Lights Out

The Horrors of the Well

The little girl had been told she should never play by the well. Back when her daddy was little, that well supplied all of their water on the farm. But a cow had accidentally fallen in and contaminated the water. But instead of filling up the hole, they left it covered in the hopes they could use it again one day. So, Shawna was banned from ever going near the well.

But sometimes, late at night when everyone was sleeping and the night was still, Shawna snuck out of the house and just sat by the stone structure. It was pretty, dark rock covered by bright green moss and brown vines. She liked to hear the dripping of the water inside, a gentle tink tink tink as the droplets made purchase. She was a child entertained by the smallest of things.

Shawna never told her daddy about her trips to the well. And she especially didn't tell him that she could hear a cow bellowing or the low hum of people talking when the moon was full and high in the sky. It was her own secret and she loved to hang on to it. Her daddy would just lock her door at night, keep her from going outside and that just wouldn't do. Shawna had come to rely on the voices and the curious calm of the well.

Shawna was born blind, and she experiences her world in a much different way than you or I. She was a normal little girl trapped in a body that limited her. She had friends, sure, but some of the games they played she couldn't keep up with. So, the gentle murmurings and the cow became her secret friends. They gave her peace that she couldn't find in her day-to-day life. I know that when she grows older she will have less and less reservations and more abilities to enhance her life, but as a child who grows bored so quickly...Shawna needed more.

Her trips to the well were Shawna's quiet time. She listened to the leaves rustling and the wind howling as it swept through her unruly hair. She used her hands to guide her along, having memorized the way a long time ago, and when she felt those vines and moss she knew she had made it to her beautiful well. Shawna may never fully see the well in all its glory, but the one created in her mind from touch was truly a marvel to behold.

But that night something was different. She knew it was a full moon, she could feel the light bathing her as she sat against the rock, but she couldn't hear anyone. It was much too quiet. She grew scared it was all in her head, she had imagined every last bit because she was a kid after all. Imagination ruled her life and it terrified her to think she made it all up.

Shawna stood and felt the heavy wooden lid with her fingertips. It was slimy from all its years of rotting, but that didn't deter her. She pushed on the wooden top with all her might, rewarded by the smallest budge. It gave her the strength to push the top all the way off. It fell off with a loud thud that echoed in her little valley and set a fleet of birds squawking into the air, cursing her for disturbing their sleep.

She laid over the edge of the well, straining to hear even the smallest of whispers. Shawna hadn't realized until now how desperately she hung onto those voices, those semblances of people she felt she already knew. But when they didn't come, disappointment and sadness swirled in her heart. Maybe it was time she grew up. She got off the edge of the well, but as she did she felt hands grabbing at her shirt and hair and shoulders. They yanked her down into the well and as she fell, she couldn't help but feel at peace.

Her head hit the rough stone at the bottom as she splashed into the cold water. Her world spun for a moment and then she opened her eyes. She saw glowing orbs staring back at her, but it floored her that she actually saw them. She touched her whole face and screamed in delight when she could see her fingers. Her friends of the well took her hand and led her further underground, away from the corpse floating in the stagnant pool. She never felt less than when she was blind, maybe only lonely sometimes, but now with her friends who gave her new eyes she felt safe and happy. Even if that meant dying.