The Shadow
One lonely night while sitting in my rickety cabin I gazed out of the window at the full moon shining on the mist clinging to the grave of my brother. The wind rose making the fog shift into mysterious shapes, turning and swirling into monsters, demons, and things unknown. A lone wolf howled in the distance sending chill down my spine. I shivered, it was a night anything could happen.
I could not stop thinking about my brother who had died three months ago. I still felt guilty because I had convinced my brother to swim with me to the buoy in the lake we used to live by. My brother did not make it; he drowned while I made it safely to the shore. When I reached the shore, with cold water dripping off of me, I realized my brother had not come out of the water.
Ever since I have not been able to shake the though that my brother's death had been my fault. Overwhelmed with guilt I had visited my brother's grave every night using the cabin to sleep in. My thoughts were interrupted by a cold clammy feeling and a smell like rotting flesh flooding the room. I thought it was the wind blowing through the cracks of the cabin. Following my instinct my eyes fell on the shadowy corner but nothing was there.
I moved toward the fire to soak in its warmth, but I only felt freezing air like a chilling wind. I checked the window as I turned the fire popped and hissed the wind seemed to come from a shadowy figure that flickered on the wall, it seemed to move on its own. I thought it was the light from the fire.
The shadow seemed to extend its arm and point at me. With a voice that grated my heart I heard it say, "Guilty."
I jumped. It had to be my imagination. I stuttered, "It was not my f-fault."
But part of me would not let go of the fact that I had convinced my brother to swim with me to the buoy in the lake. Thinking of my brother again made me relive that horrid moment when he did not come back out of the water. Still the shadow seemed to say, "Guilty."
Its words seemed to stab my heart and tear it into pieces.
I could not bear it, and I screamed, "Go away you tormentor!"
I went to the fire and poured water on it. With a hiss steam rose from the fire, but it did not go out. I tried to lock myself into my room but the shadow swept across the room, shrouding the way like a piece of the blackest night.
"Guilty," the shadow whispered.
I took a poker and heated it in the fire until it burned like an ember and leapt to stab the shadow, but nothing happened.
"Guilty," it said again.
I screamed and dropped the hot poker. Sinking into my armchair I cried out with agony. With a bitter taste in my mouth, I realized that every night I would have to face my guilt.
"My brother decided on his own to swim with me. It was not my fault!" I yelled.
"Guilty," said the shadow.
A sinking feeling came over me, flooding my brain. I screamed again. The shadow came closer opening it dark maw, showing the dark emptiness within.
"No!" I cried out.
Leaping out of my armchair I managed to shove the rusty door of my cabin open. I ran with all my might into the graveyard. The shadow suddenly rose up from my brother's gravestone like a scepter of the dead. "Guilty," it said with a terrible voice like a dying breath. I ran toward the lake of my brother's death. As I ran I imagined the shadow chasing me reaching out with deadly hands.
Skirting the water I ran along the soft sands of the beach. The shadow emerged like a ghost from the past blocking my way. I had to back into the icy water. I swam toward the buoy desperately. The shadow came out of the water grasping me with its hands, and pushed me under the water. Helpless, the icy water started to fill my lungs.
The shadow came toward my body like a demon and brought me into its arms. The last thing I saw as my sanity left me was the eerie mouth coming for me. As my screams of terror echoed in the water, the shadow of my guilt consumed me.