Voice of the Wind

Whispers

Sixteen-year-old Leslie dropped the hoe on the ground and groaned. She hated work. Her dad just had to drag them all the way out to the middle of nowhere instead of just staying in New York, didn't he? And her mom just had to have a garden.

"Come on, Leslie!" her eleven-year-old brother, Leo called, "I want to eat!"

"'Come on, Leslie. I want to eat.'" Leslie mimicked under her breath as she trudged back to the house with the hoe in her hand. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled at him as he looked back to see if she was coming.

He disappeared into the house and Leslie plopped onto the ground. She muttered grumpily about having to do work all day every day as she drew stick figures in the dust.

Their house stood on five acres of land. Five acres that her father plowed and planted with nothing coming of it. Still, he had bought them a good house, one with wi-fi.

She sighed and got up, leaving the hoe where it was as she stepped into the house and collapsed at the table.

"Finally!" Leo said, "I'm starving!"

Leslie snorted, "I highly doubt that. What's for lunch, Mom?"

"The usual." Mom said, taking a pot off the stove.

"Corn soup again?" Leslie asked, disgusted.

"Be thankful your father can get anything in this wasteland." Mom snapped as she slammed the pot on the table, some of the soup splashing out of the pot and making a wet spot on the table.

Mom growled with annoyance and grabbed a cloth, wiping it up.

Leslie shook her head, "You know what? I'll be up in my room. Call me when I need to do dishes." She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. She pushed her chair back in and ran up the stairs.

"Leslie! Come back!" Leo called.

"Eat without me!" she yelled back, flopping onto her bed.

She lay there for a few minutes then got up, closed the door and opened the window. She stood by the window for a few minutes, feeling the small breeze on her face.

Leslie went over to the mirror and sink in the bathroom and studied herself in the mirror.

She wasn't overly pretty but Mom had made sure that she didn't get acne when they had lived in New York so that was one flaw she didn't have.

She had straight, black hair and cool green eyes, high cheekbones and a straight nose. Her lips were thin and she often bit them, trying to make them redder.

She sighed and went back to the window.

'Leslie......' she heard a voice say.

"Hello?" she asked, leaning out the window and looking around.

'Leslie......' the voice said again. It was soft and sweet.

"Hello?" Leslie asked again, annoyed now. When she didn't hear anything, she shrugged. "It was probably a figment of my imagination." she told herself. Still, she was uneasy. Who could it be?

"Leslie, come on down!" she heard her dad's gruff voice call.

She sighed and went downstairs. He grinned at her and ruffled her hair and she plopped down in a chair, "Yeah, Dad?" she asked.

"Did I ever tell you about the legend for this place. Why I got it so cheap?"

Leo shook his head, his mouth full of soup. He swallowed it and looked at Dad eagerly, "Tell us, tell us!" he pleaded.

Dad laughed and sat down, "Alright."

He began his tale, "A few years ago,"

Leo interrupted, "So this was recently?"

"Leo, shut up!" Leslie snapped, "I want to hear the rest of the story!"

"Leslie." Dad said warningly. To Leo he said, "Yes. This was recently."

Then he continued, "A few years ago a family moved into this place. A family much like ours. A boy, a girl, and their parents. The girl was named Skenteos and the boy was named Aelfric. They started farming the place too. But one day the girl went missing. For three and a half weeks she was gone. The family was really worried. They had just about given up hope when-"

"I need to use the bathroom." Leo interrupted.

"Leo!" Leslie groaned, "This is the climax!"

"Exactly. Be right back!"Leo dashed away to the bathroom and Leslie sighed with annoyance.

Dad chuckled, "Leslie, you should have more patience for him."

Leslie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Leo dashed back and threw himself into his seat. "Ready!" he announced.

"No duh, Sherlock." Leslie snapped.

Dad continued the story, "They had just about given up hope when one morning they went outside and she was there. She was standing there, swaying as if she was about to fall. But she didn't fall. She just stood there swaying, eyes closed. They took her inside and put her on her bed. Thirty-two hours later she woke up."

"Was she all better?" Leo asked excitedly.

"Leo, shut up and listen!" Leslie hissed.

Dad laughed, "No, I'm afraid not, Leo. She woke up and she was raving mad. She kept chattering on about magical horses and voices in the wind."

Leslie shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she remembered the voice calling her name. "Did they ever find out whether she was crazy or not?" she asked.

Dad shook his head, "She died the next morning. Legend has it though that you can still hear her voice going on about magical horses and voices in the wind in her bedroom. Your bedroom, Leslie."

Leslie nodded, appearing detached and disinterested when really inside she was freaking out. Why was there a voice in my bedroom? Could the legend be true? Should I tell anyone? I don't think I should. They would think me crazy like they thought her crazy. Poor girl. All these thoughts ran through her head as she stood up and left the table, heading back upstairs.

Once in her bedroom again she sat down and got her phone out. She glanced at the open window briefly, then looked again.

"What?!" she exclaimed and ran over to the window. There out the window was a herd of horses. But....they seemed to be flying. How could that work?

'Leslie....'

"Who are you?!" Leslie asked the unknown voice in annoyance.

'Leslie...come....follow....'

"Why?" Leslie snapped.

'Follow.....'

"And if I don't want to?"

'Follow....."

"This is all a bad dream right?" Leslie asked, worried.

'Follow....'

"Ok...." slowly Leslie walked over to the window and swung her legs out. She jumped off the window ledge and started walking. She was walking on thin air, but she didn't care. Slowly she made her way to the ground and started walking towards the fields.

"Mom! Dad!" Leo called, seeing her, "Look what Leslie's doing!"

Leslie ignored him and continued walking towards the fields.

Her parents started running toward her but they just seemed to be getting farther away as Leslie's feet carried her down the path to the farthest field where she had seen the horses.

Soon she got to the field, but the horses weren't there anymore. She ran into the woods, looking for them and stumbled over something embedded in the ground.

She crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness.