Taddies in the Lake

The Willis’s disappeared very mysteriously without a trace from the Highland Hills subdivision two years ago. The EPA cleaned up the community and it reopened soon after. Some of the former residents returned many did not. One late afternoon Taddie Willis walked out of the lake as though she had risen from the dead. Just strolled right out of the water with mud, decomposing leaves and other yucky stuff all over her. Her hair had grown a few inches however everything else about her was the same. She was still very masculine and awkward looking. When she was seen walking around the neighborhood in a trance Mrs. Hill noticed her and called the authorities. Once they arrived they attempted to talk to her however no response. She just stood in front of them all dirty and wet staring into space. Mrs. Hill gave a statement to the police that day, “she just walked out of the water like you see people do in the movies. She was all stiff like a zombie!” A few hours later at the hospital, the police had put together that she was indeed Taddie Willis from photos they had of her when they were looking for her family two years prior.

Child Protective Services (referred to as CPS) was called and they came and got her. She finally told them she did not remember anything about her family or from two years ago. “I was walking one day by the lake and must have fallen in,” is all she says.” She is placed with a temporary foster family for now by CPS. The school had her records from two years ago when she was a student. The school counselor is scheduled to speak with her twice a week. In the first session she was shown photos of her family. Taddie only recognized her mom and had very nice things to say about her and then began to cry. “I really miss my mom a lot,” Taddie told the counselor.

When she returned to class a few students who knew her from before the incident two years ago just stared in total disbelief. The other students all new to the area have been attempting to be friends, sit with her at lunch and invite her to be with them. Taddie tags along dragging as though she is being held hostage. For some reason she likes a girl in the group named Kim and appears to enjoy being around her a lot.

Tom Price (police captain): This is the most bizarre case I have had in my 15 years in law enforcement. Where has this girl been? It has been two years since all those Willis’s vanished without a trace. I was there at their home when they carried out tub after tub of those hideous creatures that look like something out of a horror movie and that God awful foul smell. When I think about it I can actually smell it all over again. There were mutilated fish, frogs and other small deformed animals in those containers all covered in a dirty gray slime. The Willis’s were not in the home and have not been seen since. It was like they never existed--just poof gone! Now this girl shows up and doesn’t remember a thing! The docs have examined her, taken samples of her blood and found a few abnormal numbers however nothing that explains her memory loss. Evan Martin (police sergeant): What about the woman who said she saw her walk out of the lake? Tom Price: Mrs. Hill, she has not been seen since she made that statement. Her husband filed a missing person’s report yesterday. Now another strange incident! Sergeant Martin: The EPA report states the house had some toxic gas flumes. Captain Price: Most of the homes in this area had to be gutted or completely torn down and yards dug up. The dirt from the yards was taken by the EPA to an undisclosed location and nothing else has been said about it. It was as if the whole thing did not happen.

Captain Price: Most of the people are gone who lived here two years ago the few who returned just don’t want to talk about it. Some have said that their pets came up missing or died. Many of them now have lung problems and other respiratory ailments. Captain Price: I am going over to the hospital to see what they can tell me about her psych report. Maybe I can get some answers.

Kim (a girl in Taddie’s class): Hey want to go to the lake? Taddie: Sure! Let me get a net and a tub. Kim: Why? Taddie: We may find something to catch like fish or a frog. Kim, “Taddie why do you want to catch something all the time let’s just hang out. Girl you are really weird!” As they walk to Taddie’s new home a group of boys on bikes whiz and shout to Kim, “You better stay away from her before you come up missing or something. She is strange and we think she is a monster.” Taddie yells at them “You are the monsters,” and sticks out her tongue at them. Kim waves them off and continues to walk with Taddie. They stop in front of Taddie’s new home. “Wait here, Taddie tells Kim, I will be out in a minute.” As Kim waits in the yard she smells a foul odor and then everything goes dark.

Back at school the counselor tells the principle, “she is not doing well in the sessions. Most of the time she just sits with a blank stare on her face. I am referring her to the hospital mental health team this week. I cannot help her.” The principle shakes his head and mumbles, “to bad,” as he leaves the counseling office.

Kim wakes up in a strange place that is dark and smells like a sewer. As she tries to get on her feet a huge scaly monster is standing over her. It wheezes as it breaths as though it has asthma. It reaches over and puts a mask on her face. Then it is dark again. When she comes to Taddie is looking down on her slapping her face, “Kim wake up.” Kim ask, “what happened to me Taddie? She responds, “you must have passed out I found you here on the ground.” Taddie says to Kim, “Come on let’s go to the lake,” like an excited five-year-old. Kim says in a very low mutter no Taddie,” I want to go home now see you later and walks off.

Taddie turns walks toward the front door as she enters her foster mom looks at her with a frighten look on her face. Then she lets out a blood curdling scream!