[ Parallel River ]

[ Gray? ]

I traveled through places I'd never been, taking an extra step of courage on this adventure. I walked around until I found the cemetery, the creepiest place to go to at night. I walked around, gazing at all the flowers placed neatly against or on headstones. Surprisingly no one was mourning their loved ones at this time, then again it was pretty late in the evening.
  I gently brushed a finger over the embedded names on tombstones, some reading names that I'd never heard but were quite fond of. Roy, Rachel, Diana, Ross, Gregory. A line of names, Rachel, Diana, and Gregory's names were placed on a small rock. I knew Rachel. But Diana and Gregory must've been infants at their age of death. How unfortunate.
  Rachel was a popular cheerleader and mathlete at our school, always helping others was her specialty. She'd unfortunately died in a car accident, her friend Elise was driving her to prom.
 
  I then walked off to the sound of running water nearby. That's when I reached a river, it was dim, the air brushing off the river water was cold yet relaxing. I sighed for a second, then sat beside the water and gently reached my hands in. Gazing at my reflection for a moment then scooping water into my hands, that's when it got weird. I felt another pair of hands grab mine. I jolted back, taking my hands from the water and my breath quickening. " What was that!?" I quietly whispered, though I was beyond the leaf scared, I reached back in to scoop more water. As I did so, I felt nothing. Nothing at all. I then splashed the water onto my face, but once looking down, another face was there. It was mine, but grinning at me sinisterly. I hadn't been grinning. I jolted up and rushed off, running, fleeing the cemetery without looking back or caring about the fact that I could run into something, someone, or get caught. I rushed home, climbing the tree up to my bedroom window and shutting the window behind me quickly. When I flopped back into the covers that held me in a comforting way, I still felt uneasy. I still had that eerie feeling.

" Graaaa-aaay.." a voice whispered out, and it was surely not my mothers. I didn't care to look though, if it was going to kill me at least let it kill me without me having to look. " Graaaayyy..." it spoke again, coming closer. My breath hitched, and my hands tightened on the sheets. My eyes squeezed shut. " Grayyyy.." the voice rang out again, this time it was like it was above me. I looked finally. I looked up. There it was. Something monster-like then jolted to me, it's face close to mine as it shouted my name in my face. I threw a hit to it's side with my fist and it was gone, I hit air. I began to tear up and tremble.

  Breakfast surely wasn't great, my appetite had been completely gone after what had happened the night before. I just poked and prodded at my cereal, and mom noticed. " something bothering you, Gray?" She asked as she wiped down the counters. I shook my head. " Just tired is all." I said softly, giving a fake yawn. I knew if she found out I went out at night, she'd kill me. or worse, if she found out there was something in our house, she'd flip out. " Alright honey. We have to head to the diner pretty soon though, do you wanna just take the day off and sleep?" She asked, I nodded. But then as soon as she headed out the front door, I thought about what happened. Grayyy..
   The words crept into my mind, the sound of its voice causing a shiver up my spine. It was a very low voice, giving a raspy sound to it. Which was unsettling.