The most peculiar thing that happened is that there were no bodies found anymore. They said due to the fact
that the river was now being patrolled, but it has been patrolled since the third body was found. How come that after
I reported what I saw, the streak stopped? There were 28 bodies found in total, why stop after that? This thing made
my curiosity rise again. I cannot sleep at night knowing that this streak will continue sooner or later, and I know that
I need to continue my so-called investigation again.
It was July 2, 2017. I started to observe the patrol at 10 PM. They weren’t doing anything actually, they
were just walking around and talking amongst themselves. Well, I guess that is what patrolling is supposed to be. If
you want to ask what my current state is, I am currently hiding in the bushes. It’s dark and the only source of light
I’m using is the patroller’s flashlight to avoid getting caught. It was almost 4:30 AM and nothing out of the ordinary
had happened. To be honest, I’m not even sure what ordinary means anymore. The word ordinary became
subjective.
I waited for the patrol to go home first and not longer than 10 minutes, I heard movements by the river. Using
the lowest brightness of my phone, I navigated my way near the sound while still keeping my distance. I was
observing and trying to hear what the sound was, but my heartbeat and breathing were louder. I cannot quite
understand what it was but I’m sure that it was a conversation but suddenly there was a loud thud. My heart stopped
because I am certain that it was what I was expecting. My mind was in shambles. I’ve been thinking if I’ll use my
flashlight to confirm my intuitions or if I should just walk away. I don’t know what happened but, in a flash, I was
running for my life, and they were firing their guns at me.
I made my way out of the woods. It was 5:03 when I looked down at my phone. I was out of breath. Then I
saw the patrol. They walked toward me and asked me basic questions like what happened and why I was running. I
can’t answer their questions because I was traumatized by the events that happened prior. One of them escorted me
to the town hall for questioning.
When we arrived at the town hall, they let me rest for a while. I asked for this piece of paper and a pen. I
recalled what really happened back there and I realized that my alarm rang which alerted them. I’m thinking about
what is going to happen to me now. I hope that they will finally believe me.”
That was the last thing my father left me. It has been 10 years and I was only 8 years old when all of this
happened. He hid this piece of paper inside my favorite stuffed toy that I brought with me when we went to him that
morning. He was arrested later for violating the curfew and ultimately for murder. Turns out it was his friend Ryan
that was found dead by the river and my father was arrested because of his connection with him. For some reason,
the authorities found evidence against my father. I can’t say anything else about my father but all I know is that he’s
obsessed with solving this case, that he kept information about the victims, and this was used against him.
During the trial, the jury found that his story was too convoluted to be true. There were no traces of the bullets that
were fired at him. All of my father’s claims became his own downfall. Sadly, he was sentenced to death, another
victim of our poor justice system. He said that he wanted his ashes scattered by the river. His last words were “Go
on. Do 30.”
People believed that he was really the killer because, after his death, the streak stopped for good. Rumors started,
they said that he killed all of those victims and he pretended to investigate the case to be the hero of his own crime.
This only proves that people will blindly believe gossip.
There are two things in this world that I don’t doubt about my father, his skill in writing and his disgust for violence.
He was a citizen that stood up when everybody was sitting down. Why does standing up for oneself or for the whole
community become dangerous?
I am now starting small and showing my school what my father wrote before he was falsely accused of murder. If
there is something good that came out of this, it is the fact that I grew up to be bolder and more vigilant with what is
happening around me. I strongly believe that the killings stopped because they already found a person to blame.
However, my father was not just another body by the river because his story will be remembered.