The House at the Edge

I wake up in the middle of the night to find Alice standing at the window, staring out into the darkness. I approach her and ask "what are you doing here?" She responds that she can see a child standing outside the house, looking lonely and sad, and feels sympathy for her.

I peer out the window to see the supposed child that Alice mentioned, but to my eyes, the outside is empty and silent. Assuming it might be a hallucination or a figment of her imagination, I tell Alice to go back to sleep, as it's probably just a figment of her tired mind. The two of us settle back into bed once more.

That very night, as I sleep, I find myself plunged into a disconcerting nightmare. The details of the dream are fuzzy and elusive, but I remember that it was a disturbing experience, leaving me feeling anxious and unsettled.

In my dream, I see a chilling scene of a girl crawling out of the well. This vision is terrifying and unsettling, making my heart race and my breathing becomes shaky as the dream continues to unfold.

Through the haze of my dream, I catch glimpses of a man and a woman, but their faces are indistinct and unclear. Their identities are obscured, but their presence adds an additional layer of mystery and dread to your nightmare.

Since that night, I have been plagued by the same nightmare every time I close my eyes. The recurrent dream has severely disrupted mh sleep, leaving me feeling exhausted and sleep-deprived. I consider confiding in my mother about the issue, but ….

Alice….

Following the night of my nightmare, Alice has developed a high fever. Father cannot take her to the hospital as it's too far away and he's preoccupied with his new project. Consequently, my mother takes it upon herself to try and lower her fever using traditional methods at home.

My thoughts race as you contemplate whether to reveal your recurring nightmare to my mother. I feel guilty and concerned that I might be burdening my parents with my own issues, particularly Alice's illness. Fear of her disapproval, rejection, or dismissal holds me back, and I worry that she would think of my dream as childish or that I am a source of nuisance. The fear of being sent back where I come from further adds to my hesitation.

Despite my worries, I keep my nightmare concealed for the time being, knowing that my parents need to focus on Alice's recovery.

That night, I have the same nightmare once again, but this time, I can make out the face of the girl who is crawling out of the well. The sight makes my heart sink even further, and the image of her face remains etched in my memory, intensifying my unease and fear.

Upon seeing the face of the girl crawling out of the well, I am shocked and horrified to realize that it bears a resemblance to….

Alice?!

However, her face is twisted and distorted, battered and bleeding, with a macabre contortion around her lips, revealing a sinister, disturbing grin. Her teeth are dark and slimy, further adding to the nightmarish image. The strangest part is that I can still recognize Alice despite her grotesque appearance.

I wake up in a state of terror and immediately search for Alice, only to realize she's not in the room. Frantic, I quickly inform our parents and start searching the entire house for her.

Suddenly!

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

we all hear a faint cry for help coming from somewhere. We rush towards the source of the sound and to out horror, we all witness a horrifying sight - a ghastly hand pulling Alice into the well. Overcome by shock and panic, my father tries in vain to grab hold of her, while my mother bursts into tears as she is so shock.

In the midst of the chaos and commotion, a mysterious old woman suddenly appears out of nowhere. With urgency in her voice, she shouts, "STOP!!" and dashes towards Alice, determined to prevent her from going down the well. The old woman puts forth all her physical strength in a desperate attempt to pull Alice out.

Me and my mother now recognize that the old woman who appeared to rescue Alice is actually the same one who had warned us both last week. The realization hits me, making my thoughts swirl with a mix of surprise and relief.

The old woman's words echo in my minds as she firmly declares, "Don't disturb this family!" Me and my parents are struck with shock and panic at the situation unfolding before me. Then, a sorrowful sound, like the sound of weeping, emanates from the well, adding an even more eerie and unnerving feeling to the already tense atmosphere.

From the well, a voice rings out, saying

"I AM LONELY, PLEASE PLAY WITH ME!

The words are chilling, and the sound of the voice sends a shiver down my spine.

As suddenly as it appeared, the ghastly hand that pulled Alice into the well disappears, leaving me and my parents dumbfounded. The room is filled with silence, but the previous chaos remains etched in my minds.

Fear and anxiety still grip all of us as we all rush to Alice's side. My mother hugs her tightly in a protective embrace, her relief evident.

Grateful for the old woman's intervention, I turn my attention back to her, but she issues a grave warning, saying, "You must move out from this house faster. Before your daughter goes and this time, you can't regret it because it's you who didn't listen to me."

At that moment, I notice father's expression seems troubled…..

As if he wasn't satisfied with….. something…

It's a subtle change, but I can pick up on the shift in his demeanor, as if he's keeping something to himself.

Curious, I turn to the old woman and ask her about 'that THING'. However, instead of directly answering my question, she keeps her mouth shut tight and tells me that it's not something that youngsters like me should be concerned about. …. while…. her eyes subtly dart towards…father?