In the shadowed corners of the world, where the veil between our reality and the unknown is thinnest, lies a collection of tales that will chill the marrow in your bones. "Whispers Beyond the Veil," penned by the enigmatic Lady Eckland, invites read...
My name is Allison Williams, but my legions of YouTube and Wattpad followers know me as Allie Phantom, fearless urban explorer and paranormal investigator. I live for two things - the thrill of the hunt and the glory of going viral with my creepy videos and spine-chilling stories. Which is how I found myself standing outside the rusted gates of the abandoned Whispering Pines Amusement Park at the witching hour, lock picking kit in hand, determined to film the most epic ghost hunt of my career.
The park had been chained up and left to rot on the outskirts of town since before I was born, the midway overgrown with weeds and the rides decaying beneath layers of rust and graffiti. Locals whispered tales of a terrible tragedy - an acrobat who lost her head in a tightrope accident and now roamed the park as a vengeful specter. They called her the Headless Acrobat. And tonight, I was going to capture her on film and blow up the Internet.
I made quick work of the ancient padlock and the chain clattered to the ground. I slipped my phone from my pocket and hit record.
"Hey Phantoms, it's Allie coming at you LIVE from Whispering Pines, the most haunted abandoned amusement park in the country! It's time to hunt the legendary Headless Acrobat. Smash that like button and pray for me because I'm going in alone!"
I panned my phone across the faded sign, the moonlight illuminating the creepy carnival font splattered with what looked like old bloodstains. I shivered, telling myself it was just the night chill. I pushed through the turnstile, the rusted metal screeching in protest, and officially entered the park.
A carpet of dead leaves crunched beneath my boots as I made my way down the midway. Skeletal remains of game booths lined the avenue, their faded canvas roofs flapping in the wind like bat wings. A maniacal looking wooden clown head swayed from the roof of a "Whack-a-Mole" stand. Tattered, sun-bleached stuffed animal prizes still clung to the prize rack, button eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Damn this place was creepy, a virtual ghost town frozen in time. My subscribers were going to lose their minds.
I turned the camera on myself, fixing my most sincere expression. "The energy here is insane, guys. I'm definitely sensing a dark presence. Drop a comment if you see any sign of the Headless Acrobat!"
I crept further into the park, scanning the shadows with my flashlight. In the distance, the Ferris wheel rose up over the treeline, cars swinging gently in the breeze. The rusted frame groaned like a dying man. I headed toward it, leaves skittering in my wake.
As I rounded the corner into the shadows of the Ferris wheel, a flicker of movement in my peripheral vision made my heart seize in my chest. I whipped my flashlight beam toward it, catching a glimpse of a ghostly white figure darting between the trees. It looked like a woman in a flowing dress.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice cracking. "Is someone there?"
Silence. Then, the faint sound of music drifted through the trees. An old timey circus tune played on a distant calliope. The hairs on my neck prickled. There was no electricity in this park, no way that music could be playing. Unless...
"Guys, do you hear that? I think it's her. I think the Headless Acrobat is trying to lure me somewhere. I'm going to follow the music."
My legs trembled as I forced myself to follow the haunting melody deeper into the trees. The music grew louder, the calliope notes echoing off the dead bark until it sounded like the song was coming from everywhere at once. My heart jackhammered against my rib cage. I knew I should turn back, that I was walking into certain danger, but I couldn't stop. I needed this footage.
The music reached a crescendo as I stumbled out of the trees and into a clearing. A massive circus tent loomed before me, the candy striped canvas so faded it looked like a sepia-toned photograph. The calliope music blasted from inside, distorted and garbled like a warped record.
"There's no way this should be here," I whispered to the camera, my breath fogging in the chilly air. "This tent burned down years ago. But it looks brand new..."
My feet moved on their own accord, carrying me toward the beckoning entrance of the tent. I knew I should run screaming in the opposite direction, but the magnetic pull was too strong to resist. I reached a trembling hand out and pulled aside the tent flap.
Inside was a circus ring, illuminated by the ghostly flicker of phantom candles. Rotted wooden bleachers encircled a dirt-packed performance space. And in the center of the ring stood a woman in a glittering white leotard and ruffled bustle. Vivian Crane. The Headless Acrobat.
She turned to face me, a stump of ragged flesh where her head should be. Bile clawed up my throat. This couldn't be real. It had to be a nightmare. Wake up, Allie. WAKE UP!
Vivian raised a graceful arm and pointed a bony finger at me. "Ladies and gentlemen," a rasping voice echoed through the tent, though Vivian had no mouth to speak. "You're in for a real treat tonight. A once in a lifetime performance. Watch in wonder as Allie the Aerialist attempts a death-defying feat - tight rope walking...without a net!"
Suddenly, a noose dropped from the top of the tent and wrapped around my throat. An invisible force dragged me off my feet. I kicked and thrashed against the rough fibers cutting into my neck as it yanked me higher and higher toward the top of the tent. My phone slipped from my fingers and smashed on the ground below.
The rope burned against my neck as I dangled high above the ring. Through my tears I could see Vivian floating up to join me, a rusty machete clutched in her gloved hand.
"They thought my tightrope act needed more thrills," Vivian's ghostly voice hissed inside my head. "You want a real paranormal experience, little girl? Allow me to give you a killer performance."
Pressure built inside my head, my lungs screaming for air. Through my spotty vision I saw Vivian raise the machete over her headless neck. The blade whistled through the air and I squeezed my eyes shut.
