Whisperwood

Dark Shadow

Chapter 3: Dark Shadow

Sleep did not come easily to Kisha that night. The comfort of her bed, with its soft linens and the faint scent of lavender from the sachets her mother had tucked under her pillow, did little to ease the unease that had settled deep within her. She kept replaying the events of the evening in her mind — the festival, the laughter, the stories that had enchanted the village children. And then, the dark figure lingering at the edge of her garden, watching.

She had tried to dismiss it as a trick of the fading light, or perhaps a villager she hadn't recognized in the twilight. But the memory of those eyes, cold and distant, haunted her, refusing to be banished by reason.

As the hours ticked by, Kisha found herself lying awake, listening to the familiar sounds of the night. The crickets chirped steadily, a comforting rhythm that usually lulled her to sleep. The occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze added to the tranquil atmosphere. But tonight, even these sounds seemed to take on an ominous tone, as if the night itself was holding its breath, waiting.

Finally, unable to bear the oppressive stillness any longer, Kisha sat up in bed. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting pale, silvery light across her room. She glanced at the window, half-expecting to see another shadow flit past, but the yard outside was still and quiet.

Kisha sighed, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Maybe a glass of water would help calm her nerves. As she padded softly out of her room and down the narrow hallway, she made a conscious effort to push away the unease. Her parents' house had always been a place of warmth and safety. Whatever had been outside earlier was probably long gone.

The kitchen was dimly lit by the soft glow of the embers still burning in the hearth. The air was cool, and the faint aroma of the evening's meal still lingered. Kisha quietly poured herself a glass of water and took a sip, letting the cool liquid soothe her dry throat. She leaned against the countertop, gazing out the small window that overlooked the garden.

For a moment, everything seemed perfectly normal. The garden, bathed in the gentle light of the moon, looked peaceful. The flowers her mother tended so lovingly were mere shadows in the dark, their colors muted but still beautiful in the moonlight. The vegetable patch her father was so proud of stood at the far end, the dark leaves of the plants swaying gently in the night breeze.

But then she saw it — movement. A shadow, barely perceptible at first, but there. Kisha's heart leaped into her throat as she stared, willing her eyes to focus. There, by the garden gate, a figure stood. Tall and dark, just like before.

Kisha's breath caught. This was no imagination, no trick of the light. The figure was real, and it was standing right there, watching her house.

Panic flared in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She stepped back from the window, careful not to make any noise. The figure hadn't moved, hadn't made any sign that it had noticed her. It simply stood there, a silent sentinel in the night.

Kisha's mind raced. Should she wake her parents? Alert the neighbors? But what if it was just some harmless passerby? She didn't want to alarm anyone unnecessarily. Yet something in her gut told her this wasn't harmless. There was an intent to the way the figure stood there, watching, waiting.

She decided to wait a few more moments, hoping against hope that the figure would leave. But it didn't. It remained there, as if rooted to the spot.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, Kisha quietly crept back to her room. Her hands shook as she locked the door behind her, her mind whirling with fear and uncertainty. She knew she couldn't face whatever was out there alone. But what could she do?

She crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin as if they could shield her from the fear gnawing at her insides. Sleep was out of the question now. All she could do was lie there, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying the image of the shadowy figure over and over again.

Eventually, exhaustion won out, and Kisha's eyes grew heavy. She drifted into a restless sleep, her dreams filled with shadows and the echo of distant footsteps.

When she awoke the next morning, the bright light of day streamed through her window, chasing away the remnants of the night's fears. She lay there for a moment, trying to shake off the unease that still clung to her like a second skin. The events of the previous night seemed almost unreal in the daylight, like a bad dream that had followed her into the waking world.

But as she got dressed and made her way to the kitchen, Kisha couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The garden looked peaceful enough, but the memory of that figure, standing so still in the shadows, refused to leave her mind.

As she sat down to breakfast, her mother glanced at her with a concerned frown. "You look like you didn't sleep well, dear. Are you feeling alright?"

Kisha forced a smile, not wanting to worry her parents. "I'm fine, just had some strange dreams."

Her father looked up from his plate, his brow furrowing slightly. "Strange dreams? Anything we should be concerned about?"

Kisha hesitated, then shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Just... I thought I saw someone outside last night."

Her mother's expression grew more concerned. "Someone outside? Did you recognize them?"

Kisha shook her head again, trying to downplay the incident. "No, it was probably just someone passing by. I was half-asleep, so I might have imagined it."

But even as she said the words, she knew they weren't true. The figure in the garden had been real, of that she was certain. And now, as the day wore on, she couldn't shake the feeling that the shadow from the night before was still watching her, waiting for the right moment to emerge from the darkness once more.