1983

I know that I might sound crazy, but I know I’m not alone in this house. I know that ghosts aren't real, but is it possible? I found a cozy house in the woods where I could be alone and no one could bother me. I know it is a bit creepy and dark, but I don’t think anything of it makes it feel warm inside. I don’t know why. People kept saying it crept them out, but that was their opinion, I liked it and that is all that mattered. Of course my boyfriend at the time(my now ex), Ben, hated it. He had a bad feeling and just didn’t want me to buy it. I just told him he was being paranoid. But…..was he right???

I roamed around the house getting settled in my bedroom, which was the room that got the most light. When all of a sudden a shiver went down my spine, all a gush of wind passed right behind me. It was during the spring so it was weird but not unusual, so I put on a jacket and went outside to sit by the lake and drank a cup of coffee. I liked it there; it was peaceful and the breeze in my hair made me feel like I was flying. Ialways loved sitting down and admiring nature. I noticed a little bench, random, small. I looked at it as if it had a handprint. Then a black shadow with the same handshape reached over and put it over the one on the bench. I looked back at my hair slapping the air as I did.  

But no one. Not even  birds I could blame it on. I walked away trying to not panic and explore the woods a little more .There were a lot of weird things about this space, but I have to keep reminding myself “I like it here. It is cozy and the perfect place to relax.” Huh. I found a shed, this is how a lot of people die in movies. But I could not hold myself back; my curiosity got the best of me. I Went in against my better judgement. I gasped as I took the place in full. Pictures. Of a family of 4 smiling ng as they stood in front of my new house. Here as writing on the bottom “The Robinsons 1983” I smiled as I realized a nice family lived here and their simplicity moved away. I looked at the other photos which got weirder and weirder the more photos taken the less they smiled and soon one of the family members would disappear one by one. “The Robinsons Family of 3 Trrip”,the little girl was gone 3 left,  “The Robinsons Enjoying being 2 Peas in a pod”, the older daughter was gone, the happy couple not so happy but smiling nonetheless. Then “Robinson, that loon :)” The father, the last one left. The only picture he wasn't smiling I noticed the date 2014. 

That was 2 years before I moved in. I ran back into my haven and got a picture of the house I had printed to show my family and looked at the date. In absolute horror, “Oldie, 2014” It was the same year where did the father go? Tht same breeze again whooshing past me, A SHADOW!! It was floating it was just a person, no it was a little girl. The shadow at the bench and out their hand on it again. It was hers she went under it and pointed to a sign “Elizabeth Robinson 1977-1983” what so the little girl had died the year that first picture was taken. “Elizabeth is the girl in the pictures!!” I yelled to nothing hoping that the shadow had heard me. “Elizabeth?” The shadow came up to my face and stood there staring at me, but I could see her nodding. I was scared of what had happened to them and if the same thing could happen to me. I ran back into the house and I could feel Elizbeth following me. I ran frantically around the house just looking for something but I didn’t know what. The phone!!! I remembered I had a landline I had connected for emergencies, and I think this counts as an emergency. I picked it up but I was dead. I turned and Elizabeth was hitting something on a somehow foggy mirror. 

“Sarah, under, tree” Is all she wrote which is weird, but she looked like she was 6 so it made sense. “What? Who’s Sarah?” I remembered the photos of 2 girls, one was a teen and she kinda looked like Sarah. “You’re sister?” Elizabeth nodded and we heard a creak in the floorboards. She gasped and she ran outside, I was scared and I didn’t think she would hurt me but if this was another shadow, I have no idea how they would treat me. She ran towards the woods, it wasn't that far in but it sounded like she was whistling. Again, that gust of wind went behind me and towards Eizabeth. They looked like they were happy, I assumed since I could not see their faces.  Sarah I think looked at me and swirled around me and went back to Elizabet she nodded and Sarah went to a tree, which looked like it had a tire swing. Again this had writing on it “Sarah 1968-1987” so she had died 3 years after Elizabeth. But I still had a lot of questions, why was there death so far apart, and what caused their death? Was it sickness, ingury, -and as I thought this a shiver went down my spine-murder? I shook it out of my head and said “Sarah, Elizabeth? WHat happened to you” They faced each other and just nodded their heads like they had each other's blessing to tell the others’ story. 

They went back into my creepy old house and fogged up a mirror, “Bad Man,” Elizabeth wrote. Sarah however wrote “Tortured” and “Unused”. I was confused but it gave me a pretty good guess. A man maybe the one who took the phots was a bd person and would torture them i ways that I couldn’t or wouldn’t imagine. And once he had no more use for them he killed them. That's why the photos had one less family member each time. I opened my mouth so I could say something but another creak was behind us, iit sounded like it was heavy and like a bug strong man was the one stepping on them. I was the one who ran out this time I tried to start my car but perks of being in a horror story was it didn’t work. Just my luck I thought I sighed until I realized that I didn’t have time to debate this.  I had to go into the head and find something that might help me find who did this to these poor girls. There was nothing unusual almost every time they were standing in front of somewhere smiling. Nothing Great I thought in my head. 

A MIRROR! That’s if there is a picture that has a mirror there might be a chance that I could see them. I looked frantically around the walls and drawers hoping to find something. And in true movie fashion here it was a clear image of the person. Come to think of it he might be dead. That Bastard! Of course this was in my head. I could feel a presence behind me, I turned hoping it was nothing. But, that hope was gone after I looked and saw another shadow. It wasn’t Sarah or Eliabeth but it was a man. The shadow charged at me and I went past it and ran. I don’t know where but I did at this point I would have ran into the ocean if that was all that was ahead of me. I ran and ran till I couldn’t take it anymore. 

I looked back hoping that he wasn’t there. And for the first time in hell I was right, I couldn’t see him. Yet, there was a presence. I lost it and yelled “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!” He came near and somehow grabbed my hand and led me to the dock where it read “Frank 1951-2014”. I looked at him and he kneeled down by the words and sat there staring at it. He must have been so heartbroken to watch his daughters and his wife get tortured by some guy. I would have been so angry, but he was helpless and unable to do anything. Somehow he got away, but at what expense his daughters and wife were gone and he was alone now. “Were you killed too, or did you die of old age?’ He looked at me and wrote on the wood from the dock “Choice”, he killed himself that meant that. Based on what he went through I might have done the same thing. 

We reunited with the others and went inside my house, I decided that I wanted more answers so I got out some stuff they could write on. 2 mirrors for Elizabeth and Sarah, and a piece of wood for Frank. “WHo did this to you? Do you know his name?” They exchanged looks and all wrot down “Harry Slater '' which for some reason sounded so familiar but I shook it off thinking I might have seen it in one fo his creepy photos. “Ok so if you guys feel comfortable, I would like to know exactly what he did to you.” I looked at them hoping they weren’t offended.  But they looked like they were ready to face their fears; they each wrote something different. “Abused”. “Beaten”, and the one that caught my eye was Elizabeth “useless”. I pulled it towards me and examined it “You had to watch didn't you. He couldn’t do anything to you so you had to watch.” I looked at her and she slowly nodded. I was disgusted a man tortured a whole family and let the little one watch. Since she was little he couldn’t do anything to her because it meant more jail time if he got caught, so she was useless to him. That is why she was killed. 

I picked up a photo of them from the shed and forgot about someone. I looked up with a confused expression on my face “Where’s your mother?” They ran out of the house and of course I ran after them, and stopped when I saw a  really old car. It was green, and rusty with no tires at all. The shadows went to the left side and there it read “Buried Here: Barbara Robinson'' I guess she didn’t become a shadow and she stayed dead. SNAP! I stop looking at it and see a shadow coming towards me. But, it wasn’t a shadow it was my old boss Harry-um-uh It rhymes with later. I gasped as I realized HARRY SLATER the guy who tortured this family. I always knew there was something wrong with that guy. He looked at me and smiled “Hello darling” He always called the women that, it made us uncomfortable. Suddenly I got pulled by Frank and he held on until I couldn't take it anymore. E stopped somewhere with a store. We needed help so it was perfect. I ran inside and panting I said “I need… your...phone” The guy looked really confused and just pointed to the corner where the phone was and let me be. 

I called the police, I needed to, but I hung up quickly. This was a man who tortured a family, traumatized them, and when they were useless he killed them. But this was about 30 years ago and it had no relevance today. But again he was chiang m through woods so I picked up that hoen and called them. 

“911 what’s your emergency.” 

“Yes hi my name is Christy Thomas, and I’m being chased” 

“Ok where are you? Do you know this person” 

“Yes I do. I recently moved into a new house and a family lived there, this man tortured them and killed them later.” 

“Ok miss I really need to know the relevance of this” 

“Oh right, this man is my old boss who harassed us and scae us out of taking to the Police” 

“Ok Ma'am I need you to stay calm where are you” 

“Uh yes I live by Winnick Woods” 

“Ok so it's easy to find you police are on their way” 

I waited around the store hoping he wouldn’t find me. I hid there until the sirens came near, I ran out with the shadows following quickly behind me.  I saw Harry and he saw me, for a millisecond I forgot what was happening, until he ran towards me. I tried to trace the sirens and where they were coming from. Once I pinpointed the location I ran towards it with Harry close behind, For a guy who was older than most it seemed like he was faster than most, I saw the cars and started yelling and waving my arms until one police officer saw me and his partner stopped and got out. “Oh thank god!You gotta help me he is here chasing me please help me.'' I said, panicking slowly. “Ok miss we have got it from here. Stay in the car” 

I was scared but followed orders. I was fairly calm till I heard the gunshot. I got vout of the car and both police officers emerged from the woods with Harry in their arms. I sighed with relief as my happy ending came. I left after a long day. 

A few months have passed and me and the shadows are hanging out together and enjoying the time we have together. My family let me stay at my house but they now visit and hangout with the shadows. They have fun and enjoy the lake and take turns to visit where their death was written. Like  scavenger hunt, life here isn't bad. I live it, it is like my heaven became even better. Though it has taken a very dark turn. 

                                 THE END