Echoes of the Deep

The dense fog hung low over the cliffs as Nathan and his friends made their way through the thickets of Overlook Ridge. They had heard the rumors—about an ancient well hidden in the forest that locals said was cursed, a place where the air felt wrong and the world went quiet. But of course, it was just a tale to them, a creepy story to share around a campfire. And Nathan, ever the thrill-seeker, was drawn to the unknown.

They finally found it, the old stone well, shrouded in moss and half-buried in the earth. It looked like any other forgotten relic of the past. But something about it felt off. The air around it was thick, almost metallic, and as they approached, a cold wind whispered up from its depths.

“Let’s drop a stone in, see how deep it goes,” Nathan suggested, trying to brush off the unsettling feeling. His friends chuckled nervously, but they obliged, each grabbing a pebble and dropping it into the well.

They waited.

And waited.

No sound came from below.

“Impossible,” said Jake, a skeptical grin faltering on his face. “It can’t be that deep.”

“Maybe it’s just dried up,” Lily offered, though her voice was strained, eyes fixed on the darkness below.

Suddenly, Mia, the quietest of the group, stepped forward, as if in a trance. Her eyes were unfocused, her face pale. “They’re down there,” she murmured, so softly they almost missed it.

“Who’s down there?” Nathan asked, his tone light-hearted, but his laughter caught in his throat. He could feel it now—a pull, something urging him closer to the edge.

Without another word, Mia leaned over the well, whispering words none of them could understand. The others called her name, reaching to pull her back, but she didn’t respond. Her eyes were glazed, locked on the darkness below.

A faint sound rose up from the depths, echoing in the silence. It was a whisper, soft but insistent, words that seemed to slip beneath the skin and settle in the bones. It wasn’t one voice—it was many, layered upon each other, pleading, calling.

“Help us… we are waiting…”

The group froze. The whispers grew louder, rising in pitch and desperation. Shadows twisted at the bottom of the well, swirling like smoke, and then, for a brief, terrifying moment, they saw faces within the dark—a mass of contorted, hollow-eyed faces staring up at them, mouths open in silent screams.

Panic took hold, and they pulled Mia back, stumbling away from the well. But as they retreated, the shadows seemed to follow, clinging to them, filling the air with a chill that penetrated to the bone.

“Run!” Nathan shouted, and they bolted, tearing through the forest, hearts pounding. But even as they ran, the whispers trailed after them, growing louder, closer. Shadows stretched out from behind trees, and a thick, suffocating darkness seemed to rise up from the earth itself, reaching for them.

They finally reached the edge of the forest, gasping for breath, and looked back. The forest was silent, the well hidden from view, but they could feel it, a lingering presence that clung to them like a shadow.

The whispers quieted, fading back into the earth. But something inside each of them had changed, a darkness that they couldn’t shake.

That night, Nathan awoke in his bed to find the room ice-cold. The faint sound of whispers drifted through the air, and when he glanced at the corner of his room, he saw them—faces, hollow-eyed and pleading, watching him from the shadows.

“Help us…” they whispered.

It was then he understood. The well was a trap, a gateway to something ancient and forgotten, a prison for lost souls, and they had been marked, chosen to join the voices that echoed from the deep.

The whispers grew louder each night, and one by one, his friends began to disappear, drawn back to the well, lost to the shadows that had claimed them.

And Nathan knew it was only a matter of time before he, too, would be taken, joining the endless chorus of voices crying out from the darkness.

Thank you for reading Echoes of the Deep. If you felt the chill of the shadows, please like and share this story with others brave enough to listen. Remember, some echoes are better left unheard.