What's the story behind THe Lake? She enquired.

The waitress shook her head and went pale. "The town's residents avoid that lake. Not after dark. Not at midnight, in particular.

Amelia's interest only grew. She wasn't usually scared of ghost stories, but the Drowned Bride haunted her. The story goes that more than a century ago, a young woman was abandoned at the altar. She perished after walking into the lake in her bridal dress, distraught. According to some, she now wanders the shore at midnight in quest of companions to accompany her to the depths.

Initial Meeting

As Amelia made her way to the lake, the only sound in the stillness of the midnight hour was the rustle of leaves. Over the water, a dense fog hung like an ethereal blanket, giving the black waters a nearly solid appearance. Her hands trembled as she stood on the beach, camera ready. The whole scene felt like a silent, frigid weight pressing down on her.

She noticed movement as she looked around the lake. A woman in a ripped, ghostly white gown gradually appeared through the fog at the water's edge. Around her pale, eerily calm face, her hair clung in damp, matted locks.

Amelia felt her heart pound. Her feet seemed stuck, even though she wanted to run. The figure approached, her eyes as empty as a lake, her hollow stare meeting Amelia's. Amelia became immobile as the temperature fell and the chill crept into her bones.

Then Amelia snapped out of her reverie and staggered backward, as though freed from a spell. She was able to turn and flee, the freezing air following her like a shadow back to the inn's warmth.

The Research Gets Deeper

Amelia couldn't sleep that night. She could see the bride's face whenever she closed her eyes, her mouth twitching as though she were muttering something Amelia couldn't hear. The enigma of the town tormented her. Resolved, she spent the following day searching through old town documents to learn more about Lillian Gray, a woman who disappeared on her wedding night. Evershade had been tormented by odd disappearances ever since her groom was never recovered, with each victim last seen by the lake.

Reluctantly, a local librarian provided more information. She reportedly waits there for her deceased lover, but he never shows there. She now looks for others instead. pushes them into the lake in the hopes that they will replace him.

As if the bride had marked her for something more, Amelia couldn't get rid of the notion that she was somehow related to this ghost. She had a strong desire to stay in town even though she knew she should leave.

The Last Conflict

The following evening, Amelia went back to the lake with her camera in her hand. She wasn't merely there to watch this time; she needed clarification, possibly even closure. The fog grew thicker as she got closer to the shore, pulling her forward like an unseen hand.

The Drowned Bride reappeared around midnight, but she wasn't by herself this time. Behind her, shadowy people appeared, partially submerged in the water. Silent screams echoed from the hollow faces of men and women who had faded into hazy, ghostly shades throughout the years.

The bride's eyes were already on her, and the shadows were starting to move, so it was too late when Amelia raised her camera. The Drowned Bride's chilly palm brushed Amelia's cheek before grabbing her wrist, causing her heart to beat.

The bride's voice was like wind over water as she muttered, "I've waited… so long." "The next bride is you. the person who will release me.

Amelia could feel her feet moving in spite of her mind's opposition as she was drawn toward the lake. Her muscles tensed as the chill took hold of her and crept into her veins. She was only a few paces from the water's edge when a sliver of light pierced the fog and illuminated the shore. She managed to tear her hand away and stagger backward, out of the bride's grasp, for a split second.

Twist

The bride's icy hold was still like a burn on Amelia's wrist as she fell to the earth, unable to breathe. As though the Drowned Bride had left a mark on her, she could still feel the cold seeping across her skin. Her thoughts were racing from the incident as she stumbled back to the inn, but something felt... odd.

That night, the whispering began, softly at first, then louder. They appeared to say, "Come back to me," reverberating in her dreams and occupying the quiet of each solitary moment.

Amelia came to the realization that she hadn't really escaped in the days that followed. She was drawn back to the sea by the bride's ghost, which had clung to her and was waiting. The lake, an invisible ghost that followed her everywhere, had accompanied her. Now, the lake was a part of her, and she felt its call, its invitation to return every midnight.

Amelia was not alone now that she was back from the lake. She knew in her heart that the lake's curse would eventually return her, and the Drowned Bride's cold grip persisted.