The Pond

I will never forget the day that I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, Cody. We were friends since childhood and had promised to always be together. Until one day when he left me and went somewhere I couldn’t not follow. Fate can be so cruel.

We were twelve years old the day that he vanished and he had come over to my house to play. It was a hot summer day, the air thick with humidity and we decided to go swimming in the pond in the woods behind my house. We ran down the narrow path behind my house, laughing and chatting like we didn’t have a care in the world. The path was covered in wildflowers and tall oak trees that seemed to make a tunnel watching over us. The air smelled of damp earth, since it had just rained yesterday. The scent of damp earth always made me feel safe, but today felt different. 

I felt overwhelmed with anxiety, normally walking through the woods filled me with a sense of calm and belonging. Today I felt like we were intruding as if we were walking into someone else’s territory.  I must have spaced out because Cody’s eyebrows were furrowed with concern and his dark brown eyes were filled with a deep concern. 

“I am sorry. What did you say?” I asked, a bit sheepishly. 

He shook his head and smiled at me. He started laughing. 

“It’s nothing. You seem to be on another planet lately.” 

I just laughed and pushed him ahead not wanting to ruin our day with my silly thoughts. We arrived at the lake, but while we were walking, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I felt like someone was watching us, as soon as the feeling arrived it vanished. We had arrived at the lake.It was framed all around with rocks with a weeping willow at one end hanging over the pond. We never swam towards that area, it seemed to radiate a sense of wrongness. Cody had quickly stripped down into his bathing suit, scattering his clothes around the area. I shook my head and soon followed him in. 

Cody’s shirt which had been thrown earlier in his rush to get into the lake was hanging off a rock by the bank of the pond . A strong gust of wind blew the earlier discarded shirt into the pond. It started to float along the pond almost like it was being guided towards the weeping willow. Cody and I exchanged a look of concern. He started swimming towards his shirt. 

“Don’t go! Something feels wrong,” I yelled to him. 

He just gave me a reassuring smile as he said, “You worry too much. It’s just a little deeper over on that end.”

. Cody’s shirt kept moving out of his reach the closer he got. I sensed his doom. I started begging him to come back but he would not listen. I watched helplessly as he went under the branches. It felt like ages before he emerged with his shirt in hand and something else. When he swam back to me, he was laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” I demanded. 

“Your face was priceless! But, I found this,” he said, as he held up a strange necklace. It had a quarter sized ruby pendant on a gold chain. I felt like he should have just left it on the bottom of the pond. The feeling of being watched returned. 

Shakily I said, “Cody, you should have left it there.” 

He laughed it off and told me, You are worrying too much again. Whoever left it shouldn’t have and it’s mine now. I pushed the subject again back at my house. He got angry and told me to drop it. Something felt off about the way he brushed me off. Cody was carefree, sure but he always listened to my concerns and worries with some sensitivity. 

That night, I woke up from a nightmare. The air in my room was thick and I was filled with dread. As I opened a window, I saw a figure, running towards the woods. That can’t be him. I blinked and rubbed my eyes and looked again. Sure enough, it was Cody, running into the woods. Without thinking, I grabbed my sneakers and quietly left the house. It was a full moon tonight, so I was able to see the path into the woods. My arms were covered in goosebumps and my heart was pounding in my ears. My anxiety from earlier came back with full force. I felt like someone was watching me as I walked along the path. With each step I felt a sense of doom. With every unidentified noise I kept telling myself that it was just squirrels, or a rabbit. A branch snap sent me sprinting further into the woods. 

I ended up at the pond. I was hoping that Cody wasn’t there and I had rushed out here for nothing. I was wrong. He was there standing on the edge of the pond. He stood there as if in a trance. My legs shook as I walked toward him. My legs felt like they would give any minute. I touched Cody lightly on the shoulder and he jumped. He spun to look at me, his eyes slowly beginning to focus on me. 

My voice shook as I said, “Cody, let’s get out of here.” 

I was fully freaked out and I just wanted to go home. He looked equally freaked out and confused. “How did I get here?” he asked, slowly turning around and taking in his surroundings. 

“I am not sure I replied.” 

I grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the path when a voice spoke. The voice was deep and sounded scratchy as if they hadn’t used it in a long time. 

“Stop! You will pay the price that is owed for what you took!” the voice shouted. I froze and almost wet myself. I looked at Cody, who had gone as white as a sheet. 

“I am sorry! I shouldn’t have taken it. I’ll put it back, please, just let us go!” Cody’s voice quivered. 

“Very well, child. You have until sundown to put it back. If you do not bring it back then you will pay the price.” The oppressive air that filled the woods seemed to be lifted. Cody looked conflicted. 

We had always joked about the woods being magic and holding some kind of dark secret. We had made up stories about fairies, elves and other magical creatures. Deep down I knew this forest had some kind of magic to it. That voice was definitely not human and whatever price it had said he would pay I didn’t want to find out. We walked in silence until I mustered up the courage to speak. 

“Cody...” I started to say, but he cut me off. 

“Wow, someone must really love to scare kids! I mean, that voice was pretty spooky,” he said nonchalantly. 

“What?” I shouted. “Obviously those stories were real. We shouldn’t be messing with this kind of thing. Just bring the necklace back tomorrow before sundown tomorrow.” Cody began to laugh. 

“Do you hear yourself? You are crazy. That necklace is mine and I am not giving it up to some strange man, who just decided to wander around in the woods and scare some strangers.” His voice was filled with anger and I was scared. 

“Cody, even if it was just a strange man walking in the woods, if that necklace is his and you don’t return it, you could face serious consequences.” I learned from books that you don’t cross someone. The consequences of crossing people could be dire. 

“You can’t be serious! It was just some man walking out in the woods. You are crazy if you think it was anything else,” he scoffed at me. 

“Fine! You do what you want and believe what you want. Don’t come crying to me if you end up losing your soul or a limb,” I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air and running up the path the rest of the way home. 

If I could redo those moments, I would. I was stubborn and let my pride get in the way. The next day I was still mad. I was hoping Cody would text me or call and that he came to his senses. As it got closer to sunset I got really nervous because I did not hear from him. I decided to contact him but he didn’t answer my calls or texts. The sun started to go down and the sky was painted blood red. I ran two blocks to his house and rang the doorbell. 

It felt like ages before his mom answered the door. 

“Is Cody here?” I asked. She looked at me confused and then told me that Cody had headed off to my house about an hour ago. I didn’t bother with formalities and ran to my house. I got to the lake and there was Cody again but he did not have the necklace and it was now twilight. I felt sick to my stomach. Before I could shout, the earth shook and trembled. I noticed the woods were filled with an ominous silence. My legs were frozen to the spot. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t scream. 

A tall hooded man came out from the woods. He was at least seven feet tall. His hands peaked out, looking long, slim and twisted.The cowl of his hood shielded half of his face. This has to be a bad dream; a nightmare. 

“Well, child I warned you and you still come empty handed. Humans are such greedy creatures.” His voice filled with venom 

I was too scared to speak but I looked at Cody, who seemed to be under the same spell as me. He looked like he wanted to fight despite his predicament. Cody’s mouth opened but nothing came out. He laughed. It was a terrible and cruel laugh. His mouth twisted into a sick smile. 

“You can try all you want! You are under an enchantment, child. Humans are the weakest creatures. You cannot even use magic. Pathetic! Do you know what the price is for taking my possession? ” He smiled cruelly and continued on, his voice filling with excitement as if Cody’s obvious discomfort brought him joy. “You will be my prisoner for the rest of your life. But first we have to make some changes to you.” 

With a snap of his fingers, Cody’s face became pale and then his expression began to change into one filled with pain. His mouth contorted into a silent scream. I watched as his eyes just popped out of his face and his mouth was sewn shut, then his eyelids. I threw up while tears fell from my eyes. I expected the being to laugh at Cody’s pain and torment but he didn’t. He looked at Cody as if he was a toy that had already bored him. 

“Well, my dear,” he said icily as he walked towards me. 

He was standing in front of me. I dare not look up at him. The scent of damp earth and the smell of medicinal plants filled my nostrils. I watched his fingers as he stroked my face. 

“My dear, I am sorry you were caught up in all this, but I am afraid this is where we part ways.” His voice was filled with pity. He picked up Cody as if it was nothing. He snapped his fingers again and they disappeared. 

I can’t remember what happened after that night. The days were a blur, each day my mind was filled with guilt. If only I had tried harder, if only I had been more persistent, if I had just swallowed my pride and just gone to his house that day. My thoughts kept going around like this for days, after his disappearance. There has to be a way to get him back. This was my fault and I am going to find a way to bring him back.