The sound is like an icy hand running down my spine, a painful wail that seems to come from both inside and outside of me. In my mind’s eye, I see her—deathly pale skin shining in the moonlight, eyes hollow and empty. Every night for months she has haunted my dreams, but I can’t understand why or what she wants.
As I shudder awake with a gasp, my boyfriend, Jason, swerves the top-heavy SUV around a branch in the road. It rocks from side to side several times, unsettling my stomach before it settles back onto the pavement.
“How much longer?” I utter through a yawn, rubbing my eyes.
Jason sighs heavily before responding, “We have another hour… depending on traffic… maybe we should have left earlier.” His words trail off into self-doubt as he glances back at me. “How are you feeling?”
I pause, struggling to find the right answer—an answer that doesn’t invite questions or worry. I settle on a simple, “Tired…” A long sigh escapes my lips. Mentally numb would be a better assessment, but I don’t want to frighten him. “I’ll just be happy to see the mountains.”
In the days of feverish preparation leading up to this impromptu trip, sleep has evaded me. I am drawn to the cool crisp air of the mountains that reminds me of better times and carries with it tactile memories of youthful innocence and a warm family embrace. This is my attempt at escaping reality, if only for a moment. If I can only reach my family’s chalet nestled in the mountains, perhaps I can find happiness and a sense of belonging again.
I remember my father’s voice, deep and resonating. “Don’t wander off too far, munchkin,” he would say with a belly laugh as I scampered around his feet.
“I won’t, Daddy,” I replied, my small fingers intertwined with his.
We walked on through the ancient woods, the trees seeming to push us forward toward our destination. The air was crisp and clean with a hint of chill; the cold mountain water ran over our feet, soothing away the sharpness of the stones beneath. We stumbled upon this beautiful spot during one of our hikes through the forest; I’m not sure how it became ours, but it was more than special to us. Sunlight filtered down through the trees like diamonds on a lake’s surface as we continued walking along the shoreline. I was mesmerized by its beauty each time we visited. I clung to my father’s legs in anticipation and then, suddenly, I was lifted into the air, spinning and laughing before being cradled within his strong arms and placed delicately on his shoulders. The world looked so different from there—I felt like a soaring bird as he navigated us through the thicket. The woods echoed with my delighted laughter.
I feel a gentle shaking on my thigh and slowly open my eyes. Sleep-crusted eyelashes flutter as I take in the majestic sight before me. The sun is still hidden behind storm clouds, but its light radiates through the darkness, casting a haunting glow over the giant rocks that reach up to the heavens. A hope swells in my chest, tinged with excitement from the promise of roaming thunderstorms and their hauntingly beautiful rolling sound. Even though the peaks are crowned in black, I know it’s only temporary, and soon the mountains will be illuminated again.
Her laugh tinkled like a bell in the crisp mountain air, rising above the fog that had settled over the valley. Dad leaned in and whispered something to her, causing a blush to spread across her face as she tried to conceal a satisfied smirk. She walked to the back of the car and pulled out an easel along with a couple of tubes of oil paint.
Turning to me with a twinkle in her eye, she asked, “Isn’t it beautiful, Hannah?”
“The storm made it?” I said, marveling at the ethereal landscape before us.
With just a melodic hum of approval, she continued setting up her equipment, ready to capture the beauty nature’s fury created.
The fog hugged the contours of the valley floor and created a hazy palisade, with the sun peeking through in bursts of warm light that glinted off the treetops. I paused to take it all in, my chest swelling at the beauty before me.
“Mama, don’t you want to hike with us?”
My mother smiled and shook her head, her hands gently resting on a worn satchel filled with sketching supplies. “You two go enjoy your special spot. I’ll be fine right here — just me and my paints.”
I am jolted awake, banging my elbow against the car door. The SUV slowly winds its way up the rain-soaked mountain road—raindrops pelting the vehicle and thunder roaring like a wild beast as lightning cracked through the sky.
Ahead, I see something indistinct moving across the dark shadows of the forest. As we drive closer, I can make out a long white robe flowing in the wind. A chill runs through me as a skeletal face with cascading hair turns toward us, illuminated by streaks of white light. A piercing scream seems to emanate from that figure before it explodes into the windshield and vanishes into the darkness.
The top-heavy SUV sways precariously close to the edge of the shoulder, skimming past a steep ledge that drops fifty feet, obscuring the tops of trees with its dizzying view of mountains. Jason yanks the wheel back and forth as he fights to regain control, but the vehicle still slides sideways until it eventually comes to a shuddering stop in the middle of the road.
My heart thunders in my chest and I feel like I am hemorrhaging vulnerability—lost. I hold the door handle so tightly my knuckles turn white, all thoughts of the storm that rages outside our vehicle evading me. “Did you see that!?”
Jason’s breaths rattle in his throat and he stares at me in shock. “How could I miss it? That tree was huge!”
“No… not a tree… It was pale like a ghost,” I argue. I sound deranged, but I know what I saw. It was a woman—a tall, thin figure draped in white robes with long, dark hair billowing in the wind. I could see her face beneath the shadows of the night; her eyes were two empty sockets of death that pierced through me. A chill runs down my spine and I clutch onto the passenger seat for dear life.
“Sweetie, it was a tree—a big tree that nearly killed us. I think it must have rolled off the road on your side.” He is still attempting to calm himself, but I can tell his adrenaline is pumping wildly. His gaze lingers on mine for a moment as he takes a deep breath. “You’re seeing things. You must have fallen asleep again—imagined it—or dreamed it.”
“But I saw her…” The pleading inflection in my voice betrays my uncertainty, but I was certain that I had seen the pale lady.
The look shot in my direction tells me everything. He doesn’t believe me. I must not have seen her at all, it was only the fear of the moment kicking my imagination into overdrive.
The engine groans and clicks, refusing to turn over. The winding road up the mountainside is certain to leave any oncoming travelers completely blind to our stalled ride. A sense of panic fills the air. Jason turns the key again and again, each time more urgently than before while fear and dread take residency in my chest. The tension is palpable as Jason tries one last time and, with a loud rurh-ruhr-ruhr-ruhr sound, the motor finally sputters to life with a rumble and Jason shifts it into drive. We lurch forward slowly up the mountain road, neither of us daring to break the oppressive silence that has descended upon the car.
As Jason and I step into the chalet, a wave of relief washes over his face. The wood cabin is exactly as I remember it—cozy and inviting with a fireplace roaring in one corner. I had planned to make love to him in front of that fire, but after weeks of chronic fatigue, my mood has turned dark and oppressive. Unable to sit still, I pace around the rooms while the wind and rain pound at the windows outside.
My heart races faster and my anxiety intensifies with every crack of thunder that vibrates through the wooden floors. Trembling, I look out the window at the dark storm that encompasses us. Tears stream down my face as the memory of what this place has meant to me throughout the years floods my mind—it has always been a haven for me—and yet all I can feel now is fear and dread.
I feel a rush of warmth as Jason’s strong arms envelop me from behind, and I melt into his embrace. His soft lips brush against my skin as he kisses my neck, evoking an overwhelming feeling of safety and love. His selfless nature shines through as he constantly seeks to sympathize and comprehend, even when I cannot understand myself. I close my eyes and bask in the moment, never wanting it to end.
The lights flicker and then die, plunging the cabin into darkness. A flash of lightning illuminates the entire room with a blinding white light, and a deafening crack that makes the walls jump immediately follows. Jason’s embrace tightens around me, but my fear surges through my body with an intensity that cannot be tamed.
I look toward the window and see her through the rain-streaked glass—the pale lady in her drenched flowing robes. Her gaunt skin dangles from her bony frame, and her long hair wildly wraps itself around it. Her hollow face is grotesquely twisted into an eternal scream—a cry that echoes through my mind long after I close my eyes.
As a chill settles in—deep in my bones—I realize that this is more than a fear of the unknown. It is something…else…more like the fear that I know who she is and what her presence foretells.
My knees hit the hardwood floor with a thud, and I scutter away to the center of the room. My heart races as everything inside me urges me to hide. A deafening scream reverberates through my bones—echoing from what seems like another world yet so close that I feel it emanating from within. With my heart pounding in my chest, I look to Jason for safety, only to see his face twisted in a grimace and his hands clenched over his ears. Then, a realization came to me; the awful noise wasn’t coming from inside my head—it was real.
Jason steps towards me, unaware of the presence that frightens me. His eyes are full of concern but lack understanding; yet they never leave mine. Terror grips me as I frantically point to the window, willing him to see what I see—he has to see her.
A bright light fills the room, and the ground shakes beneath me as Jason moves ever closer. The pale woman follows him in a trance-like state, her torn dress trailing behind her, her feet dangling lifelessly as she glides forward. She doesn’t make a sound and stares at me with an open, gaping mouth—stretching impossibly wide like it could devour the world.
Tension fills the room as a crushing weight pins me to the floor. My vision blurs and I see two blurry figures wafting closer, one with fear etched on his face and the other with cold eyes that pierce my soul. As they approach, the distance between them grows smaller until their shoulders touch and their shapes merge. His beautiful blue eyes, still filled with worry, are now looking down at me from above an outstretched arm belonging to the pale lady. Every muscle in my body screams for me to escape, but my limbs won’t move. I try desperately to get off the ground but fail every time. The pale lady has us both—she will suck the life out of me and then swallow Jason whole and carry him away to some unknown abyss.
A savage rage replaces my fear. I dive towards her, my hands curled into fists and ready to strike. An insane feeling of joy courses through my veins as my fingers wrap around her throat. She has no right to him—she will not win this battle. My grip is met with two strong hands that grasp mine firmly, hoping for some sort of advantage. As our eyes lock, terror consumes her beautiful blue gaze—blue pools that moments before filled with love and concern. Just as I begin to feel a flicker of triumph rise within me, the ground beneath me shifts. A sound like that of sandpaper being rubbed against glass floods my ears, an image slowly comes into focus in front of me; instead of the ghastly apparition that I had pinned down, it is poor Jason’s neck now being crushed by my desperate hands. My resolve vanishes, and I stand in this dark room confused and disoriented. What just happened? Was I not squeezing the life out of the skeletal figure of a woman? But, now, she is gone.
My favorite nightgown clings to my skin as I awake. Jason lies still beside me, his strong arms wrapped around me as if I am the only thing dear to him in all the world. His black hair is tousled and matted against his forehead, but he looks peaceful in his slumber.
I try to relax and drift back into sleep but a gnawing dread has taken hold of me. It refuses to let go, like a feral animal that has found a home and is determined to keep it. I brush Jason’s hair back from his brow and watch him sleep, grateful for the safety he provided even after I nearly killed him. Only hours earlier, my hands gripped tight around his neck, yet he still dressed me in my favorite gown and held me as I slept. I don’t deserve him.
As the weight of my anxiety grows and threatens to consume me, all I can do is pray for dawn to come and release me from this choking fear. I reluctantly pull away from Jason’s protective embrace. My throat is parched and aching—in need of water. As I drag my feet across the carpeted hallway, I feel as if I am walking through a pit of sinking sand—each step through the threshold of the bedroom door becomes heavier as I steel myself for the impending confrontation. My heart races, thudding like a bass drum in my chest, and flashes of her face fill my mind’s eye as I will myself to take one more step toward the kitchen.
The dying fire in the living room casts a weak, orange light across the great room. Spasms of terror course through my body as I stumble toward the kitchen, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Thunder rocks the cabin, shaking its very foundation. Every few seconds, bright flashes of lightning illuminate the outside world for an instant. Twisted branches sway in the wind and the sky is vivid with destruction. I step closer to the window, but before I can see anything, a searing white light floods my vision, and I am blinded. As my eyes adjust, a silhouette peers back at me from the other side of the foggy glass. I recognize the figure instantly; it is my worst fear coming to life. My feet move in frantic reverse away from the window but get away from me and I stumble over the couch, crashing down onto the hardwood floor.
A lightning bolt illuminates the room and reveals her—that decrepit figure hiding in the shadows. Her horrid body is encased in a once beautiful gown—now frayed and burnt at its edges. Her white, rotting skin hangs over her frame while her gaping mouth dangles unnaturally open with no discernible words coming from it. I try to scream but the only noise that I emit is a feeble whimper as I crawl away from her. My feet slip uselessly against the slick floor, trying to push further away from the terror before them.
I push myself out onto the wooden deck in a desperate attempt to escape the pale lady. I, now, find myself out in the deadly storm. My mind races, wondering which is more fatal—the ghost or the storm. With another flash of lightning and a thunderous roar, she is standing mere inches away from me. Her eyes are dark hollows, her skin colorless in the night. Fear takes hold of my limbs and I scramble backward, nearly toppling off the side of the banister. Jason calls out from the doorway, his face a question mark. I point in the direction of my attacker. In a voice that sounds foreign to my ears, I scream, “Scream…Lady…Lightning…” My arms motion wildly in an attempt to explain what is happening. Jason pleads with me to come down but all I can do is stare into the night where my pale demon stands before me, and then she is gone.
My legs quiver beneath me, my toes curling and uncurling as if beseeching me to take a step forward. I know that Jason will shelter me in his arms, the warmth of his embrace washing away all pain. My right foot takes a hesitant but determined step out and suddenly there’s a blinding glow that radiates from my body and my throat releases an agonizing shriek. My body jerks violently and then looks deathly still. I’m suddenly falling, weightless until I’m cradled in the familiar arms of my father, the sun’s rays dancing over us.
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