Horrified, Melissa became dizzy and nearly fainted. She caught herself before falling on a sharp picket fence that bordered the nearby yard.
Would she have even felt the point of its raw cut edge? Or, would she have fallen right through it as though it wasn’t even there?
Melissa wasn’t about to test that theory. She was still trying to get a grip on her new reality.
The little girl was silent and stared blankly at her. She was clad only in a white turtle neck, a bright red romper with a ladybug embroidered on the bottom, a pair of crisp white tights, and one patent leather shoe on her right foot. Her raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
She was not dressed for the current weather, but it didn’t seem to affect her.
Melissa felt there was something eerily familiar about her.
“Why am I here? What’s wrong with that farmhouse? Who are you?” Melissa asked apprehensively.
Without saying a word the girl lifted her hand and pointed to a crumpled piece of paper pinned to her romper. Funny, Melissa hadn’t noticed it earlier.
Hello my name is……Jaclyn Gardner.
The phantom girl turned away from her without uttering a word.
Jaclyn began walking. Melissa didn’t know what to do. Everything in her said, run.
Run where? She thought hopelessly.
Suddenly, out of the silence came a disembodied voice, “Follow Me.”
It whispered into Melissa’s ear. This sent an icy shiver down her spine.
“FOLLOW ME.”, now there was annoyance in the voice.
The little girl turned toward her in frustration.
“WALK, PLEASE.”
The girl’s pale blue lips never moved. Melissa’s ear rang as though the girl was right beside her; she wasn’t. In fact she was at least 10 feet away. Melissa’s pupils widened and her vision blurred. How is she doing that?
“WALK. WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME.”
“Ok... I’m…coming.” Melissa’s voice shook nervously. She felt like she was answering the air.
Melissa began walking down Johnstown’s main street. She passed familiar businesses like the hospital where she got her first cast and the old theater where she used to watch movies as a child.
After high school Melissa chose to attend the university in ‘Happy Valley’. It was always her dream growing up.
She met her husband at the local diner where she liked to study late at night. They argued over the last ‘world famous’ sticky bun and agreed to share it over a cup of coffee.
Melissa married and decided to stay in Centre County. She taught Abnormal Psychology at the university. The rest was history or a far off future.
“MELISSA, STOP!”
This made her nearly jump out of her skin. She didn’t realize that Jaclyn had stopped walking.
Jaclyn lifted her thin, insipid hand and pointed down an alley.
“GO, NOW!”
There was a sound of desperation from the voice.
Melissa started cautiously down the alley. She saw a patent leather shoe lying on its side.
Two boys started to shout.
“It was an accident. It was all her fault anyway!”
“They won’t believe it was an accident.”
“We need to get out of here! She knows who we are!”
A small cry came from behind a green dumpster.
She’s alive. There’s still time. Melissa thought.
Then she was struck with fear.
It was as though she was sleeping. That red romper, white tights, and one patent leather shoe; it was the lifeless body of Jaclyn Gardner. A small child was standing above her crying. She seemed uninjured. A tag hung from her yellow satin dress.
Hello my name is…Melissa Ellis.
“That’s me!”
“That’s why we’re here.” It was the first time her ghostly companion spoke directly to her all day.
“They know who you are. You are the only witness. They are coming for you.”
The two boys crawled through a small hole in a wooden fence at the back of the alley.
“Follow them!” Jaclyn ordered.
Melissa didn’t think twice and squeezed her way through the small hole.
Mystified, she found herself back in the hallway of the empty farmhouse. When she turned around, the alley, Jaclyn and small door to the dusty room were gone.
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