Youd be amazed at how many people have died in the most innocuous places.
Those people have never heard the echo of the dead.
Its getting dark.I hear that one a lot.
@corrinska
OrI wonder if shell miss me,orTake me home, God,or things of that nature.
Thats why Ill never set foot in a hospital.
I couldnt take it I just bolted and ran the second I got out of the car.
@corrinska
The echoes are tooreal.Too close.
And I hear them wherever I go.
Youd be amazed at how many people have died in the most innocuous places.
Sometimes there are muted screams along the highway or at sharp turns in the road.
…And then there was Ferrymans Lake.
This was years later when I was a senior in high-school.
The whole class had agreed to go to this remote lake for ditch-day at the end of the year.
But I could hear the whispers long before we arrived.
I didnt want to be the weird kid that day.
I just wanted to be normal and celebrate with my friends.
These whispers werent nostalgic musings.
They werent profound or contemplative or sad.
There was nothing but absolute, mind-numbing terror, and it kept getting louder as we approached the lake.
Jessica, the kind of girl who makes smart men do stupid things, asked me as we parked.
Just tired of the drive, I lied.
I think she said something else too, but I couldnt even hear her over the echoed screaming.
It was the loudest Ive ever heard even louder than the hospital.
This close, I could finally start to distinguish some words too.
Did something touch my leg?
What the fuck is that thing?
The five other cars had all parked on the graveled shore.
Kids were unloading picnic baskets and stereos.
I sat in the car, completely frozen by the tumult of madding echoes.
Get out of the water!
Get out get out!
You getting out, or what?
I had to stare at her lips to understand what she was saying.
She met my gaze while she casually stripped her t-shirt to reveal a well-employed bikini top.
Then the flash of a smile I couldnt return.
I nodded through the numbness, climbing out of the car to gaze at the calm blue water.
Not a ripple disturbed the tranquil mask.
Not a hint of what could be under there.
There was a ferry tied up along the bank with a cobblestone cottage nearby.
A few of the kids were already beginning to investigate.
Youre not afraid of the water, are you?
He must have said it loud for me to be able to hear it so clearly.
Jessica was already ankle deep in the water, but she glanced back.
Her smile wasnt for me anymore it was tinged with the hint of mockery.
Everyone would be laughing if they knew what was really going on in my head.
What are you idiots doing?
Get out, get out!
Someone else had saved me from having to say it though.
An old man, more beard than face, was standing in the doorway of the stone house.
One of the kids said something, but I couldnt hear it over the incessant echoed screams.
I forced myself to get closer.
Legend has it that something lives in the water near this shore, the old man replied loudly.
Everyone was out of the cars now twenty-six kids in total, all gathering around the stone cottage.
Something that has hidden since before mankind first walked the Earth, the old man was saying.
Something that strikes once without warning, and once is all it ever needs.
Whats to stop the monster swimming over there?
She was still smiling I could tell she wasnt buying it.
Too shallow for it, the old man grunted.
100 bucks for the lot of you, special price.
Better safe than sorry.
No way, I want to see the monster!
Several other kids were starting to follow his lead.
We should do it, I announced loudly, straining to keep my voice calm.
Hey look, Ill pay for it, okay?
The ferry will be fun.
So much for being normal, but at least I could live with myself this way.
The old man snapped the money out of my hand before I could even extend my arm.
Smart boy, smart boy.
He winked, his eye glittering with sly recognition.
All aboard, dont be shy.
Bags and heavy stuff go in the middle.
I avoided eye contact while boarding.
For a terrible second I looked behind me and saw I was the only one.
The people in the water or those already setting up their stuff on the shore were obviously reluctant.
They all looked back and forth at each other, trying to read the invisible will of the group.
She gave me a quizzical smirk and mouthed the words:you owe me.If only she knew how much.
I was hoping the echoes would disperse as we got past the shore.
Dozens of unique voices soon became hundreds as we approached the center of the lake.
Echoes rebounding off echoes, reverberating and growing, flowing and slithering into my head like persistent intrusive thoughts.
He kept looking at me and grinning though, the discolored motley of teeth appearing almost feral at times.
The continual pounding of sound was making me nauseous.
I just closed my eyes and waited for this part to be over.
I tried not to think about what might be in the water.
It sounded like a young boy around 12, no older than my brother was when he died.
I glanced at the ferryman who was leaning against the wheel, staring wistfully at us all.
No-one was paying him any attention anymore.
Not even when his pale tongue flicked greedily over his lips.
The old man flipped something and the motor gave out.
He stretched luxuriously in the sun before making his way to the railing.
This is a good place to take a dip if anyone wants to swim, he called out.
Real shallow here, and if youre lucky youll see some turtles.
You sure its safe?
Flash goes the feral grin.
Other people would be jumping in any second, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.
I closed my eyes again, sifting through the mounting pressure of echoes…
Whered the ferryman go?
Get back to the boat!
I opened my eyes again.
There was a loud splash and the cheer of laughter which accompanied someone tumbling into the water.
I was out of time.
I leapt behind the wheel, turning the key and stirring the engine back to life.
People were shouting, but I didnt care.
The controls were intuitive enough, and I pushed the lever full throttle.
We were accelerating quickly faster than I thought we would.
No-one had time though.
We were moving for less than ten seconds before something exploded out of the water behind.
By the time I looked back, it was gone.
Hes not human.Then what the fuck is he?
There wasnt time to find out.
Real screams were starting to mix with the echoes now.
What are you doing?
Jessica and the old dude are still in the water!
Why her, of all people?
Was it some kind of cosmic joke that made her jump in first?
No, thats just who she was.
She was a brave and enthusiastic leader, and it was going to get her killed.
I slid the throttle down, and the ferry slowed.
I didnt even register going on without her as a choice.
There was nothing I could do.
Her head bobbed under as soon as the black shadow drew near.
Everyone on the boat was shouting, but soon they were going to just be echoes too.
Churning water bubbled red, and I shoved the throttle again.
The shadow was moving toward the boat, gliding directly under us.
It said:
Dont wait for me.
I should have done more, said more, while I still had the chance.
And now its too late forever, and Im so so sorry…
I think Im the only one of us who keeps returning to that lake.
