After a few minutes of lying in my bed, my mother opened the door to check on me and start one of those annoying conversations and stupid questions she always asked.

“Hey Sara, are you OK?”

“Mom! What do you want? I am really trying to get some good sleep here or can’t a girl sleep?”

“Sara, the more you fight it, the more it will never stop haunting you.”

I rolled over to face the wall and pulled up the blanket to cover my face.

“Uh haunt? I don’t know what you are talking about, Felicia,” I mumbled under the blanket.

“I am talking about the woman in a white long dress,” she paused. “I have seen her.”

“I still don’t know what you are talking about, Felicia. I mean, even Pickie saw her so please leave me alone.”

“OK. But if you want to talk about it you know my door is always open for you… I love you.”

I felt so bad for shutting my mother out but I pulled the blanket even more to my face and started snoring louder than a Bandersnatch. A couple of minutes later the snoring turned into a deep sleep. That’s when it started again.

I woke up sleeping on a wooden floor in an empty room with the lights switched off. The temperature of the room was low. I know this because I was shivering. I stood from the floor to reach for the door. Scared, with a shaky voice, I yelled my mom’s name. After listening to the echo of my voice, there was no response but dead silence.

I walked out of the room to what led to something like a hallway. Now my breath was silent and I could hear my heart beat pounding from my neck pulse. I walked in that dark hallway that led to an open dark space.

“Why don’t you sit down, Sara?”

A voice said, coming from behind me. I turned to see to whom it came from but there was no one there. I turned back and I saw that the open space now had two wooden chairs and light coming from the two candles next to them. I was sweating with fear and my heart was beating faster. I had a feeling that I must run. But run to where? I walked slowly and sat on the wooden chair on the right, saying a prayer in my heart, and at the same time crying that this was not the life I chose or wanted.

“Why are you scared little girl?” This voice came from a woman who all of a sudden, was sitting right next to me on the other chair.

I had chills all over my body. My mind kept telling me that this woman, who was not looking at me, was not human. She turned slowly to face me. My heart beat even faster. Before her whole face turned to face me she jumped at me and whispered, “Your gift… Will awaken many like me… Your gift, will attach you to many like me.” She then moved her cold fingers around my face and disappeared, leaving the room extremely cold.

***

Tell us: What gift could she be talking about?