Shadows Across Her Heart

11

California April 3 1978

Emma's condition continued to worsen. It became truly unbearable to the point that the only option was to call the church in connecticut. The night before was truly horrifying.

Emma's mother awoke to an unsettling stillness in the house. A dim glow emanated from the living room, casting eerie shadows across the hallway. Alarmed, she made her way to the source of the faint light.

As she entered the living room, a chilling sight awaited her. Emma stood in front of the television, holding a gleaming kitchen knife. The room was consumed by an eerie silence, punctuated only by the static on the TV screen."Emma?" her mother called out cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest. Emma remained unresponsive, her gaze fixed on the flickering static. The glint of the knife in her hand sent shivers down her mother's spine.Fear and confusion gripped Emma's mother as she carefully approached her daughter. The air hung heavy with an otherworldly tension, and the normalcy of their home had been replaced by a palpable sense of dread."Emma, sweetheart, what are you doing?" she implored, her voice trembling. The static on the TV seemed to dance in chaotic patterns, mirroring the turmoil that had enveloped their lives.Emma's eyes, vacant and distant, reflected none of the warmth her mother knew. The knife in her hand posed a threat that transcended the physical, and in that moment, the reality of their nightmare became even more harrowing.As Emma's mother reached out, attempting to gently coax the knife from her daughter's grip, a whisper filled the room—a chilling, guttural voice that seemed to emanate from the Emma herself, a sinister chuckle. It was a voice that bore no resemblance to the daughter her mother knew, a voice that sent a shiver down her spine. The room seemed to close in as the shadows whispered malevolently, casting a macabre symphony that reverberated through the air.

Emma's mother fumbled for the phone, her hands trembling as she dialed the number the priest had given her. The cold voice on the other end of the line answered, and she quickly relayed the desperate situation unfolding in her home. A man named Father Gordon was on the other line.