Page 16 of Whispers of the Elderoak

“Where is it?” she asked.

Eleanor’s voice quivered. “I don’t know.”

There.

Standing in the middle of the flower field. Even the flowers were frozen, no breeze flowing through them. As if the creature would cut them down should they reveal themselves.

“Run,” Eleanor said.

They sprinted to the backdoor, Luna at their heels. Ava slammed it shut, turning the deadbolt, then ran around the house checking all the windows and doors to make sure theywere locked, Eleanor helping. Luna was pacing but not growling anymore. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

The dream-not-dream she had the other night. The one that had felt real. It was the same creature, she was sure of it. Confirming it hadn’t been a dream after all.

Brave enough to check outside once more, they went to the front of the house and peered through the windows. The blustery breeze had resumed and a whip-poor-will called in the woods as if there wasn’t a sinister shadow lurking among the trees.

It was gone, and Luna was calm as further proof of its disappearance.

“What the fuck was that?” Eleanor asked as they walked back to the living room.

“I have no idea,” said Ava. “But I don’t think you should drive home right now.”

“I agree.” They took their places on the couch, when Eleanor turned to her. “You said you saw it before…”

“Yeah.” Ava took a deep breath, trying to slow her still racing heart. “I had a dream—well, I don’t think it was actually a dream. I don’t know. But I followed it outside, to the edge of the woods. It seemed like it wanted me to go…”

“Wanted you to go where?”

“The forest I guess… Remember those screams we heard before?” Ava asked. Eleanor nodded. “I’m pretty sure that’s what made them…”

“How do you know that?”

“Because it screamed in my dream or whatever and sounded exactly the same,” explained Ava. “I don’t know what’s going on,” she whispered as she fidgeted with the throw blanket she had pulled into her lap.

Eleanor leaned forward and gave her an intense look. “We’ll figure it out, okay? I’ll help you.”

“Okay,” Ava replied as she attempted a smile.

“Hey, where’s your bathroom?”

Ava gave her directions and settled back on the couch, still tense from the encounter. Was she safe in this house? What if that creature came back? Could it get inside?

The toilet flushed and the sink turned on then off again. A door shut and Eleanor began to walk back to the living room, but the sound of her footsteps stopped.

“Umm… Ava?” she called out.

Getting up, she met her friend in the hallway. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Looking down at the floor, Eleanor pressed one of the wooden planks with the ball of her foot. “Has this always been loose?”

Ava knelt. “I don’t know. This whole house is creaky and old.”

Eleanor crouched down beside her. “This seems like more than just a random loose board.”

“Really?” Ava responded as they tried to remove it.

“Yeah, it sounds more hollow than the rest of the floor.”

They couldn’t get their hands under it, so Ava went to the kitchen and retrieved a screwdriver, handing it to Eleanor. “Try this.”

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