Coldness

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.”

“This had better be good, dork,” said Chip, folding his arms.

Scott was sat down in the middle of the trail where Chip, the scourge of his eighth-grade life, had waited around to accost him on the way home, as usual. Chip's friends Jillian and Mike just looked at the ground. As usual.

“It’s good, I promise,” said Scott. “And if you like it you have to leave me alone. That’s the deal.”

“I said maybe,” said Chip. “You still owe me for making me chase you the other night.”

“Chip, let’s just get out of here,” said Jillian, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “It’s, like, 9:30 already.”

“Yeah, man,” said Mike. “You’re dad’s going to kill you as it is.”

“He can wait. Let’s hear your story, geek, and if it’s scary enough maybe—just maybe—I won’t kick your ass this time.”

Scott took a deep breath, wishing the warm night air were more calming. “One night, a candle burned in the window. I’d passed the old cabin a hundred times on the way home, but this was the first time I’d seen any sign of life there.”

“Wait,” said Chip. “You saw the candle? This happened to you?”

“Yeah,” said Scott.

“Chip, just let him tell it and let’s go home,” said Jillian. “It’s getting creepy out here.”

“The old Mathis place had been abandoned for thirty years,” said Scott. “No one would set foot in the house. Not after—”

“The Mathis place?” said Chip. “Come on, man, everyone knows about the little girl. You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

“What little girl?” said Mike.

“The little girl that died there,” said Jillian. “I read about this. Here name was, um...”

“Tina,” said Scott. “Her name was Tina Mathis. Her parents left her alone for a couple of weeks thinking she’d be fine, but she got sick and there was no one around to take care of her. She died alone before they got back.”

“Aw, man,” said Mike.

“And it was a big scandal and there were lawsuits and it was all over the papers,” said Scott. “But that was just the start. A few months later her mom and dad moved away and never came back, and no one dared go in the house after that because of what they said when they left.”

“What did they say?” said Jillian.

“They said, ‘She’s still here.’”

“What did they mean?” Said Mike.

“What do you think they meant, idiot?” said Chip.

“After they left, everyone said the cabin was cursed,” said Scott, “and the place just sat there empty for years, and as far as anyone knew everything in and around it was dead, until three days ago when I saw the candle in the window.”

“Three days ago, huh?” said Chip. “Last time we saw you. So that’s where you ran to.”

“Well, yeah,” said Scott. “I had to go somewhere. You were gonna beat me up.”

“Bullshit,” said Chip. “You didn’t go in that house. You’d be too afraid.”

“Dude, let him finish,” said Mike.

“So, what happened at the cabin?” said Jillian.

“I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I didn’t hear anyone inside. Couldn’t see anyone in the window, either. So I just went in. The door was unlocked. But as soon as I opened it the candle blew out. You remember how windy it was that night. I shut the door and started looking around for a match or something. And then I saw it.”

“Saw what?” said Mike.

“A shadow, or silhouette or something; someone standing there next to where I saw the candle. And then there was a flash. The candle lit up again, and there she was.”

“Holy crap, dude,” said Jillian.

“I knew it was her,” said Scott. “I mean, it had to be, right? I just kind of froze. She asked me my name, but I couldn't say anything.”

“What…what did she look like?” said Mike.

“Like a zombie, dude,” said Chip. “All gray and rotted.”

“She’s a ghost, not a zombie, idiot,” said Jillian.

“How do you know?” said Chip.

“Because zombies can’t talk.”

“She was really pale and thin,” said Scott, “like she was still sick. She had long blond hair down to her waist, and it was all matted. Her eyes were glowing a little, and I couldn’t tell whether it was just the candle or…something else. I finally told her my name, and she said hers—Tina.

She said she hadn’t seen anyone in forever and asked me if I'd stay with her. She said everyone else left her and she hated being alone. I said I couldn’t—I had to get back home. She didn’t like that. After I said it, the air started getting cold around her and I got scared and backed up toward the door. And she kind of…floated toward me.

I stumbled back and hit the door, and she was right in front of me, just staring me right in the face. The air around her was freezing, like she was…radiating cold. I felt like I was going to freeze to death if she got any closer. And then the candle went out again. And her eyes were still glowing.

She just stared at me with those cold, burning eyes and said, ‘You have to stay with me. I don’t want to be alone again.’ I reached behind me to see if I could turn the doorknob, but it was too late. I was too scared to move when she reached out for me with her thin, icy fingers…”

“So, what happened?” said Mike. “How’d you get away?”

“Yeah, how does it end?” said Jillian.

“I don’t know,” said Scott.

“Aw, man—weak,” said Chip.

“Chip, just leave him alone,” said Jillian. “It was a cool story.”

“Let’s just get out of here,” said Mike. “It’s almost too dark to see.”

“You’re not getting off that easy, geek,” said Chip. “You were just making it all up as you went along. Couldn’t even think of an ending.”

“I never said it was over,” said Scott.

“What?” said Chip.

“Did it just get colder out here?” said Mike.

“You’re right,” said Scott, getting to his feet. “That would have been a terrible ending. The ghost has to take someone, right? I mean, it’s a horror story. Not everyone gets away.”

“Dude,” said Chip, “that’s not funny.”

“Shit!” said Jillian. “Was that you, Mike?”

“What?”

“Something just touched my arm,” she said.

“It’s her,” said Scott. “She’s here.”

“Guys,” said Mike, “let’s get the hell out of here.”

Jillian and Mike turned and ran down the trail toward home. Chip called after them. “Where the hell are you going!?” But then he froze in place, as if he could feel the cold presence behind him. He turned around slowly and saw her silhouette. His breath got heavy and he began shaking, but he couldn’t move as she reached for him. Her fingers were thin and pale in the moonlight. His eyes widened as her hand hovered in front of his face, fingertips pointed straight toward his eyes.

And she flicked his nose. He stood there in shock for a moment before screaming and running off down the trail after his friends.

Tina dropped her hand and turned to Scott. “You little liar,” she said.

“No, I just…exaggerated,” said Scott with a wide grin. “I had to make it scary.”

“I don’t float, and my eyes do not glow. Do they?”

“Nah, but…it worked, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, I don’t think he’ll bother you again.”

“I’m sorry about your folks and everything. Sorry you’ve been alone.”

“You get used to it,” she said, looking at the ground.

“Yeah.”

“So what now? How does the story end?”

“I don’t know. You like movies?”

Tina smiled for the first time since he'd met her, and he noticed that the air wasn't cold anymore.