The Lantern

"Alright Christine, have a good night. Let me know if you need anything at all" Kate said warmly to her client through the laptop screen.

"Will do Dr. McLean, thanks again for seeing me so late. Crossing my fingers I won't need you again til next Wednesday!" she replied with a chuckle. The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before calling it a night. Kate let go of a deep breath, placing her glasses on the side table. She barely had enough time to finish unpacking before starting the therapy session, but was already so relieved to be spending a week away from the city. It was rare to find an Airbnb with so much character, let alone with such a beautiful view. The small cottage sat right on the coastline, overlooking a few jagged cliffs and a lighthouse.

Getting up to grab her cup of tea, she relished in the quiet, temporarily forgetting the workload that lie ahead next week. Her cat Opal brushed along her leg, padding it's way along the stone floors.

"Cozy, huh" Kate noted, gliding her hand along Opal's fur. She glanced at the fridge to find a note taped to the side. Enjoy your visit and stay safe by the shore, it read. Looking out the window, she could see a steady barrage of blueish gray waves crashing violently onto the rocks. Soaking in the view, she took a sip of her tea- only to recoil and spit it back into the cup. Grimacing, she looked down to find it full of dirty salt water. Thinking she must have grabbed the wrong cup (and confused as to how a warm serving of ocean water wound up in the kitchen), she poured it down the drain and rinsed the sediment from her mouth. What the fuck, she muttered in disgust. Glancing at the clock above the pantry, it was probably time to get to bed anyway. Whistling for Opal to join her, Kate walked up the creaking stairs to the loft. Although the room didn't fit her typical standard of comfort, it held an old world charm that she appreciated. The wrought iron bed frame creaked like it hadn't been sat on for decades, and the white lace curtains looked tired and yellowed. Even though Kate typically had the TV on back home to fill the silence, she was okay with the quiet here- the waves crashing, the faint blow of a boat's horn miles away, and the howl of the wind were enough. At last, she climbed into bed to read. What a departure from the crisp white linens of a normal hotel, Kate thought.

Tap, tap, tap. She looked up from her novel, startled. Eyes darting around her room, as the reminder that she was truly alone here dawned on her. Walking toward the window, she pulled back the curtains hastily. A thin branch hurled against the panes, tapping it again. Her heartbeat returning to normal, she climbed back into bed and decided to turn out the light. Anxiety usually made falling asleep a daunting task, but here- it was easy. Her eyes fluttering with every rap of the twig on the window.

Tap, tap, tap. 2:43 am. This time, it caused Opal to meow. Kate, waking up to the incessant cat, looked over to find her pawing at the window. "Opal, pst pst- come on sweetie" she pleaded, half asleep. But she was relentless. Kate walked to the window in a stupor to grab her, once again pulling back the antique lace to peer outside. Expecting to find the branches, her eyes were met sharply with several long spindly fingers reaching up to the glass. Kate gasped harshly, mouth agape and wide eyed- instinctively closing the curtains and stepping backward. She looked at Opal, still meowing, as her heart beat out of her chest. Almost starting to cry, she worked up the courage in a split second to peek out the window once more.

Nothing.

Kate turned on the brass lamp beside her bed with a quivering hand, rushing to inspect the window again. She opened the old latch, feeling the salty wind on her face, to look all around. Absolutely nothing. Feeling confident in her search, she quickly climbed back into bed, holding Opal close.

The next morning, Kate awoke to the shrill call of seagulls. Her mind immediately jumped to the night before, only to scold herself on letting her imagination get the better of her. After lighting an obligatory fire in the living room and frying herself some eggs, Kate started to work. Five back to back sessions she sighed to herself, as she was reminded to take her own anxiety medication. Although a little overwhelmed, working fully remote was a blessing. Video sessions seemed to be working in everyone's interest, and allowed her a week at the cottage.

Later that afternoon, Kate stuffed Opal into her tiny harness and headed out for a walk. The weather wasn't bad, and the light salty mist felt rejuvenating. Just for good measure, she couldn't help but inspect the side of the home from last night. The tall tree with it's wispy limbs fluttered in the ocean air, still pitter-pattering against the panes. Accepting her paranoia, she continued down the coastline until the little white cottage began disappearing in the fog. She paused to breathe in the crisp wind, as she gazed at the horizon. A little light appeared over the water as Kate squinted her eyes, wondering if it was a lone sailboat or a reflection from the lighthouse. Opal started to meow yet again as the light moved a few yards closer. She felt her heart rate pick up pace yet again, as she stood rigid in her tracks. Through a layer of fog appeared a person (or so she assumed) wearing a flowing black garment, holding a small lantern. The person seemed eerily still, unwavering, even through the angry tide. Kate, becoming increasingly fearful, wondered if it might be the lighthouse caretaker standing on a raft. Or maybe it was simply a buoy with a net draped on top. A few more seconds went by as Kate stood, frozen in time, staring at this person. She quickly realized the being was not standing on a raft, or a boat, or anything at all. The black cloth loosely hovered over the water, with no feet in sight. The lantern swayed back and forth, foreboding, as the being floated cleanly above the ocean. Kate felt tears well up in her eyes as she held onto her cat, feeling as though the being had a hold on her body. Staring intensely at the glowing lantern like a moth to a flame, she fell into a terrified daze. Her breath became automated and heavy, her eyes heavy and glazed over, as she glared at the ominous presence approaching the shoreline. Opal pulled on her thin leash, twisting and turning to encourage Kate to continue their walk.

Instantly, she startled awake from the trance as she fell to the ground. Something grabbed a hold of her ankles and began to pull her violently toward the shore. Kate screamed gutterally, realizing she had also let go of Opal's leash who now meowed in the distance. The invisible force was gripping her ankles tightly as she tried to dig her fingers into the dirt. Desperately pulling on the tall grasses and plunging her nails into the ground, her screams did nothing to deter the unseen energy hurling her toward the water. Suddenly she managed to grab a wooden pole sticking out of the mud, holding on with all her might. The pulling stopped. She sat up at once, hyperventilating, shaking to her core. She was writhing in pain, struggling to catch her breath as tears poured from her eyes. Burning red ligature marks appeared around her ankles as she curled into the fetal position, hugging her sandy knees. Microscopic rocks and fragments of broken shells had buried themselves into her legs and forearms, as she took notice of the miniature cuts covering her body. Kate combed her burning fingers through her hair, picking out leaves and debris from her brown curls.

"OPAL!" she yelled to no avail, her throat scratched from screaming. The crashing of the waves muffled her calls, as she scanned the rolling dunes for any sign of her pet. Her whole body aching, she started walking briskly back to the cottage, which turned into running- then sprinting. Finally making it through the heavy wooden door, she slammed it shut. Going around hastily to every window, Kate shut all the blinds and curtains, locking the panes tightly. Putting her hands to her forehead in a combination of disbelief and detachment from reality, she attempted to process what happened. The room felt like it was spinning as the fireplace flickered calmly beside her. She had never experienced anything paranormal, let alone anything physical. Plopping down on the sofa, Kate stared into the fire with her mouth still agape. Suddenly she heard a small scratching at the front door, immediately running to unlock it. Opal waltzed in the room like nothing happened, brushing her familiar fur against Kate's battered leg.

That night, after taking a solemn shower and meticulously detangling her hair, she slinked back into bed to call her mom. That was the only logical option in her head. The phone rang, as waves crashed in the distance. Nobody answered. She glanced at the time- 11:40 pm. She reluctantly decided to leave a voicemail.

"Mom? Hi, um- if you could just call me back when you get this. Please." her voice began to crack. "Something scary happened to me today, I- I don't know how to explain it. Just please call me in the morning. Love you, bye". Kate turned out the light and fell asleep solely out of physical exhaustion, and relief to have Opal back.

2:45 am. A drop of water fell onto Kate's temple and rolled down her face. Then another. And another. In her sleep, she brushed the water away. Drip, drip, drip. Kate opened her eyes, instantly afraid of what she would find. Against all logic, she turned around and gasped desperately for air. The entire bedroom was soaked as water dripped furiously from the ceiling, filling the room with a rotten stench. As she gained awareness, Kate scanned the room to find mutilated fish scattered along every surface. Heads on the dresser, tails still flopping on the hardwoods. There was slimy kelp draped over the chair like a necktie, as water continued to pour in from the ceiling. Not coherent enough to scream yet again, Kate looked down to find more decapitated fish strewn on the quilt- dead, beady eyes looking into hers. Her face and hair were drenched in salty grime as she began to wretch from the smell. Opal was on the floor nibbling a fish tail as the incredibly loud sound of seagulls and rushing water filled the room. Eyes wide and horrified beyond understanding, Kate once again began to hyperventilate and freeze in place. This is a dream, you're dreaming, she told herself as she squeezed her eyes tightly and her voice trembled. Out of nowhere, a finger lightly tapped her forehead, causing her to fall backward onto her pillow.

Kate's phone alarm sounded at 7:15. She sprang up from bed, already terrified. Looking around the room, everything was just as it was the night before. No water, no fish, no seaweed. Only the comforting sound of pouring rain and crashing waves outside. Opal hopped onto the bed and nudged Kate, as if to comfort her. She knew it wasn't a dream. It was too real to be a dream. Frantically barging down the uneven stairs, she rummaged through the kitchen to find her medication. She knew hallucinations were a rare side effect, although she had never encountered a patient who experienced them. That has to be it, there's no other explanation, she rationalized. The familiar chime of emails brought her back to reality as her workload dawned on her yet again. Rushing to open her laptop, she hurriedly scrawled out an emergency away message for her clients. Kate profusely apologized for a sudden personal circumstance and forwarded all new emails to a colleague. She knew she had to leave the cottage. Grabbing a croissant and yogurt, she sat at the small circular dining table with her legs up to her chest like a child. It took all her strength to take a few bites before putting it down in defeat. After taking a pause, Kate pushed herself back upstairs to pack. Without missing a beat, she flung open her suitcases and started throwing in everything she could find. She wadded up her clothes and swiped her toiletries off the counter, ignoring the sound of glass bottles crashing. There was no time to care about the perfume. Kate slipped on the closest shoes she could find, zipped up the suitcase, and ran back down the stairs. Her heart beating out of her chest once again, she began throwing in anything from her work station. Moving faster and faster, she grabbed Opal without scanning the room for anything else she might have forgotten. She opened the front door, too harried to breathe a sigh of relief. Turning the corner to run to her car, she laid her eyes upon it.

There it was, hovering in front of her car just yards away.

The black figure was now in full view. Floating inhumanly a few feet off the cold ground, the dingy black cloth flickered with the wind. The lantern glowing to illuminate the vague face of a person underneath the hood. The veil covering most of it's features, dead white eyes glared straight at her. A down-turned, horrid mouth breathed in and out like an animal. Kate, bewildered and panicked, dropped the bags and began to run back toward the cottage. The door wouldn't budge. She fumbled for the skeleton key as the hooded figure glided toward her at an increasing speed. She cried out as she gave up, running toward the main road screaming. The shrill call of the seagulls added more chaos as Kate could see the figure out of her peripheral vision while running. Suddenly, the slender cold finger returned again to her temple, as she felt a sense of peace. Her breathing became automated yet again, her feet frozen in place- unable to move, scream, or think. The veiled entity beckoned her with it's glowing light toward the ocean, as Kate felt herself follow. She strolled calmly down the rocky coastline, nearly tripping over the jagged rocks on the way down. Kate stepped into the foaming gray water, and took another step. And another. And another, until she was submerged. The veiled creature hovering solemnly above the water, gliding toward the bleak horizon.

As Kate submerged below the desolate, unforgiving sea, Opal padded down to the sand nipping at the scuttling crabs. Kate's belongings lay forgotten by the cottage, collecting little piles of sand with every gust of wind. The muffled pings of Kate's phone could barely be discerned through her bag. The home sat empty, a fire still crackling inside, the welcome note still sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Stay safe by the shore", it read.