The Dark Spirits Beneath by Kason Laufenberg (lightweight ebook reader txt) 📕

catch their breaths again, and, assessing their location, the young girl quickly realized that they'd come to the familiar part of the trail that crosses Stone Creek, the town's namesake, and a tiny flow that didn't even warrant a bridge to get across it. She grinned and gave Hillary's head a quick scratch of reassurance. And without skipping a beat, took a running jump, and attempted to leap playfully to the other side. Slipping a bit, though, the girl actually found herself landing, rather roughly, on the rocks, causing her well-worn, pink tennis shoes to plunge into the mud and cold running waters. The girl let escape a single, startled scream, before bursting into laughter, causing the unseen flock of birds in the trees overhead to flutter and disperse with the sudden disturbance. Continuing to regain some of her composure on the opposite bank, the brave explorer gave her damp jean-clad legs a quick shake, attempting to stomp off some of the mud and moisture, which indirectly allowed Hillary a chance to much more gracefully catch up.

Taking another moment, the girl's smile abruptly faded, and she grumbled to herself, instantly feeling so much heavier, as she recalled what her mother had said earlier. She made the girl promise before she ran out the door this morning not to venture too far out past the creek today. It was late, she said, and dinner was going to be ready soon.

But today, for whatever reason, the girl's adventurous nature was obviously not in any mood to be contained, and she found it especially difficult to follow these boring, though well-meaning directions. Besides, she already knew it would be dark soon. She wouldn't go far. It's not like she was going to get lost. Not in her woods.

In newly mud-soaked shoes, she trudged on, leaves and twigs crunching underfoot. Deeper and deeper, however, she eventually does find herself in a part of the forest she wasn't yet as familiar with. She found herself stumbling into the entrance of a clearing opened up before her. A clearing blanketed by splotches of emerald green and piercing blue wildflowers. And as she does, she instantly noticed a few other things. She noticed that the birds had stopped chirping, and the darkness had begun to advance all around, save for a lone column of amber sunlight, piercing through the trees above. Hillary growled, and pressed her weight into the girl's legs, urging her to turn back, as the animal nervously continued pawing at the ground.

"It's okay, girl. It's okay."

Giving the frightened animal a few more reassuring pets, and taking a deep breath, the girl left the comfort of the darkness, taking a few careful steps out into the mysterious open area. Leaving the apprehensive dog behind to whine, anxiously. The girl shut her eyes and clenched her trembling hand tight around a silver Saint Christopher pendant hanging on a chain around her neck. Hesitantly, she crossed into the lone shaft of light, and in an instant, the safe world she knew was gone, and she finally began to understand the fearful apprehension of the animal behind her. Because in this clearing, a sharp, aggressive wave of anxiety even now began to wash over her, with reckless abandon, overwhelming the young girl completely. And she stood there, eyes trembling, rigidly transfixed. As if her feet, and the rest of her body, were suddenly, and alarmingly frozen in place.

And it was more than that, too. As unease and panic began to set in, the girl could feel some sort of unseen force, reaching out and grabbing hold of her. And a strange... warmth?... coming up from the soil beneath where her frozen feet were affixed. She tensed up all over, as the sensation gripped her with what can only be described as a pure, unfiltered terror, coming from someplace deep down inside. A terror that took hold, and refused to let go. Her pulse involuntarily began to quicken and her breathing shallowed, frantically, and for some reason unknown to the girl, at this moment, she had never felt more afraid in her whole life. The one thing she did know was that this time, maybe, her mother was right. Maybe, she did finally adventure too far.

The frightened girl's eyes dropped down to her wet, mud-caked shoes, which now felt as if they were suddenly made of lead. And somehow, she just... knew. Knew there was... something. Something beneath. Something giving off that strange and unnerving warmth that made her feel so indescribably afraid, and, for some reason, unfathomably sad.

After what felt like an unblinking eternity, the panic-stricken girl finally broke somewhat from the strange stupor, though not at all from the overwhelming wave of fear. She dropped to her knees, placing a hand on the moist soil between her knees, and the vivid, and unsettlingly verdant vegetation. There was no doubt about it. Right now, this weird, indescribably warm energy was radiating up, rising from beneath her feet, enveloping her completely.

What... What is this?

I... I'm not crazy... am I?

She didn't know exactly how, but something within her just knew that there was something buried there. Something... dark.

And apparently, that was enough, because, in an instant, she couldn't explain why, but she just started to dig. She had to know what was buried there. She had to know what it was, at all costs. Her hands feverishly clawed at the soil, the cold, unforgiving dirt wedging its way deep under her fingernails, causing them to sting and ache. But she didn't care. She had to know. Even though, a part of her already did. Even though, a part of her hoped that she was wrong.

The mound of dirt behind her grew larger and larger. And as she continued to work, she could feel silent, inexplicable tears begin to stream down her flush cheeks.

Why... Why am I so sad?

Still, she continued to shovel with her blackened hands, a girl possessed, in a pained, desperate effort to deepen the hole and find