The Dream Deceiver

It was summer. I had just graduated high school and my parents offered to take my sister and me on a vacation. My parents had just bought a cabin near Lake Millinocket in Maine, where we would spend two weeks there. My father is a pilot and insisted on flying his new seaplane, which I thought was pretty exciting. We packed what we needed and my uncle took us to Bangor International Airport. My uncle was going to meet us at the cabin with his family within the following days and wished us a safe flight. My dad went and got us clearance so we could enter the flight line. He came back and we packed our luggage on the plane to get ready for take-off. As soon as we took off I fell asleep and woke up from my sister tapping on my shoulder. She pointed at Mount Katahdin and I was in complete awe. I could see the beautiful reflection from the sun on the lake and Mount Katahdin in the distance. We landed at the seaplane base and my parents got a rental car to go to our cabin. Finally, we arrived at our cabin around the evening and got our rooms situated.

My mom asked if I wanted to go to the store with the rest of my family. I said, "No thank you, I want to enjoy the view and draw." She nodded and my family went to the store. I went to sit at the pier to draw the lake and mountain, and the scenery was so beautiful. The sky was purple with the sun setting in the distance. I had my feet in the water and it was getting cold but I almost wanted to jump in for a split second. I started to draw but felt the back of my neck hairs go up. I was confused. I looked around and felt like someone was watching me. I looked back at the cabin and didn't see anyone. I looked around at the woods to my left and right, scanning my surroundings slowly. Still nothing. I looked back at the water and it started to ripple ferociously. I grabbed my things and took my feet out of the water quickly.

As I started to make my way back to the cabin. I tripped on one of the boards, dropping everything. My water brush pen got stuck on one of the cracks and I went to grab it. I was on my knees when I saw two yellow eyes staring at me in between the cracks. I screamed and took off running up to the cabin and didn't look back. I closed the door so hard the cabin felt like it shook. I stood with the door to my back and went to look for my phone in my shorts. As I started to panic, I remembered- I dropped everything on the wooden boards and it must've fallen out of my pocket. I took a peek outside the door window and didn't see anything. I ran to my room, turned on the lights, and locked the door. I walked past my bed, closed the window blinds, and waited. I sat on my bed and was praying for my family to come back. I sat there... listening... hearing nothing but the wind and trees. My eyes got heavy and I fell asleep.

I was awakened by a loud knock at my door. I closed my eyes so hard, it felt like I was getting a headache. I passed out again and heard my mom calling my name from outside. I peeked out my window and saw that my family had come back. I opened my door slowly and the lights were on. Everyone was sleeping in the living room near the fireplace. There was a note on the table with food left out for me. I looked at them, confused. Didn't mom just call me from outside? Could it have been from inside? I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I went to the door and looked outside. The sky was dark but I could see the moonlight on the lake. There was light off to the right of the cabin door that was shining towards the pier, but it was ever so dark.

I then noticed a silhouette on the pier. It climbed onto the platform and crawled slowly towards the cabin. My eyes widened and I froze. My jaw dropped and I couldn't breathe. The apparition crawled with its yellow eyes, gazing into mine. It was approaching with what looked like arms out to the side, almost touching the width of the pier. There was complete silence except for the fire crackling to my right side. I could hear scraping from the figure through the door- like the sound of nails scratching at the door. The sound was heavy and loud as if it was dragging across the pier. I tried to turn and scream for my mom, but couldn't. It finally reached the end of the pier, tilted its eyes down, and there was darkness. I turned my head and looked at my sister sleeping on the ground next to the fireplace and tried to scream her name. As I turned my head the lights went out. The shadow then got up slowly with its arms dangling to its sides. Its head tilted up and its eyes pierced my soul. I took a breath and watched it try to walk up towards the cabin ever so heavily. Its eyes hauntingly getting closer and closer. My breathing was short and rapid. My heart racing faster and faster. My body was profusely hot and sweaty. I saw its outline from the light, but it was still too dark to see its body. It appeared to be a beautiful woman with long hair to the side. She was smiling with a grin too content. It looked at the outside light with its eyes and the surroundings went dark. The fireplace was now reduced to hot coals. Our eyes once again met and the wood cracked from the fireplace.

I regained control and started to run towards my room. I turned the corner to the hallway of my room and my light was still on. I peeked back to look outside the window and my family was concealed in the darkness. I looked at this creature, the woman, and her eyes got closer. She was running straight for the door but still gazing through me. I took off to my room, closed my door, and blocked it with my body. The main door was being pounded on loudly with three large knocks. I thought about turning my lights off until I heard the door open. The door loosely swung open and banged on the walls. The vibrations rattled my door. She walked forward, stopped, inhaled deeply, and laughed psychotically. I locked my door and slowly made my way to the corner facing the window. I heard her shift her body towards my family and heard bones cracking. She groaned and walked to the hallway, scraping the outside walls of my bedroom. Laughingly she said, "come here" deeply. She stopped at the door. Silence. The doorknob turned slowly left and right. I could hear her hands move down to the floor. Her nails were jagged and bloody, scraping under the empty space of the door. I looked down in horror and covered my mouth. "I know you're in there. Come out, let's play." Her nails dug into the floorboards and she reeled her hands back. She started to walk back to the main entrance and stood still for a long while. After some time, I had passed out and thought she had left. Then, I heard a voice from under the door. "DID YOU THINK I'D REALLY LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!" She laughed maniacally, pushing against the door while banging on it loudly and scratching it relentlessly. I panicked and ran to my window and opened my blinds. "I KNEW YOU WERE IN THERE, WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" I unlocked my window and looked back. I saw her eyes looking at me from under the door with her deathly grin. She got up and took off running back outside.

I closed my blinds and went to the door. I was listening to see where she was. I couldn't hear her. My heart was racing. I closed my eyes. "Please let this be a dream. Please." I opened my eyes and turned around... only to see that her silhouette was in the window. Silence. I froze. Her nails were tapping against the glass on every heartbeat. The window was being pushed up slowly and she put a leg in the room. It was humanly deformed with scales. I opened the door and closed it behind me, running out to the entrance. I paused, as my family wasn't by the fireplace. My disbelief was broken by screaming and glass shattering from inside my room. I sprinted outside to the pier. The cabin sounded like it was shattering from inside. I heard her scream more clearly now. She must've broken through my door. I ran to the end of the pier and turned around. She was there in the doorway towering under the roof with her now red eyes. She laughed, walked towards me slowly and menacingly with vicious intent. The outside light came on. I saw the outline of her body covered in light. Her body was dark as night. Her shadow grasped for me on the pier and her eyes were covered with delight. She reached the beginning of the pier. With a smile, she tilted her head down and turned around. "I will see you soon," she said happily.

I woke up sweating and screaming. The cabin door opened. "Honey! We're back! Come help with the groceries." I sighed in relief, unlocked my door, and ran to my mom. I hugged her and said I loved everyone. "What's gotten into you buddy?" I turned to my dad and said "Nothing, I'm just glad to see you guys. I was getting lonely." I gazed outside and there was only darkness and moonlight. I returned to my family to have dinner and we watched TV by the fireplace. I fell asleep on the end of the couch by my room and woke up. The lights were on and my sister was sleeping on the ground by the fireplace. My parents were asleep on the other side of the couch. I shook my head and got up to look out to the pier. Two red eyes slowly gaze up and her smile appears.