Deep In the Dark by Amber H. (little readers .TXT) 📖

Deep In the Dark
In the woods they lie
By Amber Hulbert


“He was only fourteen. He walked in the wrong part of the woods all the time, his friends and mother warned him if he came to an old woman asking for help in the woods to run the other way and not look back, but one day as he was walking deep in riverside wood he saw an old woman on the ground calling out for help ‘help! Help me young man! Just come a little closer’ she begged he ran to help her and when he stepped past the biggest tree he stopped, remembering his mothers words ‘ just a little closer’ she moaned ‘help me!’ she demanded as he turned and ran. You see he did as he was told, but as he ran he grew tired thinking he had lost her he stopped and turned around as he exited the woods and when he looked he dropped dead. Right in front of his little sister who claims she saw an old woman standing in the woods laughing and she swore she heard her say, ‘your next my Dear, on the eve of your fourteenth year you shall lie dead deep in the woods as your father, but don’t worry my Dear, before you die I shall rip the very heart out of a young boys chest and string for you to wear for all eternity’. That girl died the day of her fourteenth birthday exactly four years later; they found her in a meadow deep in the woods with a three year old boy’s heart around her neck and his blood on her dress. Some say she’s the old woman who still awaits for a young boy to help her” Molly said to her brother “don’t cry” she added seeing how terrified he was “Shane Its only a story don’t get so worked up” she said as he burst into tears “mommy!” he cried. Moments later their mother ran in “Molly Elizabeth what did you do, Shane are you okay baby?” she said hugging her frightened child “I told him a ghost story, I didn’t know he’d get so scared” Molly told her “he’s five! That’s way too young for scary stories!” their mother snapped “bed! Now!” she added.
Years later Shane, Molly, Dylan and their parents moved to Riverside. By this time Shane had forgotten the story and was about to turn fourteen the next week. Shane looked out his bedroom window at the woods he swore the seemed familiar “Shane, cut it out your freaking me out!” Dylan snapped hitting him “what? Oh sorry, Dylan, is it me or does something seem off about the woods?” Shane asked curiously “yeah I know, Earlier I could have swore I heard them calling me” Dylan said looking out the window too “something’s off about this place” Shane stated as they closed the curtain.
That night Shane heard the bed room door open he jumped up “Dylan?” he said as his brother walked in tears of fright in his eyes “Dylan what’s wrong? What were you doing?” Shane asked seeing blood on his brother’s shirt “I don’t know, I woke up in the woods. I don’t know how blood got on me” Dylan said shaking “the woods?” Shane asked, Dylan took off his shirt and nodded. Just then it all came back to Shane “Riverside woods” he mumbled to himself “Dylan, do you remember that story you told Molly about the Riverside Woods, you know the one she told me?” Shane asked his brother “Shane this is serious, this isn’t a bed time story about old people who kill kids. This is real. Reality. “ Dylan paused a moment “or maybe it wasn’t a story, maybe it was true” Dylan admitted “what do we do? Dylan I’m almost fourteen, that crazy old lady in the story killed kids my age” Shane panicked “its okay. If this is really what’s happening, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, besides I think it’s after me” Dylan whispered “go to sleep I’ll stay up, just in case” he finished.


That night Shane had a dream he was in the woods alone when an old woman appeared “my dear child close your eyes” she said stroking his brown hair “rest a while, you seem sleepy, you should sleep” she whispered in his ear “I’m not tired” he replied as her cold lips kissed his right cheek “sleep now Shane, sleep” she insisted as she drew a knife out of her pocket “sleep now Shane, just like your brother, It’ll all be over soon, when you wake up you’ll be safe in bed, would you like that Shane dear?” she sang kissing his cheek again “I want to go home” he said crying “soon my dear, dear child, just close your eyes, sleep” she whispered again as he closed his eyes. He could feel her cold wrinkled hands wipe the tears of his face “down by the river, down by the creek and the old oak tree, lies a child dressed in white and red, soaked in his life his heart on her chest, shall she rise to fall again, I shall tell you dear child, but now you sleep silently, dear sweet Shane my dear…” she sang in angel like tone as he drifted to sleep.
When he awoke he was in an old house with no windows or light. He was not wearing his clothes, now he had on jeans and a blue T-shirt he was tied up to a stake in the ground he had a blind fold over his eyes until it was removed by a tall strong man “what’s your name boy? Are you Shane Hill?” the man asked untying him “yes. Where am I? Who are you?” Shane asked standing up “Its alright, I’m going to take you to your mom” the man said as they left the small shake like house “who are you? What’s going on?” Shane asked “my name is Officer Sands, I’m from the police department you’ve been a missing person for three days now. Do you remember anything about what happened to you?” the man replied “missing? Three day! I just woke up! I don’t understand what’s happening” Shane cried “I’ll explain everything back at the station.” Officer Sands said as they walked through the woods.
When Shane’s mother meets them at the station she ran and hugged him extremely tight and cried his father, Molly, and Dylan where there too “Shane we were so scared” Molly said hugging him “I’m really confused, what happed?” Shane asked “what do you mean what happened? You were there not us” Molly said “we believe he has slight memory lose. He knows who you all are but he doesn’t remember even leavening the house, we think he might have been drugged with sleeping pills” an officer told his parents “so what someone came in and took him? We share a room I would have noticed” Dylan said “this had to have been an inside job done by a family member” Officer Sands said “your all suspects” he continued as they took everyone into separate interrogation rooms.

Publication Date: 12-18-2010

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