A shrill cry echoed in the mist and suddenly, I knew exactly what had happened. I knew it was my sister, but I didn’t know how to reach her. Or where she was exactly. All I knew was Ava had been kidnapped. And she had been kidnapped by a spirit. But was a spirit a ghost? I was unsure of the differences between the two. We had a long standing tradition to tell each other scary stories every night for the month of October. We worked all year to be able to tell the story that would keep the other one up all night. Ava had even constructed a small trophy we proudly displayed on our dresser all year long.
This year, one of Ava’s stories had invited an unknown and unwelcome creature into the house. One we could not see, but could feel. And who could apparently make us do whatever it wanted. Ava had not been able to resist the spirit when it commanded her to walk outside and into the forest beside our house. The forest had always been a place of wonder for the both of us, but now I was in a heightened state of terror. If I was so horrorstruck, I couldn’t imagine how Ava felt.
Every time I thought I was gaining on her, getting closer, her cries changed and moved. I was hoping I could save her and make it back to the house safely, but I was beginning to have my doubts. I was getting desperate and my desperation was affecting my ability to navigate the woods. I had to find her before she left me and disappeared forever. I couldn’t handle starting over with a ‘new’ sister. The spirit world had already taken three from me.
Standing Room Only 