The wet sand felt good squishing between her toes. Rachel was having the time of her life with her son. The two of them were running and playing along the beachfront. It was a fine, summer day. A cool, gentle breeze was blowing in from the ocean. There was a clear blue sky overhead and the sun was aglow with golden light. Rachel was at peace with the world and filled with happy contentment.
"What's that, mommy?" Aidan stopped playing to ask.
Rachel turned and looked at what Aidan was pointing at. It looked like a huge rock along the shoreline.
"I don't know, honey. Let's go check it out," she said, taking Aidan by the hand and leading him towards the rock.
All the peace and happiness drained from Rachel the closer they got to the rock. For she discovered that it was, in fact, no rock at all. It was a horse, a dead horse. She stopped dead in her tracks.
"What is it, mommy?" Aidan asked.
"Nothing, baby. Come on," she said, with a trace of panic.
They quickly turned around only to find that the shoreline behind them was suddenly littered with dead horses. Thick, dark clouds rolled in, smothering the sun. The sea turned blood red.
"No, no!" Rachel cried.
On the horizon an eerie, orange light separated the sea and the now black sky. A lone, dark figure stood there.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaidan," it called out.
"NOOOOOO!" Rachel cried back.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan."
"It's time for me to go, Rachel," Aidan said. He was no longer the playful child he had been only minutes ago on the beach. He was now the serious little boy she used to know.
"No, baby, stay. We can play more. Don't you want to play?" she pleaded.
"It's time for me to go," he said. Then he turned away from Rachel and started walking across the water to the figure.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan."
"No, please," Rachel set out after him. He was getting away because she couldn't walk across water like he was. And when the water got chin deep, she realized that it wasn't water after all, it was blood. She had been hoping that the water was just the color of blood and not the real thing but now that the coppery taste of it filled her mouth, she knew all too well that it was real.
"Oh God, no," she spat. "Aaaaaaaaaaaidan!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan," the ghostly voice, echoed.
It was then she realized that she had truly lost him.
"No, no. NOOOOO!" She awoke with a start and then screamed. The dark figure on the horizon now stood before her, right in front of her bed. Rachel shrank as far away from it as she could, kicking away the covers in the process. She didn't need to see the face behind all the long, wet, black hair to know who it was. It was Samara.
"He's coming," Samara said, and then Rachel awoke with a start.
Rachel frantically looked around the room but it was empty. It had all been a dream, a dream within a dream. She hated those. Getting out of bed, Rachel sat in the chair. She would have liked to take a walk but she wasn't allowed out of the room at this hour. So she decided that she was just going to sit here in her chair until they came for her.
"What's that, mommy?" Aidan stopped playing to ask.
Rachel turned and looked at what Aidan was pointing at. It looked like a huge rock along the shoreline.
"I don't know, honey. Let's go check it out," she said, taking Aidan by the hand and leading him towards the rock.
All the peace and happiness drained from Rachel the closer they got to the rock. For she discovered that it was, in fact, no rock at all. It was a horse, a dead horse. She stopped dead in her tracks.
"What is it, mommy?" Aidan asked.
"Nothing, baby. Come on," she said, with a trace of panic.
They quickly turned around only to find that the shoreline behind them was suddenly littered with dead horses. Thick, dark clouds rolled in, smothering the sun. The sea turned blood red.
"No, no!" Rachel cried.
On the horizon an eerie, orange light separated the sea and the now black sky. A lone, dark figure stood there.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaidan," it called out.
"NOOOOOO!" Rachel cried back.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan."
"It's time for me to go, Rachel," Aidan said. He was no longer the playful child he had been only minutes ago on the beach. He was now the serious little boy she used to know.
"No, baby, stay. We can play more. Don't you want to play?" she pleaded.
"It's time for me to go," he said. Then he turned away from Rachel and started walking across the water to the figure.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan."
"No, please," Rachel set out after him. He was getting away because she couldn't walk across water like he was. And when the water got chin deep, she realized that it wasn't water after all, it was blood. She had been hoping that the water was just the color of blood and not the real thing but now that the coppery taste of it filled her mouth, she knew all too well that it was real.
"Oh God, no," she spat. "Aaaaaaaaaaaidan!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaidan," the ghostly voice, echoed.
It was then she realized that she had truly lost him.
"No, no. NOOOOO!" She awoke with a start and then screamed. The dark figure on the horizon now stood before her, right in front of her bed. Rachel shrank as far away from it as she could, kicking away the covers in the process. She didn't need to see the face behind all the long, wet, black hair to know who it was. It was Samara.
"He's coming," Samara said, and then Rachel awoke with a start.
Rachel frantically looked around the room but it was empty. It had all been a dream, a dream within a dream. She hated those. Getting out of bed, Rachel sat in the chair. She would have liked to take a walk but she wasn't allowed out of the room at this hour. So she decided that she was just going to sit here in her chair until they came for her.
