I look around and around. I see no one. I get dizzy and sink to the ground. I shut my eyes to try and clear my thoughts but to no avail. I open them again and desperately try to find something that makes sense. On the ground before is something; I can tell that there was a struggle here—the deep gouges in the earth are plain enough to read. Then I see the trail, a trail of shifted leaves and earth—it must have been the little girl. I lift my injured right foot off the ground and slowly begin to follow the trail. It's very hard to make out but somehow I keep going the right way. Then there's no more footprints or gouges or anything—just a tree. A tulip poplar tree. My tulip poplar tree. I groan and just lay flat on my stomach, head on my arms. I start to cry at my failure of not getting home, of not saving the little, breaking my promise to Skylar, and going behind my parents' backs.
“Nessie? Is that you?”
I don't even bother answering. It's probably just my imagination. I feel a gentle hand shake my shoulder ever so slightly. “Nessie, are you okay?” I raise my head. There's some scuffling noises as I wipe my eyes dry on my pajama shirt. I don't see anyone.
“Hello? Are you the little girl?” I call out into the woods.
Silence.
“Are you? Or are you just in my head?” My fears are put aside for the moment.
“Yes, I'm real.” The little girl sounds terrified.
“Where are you?” I look all around me slowly. I can't see anyone.
“I'm still here.” The voice is in a different spot every time it talks. “Thank you by the way.”
“For what?” I still can't see her. She sounds young.
“For saving me. It must have been you. You're the only other person out here, right?”
I'm deeply confused now—I hadn't done anything. “Can you tell me all that's happened to you? I'm really confused...”
“Well, I remember hearing music. The music was so pretty... I got up to find out where it was coming from. I walked outside and into the woods. Then... oh, I tripped. After I tripped I woke up. I think I was sleepwalking and just dreaming about the music. I started walking thinking I was going the right way when I heard footsteps. I turned around but couldn't see anybody—that's when I got real scared. So I started running—” She paused abruptly. I breathed deeply, silently as I waited for the story to continue. “The footsteps caught up to me. I remember someone grabbing my wrist. I called for help and then my wrist was free. I didn't know what to do until I saw you.”
I am silent for a few moments as I process all that she's saying. “Two things: One, that can't be possible because the whole time the footsteps were following you, they were after me too; Second, how did you know my name?”
“I don't know your name,” she makes it sound like a silly question.
“But when you called for help you said my name. No, you called me by my nickname,” I argue.
“No, I didn't.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I don't know your name.”
“Me either. Wait, yes I do! Just stop arguing!”
“You started it.”
I stop. I blink. Wow. She's worse than Jason. “Okay, let's start over. You and I were both chased by the freaky invisible shadow dude, right? We both need to get to safety, right? Okay, from the sound of your story my house is closer. Maybe we could get there together and then my parents will take you home in the morning. Deal?”
I know I have to help her but on the inside my heart is pounding. Am I really afraid of her? What if it's all a scam and she's like working with the freaky invisible shadow dude or something? That's just in the movies Nessie, calm down, I think to myself.
The little girl still hasn't answered. Did she just leave? I call out to her, “Hello? Little girl? Are you still there?” Nothing. I want to go home. I start crawling back in the direction of my house. The pain in my foot and ankle has subsided to a dull ache. I reach the edge of the woods and am blasted in the face with a cold wind. I clench my teeth tightly and begin to drag myself forward. I dig my fingernails into the ground to hold on as the wind gets stronger and stronger. I forget about the little girl as I slowly inch myself forward. Flattening my body closer and closer to the ground helps me to move forward. I think of all the rock-climbing I did over the summer and haul myself forward now two inches by two inches. I look up after what feels like hours and see the wooden front porch right in front of me, just inches from my nose. I've made it! As I begin to rejoice inside I reach out my left arm. I stretch as hard as I can as the wind gets so strong I don't know how it isn't a tornado yet. I'm so close. My whole body is straining towards the bottom pole of the simple five wooden steps up to my house—up to my safety. I can almost reach it when all of a sudden—
YOU ARE READING
The Endless Night
Action"...never walk out alone..." Rumors have haunted the property around the little cottage for years. Vanessa Görtz and her family have just moved in and her parents are taking these rumors seriously. Vanessa decides to take matters into her own hands...
