SHARING EMMA [18+]

29. Knot of Anxiety

|EMMA|

"You can't be here."

As I lay on the beach, the sound of crashing waves was the only thing I could hear. I was lost in a deep slumber when suddenly, a chilling voice whispered close to my ear, sending shivers down my spine. My heart raced as I snapped my eyes open, and everything around me was unfamiliar. It was as if I had been transported to a different place in the blink of an eye.

My bleary eyes struggled to focus in the dim light just before dawn. Slowly, the image before me came into view. The ocean stretched out before me, and I was lying only inches from the shoreline. Panic surged through me as I tried to recall how I had gotten here. But my mind was a blank slate, and I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was slowly settling in.

As I sat up, I realized something was wrong. My feet were submerged deep in the sand, and I couldn't move them. I tried to wiggle my toes, but they wouldn't budge. To make matters worse, crabs were crawling over the sand just inches above my feet, and I couldn't feel a thing. Fear gripped me as I realized that something was not right, and I was unable to move.

I struggled to calm my racing heart and took in my surroundings, trying to figure out what was going on. The beach was deserted, and the only sound I could hear was the rustling of the waves. I knew I had to get out of here, back to the safety of the camping site, but it was as if an invisible force was holding me back. Every time I tried to stand up, I felt a sharp pain in my feet, and I couldn't move an inch.

"You can't be here!" The same voice came again, and I snapped my head over my shoulder, following the sound of the voice.

And there she was - the native woman, the same one I had seen before. Her long, curly hair whipped around her face in the fierce wind, and her beaded dress rustled like a chorus of whispers. She stood barefoot, and in her arms, she cradled something wrapped tightly in cloth. It was hard to see, but I could make out the small feet that dangled from the bundle - it looked like a baby.

She took a step closer to me, and I flinched.

"Go away! Go away!" She screamed.

My tears flowed freely as I attempted to scramble to my feet, desperate to put as much distance as possible between myself and the native woman. But my body betrayed me, as if a boulder was lodged in my throat and my legs refused to obey my frantic commands. I was frozen, helpless.

That's when I saw it—a hand, dark and gnarled, protruding from the sandy ground. It reached up and wrapped itself around my thigh with an unyielding grip, pulling me back down to the sand. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound emerged, choked off by the crushing fear that surged through me like an electric shock.

I gasped for air as the hand held me firmly in place. Panic consumed me as I realized I was at the mercy of this unseen force. I struggled to free myself, but the grip only tightened.

The native woman drew closer, her eyes fixed on me with a fierce intensity. In her arms, the bundle she cradled shifted slightly, and I caught a glimpse of a tiny foot.

For a moment, I forgot my own predicament as I stared at the small, delicate appendage. But then the woman spoke, and her words sent a shiver down my spine.

"You have trespassed on sacred land," she said, her voice low and menacing. "And now you must pay the price."

I wanted to protest, to tell her that I had no idea I was breaking any rules. But the words died in my throat as I felt a cold wind sweep across the beach, chilling me to the bone.