The Storm And The Shadows: A Short Story

Hello dear ones,

And welcome to today's reading.

A reading of a short story I wrote called The Storm and the Shadows.

As always,

Just taking a few moments to arrive here,

Into the space that you find yourself in.

Maybe you're tucked up in bed,

You can take a few moments to stretch your body out.

Snuggling down into the blankets.

Or maybe you're just taking a few moments out of your day,

For some rest and respite.

Just gently slowing down the breath,

Wherever you find yourself.

Taking longer inhales and exhales.

And when you're ready,

Dear ones,

We will begin.

The wind howled outside like a living thing,

Rattling the windows and making the old house gloom.

Rain pounded against the glass in furious sheets,

And thunder rumbled so deeply,

It seemed to shake the very foundation of the earth.

Inside,

Three girls sat huddled on the thick carpet of a dimly lit bedroom.

A ring of flickering candles casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Their sleepover had started with popcorn,

Nail polish,

And laughter.

But as the storm grew stronger outside,

Their conversation had taken a darker turn.

Okay,

Okay,

Emily whispered,

Pulling the fuzzy blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Let's make it official.

Whoever tells the scariest story wins.

Claire rolled her eyes,

Pretending not to be nervous.

Wins what?

A lifetime of breading rights,

Emily declared grinning.

And maybe the last slice of pizza.

Madison smirked.

Oh,

You guys are so in trouble.

I have the perfect story.

Lightning flashed,

Flooding the room with a stark white glow,

Before fading just as quickly.

The girls tensed,

Waiting for the inevitable crack of thunder.

When it came,

It was so loud,

That Claire actually let out a small yelp.

Madison laughed.

Scared already?

Claire scowled back.

No,

Just startled.

Hmm,

Madison teased,

And then leaned forward.

All right,

Listen up.

This is a true story,

And it happened right here,

In this town.

Emily and Claire exchanged glances,

But said nothing.

Madison's voice dropped to a hushed whisper.

There used to be a girl named Lillian Price,

Who lived in a house just down the street.

She was about our age,

And people said she was a little strange.

Always staring out her window at night.

Always whispering to herself,

Like she was talking to someone that no one else could see.

Another flash of lightning,

Followed by an angry boom of thunder.

Claire shivered,

But kept listening.

One night,

Madison continued.

During a storm,

Just like this one,

Lillian vanished.

Her parents woke up the next morning,

And she was gone.

No note,

No forced entry,

No footprints in the mud outside.

Just her window,

Wide open,

Curtains blowing in the wind.

Emily frowned.

That's creepy,

But maybe she just ran away.

Madison shook her head.

That's what everyone thought,

At first,

Until the nightmare started.

Claire scoffed.

Nightmares?

Madison grinned.

Oh,

Yeah.

Her parents started waking up screaming,

Swearing they could hear her whispering in the dark.

Neighbors reported seeing someone,

Or something,

Moving past their windows at night.

And then,

A week later,

The Price family packed up and left without a word.

The house stayed empty for years.

The wind howled outside,

As if in response.

Emily pulled her knees to her chest.

Okay,

But where did she go,

Then?

Madison's eyes gleamed in the candlelight.

No one knows.

But they say,

If you listen closely during a storm,

You can still hear her whispering.

Silence fell over the rooms.

Then,

From somewhere deep in the house,

Something creaked.

Claire stiffened.

What was that?

Emily forced a laugh.

It's just the house settling.

Or,

It's Lillian,

Madison said,

Dramatically,

Making clawing motions with her fingers.

Oh,

Shut up.

Claire threw a pillow at her,

And Madison dodged,

Laughing.

Fine,

Your turn,

Then,

Madison said,

Still grinning.

Claire exhaled slowly,

Brushing her long dark hair over her shoulder.

Alright,

I've got one.

Emily relit one of the candles that had flickered low.

The shadows it cast danced across the walls,

Making everything feel just a little less safe.

My grandma used to tell me this story,

Claire said.

She swore it was true.

She grew up in this tiny town,

Way out in the country,

Where people still believed in things.

Dark things.

Thunder growled again,

Shaking the windows.

They had a legend there about a thing called the Lurker.

Emily swallowed hard.

The what?

The Lurker,

Claire repeated.

It wasn't a ghost.

It wasn't a person.

It was just there.

You'd never see it coming.

You'd only feel it.

A shadow in the corner of your vision.

A breath on the back of your neck.

A whisper when you're alone.

It never hurt anyone.

Not at first.

It just waited.

Madison arched an eyebrow.

Waited for what?

For the moment when you finally turned around and looked right at it.

A gust of wind howled against the house,

Rattling the doors.

Emily flinched.

Claire continued,

Her voice barely above a whisper.

No one knows what happens when you actually see the Lurker.

Because no one ever came back to town.

The girls were silent,

Their eyes darting around the dim room as the candle flames flickered again.

The rain slammed harder against the windows,

And then,

Thump,

A loud noise echoed from downstairs.

All three girls rose.

Emily's voice was barely audible.

Did you hear that?

Another thump,

Closer this time.

Madison grabbed Claire's arm.

Tell me that was just the wind.

Claire's lips parted,

But no words came out.

A shadow moved across the hallway,

Outside their door.

The girls sucked in a breath at the same time,

Hands gripping each other.

Madison's voice shook.

We're on the second floor,

No one else is home.

The doorknob rattled.

The candle flames flickered violently,

And then went out.

Darkness swallowed the room whole.

Emily whimpered.

Guys?

Another thump,

Right outside the door.

Then,

Silence.

The wind howled.

The rain beat against the house.

But inside,

Nothing.

The girls sat frozen in place,

Listening,

Straining to hear anything beyond the storm.

Minutes passed.

Finally,

Claire reached out,

Hands shaking,

And fumbled for her phone.

She clicked the flashlight on.

The beam cut through the blackness,

Revealing nothing but the door,

Closed.

Madison let out a breath that was almost a laugh.

Okay,

That was messed up.

Emily's voice wavered.

Are we sure no one else is here?

Claire stood shakily,

Creeping toward the door.

The others watched as she reached out.

A sudden,

Deafening bang echoed through the house.

All three girls screamed.

Claire yanked the door open,

And the hallway was empty.

The house groaned under the weight of the storm.

But nothing moved.

No shadow.

No whispering voice.

Just emptiness.

Madison exhaled shakily.

We're sleeping with the lights on.

Emily nodded,

Agreed.

Claire closed the door and locked it.

Then,

Without another word,

She climbed back under the blankets,

Pulled them over her head,

And whispered,

No more ghost stories.

The storm raged on,

Thunder cracking,

The wind howling.

And somewhere,

Deep in the house,

Just beneath the storm's roar,

Something whispered back.