Dreams of Drowning

Ellie stood at the entrance to the forbidden path, the flashlight shaking in her hand. The night was colder than it should have been, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and something else—something faintly metallic, like rusted iron.

The flashlight beam barely cut through the mist, which seemed thicker here, almost solid. The trees lining the path loomed like skeletons, their branches clawing at the darkness.

For a moment, Ellie hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, to go home and lock the doors. But she couldn't ignore the pull of the path. It felt like it had been waiting for her, like it had always been waiting.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The Path

The ground beneath Ellie's feet was soft and uneven, the dirt giving way to patches of moss and roots that twisted like veins. The flashlight beam wavered across the trees, revealing claw-like scratches etched into the bark. The marks were too large to have been made by any animal Ellie could think of.

The further she walked, the quieter the world became. The usual sounds of the night—rustling leaves, chirping insects—were gone, replaced by a suffocating silence. Even the sound of her own footsteps seemed muted, swallowed by the fog.

Ellie glanced over her shoulder, but the entrance to the path was already gone, hidden by the swirling mist. Her stomach churned, but she forced herself to keep moving.

She didn't know how long she walked, but eventually, the path opened into a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a stone well, its edges worn smooth by time. The well was surrounded by a ring of blackened earth, as though nothing dared grow too close to it.

Ellie approached cautiously, the beam of her flashlight trembling as it illuminated the stones. She leaned over the edge, peering into the darkness below.

The well was deeper than it should have been. The light from her flashlight didn't reach the bottom, vanishing into the blackness after only a few feet. But as Ellie strained to see further, she thought she saw something move—a faint ripple, as though something was stirring far below.

And then she heard it.

A whisper.

It wasn't coming from the well. It was coming from behind her.

Ellie spun around, her heart pounding. The clearing was empty.

"Hello?" she called, her voice shaking.

The whisper grew louder, clearer. It wasn't just a sound—it was words.

"Ellie…"

Ellie's breath caught in her throat. It knew her name.

"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice trembling.

The whisper didn't answer. Instead, the fog began to shift, swirling around her like a living thing. Shapes formed in the mist—shadows that moved without form, without substance. They circled the clearing, their movements slow and deliberate.

Ellie backed away, her flashlight beam darting from shadow to shadow. "Stay away from me!"

The shadows didn't stop. They closed in, their edges blurring and twisting like smoke. And then, just as quickly as they had appeared, they froze.

Ellie's flashlight flickered, and in that brief moment of darkness, she heard it again:

"Come to the water."

The Drowning Dream

Ellie didn't remember running home. The next thing she knew, she was standing in her kitchen, the flashlight still clutched in her trembling hand. Her heart was racing, her clothes damp with sweat.

She locked the doors and windows, double-checking each one before collapsing onto the couch. The house was silent, but the whispering words still echoed in her mind.

"Come to the water."

Ellie closed her eyes, trying to block it out. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the dream began.

She was standing at the edge of Silent Lake. The water was still, its surface as smooth as glass. The fog hung low over the lake, so thick she couldn't see the other side.

Something moved beneath the surface.

Ellie took a step forward, her feet sinking into the wet sand. She didn't want to move, but her body didn't listen. It was as though the lake was pulling her closer, step by step.

"Come to the water."

The voice was everywhere—in the air, in the water, in her head. It was soft and melodic, almost soothing, but it filled her with a deep, bone-chilling dread.

The water lapped at her feet, cold and biting. Ellie looked down and saw her reflection staring back at her. But it wasn't her.

The reflection smiled.

Ellie jerked awake with a scream, her hands clutching at the couch cushions. Her heart was pounding, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.

It was just a dream.

But when she looked down, she saw wet sand clinging to her feet.

Joey

Ellie bolted upstairs, her mind racing. She threw open Joey's bedroom door, her stomach twisting when she saw his bed was empty.

"Joey!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

She ran through the house, checking every room, every corner, but he was gone.

The front door was unlocked.

Ellie's chest tightened as she stepped outside. The fog was thicker than ever, swallowing the yard and the trees beyond. She saw footprints in the damp ground—small footprints leading toward the forest.

Toward the lake.

"Joey!" Ellie screamed, running after him.

The fog swallowed her whole, the trees closing in on either side. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She followed the footprints, her desperation growing with every step.

The whisper returned, louder now, filling the air like a chorus.

"Come to the water."

Ellie ran faster, the trees blurring past her. She could hear the sound of water now, lapping gently against the shore.

And then she saw him.

Joey was standing at the edge of the lake, his back to her. The water was up to his ankles, the fog curling around him like a shroud.

"Joey!" Ellie screamed, running toward him.

He didn't move.

Ellie reached him just as he took another step forward, the water rising to his knees. She grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Joey, what are you doing?" she demanded, her voice shaking.

He looked up at her, his eyes wide and glassy. "It's calling me," he said softly. "It wants me to come."

Ellie's stomach twisted. "No," she said, pulling him closer. "We're going home. Right now."

Joey didn't argue, but as Ellie led him away from the lake, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them.

And then, just as they reached the tree line, Ellie heard it again.

A voice, soft and melodic, drifting across the water.

"You can't run forever."