The Swing

Sara was a strong, independent woman who'd recently found her freedom. She'd just escaped a treacherous and abusive relationship and was headed to her new home with her son Danny.
Danny was four years old with beautiful green eyes and short blonde hair. He took after his father, who'd died after a car accident when Danny was only six months old.
Sara had long, wavy brown hair that glistened in the sunlight and had soulful blue eyes. She was well built from years of sports training and trips to the gym. The empowerment she'd received after her ex-boyfriend was sent to jail allowed her to be herself again. It also pushed her to start fresh with her son in a new house.
The house was old, but in good condition. It was built in front of a gorgeous pond with a small dock protruding into the sparkling water. The porch wrapped all the way around the large country home, which is located at the end of a long and winding gravel road in the woods. There was one oddity: there was a single playground swing, placed at random it seemed, on the right edge of the front yard.
The two new residents pulled into the driveway in their old green 2000 Chevy Blazer. Sara killed the engine, unbuckled her seatbelt, and opened the door, stepping out into the fresh air. After a deep breath and a smile, she turned and opened the back door, helping Danny out of the car. They grabbed their backpacks and proceeded to walk to the front door.
As they approached the door, Sara felt a cold chill that ran down the entire length of her spine. She found it a little strange because it was a 90 degree day with a slight summer breeze, but after a moment, she brushed it off and unlocked the front door. Before Sara could open the door all the way, Danny bolted in and started exploring the house. She laughed and yelled after him, "Be careful! Watch out for the boxes!"
The house was littered with boxes full of their possessions. A few days before, Sara's friends helped her move the furniture and boxes to the new house.
Sara closed the door behind her and set her bag down. She admired her new home and relaxed, taking in the magnificent sight of the Victorian style trimming, railings, and just about everything else that made up the interior of the house. The previous owners left the house in great condition, but they left quite abruptly Sara had heard. They didn't give a reason, but they sold the house for a low price; and at the time, that's all that concerned her.
Danny came running back down the stairs with the biggest smile on his face and asked, "Mommy, can I go play outside?"
Sara giggled and replied, "Only for a little bit. I'm going to start making dinner soon."
At that, he ran out the front door.

After unpacking some things and cooking dinner, Sara walked out onto the front porch to call Danny inside. Again, she received a cold chill, but dismissed it once more. Her smile grew as she saw Danny playing by the swing, but then she grew curious. He was grabbing the chains and pushing them forward as if he were pushing someone else on the swing.
"Danny, what are ya doing buddy?" She asked with a slight laugh.
"I'm playing with my new friend. He likes to play on the swing." Danny replied cheerfully.
Sara laughed and walked over to the swing, then knelt down next to Danny and said, "Well, would your new friend like to join us for dinner?"
Danny looked back at the swing and asked, what his mom assumed to be his new imaginary friend, if he wanted to join them. Danny's face turned sour and he hung his head a little. He looked back to his mom and said, "He doesn't want to because he doesn't like you, Mommy."
"Aww, well that's okay. Maybe he can join us some other time. Let's go in and eat."
Sara began to stand and reach for Danny's hand, but he jerked his hand away and screamed, "No!"
She was stunned. Her little boy had never screamed at her before that moment. She tried to calm him down, talking softly and asking him a second time to come in, but again he protested, yelling back at her, "Go the hell away!"
Sara was still in complete shock, but was also beginning to grow angry. She looked Danny in the eye and said, "Danny Matthews, where did you pick up language like that?"
"Crimson told me to say it! He said you need to die and go to hell."
Sara was completely lost for words. She picked up her son and carried him inside. He yelled and struggled the entire way, but as soon as they made it into the kitchen, Danny became calm. He looked up at his mom, but he seemed confused like he didn't know how he got there.
Sara took a deep breath and began to speak, "Danny, where did you learn to talk like that?"
Danny looked up at her with a confused and innocent expression like he was waiting for her to explain. So Sara elaborated, "When we were in the front yard by the swing, why did you say those things Danny? That was very mean, and it hurt my feelings."
"I'm sorry Mommy. I didn't mean it. Crimson made me do it!" As Danny said this, his eyes began to fill with tears. Sara bent down beside him and began to wipe his eyes. She was so confused and didn't know how to react. Her son had just thrown a tantrum, yet he seemed so innocent now.
"Alright. Just promise me you will never say those things again. Never talk like that to anyone, especially mommy."
Danny nodded his head, and at that, Sara served dinner.

Later that night, after Sara had put Danny to bed, she finished unpacking and sat down on the couch to watch some television before heading to bed herself. As she flipped through the channels she noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look out the window and noticed the swing was swinging back and forth. At first she thought it was just the breeze, but as she watched, it began to swing higher and higher as if there were an actual person on it. She stared in amazement, completely frozen.
Then all of a sudden the figure of a little boy appeared in front of her face on the other side of the window. She released a slight scream and fell backwards onto the floor, desperately trying to catch her breath. Sara reached up and rested her shaking hand on the cushion of the couch and began to slowly pull herself back up in hopes that the figure was no longer there. As she peered over the back of the couch, the scene outside seemed normal. The moon reflected in the lake, cast shadows on the lawn, but the swing sat absolutely still.
Still shaking, Sara reached for the remote and turned the tv off. Her mind wandered and searched for an explanation, but all she could imagine was that she was exhausted from the move. At that, she went upstairs and crawled into bed.

Sara was sound asleep after her experience earlier in the night, but something woke her. She rolled over as she began to hear footsteps out in the hallway. Assuming it was Danny, she called out, "Are you okay buddy?"
Danny didn't answer. She called out again, but got the same result. Slowly, Sara rose from her bed and walked to the door, peering down the dark hallway. There was no sign of Danny, but Sara was worried; so she walked down to his room and peeked in.
As she stuck her head through the doorway, she noticed Danny's nightlight wasn't on. She stepped into the room and began to walk over to the bed when she noticed Danny wasn't there. Sara rushed out of the room to check the bathroom, but he wasn't there either. She began to run through the house, room to room, in search of her little boy yelling, "Danny! Danny, where are you?"
There was no answer to her desperate calls. Then as she made her way back to the living room, she looked out the front window. There he was, sitting on the swing, swinging forcefully back and forth. At the sight of her little boy, Sara ran out to the swing as fast as she could, calling out Danny's name. He still didn't respond.
"Danny, what are you doing out here?" She cried in a panicked voice, but Danny didn't even acknowledge her presence. He just kept swinging. Sara reached out and grabbed her boy off the swing, but as she was about to set him on the ground, he slapped her cheek with more force than any four year old should be able to expel, causing her to drop him the rest of the way.
Sara fell back and stared at Danny. His eyes were completely black and filled with rage, but his lips were curled into a malicious smile. With his head tilted to one side, he took a quick step towards his mother. In fear, Sara lurched back. She knew this wasn't her child, but yet it was. She closed her eyes in hopes that she was just having a nightmare, but the longer she sat there, the more she realized how real it all was. When she opened her eyes, Danny was still staring at her, the swing forcefully moving back and forth.
As it swung, Sara noticed a design on the bottom of the wooden seat of the swing. After a few glances. Sara could clearly make out the pentagram burnt onto the swing. Her eyes began to tear up as she called out, "Danny please! Danny please stop this baby!"
Danny's smile turned into a frown as he began to speak, but the voice that returned the desperate mother's calls was not Danny's. It was low, almost a growl.
"Filth, you will die." It replied.
Sara began to cry. She wanted to run, but she needed to save her little boy. He was all she had left. With that desperate thought in mind, she jumped to her feet and ran towards her son; but she was thrown back to the ground, hit by an unseen force. As she tried to sit up, gasping for air, she felt a pressure on her throat. Her eyes met the black, soulless pits where her son's gorgeous green eyes used to be. Tears were streaming down her face as she realized her son, her sweet little boy, was strangling her. She gasped for air, but to no avail.
All she could do was stare into those two black pits. As she watched the terrible sight, her son started to morph into a large, hideous monstrosity. Its limbs were thin, yet impossibly strong. Its skin appeared burnt as if it were made of ash, horns jutting out of its head.
As she began to lose consciousness, the creature released a blood curdling laugh. Then it whispered, "You failed...mommy."
A final tear ran down Sara's face as the soul slipped from her body. She died there, knowing she'd let down herself and her son. Her body lain sprawled on the front lawn, limp and cold. The creature rose up, laughing once again, and made its way back to the swing. As is swung, it stared up at the crimson moon from which it awoke and slowly began to morph back into the young boy who had just lost his mother.

That morning, Sara's friend Hunter stopped by. As he approached the house, he discovered the deceased body of his dear friend, but Danny was nowhere to be found, never to be seen again.
The house sits decrepit and abandoned now, but the swing still stands, moving back and forth, back and forth.